#all indicators of a well adjusted individual

[inbarfink]

When talking about the distinction between Simon Petrikov and the Ice King,  it’s important to remember that originally, the Crown wasn’t trying to turn Simon into Ice King -

It was trying to turn him into this guy.

At the time, the Ice Crown - or rather the Wishing Crown - was programmed with Gunther’s wish to become Evergreen. So everything related to making the current wearer like Evergreen is a very direct result of the Crown’s Magic. The physical changes -

And the obsession with the name ‘Gunther’ -

And maybe some of the irritability and anger issues -

That is something the Crown is very directly forcing unto its current wielder. 

But everything else?

Ice King, personality-wise, was not much like Evergreen at all, or even like Gunther's view of him. And Ice Finn of the Farmworld Universe was also pretty different from the both of them.

At the time, I remember people assumed Ice Finn’s behavior is more indicative of what the Crown is actually trying to do with its wielders. That Ice King is so different because of Simon’s subconscious resistance against the Crown - while Finn’s much younger and dumber brain is a lot susceptible to the Curse’s influence to become some sort of mad world-conquering emperor of ice and snow. 

But, with the context of the Crown’s actual backstory. That doesn’t seem very likely anymore. I think what’s actually happening there is that the Crown is just trying to make its wielder an Ice Wizard on par with Evergreen (who was the Actual Goddam Ice Elemental) and that means pumping the wielder’s brain so full of Magic, Madness and Sadness to a level that is bound to overwhelm anyone.

And Simon’s and Farmworld Finn’s very different behaviors after putting on the crown is indicative, more than anything, of how their psyche reacts to Madness and Sadness in general. You know, Finn has a very proactive and kinda aggressive personality - and you add Crown-induced-Madness-and-Sadness and a compulsion to use Ice Magic as much as possible and you get all of…. this 

Meanwhile, for Simon, the compulsions of the Crown originally filtered exclusively via the language of protection 

As his madness always manifested as romantic obsession 

And using goofy humor to try and deny the pain he’s going through 

Because that’s how Simon’s mind specifically reacts to being flooded with so much Madness and Sadness.

That’s why there’s so many parallels between Ice King and the sort of mistakes and screwed-up stuff Simon does right now! He’s even kidnapping people again!

Because the Madness and Sadness of Ice King might’ve been induced by the Crown, but now Simon has plenty of personal home-grown Madness and Sadness inside him - and it’s no surprise that Curse-Induced or not, his mind reacts to it in a sorta-similar way. (Although obviously not as intensely, again, there was a LOT of MMS in the Ice Crown).

Now as for Ice Thing, and the fact that he seems to be actually rather well-adjusted under effects of his version of the Wishing Crown. I mean... not by the time of the 1000+ Era, but that’s literally eons in the future and also maybe more Gibbon’s fault. Even if the Crown will eventually take some sort of toll on him, for now he seems to be doing pretty well considering his wish. I mean, there's still some sort of Loss of Identity stuff going on

But everything we've seen of Ice Thing (in the present day, at least) shows him as a friendly and cheerful individual that gets along well with others. A far cry from how maladjusted every single wielder of the Ice Crown acted.

At the very least, if there's any notable amount of Sadness in him, we really haven't seen it yet.

There might be several factors here:

First things first, I should acknowledge the possibility that it’s just that Orgalorg’s eldritch brain is better at intaking all that MMS juice. That could play a part, but I think it’s probably more important, at least thematically, to look at the distinction between ‘I wish to be Evergreen’ and ‘I wish to be Ice King’. 

First in the sense that while Ice King was occasionally mean to Gunter at times - he was generally much kinder than Evergreen ever was for ‘his’ Gunther. So, like, pretty much the one Personality Flaw of Ice King that you can directly link to the Ice Crown’s attempt to mimic Evergreen is the occasional anger issues.

And how they relate to Gunther’s view of Evergreen, so grumpy and controlling and constantly saying ‘NO!’

(Both Finn and Simon’s demonstrable not-crown-induced trauma responses can make them pretty short-tempered as well. So I’m not going to say this is purely the effects of the Crown. It still probably plays some sort of factor at why the wielder of the Ice Crown is Like That).

And that is not a factor in how Gunter views Ice King. For him, Ice King was a doting and loving father figure - so if the Crown was ever trying to implement any sort of specific negative personality traits, this is absolutely no longer a factor. Because the original Ice Crown was a reflection of Evergreen’s abuse, and now Ice Thing is a reflection of Ice King’s fatherly love.

Which is, itself, probably an echo or remnant of Simon’s own strong parental instincts. 

Secondly, while the Crown was trying to make the Ice King just as powerful as Evergreen…. Ice King was obviously not as powerful as Evergreen. Because he was already a second-rate copy of the Ice Elemental’s power, and because Ice King was often just too doofy to use his powers correctly and probably because some remnant of Simon’s original sensible self is subconsciously holding his powers back.

Either way, being ‘like Ice King’ as Gunter sees him requires less Magic than being ‘like Evergreen’ as Gunther saw him - and therefore less Madness and Sadness. Leading to the wearer or, um, the eater being a lot more well-adjusted from the get-go.

And I think that the implication that Ice Thing has fused with the Crown, so there's never going to be another poor sap who puts on the Crown and gets Ice King'd. But if there is one somehow... at least the process is going to be less mentally detrimental that time around?

Maybe one day Simon could look back and appreciate how much he (or Ice King, or both of them, or however you want to look at the situation) is responsible for basically neutralizing the Crown that ruined his life in the first place.

[ldknightshade]

morality: a character creation guide

creating and understanding your oc’s personal moral code! no, i cannot tell you whether they’re gonna come out good or bad or grey; that part is up to you.

anyway, let’s rock.

i. politics

politics are a good way to indicate things your character values, especially when it comes to large-scale concepts such as government, community, and humanity as a whole.

say what you will about either image; i’d argue for the unintiated, the right image is a good introduction to some lesser discussed ideologies… some of which your oc may or may not fall under.

either way, taking a good look at your character’s values on the economic + social side of things is a good place to start, as politics are something that, well… we all have ‘em, you can’t avoid ‘em.

clearly, this will have to be adjusted for settings that utilize other schools of thought (such as fantasy + historical fiction and the divine right of kings), but again, economic/social scale plotting will be a good start for most.

ii. religion + philosophy

is your oc religious? do they believe in a form of higher power? do they follow some sort of philosophy?

are they devout? yes, this applies to non-religious theist and atheist characters as well; in the former’s case… is their belief in a higher power something that guides many of their actions or is their belief in a higher power something that only informs a few of their actions? for the atheists; do they militant anti-theists who believe atheism is the only way and that religion is harmful? or do they not care about religion, so long as it’s thrust upon them?

for the religious: what is your oc’s relationship with the higher power in question? are they very progressive by their religion’s standards or more orthodox? how well informed of their own religion are they?

does your oc follow a particular school of philosophical thought? how does that interact with their religious identification?

iii. values

by taking their political stance and their religious + philosophical stance, you have a fairly good grasp on the things your character values.

is there anything they value - due to backstory, or what they do, or what they love - that isn’t explained by political stance and religious and/or philosophical identification? some big players here will likely be your oc’s culture and past.

of everything you’ve determined they value, what do they value the most?

iv. “the line”

everyone draws it somewhere. we all have a line we won’t cross, no matter the lengths we go for what we believe is a noble cause. where does your character draw it? how far will they go for something they truly believe is a noble cause? as discussed in part iii of my tips for morally grey characters,

would they lie? cheat? steal? manipulate? maim? what about commit acts of vandalism? arson? would they kill?

but even when we have a line, sometimes we make exceptions for a variety of reasons. additionally, there are limits to some of the lengths we’d go to.

find your character’s line, their limits and their exceptions.

v. objectivism/relativism

objectivism, as defined by the merriam-webster dictionary, is “an ethical theory that moral good is objectively real or that moral precepts are objectively valid.”

relativism, as defined by the merriam-webster dictionary, is “a view that ethical truths depend on the individuals and groups holding them.”

what take on morality, as a concept, does your character have? is morality objective? is morality subjective?

we could really delve deep into this one, but this post is long enough that i don’t think we need to get into philosophical rambling… so this is a good starting point.

either way, exploring morality as a concept and how your character views it will allow for better application of their personal moral code.

vi. application

so, now you know what they believe and have a deep understanding of your character’s moral code, all that’s left is to apply it and understand how it informs their actions while taking their personality into account.

and interesting thing to note is that we are all hypocrites; you don’t have to do this, but it might be fun to play around with the concept of their moral code and add a little bit of hypocrisy to their actions as a treat.

either way, how do your character’s various beliefs interact? how does it make them interact with the world? with others? with their friends, family, and community? with their government? with their employment? with their studies? with the earth and environment itself?

in conclusion:

there’s a lot of things that inform one’s moral compass and i will never be able to touch on them all; however, this should hopefully serve as at least a basic guide.

[yelenaslyubov]

You’re Mine

main masterlist || yelena belova || requests

requested anonymously

a/n: here i am finally with another story!! i’m sorry it took so long, i’ve been going through it a bit and trying to find motivation again. this definitely isn’t my best work, but nonetheless, i hope you enjoy :)

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ pairing: yelena belova x fem!reader

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ warnings: MINORS DNI (18+) smut, language, daddy kink, alcohol, reader receiving, jealousy

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ description: it is New Year’s Eve, and of course the one and only Tony Stark does not miss a chance to impress with a party. you attend this party under the impression it would be just like every other event, but you are soon proved wrong after you make a mistake to talk to Kate Bishop. your girlfriend sees your encounter from afar and chooses to deal with your wrongdoing in her own way… but do you learn your lesson?

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ word count: 2k

You watched the numbers increase on the small screen above you. The elevator whirled up an extensive amount of floors and you could hear music and voices getting louder as you reached the top. To top it off, you had to listen to lousy jazz music all the way up.

The elevator jolted to a stop and the noise right outside of the doors indicated the size of the group waiting on the other side.

You inhaled deeply and adjusted your clothing nervously. This was the last party of the season and you were all but happy. Parties and holidays brought out the worst in Yelena and you were ready for them to be over. Parties in particular were a sore spot and she had been acting childish as of lately.

She was easily irritated, didn’t engage in conversation much, wanting to leave early, and most importantly—her jealousy was through the roof.

Recently there were new recruits who have been hanging around more and getting to know everyone. Yelena isn’t the friendly type, especially when it comes to other people talking to you. Of course, you were simply trying to be nice while Yelena thought of it as a threat.

You assumed tonight would be no different.

As the elevator doors eased open the sounds were almost deafening. You couldn’t tell if everyone’s voices or the music was louder, either way you had a difficult time adjusting from the tiresome elevator tunes.

You should’ve known that New Year’s Eve would be a hit at the Avengers Tower, but somehow you thought everyone would be down in Time Square observing the annual ball drop. It was only an hour until midnight so there was still time.

“Hey… y/n!”

You see a hand waving through the crowd but can’t quite make out who it is.

From in between two individuals, Peter emerges panting. “Hey! I was trying to get your attention, but it’s kinda hard with all these people.”

You can’t help but laugh. “Hey, Pete. How long have you been up here?”

“Well if you’re talking about how long I’ve been up here at the party, it’s been about 2 hours…if you’re talking about how long I’ve been up here in general…all day.”

“Peter, why on earth have you been up here all day?”

He scratches the back of his neck. “You see, Sam said—”

“That’s all I need to know,” you stopped Peter. “Anyway, have you seen Yelena around here at all?”

“Last time I saw her she was over by the bar.”

You tried to see over the mass of people crammed into the room, but it was no luck.

“Damn, there’s too many people to tell. Thanks anyways, Pete.”

You slithered past sweaty bodies to make your way over to the bar in hopes of finding Yelena there. Even after all that work, Yelena was nowhere near the bar, but there was another friendly face waiting there.

“Hey, Kate,” you greeted her.

Kate smiled back with warm cheeks. “What’s up!”

“Not much,” you responded while sitting down on the stool next to her, “just enjoying another party.”

“You sound entirely enthusiastic about it, I can see,” Kate says.

“Oh yeah, I just live for these parties. I’m definitely not tired of them after the last 5 we’ve had.”

“I’m going to agree with you on that.”

You asked the bartender for a drink to pass the time as you sat with Kate.

“How have you been liking the tower?” you asked Kate as you sipped your drink.

“It’s definitely a change of pace. Working independently out on the field versus being here with the Avengers… it’s wicked cool!” Her excitement makes you smile, remembering the time when you first were recruited.

“Don’t get too excited, sometimes you miss working alone,” you chuckle.

There was an awkward silence after your last comment, which made you think that Kate might take it the wrong way. “Don’t get me wrong, I love working in teams, but sometimes independent work helps clear your mind.”

