#a lot of this is based on interviews from

[teaboot]

Hello. I have an OC who works as a security guard for a company and gets hired out for gigs like you do. I'm curious what your "homebase" is like. As in the office the non security guard employees work at.

That’s a great question! As contract security, I’m sort of rented out the way you might rent a car, except “home base” for me is literally just… my home. There’s an office my company owns, and where new uniforms get shipped to and the higher-ups make schedules and do interviews and store gear, but I don’t really go there- I went there when I was hired though, and it’s just a couple office spaces, á lockup for radios and expensive stuff, and a room full of new and spare uniforms and junk. I get a schedule on an app that tells me which locations I’m expected to be at at which times, and these places are where I go on a regular basis over and over until the contract runs out or a new location opens up that I’m better suited for or needs extra hands. For example, my first location was a construction site- My gear was stored in a lockbox in that site’s office. My first day there, I showed up in uniform, opened the lockbox, got my site orders and radio, and did my sweeps as dictated. At the end of my shift, I put everything back in the box and went home. When that location no longer needed me, I was sent to a store where I worked eight hours before switching off with my relief. Same deal, except I’d just give them the radio after signing out. Then I got landed with split shifts for a while, where I’d work 4 hours at one location in the morning before signing out and going to a different location for another 4. Every location is different, and some places are prepared to house security- like a mall, which may have a spare unit or a corner in the back room that can be used for breaks and paperwork- or you may just have a corner you can sit to eat lunch. A few places didn’t even have that, so I’d just kinda find some place out of the way to eat a granola bar and write up reports on my phone. There’s a few way a company keeps track to make sure guards are actually attending sites correctly- surprise visits from the district supervisor, regular radio checks (usually once an hour) asking for your site code to make sure you’re awake and breathing, or chips set to certain locations that you have to touch your company phone to so it can ping your location and confirm you were there every hour or two. I personally prefer sites like malls and construction zones that are partly covered and partly outdoors, just cause I like to stretch my legs and don’t mind bad weather. A lot of the time on small locations yiu patrol by yourself too, and it’s kind of relaxing sometimes to be out in the rain on your own, especially on overnight shifts. I’ve only worked for a handful of companies, but this has been my experience so far. Thanks for the question! That’s not one I’ve had before. Good luck with your writing!

[luvuomi]

“On the 𝔀ings of a small, simple 𝓶elody

Words take 𝐟light and 𝐬oar

They carry me

A 𝒘orld we'll see . . . ”

a single verse that faintly echoes throughout an empty auditorium; written on delicate parchment, it’s penmanship elegant yet faded with time. though an enchanted being meant to be revered by the awe-like gaze of many, this enigmatic dove has chosen to soar beyond the cosmos where it remains out of sight. once upon a time, miss amélie had once taken to the spotlight, dazzling the citizens of penacony with her soft charm that many likened to the moonlight’s glow. but the amélie of today has since retired from the stage—the details of which she did not enlighten me with nor did i push for after seeing that wistful look in her eyes—and now continues her journey as but a humble songwriter for others.

“i wish to lend my voice to others.. for those who wish to be seen, heard, and remembered. there was a time in which i once felt forgotten by the world, overlooked as a dimly-lit star amongst a sky of countless others who’s light burns brightly. in order to be saved, i too must burn.. or so i thought. this song was created at a time in which i wanted to be heard, and i was. in that sense, i suppose you could say i sympathize with them.”

this was the response the halovian had given me when asked to explain what she believes her purpose as a songwriter is. when i asked miss amélie about whether or not she would ever consider returning to the life of stardom, the young lady merely smiled as she folded up the parchment in her hand, before deftly tucking it away in her old song-writing book.

“my story has been told. i have nothing else to share that i feel needs to be acknowledged. in any case, i’m quite certain we’ll bare witness to many more fascinating stories in the coming years.” a pause. “… i’ll make sure of it.”

— an excerpt from moonlight’s silent voice: an exclusive interview from penacony’s hidden star, amélie.

🎨 →⠀﹐⠀╱⠀hsr! amélie was brought to life by the amazing @charlikesalmon !! AAAAA THEY DID SUCH AN INCREDIBLE JOB this is my second time working with char and to say i’m satisfied would be such an understatement🥹🤍they truly captured what i had envisioned and made it a reality AND IT CAME OUT SO CUTE AND LOVELY OH MY GOODNESS.. i would recommend anyone interested to please check them out and support!

[sacred-coffin]

This will probably be a long post. but trust me, I think it's worth it. Here is how I feel/interpret ghost canon

Each Papa/era was like a soft reboot. and that's fine! Tobias didn't intend for the band to have a story when he started out, and only later started making one up. It makes sense that when he started crafting a story for this (which he had to do while he was actively performing this story) that he probably didn't have every detail ironed out the way he wanted them to be, and had to make retroactive changes later.

I think it would be really interesting to write speculative canon stories from the perspectives of each papa, where the canon information established in their era is the canon that we stuck with going forward. Maybe someday I'll do that.

So, let's walk down and discuss canon through the eras, based off the information presented during each era.

Primo.

arguably the LEAST consistent "canon" of them all. There wasn't really a "ministry." The band was spreading the word of the devil, and was just one facet of many influences across the globe. They were sinister, Papa was probably a living corpse, he performed possessions on people, hell they kidnapped interviewers. They were the very picture of an evil satanic band. Primo said implied he would invade Poland. he said he'd hit a panda in the face for 1 million lira (which was already an obsolete currency), or roughly 400-500 euros. They were just plain evil.

Secondo.

