#Now selfish people are going to ruin something that isn't even for them :

[artemismatchalatte]

So I'm signed up for this online 30's speed dating event for WLW and sapphics right?

Here's the thing: It looks like they aren't even bothering to regulate it at all because I see tons of people who aren't in their 30s and even some men are listed in the people who are signed up for the event.

What's even the point of a specific event for 30 something WLW if just anyone can join it? :/

[fuck-your-proana-blog]

Fellow disabled people/in recovery people/suicidal people, please avoid interaction with @skylarthethompson .

I tried to kill myself last year because of my ED and chronic pain. I was in a coma for 2 days, in the hospital for 2 weeks, and am still suffering the after affects of the damage the 3 months worth of pills I swallowed did to my brain and body, and I'm still struggling with suicidal thoughts due to my many physical and mental illnesses. I just hope me exposing this cruel human will keep them from hurting anyone else who is also struggling.

Telling someone they have nothing to live for is so fucking beyond ok and I just want to warn anyone else who is suffering from chronic pain/illnesses/disabilities and mental illnesses/suicidal ideation that this person is a cruel and insensitive troll and to not let them rent space in your mind.

I reported them; anyone else who sees this please report this despicable behavior so they don't do any further damage to the mentally ill/chronically ill community here on Tumblr.

The first comment is clearly suicide baiting, and I guess they realized that and tried to seem a little less depraved; but you can't undo saying shit like this:

Also, take a look at the victim mentality at work here: "you're a smart smart nice person and I'm a dumb dumb mean person." 🙄.

And then there's the fake "do-gooder" story. So telling a very disabled person that their life isn't worth living is helping, and "a good coping mechanism"?? Anyone with half a braincell can tell you're just trying to seem less like an asshole when you've been exposed as one. Nice try to not seem like an absolute garbage person; but it didn't work.

And this selfishness: "I don't feel safe now! I don't want my virtual life ruined! I don't want gross people telling me horrible insults when my mental health can't take it!" Funny, because I didn't want your gross opinion on why I should just kill myself because my life is too miserable to be worth living with all my mental and physical illnesses. Nice ableism you got there. Also I didn't ask anyone to send you "horrible insults." I just asked my followers to avoid and report you for suicide baiting; which is a very severe problem on the internet that no one deserves; least of all mentally and physically disabled people like me and many of my followers.

"Please don't ruin my life over this!" If you say things online that you don't want everyone to see, that you can come to acknowledge are the actions of an asshole, that's your problem. Don't tell people they should just give up and kill themselves if you don't want people to see how heartless you are. If your life is "ruined" by something you said you have no one to blame but yourself.🤷

And of course the classic "I reported your post; I won't let you ruin my Tumblr life." ...are you even serious? You wrote those words; all I did was take screenshots and show them to my followers so they don't become victims of your harassment themselves- not everyone has the great support system I do, so they deserve a warning about people like you. Plus I said nothing wrong, I just told you that telling people to kill themselves is fucked up and made a post exposing your cruelty so you couldn't harm others who struggle like I do. If your "Tumblr life" gets "ruined" from this, your have no one to blame but yourself because all I did was post the words you put on my posts. I don't give a shit that you're "only 18;" you're still an adult and should know better than to tell strangers on the internet that their lives are so horrible they should just kill themselves.. also if you were actually "sorry" you wouldn't have said more cruel things after your oh-so-sincere apology.

There were even more responses they made saying they were going to kill themselves and it was my fault because I posted things they publicly said on a public platform, telling me they were going to Livestream their suicide and publicly blame me for their death, etc. (I reported those comments to Tumblr for a suicide threat but didn't get screenshots before they were deleted.) You can look at the amount of notes on said posts; this one has 27 replies with only 2 from me so they were harassing me all day with 25 comments while I went to some of my many appointments, so obviously I didn't get screenshots of them all, but the ones I did screenshot are more than enough proof that this person who told me I should just die and was trying to blame me for their mental state; saying I was guilty of something THEY actually did to ME, and that if they killed themselves it would be my fault... For simply making a post telling vulnerable people to be aware of them and their disgusting behavior because no one deserves to be told their life isn't worth living; especially when they've been fighting with those thoughts in their own mind for years and don't need some asshole online trying to push them over the edge towards suicide.

When I was a fucking child I knew that telling people to kill themselves is wrong. Not my problem that you're so cruel you can't see it that way and harassed me all day as I went to my disability appointments finding out if I need more surgery while my notifications were going off at a ridiculous rate as you were trying to convince me I'm the bad guy for warning vulnerable people about you; a person that told someone they don't even know who is a suicidal, ED recovering, physically and psychologically disabled person, that their life isn't worth living and they should just kill themselves.

This person is a threat to the mentally and physically disabled and they need their blog to be terminated so they can't trigger people on the edge like me and so many of my followers and others in the disabled/ED communities on Tumblr.

[fairydvsts-blog]

𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐮𝐩 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥

Rafe Cameron x fem!reader

"i love you" in Taylor Swift's lyrics masterlist

summary; as the summer reaches its end, so does your summer fling with Rafe, however, you have realised that you love him and now you refuse to let him go

warnings; mostly fluff, some angst, Rafe being an asshole at the beginning, a lot of swearing and slight mentions of sex

a/n; english isn't my first language, so you might find some mistakes; I'm open to constructive criticism. Enjoy!

You were drunk, totally wasted. That night, Sarah had invited you to a party at John B's house and it was full of people. Obviously, most of them were pogues, excluding a few kooks that must have crushed the party, however, none of those kooks was the one that you couldn't stop thinking about.

Rafe Cameron

You met Rafe at the start of summer vacation, when you moved to the house next to his and became a good friend of his sister. The first impression you had of him was nefarious, your initial thought being: "God, this guy is a jerk", and yet, you couldn't help but feel attracted to him because of his charisma and good looks.

You tried to keep your distance, though, since you didn't want a guy like him hurting your feelings. He was selfish, self-centered and cocky; that type of guy that would send you to therapy sooner rather than later. But one evening, you two ran into each other at the beach, bought a few beers at some vending machine to drink together and ended up kissing

You didn't realise at the moment, but it took just one kiss for you to fall for him.

And every night after that little rendezvous, you would snuck through the garden gate that divided his backyard from yours just to meet with him in secret. That's how you fell in love with him. You fell in love with that one guy that could tear your heart apart in the blink of an eye.

That was the thrill of loving Rafe, though, one moment you were up, the next moment you were down. Sometimes it hurt, but most of all it was exciting.

Your relationship was down that night, because he had stood you up to go out with another girl. And the worst part was not having the right to be mad at him, since you two weren't exclusive; he made sure to remind you of that at every chance he got, so you had drunk more that you should have to forget about him. You were failing your mission, though, because you couldn't stop checking your social media, waiting for him to post something, anything really, that would calm your anxiety; you just wanted to know if he was fucking her or not.

You refreshed his instagram profile one last time and the pink circle that notified that he had posted a new story came up on screen. Without giving it a second thought, you opened it and you heart sank when you saw the guy you loved kissing another girl.

You downed your cup of whisky in just one sip, before getting up from the log you had been sitting on, and walked towards Sarah, who was dancing with Kiara next to the bonfire to join them. Before you met Rafe, you had never cried over a guy, let alone been depressed at a party because of one —and that wouldn't be the first time you did it. You wanted to have fun; the summer was ending and you would have to return to New York soon, you couldn't let him ruin your last days in Outer Banks.

Sarah and Kiara welcomed you with a big smile and included you in their dance circle. The three of your moved to the beat of music, rubbing your bodies together and drawning everyone's attention, especially from the opposite sex.

Not long afterwards, you started dancing with a cute guy that had approached you, offering you a drink. You had seen him a few times at the Cut when you were visiting the pogues and he seemed nice, so you accepted the drink and agreed to dance a few songs with him.

The dance soon turned into a proper make out session in the middle of the crowd. You didn't even like him that way —'cause he wasn't Rafe—, but you were on the rebound, so you took what you could get. You heard your friends cheering you, oblivious to the emotional roller coaster you were going through; you hadn't told them about your relationship with Sarah's brother, so they didn't suspect you were acting like that because you were heartbroken. You wanted to keep it that way, though.

After you let go of the guy —whose name you did not know— a drunk Sarah approached you while laughing. She just showed you her phone screen, where a picture of you kissing that stranger could be seen.

"Look! You are so cute together!" she said.

You laughed too and then, out of the blue, you had a brilliant idea.

"That's a cool pic. Post it, babe."

It really was a cool photo, but that was not why you wanted her to post it on her instagram stories. You wanted Rafe to see it. You wanted to make him jealous. And it worked. Only five minutes later, he was blowing up your phone with texts, voice mails and calls. You answered one of them with a smile on your face just to tease him a little, but he wouldn't give you the opportunity to do so.

"Where are you? l'm coming for you," he told you immediately.

"What? No. l'm having fun with my friends. Leave me alone, jerk," you answered, walking towards the drinks to get another one.

"Are you drunk?" He was surprised; you weren't the type to get wasted at parties.

"It's none of your business, asshole," you shouted after drowning a tequila shot.

You didn't even bother doing the salt and lemon thing and you almost puked in John B's front porch.

"Go fuck that blonde you stood me up for."

"Baby," he sighed, "I'm gonna find you whether you tell me where you at or not, so let's make this easier."

You ignored his request. The image of him sucking off that blonde's face was stuck in your head and was making your blood boil.

