#also i do not have enough jl evidence to say it for sure but. it feels like this MIGHT have happened once

[heliotropion]

Batman but wonder woman just throw him at air everytime she is mad at him

I CAN IMAGINE THAT. oh if only i was good at drawing + i had the time

[frayazicat]

what if Triplets Dan, Danny, and Ellie?

like, people like to make at least Dan and Danny twins, but why not all three?? i never see that happen.

here's what i'm thinking. Reveal Gone Good, but Danny now has to tell his parents about the OTHER TWO biggest secrets he's kept from them; Dan and Ellie. he's a little hesitant cause this is not Phantom Planet compliant so they don't know about Vlad.

Dan's still in his thermos timeout thinking about what he's done and Ellie is...somewhere.

so, he tells them about his clone and his future self. this includes what Vlad has done to him. does it include who did this? maybe, i don't know. dealer's choice. anyways, the Fenton parents want to meet their new kids.

Team Phantom gets in touch with Ellie to get to FentonWorks as soon as possible while Danny introduces them to Dan.

it..might not go as planned, might end up fine, that's also dealer's choice. but! in the end, they somehow redeem Dan. Ellie arrives and the duo are welcomed into the family!

but, there are two problems now.

1) how do they explain away their new children?

and 2) Dan is full ghost (and adult-sized, i'm not sure the parents are old enough for a kid his age) and Ellie is an unstable clone - both half Vlad, and really not wanting to be half Vlad.

their solution to the second problem? make new bodies for them! they made two fully stable Halfa clone bodies from Danny, had Ellie and Dan fuse their cores inside these clones near the end of making them, and waited for them to pop out of the tubes at the same age as Danny! this might take some help from Clockwork and Danny to pull off without more melting clones..

anyways! now, they have three Halfa children. all they have to do at this point is find a way to explain the sudden appearance of TWO MORE KIDS!

their solution for THAT problem? hack into the database and change the medical files so it showed that THREE kids were birthed instead of one; Danail Jack, Daniel Jackson, and Dannielle Jacklyn Fenton. Dan, Danny, and Ellie.

but the parents take it SO MUCH FURTHER. they bribe the local schools and hospitals, they make fake receipts of things bought for them and fake records of government child support, and they even photoshop younger versions of Ellie and Dan into the family photos to make it legit. heck, they might have even gone back in time via Clockwork to add the birth certificates! they're THAT committed!

so, we got a new family of six gaslighting, gatekeeping, and girlbossing their way into legitimacy.

"What do you mean we only had two kids this entire time? Look at these records! Look at how similar they are to their triplet brother! The evidence says otherwise!"

"Listen, if you just play along and say nothing contrary to anybody who asks, we'll stop ghost hunting or driving for one month every time you do so. Sound good? We'll even put in some money to sweeten the deal."

"If we never had these children before, then why do we have memories of Dan viciously beating up Danny and Ellie's bullies at school?"

that sort of thing.

they're COMMITTED. it's INSANE. the town is going CRAZY.

where did these kids come from?? did we seriously forget about two teen kids for sixteen years??

(things go off the rails when Sam and Tucker get in on the action.)

now, i'm putting this under DCxDP, cause of just ONE little detail. Ellie's obsession involves moving, right?

well, what if the Fenton family becomes a wandering family of crime-fighters/mad scientists with an interest in the occult?

what if they get on the JL's radar because of one too many supernatural cases being solved by the Fentons in the JL's local cities?

they're at Gotham? suddenly, it feels as if the air is lighter and that it's not as drenched in evil and insanity as before. what did they do? fought the curses in the local Lazurus Pit like someone wrestling a pig in their mudpen.

they're in Metropolis? Lex woke up one day to find his entire stash of Kryptonite was missing with no trace. what did they do? the triplets broke in after sensing the gems and ate them like candy, their natural ghostliness shorting out the security feed as they do so.

they're in D.C.? all of the ghost relics in the local museums have been stolen with only a note saying, "Sorry for the disturbance! These were too dangerous for the living, so we put them somewhere safe! Don't worry! :)" left behind. what did they do? they took them and chucked them into the ghost portal where some allies on that side put them in safe places.

and that's all i got.

TL,DR; Fenton family goes full mad scientist in order to welcome Dan and Ellie into the family before packing up and wandering the states, effectively gaining the JL's attention with their suspicious and crazy appearances.

(i hope i didn't accidentally steal this idea from another. if i did, i'm sorry. feel free to smack me or something if that's the case.)

[ritacrow-blog]

-daminette

-introverted mari

-the usual class, adrien, lila, Alya! Salt

-Chloe redemption. She appoloises but leaves for New York a few months later due to bullying from the class.

- To distract herself from all the negatives in her life she immersed herself in work.

-has trust issues with strangers. Supportive Friends (Luka, Chloe and Kagami) and Parents.

-designs and sells her designs under MDC

-Solves cold cases while hunting down hawk-moth as "Nettie". (and because of this, hacking becomes a secret talent of hers) and reports her findings to the chief of police. Sabrina's dad (I forgot his name). Using Ladybug as the messenger. Ladybug explains to the Chief that she found someone to help track down hawk-moth, but doesn't want to be known. And that she is only giving acting as Nettie's messanger for cases that she just so happens to "accidentally" come across while searching for hawk-moth. So he sees Nettie as a "Robin Hood" just without the stealing part.

-She hangs out with Kagami but also learns how to use a Katana from her as an excuse to give to her mother. Like: learning how to teach people and is using Marinette as her Guinea pig student. Which Marinette then starts to enjoy. Especially when she needs to vent and just cut something down. And she eventually gets really good at it.

-the bullying gets worse

-by this time she's already gathering evidence against Gabriel and Natalie. Also finds out that Chat noir is Adrien. (she isn't very surprised). And makes a promise to herself that she will take them down before the school year ends.

-She goes to the Chief as ladybug to report what Nettie found. So they plot.

-stealing the miraculous from Adrien first before finding Kagami to be her Black cat for the final battle. And Luka as Python (different costume for identity reasons). They sneak into the Manor going straight to the lair where she found Adrien's Mom via CCTV. Heals her (let's pretend that LB has healing abilities. Ya?) and explains everything that is going on while Panther and Python search the area for the miraculous just in case. LB talks ladybug into getting Gabriel to surrender and she agrees. But Gabriel and Natalie storm in already transformed to fight. Not noticing Emily at first. When he finally does he stops. While Angry at them she convinces Gabriel and Natalie to stand down and surrender the miraculous to ladybug and face proper judgment.

-Ladybug, Panther and Python escort Gabriel and Natalie to the police waiting outside and Emily to get herself checked by the medics. Adrien is still asleep and unaware in his room. He will definitely be having quite the shock in the morning. His miraculous is gone. His mom is alive. Emily knows about him being Chat noir through LB. Is now under Emily's strict supervision.

-The last few months of school are loud after the news. Court hearing scheduled a week after the last day of school. Gabriel reveals Lila's role. Lila tries to get out of it but is proven guilty with evidence provided by Nettie. Bye-bye Liela~

- the class find out about what lila did and try to find Marinette to apologise.

-Marinette forgives but doesn't accept them as friends anymore.

Alya: "so now that we're friends again. Think you could get me that interview with Ladybug about the Hawk-moth case?"

Mari: "No"

Alya: "Thank you so mu-... What?... Why? We're best friends! True bestfriend help each other out!"

Mari: "exactly. Best friends help each other out. But where were you when I was bullied by lila. Heck the whole class. How about the harassment with Adrien. When I was clearly over him. We're not best friends alya. Not even close to being a friend"

Alya: "when did you get over adrien??? I thaught you were dating Luka to make adrien jealous."

Mari: (-_-) "I'm not. I haven't had a crush in adrien for 3 years now. I got rid of everything related to him. And I set Luka up with Kagami. They've been dating for over a year now"

Alya: "what the hell"

-not wanting to have anything to do with the class anymore. She applies for her last year in Gotham Academy (let's just say that she likes their curriculum: includes fashion design, coding and programming, and a kendo club. Kagami successfully converted her into a katana welding badass)

-Mari gets permission from her parents to move in to her Nona's apartment in Gotham.

- She leaves without telling anyone from the class. Only her family, Kagami, Chloe and Luca know.

-She arrives in Gotham and encounters Scarecrow on her fist day there. Gets caught in the fear gas.

-She sees her old classmates. Hawk-moth. Mayura. Chat Noir and Chat blanc. The Akumas. Purple butterflies.

-fights while under the fear toxin. Attacks every "akuma" (goons) coming her way. Unknowingly fighting the batfam thinking that they're "akumas". Until Nightwing holds her down and Robin injects the antidote.

Mari: *muttering* fuck you hawk-moth and your disgusting purple butterflies. *faints*

Red Robin: What the fuck...

Red Hood: I call dibs on Pixi pop becoming my sister.

Batman:.......

Nightwing: *looks at Robin* please tell me you heard that too...

Robin:.......

-Mari wakes up in the ambulance. Feels fine so she just hops off and goes straight for her bags.

Nightwing: where are you going? You still need to get checked.

Mari: I'm fine. I've dealt with worse. I'm just gonna go and get my bags. I don't trust the security here.

Nightwing: hey! Wait!

Mari keeps walking to her bags. Picks up her katana and straps it to her back and grabs her luggage.

Nightwing: Hey! You still need to get checked anyways... And questioned...

Mari: *stares*..... Fine. But please Hury I want to get to my place before it gets dark.

Batman: how did you fight the fear toxin?

Mari: it's called fear toxin... No wonder I saw what I saw... *looks at batman* I'm used to having to deal with my fears. I've had to fight them head on in Paris constantly.

Red Robin: Isn't Paris a peaceful city?

Mari: *scoff* peaceful my ass. It hasn't been peaceful at all the past 3 years. I've seen enough deaths and magical shit to last me a lifetime.

Batfam:......

Mari: *sigh* sorry for my language. I'm just cranky from not having had any sleep in the past... 1,2,3,4,5... 6...oh shit... Anyways... Look I just landed I haven't had sleep the past few days. Got caught in the attack. Somehow fought them of. Lost consciousness... Not even sure why I even woke up considered my lack of sleep...and now being questioned... And... That pretty much it really.

Batfam:.....

Mari: what still not satisfied?

Robin: you mentioned having encountered enough magic and deaths to last you a lifetime.

Mari:..... I did?

Batfam:......

Red Robin: yes you did

Red Hood: *mutters* why do I suddenly feel like I'm looking at a female replacement....

Mari: Oh... Damn... I'm not even sure if the blackouts been lifted yet.

Batman: blackout?

Mari: the media blackout...it should be lifted soon. Not sure when....

*Phone notification rings*

Mari: speak of the devil... Here.

*she shows batman her phone*

He goes through the news and 2 videos of akuma attacks.

Mari: can I have my phone back and go now? It's getting dark.

Robin: how are you getting there.

Mari: a cab.

Batman gives her phone back

Mari: am I done here?

Batman nods

When mari is leaving...

Batman: Hood, Robin keep an eye on her and makes sure she gets to her destination safe. We're going back to the cave to look more into this.

When mari gets out of the cab. She feels like she's being watched and followed. Discretely looks around trying to spot who's following her. (ladybug sense is tingling~) She shifts her katana to her hip just in case. While going to her apartment. And instantly locks the door and checks the windows. Wonders if they followed her... Then she spots Robin on the neighboring building.

Mari: ah... Its just them... Welp I'm off to bed.

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

Robin POV

Robin: She knows she's being followed.

