#BUT. I don’t HATE the person who doesn’t cut off their family member

[lionblaze03-2]

personally I don’t hate gray wing nearly as much as everyone else because he’s a great example of having rose colored glasses just because ‘well, he’s family’, and not realizing until far too late that that essentially ruined his life and made him amount to almost nothing. Because clear sky is his brother, he wants to assume the best of him. Surely, my brother would never. Surely he didn’t mean it like that. Surely he’ll do better next time. He’s my brother. He COULDN’T be a bad guy. So he keeps giving him chances, over and over and over again, until it’s completely destroyed him. Until he can no longer breathe, his lungs full of toxic smoke that clear sky abandoned him to breathe in, until he is under his claws, nearly killed under the moonlight, until his people are battered again and again, until borders become inevitable. But he never, ever realizes, because- it’s his brother. Surely, his brother will do better next time. Surely, he didn’t mean it. Surely, he will change.

And believing that is the death of him.

[olympeline]

Been thinking about why I found Arthur in the Dark so impressive and it made me realise something kinda significant. Something significant that I’m going to put under a read more because it revolves around a heavy subject. So I wouldn’t advise looking beyond the cut if you’re sensitive to that kind of thing.

Less important, but everything below is a big spoiler and, guys seriously. If you like USUK and can handle darker fiction - no pun intended - give AitD a try. Don’t spoil yourself here. Go try it first and then come back if you’re interested. Try it if you’re neutral on USUK. Or, heck, even if USUK is a ship you dislike but isn’t an outright NOTP. I’d still recommend checking out this comic. Arthur in the Dark is still worth a read in my opinion. It’s that good. But enough gushing. Read on for the meat of this post.

Ready? Here we go: Arthur in the Dark has one of the best depictions of rape I’ve ever seen in a piece of media. “Best” as in most skillfully crafted for narrative purposes. Honestly and truly. Not even kidding. Which is kind of amazing considering it’s a depiction that came from a fan comic based on a jokey, anime gag series. Why do I feel this way? A couple of reasons:

Firstly, the rape in AitD is frighteningly, tragically realistic. Something the majority of fictional rapes are not. We tend to think of rape as taking place in a dark alley in the inner city. Stereotyping up a scene of a bottom feeder, criminal man dragging a (young, attractive) woman away to violate her. They’re usually total strangers and it’s always violent. These kind of rapes do happen, but statistics tell us they’re the minority. The majority of rapes happen like the one in AitD did: between two people who know each other well. Friends, romantic couples, even family members, make up the bulk of rapists and their victims.

Most narratives prefer the less common type of rape. Usually because the creator doesn’t want to tell a story about rape. Not really. What they want is a gut-punch to add easy drama and darkness to their creation. The sliding scale of “irredeemable bad guy” roughly goes: murderer → cold blooded torturer → rapist → child rapist. Making a villain a rapist is one of the worst things he - because 99% of the time it’s a he - can be. Conversely having a character be raped gains them instant sympathy because people are moral and empathetic creatures at heart. Most creators know this and throw in a rape for the shorthand: “Look how evil our villain is!” Which often makes the rape and its aftermath feel artificial. In no small part because the rapist characters, by virtue of being written to be the worst of the worst, don’t come off as very human. They can’t be when their main purpose is to be loathed by the audience. I could go on because there’s tons more to unpack about rape in fiction, but you get the point.

The rape in AitD isn’t like that. America and England know and love each other. Their relationship is complicated (oh boy, is it ever!) but that part of it is never in doubt. They’re each other’s most treasured person and have been for centuries. They’re not a duo made up of a flat, hate bait, villain on a collision course with their victim. Who’s doomed to suffer and be pitied until the creator decides the audience has had enough of their trauma and shuts it away so the story can move on. America and England are two people living together, going through a period of immense change and stress, trying to manage as best they can, and sometimes getting it very wrong. From a narrative point of view, this makes what happens between them so much better and so much more upsetting at the same time.

Which brings me nicely to reason number two of why this particular rape works: the build up. Like everything else in AitD, America raping England is carefully planned out and set up. The chocolate bar scene, man. Brilliant, I have to say. Alarming, uncomfortable, and brilliant. The scene in the garden is not just sprung on the reader for a jarring “Oh no! Oh shit-!” moment. If your typical under written rape is a cheap jump scare, the rape in AitD is a carefully crafted slowburn dread. Early on we start to become aware we’re building to something bad. From the foreshadowing, the art, the atmosphere, etc. We just know a storm is coming. It’s done without America acting OOC too, which is very important. It’s how he can come back from what he did. Something that would be impossible if the author didn’t handle this setup well. America’s actions aren’t right, but they are understandable. That’s the crucial distinction. The psychology of the whole thing is so very well done. America was in love with England and had been for a long time. The guilt he felt tormented him because of what their relationship was in the past. Caught between his human side and his immortal one. The guilt helped keep America in check because he didn’t want England seeing the lustful way he’d begun to look at him. Then they started living together and England was suddenly vulnerable. Vulnerable in more ways than America was aware. Which is another vital detail of how the creator keeps America sympathetic, but more on that in a moment. England willingly went blind so he wouldn’t have to see when America - the man grown from the child he raised - looked at him with lust. The guilt America felt peaked, only to clash with the realisation that he could freely indulge in his fantasies. Indulge and push (again, chocolate bar scene) now the usual moral restraint - England seeing his desire - was removed.

Meanwhile, England himself felt that same guilt but his was also laced with panic and despair. He didn’t want to lose or strain his relationship with the most important person of his centuries long life. Pulled between human standards of morality and the very inhuman existence of nation-people. Incidentally the clash between their existence as humans, while also being something more than human, is brilliantly done in AitD. It’s something that’s hard to get right - especially involving such taboo topics - but Hotama nails it. USUK usually handwaves the implications around England raising America, but here it’s made part of the narrative. Part of the tragedy, part of the resolution. Good stuff. Anyway, England begged Arthur to take his sight away so he wouldn’t have to see the way America looked at him. Then banished Arthur back into the dark in an attempt to run away from his problems. But without Arthur - without his strength - England couldn’t stand up to America when he needed to. Not that America was aware of any of this because he never knew about Arthur. Which brings me to point three: nuance of blame.

“Blame” is a very loaded word in this context, so I’ll do my best to talk about this carefully. Rape in the media is almost always black and white. Absolutely evil, irredeemable rapist. Absolutely blameless, sympathetic victim. But real life isn’t always that simple. Obviously the rapist is always the perpetrator and the one most in the wrong. I need to make that very clear. But the scene in AitD illustrates that sometimes a victim could have done more to help themselves. Not always, but sometimes. This is a delicate subject so I hope you understand I’m not trying to victim blame. Just saying that rape, like all crimes, doesn’t always deal in absolutes. Unlike media, real life is often complicated and tragic. Good people can give in to temptation. Be weak, do bad things, or allow those bad things to happen. England told America to stop, but failed to follow it up when needed. When America pushed for more and used England’s own words to argue he’d already been given consent, that was when England needed to push back. Interpretation comes in here but, personally, I think if England had told America to stop when prompted, America would have. But England didn’t and he gave in instead. Something America took as a tacit “yes.” Again, not right, but understandable in how it could happen. Their power imbalance had grown extreme, stress and feelings were running high, they were struggling to connect as they used to, England’s prior cowardice and separation from Arthur prevented him from being strong when he needed to be, America was ignorant of his problem, and it all came together in a horrible, tragic mistake. All throughout, the rape continued to be brilliantly, awfully realistic. America not noticing - either genuinely or from denial - that England was not enjoying what was happening. England quickly becoming too distracted by the pain to do anything other than focus on enduring it. Then the aftermath where America didn’t realise what he’d just done due to coming down from a post-sex, post-stress euphoria. Awful, miserable, horrifying, tragic, perfectly crafted scene.

Which brings me to my final reason why this comic impressed me in its depiction of rape: where the story goes from there. Where it goes and how the narrative builds from the rape instead of trying to move on because the “shocking” part is over and now we’re in diminishing returns. Going back to my first point, too many stories see rape as something that happens in an isolated part of the narrative. It happened, it was shocking and brutal, now it’s done and we can move on because we didn’t plan to interweve the rape with the rest of the story. So we won’t give it the weight it needs. At best the victim might get a few scenes expressing their trauma later on - maybe a callback or two - but that’s it. It’s shallow. Plenty of fictional rapes could be replaced with a savage beating and nothing would change. In the worst cases you could remove the rape, not replace it with anything, then run the story with minimal problems. Not so in AitD. There, the rape isn’t just another semi-important plot point. It’s a crucial one which couldn’t be replaced with anything else. The whole first part of the story, the engine of the narrative, is built around America and England failing to deal with their changing relationship. A relationship between a pair of humans who also happen to be strange, immortal beings that ordinary humans can’t understand. Changing from platonic/familial to romantic over hundreds of years. With romance comes lust. Lust can be perfectly healthy just like any other bodily appetite. In this case it became twisted by circumstance, and the only “suitable” narrative payoff was rape. Nothing else would have had the necessary impact.

Then there’s how the rape compares to the final sex scene in some classic narrative juxtaposition. The final sex scene which happens to be the only one in the comic that’s fully consensual on both sides. The one that goes beyond sex and becomes real, honest to goodness lovemaking. It’s a perfect contrast. The rape scene had all the trappings of a classic romance. Right down to it being their first time and taking place in a rose garden. But it’s tragic, horrifying, and deeply unsexy. Then, near the end of their story, America and Arthur get lost on their road trip and have sex in their car. Their crappy, cramped car, where they’re surrounded by ordinary luggage, both of them sweaty and a little cranky with each other after a long day. It’s awkward, ordinary, imperfect and gorgeous. If we didn’t have the rape before to show us the nadir of this relationship, the healing and the dawn that came after wouldn’t be half so meaningful. A very strange thing to say without context, but it was a perfectly done rape that gave the audience the payoff of perfectly done lovemaking. It’s no small feat to get a reader to cheer for a romantic resolution after all of the above. Kind of in awe of Hotama’s skills, I tell you what.

Up to this point and I don’t know what else there is to say other than, geez. This comic, man. Blew me away. I’m so happy I rediscovered my interest in Hetalia if for no other reason than I got to read Arthur in the Dark. I’m a bit of a bookworm in my spare time and I’ve read quite a lot of classic literature over the years. Classic literature with rape scenes not crafted half so well as AitD did. Really think about that. An amateur fan comic based on a jokey gag series about national personifications being silly with each other. Did better at something than the books we hold up as the best of the best. Can’t really say anything else than that is genuinely bloody amazing

[whoishotteranimepolls]

Defend Your Blurbo Submission (this is LONG—1105 words, sorry!)