"Shut up, Rafe, you're an insensible piece of shit," you accused him, "I wish we never met."

You hung up the phone, leaving him speechless. Of course, you didn't mean what you said, you had spent the best summer of your life with him, but you were drunk and furious, and you weren't thinking straight. You regretted what you said right after, so you took another shot to handle the guilt and then returned to the improvised dance floor to keep dancing.

He wouldn't let it go that easily, though. Fifteen minutes later, he appeared at The Chateau and looked for you until he found you dancing with his sister. His heart started pounding in his chest when he saw you; you looked beautiful that night, well, you always did, but there was something about you being tipsy and carefree that made him smile like crazy.

He made his way through the crowd, without taking his eyes from you, and grabbed your hand when he reached you; his action catched you by surprise so you couldn't resist being pulled away from your friends. He dragged you to his car despite all your complaints and insults, letting your hand go when you arrived there.

"Get in the car please," he asked nicely, opening the passenger's door for you.

You were far too drunk and exhausted to fight with him, still, you were so stubborn that you sat in the back of the car just so he didn't have it his way.

You heard him sigh before he opened the driver's side door and entered the car. He started the engine in complete silence; before you knew it, he was driving you home.

"Why are you mad at me, baby?" he asked a few minutes later, his attention focused on the road.

"Why?" You laughed sarcastically, "You had fucked another girl, Rafe, am I supposed to be happy about it?"

"We aren't exclusive, we both agreed on that when we first started this," he said, and he was right.

Actually, you were the one who came up with that idea, but you did it just because you thought that it would prevent you from falling too hard for him; apparently, you were wrong.

"Things have changed now," you admitted.

You felt a tight knot appear in your throat, but you resisted the urge to cry. If you showed weakness in front of him, he would realise that you cared too much. He would know how you truly felt for him. He would hold your heart in the palm of his hand, and he would have the power to crush it anytime.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking concerned.

Despite your efforts to hide your tears, he had noticed your eyes were watering a little bit.

You said, "I'm fine."

But it wasn't true.

"Baby, what's happening? You can talk to me," the tone of his voice was calm, yet worried, and you couldn't hold back your emotions anymore.

You bursted out crying.

"I love you, idiot! That's what happens!" you shouted, sobbing, "And you're so self-obsessed that you haven't even noticed it."

He looked up grinning like a devil. His eyes staring right into your teary ones through the rear view.

"Baby, stop crying and listen to me, please," he requested, with a smile so big that it lighted up his whole face, "I feel the same way," he recognised and your heart skipped a beat.

He pulled over, getting out of the car and opening your door to face you. He gently grabbed your cheeks so he could wipe away your tears and pressed a little kiss over your lips, which were salty due to all the crying.

"I love you," he repeated, making you smile but you couldn't stop sobbing like a baby; your thoughts were all over the place.

To help you calm down, he entered the car and placed you on his lap, holding you in his strong arms. You hid your face in the crook of his neck and the rich scent of his expensive perfume clouded your senses; you relaxed instantly.

"I haven't fucked other girls since we got together," he whispered, stroking your hair slightly, "I couldn't do it, because you were all I could think about."

"But tonight..." you started off saying, but he interrupted you.

"Yes, I kissed her because I thought you didn't feel the same way about me," he explained, pushing you away to look at your face, "I thought you would forget about me as soon as you got back to New York. I just didn't want you to break my heart."

His words sounded honest, and you could relate to that feeling. You had been feeling like that since you realised that you loved him.

"I can't forget about you, trust me, I've tried," you recognised, "I was scared too, that's why I didn't tell you," you traced his sharp jawline with your thumb, staring at his mouth.

You were dying to kiss him.

"There's no reason to be scared anymore, is there?" he murmured so close to you that his lips caressed yours.

"Not as long as we're together," you answered.

After that, you finally kissed him, revealing with your lips all the secrets you had kept during that cruel summer.

[petrichal]

Look, I really love KobyLu, but specifically KobyLu where Koby is a marine and Luffy is a pirate and nothing else, because I LOVE seeing how people handle Koby's inner conflict while also maintaining his dream in canon.

Lead this up with Luffy being himself; he's not fazed by what other people think of their relationship, doesn't give two shits about it, but he's emotionally intelligent-- he goes along with Koby's insistence that they talk away from prying eyes (and isn't it such a pirate thing to do, to duck and hide and whisper under the canopy of leaves, to steal away treasure under the dead of night? Luffy's selfish and possessive of those he loves, so he's gleeful that there's a world where he can see a side of Koby no one else can), and *absolutely no one* would think to ask Luffy about love or dating so it's all the more easier for him to not slip his secret, this back-and-forth meeting with a marine upstart, the first person he had met from when his journey had just begun.

And as time goes on, they both get stronger, monsters in their own right and maybe more distant. But Koby's a sap so every time he sees Luffy on the newspaper after a dangerous stunt, he thinks he's so reckless but he thinks it with such endless admiration and pride that he thinks his heart might just burst. (On the same stretch of ocean, Luffy sees news of Koby too, rising up in ranks after each new exploit and his excitement grows because Koby's gonna be an Admiral and one day, he's gonna have to chase Luffy too. and if he's going to replace one of those shitty Admirals in office, well, then that's a bonus as well.)

If anyone asks them why they keep looking at the newspapers, always staying at the same page and on the same picture, Koby would deflect. He's selfish in that way too; the longer he stayed with the Marines, the more he knew he had to act against the corruption within, and he wasn't about to ruin his career by claiming he's been seeing the future Pirate King in secret. There was also that promise he made to Luffy, something about "catching him eventually" that Koby should've probably thought about harder in hindsight but remembering Luffy's sunny grin made his admission all the more worth it.

(and Helmeppo would sigh, because he's been with this idiot for 2 years and while he can't see what the hell Koby's been seeing in Luffy, if he sees even a trace of that ratty straw hat on the front page of the news, he's gonna pass it to Koby.)

Luffy, though. Luffy is loud. To people close to him- his crew, his trusted allies- he'd yap their ears off about this shy marine guy with incredible tenacity and potential for power and everyone goes woah so you know him? he's a friend? he's your WHAT and he laughs because no one really asked him before and wow, this really is everyone's first time hearing about this, huh?

(and Law knows Koby- Koby the Hero, who was around during the Rocky port incident- and he turned towards the Strawhats with a questioning, alarmed stare only to be met by the same look. Secret brothers, and now a lover?, they'd mutter under their breaths. Zoro though, he looked like he was simply being told what the day was and raised an eyebrow as if it was no big deal. As if he knew already. what the fuck?)

So when Marine Captain Koby comes to visit (under the pretext of wanting to arrest Luffy), waving his hands like he was greeting a friend rather than an enemy, wide smile on his face to match Luffy's, the crew leans back and sighs, and let him chase their captain all around whatever island they'd be docked at at the time.

And, well, if they happen to settle by the shore after that, entangled limbs and hushed talks of dreams, the world, of what lies after holding hands and chaste kisses- that's Koby and Luffy's business entirely.

[katerinaptrv]

My Stand-In - My view on Ming/Joe

I have been known to like very controversial ships, they are actually my favorites. But in all of them the thing is, it has to have a specific element, for me to love them. And that  is balance (or technically balanced unbalance).

Let me explain, I did not like Third/Kai, and I did not like Ray/Sand because for me these relationships were just toxic, they are unilateral toxic relationships. One part being extremely toxic and the other not, just suffering the abuse from their partner.

But I love ToddBlack and VegasPete because their craziness matches, they are very toxic together, two sides of the same coin.

And I am loving My Stand-In so far, it will definitely be my new obsession until it ends because I think they are very unbalanced together. BOTH OF THEM.

Let me explain my POV on this.

I think their level of unbalance is the same and rooted in the same cause but they express it differently. Ming with being violent, controlling, selfish, etc. And Joe letting him, never establishing any limits towards since the beginning, putting everyone needs/wants first but himself (including Ming’s).

And they both act like this because they both believe deep down they aren’t worthy, they are unlovable and they don’t deserve anything. Every unhealthy action they have towards others or themselves is because they have big self estimate issues.

This is why Ming always thinks Joe is always about to leave for someone else, this is why Joe can accept the help his friends offer him.

And they both started being the stand-in for something the other needed, Joe as a replacement for Ming’s crush for Tong and Ming as someone that needed Joe, made him feel worthy. The “someone to come home to at home waiting with lights on”.

So, I think they are both on a journey to learn to love themselves more and each other. Ming is his path to realization that there is no replacement for Joe. And Joe on his that is not “someone” he wants at his home, that person is Ming.

So, I think they are a perfect matching unbalanced pair. But I also think the show is very good at hiding his. Everyone pays a lot of attention to Ming, what he is doing, why he is doing, but not much on Joe. The whole he needs money situation and the urgency of it let’s all of us believe he has no choice but to go back, but true is that he wants to, even after everything, he does not want to want to, but he does. He is conflicted with his feelings, just like Ming’s was conflicted when they were together.

So people claimed justice for Joe, or him being saved. I don’t think he wants to be saved, he never did (this could change in the future). And from our POV Ming ruined his life, but I think for him the worst thing Ming did was not loving him like he believed, and when he understands that was not entirely true I don't think he will hold on the rest of his sins towards him for much time.

Because he made Ming his life, for the moment they met. He is just as obsessed about him as it happens vice versa.

Like, ok, he made him lose his job, but Joe had Ming above his job for some time now. You can see when he hesitates taking a part that will really benefit his career or going against Tong because it could jeopardize what he had with Ming. 