Redhood: I'm not blind demon spawn.

They watch her enter her apartment while on guard.

Redhood: one of us should probably pass by her window. Just to let her know we're not goons. Pixi looks wound up...

Robin: ill do it.

He swings by her window. They guessed right. She was keeping watch.

Robin: something isn't right...

Redhood: no shit sherlock.

Robin over the comm: she's in. We're heading back to the cave.

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

Batcave

-Siren, Gigantitan, Hero's day, mourning star (saw this in a fanfiction somewhere. Its a sad one)

Redhood: Holy shit...

Batman: How did we miss this?

Red Robin: found a call on the JL emergency call log.

Batman: play it.

Video call from Ryuuko on Hero's day. Showing the chaos, requesting for help, getting controlled, dropping the phone and walking away.

Batman: who answered this call?

Red Robin:.... Green Lantern

Robin: wait... Scroll up... Its the girl from the airport.

They play the mourning star akuma video.

Mourning star: a widow that had a miscarriage. Mourning the death of her husband and unborn child. The akuma kidnapping children and killing them infront of their mothers. So that they know the pain of losing a child. (I know it's depressing... I found this in a fanfiction. Forgot the title. And it was way more depressing than what I just wrote...) (ill skip this bit)

Marinette getting children to safety. Away from the akuma. Calming them down and getting them to hide in an abandoned building. Distracts the akuma by pissing it of and luring her away from the nearby preschool. (she's badass both in and out of the suit) then suddenly transforms into a mouse themed hero while on the run. Divides herself into smaller selves. And splits up each going down different alleyways. (she never becomes multimouse again after this: she got compromised again. Let's just say that she staged this bit to get halkmoth off her trail... In case he suspected her of being LB). Then not long after Chat noir shows up looking for LB. When LB finally shows up... He starts flirting and causing even more trouble. Akuma gets caught. Butterfly gets purified. Magical ladybugs fixing everything and LB punching Chat in the face. The end.

Redhood: he had that coming.

Robin: She was a hero? Are there others?

Redhood: why? Got a crush~?

Robin: *blush* no.

Red Robin: found one. Evillustrator. CCTV footage...

CCTV: Evillustrator breaking into the top floor of a bakery. Then leaving. Chat Noir showing up. Marinette answering the door. Chat Noir flirting. Marinette sarcastic acting. More chat noir flirting. He leaves. Fast forward. She leaves the bakery all dressed up (Robin's thaughts: she looks cute... WHAT THE FUCK BRAIN!!!! NO!) (I changed it a bit hehehe)

They shift to different CCTVs until she gets to her destination. Meeting up with the akuma (Redhood: what the hell... She went on a date with an akuma?) (Red Robin: wait look... Chat Noir) (Robin: *clenching his teeth and fists*) chat noir sneaking on the boat. And laying low. Mari snatching something and throwing it at chat. Chat messed-up. Mari gets trapped with chat in a glass box with the boat sinking. Chat trying to find a way to get out of the box. Mari just standing there until she gets fed up. Grabs the baton and extends it upward while grabbing chat noir's tail/belt and flinging him towards the pier. Gives back his baton. Chat flirts again. Kisses her hand then salutes. Mari turns away of cam. (Nightwing: did that count as a date?) (Redhood: yes) (Red Robin: no) (Robin's thaughts: strong, beautiful, smart, tricky ... Just what else do you have under your belt... Shit I called her beautiful...) (Batman: follow chat noir)

Shifting again to other CCTVs. Stopping on one viewing a hotel. Chat and Ladybug already on the scene. Doesn't take long after that for the battle to end.

Batman: we need to keep looking more into this...but right now. I'm going to the tower. And deal with Green Lantern.

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

-after this Robin makes sure to make Marinette's apartment to be part of his patrol route.

-Mari notices but doesn't try to call him over.

-he observes her and finds more things about her. (a designer, a gamer, a Baker and if her katana and fighting skills is anything to go by... Judo?)

-Mari knows that she's being observed so she makes sure the kwamis are hidden.

One night she decides to embroider on her balcony.

-curious... Robin comes closer to take a peek at what she was making... A dragon embroidery.

Mari: are you going to stay there or are you going to come down here and tell me what you need?

Robin:.... This place is part of my patrol route....

Mari: I noticed but I don't believe that that's all your here for.

Robin:...... you're one of the heroes...

Mari:........ *she looks at him* ex-hero... Retired hero??.... Who cares. I've been compromised.

Robin: I know... But it looked on purpose.

Mari:....... What do you want? Did you need something?

Robin:....... I don't trust you..... Your confusing...

Mari: I'd be worried if you did. Trusting people you just meet... Not a smart move.

Robin:.........

Mari:........ Anything else?

Robin: No. I'll be on my way.

Mari: wait hold on a second... Here (she gives him the extra macaroons she made) I'm a stress Baker. I made too much.

Robin:....... I thaught that we agreed that we didn't trust each other....

Mari: I don't. Not completely. But I also know your not a bad person. Protective sure. But that's to be expected considering your cutrent occupation...... Just take it.... You've been observing me the past few days. You should know by now that I'm not a horrible person...here I'll even take one. (she takes one and pops it in her mouth) see? Safe.

Robin: fine I'll take them to the idiots........thanks.......(then he leaves)

Mari: hmm... Now back to work...

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

Keeps going on like this for the next few months.

Until its time for the new school year to start....

(I'm sleepy right now. I'll continue this tomorrow. I'll edit this same post. I won't be making it separate)

[crossdressingdeath]

You are being a bit too hard on JYL. While she wasn't a perfect sister, she was also a victim to her parents dysfunctional relationship and she was only 2 years older than the boys. She was a poor cultivator and had a very weak constitution. She also had no political power despite her high birth. I'm pretty sure she never got any apologies for any of the slights against her character and on the pheonix mountain scene doesn't Jin Zixun storm off and then madam jin completely dismisses the situation as JYL being silly? Madam Jin loves JYL but I would say she doesn't respect her. JGS doesn't respect Madam Jin either so even if JYL went to her, nothing would be done. However JZXuan does invite WWX genuinely so I would say JYL was trying to improve WWX's situation as much as she could. As for not giving any financial support, she was completely dependent on JC and then the Jins, so I dont see how she could have helped there. Also I could totally see JC selling JYL to the Jins to appease JGS so she could be used as a political hostage against WWX.

Some points, in no particular order: First off, Madam Jin for sure respects JYL. Yeah, she dismisses JZXun insulting WWX (that’s important; he’s insulting WWX, a glorified servant, not JYL) because WWX is just a servant, but when JYL says that this isn’t a minor thing to her Madam Jin orders JZXun to apologise. To a servant. To appease JYL. That suggests the opposite of what you’re saying; it suggests that Madam Jin adores and respects JYL enough that she’ll force her family to lower themselves to the level of a man viewed by the Jins as a servant for her sake. And if she’s prepared to do that, maybe she could be convinced to do other things! Like... I don’t know, send servants to buy some food at market that can then be sent to Yiling? Or, alternately, JYL could ask the adoring husband who will give her anything she wants for money which she could then send to Yiling. And if she doesn’t trust anyone from Lanling (or Yunmeng; if she can ask JC to bring her to Yiling she can ask him to deliver some money) enough to think they could be persuaded to help her out with this, including the brother who she knows knows the Wens and WWX are innocent, then that raises a whole bunch of other questions about things like why the fuck she trusted anything the Jiangs and Jins said about WWX.

In fact, that’s kind of the issue here. Everything about her being dependant on JC and then the Jins raises an important question: if she, as she seems to, doesn’t doubt that JC and the Jins are being honest in their dealings with WWX... then why doesn’t she ask them to help him? Why doesn’t she even try? She goes to the Burial Mounds with JC and sees how badly things are going for WWX... and doesn’t feel the need to question whatever story JC gave her about what WWX was doing?

See, that’s the problem at the end of the day. It’s not about whether JYL could have done anything (although I’d say she could’ve done more than she did), it’s about whether or not she tried. Which... there’s no evidence she did. She brings WWX soup one time, but there’s no evidence that she tried to send him and his people actual supplies, or the means to acquire those supplies on their own. She convinces JZX to invite WWX to JL’s one month anniversary, but JZX is still assuming that WWX is the aggressor even though at least in CQL JYL knows for a fact he’s not and should have told him that. She shows up in her fucking wedding dress talking about her approaching marriage to the son of the man who’s in the process of ruining WWX’s life and there isn’t a single word that implies she’s at all unhappy with this situation; while I did say that JC could have forced her to marry JZX against her will there is no evidence that that was in fact the case and it looks more like he was just doing what she wanted him to. (Honestly the wedding dress thing in general is like... on the surface it’s a sweet gesture, and I’m sure that’s what she meant it as, but if you think about it her showing up in the dress WWX won’t be able to see her get married in to give him enough soup to keep a couple people fed for maybe a day when he’s got fifty starving civilians up that mountain and let him name the nephew he’s never going to get to meet and talk about her marriage into the family that’s currently running a massive smear campaign to get WWX killed and then leaving and as far as we see never trying to help him after that beyond wrangling him an invite to an event that clearly no one wants him at besides her is such a slap in the face whether that was intentional on her part or not that I’m surprised it doesn’t get talked about more.)

Look, JYL may be a woman in a patriarchal society and a weak cultivator, but it does not follow that she has no power. Or that no one respects her or is willing to apologise to her for slights against her, for that matter. She’s the sister of a sect leader. The wife of a sect heir. Even if she failed to actually achieve anything, the fact is that her lack of suspicion towards her family (by birth and marriage) and their actions in regards to WWX’s situation makes it pretty obvious to me that either she asked them to help or look further into the matter and didn’t feel the need to question why the only person willing to so much as make an attempt was her husband... or she didn’t ask at all. And the latter seems more likely, given how we see her react to conflict between her brothers; it’s “boys will be boys” and “they’re just teasing, they’re as bad as each other” all the way down, even when JC is threatening WWX with his literal worst fear or telling him that the children of servants will never amount to anything. JYL will defend WWX from outsiders, but the second he’s being targeted by JC she just decides everything’s fine. Maybe she really couldn’t have helped him! Maybe bringing him a bowl of soup and pretending everything was fine really was all she could do! But given there’s no mention either from her or from the narration itself that she so much as tried to do more... Well, it raises questions, and the fact that those questions are never brought up in this fandom means that I perhaps feel the need to be a little firmer on this point than I might be otherwise.

[babi-correia]

You’re My Sunshine

From Anon:

Hey girl! Would you mind doing another Jay Halstead pr maybe Jesse Lee Soffer imagine/one shot*? Maybe being the hidden girlfriend? Thanks hun!

Words: 2147 Warnings: Kidnapping, torture, canonical violence Pairing: Jay Halstead x Officer!Reader A/N: This ask has two viable one shots, actually. I did this one now, but I’ll probably pick up the JLS sometime in the future. Hope you like it, hun!

Deep down, both of you knew this day would come. The day when Voight barked out to bring a uniform up for an undercover stint, and the Intelligence member brought you up. 

Jay tries to interfere and go with Adam as he goes to get one of the officers down at the lobby, but Voight quickly shuts him down, remembering him that Adam knew the suspect's type better than Jay. His jaw clenches and his hands close into fists as Adam goes down the stairs, already knowing you are going to be the one he brings up. 