Dorsal Fin Appreciation or Lack Thereof

Hear me out y’all, but Arlong the Saw seriously needs more love in this fandom than he is getting. This is not a plea to the folks who don’t go feral at all for anyone in One Piece, this plea is for my fellow One Piece fans. Why so angry?

Out of all the villains in the entire franchise, and I am 100% ignoring the Live Action by Netflix—this is about OG canon Arlong from the anime (haven’t really read the manga yet), he seems to be the most hated. I have seen more genuine love and affection for Kleenex Boi Trebol than I have for He Carries Two Fish Sticks Everywhere He Goes Arlong.

Yes, he did conquer an island in the East Blue. Yes, he did extort money from the citizens monthly (effectively making him a loan shark). Yes, he took a young Nami and had her work for him, originally under horrible circumstances. And yes, he did kill Nami’s adoptive mother Bell-Mere. I feel like y’all shut him out of fandom love simply for killing Bell-Mere.

Out of all the villains that regularly see love, he killed a whopping one person. One.

He let Bell-Mere give parting words to her girls, he let her say goodbye, and he actually killed her rather quickly. He didn’t torture her, didn’t rape her, didn’t drag anything out. He stated that if you can’t pay, you die. He didn’t lie. She couldn’t pay so she died. Arlong is very cut-and-dry, you know exactly what you’re going to get with him.

Compare him to someone like Eustass Kid, who has killed way more innocent people than Arlong ever will. Kid got his bounty based on his egregiously high civilian casualty count. His big bad bounty came from innocent blood being spilled, that’s what makes Kid so damn dangerous to the government. Because let’s face it, he fails as much as Buggy does in the whole pirating thing. He took on Kaido at least once and lost and he took on Shanks twice and lost. He doesn’t win his pirate battles; he just wins at killing people who can’t defend themselves against him. And y’all eat him up like candy.

Arlong kills one backstory character and he’s the most hated man in One Piece. He’s better looking than Hody Jones and many other characters, he’s more humane than even he wants to admit, and he had great character development too.

He started off treating Nami like a slave or a pet and in ten years’ time grew to consider her a valued officer and crew mate. He wasn’t just fighting to keep his cartographer; he was fighting to keep the only female member of his pirate family from leaving.

Doflamingo killed his own father when he was a child, murdered his own brother, murdered countless other people, and overthrew a fucking country. And y’all drool over him like a stuck pig at a luau.

Arlong was a pretty solid pirate all things considered. He plundered consistently over the course of 10 years and built himself an empire on land rather than a fleet. He had a cunning plan. He had minions within the Marines (just as Doffy did with Vergo, but Arlong’s were actual marines), so he infiltrated through human frailty. He only committed one act of murder.

He had all the maps, a creature from the Grand Line and let’s not forget he and all but one of his crew were also from the Grand Line. He kicked ass. He even had convictions; he wasn’t all about himself. He cared about his own species, every single member of his crew, and he never turned on any of them. He did exploit a loophole with Nami but regarding his own people, he treasured all of them.

When they did something wrong or disagreed with him, he never harmed them. He didn’t treat them like shit. Their lives were precious to him. Hody Jones not only abused other fishmen/fishwomen, but he also flat out killed them. He murdered his own monarch and any fishman who didn’t agree with him 100% was killed. Arlong would fall on his own sword before even letting so much as the idea of killing any of his own kind cross his mind.

When Arlong did have disagreements with other fishmen, he just separated from them and went his own way. He never killed his own kind, wouldn’t dream of it. Arlong has lines in the sand that he will not cross, he has boundaries and respects them. Arlong actually has morals that he adheres to. Hody Jones is amoral, and Doffy isn’t far behind. Hell, Arlong has more solidified convictions and morals than Sakazuki, who like Hody, kills his own subordinates if they disagree with him.

Arlong really isn’t that villainous of a villain. In my opinion, he is a deeply traumatized person who never dealt with his trauma. He bottled it all up and is slowly consuming him. He’s damaging himself by doing that and he is able to be mislead by thinking he’s doing right and following solid ideals. He truly believes his species is superior and he truly believes that they need to rise up and take their freedom.

Now, he isn’t wrong. Fishmen are treated horribly and they do need to take their freedom, but treating humans the exact way they have been treated is also wrong. Arlong is so deeply wounded that he hasn’t figured that part out yet. He was starting to with Nami evolving in his crew. He even admitted to her intelligence and skill a few times, he was slowly starting to mend his ways when she left.

Arlong is deeply traumatized, misguided, but redeemable. And yet, no one gives him a chance. How can you all heap the love on civilian slaughterer Kid, pirate failure Buggy, snotastic Trebol, familicide Doffy, royal traitor Crocodile, domestic terrorist Sakazuki (because like me, some of y’all out there love him too), fish gutter Hody Jones, delulu “deity” Enel, lard ass Blackbeard, or giant psycho Kaido with the scrawny legs that shouldn’t be able to support him but y’all can’t find three nice things to say about Arlong the Saw and his glorious dorsal fin?

I mean come on! Have you seen that sexy dorsal fin of his? He’s tall, has luscious locks, teeth that regenerate, two fresh fish sticks in his pants, a cool ass sword, decent fashion sense, and he can breathe underwater which is just so cool.

Why must you hate him so? He’s not that bad all things considered.

Defend Your Blurbo #7

Please remember this post is about curiosity and genuine fandom discourse. Be kind with your answers because this is not a debate essay, this is a discussion between fans.

Well, in case anyone doesn't know who Arlong is, he's an early One Piece villain.

Now, this anon took a much different approach to the series than the others, so have fun with this and One Piece fandom. Defend your Blorbo

[theblueflower05]

Hmmm how about Alpha!reader overstimulating Omaga!Lo’ak because she was jealous seeing him being a little too nice to another female alpha. So she punishes him from sunset to sunrise. Idk if this is any good but just a thought, Love. ABSOLUTELY LOVING YOUR A/B/O series, can’t wait for the next chapter 😘

This is probs my fave slutty ask I’ve gotten. When I saw it I fucking SCREAMED.

It also is kind of a sister story to my Tsireya x Jealous Reader. Like same same, but flipped.

You’re possessive, and it’s not something that you hide.

Lo’ak learned it pretty early on in your relationship. You’re an extremely transparent person, you wear your emotions on your face and your heart on your sleeve. He appreciates it because it because as someone who’s always eager and anxious to impress, you don’t keep him guessing much. You tell him what you feel, what you want.

And you want him to be yours, and only yours.

Smut under the cut

It’s all you’ve ever wanted.

You’re not nasty about it- you don’t snarl at him for spending time with his friends and family. You encourage other healthy relationships in his life. You’re a good woman, his father reassures him proudly. A good alpha, Neytiri tacks on for good measure.

You have zero tolerance for other alphas touching what is yours.

You’re gentle, a weaver. Not known to the clan as a warrior or hunter. Your parents are passed onto Eywa, and even when they were still Pandora bound, they weren’t high standing members of the clan- and yet. You’ve carved out a place for yourself. You’re respected, as a young capable alpha in your prime.

You don’t enjoy fighting, don’t enjoy being angry or violent. But you will become so, to protect what is yours.

Lo’ak had never seen your temper flare the way it had earlier, down at the beach.

It was a little scary- to see you like that. Your powder blue eyes that are usually so soft had gone hard, your pupils slits. The snarl that had left you had made almost all around you take a step back- it was all Alpha. Powerful. Full of rage. A warning for bloodshed.

It had taken two Alphas, twice your size, to drag you off and he’d watched with large golden eyes. In complete shock. At the unfortunate unfolding of the situation-

“What are you doing? Go to her, you skxawng ” his elder brother had hissed at him, kicking him into action.

Lo’ak had followed like a Viper wolf pup as you broke away from the other alphas- snatching out of their grasps with a huff- and had made your way back to your shared home.

He feels like shit, horribly bad, as he enters the Mauri. His tail between his legs and his ears twitching on his head.

You’re pacing, back and forth. Clearly still upset. Your chest is heaving and your thick take twitches sporadically-

“Y/N” he murmurs, calling to you because you won’t look at him.

You just continue on. Still raging. And it’s hard to watch- especially knowing that he had caused the whole thing.

“Yawne, please-“ he continues, coming forward and reaching out to you. His large five fingered hand coming around your petite wrist.

“No. Do NOT touch me right now” You yank, hard out of his hold, and finally turn to him.

What he sees breaks his heart.

Your eyes are big and swimming, tears leave tracks as they rush down your face. He’d never seen you cry, not like this. The sight alone has the hair on the back of his neck raising-

“I’m sorry- I’m so sorry Mamas, don’t cry” his tone is hushed, hesitant. He doesn’t know what to do. Everything in him is telling him to rush to you. To hold you, to make you hold him.

“I’m not crying because I’m sad” you snap at him, hating how he’s looking at you with that pitying gaze. “I’m so fucking angry right now Lo’ak”

You almost never call him by his real name- it’s always affectionate pet names. Hearing it makes his ears lower, flat into his braids.

“I could fucking kill her” you seethe. Continuing, because you have to get this anger out somehow “I don’t care if she’s the Olo’eyktans daughter- how dare she lay her hands on you! You’re mated- you wear my bite!”

Tsireya had been a problem for months now. She had always had her eye on Lo’ak and who could blame her? The Omega was gorgeous. Capable. He’d passed his Iknimaya and was a valued hunter.

And he had a fucking wife.

You thought that she’d get that through her thick skull.

And yet her advances never seemed to stop. They were usually small- barley there things. Occurrences that drove you crazy but that you couldn’t really prove.

“She was just being nice-“ Lo’ak urges and you scoff.

“Don’t. Don’t play dumb when I know how smart you are. She touched your scent gland- she may as well have scented you. I can still smell her on you. Even now” you’re voice is shaking as you try to control it.

Lo’ak feels horrible.

He’d chalked Tsireya’s actions up to kindness- since he had arrived in Awa’atlu the Alpha and future Tsahik had been nothing but nice to him and his family. He’d noticed her advances and while flattered, had ignored them. Pushed them to the side.

Why would he focus on any other Alpha when he had you?