The whole accepting that offer to take Tong’s part that could prejudice his career was all about Ming, he says it “I’m going to show his fans i can be the male lead”.

So, yes, Ming is the cause of everything but also the reason behind everything he does.

And of course it isn't healthy, they are very unhealthy together, the both of them, and that's why I love this ship.

[mikuni14]

How funny it is that throughout the entire series I didn't share or sometimes even understand the dislike of many viewers towards Phee and Jin, only to hate them literally in the last minutes of the finale 😁

I liked Phee and Jin's dynamic from the beginning and I liked this relationship more than PheeNon's. Phee, both in the present and in flashbacks, was a great character for me, very much my style, and I also had a lot of sympathy for Jin. I was also convinced that Phee was on his path of revenge/searching for answers, and that Jin didn't upload the video.

I was so confident in my opinions that even when Phee spilled the beans to Jin, I was convinced that he wasn't that stupid and mean and that it was all part of some bigger plan. Likewise, until the end I was convinced that Jin was wrong and he was not the one who leaked this video, also based on Fluke's words (who said to Tee for some reason that he "knows everything, INCLUDING the video").

So when the finale brought confirmation that yes, Phee was a fucking snitch, that he sided with his "friends", and that yes, Jin actually released the video like an absolute piece of shit, all my sympathy evaporated in the blink of an eye. Poof! 🥳

I understand Phee's concerns and his refusal to participate in Tan's plan, but that's not the problem, it's HOW he did it. Phee isn't trying to protect the group AND TAN, who is also his friend ffs! NO! Phee is constantly confrontational, aggressive, escalating violence, doing everything against Tan, treating him like HIS worst enemy. He openly accuses Tan when everyone is agitated and someone has a gun, provoking Tan (Tan, who according to him is a dangerous murderer!) without thinking about what he might do. Phee accuses him, Tan takes control and manages the situation so that Tee confesses what really happened with Non, so , you know, a big deal right? That's what it was all about, right? And what does Phee do? He ends the scene by pointing his gun at Tan. When Tan says "you wanted to know the truth about Non, now you know" how does Phee react? He punches Tan. I'm absolutely surprised and appalled that after 3 years of friendship with Tan, watching the nightmare that is his life, saving him, when it comes to choosing, Phee comes so easily to choose "friends", without offering Tan a single bit of kindness, a kind word, extended hand. As if their friendship, their cause, their shared past, Non, didn't exist, didn't matter.

THE MORE BAD HE FINDS ABOUT THE BOYS, THE MORE HE HELPS THEM AND THE MORE HE IS ON THEIR SIDE. This is something I just cannot understand at all! In addition, Phee shot Tan even though he had a camera stand right next to the gun, used successfully many times in the series! 😆 He could have hit Tan unconscious, he didn't have to kill him!! And, what really pisses me off, he shot Tan in defense of Tee!!! Then he helped Tee and Jin, people who ruined and led to Non's death with their choices and actions. I don't know how much more you can insult his memory!

The ending itself is the final nail in the coffin for Phee and Jin's reputation in my house 😎 As I understand it, the final scenes are their hallucinations. And these hallucinations are nice and normal, they have a nice life, they fulfill their dreams, they have a career, they go to college - everything that Non and Tan don't have. In their hallucination there is no room for reflection, for regret, or for any discomfort. They are selfish even in hallucinations that show their real feelings. They still have the nerve to analyze Tee, the only one on whom the events of this house left any impact. I'm not surprised that Non himself appeared in Phee's hallucination, since Phee didn't find a place for him 😏

Their hallucinations, the earlier ones, are also interesting. As much as I loved Jin's hallucinations, it's telling that even in his guilt, Jin still made everything about himself. HE is the victim in his visions 🤷‍♀️ In the same way, Phee wakes up from his visions because it is he who decides which Non is real and which is not. Which means that Jin, instead of feeling bad for what he did to Non, feels bad for imagining "what if it were me." And Phee's guilt is not deep enough to allow Non to dominate his visions, as it happened with Tee, for example.

So in the end, I'm sad to say that as someone who really liked Phee and Jin, that after the finale - fuck them 😈

[dreamofmetoday]

‘THE IDOL’ READING

what were sam levinson's intentions with the idol?

it's definitely something very personal to him. it's his own selfish fantasy. on set or during the writing process, he was likely very difficult, stubborn and particular with everything. he also wants this to be big, he wants to outdo his previous projects and to even almost sabotage his competitors within the industry, so he's made an effort go above and beyond. he had a particular focus on the women in the show, making sure they could give want he wanted to the best of their ability (he wanted them to appear young, dumb, and wild). there's also a kinky element he was particularly fascinated with. it seems it involves little play or ddlg, or it could just be that he wanted to really show off how petite lily rose depp is. there is an emphasis again that he really wanted the project to be his ideas.

what were the weeknd's intention's with the idol?

so for the weeknd it seems he had been interested in making a tv show or movie for a while, he's probably had this somewhat planned for years. for him, this is fulfilling a dream (another achievement he can add to his career). he also feels this is brave of him, he wanted to really challenge himself and make something regardless of how people may criticise it. he wanted to prove to himself he could do something unrestrained and new. you know the sort of vibe of if you want to write a vulnerable poem but you keep watering it down and editing it because you get embarrassed, you don't want people to judge your writing or what it's about - he was pushing himself to do the exact opposite of that. he wanted it to be something people look back on and see it as timeless. however, it seems as it was finally being put into production it leaned away from this vulnerability a bit and became something different. he is hoping for a lot of social media success, he hopes to see a lot of people talking about it (he wants it to be a success amongst gen z to the extent that it sparks trends).

what does sam levinson think of the idol's outcome (how the show turned out)?

he thinks it's turned out well. he thinks he basically achieved his goal at this point. he hired attractive people, he got his way most of the time and he feels it's going to be successful. he is proud of how different he thinks it is. he feels the show has "everything". however, he sees a lot of problems with it too due to his critical nature. his feelings so far are a bit mixed and will become more settled once he sees the public's reaction.

what does lily rose depp think of the idol?

she's pretty apprehensive about it, she's worried about the reaction to it and she thinks she signed up for more than she bargained for (or than she initially wanted). she doesn't know if she should regret being in this show or not. she also feels she sacrificed a lot for this show and wishes she wasn't bossed around as easily as she was. she might have been high on set often, or is now too, and it helps her feel more chilled out about it. as for the story itself, she really isn't happy with it and thinks it's too much but she likes that she's the main character for something and likes how she looks aesthetically.

what does jennie think of the idol?

she thinks it's risky, rebellious and will get a lot of people talking. she thinks the show will be trendy and popular. she thinks the show is pretty exploitative. she believes men involved in the show "won" this one. she doesn't know if she necessarily would have joined this project if it weren’t for running the risk of ruining her connections, but she is happy her connections and relationships have remained positive (it was one of those things where you said yes and even if you wanted to contemplate backing away you just couldn't, so there’s no point even dwelling on it). she also believes her image is pretty protected and the show doesn't make her look bad. she thinks overall this was a good opportunity for her.

what does lily rose depp think of sam levinson?

she thinks sam levinson had a fixation on her and expected a lot from her. he bothered her a lot, he was obsessive in a way, constantly talking to her and asking her questions but she thought he was also "sweet" (but it’s also the vibe where a guy is being nice to you because you know he wants to sleep with you). she finds him to be persistent and hardworking but overbearing and smothering. she knew it was important to him for this project to outdo himself and his competitors, so in this sense she sees him as pretty greedy but also ambitious in a clever way. she thinks he is manipulative and guilt trips people to make them more reliant on him.

what does jennie think of sam levinson?

she thinks he's a very fake person, being unable to grasp his real personality has caused her to not really have much of an opinion of him. she wants to be careful around him and they're casually polite with each other. she doesn't know him that well but thinks he has a lot of ideas. she worries he my have a temper.

what should audiences expect from the idol?

pandering to men (both from the show in general and the storyline).

women being mean to each other, pushing each other down and competing with each other (catfighting, pick-me behaviour or women demeaning each other etc.)

a very messy story where the characters experience a lot of highs and lows.

really mean and even abusive behaviour - everyone is always hurting each other and breaking each other's trust.

exploitation of young people (not just sexually but seeing them really hurt and wounded overall).

lots of sex and sexual scenes (especially from women).

the story might also go off the rails a little bit or end in a confusing way - there's this sense of even though we don't know sam levinson's personal fantasies, you somehow watch it and can tell it's his fantasy and that it took precedence over the story itself at times.

scenes with questionable ethics and laws being broken (e.g. drug use).

a trendy aesthetic.

a witty dialogue with some quotable lines (even if used as memes).

[askauradonprep]

got any founding of Auradon and the rescuing of Lampwick, Alexander and the other stupid little boys hc?

no one EVER talks about the founding of Auradon!

Ohhhhhh this has opened a flood gate. This might go long.

Okay, so, initially the realms merging was slow? A couple places connected like Hercules and Aladdin's. Bits and pieces from different worlds and timeframes. It was not a big all at once thing until towards the end. That was a matter of fate and was not caused by any one individual. This DID however help with things like communication barriers and adjusting to differing circumstances.

There was something odd going on though. Several people who, by varying belief systems, should have ended up in other afterlives that were ending up in the Greek underworld. This WAS caused by an individual - the Evil Fairy Godfather. He thought that getting certain villain together would make things more 'fun'. Maleficent didn't disappoint. She, using her own creativity for magic and some 'visit the land of the living' assists from Hades, convinced a group of villains to form an alliance (temporarily! Villains don't share well, she knows that) to take their revenge on those who had defeated them. Hades thought this was HOT AS HELL by the way.