The two of you have been dating for a few months, and Jay liked having you to himself. By hiding your relationship, not only are the two of you not in the public eye for dating each other - the last thing you need is someone calling you a badge bunny and saying you're sleeping with Jay to climb the hierarchy - but you are also out of the line of immediate danger that comes with dating a law enforcement agent, inevitably becoming a target.

At first, Jay wasn't very keen on the idea of you: a new cop with shiny eyes and hope in the world; he knew you would be shattered by the job, and he didn't want to watch it. But then he started warming up to you. He couldn't pin down what you had done exactly, if it was how you refused to drop your kindness with Platt, or how you could offer an input that he hadn't seen, or how you would charge in, gun in hand with unwavering intent when someone's life was at risk... it was probably how you didn't try to take pity in him or treat him like a baby when you saw him having a particularly nasty flashback that made him freeze in the middle of the locker room. You had just grabbed his hands in yours and gently coaxed him out, giving him the visual help of the "Chicago Police Department" badge on your vest - you would never know how much it meant to him. 

He had seen your determination falter over the time, but he always tried to make you get back up on the positivity horse; secretly, it kept him going too, the idea that someone could see so much good in the world and still believe in the best possible outcome. It was something rare and precious, in your line of work. 

So, when Adam comes back to the bullpen with you in tow, Jay feels like punching him. He feels like going out on a solo manhunt and face the consequences of it, if it means that you won't be brought into this case. But he watches you walk into Voight's office and nod after the Sergeant explains what he called you up for. He knows that you would never refuse the opportunity to help other people - that's why you had become an officer in the first place.

He sits in his chair, resigned, as he watches you and Voight leave the office. 

"So, officer (Y/L/N) will go undercover as an immigrant that needs help getting the rest of her family inside, no matter the cost." Voight says, pointing at the board. The pictures of 7 women are pinned in, their faces stuck in an eery, eternal smile, unknowing of the atrocities that committed against them. All they wanted was to give their families a better life.

Jay meets you in the locker room after he makes sure that no one saw the two of you entering, and crosses his arms. 

"There's no chance I'm talking you out of this, is there?" He asks, his voice small and defeated. You turn back, already wearing your civilian clothes, and give him a reassuring smile as you lay your hands atop his forearms. 

"I'm a good cop, and this will be over quickly." You say, lightly rubbing his arms. "It has to be done, they can't keep killing these women."

"What if something happens?" He asks, his brows furrowed - you don't quite grasp the seriousness and danger of this, and it worries him deeply. "It's more dangerous than you think."

"Jay... I've been a cop in Chicago for a while. A beat cop. I'm cussed at and thrown things at for existing. There, I'm going to be a girl that they're going to underestimate. The only way this can go wrong is if they figure out I'm a cop, and that's a risk every undercover takes, and that you have also taken several times." You grab his face. "It's going to be ok."

-

Unintentionally, you had jinxed yourself in your conversation with Jay. Not in a thousand years would you have thought that the measly drug dealer you arrested a couple weeks ago would be involved with a human trafficking ring, and when he saw you, you knew it was over. He shouted to everyone how you were a "pig", how you were there to arrest them all. You had stood your ground, unwavering, claiming you had never seen him before in your life and had no idea what he was blabbering about, but no one bought it. They ganged up on you and you knew that resistance was futile and would only hurt you further.

And now, 3 days later, here you are. Bruised, bloody, sweaty, laying on the cement floor of an abandoned warehouse somewhere by the river, in between torture sessions. The big boss doesn't know who you work for - all he knows is that you're with law enforcement. He's too paranoid and knows that CPD isn't the only one after him, and even though he knows you're CPD, he has no idea if you're working directly for them or if you've been "scouted" by a bigger agency. 

Your mind rarely leaves your memories of Jay, trying to isolate and disassociate yourself from the prodding metal and angry fists connecting with the several different parts of your body. A small part of you hangs on to hope that Jay and the rest of Intelligence are coming for you, but the bigger part tells you that they either won't make it in time, or that they think you're already dead. 

The footsteps in the hallway drag you out of your thoughts and you raise bloodshot eyes to glare at the grunt in front of you. He hastily pulls you up by one arm and drags you into another room, different from the one you had been beaten in. There's a hook hanging from the ceiling, but there's also a chair and some blades arranged neatly by the chair. The thing that jumps at you is the camera standing in the corner of the room, hooked to a computer, and aimed at the hook and chair. The grunt stands with you by the door as the boss walks into the room, walking with his usual swagger towards the camera.

"Since I don't know who my little toy is working for, here's what is going on: to whom it may concern, this bitch is at my mercy, and either her employer comes forward, or I'm going to kill her." He says darkly as the grunt drags you into further inside, near the hook. 

You put on your best brave face as he hangs you in the hook by the bindings on your wrists. Your shoulders scream at you but you refuse to show pain. The boss sits on the chair next to you and the grunt leaves, making it just the two of you in the room. He grabs a small, yet sharp blade from the assortment and turns to you, smirking darkly. 

"So, I'll ask you again. Who are you working for?" 

"Your mom." You spit at him, biting your tongue to not cry out when the blade cuts across the skin in your stomach.

-

The mug in Jay's hand hits the floor the second he sees the screen of his computer taken over by a video of a dark, grimy room, with you hanging from a hook and a slimy-looking guy in a suit passing around you with a large blade in hand. 

He knew to fear something bad when they stopped getting the daily debriefs from you, but part of him had been influenced by you into thinking it was the best-case scenario: maybe you had gone deep to the point of not being able to contact them, but were about to resurface with enough evidence to nail every single interferent in the trafficking ring. He feels his heart sink to his stomach and his legs threaten to give out as his gaze fixates on the screen. Your face is bloody and bruised, along with the rest of your body, but your expression is one of stubbornness; whatever the guy is asking of you, you're not complying. 

"This would all be over much quicker if you told me who you're working for." The guy snarks, and your expression remains unchanging.

"We both know you're going to kill me either way, just get it over with. Besides, I already told you I'm working for your mom." His fist connects with your ribs and you give out a pained chuckle. Jay's fists close up as anger begins to boil and cloud his head. "Or maybe for Brutus over there. Maybe you're his Ceasar, and he's waiting for the right chance to stab you in the back thirty times. Now seems like a good time, Brutus."

Voight bolts out of his office, vest on one hand, and a post-it note on the other. 

"A contact of mine got me an address. Let's role." He barks out sternly. Jay bolts out behind him and the whole team gets in the armory, putting on their vests and grabbing their choice of weapon before getting into the cars and driving towards the address Voight's contact had given him. 

Jay checks his three guns yet again: one Glock 19 in his hip holster, one Glock 17 in his thigh holster, and an AK-47 in his hand. He knows every moment from breach is going to count, and the longer they take to get to you, the worse the outcome can be. 

The car comes to a stop and he turns off the security in the AK, rolling his shoulders as he steps out of the car and stealths towards one of the entrances. He peeks through a window, seeing two grunts. He gestures what he saw towards the rest of the team and prepares for breach, kicking in the door when Voight says so. 

He feels the adrenaline coursing through his veins and doesn't stop until he's passed the guarded area. The hallways are silent and he strains his ears, trying to pick up something, anything that will guide him to you. 

In the room, you're still dangling from the ceiling when the loud noises snap the guy from yet another monologue about how it would be easier for you to just give up and blah blah blah. Honestly, you had started to tune out the moment he opened his mouth, already knowing some variation of what was about to leave his lips.

"Go check out whatever that was!" He barks at the grunt, making you focus on the door as the other man exits through it. Before you realize what's happening, a shot rings out and the grunt falls back into the room, making the boss jump in fright. You see Jay slowly stepping over the body, AK steadily trained on the suited guy standing by your legs. 

"If you move another inch, I'm blowing your brains out." Jay growls out as the other man tries to reach for the gun on the chair. "My finger is feeling very, very trigger-happy, and I just need you to give me a reason to give it what it wants."

You feel tears prickling at your eyes, both of joy and of pent up frustration and fear, flinching when you see the man moving towards his gun and Jay delivering a clean shot to his chest, dropping him to the floor instantly. 

The AK hits the floor with a clatter before Jay rushes to you, unhooking you and lowering you to the floor before wrapping you in a bear hug. You feel yourself starting to sob as you hide your face on his neck, relishing in the feeling of being wrapped by Jay and his scent surrounding you. 

"I would die happy if I died like this." You mutter into his neck, feeling him chuckle as he pulls away.

"You're not dying anytime soon, I'll waltz in and save you every time." Jay says, retrieving his AK and slinging it over his chest before he picks you up. "Let's get you home, yeah?"

"Sounds good to me."

[starkcontrasts]

so, hi. I've got a bit of an annoying question that you totally don't have to answer if you don't want to, but,,, I know you're into dc right? at least into batman? or idk I saw your long post about dick grayson rn and I know you post about batman/batfam (?) sometimes?

point is, I've never gotten into dc, never read a comic in my life and I've vaguely watched some of the batman movies while they were on tv but didn't really pay attention, but lately (as in the past two or three years) I've seen here on Tumblr talking a lot about batman and the batfam and all of Batman's adopted kids and how great they're and the found family dynamics and shit and ?? I kinda want to check it out nyself?

basically my question is, as someone who's never read/watched basically anything dc, where should I start? or is there a certain canon I should focus on? or if you don't wanna answer (which is totally fine) dyou know of anyone who may've already talked about this? I'm sure a million people have I just ?? don't even know where to start looking??

honestly a fandom this big and this diverse and with this much different canon it's a bit overwhelming, when I got into star trek at least I knew to start chronologically but with this I don't even know

anyways, thanks for your help! ❤️

not an annoying question at all!! in fact a very welcome question indeed, i love introducing ppl to new fandoms and i rarely get asks (srsly i've only gotten three in the entire history of this blog lol) so it's a two-for-one, win-win deal!

now to answer your lovely query:

yes i do love batman and yes i am a fan of dc and yes i'd be happy to help you on this journey of embarking on a new fandom, should you decide to continue! I'm actually a relatively new-age fan in terms of fully immersing myself in the content, I grew up with Teen Titans and later Young Justice, both of which I attribute much of my beginnings as a dc/batfamily fan to. I watched the Justice League and Batman animated shows when I was younger but they didn't stick as much as the aforementioned two and I know it seems like I'm going off on a tangent but this is relevant to my helping you, I promise!

Much of the comic material I've consumed over the years has degraded in memory - I don't remember most of the issues now, just a few panels and impressions - so I can't help you on the comic-reading front but there should be various accounts here on tumblr that do really good analyses and are much better than me at giving panel-based evidence. (I can think of @hood-ex off the top of my head). Even just searching through the tags of say, the Titans or Batman or the JL or any characters you already have in mind, should turn up at least a handful of comic panels from different issues, if you just want to start by lightly browsing those.

As for certain canon to focus on, the DC fandom is pretty famous for forcing its fans to root through multitudes of conflicting material (so. Many. Reboots.) and authors that have contradicted each other's works over the years, so the only thing I can really tell you is to pick and choose for yourself which pieces of canon you decide feel right for you. I know it's not really all that helpful but I really do recommend just going for the deep-dive and figuring out how to swim from there. Suicidal I know, sounds crazy for sure, but this is a fandom with some serious years under its belt - and all the changing attitudes and cultures that implies - and an excess of material from varying sources.

Young Justice and Teen Titans are both good shows for getting a feel for the world(tho both depict versions just different enough to be distinct in their interpretations) but they mess with canon a fair amount as well, so don't take everything they depict to be same across the board. In this regard, fanfiction actually IS your friend! The more you read, the more you can cross-reference! Even with the bevy of material to choose from, people typically agree on a fair amount of character staples (examples include: Dick Grayson being a very affectionate child, Jason Todd being a literature nerd, Bruce being emotionally-intelligent just...not necessarily acting on it lol) and often times the staples are the ones backed up by the canons.