“Makes sense… does that have anything to do with Yelena?”

You jolt your head up. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, for one, Yelena is usually the only one you go out on missions with, and two, she’s staring at you like you killed Fanny.”

Your heart leaps into your throat as you turn to face the horror Kate warned you about. Kate wasn’t exaggerating. Yelena looked as if you had just committed the crime of the century.

“Is everything alright between the two of you?” Kate asked, apprehensively.

Your eyes never left Yelena while talking to Kate. “I’m not too sure now…I’m going to have to catch up with you later.”

You left Kate at the bar as you made your way over to Yelena’s watching eyes. The closer you got to her, the more your nerves overcame you. You weren’t sure what her problem was or what you did, and you didn’t want to suffer through the consequences of her anger—especially not tonight.

You were facing her now up close, letting the music pound into your eardrums while she slowly sipped on her drink. “Fun party, right?” Yelena yelled.

“Not really.” You stared at her once again, hoping she might elaborate on her previous death stare.

“No? Hmm, that’s too bad, I’m having a great-”

“Yelena, cut the act.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“That’s a fucking lie and you know it.”

“I don’t know anything.” She smirked, but not the good kind of smirk. It was the kind of smirk where you know you had either fucked up or she did something awful.

“What did you do?” you asked.

“I didn’t do anything.” Her emphasis gave you all the clues you needed.

“Then what did I do?”

Yelena didn’t answer. She kept standing there taking small, occasional sips of her drink, almost as if the conversation was just as meaningless as the party.

“Yelena, I’m not doing this here.”

“Well, then let’s find somewhere else to do it then.”

You didn’t like her attitude at all, but you also didn’t want to leave the conversation unfinished. You looked around behind Yelena to see one of the many hallways they could sneak off to. You grabbed Yelena’s hand and pulled her down the hallway into a room.

“Is this satisfactory for you?” you asked, matching her attitude.

Yelena looked around the closet you managed to find. “It’s a bit small, but-”

“Oh, would you stop it!”

“No!” Yelena placed her hand firmly around your neck, slamming you against the closet door. “You stop it!”

You looked at her in shock. This wasn’t to say that this gesture was out of the ordinary from Yelena, but it was her ability to shut down so quickly that took you by surprise.

“You’ve been acting like a little slut lately,” she sternly said. Yelena could tell you were confused by her accusation. “Aw, you need help remembering how you embarrassed daddy?”

You tried to move your head forward to release Yelena’s right grip from your neck. “Yelena-” you started, but your head was pressed against the door once again.

“Don’t you know you don’t get to talk to other girls?” She moved her lips closer to your ear. “Don’t you know you’re mine, baby?” she whispered so delicately into your ear, your hair standing on edge.

Kate.

Yelena must have seen the realization written all over your face. You had been cutting it up with Kate while you were waiting to find Yelena. Little did you know, Yelena had been observing the two of you for a short time.

“Yelena, it’s not what it looks like,” you whispered.

“Oh, it’s not? Because it looked like you were interested in messing around with someone else, hmm?”

“No, that's not-”

“Ah ah,” she tuts. “I don’t want to hear excuses, baby…prove it to me.”

Your chest tightened. “Prove… what?”

Yelena smirked at you while her hand traced down the front of your frame. Her fingers ever so delicately slipped under the band of your pants.

“Yelena…” You could tell there was no stopping her from what she aimed to get from you.

“I want you,” she started, pausing while pushing her fingers past the barrier of your underwear, “to prove I’m yours.”

You were eye to eye now. Yelena’s eyes hung lazily with lust and revenge. She wanted to make you squirm… make you pay for how you made her feel.

She started rubbing gently against your clit, just enough to tease you. “Say it… ‘I’m yours.’”

“Yelena, please…”

“Say it!” she said, getting impatient. Her mouth was brushing against your ear, her breath hot against your skin. She bit your ear gently, hoping that you would make any kind of noise to grab her attention.

“I-I’m yours,” you whispered.

“That’s not loud enough, I can’t hear you.” With her words she picked up pace.

“I’m yours,” you moaned. You grabbed onto the wall in preparation for your legs to give out very soon. You even found yourself moving your hips against Yelena’s hand, your body craving her touch even more.

But you were angry with her. You were angry that Yelena was angry over nothing. This wasn’t unusual, which was the frustrating part, but you couldn’t help but drown in pleasure. Though it wasn’t Yelena’s intention to put you in a better mood, it was working either way.

“Such a good girl riding my fingers for me, but I want you to keep going. You can’t cum until I tell you to, baby.” The more she edged you on it only made you come closer to the edge.

In addition, you suddenly became aware of how loud you were being. You gained consciousness and were afraid everyone could hear you.

What if they notice you’re gone? What if they heard you? Or worse… What if they find you?

Your brain began scrambling. You couldn’t focus on the present, only what lies beyond the small closet the two of you were tucked behind.

Yelena could tell you were antsy, which only caused her more grief. Her other hand that was placed firmly on your hip tightened. She was keeping you in place so there was nowhere for you to run.

“I didn’t tell you to stop; keep talking,” she demanded. “I want you to scream my name loud enough to forget hers.”

The anger you were feeling started to melt away into only an ecstasy of pleasure. You couldn’t resist the way she felt against you, and you couldn’t possibly turn her away now.

“I’m yours,” you responded for her.

“That’s a good girl, but you’re going to need to be louder if you really mean it.”

“I’m yours!”

“There you go, pretty girl. I knew you could do it.” Her words went straight to your head, sending you farther into a daze. Your previous fear of your closet endeavors being seen had faded away, now all that was left was you and Yelena.

“You getting close, baby?”

She knew you so well. Your legs were quivering, your breathing was erratic, and your nails were digging deeper into the back of Yelena’s neck.

“I know you’re so close, but I need to hear you,” she begged of you.

“Please, Yelena,” you whined. “I’ll be good.”

“Aw, will you baby? Have you learned your lesson?”

“Y-yes.”

“Then show me…cum baby.”

“Oh, Yelena!”

You came undone per her command. You tried to cover your mouth to muffle the sounds that could be heard outside the door, but Yelena quickly swatted your hand away. She wanted everyone to know you were hers.

After you calmed down, you tried your best to support yourself on your weak legs. You opened your eyes to meet Yelena’s piercing stare. You definitely felt better but you could tell that Yelena wasn’t completely satisfied.

You had lost track of time until you heard the large crowd outside the door counting down to midnight. Of course you expected a kiss from Yelena for the occasion, but instead you watched her wipe her fingers on her pants and head out of the door.

You were suddenly left alone as the celebration outside continued. You leaned against the door and slid down until you reached the bottom. As you sat there, you wondered what possible lesson Yelena could be teaching you by leaving you alone at the top of the New Year.

//

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[fallingdownhell]

Hello hello hello there, good writer! I was wondering if you'd be open to writing platonic HCs for the currently playable Archons in the game. Basically, way back when during the Archon War (or in Nahida's case, some point early on when she was instated as Sumeru's new Archon) the Archon's save a baby dragon's (the reader) life.Now, centuries later, at some point following the events of the Archon quests, they encounter Dragon!reader reader- now a fully-matured dragon (Dragon is the same element as each Archon. Individually, I mean, they aren't multi-elemental). The Archon recognizes them through any number of factors (a scar in a very particular area of Dragon!Reader's body, a discolored patch of scales, etc.) And as for how they encounter each other, maybe the Archon is accompanying the Traveler on a commission, and dragon!reader saves the Traveler or Archon's ass when the situation gets dicey, maybe the Archon senses a familiar presence and investigates, perhaps paths cross and they find themselves saving (or assisting) dragon!reader yet again, or maybe it's just a chance case of the stars aligning in just the right way. Apologies for the massive word dump, just thought I'd give you some prompts in case you have trouble coming up with ideas for this, if you want to do it, or course!

That is such a cool idea! And I really appreciate the word dump, it really helped me out a great deal this time around, so thank you, kind anon<3

Characters Included: Zhongli; Venti; Nahida

Content: gender neutral! dragon! reader; platonic headcanons;

Word count: 2,2k words

I hope this comes somewhat close to what you had in mind. Hope you enjoy<3

Zhongli

Zhongli often looks back fondly at the times where he had adopted this strange baby dragon

the Archon War was a though time period, both for him and the people at his side, but having that baby to take care of by his side and teaching it all sorts of things made it somewhat bearable for him

he would often play around with it, sometimes even play fighting to show it a few moves and tricks and the dragon seemed to enjoy that a whole lot

though cuddling sessions always seemed to be the dragons favourite, especially when a certain spot under his chin was being scratched

it was a difficult spot for others to reach, seeing as it was surrounded by brown spikes, indicating your resonance with the Geo element, but seeing the happy expression on the baby's face made it worth it in the end

When the dragon later got older and grew up in Zhongli's care, it would often join him in various battles while the War still lasted

On one such battles, the dragon got hurt pretty badly in it's left eye, ultimately loosing it in the process. But it adjusted rather well to living with only half it's eyesight

Later, when the Archon war ended and peace had returned to Liyue, the dragon was all grown up now as well. And one day, without any prior indication, the dragon had just left, never to return again

Zhongli wasn't sad or anything. He understood that this is simply how nature works and he only wished the best unto his foster child

Sometimes, the Ex-Archon wonders if that dragon is still alive, but those thoughts always leave him rather quickly again. It's no use pondering about the unknown

And yet, imagine the surprise on Zhongli's face when he saw another dragon roam the sky just as he finished dealing with Azhdaha alongside the Traveller

Finding an opportunity to slip away from the group, he began traveling in the direction he saw the flying creature

it took some time, but he eventually found the dragon as it rested besides a small lake, soaking in the rays of sunshine onto it's scaled skin

fascinated by it, since dragons were a rare sight to see in this day and age, he decided to approach the creature, silently as to not startle it too much

as he got closer to the dragon, the creature soon picked up a new scent in the area and opened it's big eye, now spotting the approaching Zhongli

quickly, the creature got up and began roaring at him, and that's when Zhongli noticed a particular scar on the left eye of the dragon

Could it be... was it actually you?

Your name slipped past his lips and it made you hold in the middle of your actions. Zhongli could see the uncertainty in the dragons form, so he said your name again, staying still in his spot, only a few steps away

the dragon, still unsure, took another sniff of the surrounding air, taking in the scent of the new arrival, and suddenly, memories from its time as a baby came flooding into his mind, and you recognized the man in front of you

now seeming much calmer, you got closer to Zhongli, your long neck extending towards him so that your head was right in front of him

with a smile, the Ex-Archon extends his hand as well to scratch that certain spot under your chin, like he had always done many, many years ago

at this, the dragon closed its eye and a low grumbling sound could be heard deep within it's throat.

Zhongli almost couldn't believe it. His old friend was still alive and apparently doing pretty well for itself..

for some time, the two of them just sat down in the grass, enjoying the light of the still shining sun, while Zhongli just began talking, telling you of all the things that had happened while you were gone

And you were listening to every single one of his words, feeling happy to finally be reunited with him again..

Venti

Most people know about Dvalin - or Stormterror - and his connection to the anemo Archon. How he was one of the four winds that protected the nation of Mondstadt

but what the people did not know, is that there was a second dragon with the anemo Archon that had been taken in by him when it was only a small baby

as a result, the baby dragon has been raised both by Dvalin and the anemo Archon at the same time. While it learned typical dragon behaviour from Dvalin, Venti provided the baby other lessons important for its life ahead

the little dragon has always been a playful and adventurous one. It was getting into trouble quite frequently as a child, but such was the nature of freedom

Venti had always adored looking at this little dragon baby as he found the light green colour of your scales to be quite mesmerizing. He liked to think that the colour represented your connection with the Anemo element, and himself.

But what he found even more adorable was the little patch of white scales, right between the beginning of your legs and your hind legs. It was about the size of the palm of his hand, the colour never really coming through on that spot

While Venti and Dvalin engaged in the Archon war, you always decided to stay behind, rather enjoying the serenity that the nation of Mondstadt brought to you than to engage with bloody battles all the time

As time went on, you grew older and older, and Dvalin knew that the time would come where you would leave them behind. To find your own place within this world, without them by your side

and sure enough, one seemingly peaceful day, you went up to them one last time, seemingly telling your goodbyes with your eyes before you turned your back to them and flew off into the distant world ahead of you. Excited to see what was liying ahead, but also sad you had to leave them behind

many, many years have passed since that fateful day and a lot has happened since then. A mysterious traveller has appeared in the world of Teyvat, helping Venti to bring his old friend Dvalin back to his senses

Since that incident, Venti couldn't help but think back to the old times quite often, reminiscing of the memories all three of them shared. He would often wonder how you were doing these days, if you were well off..

on one such days, when he was laying beneath the tree at Windrise, thinking of old times, he did not notice a bunch of Abyss mages and their underlings approaching

when he did, it was already too late and he was surrounded by enemies. Though he tried fighting his way out, the number of enemies just seemed to increase, instead of decreasing

Venti began to worry and just as he was about to summon his old friend Dvalin for some help, a roar echoed from above the sky. All heads turned up as a huge creature descended downwards, instantly attacking the abyss mages and their hoards

for a second, the colourful scales made him think of a certain dragon, but he quickly shook off that feeling, concentrating on the battle at hand

it didn't take long until the enemies were dealt with, and as a moment of peace came to them, Venti turned and took in the familiar colour of light green scaling..