The heroes, however, teamed up to stop them because....yes? Duh? They were gonna do that? And unlike villains and their giant egos and selfish, cruel natures, they actually are pretty good at teamwork. So the alliance was defeated and in order to establish some...well, order, in the chaos of a merge, different kings/queens/heads of state ran for a sort of 'high king' position to make final executive decisions for this new giant landmass. Adam won, because he had some strong ideas for leading Auradon into a golden age.

So. First they had to deal with the villains. Now, Adam wasn't totally happy with how things went with Gaston. Yes, he was happy things worked out and he and Belle had their happy ending, but it stuck with him that Gaston wormed out of facing any kind of justice because he died. He tried to put it out of his mind because, well, he was DEAD, he couldn't hurt anyone anymore. The alliance blew that out of the water. Suddenly they weren't safe even WITH their villains dead. They'd proven that they could and WOULD keep coming back to haunt them. So he decided the safest thing to do would be to put them on an Isle. It would be surrounded by a barrier, breakable only by the most powerful magical objects. No evil magic would be able to work there and they wouldn't be allowed any technology at the level of wi-fi or more advanced than that. That way, they could just...live their lives and be each other's problem instead of everyone else's.

I truly feel that the sheer and utter awfulness of the Isle was born more out of apathy than any strong intent to make the Isle as miserable as possible - at least on Adam's part. I mean, he's angry with them for sure and he maaaaay have learned that sometimes being harsh gets the job done for convincing people to try to be better (worked for him), but I don't think either is what he's thinking of. I think he just didn't care. Supplying the Isle with items that don't sell in Auradon just seemed like a practical way to get rid of stuff that people didn't want. And frankly, Adam doesn't care enough about the villains to make sure that the Bureau is conducting proper inspections to make sure that the stuff they send isn't spoiled or broken to the point of being unusable. The kids are a mix of the same apathy, a sort of 'they surely wouldn't be so awful to their own flesh and blood kids, right?' and just generally not wanting to keep dealing with these people who've tried to ruin his life twice now because just thinking about them makes him angry and contrary to popular belief he does not ENJOY losing his temper (even though it's definitely still there sometimes). Is that an excuse? Of course not. Adam SHOULD have cared. He SHOULD have made sure the Isle wasn't being turned into a dump. He SHOULD have made sure the Bureau cared. He SHOULD have been making sure the Isle's conditions were humane. He SHOULD have taken these kids away because WE DON'T LET KIDS GROW UP IN JAILS. That's not so much an excuse for Adam as it is a clarifying of motives.

Back to the founding though - so uh. There were a LOT of trials. Some of the ones about more controversial people on the Isle are below. Adam was not the judge in all of these. There were other judges who oversaw different cases. The judge who did the majority of the convictions for abuse of anthropomorphized animals was noted as being PARTICULARLY strict. - Aunt Sarah: Aunt Sarah was never actually convicted of anything. She's LEGALLY speaking free to go and can leave the Isle whenever she wants. She CHOSE to go to the Isle to take care of her cats, who WERE to be sent to the Isle because they were part of the villains alliance (which isn't surprising because they love destroying things and causing general mayhem). - Anastasia: Got suckered into helping with Lady Tremaine's part in all this (plus Drizella). So she got convicted with them. She is INCREDIBLY bitter about it and Cinderella wasn't happy about this. - Iago: Iago...never really stopped stealing stuff. He was doing a lot of that during the chaos of the battle and so well. Yeah. Aladdin ain't happy either. - The Ringmaster: According to some of the comics and games (which Descendants has used for material before) he IS significantly more abusive to his animals than in the movie. Which makes it easier to understand why he is on the Isle. - Amos Slade: Amos Slade's trial is mostly noteworthy for establishing an early precedent in crimes against anthropomorphized animals (which Auradon now knows is a thing). He tried to appeal his sentence on the grounds that he couldn't possibly have known Tod was anthropomorphized at the time he committed his crimes. The judge applied a new variant of something called the thin skull rule - basically if you are legally at fault for something, you can't avoid the penalty because the harm done was unexpectedly and unforeseeably severe. In this case, the judge ruled that while Amos couldn't have known Tod was anthropomorphized, he DID know he had NO business being illegally on that nature preserve and he most CERTAINLY knew he was not to hunt there. Therefore, he had to 'take his victim as they came' and the fact Tod happened to be anthropomorphized meant he was still guilty. And therefore still to be sent to the Isle of the Lost. - Hades: Zeus had Hades (and other greek gods and monsters involved in this alliance like the fates, Hecate, Circe, the Titans) tried in god court. This was the second time that they had tried to destroy Olympus and Hades particularly had done so to try to take the world for himself. So he sentenced them to be given a partial dose of the potion Hades gave Hercules to make them more mortal. Their magic could now be affected by the barrier, and they were a lot more vulnerable. Hades was HUMILIATED and was known to vacillate between 'I am a god, you can't do this to me' and 'I used to be a god, leave me alone'. Zeus had them stored in the Isle for safekeeping. As long as the mortals don't mess with them, he doesn't really care who the High King for mortal politics is.

The resurrected villains have no memory of dying, though they remember the battle.

The idea of the Isle of the Lost was controversial in some circles (Aladdin has never liked it, the Court of Miracles have never trusted it), while others had varying levels of trust in the idea (as presented. I don't think any would approve of how it turned out).

Since you brought up the Coachman - yeah, there was a LOT of testimony in bringing him in. Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket, and the Blue Fairy (who'd been keeping an eye on him) all testified. So did Honest John and Gideon, because they were afraid of the GRIZZLY death that awaited anyone involved in Pleasure Island. Adam reduced their sentence from death to being placed on the Isle of the Lost - BEFORE the Coachman. Therefore, he wouldn't be able to retaliate without his magic.

The Coachman himself was totally unrepentant. He stood there grinning that horrible grin when Adam was going over his crimes. He wasn't at all afraid of the Isle or the possibility of death. And he flat out refused to help Adam find any of the kids. Adam just about lost his mind. He managed to deep breathe though and then told the Coachman, very firmly, that if he didn't help find the kids within a year or if god forbid one had died, then he would have Fairy Godmother turn him into a donkey. And then he'd be sold to one of the places he sold the kids to, where he would be worked to death. And then he'd be brought back and sold to the next place, and over and over again. And finally, when he'd worked on every place he'd sold a kid to, he'd be sent to the Isle of the Lost to live the rest of his life there as a donkey. While getting angrier, louder and more bestial the longer he went on. Wiped the grin right off the Coachman's face. He agreed to find the kids.

The boys being rescued was done in a variety of places. A LOT of owners were HORRIFIED - they had no clue what they'd bought. Adam sent busses and ordered they be promptly returned home to their parents, who were notified of the good news. Adam had the Coachman accompanied by a hero at all times (often someone like Hercules who could literally turn him into a smear in an instant) and he went to a handful of places personally to make sure the kids were turned back. He also sent the Blue Fairy or Fairy Godmother to ensure there was no funny business in him turning the boys back. Although I think the Coachman knew he was in deep at that point and knew better than to play games.

The boys stopped a couple places on their way back. One of them was the encanto, where the Madrigals let them stay a couple days while they resupplied and planned the rest of the trip (because like hell were the Madrigals gonna look at these little boys who've gone through a nightmare and kicked them out). Mostly though, I think they were glad to go home. Their parents basically threw a big block party when they got home. There were lots of happy tears.

Blue Fairy PERSONALLY dropped off the Coachman on the Isle. Which was...dangerous since she didn't bring her wand (she didn't want it stolen) but she insisted.

After everything that happened with the battle, it was clear that, while magic is a very powerful resource, it also has serious issues. It can be abused against people who have no real way to fight back. So Adam has 1) STRICTLY forbidden the use of evil magic. 2) While good or neutral magic isn't illegal, his government officially encourages people to try other means to solve their problems, like knowledge. 3) Use of magic by members of the council (like Fairy Godmother) must be APPROVED by the Council, for that reason. Hence why FG needs council permission to use her wand, even though nobody else seems all that troubled by the magic ban.

Most of the rest of the first year was focused on building infrastructure, opening Auradon Prep, and establishing the new government. As for the sidekicks? While Adam didn't force people to pay them, he has also created infrastructure that means there's large swathes of time they're not working, among other things. I guess he thought that'd balance out. It does not. "Not working" is not the same as PTO, benefits or wages. But well.

Overall? It was a pretty good start to a reign that DID create a golden age, but it also planted the seeds for rotten fruit, namely the Isle and the sidekicks issue. It added up to a complicated legacy where he did do genuinely impressive things - but also awful and flat out monstrous things.

I know that was more about the founding than the Coachman and co. but I tried to include that story here!

[beevean]

A more fleshed out idea of how I would have ended the Lenector story in the most balanced way I can think of.

Lenore is Hector's prisoner, as per canon. He still treats her as nothing happened, like a good friend, but Lenore is sulking and angry and not even bothering to keep up the façade like Hector used to do in her position. It's unfair, after she treated him as her only confidant, and she couldn't care less, that's what the traitor gets. Hector thinks he should be happy, to have reversed the roles on her... but he isn't. Unlike Lenore, power over another person doesn't satisfy him. He can't help but see her as a depressed animal in a cage... much like he used to be.