(I'm not ashamed to admit that much of what's remained in my fickle memory can be attributed to character-realistic, memorable, thought-provoking fanfiction. Fanfiction exists for exploration and, I've found, can at times offer a more grounded, humane take on well-beloved characters that authors being Paid to write sometimes miss out on. Just - always doublecheck the tags and, when reading from authors that are heavily-biased, do your best to widen your exposure to the more objective, as well.)

There's not much else I can think of off the top of my head but my askbox AND my messages are always open if you have any more questions. I'm always down to help a budding fan and, if you ever do want some fic recommendations, I'm down to share links for those too! Thank you again for the lovely ask♥️

(Also, I'm sorry if this didn't do much in terms of providing you with direction but, at the very least, I hope I didn't drive you away.)

[forcedsense]

remember that every single time you claim Zack lied about having his cut of jl ruined by whedon (which there is five years of evidence of, and yes i know for sure because iv collected it all) youre saying people like r/ay f/isher are lying about the abuse and reshoots to save face for a white man, and ignorg the abuse they went through. beyond the fact wb fired aack for asking for time off because his tdaughter committed suicide. it you spread false information, all youre telling me is youre a racist, ableist, selfish piece of shit choosing to believe a racist abuser and a studio that allowed him to continue his abuse over the claims of the abused. You dont have to like zack, you dont have to like any of the cast, but dont ignore what they went through just because you feel like bitching about something you dont like. wat wb did to their directors and actors is horrific, and whedon is the only the surface. gsE/off j/ohns is ahuhe part of it, and wal/ter ham/ada allowed it to happen and tried to silence the abused. Dont spread falcities to make others hate something just because you dnt personally like it, all youre doing is silencing the abused. This has been a pattern for w/hedon for over 20 years, and hopefully now that zack and ray arent the only ones talking about it people will listen, but i doubt it since chari/sma spoke of this years ago and people just called her a liar. Youre part of the people purposefully silencing the abused. aide the abused, dont be annasshole, it foesnt cost you anything to care about other people.

also please relook at my rules, cause ive seen enough over the last three weeks to know you all need to read them again. they havent changed beyond the fact i added one thing in my story section, and bolded other important information about what i expect out of people who choose to interact with me regardless of personal opinion. Im dyslexic and still actively try to accomadate everyone. Dont act all high and mighty if you cant even tag your shit.

[ryouverua]

Finally, the alone time with Tsumugi that I’ve been desperately missing! minus the love hotel. we don’t talk about the love hotel

Excuse me, what? Another new room??? .... In Kaito’s.... lab?

is this the beginning of building a ‘what if Kaito was the mastermind’ AU because I am strangely intrigued -

Anyway more RUNNING AROUND THE SCHOOL oh dear lord I just realized we have to go all the way down to the first floor and then up again???? KAITO WHY IS YOUR LAB SO EXTRA

you know what made everything worth it though

BYE MONOKID S U C K   I T

Man that shouldn’t have been as satisfying as it was.

(also up and down 6 floors later, you know Shuichi is grateful for the training he was doing with Kaito)

U U U U U U M

We are suddenly leaning hard into those VLR vibes again??? Hello, pod room/treatment center. We aren’t going to find out thre are only 15 pods or something are we???

Looks like there are 16... wait, isn’t that strange too? Why does K1-b0 need one?

WE LITERALLY JUST GOT HERE

Oh, and interestingly enough, Tsumugi’s sprite changed to her scared/upset one. I guess Shuichi isn’t the only one so adversely affected by the flashback light after all!

STILL NOT SICK OF THE FLASHBACK ANIMATION

AAAAH NO EVERYONE IS HERE ALREADY MY HEART’S NOT READY

Wait... this is - this feels weird. Isn’t this the first time we’ve actually seen everyone together in a memory?

Ahoge-K1-b0 is back!

AAAH TENKO

oh god my heart really isn’t ready for this

Lmao my question was answered, and as usual it relates to robophobia.

RYOMA!!!! I MISSED YOU!!!

as;dfljkasdf;jl

sdfkljsdfkjl

good.... bye........... heart........ it’s literally just been a chapter but I missed that laugh so much

REMEMBER... WHEN THE CLASS WAS JUST TOGETHER.... SO CASUALLY.... LIKE THIS..............

!!!!!! KAEDE!!!!!!

LMAO “FRIENDS YOU SAY -”

pour one out for the potential that could have been a Kaede vs Kokichi rival relationship

Hell, maybe they would have a trust vs distrust along with lies vs truth -

anyway that’s what fanfics are for

FRIENDSHIP SPEECH! FRIENDSHIP SPEECH!!!

oooughgugh quiet broken sobbing

Oooh, it’s weird to see her properly poised after how things ended in Chapter 2.

WOW IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME, MR ULTIMATE SURVIVOR

IS IT BAD THAT I REALLY MISSED HER ‘NYAHAHAHA’

And eventually everyone agrees until...

I don’t know if it’s a minority opinion but I miss hat!Shuichi. He’s so cute, ffff - and he really does have a different vibe about him. Character design can be pretty powerful in that sense!

Also, it’s kind of amazing how quickly Kaede took charge the moment she stepped back in the spotlight. She’s very powerful like that, huh?

aaah yes, a little hint of that crush Kaito had on Kaede is back

...........

This back and forth along with their colour schemes matching really make me wish we got to see them together more? What’s the scoop on the fandom’s interpretation of a Rantaro / Tenko friendship, lads???

sssshshshhhhhut up K1-b0 don’t bring that ‘h’ word crap in a full class flashback

THERE IS..... SOMETHING.... IN CREDIBLY PAINFUL... ABOUT KAITO BEING THE LAST PERSON YOU SEE AT THE END OF THE MEMORY... AND HIM TELLING EVERYONE HE’LL SEE US LATER.... . GGGH

And just like that....

“GOD THESE MEMORIES ARE ALL DESIGNED TO MAKE ME MISS KAITO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE CAN YOU NOT -”

So there didn’t seem to be an instructor or anyone to help them set up - was that maybe Kaito’s role? Why he was the last one we saw, and the one that directed everyone to go to sleep? other than just hitting home those saimota feels I mean -

So do they all have identical memories? I guess it can’t be that way with the friendship ones - also, was this one specifically triggered by entering this room?

................ I have thoughts on that.

Okay, that does explain why they’ve never been together in a memory before -

but. but. They had the funeral memory together, didn’t they? They all had that same funeral memory. So haven’t they met before?

..........

THEY ARE PROJECTED THEIR IMAGES OF THEMSELVES ONTO THE ACTUAL STUDENTS’ PORTRAITS IN THAT FUNERAL MEMORY THEY ARE MISREMEMBERING SOMETHING THEY ARE NOT WHO THEY THINK THEY ARE THEY ARE NOT WHO THEY THINK THEY ARE -

Aaaaw. 8′)

..................... I feel bad saying this after you said those heartwarming things but those feelings of suspicion towards you are growing Tsumugi I’M SORRY GIRL I STILL LOVE YOU EVEN IF YOU ARE EVIL I CAN’T HATE A GIRL WHO KNOWS AND APPRECIATES THE WONDERS OF EVA FOAM -

Okay just to explain this more now because big things happen below and I don’t want to wall-of-text too much, I.... just don’t think it’s a coincidence that this room just was discovered so conveniently. I mean, yeah, it’s in Kaito’s lab, but it just. You know. Appeared right now. And Tsumugi ‘found’ it. Tsumugi found it conveniently because holes were blown into it. Here’s my question.

Why was she in the position to find this room?

No, seriously. Kaito’s lab is so far out of the way of everything. It’s in an isolated area at the top of the building with a long spiraling staircase that spans what, six floors? And the holes blown into it came from above and through the lab.... and nowhere else. It’s not connected to any part of the building - there are no convenient K1-b0-created holes connecting it to the rest of the floor it’s on. Tsumugi had to have come here, specifically to Kaito’s lab, for the sake of investigation, when there are so many other areas of the school to look and there is no reason to find anything in Kaito’s lab, or Kaito, suspicious, especially in the face of him actively going against the mastermind. Why? Why other than the stuff that’s about to come up below, and for the sake of triggering that flashback?

Because here’s the thing - the moment we stepped in this room we got the flashback! The moment we got in here! All the other flashbacks happened randomly while we were investigating things, right? There didn’t seem to be any specific trigger words or anything - but this one happened with this room. I can’t... think of that as a coincidence. I just can’t. I’ll feel bad if it turns out it was though lmao

OKAY I GOT THAT OUT OF MY SYSTEM I FEEL BETTER NOW

Uuuuh that is way more than 16 people so I’m guessing it’s not literally just a list of names??? or???

whY WERE YOU IN HERE EARLIER TSUMUGI I KNOW YOU CAN’T HEAR ME BUT ADDRESS MY QUESTIONS DAMN IT

.........................

don’t you do this DRV3

Finally! No more Mukuro erasure - I MEAN WAIT THAT’S NOT THE ISSUE -

You’re not seriously trying to tell me at this late stage of the game (figuratively and literally) about this potential 17th party with no clues or foreshadowing, right. Right?

I wonder how familiar Shuichi is with Knox’s 10 commandments... I mean, it’s literally addressed here:

10. Twin brothers, and doubles generally, must not appear unless we have been duly prepared for them.

N-Not that anyone is obligated to stick to them, and it’s more of a guideline than a rule and good stories can break them or skirt around them (I do enjoy how Chapter 1 played with the “The detective himself must not commit the crime.” rule because while Kaede was technically acting as the reader stand-in/’detective’, we in fact had an actual detective... damn, maybe that should have been our first hint), but there’s a reason these are held in somewhat high regard. 8′D

I mean, even Shuichi is saying it - this is the first time he’s heard of Kaede having a twin. And yeah, we didn’t know about Junko and Mukuro being twins, but we did get hints of something being off (not looking like the magazines, Mukuro deflecting by saying it was just photoshopped, the 16th empty chair) early on.... and I can’t think of anything like that here. Like, at all. I’m going to continue these thoughts at the end, I think ~

“He has no understanding about structural integrity. His general interests include stand-up comedy and being a pop star, or in the care-giving field. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have the slightest clue about architecture and the importance of load-bearing walls and beams.”

“.....”

“.... Look, I’ve spent a decent amount of my free time with him okay???”

oh right that too

I’M SO EXCITED WE’RE FINALLY GOING THERE!!!

“I’ve got tons of evidence to hide!”

“Wait, what was that?”

“I can’t wait to see the inside!”

because she hates herself

Again I want to reiterate how happy I am that Maki chose to be the one to look through Kokichi’s things. It’s both a sign of distrust and trust - she believes Kokichi hid a lot from everyone, and also that he may have left more clues to help them. He would be proud. 8′) It’s small, but I’d like to think of it as a way to pay penance; I’m sure she hates doing it.

DOG TAG! DOG TAG! DOG TAG! or something else maybe

WHY ARE YOU SO FAR AWAY FROM EVERYONE ELSE TSUMUGI WHY ARE YOU IN SUCH A STRANGE LOCATION WHAT THOUGHT PROCESSES BROUGHT YOU HERE

I’d be more worried about Himiko than Maki.

.... So...... I said I’d continue that thought from earlier. Here it is.