He shouldn’t have let it get this far. She was helping train him, like she used to. It was all supposed to be innocent-

The weight of the reality of the situation is crushing. Another Alpha had touched his scent gland. So be it it was the one in his wrist, the most innocent. But still.

A lump sticks in his throat as panic rises in his chest.

What if…what if this changed things? He had been so hesitant, so confused when you’d courted him. Had been even more so when you bonded him. You’re so good, too good for him.

Had you finally gained clarity? Had it donned on you that he wasn’t worth being with?

“Please” Lo’ak begs as he reaches out for you only to be rebuffed once more. It makes hot tears sting at his eyes “please, I’ll be better. I won’t let anything like that happen again- don’t make me leave. Don’t leave me”

Your eyes snap to his and your mouth pulls into a deep frown. You’re too pretty to look so upset. He hates it.

Lo’ak drops to his knees, right in front of you. His neck tilting to the side, his braids falling away. His clear, unprotected throat on display for you.

Only the faint scarring of his bite mark visible.

It’s the ultimate form of submission. Even most Omegas don’t give it so freely. Showing one’s mating bite is intimate. Big. Off limits.

A small gasp leaves your mouth.

He doesn’t care.

He needs you to get it. To understand.

“I’m yours” he vows, like he had the first night youd made Tsaheylu. The first night he’d taken your knot. The first night he’d felt your teeth sink into his skin.

Your hand cups his face and he leans into it. Your still shaking. Still haven’t calmed down. “You’re mine?”

“Yeah.” He whispers, his tongue coming out to wet his dry lips “I’m yours”

“Prove it”

————————

He knew you weren’t going to go easy on him, but holy fuck.

There was no way to foresee just what the night would entail.

You could make Lo’ak cry from pleasure on any given day. Your pretty pussy, your hot mouth, your skilled hands? They could all bring him to tearful orgasms, easily.

This is something different. Lo’ak feels like he’s been broken down to bare bones, to the base of who he is.

It’s been hours, the sky had turned from blue to black- and was on its way to being blue once more. The birds chirp as the dawn breaks-

And still you give him no reprieve.

He’s a mess- flat in his back on the thread bare bed mat. The sheets and bedding had been pushed away ages ago- there was nothing to tangle himself in. To ground himself with.

He can only lay there and take what you give him.

You’d been fucking him for hours. Bouncing on top of his hard cock relentlessly.

The worst part is is that you don’t even look worse off.

No, You’re goddess as you’re perched on-top of him. Beautiful and ethereal- and wrathful.

You ride him like you have something to prove, your hips moving in dizzying circles. You’re so fucking wet, the juices from your pussy drop down, coating your thighs and his groin- you have to be close to coming.

And yet you don’t. That glorious knot never locks around him. He never gets the fulfillment that he truly needs.

You’ve wrung orgasm after orgasm out of him throughout the night- but you haven’t let him cum inside of you. And you haven’t knotted him-

It’s fucking torture. His body needs it. His cock screams, not recieving the intense pressure of you constricting around him when he shoots off is painful. It leaves him feeling frustrated and unsatisfied.

“Please” he gurgles out the plea as he feels the base of his tail start to tingle- a clear sign of the incoming orgasm.

You glare down at him “please, what?”

Lo’aks eyes squeeze shut, the tears running consistently into his hair line. He’s wet everywhere- sticky. A complete mess.

“Please knot me, Alpha. I need your knot”

It’s nasally and whiney and way too fucking loud. Deep down, he knows he should be ashamed of it. The neighbors can hear him getting worked over like this, punishes beyond belief, but he can’t bring himself to care.

If you want them to hear, then he’ll make sure they do.

He’ll do anything you ask.

Your eyes are hard, unforgiving. Still puffy from the furious tears you’d shed and Lo’ak can’t help it.

He reaches up with weak arms to cup your pretty face. His large thumbs rub soothing circles in the delicate skin under your eyes “love you, Y/N. I’m so sorry…I never want to do anything to hurt you”

You go soft on top of him, your hips stoping their mean swivel as all of the fight seems to drain from your body. Your head hangs. Tendrils of your long hair fall in your face-

“As I love you, sweet Omega”

————

Listen I could go in but I’m gonna cut it there lol somehow I end up writing whole ass mini fics for these asks! They’re just too good!

[cheffe-cool]

There’s another person on here who’s recording a bunch of reread details on Aouv rn (you probably know who you are, hi lol) so I thought I’d also draft some of my own thoughts up about it 👌

So here’s some All of Us Villains details :)

I like how in chapter 12 of Aood when Finley and Briony visit the Blair’s, and Finley says that their family uses their code to justify slaughtering people they care about, Abigail immediately assumes Finley is talking about Briony, because she doesn’t even consider sending her OWN son off to a death tournament as slaughter. To her, it really is an honor to go and die for your family, even though it’s taken the lives of countless of her ancestors and likely would have Finley, if the tournament had played out as usual- most certainly Gracie or Ava if one of them had been the volunteer.

But instead she’s just like “dude kill your girlfriend it’s not that big of a deal”

But seriously she’s so delusional- the Lowe’s win every 2 out of 3 tournaments and it seems like the second most likely winners have historically been Thorburns. Like Finley had such a small chance of survival, but when he volunteered, her reaction was probably just to be proud of him.

These seven families are so mf delicious.

This one’s a bit obvious, but the Full Moon Child story that Alistair commandeers from ML.Jr in chapter 11 of Aood is literally just about himself lmao. You can go back and read it and it’s like “Don’t deny who you are because then your brothers gonna die ooooo 👻”

I love when these books do foreshadowing lol- there’s this moment in the first book where a succulent plant or something casts a spiky shadow in Reid’s face 😭

In Aood- the little blurb from the news at beginning of each chapter usually pertains to whichever pov you’re on, but the news covers Gavin so little, that his blurbs are usually about Alistair or the Lowe’s, because the average person probably just thinks of Gavin as an ad on to that crew. He’s just the Lowe’s sidekick lmao.

Hendry likes sweets but he’s bad at baking :,)

Isobel and Alistair have remarkably similar thoughts, feelings and circumstances in aood. One example is how they are both the most loved AND hated member of their respective alliances. Isobel is sent a trick spellstone that paints the world ‘cunt’ in sores on her arm (holy shit you guys she’s a fucking seventeen year old get a grip oh my god) while Gavin sights the curse stones they receive along side the fan mail as “usually targeting Alistair.” Whilst on the flip side, Isobel is the most famous champion and covered the most in the news, while Alistair has a dedicated fan club, who asks him to record sexy voice messages for them and draw him shirtless.

Man, fame sucks.

(holy shit you guys he’s a fucking sixteen year old get a grip oh my god)

Okay Gavin only says Alistair’s name once in the entire duo-logy. Like???? In his head he says Alistair’s name all the time (pretty much constantly) and in book two calls him “Al” all the time. But the ONLY time he says the word “Alistair” EVER is after he goads Alistair into burying the lamb’s sacrifice, calling out to him to apologize.

He literally doesn’t say the guys name the entire second (and longer) book lmao.

I wish there was a bigger fandom so that I could make a TikTok slideshow with that audio “how about I dance the black swan for you?” Accompanied by depictions of Briony cutting off Innes’s finger and get a billion likes.

Y’all WHAT HAPPENS TO THE LOWE SPOUSES? I know Alistair makes a joke that his mom ate his dad like a praying mantis, but fr- what happened to Moira’s husband and Rowan’s wife??? They were totally probably murdered right??? Rowan’s wife is actually never mentioned, but I’m assuming sombody gave birth to Marianne jr.

Also Alistair and Hendrys dad doesn’t have a canonical name- just thought that was interesting. Probably because it was a little…. “On theme” with the other Lowe names of you catch my drift 😬

I would’ve been in full support of Alistair and Hendry having long faces and genetic defects- but oh welll, I suppose they had to be hot.

That theory’s not even canon anyway- but how does your whole family line have dark curly hair, widows peaks and gray eyes for 400 years straight lmao. Besides they can’t exactly invite many outsiders inside with all that child sacrifice and oh my god that’s why they killed Alistair’s dad and Marianne’s mom isn’t it. Shit.

Marianne Sr. IS quite the fan of cover ups 😭

That’s probably it for now, but I’ve definitely got some more thoughts that I had a long time ago and have half forgotten now- so I’ll write em down if I remember :)

[spencermyangel]

Can we have young Reid sharing a room with Morgan and Hotch and Reid having a nightmare? But like a nightmare about his dad abusing him, and the others present being super comforting and validating while Reid is ashamed about them seeing and what happened originally please? Also I hope you’re doing okay.

Thank you, I'm doing okay :)

CW - CSA

Morgan grabbed his bag and grumpily made his way up the stairs of the small bed and breakfast they were staying at. The town they had a case in was tiny and he, Hotch, and the newest member of their team, Spencer would have to share a room.

Spencer seemed to have already won over and impressed the other members of his team, but Morgan was not so easily persuaded. He quickly pegged Spencer as a spoiled, privileged, and sheltered boy. Probably coming from a family of wealth, and never having to face any real challenge in his life. 

When the three met at the hotel room, they opened the door and Morgan's jaw dropped. There were only two beds. 

“Looks like two of us will have to share,” Hotch said, giving Morgan a meaningful look.

Morgan internally groaned before grimacing and turning to Spencer. “You better not kick,” was all he said before turning away from him, not seeing the hurt look on his new team mate’s face. 

When Morgan had left to use the bathroom, Hotch approached Spencer, who was still standing with his head down and arms limply at his sides. 

“It just takes Morgan a little to warm up to people, don’t take it personally,” Hotch tried to comfort him. He reached out his hand and placed it on Spencer’s shoulder which he startled at and pulled away. “Sorry.” Hotch hadn’t quite figured out or gotten used to all of Spencer’s quirks and differences. 

Spencer ignored Hotch’s apology and only whispered, “why does he seem to hate me?”

Hotch sighed, “he doesn’t… just give him time to understand you.” 

Spencer shrugged and finally looked up, with immense sadness and hurt in his eyes, “people never understand me.” and then he walked away, leaving Hotch standing there feeling unbelievable sympathy for this young man. 

*

During the night, to Morgan’s annoyance Spencer started to kick and toss and turn. Morgan rolled his eyes and tried to shuffle as far away as he could. But then he heard something that made him pause. He heard Spencer start to whimper. 

Morgan turned over and shook Spencer’s shoulder.

“No, please daddy, I don’t want it,” Spencer cried out, still not awake. 