Things really changed here. It seemed to be heavily implied (or even directly stated) that Papa was just a hired musician. He knew his time as Papa had a deadline, and it wasn't his death. There still really wasn't this idea of a "ministry," but they were less sinister now. In fact, Secondo made comments about how he likes to "be there for the children", and how he enjoys the way they look up to them like priests "without the guilt, violation, and corruption." (thank u radley for grabbing these quotes for me). It became a bit more obvious that they were against the way Christianity has hurt people, and there was this idea of them being their own religion, but it still felt like they were just one small mouth piece out of many. Papa wasn't a leader of any church, just a lead singer carrying the message.

Terzo.

Ok so there was a MAJOR shift in the religious aspect here. This is when we meet Sister Imperator, and we seen the ministry as a physical place. Sister Imperator talks more about how they have a mission of spreading the word of the devil, and even goes so far as to say that Terzo is like, a mouthpiece for the devil. But she also makes it clear that he's not a leader, either. Something else I think is noteworthy is how Sister Imperator at one point says that the ghouls' masks are made in the image of their gods, so like, we're REALLY getting into this religion thing. Which is ironic, because Meliora is about men in the absence of god...

We also find out that Terzo & Secondo are brothers, which brings the idea of a blood line into the mix. It's not stated that they had to choose Terzo next, but it also seems pretty coincidental for your next lead to be the half brother of the previous lead, right? Terzo however drops hints that he has a dad that we will meet someday, and then we meet Nihil after they yoink Terzo.

Cardinal Copia.

Lore REALLY picks up here. There's apparently a bloodline for the papas, the band was originally started in the 70s before it fell off due to some conflict between Nihil and Sister Imperator, but the ministry seems to have been established...for a long time, perhaps? Nihil's father, his father's father, and so on were Papa, apparently. And Cardinal Copia is just some guy, he's not even Papa, he's just another lead singer. Nihil is acting Papa for now. The ministry kills off the past three papas so that they can continue to be of some use to the ministry (instead of playing Uno all day). Also, clearly there's a lot of power behind the ministry, since they literally got away with murder.

And then we find out that Cardi has secretly been Sister Imperator & Nihil's son this whole time! So this bloodline thing still feels significant, but it's also still apparent that Papa... doesn't have any power over the ministry. He's a mouthpiece. Sister Imperator & Mr. Psaltarian (and the nameless other clergy members perhaps?) are the ones who make decisions. There's so much mystery!

All of this to say: the canon has always changed and had retcons. I feel like it will probably have less retcons going forward, and we might be heading towards the "one true canon," or at least the story Tobias really intends to tell. But that doesn't mean the things in the past are lies, they're truths left behind in favor of something new.

Sister Imperator Comics/Perpetua.

Now this doesn't really change TOO much to the previous canon, but there are a few significant differences. for starters, the band was just an idea Sister Imperator had one night with Nihil. There was no "ministry" behind it (and we have yet to see the beginnings of this Ministry, can not WAIT to see this last comic). The band was established to be anti-religious abuse, spreading a message for people to come to them from love not fear, etc. Not really any focus on the devil here, aside from perhaps symbolically (which is very in line with Tobias's own beliefs. Sister Imperator really feels like a self insert, or even mouth piece, for Tobias sometimes lol) We find out more about how Sister Imperator's relationship with Nihil unfolded, and how the ministry actually has a background in... the circus. Nihil was a circus boy. Cardi was raised by his adoptive circus aunt. We still don't know how the twins got split up, but we're starting to have some more solid foundations and questions answered...even if some of the questions seem to have changed. EDIT: almost forgot to add. Primo, Secondo, and Terzo might be Nihil's brothers now? It's only been mentioned twice and I don't think it was a slip up; I expect we might learn more with the next comic & as time goes on.

[jeremywhitley]

Now, let's talk about the rest of the stories from the Aces and Aros anthology that tumblr wouldn't let me put in the same post

Genre: Modern Fantasy

Writer: Lore

Lore (they/she/him) is a freelance writer and literary media enthusiast based in North Carolina. They utilize words to build sanctuaries for those whose voices are silenced, and teach empathy to those who're unknowing. Their philosophy is that all words, no matter how small, are powerful.

Bluesky | Instagram

Artist: India Boeckh

India Boeckh is a LA artist who works in animation, she loves DnD, comics and collaborations with other artists. They enjoy all types of media from traditional painting to making 3D figurines.

Website | Bluesky

Genre: Fairytale

Writer: Jenn K. Tidwell

Jenn K. Tidwell is a producer, writer and director working in animation. When she’s not working on spreadsheets or schedules, you’ll probably find her relaxing at the movies or curled up with a cat and a comic.

Twitter | Bluesky

Artist: Yury Guzman

Yury Guzman is a Guatemalan-American illustrator and comic artist. She loves drawing characters being silly and emotional in fantastical situations while drinking too much coffee. When not drawing, she loves gaming and reading manga. 

Instagram | Bluesky | Portfolio

Genre: Kink

Writer: Te Belak

Te (They/Them) is a comic writer living in Colorado. Coming from a prose background as a dyslexic, they found comics gave them a lot more freedom in their writing. They have had works published in ales from the Cloakroom vol 1, Containment Breach Volume 3, Tales From the Dispatch Vol. 05, Vengeance Comics New Year New Comics 2025 anthology and unSEEN/unHEARD: Disability & Neurodivergence Comic Anthology.

Instagram

Artist: Fiammetta De Innocentis

Fiammetta De Innocentis, aka Fidi, is an art teacher by day, a deranged artist by night and a singer on even days. She specializes in illustration and comics with a focus on LGBTQ+ stories and erotica.

Instagram | Twitter | Bluesky

Genre: Mecha

Writer: Tomi Trembath

Tomi Trembath is a comic writer, podcaster, and art producer with a passion for color changing artwork and stories that explore identity and sexuality. Her first comic, When We Transform, was successfully funded on Kickstarter last year, featuring the same artistic team as her story in Ace and Aros. Tomi is also the host of Transcending Comics as well as Giant Sized Violence: A Toku-Comics Podcast, where she interviews fellow creators about her two biggest interests: trans comic books and transforming superheroes!