He wanted to protect her, he really did, but only now he's seeing how much hurt he caused her. Much like she said she meant to do with the ring, although to this day he doesn't know if it was a lie or the truth. There is no joy in inflicting her the same fate she inflicted upon him, even if it comes from a place of well-meaning and not selfishness. He has seen what that kind of "eye for an eye" mentality brings to the world, and he wants none of it.

So, he finally takes a decision for himself, and repays the one debt he has with her. He helps her flee from the castle. He is, for the first time, showing empathy to a person and not an animal.

(I don't even think Isaac needs to be kept in the dark. Lenore on her own is harmless, nothing like Carmilla who became a danger to the world. Hector and Lenore are dangerous tools in the wrong hands, but they lack the ambition that makes them solid threats, as they are mostly concerned with feeling safe. If Isaac truly wants to do good to everyone, he has no reason to keep Lenore as a prisoner, not even to force her to work for him. Same for Hector, since the two might have "forgiven" each other, but they have no relationship whatsoever. Perhaps him heeding Hector's request could show more how compassionate he has truly grown.)

Lenore is confused as to why, and Hector more or less explains that he couldn't bear watching her drinking herself into a stupor. Lenore snaps, and yells at him that he has no right to feeling sorry for her after what he has done, after going behind her back, after ruining her life... and is promptly shot down by Hector flashing his mutilated hand. Every ounce of ire Lenore directs at Hector is actually directed at herself, and they both know it. She is deeply regretting everything she did for the sake of people that didn't even respect her, she is just too proud to apologize. And her pride, her insecurity, her need to be the one in control, was what prevented her from truly being the good person she wanted to be. The very reason Hector wasn't happy with her despite her best efforts, and destroyed her life.

She really thought something so paltry as a slave ring would tame the human spirit. She really thought humans, like vampires, would care more about safety than freedom. For a diplomat who set herself to bridge humankind and vampirekind, she let her basic instincts get the better of her.

"Why didn't you just kill me back then?" she yells, attacks, it feels so good to blame Hector rather than herself. "At least I wouldn't have known how little I matter to you!"

"I'm no longer that child," Hector responds. "I'm no longer the boy who believes to have the right to punish others. Besides, shouldn't you know the desire to spare someone's life no matter what?"

They had never breached that subject again, not after Lenore dismissed it in a fit of denial. It still weighs on her. He can no longer care.

"All this time," Hector says at last, "I expected an apology, but I think I don't need it anymore. As much as I don't need you anymore. I'm grateful for your efforts to protect me from your sisters' ire, so now I'll use them to live for myself. I'm sorry it had to be this way."

He holds no grudges anymore, and he has genuinely come to appreciate the real Lenore behind her masks and the way she took care of him during the previous six weeks, when the world would have chewed him and spit him out; but at the same time, he can't bear staying with her. She makes him too sad. It reminds him of how low he allowed himself to be brought for the sake of some scraps of love. She reminds him too much of a version of him he doesn't want to be. There are too many conflicting feelings in him. He can't help but think that, in another life, the two could have been genuine friends, if not more... but not this one. Too much baggage, too much shared misery. He is done with it. No more will he seek safety and love in other people, as if he wasn't strong enough. He deserves better.

Lenore doesn't know what to think anymore. She wants to die so badly, she is almost tempted to not hide herself from the sun: she can't concieve her existence as nothing more than a black hole, unworthy of living. She is nothing more than a disgusting monster doomed to spread misery to the world, she thinks, and she should die like one. She has nothing left, no allies, no home, and the one person she fell in love with is pulling away from her, and she can't bear being abandoned, and she completely understands why he's doing so. At the same time, however... Hector too has nothing left, and yet he wants to live. After everything he went through, after himself desiring death at Isaac's hand, he wants to experience real life, not survival like he has done since he was born. Lenore pretended to praise his strength when she was manipulating him, but now she has come to genuinely admire that trait. Can she, a vampire used to nothing but comfort, be as strong as a human being?

She wants to ask Hector if he thinks she's a good person. A glance at his mutilated hand answers her more than any word could. Lenore, all this time, had no idea what being "good" meant, she was only good at putting up a façade of gentleness, and she thought it was enough. All this time, she behaved like a vampire pretending to be human... so now, she will learn from the best human she has ever met. The best person. The only one who saw her as a person as well, behind her masks, behind her usefulness.

Even if Hector is now walking towards the dawn, with nothing but his resolution. For the first time, he will live for him, for himself.

They will never meet again, but in a twisted way, they gave each other what they needed to grow.

[radio-writes]

These asks seemed similar to me so I thought I'd tackle them in one go.

What I think of Alastor The Radio Demon

I've never really done a character analysis before so I'm not sure how to go about it. Honestly, I had to rewrite this several times to trim it down. 

I put little footnotes here and there for parts that I think ruined the flow of thought, and weren't essential but still figured were worth a mention. Corresponding footnotes can be found below the lower divider for any interested.

The way I see Alastor, and how I try to write him, is that he's smart—terrifyingly so—and emotional. 

I mean we all know he's basically a textbook manipulator. He's charming, great at reading people, and brilliant enough to know exactly what to say and when to say it. 

He's so gifted at charming people that a fair portion of the fandom's basically head over heels for him—despite the fact that based on what we've seen in the series, he's an objectively despicable person.

And he's so good at manipulating people that, again, a huge portion of the fandom thinks he actually sees the hotel gang as friends/family now. Hell—a lot of people even believed him when he said he cared for Charlie like a daughter.

Add his brains and his skill of wrapping people around his clawed finger, to his god-complex1 and selfishness, and what you'll see is that, on paper, he should absolutely be the big bad of the show.

Except...he currently isn't; and I don't think he will be although it would surely be fun to see how that would go.

Because as much as he is terrifyingly evil, he is also, extremely driven by his emotions.

I know it sounds like a bit of an ass-pull.

Alastor being emotional? The same demon that doesn't drop his smile even when having a whole mental breakdown? The same demon who doesn't bat an eye at a hotel patron dying?

Well, yes. Because there's more to feelings other than sadness and love and care.

There's anger, there's hope, there's desperation, there's pride, there's hate.

And I think Alastor is absolutely driven by these and more.

As said by the most darling, delightful, dangerous overlord over one side of the pentagram,

"words are cheap, but actions, they speak the truth."

As much as Alastor wants to think he's in control, we've seen his emotions come first before rational thinking. 

His pride has absolutely taken over him. He thinks he's above it all, untouchable, unreachable. Because he's so clever, so strong, so charming, and it has more or less gotten him everything he's wanted.

But it's this pride of his that has also lead to his most glaring flaws.

Alastor's first instinct was to lower Lucifer in any way that he could—leverage whatever he did have that Lucifer didn't (height, a relationship with Charlie etc.). Because Al knew that Lucifer was inherently stronger than him, better than him—and he hated that.

His pride couldn't stand the blow, and that—along with feelings of irritation and likely insecurity— is what drove his actions for most of that episode; overtaking even his usually smart wits.2

But it's not just negative emotions.

If Alastor being a mama's boy is still canon, then even his relationships are steered by emotions too, whether he's aware of it or not.

His love for his mother influences his biases towards women. How he judges and approaches them miles more fairly than he does men.

Hell, his whole persona—the transatlantic accent, the radio theme, the over the top silly jokes, his laugh even!—all a by product of his passion for being a radio host.

But why does being emotional mean Alastor won't be the antagonist in the show, you ask?

Well because, being emotional is such a humane thing. It shows weakness, vulnerability. Something the show has often used as leeway to develop and redeem its characters.

While I don't think Alastor has the best intentions coming into the hotel—or even at the point of the season 1 finale really—I do think him being this emotional of a person shows that there is some chance of him genuinely growing fond of the gang, and then settling into the found family at some point in the future.

It may not be a conscious choice, it may take some pushing and pulling, it may take the whole run of the series, but Alastor is capable of caring. And when he feels something he feels it to a point past his own rational thinking.

Would love to see him try to betray the hotel though as some last minute attempt to maintain an evil persona.

Now this doesn't exactly mean I can see Alastor ascending into heaven not unless they drag him kicking and screaming.3 But I do think that in the end, he'll find some sort of other form of "redemption," one that he would actually like.

Perhaps it's coming to terms with the fact that he is mortal and that is okay and it doesn't mean he's any weaker or any lesser. And that even if it did, it shouldn't matter.

Honestly, I'd be more terrified of him once he's come to that point. The only weakness Alastor right now has—aside from whatever deal it is that he made—is his ego.

You could probably get away or manipulate him back if you struck at it, but once he's all done with hotel therapy time and has his emotions under control? That man's going to be unstoppable and I fear for all of hell.

Maybe Charlie should let him keep his issues after all?

1 I find Alastor's god-complex extremely ironic. Oh, he definitely has it. My best guess is that it stemmed from his serial killing days.

If the previous source saying that he killed on a weird moral code (not unlike Dexter) still holds water, then he probably saw himself as some god doing such good work for the people. Judging criminals and delivering punishment.

This whole, "I'm so strong and untouchable even amongst criminals" mentality of his was probably egged on when he got into Hell and he was able to take down big bad overlords with ease. That definitely fed his ego nicely.

Now I say I find it ironic because well, he thinks he's so above it all. So perfect and pristine—nothing like all those other sinners. He doesn't care for senseless killing or stealing jewelry or sex, no he's so much better than that, isn't he?

Well, the way I see it, he's really no different.