Alarm raised in Morgan and he shook Spencer harder, “Reid, wake up!” 

Spencer jerked awake and stared at Morgan with wide, scared eyes. Morgan observed his body language. The trembling, his eyes filled with tears. Morgan was shocked, Spencer was absolutely terrified. For the first time Spencer didn’t seem like a sheltered privileged boy, he seemed like a young man who had been deeply traumatized. 

“Hey,” Morgan soothingly said, “you’re okay, Reid, you just had a nightmare.” 

Spencer scammered toward the headboard, curling in on himself. 

“Morgan?” Hotch suddenly spoke, having been awakened by the commotion “what’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” Morgan whispered, his eyes not leaving Spencer’s trembling form, “I think he had a nightmare.”

Hotch slowly approached the bed, “Spencer,” he gently spoke, seeing how Spencer was clearly panicking, “you’re okay. You’re on a case in Oklahoma with the team. You’re safe.” 

Hotch continued the gentle reassurance until Spencer seemed to calm down. He leaned his head against the headboard, his eyes closed in exhaustion.

Finally Spencer opened his mouth, “I’m so sorry I woke you guys.” 

“You don’t have to be sorry, Spencer. Everyone had nightmares,” Hotch told him. 

Morgan eyed him, his mind unable to forget what Spencer had said before waking. “What was it about?” Morgan asked, without thinking.

“Morgan,” Hotch interrupted as Spencer shrunk in on himself, “Reid is under no obligation to tell us.”

Morgan opened his mouth to apologize when Spencer cut him off, “it was about my dad,” he mumbled.

Hotch and Morgan looked at him, waiting to see if he would continue. 

“Sometimes, when I would go to bed, he would sneak into my room. Then he would… use me for what he wanted,” Spencer turned his head away in shame, “he left when I was ten. I got too old for him.” 

Morgan and Hotch were speechless. 

“Spencer, I’m sorry that happened to you. But you don’t need to be ashamed, it wasn't your fault,” Hotch tried to assure him.

Morgan nodded in agreement, it was something he tried to remind himself regarding his own trauma. 

Spencer shrugged in a dismissive manner. Morgan swallowed hard and reached out his hand, placing it on top of Spencer's. 

“I know it seems like you’re all alone, but you’re not. You’ve already seen how many victims there are out there. It’s not your fault anymore than it’s theirs,” Morgan emotionally said, “Do you understand?” 

Spencer’s eyes darted around as he thought about what Morgan said, “I can try too,” he finally whispered.

[knucklescum]

Irredeemable - Hughie Campbell x fem!reader (The Boys)

Pairing: Hughie Campbell (The Boys) x fem!reader

Word Count: 3011

Warnings: Swearing (obviously), canon typical everything

You should have known that you were the last person Butcher would want to see right now, and yet you had made the decision to return to him, to the team. 

The Boys had been the closest thing you’d had to a family in a long time, even with their quirks and, well, their long running murderous rampage.

That was, until everything went to shit. Butcher had effectively exiled you from the team, sending you on your own solo mission several states away.

It wasn’t that you hated what you were doing, you just hated doing it on your own. Supe killing was a team effort, no easy feat for someone so completely alone. So when you caught wind of the team’s current predicament, you’d decided for yourself that it was time you made your return.

Maybe your sudden reappearance would serve as a well needed distraction from Becca’s death. Or maybe Butcher would do everything in his power to make you fuck off again.

The feeling of something heavy landing on your front pulled you from your sleep.

“Look what the fucking cat dragged in.”

You pushed your bag full of guns off your lap as your eyes fluttered open before sitting up on the sofa, suddenly aware of your surroundings.

You don’t even remember getting to the hideout, let alone crashing onto the couch in exhaustion.

“How long have you been back?” Butcher’s voice echoed in your ears again, a scowl on his face as you stared back up at him blankly. 

“I - uh,” you start, rubbing your forehead. “What time is it?”

Butcher turns his head in the direction of the rest of the team, keeping his eyes on you as he waits for someone to tell you the time.

“Four sixteen P.M,” an unknown voice reads out, your eyes moving to find the source.

“Who-,” you barely get the word out before Butcher interrupts you.

“Four sixteen P.M,” Butcher repeats, turning his head back to you. “Now fuck off.”

Butcher begins to storm away as you jump up from the sofa. You move quickly to catch up with him, ignoring all of the eyes on you as you grab hold of his coat sleeve in desperation.

“I need to talk to you, Butcher,” you say, your voice almost a whisper.

“I don’t want to talk to you, love,” he whispers back.

“Please, Butcher. I, fuck,” you breathe, dropping his sleeve. “I killed him.”

“You-” Butcher starts, cutting himself off in shock. “You killed him. Him?”

“Him,” you repeat.

Butcher does nothing but stare at you for several seconds before bringing a hand to your shoulder.

“Welcome back,” he grins.

All you can do is smile back at Butcher as he removes his hand from your shoulder before quickly turning away, getting back to whatever it was that he was doing in the first place.

You feel the weight leaving your chest and your whole body relaxing as you turn back, facing the rest of the team.

Your smile only grows as your eyes meet Frenchie’s, the man instantly striding over and taking you into his arms.

“Mon ami, I missed you!” he exclaims, excitedly jumping you up and down in his embrace.

As Frenchie returns your feet to the ground, you look up at M.M, continuing to grin as he nods at you.

“You guys have no idea how much I’ve missed you,” you sigh.

“It’s good to see you again, (y/n),” M.M nods. “Although, I’m sure you can see, things have kind of changed around here since you’ve been gone.”

He tilts his head to the side, your eyes following to see the two newest members of the team.

“This is Kimiko,” Frenchie beams, putting an arm over her shoulder. The dark haired girl gives you a sweet smile as she waves at you. You wave back before focusing on the lanky man beside her.

“Hi,” he says, his voice slightly worried. 

“Hey,” you say, holding out your hand for him to shake. “I’m (y/n).”

“Hughie. I’m the one who told you the time,” he laughs nervously, his hand slightly clammy in yours. “I don’t know why I just said that, I’m sorry,” he says, shaking his head as his face cringes.

“I appreciate it, Hughie.”

It doesn’t take long for you to settle right back into the team with the six of you each perched in the living room area of the hideout, both recounting stories and bringing each other up to speed with any new information.

You aren’t so happy to hear that your room has become Hughie’s, but you take the opportunity to tell him about all of your previous endeavours in that very room, on his bed.

“She’s teasing you, Hughie,” M.M laughs “She never had that many guys over.”

“Oh she did!” Frenchie says. “I could hear her every fucking night,” he nods his head, nudging his elbow into your side.

You give Frenchie a swift slap on the arm before mouthing a ‘sorry’ to Hughie, a disgusted look on his face.

“Right,” Butcher says, slapping his hands to his knees before getting up from the sofa. “I’m off to bed. Big fucking day tomorrow.”

He gives Hughie a heavy pat on the back before leaving the room, his door slamming shut behind him.

One by one, the rest of the team bid each other goodnight until you’re left alone with Hughie. He’s stood awkwardly in front of the T.V., his arms pressed to his sides as you rub your eyes with the back of your hands.

“I, um,” he starts. “I’m sorry for taking your room. I just-,”

“You didn’t know, Hughie,” you say, a tired smile on your face. “It’s your room.”

He nods, his face relaxing before he immediately tenses up again.

“But where are you going to sleep?”

“Here seems fine!” you say, swinging your legs up onto the sofa and resting your head on the arm of the couch.

He looks at you in disbelief as you shoot him an assuring smile.

“Are you sure? I just feel really bad,” he says, holding a hand to his cheek.

“I’m sure,” you sigh. “Now get to bed.”

A gentle laugh escapes him as you shoo him off with your hands, finally giving in.

“Fine, fine. But at least let me bring you a blanket?”

“Oh wow, uh,” you can’t hide your shock at his kindness.

He’s definitely in the wrong business.

“I’ll be right back,” he smiles.

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

You wake up curled up on the sofa, tucked under a fleece blanket. The smell of cheap, herbal body spray and a tinge of sweat fills your nostrils.

There's a faint sound of life from across the room, shuffling and clattering around. You sit up, feeling oddly refreshed despite your awkward sleeping arrangement.

“What time do you call this, love?” Butcher’s voice calls out. “Never knew you to sleep in.”

“Fuck off,” you grunt, rubbing the sleep from your eyes as you peel yourself up from the sofa.

“Ever the charmer,” he says, throwing a tea towel in your direction. “Make yourself useful and help Frenchie with breakfast.”

“Yes, boss,” you laugh, making your way towards the two men.

After a short while, breakfast is ready (Frenchie is very proud of his “French(ie) toast) and the rest of the gang join you in the large, communal room.

You shoot Hughie a smile as he walks towards the sofa, earning a polite nod in response. Quickly, you turn back to the “kitchen” countertop, eager to serve up this morning’s meal.

“So,” you start, gently piling a couple of slices of toast onto each plate. “What’s the plan for today?”

Butcher only laughs, lowly, in response as he shakes his head. 

Both M.M and Hughie shoot Butcher a look of confusion, to which he just shrugs.

“You can do -” he cuts himself off, taking a bit of his toast. “Whatever you want,” he mumbles.

You furrow your brows, averting your gaze to the rest of the team in a desperate attempt to get some sort of answer.

Catching Hughie’s eyes, he shuffles in his seat before turning to face Butcher.

“I’ve - uhh - I’ve got some errands to run. (y/n) could -” he turns back to you. “You could join me today? I could use the company,” he shrugs.

“Sure,” you smile, catching Frenchie smirking to himself in your peripheral vision. “Errands sound good.”

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

Over the course of the morning, everyone splits into their decided pairs for the day: Butcher and M.M head out first to make a start on something or other a few miles away, Frenchie and Kimiko to gather intel on a particular set of Vought owned buildings and you and Hughie to… go shopping?

The two of you wander into town in comfortable conversation, stopping in a few different shops along the way.

“I’m sorry, I have to ask,” you start. “How the actual fuck did someone as, well, as good as you end up working with Butcher?”

“Oh man,” Hughie lets out a breathy chuckle, his grip on the carrier bag growing tighter. “My girlfriend, uhh - fuck. A-Train killed my girlfriend.”

“Shit, I’m so sorry, Hughie. I shouldn’t have asked,” you say, stopping in the street in embarrassment. 

Hughie lets out a soft breath, shaking his head. “It’s okay, don’t worry about it.” 

He tilts his head for you to continue walking, “Come on.”