Website | Bluesky | Instagram

Artist: Gabriel Fassina

Gabriel Fassina, a freelance manga-style illustrator and comic book artist based in Brazil.

ArtStation | Instagram

Colorist: Carlos Amorim

Carlos (he/him) is a proud trans colorist for more than 6 years, loves interesting stories in any media, is a fan of politics, games and Gundam.

ArtStation | Bluesky

Genre: Romance

Writer: Day Irwin

Day Irwin (they/she) is a queer and neurodivergent writer, narrator, and all-around storyteller based in Toronto. Day's comics have been previously published in Transphoria, The City We Chose, Wayward Kindred, and Shout Out. They enjoy games, comics, and animation.

Linktree

Artist: Emilia Strilchuk

Emilia Strilchuk is a queer Ukrainian comic artist and writer based in Canada, nominated for The Doug Wright Award for Best Small- or Micro-Press Book for her graphic novel debut, Be Yourself! Oh, Not Like That, which offers a deeply personal look at growing up undiagnosed autistic. Her fantasy comic Oriana: The Forgotten Deities reimagines Slavic mythology. She creates autobiographical, fantasy, and horror stories that explore neurodiversity, mental health, and resilience. Through her work, Emilia sparks connection, conversation, and comfort for those who see themselves in her stories.

Website | Instagram | Bluesky | Facebook

Genre: Fantasy

Writer/Artist: Tess Eneli Reid

Tess Eneli Reid is a Canadian cartoonist working in animation. They’ve contributed to award-winning anthologies and love to self publish their own zines.

Instagram | Twitter | Bluesky

Genre: Historical

Writer: J. L. Osaka

J. L. Osaka (she/they) is an asexual writer and somewhere on the aromantic spectrum (they are still learning more about this element of their being), who also happens to be an avid enjoyer of romance novels. She enjoys exploring ways to intersect aro and ace identities with the romance genre, and hopes to someday write and publish a book. Correspondence is their first published work!

Instagram | Bluesky

Artist: Michela Cacciatore (My Little Ponies)

Michela Cacciatore is a comic book author who has collaborated with IDW, Lorcana, Disney and Soleil among others. Author of Hades - I'm the end. Voracious reader and lover of buying too many books without any hope of reading them all.

Linktree

Genre: Spiritual 

Writer: Abigail Guerrero

Abigail Guerrero (she/her) is an aroace, ND, and ESL/EFL author based in Mexico. When she's not reading or writing speculative fiction, she can be found watching anime, playing video games, or petting her cats. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Bloodless, Drabbledark Vol. III, Bitter Become the Fields, Short Fantasy Stories, The Skull & Laurel, Simultaneous Times, and Radon Journal, and it's been nominated for two BSFA awards.

Twitter | Bluesky

Artist: Matt Salisbury (Bi Visibility: Still Bi)

Matt Salisbury is an illustrator from Mississauga who lives in Toronto with his amazing partner and their three chaotic but lovable cats. He has a Bachelors of Illustration degree from Sheridan college. He identifies as being bisexual and demisexual and looks to tell more stories for members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Instagram | Bluesky

Genre: Sci-Fi

Writer/Artist: Rani Sisavath

Rani Sisavath (she/they) is a Lao American author and illustrator making funny, heart-filled YA comics that explore themes of love, grief, culture, and friendship. Creator of the webcomic KAI.

Website | Instagram | Bluesky

Genre: Slice of Life

Writer: Kat Calamia

One of the Editors of Aces & Aros. Find full bio in "Creative Team" Section of the Kickstarter page.

Artist: Paree Pourmand

Paree Pourmand is a Persian illustrator and comic artist who enjoys doing queer art and telling stories inspired by her Persian heritage. In her free time she enjoys playing video games and watching action movies!

Bluesky | Instagram

Be sure to check out the previous post with all of the other stories included! https://www.tumblr.com/jeremywhitley/784711343129477120/aces-and-aros-an-asexual-and-aromantic-comic-book

And go support the anthology on kickstarter now! We're so excited for you to help us bring to life comics for, by, and about asexual and aromantic people!

[delicateperspective]

let’s talk about media literacy

especially when it comes to tabloids. because when you’re following someone like L or H (or both), you start to notice patterns. and understanding how this media ecosystem works can help things feel a little less confusing.

first — not all tabloids work the same way.

some of the big names, like The Sun or TMZ, have full-time staff whose job is to track celebrities and write fast, dramatic stories. they might base these on actual tips, but a lot of the time, it’s just vibes. seriously. observation, fan chatter, speculation. other outlets — especially the ones you see quoted in smaller entertainment news sites — get their info from freelancers, social media, or other tabloids. that means they often republish things, change a few words, and present it like a brand-new story.

then there’s this classic move:

“a source close to the star says…”

this could mean literally anyone. most of the time it’s pr-approved. sometimes it’s a fan account. sometimes it’s just made up. the point is: it sounds official, but it isn’t always rooted in fact. this is a way for the tabloid to run a story without being legally obligated to prove the facts.

tabloids are built around narratives. they want drama. they want arcs. they want love stories, betrayals, redemptions. they want to sell an image — not report the truth.

and yes, publicists work with them. maybe to get their client more attention. maybe to push a certain storyline. maybe to quietly bury another one. and when that’s not happening, tabloids will just... fill in the blanks themselves.

when you see something that feels off, it’s probably because it is. or because it’s being presented with a very specific purpose.

ask yourself:

who benefits from this?

does this article use actual quotes, or just “a source”?

are different outlets posting the exact same thing?