But.. that couldn't be, right? It surely was just a coincidence.. another dragon that just happened to have a similar colour to the one he once raised..

But, as the dragon remained on the ground, patiently looking at Venti, he couldn't shake off that feeling of familiarity

And then, the dragon turned to its side, showing Venti the undeniable truth of a missmatched patch of white scales among a sea of green..

It really was you...

Joy spread over Venti's face as he realized it really was his old friend that had come back to see him again

It didn't take long until he was on your back and you began ascending towards the sky again. Up there in the sky, with only the winds holding you back, Venti also summoned Dvalin to him to complete this reunion

Many roars sounded all throughout Mondstadt on this day as there were now two dragons roaming the skies of this nation...

Nahida

As the god of Dendro, Nahida had always liked the nature and all of its inhabitants

she would always try to sneek away to find a spot somewhere within the rainforest where she could just sit down and listen to the sounds of nature all around her

while the sages at that time did not approve of her behaviour, she continued to do so with the excuse of wanting to form a connection between her and her nation as well as it's people

one day while she was out again, she stumbled upon a tiny dragon baby. As she got closer, she noticed that the baby appeared to be hurt quite badly, yet it still backed up when she got closer, scared of her

it took some time and gentle reassuring from Nahida's side, but eventually, the small dragon let her get close, inspecting the wounds inflicted to it

deciding that she wanted to take care of it, she used her powers to build a sort of little hideout where she nurtured the dragon back to health over the course of a few weeks

while doing so, the baby dragon began trusting her more and more, until eventually, they formed a kind of bond between them

once the baby was all healed up, it didn't dissapear like Nahida thought it would. Instead, it decided to stay with her, playing around and growing up with her

every single time Nahida managed to slip out, the two of them were always together. Either laying in the grass, listening to the nature around them, or playing around and sometimes, she even helped the little dragon in learning how to fly

when they got tired, they lay together on the ground, the dragon having it's head on Nahida's lap as she carefully caressed the top of its head where the beatiful, deep green scales where less sharp than everywhere else on its body. The colour reminded her of the rainforest itself sometimes..

but what she found almost a bit more beautiful were those missmatched eyes of the dragon. One in a beautiful, piercing blue colour while the other was deep red, a stark contrast between the two

But then came the day where Nahida was whisked away by the Sages and sealed into the Sanctuary

it took hundreds of years until the traveller arrived in Sumeru and with the help of some others finally freeed Nahida of her everlasting prison

Thankful to have finally escaped, she did her best to handle everything by herself the best she could. She guided her nation into a new direction and took care of everything that the Sages had taken over

which led to her not once having left the city since she has been freeed. Though Nahida yearned to just go outside and sit in the nature again, she had obligations to take care of, that required her urgent attention

until the Traveller came around another time, insisting on her taking a break for once. In his words, all those problems would still be there once she returned from the break, but her well being was important as well, especially for her people she needed to be in good shape

so, taking him up on the offer, the Traveller, Nahida and Paimon went into the rainforest like she wanted to. While wandering around, they passed the old hideout Nahida had once built for that baby dragon

Memories flooded her mind upon seeing it and she smiled a bit, though it appeared to be a bit sad. The Traveller noticed, but before he could ask Nahida about it, they heard some rustling behind them

Weapon at the ready, the Traveller was prepared to attack should the need arise

And then, from behind some trees, a dragon emerged, eyes fixed onto them

and Nahida instantly recognized you. Not because of the deep green colour of your scales that only seemed to have become even more beautiful over the years. But because of those disscoloured eyes that she was never able to forget

you seemed to recognize her as well, showing no signs of aggression at all, which made the Traveller lower his weapon again

finally reunited again after so many years, both of you seemed happy to be within the presence of each other again

you gently pressed the tip of your nose into her face, gently blowing air into her face which made her giggle a bit. She then climbed onto your back, resting there while the now four of you continued this walk through the rainforest

And even after that, you continued to stay by Nahida's side, always there to protect her should anything ever happen to her again. You were ready to make them regret their decision if people decided to ever mess with her again...

[kelcemenow]

Drive Me Crazy - Chapter 6.

Pairing Travis Kelce x Reader

Words 1438

Warnings Strong language, the intention of violence and a whole heap of protective Travis!

Huge thank you to the Anon who sent this in! They had such amazing words to say about my writing which I massively appreciate and then to top it off, had an incredible request for me! I only have experience with mechanics in the UK, so I’ve tried my best with this one! “I just recently got interested in Travis K. X reader stories and wanted to let you know, I read all of yours as quickly as I could. They are so well done and I couldn’t help but laugh/giggle and feel through each word you typed out. You’re doing amazing and I’m so glad to have stumbled onto your page. If you have any space for a request, I’d be curious about what Trav would think about having a military (like fighter pilot) or engineer or mechanic girlfriend. I see a lot of stories with him paired with models/singers/social media individuals (which are phenomenal!) but just wondering how he would be with a more tomboy like girlfriend!”

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

"Who's Jordan?"

You winced as you rose from the bed, grabbing your deep red satin robe from the corner of your door, "He works at the shop with me."

"Okay?" Travis said, his voice indicating confusion.

"I don't know why he's here." You mumbled quickly as your fingers fumbled with the ties, "He must be wasted."

Travis held himself up with an elbow, watching carefully as you stepped towards your front door. The cool hardwood flooring gave your skin a slight sting as your feet made contact. You paused for a second, your hand ghosting the handle, before pulling the door open.

Jordan was leaning against the wall, his head lowered to the floor, his balance unsteady. You glanced over your shoulder and looked to Travis, rolling your eyes and shrugging your shoulders quickly.

"Jordan?" You said impatiently.

His head quickly snapped up to meet your gaze, his expression vacant, "Hey, you took ages." His slurred speech was enough to confirm your suspicions.

You took a small step forward, holding the door open with your foot, "What are you doing here?"

"I was out...at a bar. And I lost my phone so I couldn't call a cab."

"You want to use my phone?" You pointed your thumb over your shoulder.

Jordan sloppily adjusted his messy, brown hair before reaching out for your hand, "Or I could...stay here?"

"I don't think that's a good idea." You retreated away from his grasp.

His eyebrows grew closer together, his confusion clear, "Oh come on...don't play me like that."

"I'm not playing you like anything, Jordan." You smiled politely and confidently stepped towards the door to block the entrance way, "I think you should go."

Jordan stumbled as he took a step, his eyelids drooping, "All this time... you've been flirting, leading me on-"

"Woah, that's not true." You held your palm up as Jordan grew closer, "We're friends, remember?"

Jordan's face twisted, his head swaying from side to side, "Are you fucking serious? I thought we were...you know? You...you let me crash here?"

"One time, Jordan. Because I didn't want you to drive home after 12 beers."

His hand grazed your hip, "You flirt with me...at work...and shit...now you're-"

An anger was beginning to build up in your chest, "Jordan, we're friends."

"Girls don't have friends that are guys!" He said with a short laugh.

"I do."

"You watched as "Yeah, well. You're not a normal girl, are you?"

"A...normal girl?" You failed to hide the hurt in your voice.

Jordan, unaware of his poor choice of words, sighed before muffling his next incoherent sentence, "Yeah, a normal girl. You know what I mean? You don't make an effort or anything, you don't wear heels or nice dresses...like, it's fine-"

"Jordan, stop."

"But, I know you. No one knows you like I do. We would be perfect." He closed the gap between you, "And I mean, I don't see any other guys knocking at your door." He exhaled an arrogant laugh, his tongue placed firmly in his cheek.

You rolled your eyes slightly, not enough for him to notice and heard Travis moving softly in the bed. As you checked over your shoulder, Jordan followed your gaze, his demeanour immediately changing.

"Shit. That's fucking...Travis Kelce." Jordan shook his head as a small laugh escaped his lips, "You've got to be kidding me."

"Okay, time to leave."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Jordan repeated, his voice louder.

As you pulled the door inwards in an attempt to close it, Jordan struck the surface with his elbow, forcing his way inside. Travis immediately leapt out of the bed, quickly making his way to your rescue. You noticed that he had already put his boxers back on, presumably anticipating his interference.

"Alright, buddy." Travis said calmly, replacing your hand on the door with his own.

Jordan seemed to cower in Travis' presence, shrinking in size figurately and quite literally. His cool and loose physicality switched for stiff and hunched shoulders but his intoxicated brain couldn't stop his mouth.

"Hey. I'm not your buddy." He retorted.

Travis smiled at you before turning back to Jordan, "The lady said no. She would like to leave, so why don't you be on your way."

His stern words sounded more like an order than a question and your heart gently fluttered as you watched your knight in shining armour defending your honour. Your emotions quickly flipped to dread as Jordan puffed his chest up and took a couple of woozy steps towards Travis.

"So, you think you can just muscle your way in, getting her tickets and sending her flowers, why? Because you're famous or something? Look, if you just want to fuck the girl, why are you going through all of this effort? Is she really worth it?"

Your chest quickly stung and a redness was flushing to your cheeks. A part of your brain knew it was the alcohol talking, but it still pained you to hear these words coming from someone who you considered to be a friend.

Suddenly, Jordan's hands were pressed against Travis' solid chest, shoving him slightly backwards.

"Jordan? What are you doing?" You hissed.

Your widened eyes quickly flashed to Travis, who did not seem phased at all. Instead, he simply rubbed his beard down and cleared his throat, keeping eye contact with Jordan.

"I don't think you've thought this through. You see, you have two options. Either you keep at me and I end up throwing your sorry ass out of this apartment building, possibly ruining any remaining self-respect and friendship with Y/N that you got left." Travis' gruff voice was clear and concise, it was more than enough to turn you on. "Or, you turn away and leave now, deal with a killer of a hangover in the morning and arrange an apology in the way of a delicious meal at a very expensive restaurant for my girl here." He nudged your arm with his as you looked up at him through your eyelashes, you mouth gaping open in absolute awe.

Jordan stayed still, processing Travis' words before his head rolled backwards and a loud sigh left his lips, "Fucking...whatever, bro."

He started to turn away but Travis spoke up with a deep growl, "Hey. I'm not your bro."

Jordan's eyes flashed slightly with fear, before half closing as he stumbled away from you both. You stood in silence as you watched him disappear into the stairwell, the door clanging behind him.

You exhaled loudly, not realising that you had been holding your breath for a significant length of time. You felt as if your legs were about to give up on you, but before they had the chance, Travis' arms were enveloping you and bringing you impossibly close to him.

"Are you okay?" He said into your neck, your hair marginally muffling his words.

Your fingers began to graze the stubble on the back of his head, your face buried in his chest, "Oh yeah, I'm fine. That shit happens all of the time."

Travis pulled you away and held you at an arms length, his eyes lowered in concern, "For real?"

"Travis, I'm joking." You smiled, "Just trying to lighten the mood?" You shrugged your shoulder which were still held firmly in his large hands.

His eyes creased into a smile, "Oh baby, I can think of a better way to do that."

His voice growled again, making your knees weaken as he leaned in to gently place a kiss on you forehead. Your feet were swiftly swept up from underneath you and Travis carried you impressively towards your bedroom, your legs instinctively wrapping themselves around his waist. Your surroundings darkened as you entered the bedroom and Travis gave your ass a gentle squeeze as he lowered himself onto the edge of the bed. You bent your knees and straddled his waist, ending up face to face with him.

Your hands moved to cradle the sides of his jaw, "Thank you."

The corners of his full lips barely raised into a smile, but his eyes glittered, "No problem."

You could feel his hands clinging to your back, his fingers tracing circles into the satin fabric that was covering you. A small shiver rolled over your body and you took your bottom lip between your teeth. Travis' eyes flickered to your mouth and his eyebrows raised.

"Did that turn you on?" He said with a surprise.

You rolled your hips a little, "Maybe. I don't know? I just felt...protected."

Travis' mouth moved into a wide grin, as he breathed a laugh, "Hey. I got no issue with that."