To recap what we learned:

Kaito had a hidden room in his lab that he presumably didn’t know about

Tsumugi found it by ‘accident’

Entering the room triggered the flashback light, which showed everyone met here for the first time

In the room is the participant list that says Kaede has a twin which just so happens to line up with Junko’s situation

Anyway, tl;dr: I don’t believe Kaede has a twin.

The last room we went to ended with Shuichi thinking, “what is the truth and what are lies?” so I’m building off of that and my previous theory about Tsumugi not finding this place by accident and purposefully bringing Shuichi here to trigger that flashback. I’m not 100% sure why - maybe to bring Kaede back into focus, only to gut-punch him with the ‘twin sister’ bomb? Maybe this will be the start of her creating a ‘new truth’? Possibly? It would very much match the theme of the game. But anyway, the point is I just don’t believe Tsumugi ~stumbled~ across the room and just so happened to find this participant list/profiles that immediately makes Kaede look suspicious when we hadn’t had a single hint of that the entire game.

I.... wonder. If Tsumugi... is the mastermind.... is she trying to set up Kaede as the mastermind? Or this (probably fictional) ‘twin sister’ of hers? I guess there are ways to swing that too to relate to why Kaede killed Rantaro in Chapter 1 - “she was trying to protect her twin sister, the real mastermind, so she killed Rantaro who was drawing too close to the truth” or something.

[susiecarter]

So how would the average person in the street of the DCU rank the League in terms of popularity?

:D Well, in the movieverse it’s sort of hard to say for sure, given that by the end of JL we don’t necessarily know that they’re all public figures to the same degree (like, clearly they will be, but the team’s only just been established and there weren’t exactly a lot of people on the sidelines watching in Russia). BUT if I had to guess, I’d say that Clark has to be right up there at the top, given the public reaction we’re shown to his death. I imagine Diana’s probably second, given that she seems to have taken on a public role as Wonder Woman, saving people and shaking hands and stuff; Batman’s evidently getting some press coverage these days, but he’s ... not so approachable. ;D

So, yeah. Once Barry’s set up properly in Central City doing Flash stuff, he’s probably third, and once Victor’s publicly a member of the League and not hiding in hoodies so people can’t see his face all the time, I mean, he’s so calm and wry and good-natured, and also probably actually answers questions at press conferences! He’s likely right up there in fourth in relatively short order. And, look, I bet there are plenty of people who think Arthur and Bruce are really cool, okay, but in terms of overall popularity I’m going to say fifth and sixth respectively. Arthur seems to still be working the standoffish vibe and also is so unconcerned with what people think of him that he’s not likely to make an effort, so I feel like Aquaman getting popular with the public is a long slow process of people he’s interacted with one-on-one word-of-mouthing that he’s actually pretty great. And I think Bruce wants Batman out on the periphery, never quite embraced; Batman’s meant to stay a little scary, a little unreal, a little bit of a nightmare. (Not enough to drag the public image of the whole League down, ofc, Bruce would be very careful about that; but he wants people to think of Batman as dangerous, not a baby-kissing autograph-signer. :D)

[buffalostorm]

Fanfic

a text exchange is implied between the Havenfall crew and I decided to write it

Set in Mackenzie’s route

occurs somewhere during Season 2 Episode 7, in the time gap between the two

MacMommy has come online

JuniorLucifer69 is online

MM: JD

MM: Can we talk

MM: Im not accusing you of anything

MM: JD you arent in trouble or anything

JL: sherif

MM: Im texting as Mac right now

JL: cul i like mac beter

JL: since ur mac can this wait for a sec im in the midle of sum stuf

MM: Does the bowling alley have some customers

JL: nah

JL: its crime stuf

MM: what

MM: JD

MM: Im the Sheriff now

MM: JD I will call Razi right now

JL: jk wat up

MM: Are you doing crimes

JL: not unles eatin froot loops is a crime

MM: its 9 PM

MM: and arent you at the bowling alley?

JL: yeh an i wanted froot loops

JL: i knew i would want froot loops so i took some froot loops in a plastic bag

JL: who made u the sherif of fud time

MM: weve gotten off track

JL: never knew what the trac was

MM: I wanted to ask for advice

JL: im literaly the person with their life the least put together

JL: the only thing im qualified to give advice about is precisely how much shit u can do and not get actualy punished for

MM: How about dating

MM: like asking someone out

JL: y do u need advice

JL: u 2 made out in front of the entire town

JL: not much of a feat

JL: the in front of the entire town part

JL: the making out was a biger thing

MM: Weve done more than that

JL: u 2 are together right

MM: We are together yeah

MM: We havent been on a proper date yet though

JL: havent u asked some1 out before

JL: wait

JL: uve done more than that

MM: I shouldnt have said that

JL: did u 2 do it

JL: DID YOU TWO GET DOWN TO BUSINESS

MM: …

JL: WHATS THAT SUPOSED TO MEAN

JL: YOU CANT JUST DOT DOT DOT ME MAC

MM: Im just here for advice I dont need anything else

JL: OK but whether or not u 2 have screwed does change my answer

MM: I dont see how that has anything to do with it

JL: it absolutely does

MM: Im not answering that

JL: cool so u 2 absolutely did do it

MM: JD

JL: nah its cool im happy for u and all but le

MM: JD

MM: Are you there.

MM: JD you need to finish that sentence

JL: This is Razi. JD was texting on the job and they tell me I’m texting Sheriff Hunt.

MM: yeah this is Mac

JL: If I may ask, what did JD do?

MM: Nothing this is an informal conversation

JL: JD is telling me to scroll up.

MM: Please dont

MM: Razi

MM: Razi

MM: Razi you better be typing a very long message because I dont like this one bit

JL: jd back on the mic

MM: What happened

JL:  razi read through the rest of the conversation and started crying from laughter

JL: i swiped my phone back

MM: Do u remember when things like this stayed private

JL: pepperridge farm remembers

MM: Good times

JL: update razi is still laughing

JL: he has done the dad thing where he chuckles and shakes his head

JL: he mumbled something

MM: I dont need the play by play

JL: im more of a color commentator

MM: Can you bring him back in

MM: I could use the help

JL: ill help him get on

MM: Ill be waiting

JL: hes almost on

JL: hes trying to compose himself

MM: Does he need any help

JL: still trying to compose himself

JL: he has stopped giggling and put on a Serious Face

Guest42251413 has come online

Guest: Hello, this is Razi.

JL: henwo

MM: Welcome Razi

Guest: Why do you guys have initials and I don’t?

JL: u have to register

Guest: OK, how do I do that?

MM: JD can you help him

Guest 42251413 has registered as Razi420

MM: Did you choose the name

Razi420: JD helped me. I tried to register as Razi, but the system said, “Username taken,” so I tried Razi1 at the behest of JD. That too was taken, so then JD informed me that Razi420 was open so I took it.

Razi420: Wait, I don’t have initials.

MM: JD can you help him

JL: i dont know its just so difficult

JL: itll take 10 hours

JL: i remember when i changed my intials i had to fill out all sorts of forms

JL: it was such a hassle

JL: and you wouldnt make little old me go through that again.

MM: OK you dont have to help Razi

Razi420: I guess that an old man like me wouldn’t understand it.

JL: ill get diego on the line 2

Razi420: You know computers are so hard for people like me

JL: mac how much experience do you have with dating

MM: I havent asked anyone out in my life

JL: not even for a sadie hawkins

Razi420: The other day I learned about emojis.

MM: I went to a small high school no one else was out

JL: so is it a confidence thing or a what do i say sort of thing or whats a good thing to do kind of thing or what

DrEscalonaMDPHDBS has come online

Razi420: See, Diego knows what it’s like, you don’t know how to do anything, you don’t know the lingo, you don’t know how to get initials for your messages.

DE: What?

DE: What did you guys need me for?

JL: i just heard razi sigh from the arcade

DE: So what was going on around here.

MM: I need some advice

DE: mhm, and what for?

MM: Asking someone out

DE: You two are definitely together, is that correct? I remember you two sharing a ,ah, intimate moment together.

JL: theyve “done more than that”

MM: JD dont you dare

DE: I’m going to need you to be more specific, JD.

MM: You better not

MM: JD I swear on my mothers hashbrown casserole if you dare say a word that is off task I will smash your stupid John Lennon sunglasses on the ground

Razi420: Part 1: I’ve tasted that casserole, this is very serious. Part 2: I will not say a word about that. I will hold that as a secret to be divulged at your discretion.

MM: Thank you Razi

DE: All of that aside, this is a date between you and our friend.

MM: Yes

DE: Just making certain everything is clear.

Razi420: In addition, Mackenzie has never asked anyone out on a date.

MM: Most of my past relationships we just kinda ended up in the same place

DE: Coworkers?

MM: Yeah basically

DE: My experience may seem a little old and not suit your personal flair, but I will offer my advice

JL: THEY HAVE MOST DEFINITELY HAD SEX. THEY HAVE DEFINITELY DONE THE DIRTY. MACKENZIE AND MY LOVELY COWORKER HAVE IN FACT HAD A ROLL IN THE HAY.

MM: Are you done?

JL: not yet

JL: macken-ZAY has gotten biz-ZAY

JL: They have shagged, baby

JL: ok im done

DE: I see

MM: I want merely two things in the world

JL: is one of those a piece of that ass

MM: I just want to take my girlfriend out on a nice date

JL: im a prophet

MM: And a device where I can punch JD in the face whenever I want

MM: not too hard

MM: not hard enough to cause damage

MM: but hard enough to make them stop

MM: Is that too much to ask

JL: yknow not wanting to damage me is probably the sweetest thing u ever said to me

JL: also mac you can break my “john lennon sunglasses” i have 50 backup pairs.

MM: Just please tell me how to ask out a girl

DE: When you say date, do you mean “let’s go out to lunch on Friday,” or “Come follow me, I have a surprise for you.”

MM: The surprise one

DE: Is the surprise time bound or can the surprise come at any time?

MM: Its time bound

DE: How much planning went into this?

MM: A lot

DE: Please be specific

MM: I rented out the drive in theater for an exclusive showing

DE: That’s extensive.

DE: Are you certain she doesn’t have any commitments?

MM: …

MM: no

JL: doc were in havenfall the only other possible commitments u can have is harvesting corn or very specifics times for rituals

JL: those r the only 2

DE: Still, for future reference, it is polite to make certain there are no other commitments.

MM: OK

DE: So, the basic message is, come with me to the movies.

MM: Id like it to be a surprise but yeah

DE: mhm

JL: ok so for a surprise you gotta give enough to peak their interest

Razi420: pique

JL: idea lee u keep them guessing until u finally get to the location of the surprise

Razi420: ideally

JL: if u wanna go the extra mile leave a red earring  so they think ur gonna go someplace else

Razi420: red herring

JL: plant a piece of evy dance that suggests a bar crawl instead of a camping trip or whatever but be careful

Razi420: evidence

JL: u dont want to accidentally pull a bateman switch

Razi420: bait and switch

JL: no im pretty sure its bateman switch

Razi420: bait and switch

JL: its like when ur watching an episode of arrested development and then u realize that the entire time jason bateman was just a cgi clone and not the real jason bateman and then ur just like aaaaaaahhh man i wanted to see jason bateman and now i get this

JL: thats a bateman switch

Razi420: That doesn’t happen.

DE: That seems rather con fluted.