does this line up with what you’ve seen, heard, or known about them for years?

not all journalists are tabloid writers. this seems obvious, but it’s a big one. there’s a difference between a gossip columnist and an investigative journalist. there are people in media who genuinely try to do good work, even inside flawed systems.

journalists are often not the final say. even when someone wants to tell a more nuanced story, they’re bound by editors, publishers, and what sells. sometimes they’re told what angle to take. sometimes they write one thing, and the outlet changes the headline to be more clickbait-y. so what looks like laziness or malice may actually be pressure from above.

access journalism is a thing. if a journalist wants to continue getting interviews or access to events, they have to play nice with publicists. this is how pr shapes narratives without technically writing the story themselves. calling out falsehoods or asking real questions too early can get someone blacklisted. that doesn’t mean the journalist believes the narrative — it means they’re stuck.

many are just doing their job with limited info. a writer covering 50 celebrity stories a week is not doing deep research. they don’t know the history like fans do. so while we might say, “how can they not see it?” — the truth is, they’re not looking that closely. they’re skimming pap photos and press releases and writing whatever fits the brand.

some journalists do see it — and leave breadcrumbs. you’ll notice little turns of phrase, sly nods, or “coincidental” timing. some writers do try to hint when something feels off, but they have to walk a fine line. if they’re too obvious, they risk their job. so sometimes it’s what they don’t say that’s telling.

harassment doesn’t help. when fans flood a journalist’s mentions or call them liars or worse, it reinforces the stereotype that we are delusional or dangerous. even if the article was careless or frustrating, the goal should be to advocate for truth, not attack individuals. pushback can be thoughtful. we can ask for better without burning bridges.

media literacy is a kindness to yourself. a way to protect your heart from being pulled in a dozen directions at once.

[dhruvkumaar]

Different Inspirations Lead to Different Types of Stories

Some days ago, I was discussing films and stories with somebody. The guy worked at a production studio, and we were talking about how films are generally made in India and the globe. Now, just a little fact about myself: I hate the trends that the Indian film industry follows. So obviously, we had differing opinions about how films should be made and stories should be written.

It was a fun conversation, to be honest. I mean, discussing stories is always interesting, y’know. You learn a lot of new things.

And one of the few new things that hit me was that… stories are of a number of types. And no, I don't mean genre. I mean… according to the inspiration that the author takes, there are a set types of stories.

I found out about three such types: research-based, experience-based, and vibes-based. All these forms of stories differ in what lies the foundation of the story, how it was inspired, and as a result, how differently they are structured from the other two.

You might already have an idea about what I’m talking about, but lemme yap for some time.

***

#01. Two Types of Stories

Coming back to the conversation I was taking about—the man who I’d met had handed me a worksheet. In there, he’d noted down how a film’s story is generally ideated. The first step was: research. Interviews, newspaper-articles, blogs, and all that stuff. I don't remember the next steps, but they were kinda along the same lines.

I frowned. This was the first time somebody has told me, with a straight face, that research was how you begin the story. So, I told him how I don't agree with this.

For me, inspiration comes first. And, to write a story about something, it’s important for me to be there, or have some sort of experience about such topics and themes. I won't ever write a political drama—simply because I am no politician. Nor am I involved in any politics at all. Nor will I write police dramas and about any other larger-than-life events.

For me, a writer has to use his own experiences. That’s what makes the story legit—when it comes from the writer’s heart itself. When the writer knows what they’re writing about.

Otherwise, the story—for me, at least—is illegitimate.

I was once writing a story where a character’s friend—trigger warning—kills themselves. As I worked on that novel, I realized that I wasn't doing justice to this story. The themes were just too dark and mature for me to be talking about them, especially since I’ve never really had this experience first-hand that I was writing about. None of my friends had ever taken that step.

I thought I was onto something really deep, but as I worked more on it, I realized how, in reality, I was just messing around. Good that I dumped that story. Even though it’s a story that nobody has ever told and it needed to be told, there are people far better than me who should pen this story down rather than me.

But, I’ve always had this thing in my head that in the future, probably, with enough research, I could make this story work. Probably. But when I saw the sheet that this man handed me, I kinda didn't agree with it.

And, that’s where I believe the difference in our processes lay: we were just writing different types of stories. I want to write experience-based stories, but the man worked on stories that were rather research-based.

Experience-based stories, according to me, are stories that begin with a spark of inspiration from one’s own experience. Something happens in the author’s life, and they wanna write about that event. As simple as that. Most drama, romance, comedy, and slice-of-life stories come out of this. Anything that’s based on reality or metaphors of realistic themes.

Research-based stories, on the other hand, are stories that begin with the author being inspired to write about social issues or events. So, let’s say most action films, historical stories, crime-drama stories, political-drama stories, and all that are more research-based rather than experience-based. They’re different in the sense that they’re more based on the plot—because research can only tell you what happened, not why somebody did it. So, they’re rather plot-driven than character-driven.

I think that’s why most films are research-based, while most novels are experience-based—films are, in general, a rather plot-driven medium, while in prose, stories need to be more character-driven. This is the case because you watch the films from the perspective of a camera, while you experience prose from the eyes of the narrator, which, more often than not, is a character of the story.

So, the form of both research-based stories and character-based stories is fundamentally different, and that difference arises in the way the outlining is done. However, it’s important to note that they’re not two sides of the same coin, but rather, two edges of a spectrum.

Yup, a story can be in between both of them. After all, you can always add your own experience to a story that began with research, and you can always research for some current event to add to your own experience-based story. It’s important to understand that the lines between these two types of stories are really blurry, and probably, from outside, you’d have a hard time putting a story in one of these boxes.

Take Adolescence, for example. Or something like The Book Thief. Heck, even The Tale of Two Cities. That reminds me I had to read that novel.