______________________________________________________________

As per unusual, I whole-heartedly apologise for the wait on this one. I'm still feeling a little bit of a writing slump and I'm finding everything really hard to get going...I really hope it doesn't show! The next chapter will be the reader going to the Chiefs game and her Dad being absolutely adorable so I am actually looking forward to that one! If anyone has any ideas for this story, please feel free to throw them my way! As always, let me know if you want to be added to my Taglist and any comments or reblogs are always much appreciated!

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[imagine-darksiders]

Mobsiders, chapter 2:

Malunion Fractures.

Summary: What? Is there something on your face?

Tw: Blood, violence, guns, threat, Strife being Strife.

---

There was a time when you thought you could use a bit of excitement in your life. Maybe even a little danger. Of course, that was when you were still living in a world in which humans were the dominant species, where angels and demons weren’t proven to exist yet and they stayed between the pages of storybooks where they belonged.

It was a world that didn’t have giant, mythical Horsemen in it, touting their weapons and sinking their claws into a freshly resurrected population, proclaiming that they were here to stay, all in the name of protecting Humanity.

What a crock of shit. None but the most hopeful, optimistic individuals bought that schtick.

Nobody who offers one hand in friendship while keeping a weapon in the other has noble intentions, and you all knew it.

Well… Most of you knew it.

You might have been naïve once, but then the world ended, and it was a stark lesson in mortality.

You could die.

You did die.

The world seemed a lot more dangerous after that…

And there are few things that remind you more of how dangerous the world can be than one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

You almost want to curse that young, bright-eyed version of yourself who asked for something exciting to happen to her. She should have been more specific.

This, you could definitely do without.

You can’t tear your eyes off that horrific, avian visor canting towards you, no matter how badly you’d love to screw them shut and pretend this is all just a vivid yet harmless nightmare.

But there’s just something about not seeing the monster that’s far more terrifying than being able to see it.

So, you stare, unblinking at the metal space below those incandescent, amber eyes, disinclined to find out if the rumours about meeting the gaze of a Horseman are true.

Broad as a train, standing taller than any human you’ve ever encountered, Strife still isn’t the largest of his ilk, as you’re only too aware of now that you’ve got an up-close and too-personal view of him.

Strife, in contrast, seems determined that you make eye contact with him. It’s hard not to when he’s keeping your chin pinned between a thumb and forefinger, deceptively gentle despite his size and his unyielding grasp.

“That’s better,” a low hum emerges from behind his silvery visor, sounding a little too pleased for your liking, “Shouldn’t hide eyes like yours under a-…”

You’re rather glad he doesn’t finish his sentence, instead trailing off into a stark, tangible silence.

Even from your peripheral vision, it’s hard to tell where he’s looking without any damn pupils to give you some indication.

Suddenly, your heart gives a lurch and you jolt, letting out a strangled squeak as the titanic brute leans down and pushes his visor right up to your face, eyes narrowed to slim, dangerous slats of light.

Alarmed, your hands clench into white-knuckled fists, and it takes everything in you not to lash out or try to push that leering mask away.

“What… the fuck… is this…?” Strife seethes through his teeth, all pretences of gentleness vanishing from his tone.

It’s impossible to repress the shudder that rolls through you from your toes to your fingertips.

In response to his question, the men to your left and right falter, their grips loosening by a fraction.

And then, you feel it; a ghost-like touch on the side of your face. The cool metal of Strife’s fingertip sweeps across your cheek and leaves a trail of goosebumps in its wake.

Aghast, you start to throw your head back to escape his touch, but the Horseman is quick to adjust his hold, sliding the fingers that grip your chin up until they encompass your entire jaw, keeping your head locked rigidly in place.

Without taking his eyes off your cheek, he lowers his voice and repeats, “What the fuck is this?”

The men share a nervous glance over the top of your head.

All of a sudden, at a speed that leaves you reeling, Strife drops his hand from your jaw and spins on his heel, stalking away from you as he raises the same hand to his mouthpiece and drags it down the length of his chin, sighing roughly.

You barely have time to breathe a sigh of relief at having his hands off you.

“Boss?” the nasally man ventures.

Without warning, Strife does a complete about-face, wheeling towards you once again, only this time, his entire body seems to billow and puff up like a bristling wolf, and his eyes are wide open, ablaze with a hellish fire that sends you ducking into your jacket’s hood.

Shit… You don’t know what you just did to set him off, but with a look like that raging across what little you can see of his features, you’re fairly sure that this is the moment you finally die.

“Do either of you wanna tell me,” he starts, huffing like a runaway steam train, “What the Hell that is on her face?!”

Again, you jerk as he throws a hand up and gestures towards you.

‘My face?’ Instinctively, you attempt to lift your hand and touch your cheek, but find your arms still locked in position by the men at your flanks.

As if to remind you of its presence, the swelling on your cheekbone gives a dull, uncomfortable throb, and you’re momentarily thrown by the absurd notion that he might be asking what a bruise is…

Doesn’t he know? Don’t Nephilim get bruises? Surely he’s come across them in his line of work, why would yours be so antagonising?

The strength of the humans beside you wavers. You can feel it happening as they noticeably lean away from you, as though you’re the catalyst to Strife’s sudden hostility.

“I-it’s just like we said, Boss!” the man to your left stutters, shifting his weight from side to side. You get the impression he'd rather be anywhere but here. “She was givin’ us trouble! Wouldn’t get in the car! Dimitri had’ta do somethin’ to shut her up!”

The speed at which Strife’s helm whips towards the guilty party is astonishing. And petrifying. Molten eyes lock onto their target with all the gravitas of a man aiming down the sights of his gun.

Suddenly recognising that he might be in serious trouble here, Dimitri sheds the last of his bravado and rips his hands off your arm, stumbling backwards.

You aren’t granted a moment to even think about trying to break loose before his partner wrestles both of your hands behind your back and pulls you against his chest, holding you there with no choice but to watch Dimitri retreat across the room, away from a posturing Horseman.

“Now, just – hold on a second-!” In his haste, he catches his hip on a drinks table and almost upends several glasses and bottles that look like they’re worth more than you could make in a lifetime. They rattle and clink together precariously for a second before settling again as the man continues his retreat.

With a predatory grace, Strife turns his body towards the fleeing goon and begins to stalk after him, covering more distance in a single stride than Dimitri manages in three.

Swallowing your spit, you cringe when the nasally man behind you hisses a curse under his breath, wafting stale, smoky air across the back of your neck.

“Tell me, Dimitri,” Strife utters, shoulders hunched as he saunters forwards, “Which leg?”

Sweat trickles from the man’s temple, and his face goes a few shades short of translucent. “Wh-what?”

“I said,” the Horseman repeats slowly, taking another step that rattles the glasses on their table, “Which. Leg?”

Blurting out a nervous laugh, Dimitri finally backs up until his spine hits a bookcase on the far wall, cutting off his escape route. Shakily, he raises his hands, turning his palms towards the approaching Nephilim as if he means to placate a feral wolf. “Boss, c’mon, i-it’s just a bruise! Humans get bruises all the time, they ain’t so bad-!”

In the blink of an eye, Strife moves.

Too fast for you to track, he viciously tears Mercy from its holster and points all four of those dark, gaping barrels straight at the trembling man’s forehead, prompting you to let out a shriek of alarm which is swiftly drowned underneath the Horseman’s thunderous roar, “- I know what a bruise is, Dimitri! What I don't know is which fucking leg!?”

“Fuck! I-I don’t know!”

Eyes rolling in his skull like a spooked horse, Dimitri clutches at the bookshelf behind him, darting a helpless glance his partner still pinning you against his chest, and then, when he doesn’t find the solace he was evidently looking for, he even dares to dip a look in your direction.

The only thing you deign to offer him in return when his desperate gaze meets yours is your own wide-eyed stare of abject horror. For just a moment, he’s not the man who kidnapped you and gave you a smarting cheek. He’s human. You’re human. There’s some shared connection there, even if it’s buried deep under layers of animosity and hate and terror. And you can tell in that moment that for as tough as he’s been, this man is utterly and debilitatingly terrified of his own boss.

When faced with an immediate and undefeatable threat, it’s human nature to band together. A knee-jerk drive. You can’t help it any more than he can. You can see the apology written plain on his face now, though you’re sure it’s only there because he wants you to speak up and save his sorry hide.

If you were a better person, you might have said something to the Horseman, drawn his ire back towards you. You might have. Or maybe you want to believe you could.

But you can’t.

So, you look away, dropping your eyes to the floor and pretending for all the world that you’re smart enough to think of a way to save your own skin.

The man���s choked breath of despair cuts through you like a knife, damning and cold.

“Don’t be a coward now, Dimitri,” Strife admonishes, oblivious, “You gonna choose, or am I?”

“Shit – Fucken’, l-left!”

“Left?”

“Left!” Dimitri wails, “Goddammit, Left!”

“Left.” Nodding his helm once, Strife lowers his gun.

Then without warning, he raises his other arm and cocks it back, metal gauntlet curled into a fist. You don’t have time to wonder what he’s doing before he sends it forwards in a vicious jab, his knuckles colliding squarely with Dimitri’s already broken nose.

The nauseating ‘crack!’ threatens to make you lose your breakfast.

A howl of unquestionable agony tears itself from the man’s throat as he crumples to his knees and brings his hands up to cup gingerly over his nose, body wracked with uncontrollable spasms. Blood gushes from each nostril and spatters to the carpet below, some droplets even flying onto the metal boots of an absolutely livid Horseman.

“Not a fuckin’ scratch, I said!” Strife hollers between ragged breaths, towering over the whimpering human as he throws his gun back into its holster, “Not a goddamn hair on her head! You’re supposed to be professionals! The Hell’re we payin’ you for!?”

Shaking from head to toe, Dimitri hardly seems to be listening now, still hacking up breaths and coughs as his brain registers the excruciation.

Appalled, you sag weakly in the thug’s grasp, letting your mouth hang agape. If Strife is willing to do that to his own men… What chance do you have?

An already dangerous situation is getting wildly out of hand.

Heaving an enormous sigh, as if this is all one big, inconvenience to him, Strife wheels away from the man whimpering on his carpet and instead turns his attention back onto you, sending all the blood rushing to your head.

You hate that you can’t tell whether he’s looking at you or the nasally man holding you still.

Regardless, the Horseman peers in your direction for… far too long.

Squirming, you try to back up, but the man behind you seems to have locked his legs in position to become an immoveable wall, solid and ungiving at your spine. You can’t tell if the tremors running up and down your arms are from your own shaking, or his.

Gradually, as the titan of a Horseman continues to watch you, Strife’s shoulders start to slacken, and the raptorial tilt of his helm straightens out to something more human.

A stalemate ensues. You don’t say a word to him, he doesn’t say a word to you. The man behind you keeps letting out a string of almost inaudible swear words and huffs, his dress-shoes shuffling restlessly on the carpet.

You can hardly breathe for the ball of nerves clumped at the base of your throat, making every swallow ache and strain against the muscles of your neck.

Finally, with another, exaggerated exhale, Strife lays his hands on his hips and breaks the silence.

“Let her go,” he grumbles to the man behind you.

The grip on your arms relaxes, though only a little, not enough to pull yourself free. Not yet.

“Are you sure, Boss?” he swallows. There’s an air of feigned confidence in his tone, like he’s trying to pretend he didn’t just watch a Horseman of the Apoclypse destroy his partner’s face.

By the sound of Strife’s unamused chuckle, that was the wrong thing to ask.

Tipping his helm down, he puffs a breath at the floor before slowly raising his head to give the man a glower so dark, it seems to suck the light from the chandelier hanging overhead. “Question my orders again, and I really will shoot you. Maybe feed what’s left of you to my horse,” he utters, lifting his chin at you indicatively, “Let her go and get Dimitri outta here…”

When the man still hesitates, Strife jabs his hand sharply towards a door at the side of the room - different from the one you entered through - and shouts, “Go on! Get the fuck outta my sight. Both of you!”

Apparently deciding he’s pushed his luck as far as it’ll go, the man all but shoves you away from him, sending you stumbling a few feet towards the Horseman before you dig your heels in and come to a jarring halt, frantic eyes darting up to see the giant is still looking your way.

Hurrying past you, he gives Strife a wide berth until he reaches Dimitri and bends down, gathering the wretched man off the floor and slinging an arm across his shoulders as he hauls him upright.

With his blubbering, bleeding partner in tow, he shuffles towards the door, never once sparing you another, fleeting glance on his way.

Desperate, you shift your gaze to him and attempt to catch his eye, pleading in silence for him to take you along too, anything to get you out of this room with a Nephilim who has proven he has no qualms about hurting humans.

But it’s all for naught.

Neither of the men acknowledge you. So far as they’re aware, you’re just a dead woman walking. They’ve done their job – albeit badly – and they’d brought you before their boss. Now, they’re off to nurse their wounds and their pride, thinking nothing of the trembling woman they’ve left behind.