Razi420: convoluted

JL: so if ur seeing a drivein movie ur bringing blankets and other stuff right

MM: yeah blankets pillows and popcorn

JL: so thats pretty obvious

DE: It’s been so strange to see popcorn grow as a foodstuff.

JL: doc please dont weve wasted enough time as it is

Razi420: I’ve seen it too, it’s very strange how we’ve all decided it is only for movies and baseball.

JL: dont start this old man

Razi420: I remember when growing popcorn was the livelihood of some people.

JL: razi i will go over to the jukebox and play neil young right now if u dont stop

MM: JD youre wasting time yourself now

JL: right right

JL: so u arent going to be able to trick her into thinking u 2 are going somewhere else but

JL: but

MM: JD Ive never asked anyone out before Im not ready for advanced tactics here

JL: ok fine but never say where ur going

JL: keep it a mystery

JL: the idea is shes concerned with the mystery and when she solves it shes all like booyah and it makes the date better. so u gotta make sure shes gonna solve that mystery

JL: whats new scooby doo and all that

MM: and if she guesses the mystery

JL: just be noncommittal if she guesses right

JL: give a flat no to any incorrect answer and then give a maybe or an i dont know if she guesses right

JL: the maybe and the i dont know are in That tone of voice

MM: yeah I know That tone of voice

Razi420: I don’t mean to jinx it but I think this is the longest JD has a gone without making a joke.

DE: Wait, Razi, you, as a djinn, believe in jinxes?

JL: u might want to text her because if u build up the anticipation the payoff will be greater.

MM: JD I shouldnt text her I dont like personal conversations not in person

Razi420: Jinxes are a legitimate concept. I have plenty of data to back it up.

MM: but Im not even sure how to even start the conversation and get it leading up to asking her out

JL: mac ill let u in on a secret

JL: being smooth is 70% luck

JL: u gotta have quick thinking and all that

JL: but sometimes the right opportunity doesnt present itself and then u just gotta have an awkward transition

DE: Razi, jinxes are just coincidental, you point out something because it’s rare or you assume an unlikely outcome will happen, and when it falls through. You just say, “Oh, I jinxed it.”

JL: so mac, be ready to just go out and say would u like to go out on a date tonight

JL: i know that its not like that in the movies but thats closer to real life

MM: I cant work with “just do it” my brain doesnt like it

JL: u just gotta lean on ur natural charms

JL: ur going to feel really nervous so just lean into it

JL: be cute nervous

JL: she will love u cute nervous, mac

Razi420: Jinxes are like reverse wishes, someone says something and then the opposite effect occurs. The same powers are at work, but the etiquette of wish making isn’t followed, so the reverse effect occurs.

MM: I guess Im just worried she’ll say no

JL: shes not going to say no

JL: like i said theres nothing to do in this town

JL: but more importantly

DE: Mac, if all else fails I will help you out in anyway I can, you have my word. 

MM: Thanks Diego

JL: but more importantly you two love each other. shes going to be glad to talk to u no matter the outcome

DE:  And, Razi, when you grant a wish it tires you out, right? It drains some of your power.

Razi420: Yes, it does drain some of my power, but what does it have to do with jinxes?

JL: mac just remember that its going to go a whole lot better than you think it is going to go

JL: brains are just like that

JL: they tell u everythings gonna suck but surprise it rules

DE: The point that I’m getting at is that for a jinx to work, someone has to spend some power, so where does it come from, does it come from the wood that you must knock upon?

Razi420: …

Razi420: JD, you’ve been quite unlike yourself.

DE: No.

MM: I appreciate it JD

DE: Razi, you’re not getting away with it that easily.

MM: If Im being honest I expected to have to work hard to get info from you

DE: Razi, you can’t just deflect like that.

JL: im surprised that we didnt start a whole tangent on arrested development or something dumb

Razi420: Jinxes are caused by the stars, OK.

MM: you mean a tangent that everyone is involved in

DE: THats ridcuuloos

DE: *That’s ridiculous

JL: yeah

JL: but seriously

JL: I’m going to use grammatically correct sentences to express how much sincerity I have.

Razi420: I’m a djinn who’s friends with a vampire, a devil, and a werewolf who happens to be the sheriff of a town. We are not good judges of ridiculous.

JL: I just want you two to have a good time. You are coming to us for advice and I know that’s hard for you. You are making yourself vulnerable. I’m really proud of you.

MM: ... 

MM: Thanks

MM: It means a lot to me

DE: Why does JD get to be the one to say they’re proud of you?

DE: Shouldn’t that be for the person with seniority here.

JL: thats where ur wrong bucko

JL: the question here is one of gayness

JL: i am more dimensions of gay than u can possibly imagine

JL: thus i am the one whomst is allowed to delegate pride

DE: Also Razi, if it is stars, how does knocking on wood do shit.

JL: oh dam

MM: Now we know what gets Diego worked up enough to swear

Razi420: Photosynthesis uses light from stars, photosynthesis makes wood. Wood is directly related to starlight.

MM: But anyway thanks for the advice

DE: And here is the part where JD asks for a favor.

DE: Any minute now

DE: Also Razi, that is so patently ridiculous that I’m not going to debate about it anymore.

JL: Mac, you don’t owe me anything, just you two have a good time. If you two are happy, then I’m happy. That’s all..

JL: Also, if you claim I was helpful in anyway, shape, or form, I will deny it immediately.

MM: I expect nothing less

JL: i got a wild child image to keep up cant have this sincerity bullshit

JL: cool people dont have feelings right

JL: we just have leather jackets cool shades and smirks plastered on our faces

Razi420: Diego, if you refuse to debate about it, that means I win.

DE: iifwood is sending these tsingnals that means the signals would have to ravel fsaster than light to reach the starts and back with enough time to actually effet change

Razi420: Oooo, someone’s misspelling words, that means they’re angry.

JL: since everyone is here i think this is a good opportunity to do something ive always wanted to do

DE: The nearest star is over 4 light years away, how does it affect change on Earth.

JL: they use waves made of bofa rather than light

MM: JD

DE: You can’t get me, JD.

DE: I know this.

Razi420: what is bofa?

Several people are typing…

[lauramalchowblog]

When Does Fasting Cross the Line?

A little while back, Mark posted an article about 14 scenarios in which intermittent fasting (IF) might be just the ticket. We got some requests for a follow-up about times when IF might not be advised.

Mark has already written about cautions for women and athletes specifically. I’ll link those at the bottom. More generally, it’s important that anyone considering IF make sure that they are in a good place physically and mentally to handle the additional stress of IF.

As Mark said:

If you haven’t satisfied the usual IF “pre-reqs,” like being fat-adapted, getting good and sufficient sleep, minimizing or mitigating stress, and exercising well (not too much and not too little), you should not fast. These pre-reqs are absolutely crucial and non-negotiable, in my opinion—especially the fat-adaptation. In fact, I suspect that if an IF study was performed on sugar-burning women versus fat-adapted women, you’d see that the fat-burning beasts would perform better and suffer fewer (if any) maladaptations.

Fasting is generally healthy when done properly. The same goes for exercise and carb restriction. These behaviors help many people; but they can also be unhealthy for certain people or when used too much or in the wrong circumstances.

Today I’d like to wade into potentially controversial waters and talk about when fasting potentially crosses the line into disordered eating territory.

Before You Get Defensive…

If you find yourself feeling defensive already because you enjoy fasting and think that I’m going to suggest that you have a problem, please hold off commenting until the end.

To be clear: I do not think that fasting is inherently disordered. However, its popularity has skyrocketed so rapidly, and its proponents are so enthusiastic, that the potential downsides have been overshadowed. Actually, that’s not entirely fair. I have seen plenty of people in mental health and disordered eating circles voice concerns. The ancestral community tends to be very rah-rah about fasting.

The goal for today is to shine a light on this issue so that we don’t go into fasting with a blind spot.

Eating Disorders vs. Disordered Eating

The prevalence of full-blown eating disorders (ED) is fairly low according to NEDA, the National Eating Disorders Association. Experts believe biological and/or psychological predispositions make certain individuals vulnerable. These predispositions probably interact with environmental factors to trigger ED.

That said, many more people engage in disordered eating behaviors. The behaviors and their effects are not problematic enough to qualify for diagnosis with ED, but they still negatively affect physical and/or mental health and quality of life. Depending on their severity, they might be considered suboptimal to truly unhealthy.

Before going any further, let me be clear: I’m not in any way trying to diagnose readers with ED or disordered eating. That is way beyond my pay grade. Nor should you self-diagnose. If you want to learn more or get help, the best place to start is with NEDA’s Help & Support center. They have an online screening tool and a helpline there.

As I said, I don’t think fasting is inherently bad. However, NEDA lists fasting among the behaviors that can be indicative of ED. Of course, professionals in the ED and mental health worlds are looking at fasting through the lens of restricting and exercising tight control over food intake. We in the ancestral health space tend to look at it through the lens of optimizing health.

Neither perspective is more correct. It’s all about context:

why you’re fasting,

how fasting makes you feel physically and mentally,

whether it takes over your life,

if you are using it in a way that is actually undermining your health,

whether you are taking it “too far” (admittedly a nebulous metric)

As with so many things, deciding if you’ve crossed the line is highly personal. This applies to much more than food. When does worry become anxiety? When does fear become a phobia?

One criteria might be whether fasting causes you distress. Another is whether it interferes with your quality of life, social relationships, and work. This is called the criteria of clinical significance in the DSM-V, the diagnostic tool used by mental health professionals.

It’s often apparent, though not always easy to accept, when a behavior is no longer serving us. Unfortunately, though, it’s not always that simple. When it comes to fasting, it can cross over into problematic territory and still feel good.

Wouldn’t I Know If My Fasting Regime Was Too Much?

Maybe, maybe not. Restricting calories and fasting can lead to elevated mood, increased energy and motivation, and even feelings of euphoria. (Fasting that doesn’t result in a caloric deficit might be less prone to this.)

There are physiological reasons why this might be the case. First, scientists hypothesize that this is an adaptive response. If you were truly starving, this increased energy, drive, and focus would help you redouble your efforts to find food.

There is also some evidence that food restriction affects serotonin and dopamine pathways and can, for some individuals, reduce anxiety. Researchers believe that this is one way anorexic behaviors are reinforced in the brain. Again, fasting and anorexia nervosa are NOT the same animal, but they can share common features. The “high” associated with anorexia nervosa sounds not unlike the profound energy and cognitive benefits that some people report with fasting.

All this is to say, food restriction can feel good. For some people—or more accurately, for some brains—the withholding of food becomes inherently rewarding. In that case, you wouldn’t necessarily recognize when enough is enough.

How Do You Know If You’ve Crossed the Line?

I’m not going to be able to provide a definitive answer here. That said, these seem like potential red flags:

Fasting makes you feel euphoric. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s harmful by any means. Still, take a step back and evaluate whether you are always making healthy choices.

Your fasting regimen causes distress or significantly interferes with your life.

You feel like you have to fast or something bad will happen.

When you eat after a fast, you feel out of control with your food intake or binge.

You’re ignoring symptoms that might be related to too much fasting: adrenal or thyroid issues, fatigue, hair loss, weakness or inability to perform usual workouts, sleep disturbances, too much weight loss, etc.

Again, I am in no way diagnosing anyone here. If you think that perhaps your behavior has crossed into unhealthy territory, you should seek the counsel of someone trained in these issues.

The Bottom Line

Fasting, though it confers certain health benefits, is not good for every person. Experts recommend that individuals at risk for developing ED or with a history of ED refrain from fasting, including intermittent fasting, altogether. Even if you don’t think you’re at risk, it still might not be in your best interest.