The two of you walk in silence before you speak up again.

“What was she like?”

“Hmm?” Hughie stops.

“Your girlfriend. What was she like?” you repeat.

Unexpectedly, Hughie proceeds to tell you about his late girlfriend, who you now know as Robin, in great detail; the two of you go through what could only be described as an emotional rollercoaster as he tells you all about her personality, her passions - everything.

“I’m sorry,” he interrupts himself. “I didn’t mean to, you know, fuck,” he shakes his head. “No one’s ever asked me that before.”

“Come on,” you smile, holding your arm out for him to follow you. “Let’s go sit down somewhere.”

Wordlessly, Hughie follows behind you until you arrive at the park. The two of you sit beside each other on one of the many benches overlooking the city.

He turns his head towards you, looking at you as if he’s asking for permission to speak. You gently nod in response.

“I, um. I guess I just feel kinda guilty about everything. Just, yeah, everything. After Robin, I met the guys, you know, and they’ve helped me. They’re a good distraction to all of the bullshit, which is kind of ironic seeing as, you know, thanks to them I’m deep in the bullshit. And then of course there’s Annie,” he pauses with a shaky breath. “There was Annie. She made me feel so much better about everything, which in turn only made me feel worse. Annie is a supe, you know? And a supe killed my girlfriend. So, there were times where it kind of felt like I was betraying Robin by being with the thing that killed her.”

“Hughie,” you say, your voice gentle. “You have nothing to feel bad about. Whatever happened, whatever you’ve done is nothing in the grand scheme of things.”

Hughie nods, softly at first before gradually becoming more confident. 

“Me and Annie, we, uh, we’re not a thing anymore.”

“Oh?” you pry.

“It’s complicated,” he shrugs. “But now Butcher is pissed. He was sort of hoping that my relationship with Annie would get us closer to Vought, you know, use her a little bit. But now that things have fallen apart, I think Butcher feels like I’ve wasted my one chance to be a useful member of the team.”

“Listen, Hughie,” you shake your head. “Butcher has kicked off about far less in the past. If he wanted you off the team, you’d be gone by now. Trust me.”

Hughie shifts on the bench, turning his body to face you, careful to keep his knee from brushing against your leg.

“I’m sorry, (y/n)” he says, shaking his head slightly as he furrows his brow. “I should have asked this before but, uh, what happened with you and Butcher, exactly?”

You can’t help the dry laugh that escapes your lips, throwing your head back.

“Where do I even start?” you laugh.

Hughie lets out a small chuckle with you, though he can’t disguise the fact that he is desperate to know what went down. Catching his eye, you give in.

“I was seeing this guy, Adam, when I first met Butcher. God, this was years ago now,” you laugh. “We were kind of on and off, he was all over the place, mentally, I mean. I loved him though. Like, love of my life, kind of love. I was ready to put up with all of his shit, all of his disappearing, everything,” you say, forcing out a chuckle to stop yourself from crying.

Hughie nods, lifting his arm awkwardly in an attempt to comfort you before placing his hand back on his lap.

“To save some time I’ll just cut to the actually interesting part. Adam was a supe.”

Hughie stares at you in disbelief. You shrug your shoulders in response.

“I find it so hard to believe that you of all people dated a supe. Did you know he was a supe when yo-”

“No,” you cut him off. “I had no idea he was a supe. Neither did Butcher. Adam wasn’t one of the A-listers, but he did have a pretty impressive power. He was some kind of telepath,” you shrug. “He could put thoughts into your brain, and remove your thoughts as he pleased. Hence why we never suspected him.

“Anyway, Butcher did eventually find out the truth about Adam, and he tried so hard to get through to me but whatever Adam put in my brain made that impossible. It got to a point where I didn’t trust Butcher at all, I never knew why, and I think Butcher got fed up.”

Hughie remained still in his seat as you spoke, watching your face morph from expression to expression as you told your story.

“So Butcher just… kicked you out?” Hughie said. “ I can’t believe he would just give up on you like that, especially after everything he’s done for me.”

You offer Hughie a soft smile in response, shaking your head gently.

“Butcher didn’t outright kick me out, although I’d understand if he had done. Adam actually proposed to me.”

The shocked expression returned to Hughie’s face, his eyes wide and mouth agape.

“Adam wanted to move to Vegas so, obviously, I dropped everything to follow him there. I told Butcher that I was leaving the team to be with Adam. I didn’t mean it, of course, I was just so in love, so under Adam’s spell that I would do and say anything to make him happy. Butcher didn’t like that, obviously, so he effectively banished me. ‘ Said if he ever saw me again, he’d kill me.”

Hughie turns in his seat, hunched over with his head in his hands as he takes in every word of what you had just said.

“Butcher just let you leave?” He asks, a tinge of sadness in his voice. “He seriously made no attempt to stop you?”

“I guess he-”

“It wouldn’t have mattered if he had tried to stop you,” he interrupts you. “You were under Adam’s mind control.”

“Exactly,” you nod. “After a good couple of months in Vegas, something snapped in me. Adam couldn’t control me anymore. And - please don’t tell Butcher this,”

“I won’t,” Hughie interjects, edging closer towards you.

“When I first, I don’t know, woke up? Is that the right word?”

“Woke up works,” Hughie shrugs.

“Okay,�� you laugh. “When I finally woke up, I was so, so mad at Butcher. I blamed him for a while for not protecting me, for giving up on me. But I know in reality,” you sigh, “there was nothing that he could have done.”

“I imagine it took you a long time to come to terms with that,” Hughie says, his voice quieter than before as he ducks his head even further towards you.

“Yeah,” you nod. “I only really came to terms with it when I snapped. I actually stayed with Adam for a couple of days after I woke up, trying to think of the best escape plan. I spent two days pretending that I was still under his control before I couldn’t handle it anymore. I killed him.”

The two of you sit in silence for a while after that, both staring into the distance, past the view of the city and towards the pale late morning sky.

“Why didn’t you come back sooner?” Hughie asks, his voice cutting through the quiet. 

“I, god, Hughie, I’ve never thought about that,” you laugh, dryly. “I guess -”

“You don’t need to have an answer, (y/n),” he smiles. 

You can’t help but smile back at him as you think more on his question.

“I actually stayed in Vegas to kill supes. The whole city is a goldmine for washed up supes so it was good practice for whenever I chose to return.”

“Do you think maybe, no. I shouldn’t say it,” Hughie interrupts himself.

“No, no, Hughie. Please say it,” you say, practically begging Hughie for an answer to his question that is sure to plague you otherwise.

“Maybe,” he sighs, pulling himself up from the bench, standing before you. “Maybe you were trying to prove to yourself that you were still a supe hunter? That Butcher would still want you on the team after everything?”

You had no words. Hughie was right, of course he was. But what could you possibly say in response to that information?

You remain seated in silence for a little while longer before finally deciding to stand beside Hughie.

“Come on,” he says, his voice soft. “We should be heading back.”

A/N let me know if you want a part two to this!

[multiplicity-positivity]

hello! do you perhaps have any advice, or know of any resources for situations where the collective cannot agree on important decisions? like, say, some have come to absolutely hate a friend and want to cut off contact, some are still attached and would be very sad and griefing if the friendship is lost, some is thinking of compromising where only the ones who want to talk to that friend would do so (but will not work bc the ones who hate this person would still be exposed to them anyway bc of shared memory, when the healthiest thing to do for them is walk away. which also cannot work bc it will devastate the ones who want to stay friends with said person)

Hiya! Woof, our system really struggles with this ourselves! >_< and I don’t think we’re gonna have an easy, straightforward answer for you! We’re really sorry!! T_T But we can still try to share some stuff that our own system is working on when it comes to making decisions, if that’s okay!

Okay, so first off, communicate! >w<

It’s really important to keep up an open dialogue and communicate with each other, especially when it comes to making big decisions! If someone wants to do something, ask them why! And do the same for the headmates who don’t want to do something! And like, try not to make fun of, belittle, or lash out at headmates for being vulnerable and sharing their reasons for having a certain opinion! Not every headmate will think the same way or want the same things! So just talking to each other and trying to get everyone’s opinions can at least help y’all all get on the same page :33

Next, maybe try taking a vote!

Um, if the vast majority of the headmates in your system want something, and only a couple don’t maybe it would be worth it to do it anyway! But at the same time, keep in mind the feelings of the headmates who aren’t getting what they want or whose votes are being overruled. Maybe try explaining to them why the system as a collective is going to be making this choice in particular, and why those who voted for it believe it is the best choice!

But the biggest thing (at least for our sys!) is…

Compromising!!!

Making compromises is essential for every system. Yeah it sucks that not all headmates can always make their own choices or get what they want all the time, but compromising is a great way to help everyone feel seen, acknowledged, and find a path that more or less works for everyone! >w<

Okay, so let’s try and use your example (but keep in mind we don’t know you personally or your history, so please don’t take our potential compromise as the only solution here!)

You brought up a good compromise by saying that only the headmates who want to be in touch with this friend could do so, though it would impact the headmate who doesn’t want to be in touch because of shared memories. To further this compromise, maybe you could help this headmate access tools for proper emotional regulation and learning how to sit with, accept, and come to terms with painful memories and negative emotions. Everyone will form bad memories or experience bad emotions at some point or another in their lives! >_<” But equipping this headmate with the tools to manage their emotions in healthy ways might make it easier to live with the memories of other headmates interacting with this friend.

It’s impossible for anyone to live their whole lives without ever having to make a compromise… but for systems, we headmates may find that learning how to compromise is way more important than it is for singlets!!

I’ll be honest, many members of our system love wikihow and we (Ralsei and Margo) have personally gotten a lot of use out of wikihow over the years! We’re including a link to a wikihow article on compromising - maybe y’all could find some use in it!

Also, if your system is in therapy, this would be a perfect subject to talk through with your therapist! They might have some good ideas or suggestions tailored to your system’s needs specifically, and could probably help y’all in ways that we won’t be able to!! >w<

Good luck to y’all though with figuring this out!! Gosh, we know that trying to make group decisions is not easy, especially when it comes to big things that headmates have opposing views on. We really hope though that y’all will be able to find ways to communicate and compromise in the future!! :33

[some-little-infamy]

My Person

(Read on AO3)

Eddie knows that the relief of having one of his family members watch Christopher only lasts until the moment he pulls up outside of their house. It doesn’t matter which member of the family it is - they all have something to say about how Eddie’s managing his life. He can’t escape a pick-up without at least one off-handed remark about something he’s doing… or, more likely, something he isn’t doing.