With his free hand, the man knocks on the wooden door, and a moment later, it swings open, revealing a long, well-lit hallway beyond. Grunting a hurried word of thanks, he drags the still whinging Dimitri over its threshold, and you’re given a brief glimpse of two more, suited people standing on either side of the doorway before it slams shut once more, sealing you inside with the inhuman equivalent of an unpredictable bear.

There goes that escape route…

“Idiots…”

Sucking in a wobbly breath, you toss your head back in Strife’s direction, fiercely admonishing yourself for taking your eyes off him, even for a moment.

‘Don’t lose focus,’ you remind yourself firmly, keeping your damp eyes glued to the Horseman’s armoured chest, ‘If you lose focus, you die…’

You may very well die even if you don't lose focus, but you’re clinging to any semblance of control you can maintain.

Strife’s posture, you can’t help but notice, has changed drastically in the few seconds you weren’t looking his way.

One of his massive hands sits draped across his hip, while his other arm has dropped to dangle lazily at his side. Those vivid, sweltering eyes seem brighter as they peer down at you, though nowhere near as charged.

In all, if you didn’t know any better, you’d say he looks downright, unapologetically relaxed.

‘Of course he’s relaxed,’ you nearly scoff aloud, ‘He does this sort of thing all the time, and I’m not exactly a huge threat.’

Not a threat at all, in fact.

You’re torn from your harried thoughts when the Horseman lifts his boot to take a step towards you, a move that sends you tensing up tighter than a coiled spring, muscles bunched beneath your clothes in preparation to flee.

To your shock, he seems to take note of your visceral stiffness and… hesitates.

Curious, his silver helm cocks to one side like a bird, and then in a slow, deliberate display, he places his boot back down in the same spot as before.

To say you’re thrown would be an understatement. Hesitation from a beast like him is… Well, it’s just unheard of.

Tentatively, you narrow your eyes at him, trying to see the face beneath that visor and guess as to what he’s thinking. He has a reason for bringing you here, of that you’re certain. But what that reason is, you need to find out. And fast.

[cosmicjoke]

I swear, if I see one more ho on this site trying to frame Levi's childhood as somehow positive or otherwise not completely horrific, I'm gonna' kill a bitch. I'm not going to name names, because I don't want to start drama, but Jesus, I can't take it anymore.

The latest and greatest stupidity I've come across is the claim that Levi's monologue to the 104th during the Uprising arc was somehow meant to be read as Levi expressing how "well-adjusted" he is because he'd been conditioned to respond to urgent situations without hesitation due to the hardship of his childhood. This is such classic abuse-apologist shit, I don't even know what to say. It's essentially claiming that Levi is only able to be so effective and level-headed and reliable because he's been through traumatic events, and that his worth in those situations is a result of the abuse he suffered as a child. Again, this is also the classic take of people who love to deny Levi any credit in being the way he is, and instead, for obvious, ulterior reasons, want to give that credit to Kenny, or some other abusive piece of shit from Levi's past. News alert for folks who think this. Trauma doesn't make you stronger, it doesn't make you a better person, it doesn't help you or strengthen your character. If someone is able to overcome hardship or adversity, it's not because they've been through hardship or adversity, it's because they're just built, from jump, to overcome it. It's like a boxer who's never been knocked down before, and suddenly he's in a fight where he's knocked down hard. It's not the knock down that's going to get him through the rest of the fight and help him to win, it's his strength of character and will to win. It comes down, once again, to nature.

So many people who went through what Levi did would have ended up as complete basket cases, either totally unhinged and immoral, or so traumatized that they would be rendered paralyzed and controlled by that trauma. It's not the experiences that Levi went through that make him level-headed or reliable, it's simply his strength of character. It's in spite of his trauma that he's able to be as effective and reliable as he is, not because of it.

But this isn't to say that Levi isn't traumatized, like so many of these people also love to claim. Another gem from this post I saw was that we're not meant to see Levi as traumatized because he doesn't cry, and Isayama, supposedly, only conveys trauma in his characters through tears. I mean, that's hilarious, really. I guess when Kenny finds Levi in that room with the rotting corpse of his mother, we're meant to believe he's not been traumatized by it because he isn't crying. Never mind that Levi's lack of expression and essential muteness are both heavy indicators of severe trauma. This post would posit that one can't be as level-headed and reliable as Levi is and also be traumatized. That's also ridiculous. Again, this comes down to individuality and uniqueness of personality. Levi can be traumatized, but also still be as steadfast and unwavering as he is, because each person is going to respond differently to traumatic events based on their individual, inborn personality traits. And trauma also manifests in a number of different behaviors.

I've always said that Levi's stoicism in the face of all the horrors he's seen and been through isn't indicative of the deep and raw emotion we know Levi actually carries underneath, which tells us that Levi's lack of expression is, indeed, a trauma response. A coping mechanism. Levi isn't an emotionless character. His flat expression doesn't accurately depict or indicate what he's actually feeling. If it did, then Levi would be someone who felt nothing at the sight of death, or wasn't troubled or unsettled by the deaths of his friends and comrades. He would be someone who isn't moved at all by the suffering of others, but simply indifferent and uncaring.

But we know that isn't true. We know how important it is to Levi that people survive and how hard he works to protect their lives. We know how compassionate and kind Levi actually is, how greatly empathetic he is. So why, then, is it such a stretch in these people's minds, to suggest that Levi's flat expression is an obvious case of him actively suppressing his emotion in order to continue operating? This doesn't even seem like a question to me, or up to interpretation. It seems like an evident, objective fact about his character. Levi suppresses his emotion in order to keep functioning. We see this multiple times throughout the story. A good example of Levi actively suppressing his emotional response is when Kenny kills Nifa, and for a split second, we see the devastation in Levi's expression, before he visibly pushes it down and goes into action against Kenny's squad. Levi is clearly emotional here, and deeply, deeply upset. Seeing Nifa killed and then having to leave her behind is clearly having an intense and disruptive impact on Levi. But he represses the feelings in that moment. Again, that's an obvious coping mechanism in dealing with extreme, traumatizing circumstances. It isn't indicative of Levi being untouched or unimpacted by those things, it's indicative of Levi needing to disassociate from just how much those things are impacting him in order to carry on. You know, a trauma response. Repression of emotion isn't healthy, and isn't how someone who's perfectly "well-adjusted" would respond to these sorts of situations. It isn't normal. Crying is normal. Crying is a baseline, regular response to horrific things, in fact a proven, cathartic way to process trauma and work through it. The fact that Levi shuts all emotional reaction down when faced with those same, horrific things indicates someone who's been through way too much bad shit, and in order to remain functional, has to disassociate from what he's feeling. It isn't Levi processing his trauma and coming out the other side unaffected. It's Levi ignoring his trauma because he doesn't feel like he can afford to process it, either for himself or others.

This idea that Levi wasn't adversely impacted by what he went through as a child, but rather positively impacted, is not only laughable, but downright harmful in the sorts of ideas it perpetuates.

This particular post I saw was claiming that Levi was saying his ability to react quickly to fucked up situations was a good thing, as if he was expressing gratitude for being raised the way he was because it allowed him to "adapt" to extreme circumstances. What a load of horse shit. Levi wasn't talking about himself being "abnormal" as if it were a positive thing. He plainly frames it as a negative. He says "Maybe I'm abnormal because I've seen way too many abnormal things", before going on to express how he's willing to take on the role of a "lunatic that kills people" as long as it spares anyone else from having to go through the same. He's plainly expressing here how he knows the things he's gone through have fucked him up and caused him to have abnormal, some might even call deviant behavior, and his expressed desire to spare others from having to go through the same and end up like him is a clear as crystal indicator that he doesn't view his childhood in any kind of positive light, or as something necessary or good. He wants to keep people from ending up like him. That isn't Levi bragging about how "well-adjusted" he is.

Yes, Levi is a remarkably together person, and considering all the truly horrific things he's been through, it's really extraordinary that he's as level-headed, and even more so, as kind and compassionate as he is. That he isn't more fucked up. But that comes down to Levi himself, not the way he was raised. To imply or claim that Levi views the way he was raised positively shows an absurd lack of reading comprehension at best, and is disingenuous at worst. Levi is only as together as he is because he's a strong person. Because he has the strength of character and the fortitude of character not to let his trauma destroy or control him. But that doesn't mean he isn't traumatized. It just means he's a better person than most, someone who, regardless of his trauma, cares deeply about others, and as a result, forces himself to hold it together for their sake, regardless of the consequences to his own well being. His trauma clearly impacts him, but he's just a strong enough person that he doesn't let it define him.

[creaturefeaster]

what would ids in stolla look like? i wanted to make some for ocs and was wondering if you had an idea for them

I think this is a really cool question, because it's not something I've ever considered in detail before until now.

Graphically, the background would probably be a little more interesting, but I made this quickly on my laptop so I was artistically limited-- here:

IDs of the Talpian Dominion, as well as Sunkeep, would vary from this design as they are sovereign to Stolla, but still function independently. I can try and make IDs for them in the future if it interests, but for now I figure this ID is pretty catch-all otherwise.

So a (mostly) filled out ID would look like this:

There's probably some stuff I'd tack on if I had more time to design this, such as a blood type identifier, and personally I'd find it cooler if it wasn't a standard rectangle shape, but this design was based on real world IDs, and I think this still gets most of what you'd need to know across for now.

If you're curious about the exact details on how an ID is produced, I'll explain below the readmore.

DI: Date Issued. Looking back on this, there should probably be an expiration date, perhaps on the lower right corner. ^^

SEX: Dependent on race. Many races have dimorphism similar to humans... more or less, though some (Vixen, Normals, etc.) have a wider range of sexes and are labeled as such.

The most common identifiers you would see on an ID would be: X(nondescript), F(female), M(male), MX(monolex, for some plant people).

EYES: No. of eyes, and color

HAIR: Natural hair color

HGT: Height on record

WGT: Weight on record

ELMT: Whether or not this person has elemental capabilities.

X is the lack of the elemental method, E/A/W/F are indicators of Earthen, Air, Water, and Fire elemental individuals. Typically you would only see this on races that are in touch with a certain element. For instance, many plant people are elementally inclined towards earth, and therefore would be labeled as E if they are found to have this connection.

RC: Residential ID code, has 18 to 19 digits, and can be decoded as such:

00 , 0000, 00.00.0000 , 00, 00.0

TR, NEID, DD.MM.YYYY, DI, RI.A

TR: Territory.

Each territory is labeled 00 through 14, the Talpian Dominon & Sunkeep are not in the registry.

NEID: Name Entry in Database.

Number of people active and registered with this exact name to date, within the territory.

DDMMYYYY: Birthdate.

DI: Day of the month this card was issued (Ignore the fact that I entered this part of April's ID incorrectly ._.)

RI(A): Racial identity marker, and affliction if applicable.

Races are listed from 11 through 28, noting 18 recognized races within Stolla. (A) is marked as a 0 unless afflicted as a vampire, zombie, or were-animal. It is very rare to see IDs with positive affliction markers, as very few are able to achieve legality. I probably don't need to mention that it's telling enough on it's own that there's a marker for affliction at all.

Each territory has it's own emblem, but I don't really have those fleshed out right now so it stays blank for now, haha.

Date of birth is listed under the emblem on the right side, and beneath that is their race in print.

Markers are for things like you would see on our cards in real life. Donors, veterans, notable allergies, etc.

Like I said, this isn't something I've thought about really until I read this ask this morning, so it's not what I would call a finalized version, but you can assume the data entry would all work the same, even if I did adjust the design a bit down the line.

Thanks for this question 🖤

[pastlivesandpurplepuppets]

Five years later, while enrolled in an Advanced Infantry Officer’s Course at Fort Benning, Speirs reflected on his own shortcomings and successes in a revealing assessment of his platoon at Carentan. The thirty-two-page monograph concluded with these judgments:

LESSONS

The following lessons were brought out by the operation:

Strategic use of airborne is essential. The attrition of trained parachutists in extended ground combat operations as infantry is wasteful and should be avoided.

When assigning missions to lower units, the commander must consider the comparative strength of his units as reduced by previous casualties.

Bravery in combat must be recognized by decorations and awards. Morale is raised and incentive provided to perform well in future combat.

Tables of Organization and Equipment must be constantly revised to increase the fighting strength and capabilities of the unit.

Flank security during night movement is essential, regardless of the effect on speed and the physical condition of the men.

In night movement all men must be alert to keep contact both to the front and to the rear.

When in contact with the enemy at night, one-half of the unit must be alert and in position to repel attacks.

Intelligence agencies must keep commanders informed of the enemy indications. Commanders can then adjust their plans in accordance, avoiding the possibility of surprise by the enemy.