***

#02. A Third Type

While I was brainstorming for this blog, I asked myself this question—where do I put fantasy? Or, let’s say, anime? These stories have a distinct vibe to them that’s different from both of the two types of stories that we discussed above.

Take any fantasy anime or light-novel, for example. Let’s take Tokyo Ghoul, my favorite manga. Or Mother of Learning, my first ever web-novel. Are they experience-based? Or research-based?

The answer is: they don't even fit in this dynamic. So, to complete my theory, as the great philosopher that I am, I had to come up with another type: vibe-based stories.

So, what are vibe-based stories? These are stories that are more commercial, and therefore, are more inspired to imitate the general vibe of an already-successful form of storytelling. Solo Levelling is a good example. And, most of Bollywood today is simply vibe-based rather than experience-based or research-based.

Now, I don't mean that vibe-based stories are not written by passionate writers, but that they’re not realistic as an actual experience-based story would be. Three Days of Happiness is a good example—a Japanese light-novel that’s made to fit the general vibe of light-novels, yet so different and inspirational. The author was definitely inspired not by just the genre that he was writing for, and took from his own experiences to add onto it to create something like this.

Hunter x Hunter, One Piece, Naruto—most anime are made to fit these general vibes of a shonen anime, yet they’re so deeply written. That’s what I’d call good vibe-based stories.

***

Conclusion

So, inspiration is a tricky thing. It can come from anywhere. And the way that you use those inspirations and let them bleed into your story, you can definitely form different types of stories. So don't think much about all of this stuff—just write. That’s it. And love what you write.

Until next time!

[ejzah]

A/N: I was thinking about potential conversations Deeks and Sam could have had early on in the series.

***

Assumptions

Deeks has never missed Kensi more than he does right now. It’s not often that they’re split up, and even less likely for him to be paired up with Sam, yet that was what happened today. While Kensi attended a training and Callen handled interviewing some witnesses, Hetty had sent Deeks and Sam on surveillance duty.

They’d been in the Challenger for an hour and twenty-one minute, during which Sam had said approximately ten words. Clearly, something was bugging him, and Deeks’ presence hadn’t improved his mood. So, they sat outside their suspect’s apartment, waiting in near silence.

Deeks straightened up as the front door opened suddenly and the guy they’d been watching emerged. Sam shifted to get a better look, making a disapproving sound.

“What a waste. He could be making something of himself and instead he’s throwing it away on petty crimes,” he observed.

“I mean, I get what’s it like,” Deeks said, pausing to take a picture of the man walking to his car. Man didn’t seem appropriate since the guy was barely nineteen. “Sometimes it’s hard to find your way out of a rough childhood. When you’re surrounded by people who aren’t afraid to steal, hurt, and cheat their way through life, it takes a lot to not follow in their footsteps.”

“What would you know about that?” Sam scoffed, dismissive and scathing all at once.

“Excuse me?”

“Deeks, I know where you went to school. Just because you spent a couple years going undercover in the rough part of town and you’re “method” does not mean you know what it’s like.”

Deeks didn’t say anything, momentarily stunned by Sam’s comment. In the last couple of months, he’d thought they turned a corner. Sam didn’t seem to hate the sight of him quite as much and occasionally seemed to actually consider him an equal teammate. Then there were times like this.

“You know what they say about people who assume,” he came up with, which wasn’t his best, but hey, he hadn’t planned on having this particular conversation today.

“I think I know your type pretty well. You grew up thinking you were something pretty special because you weren’t like everybody else. The class rebel. That might have worked at LAPD, but it won’t work here.”

Deeks huffed a laugh, licking his bottom lip.

“Oh man, you are so far off the mark.” He turned and gave Sam his most smart-ass smile, knowing it would piss him off. “I got into on a merit-based scholarship. If my GPA dipped below a 3.5, I would have lost my scholarship permanently. In undergrad, I worked two part-time jobs to pay for my dorm room and then a stunningly crappy apartment. Law school was worse.”

Sam’s expression shifted from perpetually annoyed to vaguely concerned. “You were a scholarship kid?”

“Yep. Probably wouldn’t have gone to college otherwise.” Deeks paused a beat, letting that sink in. He kept up the peppy attitude, even though he felt a little nauseous at sharing so much of his truth without embellishments. As far as he knew, Kensi, Hetty, and Nell were the only other ones on the team who knew significant parts of his past. “And hey, that’s not even getting into my dad being in jail.”

Deeks purposely looked out of the window, not wanting to see Sam’s pity or judgment. Whichever one the revelation brought.

“I didn’t know that about your dad,” Sam said eventually. He sounded subdued, so he’d gone the pity route. “What’s he in for?”

“Use your imagination. I’m sure you can come up with a likely scenario,” Deeks told him, and he flashed another quick smile. Sam didn’t need to know all the dirty details. Sam didn’t need to know Gordon Brandel was the kind of guy he might want to punch a few times. Sam hadn’t earned that knowledge yet; maybe he never would.

“I guess there’s a reason you never mention him,” Sam commented weakly, and Deeks almost chuckled at his discomfort.

“Yeah. The point is, I have more in common with this kid than you might think.” He leaned forward, snapping another picture. “And he’s on the move.”

That effectively ended the conversation, which Deeks was completely fine with. He didn’t need Sam to dig deeper, and hopefully, his general irritation with Deeks would keep him from following up later.

***

A/N: This little story occurred to me when I was thinking about how much of Deeks’ history Sam knew pre “Descent/Ascension”. Since we never have any scenes with Deeks sharing this information with Sam or him finding out in other ways, it’s always fun for me to explore.