“I just don’t understand why you haven’t found someone to settle down with yet,” Pepa says.

Eddie sighs, barely restraining an eye roll.

“I don’t have time to date, and you know that," he says.

"I'd be happy to watch Christopher more often if you wanted-" Pepa offers, but Eddie cuts her off.

"I already hate how often I'm away from him. I don't want to make it more."

"But it would be for his benefit in the long run," Pepa pushes.

"We're just fine the way we are, thanks," Eddie says, doing his best not to sound as defensive as he feels. He knows that this comes from a good place - that she just wants him to be happy. "What benefits Christopher right now is consistency. He doesn't need to see a rotating door of women at the apartment."

It's at that moment Christopher comes into the kitchen, shifting his backpack up on his shoulder where it keeps sliding down.

"C'mon Chris, time to go home," Eddie says, thinking he's in the clear.

"Hey Christopher," Pepa says, and Eddie freezes. She wouldn’t bring him into this, surely…

“Wouldn’t you like it if your dad had someone at home with you to, oh, I don’t know, help you with your homework?” She asks, putting all the innocence in the world behind her tone.

“He does,” Christopher says without hesitation. “Buck helps me with my homework all the time.”

Pepa shakes her head. “No, but I mean someone who is there all the time.”

“Buck is there all the time,” Chris points out. And yeah, Eddie thinks, he isn’t wrong, even if that isn’t the sort of ‘around’ that Pepa means.

“What about someone to help you get ready for school in the morning? Or cook dinner with you at night?” Pepa asks, trying to narrow exactly what she means by her line of questioning.

“Buck lets me wear my light-up sneakers even when it’s going to be muddy out,” Christopher says. “And he helps me make cookies to bring into class! He isn’t so great at cooking regular food but we always pretend it isn’t that bad,” Christopher adds, laughing at what Eddie’s sure is the last time Buck tried to cook an actual dinner for the three of them, only to end up burning half of it.

“Well, it sure sounds like this Buck is around a lot, isn’t he?” Pepa asks, this time her questioning is aimed at Eddie and not Christopher.

Eddie hadn’t really thought about how much more Buck’s been around lately - playing video games with Christopher or helping with homework or staying for meals. Eddie thinks about how his place was the one place Buck felt safe enough coming to after his coma when he needed an escape from the well-wishers rotating through his own apartment, considering the implication that Eddie was as much of a comfort for him as Buck has been for Eddie these past few months.

“Yeah, I guess he is,” Eddie admits. Honestly, he’s gotten so used to Buck being around that he hadn’t stopped to think about how much he was helping out with Christopher, and how he always seems to be perfectly happy to do whatever might be needed at the moment. Buck even cleaned up the living room the other night while Eddie put Christopher to bed.

“What else does Buck do with you?” Pepa asks Christopher.

“Buck told me the best bedtime story the other night,” Chris supplies easily. “He never reads them from a book, he just tells them from memory. He said he’s going to take me surfing soon, too! Just like dad and Buck too me skateboarding.”

“I see,” Pepa says. “And you trust Buck to take Christopher into the ocean like that?”

Eddie thinks he should pause longer, or have to think about it more, but he doesn’t. There’s a reason he made Buck the person who would get custody of Chris if he dies. And after the lengths Buck went to save Christopher during the tsunami, and the way Christopher goes to Buck when he’s upset? It isn’t even a question.

“I trust Buck with Christopher’s life,” Eddie admits easily.

“It looks like you already have your person then, doesn’t it, mi sobrino?” Pepa says.

Eddie does hesitate now, because what she’s implying… Buck is just a friend. He’s just a friend who likes to spend time with Eddie and his kid. Just a friend who does everything Eddie would normally pay Carla to do, only he does it just because he likes to help and spend time with them. Just a friend he entrusts his child to if anything happens to him, a friend he trusts to do right by Christopher more than any family member.

It never occurred to Eddie that part of the reason he’s so content to not be dating right now is because he’s, well, content.

And Evan Buckley plays no small role in that contentedness.

“I have to go,” Eddie says abruptly, taking Christopher by the arm and half-dragging him to the truck.

His person is waiting.

[rath00ker]

The Twst x Demon slayer cross over that no one asked for (all the dorm-leaders are hashria cause reasons)

Heartslabyul

Riddle is the Flame Hashria cause he red. That’s it. Also because there was some dialogue that said that there was always a Flame and Water hashira at a time. So Riddle is the Flame Hashria who has only uses one Nichirin blade that’s red.

Riddle is from a famous demon slayer family (like Rengoku heho) and his mother was probably a high ranking demon slayer

Trey use wind breathing. I was stuck between wind, Stone and Flower breathing but like wind breathing users have green Nichirin blade and he is green. That is my reasoning. Thank you for listening

Trey probably isn’t even a demon slayer he’d probably work at like whatever the twst version of the butterfly mansion is and work there as a doctor because his personality fits more as a nurse than a demon slayer

Cater also uses Flame breathing but also works with Trey at whatever the twst version of the butterfly mansion is (I need to just make up a name for it). His reasoning is that he’s far to young and beautiful to be on the front lines like that but in reality he just isn’t very strong and fears he’d die quickly

Deuce uses water breathing because….blue. He’s a new demon slayer and his mom probably died or smt I dunno like half of the demon slayers have dead parents get to the back of the line.

Ace can’t use a breathing style and is still trying to learn one and probably makes up another way to kill demons.

Savanaclaw

Leona is the Beast Hashria because he is a beast man. Get it? I’m not creative. How did he learn Beast breathing when beast breathing was unique to Inosuke and how he learned his breathing style? I dunno don’t think about it to hard

Ruggie uses Thunder breathing and is known as one of the fastest members of the demon slayer crops. He doesn’t have a tragic backstory like everyone else he’s just here for the money

Jack uses Stone breathing because you have to be kinda beefy to use Stone breathing well and that is my reasoning.

Octavinelle

Azul is the water Hashria because if there’s a flame Hashria there is a water Hashria. Azul got to be the water Hashria because him and Riddle get compared in the game. That’s it. Also he is a fish.

Jade uses flower breathing because of his obsession with mushrooms. I have simple reasons you should have learned that by now

Floyd uses Stone breathing. Why? I don’t have a reasoning actually I just don’t know what else fits him (other than water breathing)

Scarabia

Kalim is the wind Hashria but he’s not actually strong enough to be considered a Hashria but was picked for some odd reason. He’s very kind and always makes sure to check on any humans around after he’s done his job

Jamil uses Serpent breathing because of his whole snake theme he has going on. He’s actually strong enough to be a Hashria but wasn’t pick (probably because Kalim is from a more important family) and he is very jealous of Kalim.

Pomefiore

Now please meet the reason this post was born. Vil is the Insect Hashria he also uses the same sword that Shinobu has to kill demons. He isn’t weak by any means he just prefers to use Insect breathing because if the demon gets away it’s already filled with poison and will die soon

Rook uses Insect Breathing as well but he uses a bow and Arrow instead of a sword. Using poison tipped arrows to attack Demons with

Epel uses Flower Breathing and fucking hates it due to how ‘girly’ he sees flower breathing as (Even if Flower breathing is still strong) he has a desire to try and learn Stone breathing but it hasn’t been going so well

Ignihyde

Idia is the Moon Hashria. I was gonna pick insect breathing for him as well since in Game Idia is shown to be very weak and a breathing style that was made because someone was to weak to be able to cut off a demons head sounds right but Vil is already the Insect Hashria sooo Moon breathing (how did he learn it? Idk don’t think too hard about it)

Imma be real Ortho probably just stays dead. Like he was probably killed by a demon and serves as Idias backstory. I am sorry Ortho fans this is my official apology

Diasomnia

Malleus is the Thunder Hashria. He is probably credited as the strongest Hashria (of his time) and has a rivalry with Leona. He’s incredibly fast and kills demons before they realize he’s even there

Lilia uses Flower breathing, I picked this because Flower breathing gives uses a pink sword and his hair do be pink. Also Flower breathing makes you think it wouldn’t be strong based on the name and Lilia looks like a young boy but is actually a 700 year old fae so looks are very deceiving.

Silver uses Mist breathing because he kinda reminds me of Muichiro. That’s it Silver is my least favorite character and I don’t want to think about him anymore heho

Sebek uses Thunder breathing because his last name is Zigvolt. It just makes sense. Okay bye now

That was my unasked for demon slayer x twisted wonderland au if your wondering about Yuu and Grim it would just be a Tanjiro and Nezuko situation. Grim would be a demon that was formerly close to Yuu and now Yuu is trying to cure him. Also Yuu uses Sun breathing.

[roseverie]

Hey <3 Is it okay if I ask for an advice? I really need it and I have no one else to talk to. I’ve honestly been considering cutting off a toxic family member, but I feel conflicted about it. I talked to my aunt about this, and she was incredibly unsupportive. She acted like my decision to cut off this person was a great act of ungratefulness, like I had the obligation to remain in contact with this person, like I had to ignore every thing she’s ever done and said to me just because she raised me, and even though I have my reasons to cut her off, I can’t help but feel affected by her words. Also, besides the things she’s done to me, she’s an overall bad person, you know? Not someone you would like to meet or keep around you, but at the same time I think about her actions, she went through a lot in life so sometimes I think maybe that’s the reason she treats me so badly, maybe that’s the reason she is the way she is and is so full of hate, and I don’t know, this makes me feel kind of obligated to understand her, or tolerate her, or like, excuse her actions towards me. Anyway, that’s pretty much it. It’s been really difficult and exhausting to deal with this situation and I guess I just needed someone else’s perspective on this, or an advice, or whatever. Thank you so much in advance and I hope you have a lovely day 🌷💕 (also, I forgot to say this but you don’t have to answer this question if you don’t want to)

Hi <3 I understand your situation and all your feelings so much, hence I could write a lot on this, but I’ll just dot point a few things and I hope it can help you 🤍

- You can understand why someone is the way they are/empathy for what they experienced, but that never means it then renders the toxicity you have experienced as nothing. Someone going through a lot in life can explain behaviour but it does not excuse it. It’s difficult to not fall into the trap of conflating tolerance and understanding, it’s imperative to maintain the difference in your head. You can understand why someone is the way they are but that does not mean you have to tolerate their toxic actions/words.