Wounded men must be carried along when a unit is forced to withdraw.

The hand grenade should be used to full advantage in close combat. The present hand grenade is too heavy for long throws, and, too, it cannot easily be carried in sufficient number for a sustained fight.

Soldiers must learn that an enemy assault is repelled by fire power alone. When individual targets cannot be located, continuous area fire must be used.

Units are forbidden to withdraw without orders however desperate the situation. Unit commanders must keep higher headquarters informed of the amount of enemy pressure, and request authority to withdraw prior to movement.

Most poignant of Speirs’s observations was his self-condemnation for disregarding Dielsi’s plight. “The platoon leader is to be severely criticized for failing to carry the wounded man back as the platoon withdrew from the house on the thirteenth,” Speirs wrote. “His assumption that the man was dead does not excuse him. His expectation of another enemy assault and his fear that this would find the platoon with no ammunition were the factors causing this grave mistake.

~ Jared Frederick & Erik Dorr

[imadumbshark]

The Senju Kekkai Genkai

I'm pretty sure the senju kekkai genkai isn't actually mokuton, that's just a by product of their actual kekkai genkai which was proably a genetic predisposition to nature chakra.

I believe the mokuton is a specific alignment of factors that correlate to create the perfect circumstances for it to present. Namely, a water and earth nature affinity, VERY good chakra control (which is clearly a trait of the main family senju line, if hashirama, tobirama, and tsunade are any indication), AND a predisposition, or at least a learned ability, to passively absorb nature chakra (which even Naruto couldn't do, he absorbed it actively).

That would explain why the mokoton is so rare despite kekkai genkai usually being dominant genetic traits in large blood-related family groups (Uchiha, Hyuuga, Hoshigaki, etc) because even if all the senju family could passively absorb nature chakra, few of them hit the rest of the necessary factors.

Take for example Tobirama, hypothetically he hit 3 of the 4 required factors to create mokuton (water affinity, chakra control, nature chakra) but because he was missing that 1 single factor (earth affinity) his kekkai genkai presented as an incredibly powerful water affinity and skill over healing and seals*, but no mokuton.

As well as that, despite being much smaller than the Uchiha, the Senju as a whole were able to compete with them on the battlefield. If we assume the disparity caused by the Uchiha's size and kekkai genkai was being bridged by a boost from nature chakra to each individual Senju, the Senju's ability to keep up is much more feasible.

It is also generally agreed within the fandom (never officially confirmed), that when the mokuton becomes too strong, the user gets turned into a tree. Now, that sounds VERY similar to nature chakra imbalance which Naruto was threatened with when he was was learning Toad Sage Mode, adjusted to suit a Tree Sage of course.

It would also explain why so many Shinobi (Orochimaru, Madara/Zetsu) throughout the Narutoverse struggled to recreate mokuton despite having direct access to Hashirama's cells. Unfortunately, I'm not overly familiar with cellular biology, but at least with kidney transplants (with modern science) the rejection rate is about 15% (correct me if I'm wrong, I googled it), not the ridiculous 99% we see when Orochimaru attempted to recreate it under Danzo's orders. Even accounting for the likely uptick in deaths due to adjusting genetic code being considerably riskier then a simple kidney transplant, it is not unreasonable to assume that most of the transfers were probably successful. Therefore, it is possible that the 99% fatality rate was due to the sudden and overwhelming influx of nature chakra into small bodies and minds that did not know how to handle or balance the sudden intrusion. In fact, we even see this when Tenzou's neighbour eventually succumbed to the experiment, and roots and branches grew out of her. Much like the cost that is described for those that wield mokuton, and also an imbalance of nature chakra.

Finally, that would explain why Sakura doesn't have mokuton when, if the show's description of the kekkai genkai is too be believed, she definitely should. Kishimoto's explanation for mokuton is that it is a perfect balance of earth and water nature affinities which, when combined, can cause plant life and vegetation to be manipulated and grow at extraordinary rates*°. However, if this explanation is to be believed, then there is no reason why Sakura should not have mokuton. It is generally agreed (again, never confirmed) that Sakura has earth and water affinities, and her chakra control is considered one of the greatest in the history of the Shinobi nations (canonically the greatest during her time). Therefore, if we're going by kishimoto's explanation, logically, Sakura should be able to use her chakra control to balance her water and earth affinities. However, if we rather consider it with the theory that the Senju kekkai genkai is nature chakra, then Sakura suddenly needs 4 prerequisites, not just 3. And Sakura has never shown any proclivity to nature chakra, so she does not hit the last requirement.

So. Yeah. The Senju had a genetic green thumb that gave them superpowers, not just trees. I think I had more points somewhere rattling around but I've forgotten them lol. I was also going to do a TL;LD but ehhhhhhh too hard. Do with this information as you like, thank you for coming to my TED talk.

*it is generally believed that one must have a certain mental predisposition towards healing and seals to be able to fully master them. Hence why the Uzumaki were so feared, because it was quite literally impossible for any other Shinobi (even other seal masters) to master some of their work because the logical progression (seals work somewhat like code, except WHERE you put each line of code mattered almost as much as WHAT it said) was incomprehensible

*weirdly enough, hashirama's mokuton generally uses pre-existing plants and seeds to create his constructs whereas Tenzou most often creates them from himself. Perhaps less control/balance over the nature chakra? Rather then using it in the traditional sense, he has weaponised the nature chakra's own side effect? Would also explain why his mokuton is weaker and why he's never shown to have Tree Sage Mode. Could also simply be because neither had formal training and simple made the mokuton entirely their own in how they used it lol

°according to kishimoto's explanation, mokuton is more akin to a release, like D's storm release (water and wind) or Mei's lava release (earth and fire), not a true kekkai genkai which CANNOT be recreated without the necessary genetic code, much like most dojutsus', the hoshigaki's sharklike appearances and skills (although that is often argued to be more as a result of their summons), and the hozuki's naturally transformative cellular structure (which is BONKERS by the way)

[coricoping]

CATS: The Jellicle Ball Summary

Sourced from my (admittedly imperfect) memory. I love this production, and this is an abridged summary of my memory of the events of the show. Specific/detailed character thoughts will be saved for their own posts, same with thematic deep dives. If there is any character/theme/question y'all want my thoughts on first, I can move them to the top of my queue of thoughts. That being said: on with the show!

Tumblr decided to post early, so this is just Act 1. I will add Act 2 as a reblog when I finish it

Pre-Show

The set for this show is really well done. Talked to one of the workers during intermission, and the whole thing (seating, stage, and all) is completely modular and movable. Floor levels are also all adjustable. It really inclines itself to audience interaction, both with the runway structure and the individual tables at the cabaret level seats.

Junior Labeija handles the pre-show announcements (put your phones away once you've googled me, cheer your heart out, don't film, etc)

Overture

Hearing this live for the first time made me cry

The DJ's introduction is great, he has a collection of queer and black artists' vinyls that he pulls out, followed by a Cats vinyl filled with glitter

The eyes (projected up onto the back wall/window panel) have the white cat solo animated inside of them

Shadow outline of a dancer (I think Primo/Tumble on the night I saw) starting out w/ ears and a tail doing classic Cats-style choreo blending into a removal of the ears/tail and a shift to ballroom choreo

Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats

Did the thing I love for this song where there are clear and well-timed spotlights on every cat as they sing their line, w/ everyone else in darkness

Cast appears throughout the audience (Tugger was behind me at his start, I think) before gathering into the area around the stage

Get onto stage for the Mystical Divinity section

The group catwalk is absolutely gorgeous, this show has great choreo

The Naming of Cats

The perfection of this song for a queer viewing of Cats cannot be overstated, and will likely be its own post eventually

Munk as an MC leading this number is lovely to me

"Man over there" is given to Macavity, as the first clear indication to his altered role in this version

There are spotlights on every cat whose name gets said in the song, not just Bombalurina, which makes me happy

White Cat Solo

Gets its own segment because Baby is that good. She is dance captain for this show and you can see why

The white outfit here is gorgeous, kinda sad she changes out of it later

Pink lighting is doing good work making this section feel ethereal

Was way closer to the vibes of the original than I was expecting from a vogue choreo. There were a couple moves I saw as clear references to the original

Invitation

Emcee Munk continues to be amazing, the rhythm of this was very satisfying

"COME OUT tonight"

They bring in guest judges to sit until Old Deut arrives

Gumbie Cat

Jenny is a tired single mother of three kids who cannot for the life of them get organized

Puerto Rican drag queen Jennyanydots has my heart, as does her stylist

The "sits and sits and sits" line here is not used to imply that Jenny is lazy, it is very explicitly saying that she has a lot of sex (as acted out jokingly by her choreo)

Cassandra is adorable here, both while dancing and after she realizes she's won

Category Is: Virgin Vogue. A category for people in their first year of doing vogue (or similar). Won by Cassandra of House Dots, other competitors are Tumblebrutus of House Dots, Electra 007, and someone I am currently forgetting

The Rum Tum Tugger

I think I've made my love for this setup for Tugger clear before, and will continue to do so in the future, so this is gonna be little moments I liked/noticed

There are some line/blocking switch ups. Bomba gets the "terrible bore" line (said reclined on the stage as Tugger leans over her) along with her standard. Victoria is the girl flirting with Tugger on his "No" drop

Tugger flirts with everyone here. His competition, the other cats, the audience, etc.

Everyone but Misto, who is off to the side mocking his riffs

Sillabub is the one to faint during the ending bit

Category Is: Realness. Ability to pass as a (in this case) a cishet man in a variety of categories (pretty boy, thug, schoolboy, executive, etc). Won by Tugger, other competitors are Tumblebrutus and Mungojerrie

Grizzabella the Glamour Cat

I really like the interpretation of the Jellicles' relationship with Grizz in this show. They aren't angry at her, more...distressed? It seems like her being around is making everyone worried both about her and for her, so they react differently

Munk tries to give her money, she refuses

She comes in holding a trophy that is clearly old, showing that her glory days were a while ago. She also looks like she's likely been homeless.

Demeter's voice is gorgeous here, and she looks really conflicted about Grizz

There is a Demelurina vibe to this whole show, which I started noticing here

I have a lot of thoughts on Grizz and her relationships with the Jellicles here, which will probably be a post pretty soon after this one.

Grizz tries and fails to convince the judges to allow her to compete, and is far more determined/steely in this first appearance than usual.

Sillabub. Making them a giant Grizzabella fan was such a good choice. This is one of the most sweet and genuine through-lines of the musical. They're so genuinely remorseful and excited to see Grizz, but still back off when Demeter warns them.

Bustopher Jones

I know I gave Jenny my heart earlier, but it's been stolen. Nonbinary Bustopher Jones as played by Nora Schell is, I think, the ideal Bustopher. This is what this character was meant to be, for me

Oh gods the costumes. Tugger has a sparkly leopard print jockstrap. Bustopher has a full bustier situation covered in a bedazzled Union Jack. Mistoffelees and Demeter both have lovely sheer situations going on. This is amazing, and I've been informed is even better if you're bi

Nora Shell has pipes, y'all. Their voice is so strong and clear

This number has almost no true choreography, it's just the competitors showing off how hot they are (posing, strutting, stripping, grabbing their asses and shaking them at the judges, etc)

The amount of offense Tugger takes to losing is hilarious to me

Category Is: Body. Usually divided into Femme Queen and Butch Queen, but competed as an Open-to-All for this show. How good does your body look, and how well can you show it off? Won by Bustopher Jones, other competitors are Tugger, Demeter, and Mistoffelees.

Macavity Scare 1

Flashing lights and sirens

Demeter is so done with this. I have rarely heard a clearer "bitch really?" tone than I did in her calling Macavity's name here

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer

Making them come from Jersey is amazing, top tier choice paired with some amazing accent work

Costumes are again amazing, Mungoteazer have a lime green/neon pink color scheme going on here

They spend a long time behind some changing racks, and I spent that whole time watching Munk as he got more and more annoyed with every passing second

I really love the dancing in this song, they get very up in each other's faces

Y'all, they steal the trophy when they lose. It's perfect

Category Is: Tag Team Performance. Vogue performance done as a pair. Won by Victoria and Tumblebrutus, stolen by Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer.

Old Deuteronomy

Munkustrap: a professional, on his shit, announcing his House Father right

Tugger: unprepared, eating a snack, oh god why is he giving me the mic

I love the setup for the duet here, Tugger is so surprised to be picked and is both nervous and honored. They sing into the same mic y'all

Andre De Shields, what more do I need to say?