[theharbingerofxhaos]

A way we just explained Moon Knight, is it's a story based around a system. The God doesn't make him a system, he doesn't get superhero powers because he's a system. They go through a story arc of explaining a headmates formation after a traumatic event (Moon Knights brother dying) and how their life goes on, it portrays the amnesia and fighting for control, and then learning to work together in a balance. They even dress and walk differently to each other and have their hair in different manners, all of the micro behaviours we know many systems do intentionally and unintentionally to show a difference, and feel a difference. It also has a mildly cute minor story arc over them fighting over their wifes affection, which considering we all fight for our fiances attention, felt quite relatable. It's not the best or the only DID rep, but the only thing you can really fault it on is its fantasty/science fiction, so not a "real world" situation.

He actually discusses how he's talked to the DID community, and although it's not a perfect portrayal due to it being fiction. We'll link the interview where he discusses it but as @guardianssystem from memory we've heard it discussed elsewhere about his research, and him talking to systems about his portrayal pre and post.

It's really short only 6 episodes iirc, definitely worth a watch.

-Erebos

I think I would rather have no rep than bad rep, I’ve gotta be real with you. The damage Split did in my life is not fucking worth the fact that people know the words “dissociative identity disorder.”

If it’s not actually representative of what it says it is, then it’s not something we need. Don’t we have the right to ask — to demand — better?

[meanderingstream]

Eliot at peace with being Damned

One of the things that makes Eliot hard to write for in-character (but also such an interesting character to explore) is that he believes he is damned to Hell and he is at peace with that. He has a lot of guilt, oceans of guilt, but it's not so much the tortured, anguished catholic guilt à la Nate or like, Daredevil. 

He has done monstrous, unforgivable things. But, on his own, he came to a realization of what he had done, and pulled away from that world. On his own, he left the worst person he ever worked for, and stopped using guns, and stopped killing. On his own, he switched from wetwork to retrievals. This all occurs before we ever meet him, so while there are many hints and inferences, the specifics of how that happened, how he came to those decisions, are left up to the audience’s imagination. 

Eliot wants to make the world a better place, and he works everyday with the team to help people, and he genuinely enjoys helping people and the work he does on the job. But he does not believe that he can be redeemed. (Not my own personal belief about him, but it is what he thinks). When he dies, he will go to Hell for his sins, and there is nothing that can possibly be done to change that. He doesn't need to angst over it, because it’s just a fact. It is what it is. There is no point agonizing over whether his soul can be saved, because he knows it cannot. This is both a keystone of his character, and also something he doesn't spend a lot of time thinking about day-to-day, because it’s a settled matter. 

And as much as we love Eliot the character, he has a point that lives are not tradable for equivalent exchange. If he killed a specific family 25 years ago, that was snuffing out the light and potential and future of those particular parents and children. The surviving extended family lost those particular relatives. Saving a family now does not balance that ledger, because each person is a unique life and not interchangeable for another. While I may have different beliefs about Hell and redemption than Eliot, I still want to acknowledge that he has a point. That changing now doesn't necessarily help the people he hurt in the past, and unlike Harry, he can’t work down a list of making amends, because almost all of his victims are dead. There is no atonement to the dead. 

Eliot’s redemption is in seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and helping others get to it. Particularly the team, and particularly the pair he’s going to protect until his dying day. He will stay down there in the dark forever (he believes), but getting the others out is his redemption. 

I do not believe that Eliot will actually go to Hell when he dies, but his belief that he is damned is fundamental to who he is as a character, and he is going to believe that for the rest of his life. It can be really challenging to balance that when writing his POV, particularly when delving into events that dredge this stuff up for him (which we writers love to do because it’s so delicious). Eliot doesn’t exactly have a low self-esteem. He knows he has many skills and is exceptional at them (cooking, fighting, grifting, guitar, sports, etc). He pretty much knows his teammates love him, and care about him, and want him to stay alive for them, and spend the rest of his life with them. He has professional pride, and he will argue when he wants something. He is certainly not a doormat. However, he also believes he is fundamentally and irrevocably a bad person. Balancing between him not being too self-deprecating in normal situations / about his usefulness to the team, with his inherent belief in his own moral depravity can be a thin blade to walk without falling to one side or another. But it is also one of the biggest aspects of his psyche that makes him such a fascinating and complex character to explore.

[kinokoshoujoart]

CORRECT TAGS‼️‼️‼️‼️ @rn0na-lizard you are so so so correct….. my favorite ‘Normal Girl’ in hmds…….i almost never see anyone talk about these aspects of her let alone also love her for them as they should.

i feel like Leona/ DS lumina gets mischaracterized super often which is understandable bc out of all the DS candidates leona is the least like her ancestor (who i also love, for different reasons).

in AWL lumina was the only kid in the valley for a very long time, but many of the DS residents have lived in the valley their whole lives. while lumina had accepted her role as a proper young heiress by chapter 3 of AWL— and when DS begins Leona already at this point of her life— lumina still had a lingering sense of uncertainty and angst and loneliness and doubt, and unresolved worries about her parents. absolutely none of this is present with leona

in this world leona starts with Lumina’s 22 year old appearance, she’s just rich as hell and living her best life (as she deserves), she’s unabashedly shallow, puts herself first always, speaks so politely and affably yet she can be so casually cruel in the most genuine cute way and out of touch with reality and and i fucking love her and i’d die for her. my beloved girlboss girlkeep girlypop

more iconic Leona Moments

when muu/muffy asks for beauty advice leona’s recommendation is “this brand of mail order beauty cream is simply divine! and it was quite inexpensive too, just 100,000 G 🥰” everyone else looks uncomfortable and muu is like “you’re as frivolous as always….”