- You are not responsible for another person’s emotions or the way they will react to something. If your aunt deems you ungrateful for wanting to justifiably cut off this person for your own well-being, then that’s the aunt’s mindset. You do not have to navigate a solution that appeases everyone, you do not have to share this mindset. You are allowed to disagree rather than trying to uphold this false perception that everything is alright.

- Also just a point in terms of the whole raising a child: Providing shelter/food etc, all caregiving stuff like that is the bare minimum when someone is a minor. By not neglecting a child the parental figure fulfils the minimum requirements of law. It doesn’t make them a “good parental figure”, it just makes them “a parental figure.” An actual good parental figure is someone who supports the child in their emotional and mental development, someone who nurtures the child so that they are equipped to thrive when they reach adulthood. The fact some parents or relatives continue to use the example of doing the bare minimum as a means to suggest the child is forever indebted to them is very toxic. If any parental figure has caused distress or harm (emotionally, mentally or physically) a child is not obligated to keep them in their life no matter if they raised you. You do not have to stick around this person, you should not be made to feel guilty for wanting to cut someone toxic off, setting boundaries is very healthy.

[bloodyshadow1]

I’m not going to lie, I really disliked the last episode (3.09) of lower decks.  I have a lot of reasons but the biggest is that I can’t imagine Mariner ever going back to the Cerritos.

                                      Lot more under the cut

Lower Decks, because it only have 10 eps a season has a problem of getting back to to the status quo very quickly, Boimler leaves at the end of season 1 he’s back by the 2nd episode of season 2.  Freeman is arrested in the season 2 finale, she’s exonerated by the end of the 1st episode due to offscreen stuff.  I don’t mind the offscreen stuff, for the premier of season 3, but it’s still resolved quickly on what was supposed to be a big cliffhanger. 

I only point this out because Mariner is going to be back on the Cerritos early season 4 if not before then. The only possible way I could see it not going that way, is if she rejoins starfleet, but joins a new ship and Boimler, Tendi, and Rutherford follow her, leaving the Cerritos behind for the rest of the series.  There is no show without Mariner, she’s one of the main characters, yes, but out of the 4 main characters, she the main protagonist.  You can like one of the other 3 more, but I don’t think you can argue that out of the 4 of them Mariner is the main character.

I know it sounds dumb getting upset about something that hasn’t even happened yet, and I’m not going to argue.  But I can’t see Mariner not on the Cerritos next season and at the same time there is nothing that the season finale could show me that would make me feel like the Cerritos crew deserves her in any way.  I don’t care if each member of the crew personally apologizes and offers to literally kiss her ass for how they treated her, I can’t imagine a way the writers could make me feel like it’s enough on Mariner’s behalf. 

After 3 seasons of closing herself off she finally started to open up, she got closer to her mom for the first time ever, she made friends who love her for who she is, she even got a girlfriend.  Then because of a rumor, not even proof her mother kicks her off the ship she calls home, every member of the crew save for her friends blames her for apparently badmouthing them, and her girlfriend doesn’t even give her the time to explain before breaking her heart.  And the it turns out they did all that for no reason because she’s not the one who badmouthed the crew and ship, she’s the only one who spoke warmly about them all, calling them her found family.  I can’t think of a reason for Mariner to ever go back to the Cerritos, maybe to save it or to try and recruit Boimler, Tendi, and Rutherford, but not to actually be on it again.  Yeah Freeman realized she fucked up by the end, but it still happened and she only has herself to blame. 

Like I said, I realize that it’s dumb to get upset for season 4 that hasn’t even been created yet, but I can’t help it.  This bothers me and I need to get it off my chest.  I have plenty of other reasons for disliking the episode, I think 3.09 is the episode I hate the most.  I think it was bad writing overall, and a bunch of other reasons, but I’m not going to get into it.  I still love Lower Decks, it’s a good show and while I dislike this episode and the peanut hamper episode, I think the whole season over all was strong and I loved it.  I just needed to get this off my chest before the finale so I can go in as neutral as possible.  Anyone have any opinions themselves, you’re welcome to talk to me about it even if you disagree as long as we can be civil to each other.

[patrochillesvibes]

Hi. Are you in for a modern AU where Achilles is a spoiled bratty trophy husband for real? He could be like 19 or 20 years old(early 20s at best) and there is a 20+ age gap here between him and Patroclus. If u r okay with it, care to share more of your thoughts or HCs?

This is gonna be tough bcs to me that’s a sugar daddy scenario, but I’ll try. Let’s see…

Plot scenarios…

Perhaps Achilles is an athlete. Maybe he’s training for the Olympics (gymnastics, track) or is a professional soccer player. There’s a competition. Something goes wrong (perhaps he’s distracted by a fight with his coach), and he has an accident (broken ankle). Pat is his physical therapist. They slowly fall in love through his appointments. Soon after, he retires from his sport and lives with his philtatos.  

Or maybe Pat is a high-profile lawyer. Rich and successful. He’s not corrupt per say, but he cares a great deal about money and winning. So corporate law? Or you could continue TSOA Pat’s SJW attitude and have him as family law/divorce attorney. In any case, he does some trust administering for an important client (or if you want it spicier, one of the firm’s partners). This includes dishing out a monthly annuity to the mysterious son, Achilles. If you want it dark, Achilles would have a drug problem or is a sex worker. For lighter fare, he’s a nepo baby. Pat can see that he’s hurting inside, and he starts to help him heal over the course of their monthly meetings. Pat eventually “rescues” him from his situation and they fall in love.

Hm. Pat is an executive for some company. Achilles is interning in the marketing department. He hates it. He’s a gen z in a room full of gen x. They just don’t get the nuances of ig and tiktok. Maybe Pat oversees marketing? Achilles would be a shameless flirt, trying to seduce him. For extra spice, instead of a typical college student Achilles is the son of a member of the board! How forbidden. I see a runaway lovers angle here. They uncover a scandal with the company. Achilles anonymously calls the Feds. Achilles and Pat run off to one of those islands billionaires hide in. Achilles’ took his dad’s secret stash of money for them to live off of. For an extra twist, there actually was no corruption. It was a setup. By Pat and Achilles for the purposes of getting Peluses’ money (think of the movie Wild Things)!

General HCs…

Achilles is extremely high maintenance. He requires attention 24/7. He’s a princess.

Lot’s of texting. It varies between bratty pouting for something (new designer shoes, a vacation), telling Pat he misses him and just being generally clingy, and sexts. There is always some level of sexting daily. If he’s out and about, it’s pictures of his feet. When he’s getting ready, he always includes a pic of the underwear he’s wearing. If Pat is working late, then it’s sexy pics of what he’ll be finding in the bedroom when he gets home. Innocent suggestive pics (e.g. drinking a cocktail through a straw) are also common. If Pat is away at a conference, then there’s video with toys. And they absolutely have nasty phone sex. Oh, and Achilles likes to film them fucking without Pat’s knowledge or consent. In Achilles’ mind this is okay bcs the vids are for use during conferences.

Pat has a foot kink, so Achilles frequents exclusive spas for regular pedicures. There’s lots of “live tweeting” of this. The first chance he gets, Pat will head to the men’s room at work and jerk off. Achilles has an entire closet devoted to shoes. There are quite a lot of high heels (for play).

Work functions are quite intense. Achilles’ doesn’t play well with other girls, so-to-speak. He’s catty and all the other wives hate him. Pat is his and he will cut a bitch if she even thinks about trying. Pat’s colleagues have mixed feelings. His boss (who’s very old) doesn’t understand that they’re gay and finds Achilles BPD personality extremely entertaining. This works somewhat in Pat’s favor bcs he’s somewhat of his boss’ favorite now. There are a few colleagues that Achilles considers an enemy coughBriseiscoughOdysseuscough. These are the ones who keep telling Pat to divorce Achilles. Anyways, at these functions Achilles tends to hang off Pat’s arm and grope his butt. Achilles likes (expensive) alcohol and has a high tolerance. Pat has to keep an eye on his consumption so that he doesn’t go too far beyond tipsy. Hungover Achilles is no fun.  

Achilles regularly wears a bit of makeup (eyeliner and mascara). He also has a variety of lipsticks and lip-glosses. All of this is for blow job aesthetics. Does choaking on cock really count if your mascara isn’t running? Speaking of blow jobs, Achilles has Pat trained. Achilles always pulls his hair back into a ponytail for bjs. So whenever Pat sees hair elastics or Achilles putting up his hair, he gets hard. It’s an involuntary reaction at this point.

Pat is a pretty brutal dom in the bedroom. This Pat fucks. He likes to call Achilles dirty, naughty, slut, cock whore, hole, cocksleave. There’s a lot of possessiveness over property (this is my hole, your orgasms are mine). There’s a lot of bondage, blindfolds, breath play, and impact play. There’s some sissy play too (Pat likes to refer to Achilles’ anus as a pussy). Achilles is regularly turned into a senseless drooling mess. When it comes to punishment, cock cage. Pat will do this especially when he’s away for a long time. They both enjoy public sex. Members of the mile high club. In restaurants there’s a lot of touching under the table and restroom sex. In traffic, there’s a lot of bjs. And when they’re shopping or running errands, Achilles wears a vibe that Pat controls with an app.

Achilles is active. He’s in the gym daily.

Achilles has a small core group of friends, all trophy wives.

(This is actually a topic I’m passionate about. Achilles really doesn’t have any friends. He just has Pat. Sure he’s fighting alongside others, but let’s face it he’s a prima donna. When they get back to camp he goes directly to their tent. Now when he was young before he met Pat there were admirers, but once Pat came along that was it. The only time in TSOA where he interacts with others in a “casual” setting is Skyros. So in AU settings I don’t see Achilles as having male friends. He has a few female friends, but the dynamic is perhaps more of Mean Girls (or maybe there was comradery and they bonded over forbidden love). If he has any male friends it would be with his cousin Ajax.)

Back to the friends… Monday is brunch, Tuesday is Yoga class, Wednesday is spa day. They also watch the Bachelor and get into heated debates over it. Most of them are low-key alcoholics.

Date night is Friday night. Every. Week. It’s a whole event for Achilles. He spends the whole day getting ready (special bath soak, special skin creams, hair mask and salon visit, douching, etc.). Pat always gives him flowers (roses, peonies). His ig is full of all his beautiful bouquets and arrangements. They go to an expensive restaurant. Then it’s back home for some play.