His presence, his voice, the note he held for a solid 30 seconds, he deserves that throne

Jellicle Ball

Macavity again! In his dressing gown, with his bags of stolen stuff, looking like a deer in headlights when the spotlight catches him

The dancing continues to be absolutely gorgeous

Grizzabella is up on an audience balcony for this number looking tragic

The Jellicle Moon is a disco ball and it brought me so much joy

Munk has a killer egyptian look, including full-size wings

There are giant complicated cat face wigs and a giant hat made of hair

Category Is: Bizarre. Fashion category judged on the quality and strangeness of the outfit. Munkustrap was the only competitor, and Old Deut chopped him

Category Is: Hair. Not a category I actually know, but clearly in this show is judging based on the size, design, and quality of wigs. Won by the House of Dots, as sole competitors

Probably other categories I didn't notice clearly enough to remember

Memory

Grizzabella comes on and everyone walks off annoyed, except for Old Deut who comes and hides behind a riser. He's right in front of me, so I'm watching this number over his shoulder

Grizz recreating her dance moves is painful for my heart, as usual

Tempress has a gorgeous voice

Sillabub re-enters and looks so starstruck, then runs off again

Comes back with a sparkly dress to offer to Grizz

Grizz sees the dress, starts crying, and runs away. She grabs her coat, but leaves her scarf

We go to intermission on the image of Sillabub holding the scarf to their face and crying

[elminx]

Energy Update: February 2024

February is a “1” Universal Month [2 (February) + 8 (2024) = 10 = 1+0 =1] in an “8” Universal Year. 1 is the number of new beginnings, and this is reflected somewhat in the astrology for the month. We are entering a new era (Pluto in Aquarius which will last for nineteen years). There may need to be some adjustments. It may seem as if everything in your life has shifted. If you feel this way, know that you are right on time.

The Setup

February begins with the Sun and Pluto in Aquarius, Mercury Venus and Mars in Capricorn, Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus, and Neptune in Pisces. By month’s end, the Sun and Mercury will have entered Pisces, and Venus and Mars will have entered Aquarius. It’s worth noting that all of our personal planets are still quite bunched up in the last quadrant of the horoscope wheel – this shows that even though February may be a “beginning” of sorts with its 1 energy, there are still things that need wrapping up before we can all fully move on. This is further indicated since Pluto, now in Aquarius, will briefly retrograde back into Capricorn later in 2024 before moving direct and into Aquarius again by year’s end.

The Nitty Gritty

The big astrology for the month is Pluto’s ingress into Aquarius which happened back on 1/20. As our farthest planet from the sun (at least most of the time), Pluto remains in a single sign for an exceptionally long time. In this way, we can view Pluto as our cosmic clean-up crew – it is constantly and very slowly working behind the scenes to dismantle what we all, as individual groups and as a greater society, have outgrown. Much like a vulture, Pluto picks apart what we have been to free us for what is yet to come.

We are most of the way there now. Pluto has been flirting with Aquarius since the beginning of 2023 as it moves forward and backward across the border between Capricorn and Aquarius as part of its retrograde cycle. This is ingress 2 of 3; Pluto will station retrograde on 5/2, reenter Capricorn on 9/1, station direct on 10/11, and enter Aquarius for the final time on 11/19. All of these dates will be pivotal moments in the story of 2024 and the change that this year will bring to all of our lives. But, for now, we are in a place of beginning. In February, all three of our personal planets will enter Aquarius and immediately form a conjunction with Pluto at 00° – in this way, we are given three days to release what is no longer serving us to better move forward and adapt to the changes that fall ahead.

These releases will work from thought (Mercury on 2/5), to action (Mars on 2/13), and finally into our emotional centers (Venus on 2/17). Each of these days will be highly supportive of personal work of all kinds – most especially personal work that falls within the purview of the planet in conjunction with Pluto. A great way to work with this energy would be to perform a simple banishment ritual each day – the first to banish unwanted thoughts, the second actions, and the third emotions. It’s worth keeping in mind here that although the immature presentation of Aquarian energy can be quite selfish, the mature form wants the best for the entire world. With our personal planets and Pluto in Aquarius, social justice magic of all kinds will be strongly supported.

When all of our personal planets are tightly packed together, astrological weather tends to pack a pretty big punch. This is because we will all experience four repeating aspects with the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars (and the moon as well, though that works on its own schedule) to the other planets in our sky. We see this in the example above where all of our planets conjunct Pluto in sequence with one another but we will also see them each form squares with Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus, as well as sextiles to the North Node and Chiron in Aries, and trines with our South Node in Libra. 

Jupiter is the great expander, sometimes considered to be our “go” force in life. Uranus breaks things down to enact change beyond our control. Chiron is the cosmic wound that forces us to heal and grow. And the South Node (of focus here) is the axis of Past Fate: the things that have already happened to us that were unavoidable.

Read together, I see this overarching message stand out: Sometimes, this world can feel like an unavoidable hellscape. Bad things happen. BIG things happen that are far, far beyond our control. Through pandemics, inflation, climate instability, and financial crises, the world moves on. And we still need to live in it. That may sound harsh, but it’s not meant to be. You cannot change what you cannot change. That is one of the deepest lessons that Saturn, the planet of time, has to teach us: absolve yourself of your angst over the things that were never in your control to begin with.

Although in modern times we talk about the planet of Aquarius in reference to its true planetary ruler Uranus, Aquarius’ traditional planetary ruler is Saturn. The secret to Aquarius times is to dream about big change (Uranus), but to keep it grounded in reality (Saturn). You can enact change – change perhaps beyond your wildest expectations even – but that change needs to be possible. Everything in life has limitations, that’s another Saturn lesson.

The sky is the limit but you need to remember not to fly too close to the sun. Apply that metaphor where it fits in your life this month and into March as well because these arbitrary calendar demarcations have nothing to do with astrological transits.

Mars will sextile Chiron and the North Node (now in close conjunction with one another) and trine the South Node between 2/5-2/7, Mercury does so as well on 2/15 – these are not going to be easy days. Consequences of past actions are on the table here and its likely to hurt. We have three signs in play here – the dichotomy of our 7-7 Sun Sign pair (Aries and Libra) and oddball Aquarius. 

Since Aries is the sign of self and Libra is the sign of relationships AND this is happening around V-Day, one can assume relationship tensions will be high throughout the first half of the month. Especially in relationships where there is a big power imbalance or a lot of codependent tendencies. It’s worth keeping in mind here that our way forward is found in the North Node, now in Aries, so independence is likely to trump codependence during this time.

That is going to make a certain type of person very uncomfortable. I don’t always do “Valentine’s Day” transit reads because I find it to be a meh holiday at most, but this one is worth mentioning. Venus and Mars are in close but not quite conjunction the week of the 14th. Each is working their way through Capricorn towards that inevitable conjunction with Pluto. Mars enters Aqaruius on 1/13 and conjuncts Pluto on 1/14. That’s…a pretty big breakup signal.

Not saying that applies to you if you’re in a solid relationship. Just saying that transit, on Valentine’s Day, has red flags and long nights painted all over it. That toxic couple who only stays together for the makeup sex may be pretty into this transit.

If you’re in a loving relationship, try and cut your partner some slack around this time. They may be pretty deep in it and it may not have anything to do with you. Especially male-identifying partners or anybody who has a strong Mars influence in their charts (I’m looking at all of those Aries and Scorpios). There’s a huge amount of performative pressure put on Valentine’s Day and Pluto might just set about dismantling that right about now. That could even be a good thing.

Magic done SPECIFICALLY to dismantle the performative pressure of Valentine’s Day will be highly supported during this time. If that’s your thing and you want to write a group ritual, cue me in, I’m very interested in helping out with that.

It’s not likely to be the sexy times, though. Not unless you are really getting off on some toxic shit. (no shaming here, toxic shit with real boundaries can be super hot)

Venus enters Aquarius on 2/16 and conjuncts Pluto on 2/17 so this energy is going to stick around for a while. If you want to schedule something with your sweeties, do so after the Sun enters Pisces on 2/18, maybe when Venus and Mars conjunct on 2/22. But, even then, at 06° Aquarius, our two relationship planets are still in stellium with Pluto. It’s just not the best month for relationships. Tread lightly and practice all of your empathy skills if you want to get along with your Others this month.

Our new moon for the month is on 2/9 at 20° Aquarius. This is sitting in a tight square with Uranus in Taurus. This may feel a bit like that long-term Saturn square Uranus aspect we dealt with a couple of years back. Something has got to give or it’s going to break. Uranus is our planet of disasters, so it’s worth being careful of fire and explosives when it is activated by either the Sun or Mars. Where are you holding on too tightly in your own life? This is the cosmic right time to let that shit go. The lunar nodes are being activated here as well by a square with Venus in Capricorn so all bets are off.

This is a great day to do wild magic through aspects with both the lunar nodes and Uranus and that is further indicated as this Leo new moon is a “5” moon. This is a great day to shake things up or work to make a significant difference in your life or the world. But, a word to the wise: Leo full moons are naturally “4” moons, so they do require some structure and handling. Again, moving back to the above warning: don’t go overboard with dry botanicals and candle magic with this new moon.

Again: red flags. This time for fires rather than breakups.

Our full moon is on 2/24 at 05° Virgo. All of our personal planets are in play here, too. (theme of the month, after all) Mercury is in conjunction with the Sun while Venus and Mars are still conjunct with one another in Aquarius and square to Jupiter in Taurus (Venus exactly during our lunar event). Virgo can be an overly critical full moon to begin with and this seems turned up to 11. Mercury is in its detriment in Pisces so we may not be thinking straight. Neither Venus nor Mars is particularly at home in Aquarius (and Aquarius loves a good fight…I mean…discussion) so there isn’t a lot of peace to be found here.

Additionally, it’s a 9/1 full moon which carries quite a bit of finality to it. You can use this energy if you know what you are doing. Be critical of what you want to remove from your life during this time. That focuses the natural Virgo “9” full moon energy. But make it work for you, remove it for a new start. That brings it back around to 1 and a new beginning. That’s very in line with our “1” universal Month and it activates the sense of completion of coming full circle that our “8” year demands.

At the end of the month, the Sun, Mercury, and Saturn will meet up in a rare stellium at 09° Pisces on 2/28.  This has "consequences" written all over it.   Perhaps the kindest thing that you can do for yourself (Pisces vibes) when faced with what you have wrought (Saturn) is to admit to it.  Own up. Verbally say that you are sorry if you are actually sorry (Mercury).   If you can do THAT and tap into your heart after the long dry winds of February, you'll know that you've gotten somewhere.

In this way, I see the energy of February as harsh at times, but ultimately, working for us. It may be easy to get mired in the past or feel hopelessly turned to dust and emotionless. The anecdote to Aquarius energy is always found in Leo and the deep heart space. Working with warming herbs, fire (except where already forwarded against), and heart energies of all kinds may help to move stuck energy all month long. There’s a lot of room for change here (magical or otherwise) but you are going to have to work for it.

The Details

2/2 – Mercury in Capricorn sextile Neptune in Pisces 2/5 – Sun in Aquarius sextile Chiron in Aries, Mercury enters Aquarius, Mercury conjunct Pluto 00° Aquarius, Venus in Capricorn square Chiron in Aries 2/7 – Sun in Aquarius sextile North Node in Aries/trine South Node in Libra, Venus in Capricorn square lunar nodes, Venus in Capricorn trine Uranus in Taurus, Mars in Capricorn sextile Neptune in Pisces 2/8 – Sun in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus, Moon conjunct Pluto 00° Aquarius 2/9 – New moon 20° Aquarius 2/10 – Mercury in Aquarius square Jupiter in Taurus 2/13 – Venus in Capricorn sextile Neptune in Pisces, Mars enters Aquarius 2/14 – Mars conjunct Pluto 00° Aquarius 2/15 – Mercury in Aquarius sextile Chiron in Aries, Mercury sextile North Node/trine South Node 2/16 – Mercury in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus, Venus enters Aquarius 2/17 – Venus conjunct Pluto 00° Aquarius 2/18 – Sun enters Pisces 2/22 – Venus conjunct Mars 06° Pisces 2/23 – Mercury enters Pisces 2/24 – Full Moon 05° Virgo, Venus in Aquarius square Jupiter in Taurus 2/27 – Mars in Aquarius square Jupiter in Taurus 2/28 – Sun conjunct Mercury and Saturn (stellium) 09° Pisces 2/29 – Mercury in Pisces sextile Jupiter in Taurus Do you like my work? You can support me on Kofi.

[mariacallous]

Researchers have shown how the tax system can reinforce disparities between households of different races or ethnicities, even though the Internal Revenue Code does not explicitly favor any racial group. These disparities arise because the tax code favors certain types of income, expenses, and family characteristics—factors that often vary by race and ethnicity.