*cue angry radio noises*

He cares so much for all the material and outwardly things. Sure, it's not to brag or to be sexy, but you can't tell me that fucker isn't just as vain as say, someone like Velvette.

He'd probably freak if anyone caught him outside of his well tailored suits and impeccable posture. 

To Alastor, image and public opinion must mean so much more than he's willing to admit.

And all that killing the bad guys, killing the criminals, killing the scum of the earth. Oh let's not pretend he does it out of any other reason aside from the fact that he loves it. 

It's an act for power for him, not actually done to protect anybody.

And considering he eats most of his victims now, I'd say he's actually below your average criminal.

On sex—well, fine. He can have that one, I suppose.

But still, the irony that this man thinks he's so above your common everyday sinner is just hilarious to me, because he's exactly just like them.

2 I have seen people say that this is yet another one of Alastor's cleverly planned schemes. That he kept pushing only because he was confident Lucifer wouldn't smite someone Charlie cared about. Which, sure, I could see that being the case later on in their interactions.

But as an introduction? An opening line? When he didn't know Lucifer's temperament, and Lucifer didn't know how much Charlie valued/cared for Al?

No. I genuinely think, that this was purely a gamble on Alastor's part. A slip, a jab that he just had to make to save his own pride.

3 Personally, while I absolutely love all the angelic designs of Al, I really do not want him up in heaven unless it's for comedic purposes or he's grocery shopping for angel meat.

Dude was a serial killer. Granted, he killed criminals. But I've never been a fan of vigilante killings. I mean, who's to say the person he killed actually did the crime though? What if it had been someone who was actually innocent?

And even if they weren't, can you imagine if he killed your parent in your lifetime for say, stealing some bread to feed you? And you're just chilling in heaven and all of a sudden your parent's murderer is redeemed while your parent still rotted in Hell?

I would just start a riot right then and there, damnation be damned.

Besides, red suits Alastor best, anyway.

Tagging @cofeedaifuku because they were the only one out of the three that weren't on anon. Hope my fellow vien and the other anon find this answer anyway.

[slavghoul]

Slav! You've been to a lot of shows, do you have any advice for how early we should queue up for the show if we want to be in the front? ie how many hours before doors, in your experience?

I usually come at around 9. Sometimes there are plenty of people there already, sometimes just a few, sometimes none. It really depends on the place/country, so it's hard to say. The worst spot I had in the pit was the second row, so not bad by any standards.

If you plan on queueing for a long time, PLEASE drink water and eat something throughout the day!!! If possible something filling. No alcohol. It can get very hot inside the venue (or outside if it's summer) and if you're dehydrated and hungry, there's the risk you may faint and end up in the back. Having an energy gel/bar right before the show is a great booster, but make sure you can bring them inside cause not all venues allow food items.

Also, keep in mind that some people are selfish cunts. There are people who will do anything to get to the first row, they will push, they will shove, they will cut in line, or simply just run faster than you. Queueing etiquette is nice in theory, in practice people are very selfish. This isn't anything new - I've seen comments blaming new fans, which I think are greatly exaggerated. I think it's due to this weird old sentiment that Ghost fans are like a big family and it's all peace and love and good times, which always made me roll my eyes cause that's not really my experience neither now nor in the past, but whatever. Yes, vast majority of the people ARE cool and there to have a good time, but don't ever let your guard down cause there can be that *one* person out of a hundred that will ruin someone's day. It's dog-eat-dog world out there once the gates open. These are very big shows. So be aware of your surroundings, look out for yourselves and others too if possible, and if you see any shady behavior (pushing, fighting, drunk people, inappropriate touching) don't be afraid to let security know.

I realize all this sounds very doomy 💀 So I'd like to emphasise that what I described above is *not* the norm at every show (all my experiences have been mostly positive), but it *can* happen, therefore be cautious and make your safety and safety of others the priority!

Oh and bring earplugs! Seriously. The sound is a lot clearer, the bass doesn't hurt, and you're saving your ears. Tinnitus is no joke. Even cheap ones are better than none, but if you're going to a lot of shows it's worth splurging on something made specifically for concerts.

[deadinsideart]

Back on my bullshit with another swap au

Details below!

Layton gets the crown sometime after the experiment happens, he finds it on an expedition and puts it on out of curiosity. (I don't know what his title could be lmao) And like Simon, goes insane from wearing it.

But he's kind of like a mix of Ice King and Winter King (minus WK's selfish personality) more Ice King but British Gentleman in the mix is what I'm trying to go for with him.

Luke takes Marceline's place and gets found by Layton in the ruins of London. He is gifted a Teddy Bear. (I guess Clive could also be there too?) And is cared for until Layton can't stay in control and leaves in fear. He doesn't do the Princess thing like Ice King but he IS searching for Claire, and it's for closure more or less and everyone he finds and takes, none of them are her. But instead of setting them free, they stay in the Ice Kingdom like a massive prison. Mad ruler or scientist vibes or something??

He can't remember what she entirely looked having forgotten her face long ago. Meeting Flora for the first time in this messes him up for a moment. When he sees Luke again he can't even remember him, but knows they have a connection. He only recognizes Luke from the fact that he's popular with his puzzle-solving skills. Like "Remember You" Luke learns to accept this and forgives him for having to leave. He still calls him Professor and occasionally switches to Hershel. Which he has no memory of and assumes it's an odd nickname.

Clark isn't like Hudson but their relationship is much like how it is in Last Spectre. A misunderstanding rather than being evil and stealing souls.

Instead of what happens in canon, the time machine worked too well and sent her 1,000 years into the future. And doing what Betty does in trying to help him like how she tried to help Simon. Eventually becoming Golb in the end. Even after toying with the idea of accepting that Layton won't ever be back.

Flora is Finn in this and she grew up lonely. She had her robot family but she wanted to see the outside feel the ground on her hands and share her creations with others. She was allowed once she proved she could handle the outside when a monster had attacked the village. And she set out into the world and set up a shop for her robots. And loves to explore and go adventuring. Helping others making a certain Ice Wizard leave people alone and freeing those who got kidnapped. Flora meets Luke when she finds her apples are being drained of color. Picked from the trees and left on the ground. She caught him and he promptly apologized. They reached an agreement about it though and grew close. Siblings frfr. And Luke gives her advice when she needs it.

(Luke took the older sibling role this time)

That's kinda it for now

I hope to draw more of the sillies

[aleksanderscult]

I think i remember leigh writing something along the lines of that 'wanted best for his people and he was a tyrant' etc, basically a nuanced view. Do you have it? I don't remember where it was.

I think you mean this, right?

It's from her acknowledgements on "Demon in the Wood" (graphic novel). If this is not what you mean, tell me.

She always gives a very nuanced characterization about him which makes me mad because I don't understand her point of view for him at all. It only confuses me more.

"I want the readers to make their assumptions about him. I don't want to affect their view of him". Look. If you give your own opinion of him which will consist of ten pages then it's going to be the reader's problem if they want to "adopt" your view or not. Also, your readers are not stupid. They can distinguish their own assumptions FROM your own opinion. And if they can't, then they're not fit to read books and complicated characters. It's called critical thinking. You take an opinion, read it, see if it makes sense with the canon we have from him and make your judgement. Easy peasy.

Now about that note. I agree that Aleksander isn't purely a hero or a villain. He sees himself as the hero while Alina and the others see him as the villain. We, the readers, mostly see him as something in-between and, at the same time, something entirely different. A human that has lived for too long and as a result of his immortality and tragic events he has reached a point of desperation that make him act relentlessly against the corrupt monarchy and in favor of a persecuted group of people and a country that he has lived and loved for almost all of his life.

Therefore, his characterization is (I believe) something more than the archetype of "good hero" and "bad villain".

Is he a survivor? Yup. In all the meaning of the word.

Does he want safety for his people? Isn't that why he didn't give up on life already? It was the ambition that drove him the most and kept his heart beating.

Is he a tyrant? I think that term needs to be studied. Back in Ancient Greece this word had different meanings.

1) A ruler who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. The Darkling did that (good for him).

2) A person who rules without law, using extreme and cruel methods against both his own people and others. If Leigh means that then I'll have to disagree. First of all, we didn't see enough of the Darkling's rule to know if he was that cruel (unless she knows something we don't). And even from what we saw, it seems the word doesn't apply to him. He was sitting on the throne and listening to reports, signing paperwork, making an alliance with his enemy to feed his army. So where it the "cruel methods against both his own people and others" came from? He didn't have a beef with otkazat'sya that lived in Ravka and he certainly didn't want to hurt his own Grisha (unless they committed treason). So Leigh just threw that word in like it was nothing.

And, lastly, he brutalizes and exploits those who trust him most.

Brutalizes. Hmm....

Genya: she committed treason so he punished her.

Sergei: he committed treason so he punished him.

Baghra: committed treason so he punished her (and very lightly actually).

Yeah.. right...umm. Look. If he had attacked them or killed them for literally no reason then I would say "Yes, he brutalized them". But there was always a reason for his actions against them. He didn't see Genya on board and said "I'm bored. Gonna ruin your face 'cause I've got nothing else to do".

And he exploits them.

To exploit someone is this:

If my memory serves me correct, his soldiers (his Grisha) knew what they were serving him for. And he didn't use them for something completely selfish like "gaining power for myself because I like it" but he needed power to make Ravka better. So he didn't do it for selfish reasons.

The one instance where the term "exploit" may apply is when he gave Genya to the Grand Palace knowing what a pervert the King was. But then again, wasn't the Queen's responsibility to keep her safe?