Because fasting is so popular right now, some people think they have to fast for optimal health. They worry that they are missing out on tremendous health benefits if they can’t or don’t want to fast. The main reasons people fast are autophagy, glycemic control, and fat loss. You can achieve all of those goals through means other than fasting.

Remember, too, that you need not rigidly adhere to the same eating window every single day. It is fine to fast stochastically, to borrow from Paleo OG Art De Vany. You might also consider doing one longer fast a few times per year instead of daily intermittent fasting.

In any case, if fasting is wrong for you, it’s wrong for you, period. It doesn’t really matter if your neighbor loves it or the lady in the next cubicle lost 60 pounds with IF. If it negatively impacts your physical and/or mental well-being, it’s not worth it.

And in case this isn’t perfectly clear: Enjoying fasting DOES NOT MEAN that you are doing anything wrong. On the contrary, I hope you are enjoying fasting if it’s a tool you’re using regularly. Feeling great is the goal. If it’s not negatively affecting your physical health, psychological well-being, or social relationships, it’s not problematic. Likewise, if you are consuming enough calories when you do eat, and you’re able to be flexible with your fasting schedule when the situation calls for it, you likely don’t have to worry.

This issue can be hard to talk about because so many people feel passionately about defending their way of eating. Those who question whether fasting is always healthy, or who point out that a desire to eat healthfully can sometimes slip into orthorexia, are accused of “fit shaming.”

However, not talking about it isn’t the answer. Our goal should be to bring these issues into the light and try to better understand them. Then we can make informed decisions about which behaviors best serve us now and in the future.

  Related Posts from MDA

Intermittent Fasting for Women: What We Know Now

Dear Mark: More on Women and Fasting

Intermittent Fasting For Athletes: Benefits and Concerns

12 Intermittent Fasting Tips for Athletes

Fasting versus Carb Restriction: Which Works Better for What Scenarios

  References

Kaye, WH, Fudge, JL, Paulus, M. New insights into symptoms and neurocircuit function of anorexia nervosa. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2009;10: 573–584. 

Kaye WH, Wierenga CE, Bailer UF, Simmons AN, Bischoff-Grethe A. Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels: the neurobiology of anorexia nervosa. Trends Neurosci. 2013 Feb;36(2):110-20. 

The post When Does Fasting Cross the Line? appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

When Does Fasting Cross the Line? published first on https://venabeahan.tumblr.com

[jesseneufeld]

When Does Fasting Cross the Line?

A little while back, Mark posted an article about 14 scenarios in which intermittent fasting (IF) might be just the ticket. We got some requests for a follow-up about times when IF might not be advised.

Mark has already written about cautions for women and athletes specifically. I’ll link those at the bottom. More generally, it’s important that anyone considering IF make sure that they are in a good place physically and mentally to handle the additional stress of IF.

As Mark said:

If you haven’t satisfied the usual IF “pre-reqs,” like being fat-adapted, getting good and sufficient sleep, minimizing or mitigating stress, and exercising well (not too much and not too little), you should not fast. These pre-reqs are absolutely crucial and non-negotiable, in my opinion—especially the fat-adaptation. In fact, I suspect that if an IF study was performed on sugar-burning women versus fat-adapted women, you’d see that the fat-burning beasts would perform better and suffer fewer (if any) maladaptations.

Fasting is generally healthy when done properly. The same goes for exercise and carb restriction. These behaviors help many people; but they can also be unhealthy for certain people or when used too much or in the wrong circumstances.

Today I’d like to wade into potentially controversial waters and talk about when fasting potentially crosses the line into disordered eating territory.

Before You Get Defensive…

If you find yourself feeling defensive already because you enjoy fasting and think that I’m going to suggest that you have a problem, please hold off commenting until the end.

To be clear: I do not think that fasting is inherently disordered. However, its popularity has skyrocketed so rapidly, and its proponents are so enthusiastic, that the potential downsides have been overshadowed. Actually, that’s not entirely fair. I have seen plenty of people in mental health and disordered eating circles voice concerns. The ancestral community tends to be very rah-rah about fasting.

The goal for today is to shine a light on this issue so that we don’t go into fasting with a blind spot.

Eating Disorders vs. Disordered Eating

The prevalence of full-blown eating disorders (ED) is fairly low according to NEDA, the National Eating Disorders Association. Experts believe biological and/or psychological predispositions make certain individuals vulnerable. These predispositions probably interact with environmental factors to trigger ED.

That said, many more people engage in disordered eating behaviors. The behaviors and their effects are not problematic enough to qualify for diagnosis with ED, but they still negatively affect physical and/or mental health and quality of life. Depending on their severity, they might be considered suboptimal to truly unhealthy.

Before going any further, let me be clear: I’m not in any way trying to diagnose readers with ED or disordered eating. That is way beyond my pay grade. Nor should you self-diagnose. If you want to learn more or get help, the best place to start is with NEDA’s Help & Support center. They have an online screening tool and a helpline there.

As I said, I don’t think fasting is inherently bad. However, NEDA lists fasting among the behaviors that can be indicative of ED. Of course, professionals in the ED and mental health worlds are looking at fasting through the lens of restricting and exercising tight control over food intake. We in the ancestral health space tend to look at it through the lens of optimizing health.

Neither perspective is more correct. It’s all about context:

why you’re fasting,

how fasting makes you feel physically and mentally,

whether it takes over your life,

if you are using it in a way that is actually undermining your health,

whether you are taking it “too far” (admittedly a nebulous metric)

As with so many things, deciding if you’ve crossed the line is highly personal. This applies to much more than food. When does worry become anxiety? When does fear become a phobia?

One criteria might be whether fasting causes you distress. Another is whether it interferes with your quality of life, social relationships, and work. This is called the criteria of clinical significance in the DSM-V, the diagnostic tool used by mental health professionals.

It’s often apparent, though not always easy to accept, when a behavior is no longer serving us. Unfortunately, though, it’s not always that simple. When it comes to fasting, it can cross over into problematic territory and still feel good.

Wouldn’t I Know If My Fasting Regime Was Too Much?

Maybe, maybe not. Restricting calories and fasting can lead to elevated mood, increased energy and motivation, and even feelings of euphoria. (Fasting that doesn’t result in a caloric deficit might be less prone to this.)

There are physiological reasons why this might be the case. First, scientists hypothesize that this is an adaptive response. If you were truly starving, this increased energy, drive, and focus would help you redouble your efforts to find food.

There is also some evidence that food restriction affects serotonin and dopamine pathways and can, for some individuals, reduce anxiety. Researchers believe that this is one way anorexic behaviors are reinforced in the brain. Again, fasting and anorexia nervosa are NOT the same animal, but they can share common features. The “high” associated with anorexia nervosa sounds not unlike the profound energy and cognitive benefits that some people report with fasting.

All this is to say, food restriction can feel good. For some people—or more accurately, for some brains—the withholding of food becomes inherently rewarding. In that case, you wouldn’t necessarily recognize when enough is enough.

How Do You Know If You’ve Crossed the Line?

I’m not going to be able to provide a definitive answer here. That said, these seem like potential red flags:

Fasting makes you feel euphoric. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s harmful by any means. Still, take a step back and evaluate whether you are always making healthy choices.

Your fasting regimen causes distress or significantly interferes with your life.

You feel like you have to fast or something bad will happen.

When you eat after a fast, you feel out of control with your food intake or binge.

You’re ignoring symptoms that might be related to too much fasting: adrenal or thyroid issues, fatigue, hair loss, weakness or inability to perform usual workouts, sleep disturbances, too much weight loss, etc.

Again, I am in no way diagnosing anyone here. If you think that perhaps your behavior has crossed into unhealthy territory, you should seek the counsel of someone trained in these issues.

The Bottom Line

Fasting, though it confers certain health benefits, is not good for every person. Experts recommend that individuals at risk for developing ED or with a history of ED refrain from fasting, including intermittent fasting, altogether. Even if you don’t think you’re at risk, it still might not be in your best interest.

Because fasting is so popular right now, some people think they have to fast for optimal health. They worry that they are missing out on tremendous health benefits if they can’t or don’t want to fast. The main reasons people fast are autophagy, glycemic control, and fat loss. You can achieve all of those goals through means other than fasting.

Remember, too, that you need not rigidly adhere to the same eating window every single day. It is fine to fast stochastically, to borrow from Paleo OG Art De Vany. You might also consider doing one longer fast a few times per year instead of daily intermittent fasting.

In any case, if fasting is wrong for you, it’s wrong for you, period. It doesn’t really matter if your neighbor loves it or the lady in the next cubicle lost 60 pounds with IF. If it negatively impacts your physical and/or mental well-being, it’s not worth it.

And in case this isn’t perfectly clear: Enjoying fasting DOES NOT MEAN that you are doing anything wrong. On the contrary, I hope you are enjoying fasting if it’s a tool you’re using regularly. Feeling great is the goal. If it’s not negatively affecting your physical health, psychological well-being, or social relationships, it’s not problematic. Likewise, if you are consuming enough calories when you do eat, and you’re able to be flexible with your fasting schedule when the situation calls for it, you likely don’t have to worry.

This issue can be hard to talk about because so many people feel passionately about defending their way of eating. Those who question whether fasting is always healthy, or who point out that a desire to eat healthfully can sometimes slip into orthorexia, are accused of “fit shaming.”

However, not talking about it isn’t the answer. Our goal should be to bring these issues into the light and try to better understand them. Then we can make informed decisions about which behaviors best serve us now and in the future.

  Related Posts from MDA

Intermittent Fasting for Women: What We Know Now

Dear Mark: More on Women and Fasting

Intermittent Fasting For Athletes: Benefits and Concerns

12 Intermittent Fasting Tips for Athletes

Fasting versus Carb Restriction: Which Works Better for What Scenarios

  References

Kaye, WH, Fudge, JL, Paulus, M. New insights into symptoms and neurocircuit function of anorexia nervosa. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2009;10: 573–584. 

Kaye WH, Wierenga CE, Bailer UF, Simmons AN, Bischoff-Grethe A. Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels: the neurobiology of anorexia nervosa. Trends Neurosci. 2013 Feb;36(2):110-20. 

The post When Does Fasting Cross the Line? appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

When Does Fasting Cross the Line? published first on https://drugaddictionsrehab.tumblr.com/

[crossdressingdeath]

On WWX’s parents, when you think about it - almost all the Night Hunts we see in the series are pretty easily handled by the Cultivators. What Night Hunts on the series are dangerous? The first one is the arm - but the arm wasn’t what they were called for. They Lans were called in for walking corpses, which are considered barely a threat by cultivators. The arm was thrown into the mix by an outside force.

The Waterborne Abyss. The Waterborn Abyss was only dangerous because it was unexpected. It was pushed there by the Wen Sect, the Lan Sect had no idea they were dealing with anything more dangerous than Water Ghouls (which are so non-threatening, WWX mentions his main method of dealing with them is diving into water with them). And once they realized it was Waterborne Abyss they managed to seal it and manage it. The Goddess Statue? Yeah, it was dangerous, but only when people made wishes on it. And again, it was really only dangerous for the inexperienced cultivators - WWX was confident either LWJ or JC could handle it, since he tried to get the juniors to call them. He only stepped in when he realized help wouldn’t arrive in time.