aside from the 3 who take literally half your money (Witch💖, moi, and thomas) leona and panama (romana) take the most money from you if they carry you home when you faint. just a couple of girl bosses holding on to their girlpire (btw shout out to sebastian, the only resident in the entire valley who carries you home for free)

neither panama nor leona attend the harvest festival, they send sebastian there by himself to test the food first lmao (if you poison it like the witch they’re harboring on their property requires you to do, sebastian is just like “i can’t serve this to Mistress Panama…”)

once again sebastian attacks mukumuku for her sake, this time not to make her a paintbrush but she told him to get her the best slippers and this was apparently the easiest way. sebastian gets fucking mauled btw

leona has hands down the best romance route in hmds. all her scenes are incredible but god the slow burn friends to lovers with your DVD player….

in her purple heart event she shows up at your house because she heard you have a DVD player, asks you to show her how it works, and then just leaves after she’s done playing with it

in her yellow heart event she has sebastian fetch van so she can buy a DVD player for herself but van’s like “i’m so sorry …. Pete… bought the last one….”

leona is so unable to stomach the idea of other people having things she doesn’t that she starts to cry and the only way to placate her is to tell her she can go to your house anytime she wants just so she can use your DVD player. that’s not a setup to a budding romance that’s her final heart event

it’s the most incredible romance arc in the world like girl you have infinite money you can just. buy a DVD player somewhere else?? “i want to watch DVDs at my house just like you!” leona you have three entire bedrooms

“rich girl love interest who has everything except love, win her heart by having genuine conversation with her”: done to death, tired, i don’t have time for that

“rich girl love interest who has everything except a fucking DVD player, win her heart by giving her expensive stuff and ‘relax tea’ and access to your DVD player”: audacious, intriguing, never been done before, innovative

if you deny her god-given right to access your DVD player she is like “Is that so……………Just let me be alone for a little bit.” incredible tragedy i understand. take as much time as you need to grieve darling

oh but her first heart event asks you to pick a side in an argument she’s having with panama and the correct answer is to say “sebastian is the one who’s wrong” (sebastian has said nothing wrong this whole time and yet both of them have just been yelling at him to shut up)

and her blue heart event is “help me find this heirloom necklace… boohoo…” and when you find it she’s like “perfect! now grandma won’t get mad at me. hmm, you seem pretty dependable…♡” augh she’s way too good at this…….!!! i’ll do anything for you!

when you propose she says “of course, i always dreamed of having a romance and a wedding♡” and says nothing abt how she feels about you <3

also if you marry her, once a week she goes to hang out at her ex love interest’s place for 6 hours straight and comes home saying “whew… i had so much fun that i must have lost track of time… i’ll hurry on home”

if you marry another girl she starts flirting with you like “I’m so envious of your wife, having such a fine husband… Pete.” (or whatever your name is)

i’ve become obsessed with her and romeo’s horrible trainwreck soap opera marriage since replaying cute in jp… it’s SO… i have so much to say about them that it should be its own post but i’ll just give the cliffnotes

shotgun wedding vibes. romeo is surprised by his own wedding. they’re childhood friends but he himself has never considered marrying her. her words to him at their wedding are “Make me happy♡” (command)

she understandably can’t stand his terrible table manners or his clothes or anything about him (except that she wants to watch him surf and have his child. but he instead walks in circles all day. coward) and he’s both really good at accidentally stepping on landmines and just ever so slightly majorly terrified of her after marriage (“but surely her angry outbursts are just her way of showing love hahahahaha” you’re going to die. she’s going to kill you). the only positive things they say about their marriage are extremely shallow. they can’t communicate with each other because romeo always says the Dumbest Shit obliviously and leona always responds by cutting him out of her life forever!!!!!! (for 5 seconds) while he has no idea what happened

they are both so melodramatic and they both just do nothing except make each other worse and run away from each other and push each other away but they can’t escape each other. neither of them ever has to grow or change if they marry each other because an elderly overworked man is sustaining both of their existences and neither of them can take care of themselves and i love them your honor

also romeo’s first crush as a kid was apparently her mom, and if leona falls for YOU she flirts by mentioning that sebastian says you look like the spitting image of her dead father. dear fucking god

they’re the epitome of “You're both just enabling each other's mental illnesses. You're both perfect for each other. Never change. Just never involve anybody else in what you've got going on.”

romeo really does feel like her stupid lackey. like the karen to her regina. they even had this dynamic in the games they played as kids… she was the Harvest Goddess and he was Servant A/Minion A (they might still be playing this game as adults…he calls her lady/mistress sometimes after marriage…)

btw leona’s best friend (wife) marivia is also just as… there’s an event where they just gossip about all the mineral town ppl and marivia says ann would win a gluttony contest and they both giggle

there’s also an event where marivia casually walks into Witch’s hut and just interviews her so she can write her into a novel. witch is left completely drained by this exchange. leona and marivia both are so chill about the horrible cruel villainess living in leona’s shed who wants the town poisoned and rewards you for killing animals and hurting yourself and is putting curses on everyone (and they’re right. she’s never done anything wrong in her life)

[sallymew4]

ok edgelord

no games au or something

[littleoddwriter]

So many people -- especially cis men -- not understanding why Elisabeth takes the Substance in the first place, and then continues to take it, despite Sue destroying her/them, is really frustrating for me to see.

Listen. If you make a video essay or write an analysis or whatever, but you don't understand possibly the most important theme of the entire movie, then maybe... do more research first and don't just continue to say everything about said theme is "stupid" because you fail to understand it. That is stupid.

Elisabeth is plagued by intense self-hatred that's been fuelled and made worse by outside forces; i.e. comments made about her age, body, importance, and worth -- and how all of that depends on her being young and sexy; but also just the general misogyny in our society and the industry she works in. People, who have been assigned female at birth, are confronted with that kind of misogyny from day one, essentially.