[teenverseofmarveltvshows]

Stuff

Here I'll write couple fun facts about random characters and other things in my AU

BAYVILLE SIRENS!!!

Once a week all mutant girls from Bayville go on a 'girl sleepover', meanwhile actually they dress up in their cool clothes and go to kick ass. The OG team you most likely know(Jean, Amara, Tabitha, Kitty and Rogue), but like I wrote, in my AU every mutant girl from Bayville is one of the sirens and if some mutant girl is not on the team, it's not a problem! She's more than welcome to join Bayville sirens, because more girls - more fun.

Also, Bayville Sirens is such impactfull thing, as soon as it becomes more popular and other towns and cities find out about it, mutant girls or just girl with superpowers from other places team up with each other to kick asses just like Bayville sirens. However, girls with bad intentions exist and they kinda ruin this thing by committing crimes and calling themselves 'sirens' and that confuses many people and makes this vigilante thing even more questionable and controversial than it already was, so, more than half of sirens that were stopping criminals now stopped their vigilante careers.

That's upsetting, yes, so Bayville sirens decides to stop these evil copycats, and just like they expected, they've stopped them. At least some good news for them in these hard times. Obviously, the fact that they've stopped it didn't made all other sirens return back, but it still made few and that's enough.

S.H.I.E.L.D. and Brotherhood

Unlike Proffesor X, Nick Fury don't believe that freaking teenagers can make good decisions on what to do with their lives, not to mention that they all grew up either with no parents or just shitty ones, so he believes they need a nice good push in a great direction. His direction, his S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, to be exact. Selfish, perhaps even immoral from one point of view, from the other? Kids will live in a safe space with good conditions for living and no evil bitches that'll give them commands, besides no one's gonna judge them and everyone here is welcome.

Fury is even dissapointed with Charles, but fr, if everyone is welcome at your academy for youngsters then why Brotherhood kids isn't a part of it? Oh, they're not ready to be here? Yeah, tell me about it. After seeing how Spider-Man succesfully recruited so many young heroes with just his frienly behaviour, Fury actually asks himself a question about what the actual hell is going on in Bayville and mutants?

So Fury thinks really hard and decides to sent few of his agents to Bayville High School just to check wth is happening there. Soon it's revealed that Brotherhood teens are under strong influence of Mystique and Magneto, and he expected it. So, to recruit kids he has to deal with two devils. That's a hard task, but not impossible! So now his agents doing most possible to find a way how to separate kiddos from child abusers.

Ben and Spider Slayers

In the show they died as quiickly, as they appeared on the screen, but not in my AU!

In my AU Ben adopts these guys at some point, after defeating Kaine and making sure do it in a way none of them dies. Then he claims to be the oldest brother here. No one objects, since they...can't object? That's a problem. Being able to say No is a really important skill and now they have weekly lessons like this.

Their brotherhly hierarchy goes like: Ben, Goliath, Ghost and Bone. Soon enough Spider Slayers get the idea that their purpose is something they can choose and it's not just follow Ben's orders. Shocking, surprising, bizarre information strikes them hardly. They need time to think about it. And they do think about it. They even ask other students at S.H.I.E.L.D. academy what it's like to be 'normal'.

And after some time of thinking and adjusting to new lifestyle Slayers find their first hobbies! Goliath's hobie is GYM, he has undeniable passion to lift up extremely heavy things so powerlifting is his first hobbie. Ghost is interested in acting and drama, he starts often going to thatres, whatever play is there, he'll be there. That makes him also interested in literature and soon he low-key becomes emo and tries to write his own poems. I really wanted to write that Bone Spider is fortnite player, but something stops me so...Bone is a fan of Sonic, and a huge one. In just a two or three weeks he played in every Sonic game that exists and now he often asks for money to buy Sonic Merch.

Ben is so proud of them, even though he doesn't understand their hobbies, but it's nice to see your younger bros that were just your followers to have a life now.

Gwenpool

This girl is wild and she is EVERYWHERE. At this point whenever X-Men or Champions need an extra help she's somehow always there! It makes them all feel a bit suspicious of her, like, is she stalking us or something? The truth is....Yeh, Aroace Icon sometimes spies on them just for fun. They'll never know though.

Also, yes, she's an ally of X-Men and Champions, but who said she can't ve friends with people outside these teams? She's a little bit besties with Tabtitha/Boom Boom from Brotherhood, after all she's also down for every opportunity to make things fun, even if it can get crazy. In any case, Gwen is easy outgoing person that easily becomes friends with people(just like Evan/Spyke).

That's how she befriended with MJ before all that Carnage mess and also that's how she befriened with other Gwen. "Twinsies!" - she most likely said after getting to know Stacy, not exactly caring that she borrows Ms Marvel's saying.

[archiveikemen]

Liam Evans Main Story: Chapter 18

I do not own any of the Ikemen Series content being uploaded on this blog, everything belongs to CYBIRD. Please support them by playing their games and buying stories. Not 100% accurate, expect mistakes.

read this before interacting with my posts

The only sound that could be heard on that abandoned clock tower was their breathing.

Max, the father, had a facial expression filled with desire for control as he pointed a gun at his son.

However, to his son, Liam, that ugly expression looked painful.

Liam: OK. I’ll do everything as you wish.

The man standing in front of Liam wanted him to jump off on his own.

Liam: However—

Liam: I have one favour to ask of you.

Max: Anything except begging for your life.

Liam: … Haha, I know.

Liam: I want my dead body to disappear without a trace. Decapitate me or toss me into the ocean, I don't care how you do it.

The starry sky reflected in his rose coloured eyes.

The stars were shining brightly that night, like the ones he saw with Kate.

Liam: … Can I say a few things? Take it as I’m saying my last words.

Liam: My life is worthless. I’ve always thought that I’d be better off dead, just like you said.

Liam: Just by being alive, I had countless wrongdoings that hurt people. Therefore, it was best if I disappeared as soon as possible.

Liam: However, when Jacob saved my life…

Liam: His last words, “please live”, held me back.

Liam: That’s why I’ve been living my life so miserably and searching for a good reason to die.

Liam: … Weird, right? People die without warning, and yet here I am living this way because I want to die.

Liam: It was ridiculous, miserable… and I felt so guilty. I felt sorry for being alive.

Liam: Therefore, I decided that for as long as I was alive, I wanted to be the kind of person everyone wanted me to be…

Liam: I tried so hard not to be hated, not to hurt others, and not to ruin anything. I looked like a complete fool…

Liam: Because of that… I don’t hate the idea of dying.

Liam: I can finally end my life.

Liam: However.

Liam: I thought I would have no regrets, but… there's one thing that scares me.

His eyes narrowed into a gentle look that seemed to contain feelings of affection.

Liam: One day, I met a woman.

Liam: She looked very anxious… so I approached her because I wanted to make her smile.

Liam: However… now that I think of it, I said I was doing it for her sake, but the truth is that I did it for myself, isn't it?

Liam: I wanted to be someone who she needed, because it made me feel like I had a reason to live.

Liam: Our relationship started because of such selfish reasons… but she gave me so much.

Liam: Her every word, every glance, every move… all of it made me feel truly happy.

Liam: I especially liked the way she always belived in a tomorrow.

– Flashback Start –

Liam: Is your appetite back?

Kate: … Not really. But I don’t want the food to go to waste, and I have to at least eat something so I’m ready to face tomorrow.

Liam: … Tomorrow?

Kate: Even if today was a bad day, I want to keep going in hopes that tomorrow will be better. Therefore, I need strength to do that.

– Flashback End –

Liam: Whenever she was having a hard time, even if it was to the point of her being in tears, she always reached her hand out towards tomorrow. Her wise way of living was so moving.

– Flashback Start –

Kate: I want to help others to not be afraid of what tomorrow will bring them... by writing a story.

– Flashback End –

Liam: She was the kind of woman who had hopes for the tomorrows of not just herself, but everyone around her, including myself.

– Flashback Start –

Kate: The stars are beautiful tonight, so tomorrow's weather will definitely be clear… I’m looking forward to spending time with you tomorrow.

Liam: Tomorrow…

Liam: I’m part of your tomorrow too…?

– Flashback End –

Liam: Her existence was truly radiant. She made me feel like I could accomplish anything as long as I had her by my side.

Liam: I was definitely more in love with her than I deserved to be… I longed for her from the bottom of my heart.

Liam: She’s so kind hearted, she’ll feel hurt and cry for sure if she knows I’m dead. … That’s the only thing to avoid happening.

Liam: I should never be the reason why she’s unhappy.

Liam: I… I want all her tomorrows to be bright.

Max: You want me to dispose of your body so that the girl won’t find it. … A very audacious request.

Liam: I’m sorry I can’t be a good son till the end. But, please, I’m begging you!

An icy breeze hit his cheek, as if telling him that his life was at its end.

Liam: Come! It’s time to put an end to this life.

With a light foot, Liam stepped up and leaned his body out.

The stars looked beautiful that night.

And he was sure that the world would be much more beautiful if he disappeared.

He thought that death was something he had already accepted.

… And yet, what were those feelings surging in his heart that made him want to scream and cry?

Liam: Ah…

Liam: Ahh…

Liam: In my next life, I want to be someone who’s loved by everyone…

Liam: I want to be someone who will genuinely… make Kate smile…

Liam: I wonder if I’ll still be a nuisance to Kate even after I’m reborn…

Liam: … But… I wish that I’ll meet Kate again…

Liam: How strange … this is a thrilling situation that could satisfy my curiosity.