Despite being the fastest-growing racial group in the country, Asian American households remain an understudied population in tax policy research. Around 24 million Americans, or 7% of the U.S. population, identify either as Asian or Asian in combination with another race. Using newly available data, we find that among American households in the top 20% of the income distribution, Asian American households pay a higher average individual tax rate than white households, in large part because they earn more of their income from labor earnings, while white households are more likely to own tax-favored assets.

How do we know? Previously, the triennial Survey of Consumer Finance (SCF) had assigned information on all Asian American households to the “Other” racial category. The 2022 SCF oversamples minorities and is the first wave to present specific data for households in three separate categories: Asian American, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

Researchers can now explore the impact of the tax code on Asian American taxpayers relative to white taxpayers. Our analysis uses the 2022 SCF data, an established methodology to convert households into tax filing units, and the NBER’s TAXSIM microsimulation model. Still, the small number of Asian Americans in the 2022 SCF sample, limit the level of detail in our statistical analysis. But that limit highlights the need for more specific data and research.

Differences in income distribution

Figure 1 compares the expanded income (EI) distribution of Asian American and white households. EI includes adjusted gross income, cash and near-cash benefits, and untaxed sources of capital income such as unrealized capital gains and imputed rent from owning a home.

Asian American taxpayers have a bimodal distribution; that is, they largely fall into two main areas of this distribution, and their incomes vary more widely compared to white taxpayers. While a large proportion of Asian Americans are in the top 20% of the distribution, a sizable share is in the lowest 20 to 40% of the distribution, revealing diversity within the Asian American community. This finding challenges the “model minority” stereotype that all Asian American families are financially well-off.

Differences in average tax rate

Figure 2 shows the average tax rate (ATR, or the ratio of income tax liability to EI) for Asian American and white households.

The ATR generally rises with income for both groups, reflecting the progressive nature of the federal income tax. Among those in the top 60% of the income distribution, Asian American households pay higher ATRs than white households. Subsequent regression analysis (not shown), however, indicates this difference is statistically significant only for the top quintile (at the 10% level, a criterion we chose based on the limited sample size). The higher ATR arises because, relative to white households, Asian American households earn a greater share of their income from fully-taxed labor income (earned from working) rather than tax-favored capital income (earned from sources including realized or unrealized capital gains, unreported business income, or imputed rent on owner-occupied housing).

Contributing factors to tax disparities

While differences in the composition and level of income matter when assessing the tax treatment of Asian American households, other factors may also contribute these differences.

For example, the tax code generally favors single-earner married couples, but the labor force participation of Asian American women is higher than that of white women. That raises the possibility of a higher occurrence of marriage penalties among Asian households. The younger age distribution of Asian Americans compared to white Americans may drive other differences. Asian American households are less likely to own homes but owe more when they do, possibly because a large share of Asian American people live in high-cost areas like San Francisco. This suggests potential differences in the use of the mortgage interest deduction.

Asian American households are also less likely to hold tax-preferred retirement accounts, and their households are more likely to be multigenerational, which may cause confusion about which adults are eligible for benefits. In fact, a recent Treasury study found that low-income Asian Americans are less likely to receive the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit than any other low-income racial group.

There’s much more to learn

While these preliminary findings show how the tax code affects Asian American and white households differently, researchers need more data to conduct deeper analyses. There may be disparities in income tax liabilities within the broadly diverse Asian American population. Cultural norms, socioeconomic statuses, and lived experiences vary widely among Asian American families from different countries and regions.  

In March 2024, the Biden administration updated Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 to require federal data to subdivide the “Asian American” category into subgroups, including Chinese, Asian Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese. With these detailed data, researchers can perform more nuanced analyses that further debunk the “model minority” myth.

Policymakers should use this research to better understand the economic needs of low-income Asian American families, particularly the most vulnerable among them. That includes the uncertainty faced by undocumented immigrants and the high poverty rates among Burmese (19%) and Hmong (17%) Americans.

Examining differences in tax treatments between Asian American subgroups will allow researchers to capture the diverse experiences and needs of these communities, enabling the development of responsive policies.

[mrs-sharp]

I did a bit of research and scraped together memories from a few semesters of psychology, hoping I haven’t fundamentally gotten anything wrong. I attempted a small (clinical) psychological analysis of Sharp in which, of course, some things had to be shortened, trying to determine how the events in Scarborough might have affected him.

TW: Mention of PTSD, trauma, personality disorders

Does Sharp suffer from PTSD?

What is PTSD?

• Trigger: uncontrollable, unpredictable event

• Stress reaction where people suffer from the persistent re-experiencing of the traumatic event (flashbacks, nightmares)

-> Guilt for surviving

-> In addition to chronic stressors, everyday stressors also influence the course of the illness and mental state (noise, stressful events (I’m looking at you, Garreth), job stress)

• There are several stages to diagnose PTSD:

1. Trauma

In psychiatric classification systems, trauma (in relation to PTSD) is defined as follows: (only) exceptional, (potentially) life-threatening events or events associated with severe injuries; applies to Scarborough, but:

-> not every trauma leads to PTSD; while an estimated 60% have had a traumatic experience, only about 8% of the male population develop PTSD (for women, it's 20%); the likelihood increases if the trauma was inflicted intentionally, which applies to Scarborough.

2. Flashbacks, nightmares (explanations follow below)

3. Avoidance behavior

-> Avoidance of stimuli related to the trauma:

So, we have this: Sharp claims that fear played no role in his decision to leave the Ministry:

-> there is a study (Lanius et al. 2003) that compared traumatized individuals with and without PTSD: those with PTSD showed lower brain activity when experiencing emotional memories (people with PTSD thus suffer from a disorder in emotion processing)

-> What does this mean? Either the emotion is present, but Sharp's brain can not process it, or maybe he simply doesn’t want to discuss his emotions with a student

-> Repression might also play a role in this statement, as well as the fear of making himself vulnerable (if someone uses my fears against me, I have to relive them)

4. Overstimulation

-> constant state of alertness

-> sleep disturbances, irritability

5. Duration > 1 month

6. Psychosocial impairments

Problem: We don’t see much: Does he have nightmares, flashbacks, concentration issues? Does he relive the trauma? Does the experience restrict him?

Between the lines, it can be seen that he feels guilt, but there is hardly any indication of the extent of it (if he didn’t feel guilt, to be honest, that would worry me too).

Counterarguments / Ambivalences:

• He speaks relatively openly about what he experienced

• He admits his mistake: this could be a sign that he has come to terms with it or that he blames himself for it

• He actively seeks a cure and even takes a new job for it, which argues against avoidance behaviour.

7. Differential diagnosis

-> Reactions to trauma can cause disorders of varying severity

-> Trauma can also bring other psychological disorders, including adjustment disorders, or:

• a persistent personality change after extreme stress:

Aesop mentions that success can make one complacent. From this, it can be concluded that the trauma has profoundly changed his personality:

• in the above-mentioned disorder, the personality change includes:

-> among other things, a hostile and distrustful attitude (thinking of the first encounter with MC, see this post),

-> social withdrawal (new job)

-> as well as constant internal tension and restlessness out of fear of being threatened (his extreme perceptiveness could be a sign of this; when MC talks to Garreth, Sharp knows exactly what they discussed afterward)

-> all this therefore applies to Sharp

However, this disorder tends to occur with persistent stress that can begin in childhood, which either indicates that Scarborough, though a one-time event, still burdens him, or that his personality changes cannot be classified as a disorder.

Conclusion: Sharp probably does not have PTSD, but Scarborough caused severe trauma. We can assume that the event has profoundly shaped his personality. Whether it can be called a personality disorder, I can not judge. However, I do wonder what the "old" Sharp was like. But that’s a question for another post.

[chibun-days]

thoughts on my interpretation of dazai + his past in regards to fanfiction writing

this mainly applies to dazai during 15 and his time in the pm, but could work for ada dazai albeit with minor adjustments

see on the one hand i have the urge to write dazai as incomprehensible unfathomable indecipherable. he'll be darkness incarnate pretending at being human, and he can be something colder and crueler than anyone else in the world. he can be something dead. he'll be a living corpse, closer to death than living.

on the other hand i want him to just be a mess of a human being who's a little too smart and a little too empty and little too hurt. he can be someone who's tried desperately to find meaning in life, failed at every turn, and buries himself in darkness instead until it permeates his very being. he chokes on kindness, if that one episode of bsd wan where atsushi gives him flowers is any indication. he can see himself as irredeemable, regardless of how other people perceive him. he can genuinely believe that he can't possibly have positive human relationships not founded on mutual goals or manipulation, as i write in his perception of chuuya at the start of 15.

the issue with both of my interpretations (i am fonder of the second one) is that we haven't gotten any actual backstory for dazai. we know what he was like at fourteen/fifteen—but by then, he'd already established his worldview and opinion that there is no meaning in living. mori literally finds him when he tries to commit suicide; the pm may have encouraged his cruelty and violence, but that was all already there. what happened before that instilled in dazai's mind that he wanted to die? despite being given a frankly massive amount of coverage in light novels, the manga, and the anime, we still know virtually nothing about dazai's past. it's so difficult to properly analyze and understand dazai's character and actions because we don't know the reasoning behind these things. all individuals are dependent on their past experiences—it would be necessary to understand dazai's past in order to get a better picture of his character as a whole.

my first interpretation assumes that dazai has, from birth—similarly to yozo in no longer human—always been "empty". it assumes that dazai has never felt like a human being, never been able to understand them, and never been able to relate to them. the second interpretation, however, assumes that while dazai may have felt alienated as a child, there is a reason for said alienation and the ensuing suicide attempt and worldview.

the key part, however, brings into question what exactly the reason was: bsd follows (very, very lightly) the ramifications of a post-war setting. you see it in fukuzawa and yosano's backstories, as well as fukuchi's motive in villainy. did dazai somehow participate in the war? was it instead abuse by an organization or by family that impacted dazai's understanding of living? it's impossible to guess the canon backstory of dazai, but i think it'd be reasonable to assume that there is at the very least a concrete reason or event in dazai's past that results in his mannerisms and behavior that we see in canon. i would be hesitant to go into government experiment/inhuman territory, however, because that ruins a very important parallel: the one between chuuya and dazai.

i've mentioned it before—essentially, dazai is human but feels/acts inhuman, while chuuya isn't human (though certain evidence suggests otherwise, but the point stands) but feels/acts wildly human. they're eachother's antithesis; however, they wholeheartedly and without a doubt believe that the other is irreplaceably human. if dazai does turn out be some aspect of the book (as theories suggest), that doesn't quite make sense in regards to the consistency of this parallel, which is very important overall to soukoku's dynamic. i have so many more thoughts about this but i'll stop here for today.

in short i am trying to write a cohesive backstory for dazai that actually makes sense in my fic (i am failing)

[positivelyqueer]

No cognitive spoons for big language post but: Disability in prehistory. (Be aware all articles are sympathetic compassionate towards disabled people but not always use up to date language).

"In a small society which was very stressed, that means somebody who couldn't contribute or go out hunting or undertake a lot of tasks was supported, accommodated, and adjusted to," Tilley says. "That tells us people mattered. They were valued."

"It's absolutely obvious this child had something systemically wrong with them," Tilley says, yet the infant was evidently nurtured for months and buried surrounded by bone collars, bone earrings and dog's-tooth beads – rich grave goods unlike any others uncovered in burials in the cemetery."

(Ancient Bones Offer Clues To How Long Ago Humans Cared For The Vulnerable.)

"They concluded that the people around him who had no metal and lived by fishing, hunting and raising barely domesticated pigs, took the time and care to tend to his every need."

(Archaeologists find prehistoric humans cared for sick and disabled.)

"The remains of Romito 2 (probable male, 17–20 years) date to around 11,000 BP and represent the earliest known case of chondrodystrophic dwarfism (acromesomelic dysplasia). From a hunter-gatherer community in a mountainous region of southern Italy, Romito 2's skeletal dysplasia limited his participation in typical economic and other cultural activities undertaken by his cohort, and anomalies in appearance distinguished him from his peers from infancy onwards... Romito 2's survival reflects caregiving in the form of ‘accommodation of difference’... (such as strategies enabling participation in group activities)."

(Accommodating difference in the prehistoric past: Revisiting the case of Romito 2 from a bioarchaeology of care perspective.)

"It is suggested this young man had congenital, bilateral clubfoot, as well as a recent, partially healed femoral midshaft fracture. These pathologies would have impacted his mobility and daily activities, but his skeleton indicates that he developed methods to adjust. Combining this assessment with an evaluation of his socio-environmental context, it is evident that this man, though he died young, was an integrated member of his community."

(The Impact of Clubfoot: A Holistic, Paleopathological Case Study from Bronze Age Thailand Using the Bioarchaeology of Care Framework.)

(present scientific debate whether studied individuals were able to 'contribute' to greater extent than believed, and conflicts which arise from implicit unconscious biases towards disability present in researchers.)