Gifts are important. Achilles is expensive. Lingerie is probably the most common gift. Then maybe jewelry (anklets, earrings, necklaces, some bangles, watches)… Pat is a health-conscious Dom, so there aren’t too many sweets being gifted. No drugs. No smoking (which is a crime bcs a cigar belongs in Pat’s hand). But Pat will splurge on very expensive wine and champagne. Pat enjoys bourbon and brandy.

Achilles is particular about clothes and has excellent taste. Pat gives him a big clothing budget. Except suits, Achilles selects most of Pat’s clothes (lots of coordinated outfits). Pat’s suits are bespoke, but Achilles usually goes with him for fittings. He will give input on colors and styles.

Achilles does not drive. Pat will drive him, or his friends will pick him up. In a scenario where Pat is extremely wealthy, then they have a driver. Feel bad for the driver because there is a lot of nasty things happening behind the partition. Pat drives expensive cars, but he has class so none of that sports car bs with flashy shit like Lotus or Ferrari or Bugatti. Pat is more of a Maserati and BMW guy. Maybe a Porche. Extremely wealthy Pat might go for an Aston Martin but it will depend.

And obviously Achilles does not cook and clean. There’s a lot of uber eats. Achilles does know how to make drinks. On stressful days Achilles will have Pat’s favorite drink ready for him. Maids come in to clean. They go through a lot of maid companies. They’re the weird gay guys with weird stuff going on in their house and no one wants to work for them. For this reason, laundry is a pickup/delivery dry cleaning service. It is used frequently.

They do a lot of traveling. There’s always a winter ski trip and trip to the islands. Summer is for trips to Europe. They have visited the big cities in Asia as well. And Dubai. But they have to be careful with their destinations as not everywhere is queer friendly. They do a lot of shopping and touristy stuff when they travel. Achilles isn’t afraid to get dirty, but physical activities (hiking, kayaking, paddleboarding, cycling, sky diving etc.) is not the main event of their travels. Remember, as a trophy husband his main purpose is to be pretty.

[holdharmonysacred]

I keep seeing a really weird uptick in posts dunking on SU discourse shit and arguing that the show never did anything wrong, and I think that’s pretty unfair to both the actual complaints being made and SU itself, you don’t do a show good by acting like all criticism of it is inherently invalid. It usually happens in the context of shitty old “UGH people can’t handle MORAL COMPLEXITY” (read: Diamonds discourse), so I think it’s worth saying:

The problem with the Diamonds is at the end of the day, they are a victim of not just mechanical issues like bad writing and poor time management, but of horrifically clashing themes and metaphors. The Diamonds are introduced as metaphors for a whole host of real-world oppressive authorities - they are queerphobes, they’re racist, they hate disabled gems, they run a caste system that enslaves people, they’re colonizers who destroy other planets - and the show commits to these metaphors onscreen in detail for most of the series. The Crystal Gems fighting against the Diamonds is a metaphor for activism and resistance against real-world oppression, like Garnet’s entire thing being a metaphor for the fight for gay rights. And this is the metaphor that a lot of SU’s fanbase signed up for in the first place, particularly with the show’s hype as a progressive piece of media, which caused some problems when the show just up and yeeted the whole thing into the garbage can in the latter half of season 5 and swerved into “Actually the whole show was a metaphor for reconciling with shitty bio family members the whole time". Had the show committed only to the themes of family from the start, rather than hamming up “and the diamonds are oppressive tyrants who hate marginalized people” for basically the whole series, the firestorm when the Diamonds got redeemed at the end probably wouldn’t have been as bad because the audience wouldn’t have spent the past several years of watching getting primed for “the Diamonds are tyrants and metaphors for real-world oppressors”. By committing to these clashing metaphors though, the show blundered into an end message of “If you want to end homophobia, activism isn’t the solution, you should instead try to convince your homophobic grandma to Just Stop Being Homophobic, and she’ll magically change her mind! Also if you instead cut ties with your homophobic grandma due to said homophobia, you’re a baaaaaaad person”, and that is what actually set people off. (It also doesn’t help that the show had the bad luck of airing during a time in history were all the shit it was using as metaphors was getting way way worse IRL, and the audience was growing keenly aware of just how much “just talk to bigots to make them stop being bigoted” does not work).

How could they have avoided all of this? I have no fucking idea. Honestly I think the thematic core might’ve been a time bomb waiting to go off regardless, because marketing a message of “you should reconcile with your shitty family members!” to a queer audience when more often than not said audience has very good reasons to cut ties with their own shitty family members is just setting yourself up for failure. I do think though that if the crew was that set on the family themes, they shouldn’t have committed as hard to “the Diamonds as oppressors” as they did, because it really is a little silly to have, say, the conclusion of Peridot’s arc be “You cannot simply talk Yellow Diamond out of doing colonialist, oppressive bullshit, you have to fight back”, only for the end of the series to do a 180-degree turn and say “Actually you can talk Yellow Diamond out of doing colonialist, oppressive bullshit!”.

[lovelovex]

no x posts no announcements, kind rude p don’t you think cutting such a big amount of people who CARE about you guys is too much??? it is hard to keep up with all your updates via fucking RUMORS of all things for fucks sake

oh we’re right off w the accusations ok ok ok sometimes i hate being the spokesperson, P the diplomat, but here we go

i’m gonna use this post for the whole rant bc it’s all p much the same in my inbox:

if ‘rumors’ have been your only source of information for the past i dont rly rmbr how many months honey that’s intentional

sometime in july, before i made that post ab the healing process, we sat down and went thru every email subscribed to our mailing list, every account in every gc we used to have, decided fuck it and created all the new ones, rmbr when we had like 500+ members in one of them? well that’s not happening ever again, outsiders aren’t allowed anymore

did it hurt your feelings being left out?

well it hurt my feelings to find out how many of you were actually involved in the case behind my back, how many of you knew exactly what was happening in those two years and stayed silent or worse – chose to side w the person who wanted to take everything he could away from me

not just me, my friends, my family, the ppl i love more than anything else in this world, have suffered enormously bc of His actions and bc of Your support of those actions

i know exactly who you all are, i have a list of names i dont want to hear ever again in my life

the damage you’ve done is irreparable, and it’s beyond my imagination how any of you still feel entitled to anything, did you rly think i’d never find out? i thought it was common knowledge i always find out one way or another

we’re all grown up ppl, and it’s not my place to tell you who you can or cannot talk to, you’ve made your choices and we’ve made ours, and if you ended up on the outside of the circle, welcome to consequences 101, your actions actually do have an impact, what a concept

the case played a big part in the whole thing, but we’re way past that now, and the thing is – the real reason behind ‘cutting out such a big amount of ppl’ is we’re tired, the better part of our lives was dedicated solely to creating a safe space, and we did, only to realize we’re our own safe space, it’s the ppl, so the shows are still happening, the karaoke nights and the acoustic sessions, i say my thank yous from the stage and in emotional voice msgs at 3am bc my god do i love our space, my little sanity oasis, that part hasn’t and will never change

what changed is that we don’t have to subject ourselves to scrutiny, to any form of judgement anymore rly, what they dont know they can’t ruin i rmbr a post like this somewhere on this blog, i dont have to read your thoughts on every single detail of every single move we make, i only hear opinions from those ppl i actually want to listen to, and no, i dont only surround myself w yes men now, if i do smth wrong i still get called out, rightfully so

what i’m mostly tired of is those half-assed friendships, of ppl who only wanted me smiling and shiny, who would disappear the second things got a bit depressing, i dont know who hurt you, but it wasn’t me, or maybe it was, in that case that’s on you if you never had the guts to open your mouth and actually say smth

yk i’ve had to say so many goodbyes in the last two years, i’ll say some more if it comes to this, i’m getting better at letting ppl come and go, but i could never tolerate indifference or betrayal, and i’ve had enough of both of these things

you can still go off in my inbox, let it all out, i can’t rly stop you, just know it doesn’t make any difference to me

[arpov-blog-blog]

Michael Moore thinks that despite the polling and the right leaning mainstream media that seems to regurgitate GOP talking points, there will be a 'Blue Tsunami' election day. Here is more on his thinking...."This is who we are. And we should take heart that everyone like Luke — who represents the true majority of Americans — are voting early right now. They are sending in or dropping off their mail-in ballots right now. And they are going to vote en masse on November 8th!

Hate loses. And if you don't believe that, then start fighting with all the love you have inside you for these next 2 weeks. Convince just one person you know who usually doesn’t vote to vote just this one time. “Adopt a Nonvoter!” There are over 15 million of you who are reading or have access to this Midterm Tsunami Truth right now. You subscribe (free and paid) to my Substack where there have been 5.4 million reads of these daily Truths since I began posting them 4 weeks ago. You follow me on social media. You are a regular listener to my podcast (nearly 40 million downloads to date). You are a massive force to be reckoned with. If just 10% of you convinced just one friend or family member to vote, that’s an extra 1.5 million votes! Trump won in 2016 by just 77,000 votes in the three states that put him over the top in the Electoral College. Each of you, in just this one very small way, can move a mighty mountain in these final two weeks. 

You have to believe! You have to know the real and loving America you live in. Re-read the tweet from Luke above. Stop listening to those who are working overtime to depress and lessen the Democratic vote. They are banking on your cynicism and despair. Don’t be their puppet! Resist! Trust that love usually wins out in the end. Stand up today and do something to make this happen. If you can’t stand up for this crazy, flawed, amazing country, then can you please just stand up for yourself? For your own dreams and desire to live a life that seeks Justice and Peace and a fair shake for everyone? A life not controlled by the company, the boss, the neighborhood association who just told you they don’t like the garden you’ve planted or the color you’ve painted your shutters. There are scoundrels on this ballot who plan to cut your Social Security and Medicare. Who are going to cut funds to your child’s school. Who are going to turn your public library over to a profit-making corporation in order to “save money.“ Their agenda is to make your life harder as they line the pockets of their wealthy donors. Don’t think for a minute they plan to stop with regulating uteruses and deciding who you can marry. They are overflowing with hate and anger and the fear of losing their Caucasian Patriarchy. Don’t think for one second that they wouldn’t kill, metaphorically or literally, to preserve their authority over you.

So please encourage all who you know to stand up — for their own dignity, for this last chance to save what we have, to do it for those who came before us, who gave their lives, who suffered through poverty to give us a chance, my grandmother, desperate to feed her children, who went door to door in the nicer neighborhood of Flint and offered to iron their clothes for a dime. 

I do it for her. And for you. I do it with Luke who wrote that tweet saying he’d be proud to have an asylum-seeking immigrant family living next to him. 

I do it for us, the majority. "