And Elisabeth is so desparate in the movie, so full of raging hatred toward her own ageing body that she'd do absolutely anything to "go back" and continue to live the life she's known best and felt "most comfortable (worthy)" with. Thus, the Substance is the very real chance she gets to do that with. It works well at first, until "Sue" becomes too greedy, for the lack of a better word.

Here's the thing where most people get confused, despite how much the movie emphasises it.

Elisabeth and Sue are one. They are still the same person, simply split into two bodies, but with one singular consciousness, which basically goes from one body to the other week after week. They both experience the same things every week, but are so dissociated from the "other self" that to some people it may seem like they aren't actually the same person, because Sue often doesn't seem to remember exactly what Elisabeth did during her week, and vice versa.

To me, that's not as confusing because I deal with dissociation myself, and my understanding of it here would be that Elisabeth's self-hatred forces this kind of dissociation between her true self and Sue, who is the perfect version of herself. She's so focused on Sue being perfect and better than her "true self" that they've become different people in her mind.

In her own mind, she can't associate Sue with herself, with Elisabeth, because she -- as Elisabeth -- is nothing like Sue (anymore) and could never be her. Elisabeth, now, only exists to further Sue. To keep Sue alive and successful and living her dream, Elisabeth needs to exist. But that's all the purpose she really has now. Of course, yes, she tried to actually live a normal life as Elisabeth in the beginning, but she was unhappy and couldn't do it because this self-hatred had gotten the best of her. All the time, she could only anticipate to be Sue again and continue to live her "true life".

This kind of self-hatred is incredibly vicious. Every chance Elisabeth had to go back to being just her, she couldn't take it. Even when she ended up terminating Sue, she regretted it and tried to reverse it, which ended in her death.

Self-hatred is not logical, and it can and does alter somebody's perception of themselves and the world around them so much that it can and does result in that person's death, be that figurative or literal. Unless, of course, that person gets the help they need. But for that, they'd have to actually admit that something is "wrong", and also be ready to change things.

I think it says a lot about how necessary a movie like this is when so many people misunderstand it, despite being so obvious with everything it's trying to say. A lot of people have complained about The Substance not being a subtle movie, yet at the same time, those people are most often the ones, who question Elisabeth's motivations and don't understand the most important theme of the movie -- self-hatred.

[frameconfessions]

Why am I supposed to get Minerva and Velimir back together. They're terrible to each other. They have nothing that keeps them together except warcrimes, alcohol and their daughter. They should see other people. No, each one of them should see AN ACTUAL THERAPIST. I can't with their bs.

.

[offthewall1979]

DEAR GOD

[batsplat]

casey is obvs funny with this rivalry stuff because on the one hand he's very 'well I don't care who I beat' (lie) and 'I don't motivate myself using my rivals' (also a lie) and then he's also repeatedly emphasising that valentino was ONE of his biggest rivals and he only competed against him a few years... like a lil side quest in the story of his career. Those Few Years where valentino was his big rival. whereas dani and jorge were his cohort so he did compete with them for a greater span of time... and this is technically true and does MATTER but it is also extremely noticeable in his output which rivalry he has the most thoughts about. and yes casey would say that this is because everyone ELSE cares the most about That One Rivalry the most and also his opponent being an annoying dickhead means it's the one he has the most complaints about... but at a certain point, it doesn't really matter, because there's still one rivalry you're talking about way more than any other. you can tell that he's at least given jorge's interiority a bit of thought, kinda went 'well he was arrogant but also Learnt From The Error Of His Ways and was maybe misunderstood so' -- but also he's not going beyond that, he's not examining jorge's soul, and he's not even doing any of that with dani. it's very much a rhetorical commitment to those other two rivalries. ultimately the point is that he's doing what he can to not talk up his biggest rivalry TOO much, because, you see. he Did Not Care That Much. (lie.) now objectively speaking this kind of framing literally does not matter, who cares which one of these was the most meaningful rivalry, but it's interesting that it matters to him!! casey's problem is that he is extremely sensitive and cares deeply about what other people say about him, but one of the things he's most sensitive about is the idea that he could let himself be mentally affected by ANYTHING, worst of all his rivals. they cannot be granted that much power over him. and all of this has kinda funny consequences in that he has pretty rigid patterns in how he talks about this stuff that are at times quite convoluted because he has to simultaneously emphasise that a) none of his rivals massively mattered to him, b) That Rival didn't matter more than the others, c) what That Rival did to him was completely beyond the pale, and d) none of that affected him mentally whatsoever. at most one of these is true. there are so many things casey wants so badly not to care about but it keeps spilling out of him anyway, this oozing sludge of resentment and repressed hopes and desires and frustration and longing and bitterness. he keeps giving himself away... he cares so much and he can't stand it

[yeonban]

I was listening to an interview of Gagne's about her sociopathic condition and some of these parts really resonated with Tobias. Like her mentioning she's masking "right now" (during the interview) otherwise she'd be smiling and blinking far less, the story about how as a child she felt a pressure building up in her and when another kid who was sitting next to her annoyed her at the wrong moment she stabbed them and the stabbing made her feel startlingly euphoric, the way she was discussing empathy as something learned from society and intended to gain something from (a dopamine release/good feeling) because she doesn't understand any actions that are done by neurotypicals for no reason, her experience having to mimic her neurotypical sister to fit into society, the relief she felt when she met her husband who didn't shy away from her despite her unburdening herself to him about all of her (the bad, scary & unnerving qualities/actions/etc included)... there are a bunch of differences between her & Tobias' experiences too, obviously, but at least THESE parts were very on the nose. Especially one declaration that stood out to me: "Doing something morally unacceptable was a way to force a pop of color [in my life]" which is exactly why Tobias does anything he does. That pop of color. That derived amusement. The odd joy that follows which is the only thing he can really feel out of the positive cluster of emotions.