Liam: And yet I’m not the least bit excited…

…

We hopped off the carriage and looked up at the highest point of the clock tower.

Harrison: Roger. Can your hearing pick up his voice?

Roger: Yeah… I hear him.

Roger: He must be at the very top of this clock tower.

(... The belfry.)

Alfons: Hm. There are no buildings we can jump from to get to him, so it seems that we’ll have no other option but to climb up the stairs quietly.

The thought of having to climb the stairs to reach a place so high up that it looked like it was touching the sky, could've been enough to make me lose motivation.

But—

(... Liam’s life might be in danger even now as we speak.)

Kate: Let's hurry.

…

We ran up the spiral staircase towards Liam, who was at the belfry.

I had no idea how far up we’ve gotten, but I was already gasping for air.

Kate: Haa…

Roger: Oi, you don’t look so good. Are you alright, young lady…!

My knees were so pathetically weak that it was laughable, and I certainly didn’t look alright at all.

(But I can’t give up right now. Giving up is not an option.)

Kate: I’m alright. Let’s hurry, Roger.

Roger: … Haha. That must've been very unnecessary for me to say. Let’s work a little harder.

I was becoming even more breathless, but I didn't let that stop me.

(I need to reach Liam as soon as possible.)

(I need to hold Liam with these hands.)

(Faster, faster…)

The nearer I got to Liam, the more I felt the air of death surrounding him.

I was starting to notice it, but I just couldn't dive deeper into the core of that heart.

I recalled Liam telling me “make sure that nothing can harm what’s at the core of your heart”.

But the core of Liam’s heart must've been covered in wounds that bled continuously.

(Reaching out to try and touch it, is the same as touching his wounds directly.)

I was afraid that touching his wounds would worsen the pain.

(Therefore, I want to stay by Liam’s side and gradually get to know what those wounds are.)

(I hope that one day, we can share those wounds and sorrows.)

(However.)

I claimed to be doing it for Liam’s sake, but the truth was that it was only because I was afraid of hurting him.

At that moment, from the tower’s window, wind mercilessly blew against my face.

The cold made me imagine Liam falling over the edge of the tower.

(It's useless to regret anything.)

(— Regrets won't do anything to help Liam.)

(I need to force myself to ignore my fears.)

(I just want to reach out my hand to him.)

Harrison: *pant*... Kate, we’re almost at the belfry.

Kate: *pant* Y-Yeah…!

(... Please, please let us make it in time.)

I had never missed that sweet vanilla scent so much before.

His slightly quirky yet sweet voice, his rose coloured hair and eyes, I missed everything about Liam.

With every step I took, memories of the time I had spent with Liam came flashing clearly into my mind.

(... On the night we met, he helped to calm my anxiety.)

– Flashback Start –

Liam: Hey, Kate. You don't have to force a smile when you don’t want to.

Liam: Forcing a smile is an act of kindness towards the people around you, but you’re not being kind to yourself, you know?

…

(After that, Liam would always try to be there for me.)

Victor: Oh, Liam just negotiated with me about you becoming his personal fairytale writer.

Liam: — And Victor said OK to it.

…

(Whenever I felt uncomfortable in an unfamiliar place, he would be right there by my side, giving me his gentle encouragement.)

Liam: It’d be much easier to stop thinking about those things. And yet… you’re not the type to run away from your problems.

Liam: But I want to make you smile, that’s why I’m always pampering you.

I received more kindness from him than I could ever hold.

The last words Liam said to me that were so painfully kind resonated in my heart.

…

Liam: Therefore, you’ll be alright, Kate. I hope you’ll always be someone who believes in tomorrow.

– Flashback End –

(Hey, Liam.)

(You were lonely and afraid of what your tomorrow would bring you.)

(And yet, you still tried to protect my tomorrow…?)

He was always putting others before himself, always giving and never taking.

If I told Liam that, he would definitely deny it saying “it’s not real kindness”.

But, to me, all of that was true kindness and they’ve saved me so many times.

Whenever I received his kindness, I had a burning feeling in my heart.

Whether it was longing, sympathy, or the desire to protect… I couldn't put a name to it.

I wouldn't say that the time I spent with Liam was completely peaceful.

(But, at last, it was clear to me.)

(I… I’m fond of Liam.)

(So much that I don’t want to lose him no matter what.)

I knew that it was foolish and awful to only realise it at a time like that.

But—

(I don’t want to lose you.)

(I will never let you die.)

— Even if it’s painful for you.

Roger: We reached the belfry! All of you stay behind me.

Roger held the shotgun he was carrying on his back.

Roger: … Let’s go.

With Roger in the lead, we rushed out onto the belfry.

(T-That person is… Liam’s…)

And the person he’s pointing his gun at was—

Facing out of the belfry with his arms wide open, Liam was about to jump off.

Kate: … Liam.

Max: What are you people!

I sensed the gun’s muzzle being pointed at me, but I never took my eyes off Liam.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Roger and the others jump onto the man pointing his gun at me.

Still, I ran towards Liam.

(Wait, please, wait… don’t go)

Liam slowly threw himself off the edge and—

Kate: … Liam!

I fell to the ground with my hand outstretched, reaching out to Liam.

I instantly felt a force on my hand.

(... Ggh.)

His rose coloured eyes widened.

Liam: … K… Kate…

Liam: Why… why are you… here?

Liam: Stop! If you don’t let go, you'll also… ugh.

Kate: I don’t want to! I will never, NEVER, let go of you…!

My arm was getting cramped up.

Liam: W… Why…

Liam: Why… why are you doing this for me—

(I can’t tell him why…)

My vision shook and tears fell from my eyes.

Kate: Isn’t it obvious! I… I’m here to save you because you're someone who's precious to me!

Kate: I cherish you, and I want to protect you…

Kate: Because I love you…!

Liam: …

(... I’m sorry, Liam.)

(I can’t give up on you, even if it hurts…)

Kate: I’m begging you. Grab on tight…!

I yelled as loud as I could, trying not to let my voice be drowned out by the sounds of gunshots being fired wildly behind me.

But Liam never grabbed my hand.

(No… my hand…)

(I don’t want to, I don't…)

Kate: … Ue… uwaahh…

It wasn't the right time and place to cry, but I could no longer hold back my tears.

Kate: … Liam…

[asterjennifer]

I'd like to talk about not wanting children.

A topic that really isn't spoken about enough, to the point it's hard to imagine I'm not alone with that mindset.

People always tell you, especially when you have a partner, that "in my age" ( 21) they didn't want them either. And that it'll come with the ages.

But I mean it when I say it. It's not just the typical "not right now at least" or "Nah not really interested" type of thing.

It's an actual fear for me.

I fear pregnancy the same way I also fear sexual assault, that is the same panic that spreads through my chest when only thinking about these things.

I don't know where that expressive fear comes from — might be trauma, might be personal priorities. All I know is that the mere thought makes me consider (rather want even though I'm not sure I could) I'll get rid of my life.

My reasons are something I've been discussing with my boyfriend before.

Worrying, since he'd like some maybe, at least one day, that he'll leave me because I don't.

So he asked me about it.

I have my reasons.

As a slim and thin girl, I've had to get the premature birth needles even though I was born at the right time.

I'm fragile to the point I don't believe my body could handle this kind of task in a healthy manner.

And if I lose my life, or my health for another person... Will I be able to enjoy parenting when knowing they either ruined my own life, or ruin that of the people around in case I would die?

The world is becoming expensive where someone like me, someone from a more poor background, thinks about children twice.

Children are unbelievably expensive.

And I want to persuade my career instead of a family.

I want to make a good living. Provide for my mother when she is older without worrying about a child.

I wish to have my own place, animals and make lots of travels with my saved money.

Persuade a career I love and live my life for myself.

The earth sadly gets destroyed and the aftermath of global warming already settles in today.

How could I not feel selfish knowing that these conditions will get worse from here on out, yet think I want my child to grow up in a climate disaster affecting their lives in every way.

How do I know I'll be a good mother? The thought of growing an human being is a lot of responsibility I don't trust myself with.

I have a little brother, and I'm neglecting him already. Depsite me loving him.

So how do I know for a fact it won't happen to my own child?

If I'd be a mother, I want to be a good one. But if I cannot trust myself to do it, then why shouldn't I listen to my intuition.

We talked about these. And he had points, too.

Adoption is something he brought up and I feel already much more okay with that.

We're overpopulated and so many poor children, who are not to blame for their fate, seek a good home. I understand that.

We talked about the raising part. How he says I'd be a good mother and he would give his all to be a good father.

He wants to be someone who has a well-payed job. He doesn't think I'd have to worry about these.

But how do you know the future? And for a fact this will be the case?

He agreed to some of my points, as I understood that he's right in some as well.

It scares me to think I'll be judged by people for deciding this.

But he respects it.

“What if one day, you want them so badly you leave me...?”

I asked him one evening. And he replied softly.

“I can't calm your fear in that regard as I don't know what will happen in the future... But right now we are going the same path. All I want is to be happy with you.”

Was his reply.

To all women out there:

If you don't want children and have your reasons, don't think you're alone.

Although we always see happy family's on the internet, and that often being portrayed as the goal in life — it doesn't have to be yours too.

Don't give up on your decision for someone else. And don't let people talk you into guilt.

You have nothing to but guilty of.

The only people who are guilty are the ones bringing bias into the world and who make their children miserable.