The Tortoise of Slaughter wasn’t exactly a normal Night Hunt. The Wen Sect was the only ones who knew what was going on, the others were intentionally put in a dangerous situation where they used as fodder. The murder turtle wouldn’t have even been an issue since it was trapped in its cave and sleeping. Basically almost every dangerous Night Hunt was only dangerous due to outside interference. I suppose you could consider the Burial Mounds a Night Hunt location that wasn’t caused by interference. But if you wanted to be safe, it was as simple as not going there. That’s all you needed to be safe.

Obviously one could just choose not to go on any dangerous Night Hunts. At the end of the novel, MianMian takes her young daughter and non-cultivator husband with her on Night Hunts.

I’m not saying CSSR and WCZ were completely in the right, but I think they had a decent reason to believe they weren’t going to die. Most cultivators have a very good constitution, and can retain their youth through cultivation. Only the Nie Sect cultivators have any real concerns about health, but that doesn’t apply to either CSSR or WCZ.

Again, not trying to say that they shouldn’t have planned for their deaths. But I feel like there is something odd about their deaths, especially since you would think that they would take every precaution to be safe if they had a child. Especially since, compared to other characters with dead parents, we actually know very little about them and their deaths. LWJ’s parents backstories and deaths are covered, JC’s parents are shown in flashbacks, as are JL’s and JZX’s. Even JGY’s parents are covered! It’s just always been a little detail that’s stuck out to me.

...I feel the need to point out that the only night hunt we see where no one comes incredibly close to dying is the one that is a hoax? And the least dangerous of the night hunts we see are the ones that were given to juniors, not fully trained cultivators, and they still nearly died because of things happening that they didn’t expect? And there were a lot of fully trained cultivators at Dafan Mountain; it wasn’t just the juniors! LWJ is known to be an insanely good cultivator and JC travels with a posse of cultivators, both of their presences would do a lot of good that has nothing to do with the goddess statue only being a threat to inexperienced cultivators. If you need either a small army or a guy known for being better than literally anyone else to solve a situation then that situation is a pretty big problem!

As for the Waterborne Abyss only being a threat because it was unexpected... uh, no. We’re talking about a force that drowned who knows how many people and took years to clear up. All the cultivators could do was run and come back with a larger force. The Wens pushed it onto the Lans because it was too big a deal to handle quickly and easily! Also, water ghouls being manageable as individuals doesn’t mean the amount we see in the lake would have been easy to deal with? Sheer numbers would do a lot to make the fight harder! A large force of cultivators could handle them, sure, but we’re not talking about a large force with WWX’s parents; we’re talking about two people. And the Xuanwu not being an issue is, uh... This thing killed a lot of people. Thousands, if memory serves. And was never defeated. It went into hibernation, which suggests that it got itself into that cave to begin with; there’s no evidence it couldn’t have gotten itself out again, or that it wouldn’t have woken up on its own eventually. Hell, we don’t even know for sure that the cultivators did wake it up; it’s possible, if not likely, that they just had extremely poor timing. And uh... the Wens knew what was going on and still ended up having to run despite presumably having prepared for a serious fight, so clearly it’s not just a threat because of a lack of knowledge. Basically if your only explanation for why a night hunt isn’t a big deal is because “Well it wasn’t doing anything until people showed up” for situations that involve creatures that either have killed massive amounts of people or are currently in the process of growing stronger and will likely soon be powerful enough to kill people without people having to go to them... well, if the cultivation world worked on that logic I suspect it would very quickly get extremely dangerous. Also... it’s their job, is the thing. It is the job of cultivators to deal with things that are putting people in danger. They couldn’t just refuse to deal with the goddess statue because “Well if you just don’t make any wishes it’s fine”. They will be getting paid for this. And you can’t just leave something that could gain enough power to start doing things without human interference lying around in the hope that no one will unknowingly (or deliberately; desperation makes people do really unwise things) activate her again? Sure, they can just tell the common folk who are paying them “Eh as long as no one ever fucks up again you’ll be fine”, I’m sure that will go over just fine...

And I do have to say... you’re saying that night hunts are only dangerous when unexpected things happen and saying that you can just choose not to go on dangerous night hunts, here. So which is it? Do incredibly dangerous things sometimes happen without any prior warning and if you’re unprepared you’re fucked, or can you always choose to only go on safe night hunts? Not to mention that as rogue cultivators WCZ and CSSR would have to take whatever work was available; Mianmian can choose to turn down any fights that seem too dangerous or call in support (who would then take a cut of the payment, I imagine) because her merchant husband (who presumably is still working as a merchant) brings an alternate source of income to the table; if WCZ and CSSR refused to take work or called in help too often, they’d starve. This is a dangerous profession; we’re dealing with the big leagues in MDZS, cultivators too powerful to get killed by small night hunts and too important to risk their necks on large ones unless they choose to (which most don’t, and the only one we see going out despite the risks is, again, insanely powerful), but I don’t doubt for a second that lower rank cultivators die on night hunts all the time. Don’t forget that the people in real trouble from these unexpected dangers on otherwise seemingly pretty safe hunts are juniors; their training isn’t finished yet, they’re not getting sent on really dangerous night hunts because they aren’t ready. The night hunts we see with them, especially when they’re largely unsupervised with just a senior nearby in case things get out of hand, shouldn’t be super dangerous because they’re training, presumably teaching them how to handle a night hunt without just turning to the nearest senior for instructions. Those are the cases where the real danger comes from an outside source because the hunt they were expecting was specifically picked out as being manageable by partly trained teenagers.

Basically, at the end of the day... we see enough to know that things go wrong. Night hunting is as dangerous and unpredictable as any other profession that involves a lot of travelling and fighting. CSSR and WCZ could be the most powerful cultivators ever and only go on night hunts they were sure they could handle and still die due to a situation turning out to be more dangerous than they had planned for. A good constitution is not going to save you from being mauled by monsters, just make it harder for that to happen. There’s no reason to think there’s anything suspicious about their deaths; if there was I’d expect the story to... y’know, go into that? Bring it up as a possibility, at least. We never really see them in flashbacks or hear about them because a) the earliest flashbacks take place several years after their deaths, b) WWX (our viewpoint character) only has a couple memories of them, which we do see, and c) the only people around him who knew them refuse to talk about them for a variety of clear or easily guessed reasons. The way I see it they made no plans for what would happen to WWX if they died because they were short-sighted, and quite possibly still of an age where they were convinced they were immortal. You’d think they would make plans, but... well, you’d think a lot of people would act differently than they do in MDZS. You’d think two people with a young child would try to find a job that didn’t involve travelling around and fighting all the time! This isn’t a story about people making the exact right choice every time. Bad calls by the people in a situation don’t automatically make that situation suspicious. As far as we see in canon WCZ and CSSR died because a night hunt went wrong, as you yourself have pointed out they often seem to, and no plans were made for WWX’s future if they died because they were short-sighted. It’s an interesting headcanon to say that they might have been murdered, but... well, there’s no evidence and no one with any real motive. Maybe YZY if you squint, but if that’s the case it doesn’t make sense that she doesn’t kill WWX, who she clearly hates and wants gone. I don’t know, I don’t buy it.

[ouraidengray4]

5 Ways Your Career Might Be Secretly Hurting Your Health

When did it become cool for everyone to start bragging about how crazy busy they are? As someone who prides herself on having a strong work ethic, I get the value of working hard, but busy-bragging? What’s the good in that?

Eight out of 10 Americans have reported feeling stressed at work; when ignored, stress can cause some pretty major health problems—from migraines and ulcers to heart attacks and strokes.

Most of us weren’t born as heirs and heiresses to billion-dollar empires, which means working hard to put food on the table is a necessity. But that doesn’t mean we should compromise our sanity and put health on the back burner.

Here are five surprising ways your nine-to-five (or, let’s be real, your eight-to-nine) could be putting your health at risk. Believe it or not, stress doesn’t always come just from dealing with your boss.

1. You sit at a desk all day long.

If you’re in a field like IT or human resources, you have one (and maybe only one) thing in common: sitting for long, long periods of time (like, all day long). While sitting is not the new smoking (it's really not), being sedentary isn't good for anyone, nor is holding the same position all day. The good news? Research shows you can counteract the effects of your desk job by being active in the hours you're not working. Since that can be a tall order for folks whose job makes them just want to come home and plop down on the couch, you can also sneak in extra steps throughout the day.

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"Set a timer on your watch or your phone every hour to get up and walk," says Jennifer Caudle, D.O., family physician and associate professor at the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine. Caudle also suggests parking farther away from your office and standing while doing certain tasks, such as phone calls. Bonus: Research shows tapping your feet while sitting can help increase blood flow to the legs.

2. You skip—or rush through—lunch.

When did convincing ourselves we aren't worthy of taking a 30-minute (or even an hour!) lunch become OK? Answering emails while scarfing down leftovers might seem like you’re killing two birds with one stone, but you could be doing more harm than good. Eating your lunch while sitting in front of a computer screen "doesn’t facilitate a relaxed setting," Caudle says.

If you skip lunch frequently, you probably find yourself snacking more often throughout the day or overeating by the time dinner rolls around. Aim for smaller meals every three to five hours. Some studies suggest eating frequently is an important factor for maintaining weight loss. Eating frequency is higher in weight loss maintainers and normal-weight individuals than in overweight individuals. Bachman JL, Phelan S, Wing RR. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2011, Dec.;111(11):1878-3570.

3. You always say yes to overtime.

I don’t think there’s anyone on this planet who doesn’t enjoy having extra money in their pockets, and personally, I can attest the extra cash I earned while working overtime at my last job was awesome—at first. But I soon realized those extra bucks were interfering with my much-needed downtime. To quote Beyoncé, "I done got so sick and filthy with Benjis, I can't spend it."

Folks who punch in 40-plus hours per week often complain about not having any downtime or not getting enough rest. And if you think working longer shifts increases your productivity, there’s evidence suggesting lack of sleep can affect our cognitive performance, such as the ability to concentrate. Setting boundaries early on can help offset any pressure to say yes to overtime if you’re asked more than once.

4. You answer emails before going to bed.

Living in a society that’s technology driven is a blessing because it allows us to stay connected no matter where we are in the world, but it’s also a curse... because it allows us to stay connected no matter where we are in the world.

Tapping into email right before bedtime means you’re still thinking about work even after you’ve left, and that’s a problem. Bedtime mobile phone use and sleep in adults. Exelmans L, Van den Bulck J. Social science & medicine (1982), 2015, Dec.;148():1873-5347. It’s normal to feel like you might miss out on something important if you’re not plugged in 24/7, but I’m pretty sure those emails about who’s bringing cupcakes to Thursday’s meeting can wait until the morning. If your position really requires you to be plugged in more than what’s considered normal, set limits for yourself. Make an agreement with yourself to stop answering emails or texts at least two hours before going to bed.

5. You don’t speak up during meetings.

I’m a firm believer in picking your battles in the workplace, but choosing to remain silent on the issues that affect you and your job is disempowering. Of course there’s fear of retribution, but consistently not speaking up during meetings only leads to anger, resentment, and bitterness, which is guaranteed to come back and bite you in the ass. "If we regularly fail to speak up during meetings, we aren’t bringing our full selves to the meeting, and it’s easy to feel disconnected," says career coach and wellness trainer Cynthia Pong. "If we are disconnected from the organization and its mission, it won’t be too long before we start going through the motions without caring about the quality of our work."

What’s more likely to get you reprimanded? Expressing your concerns in a calm, professional manner or snapping at your boss? A true leader will value your ideas, even if it means respectfully disagreeing with theirs.

Princess Gabbara is a Michigan-based journalist and storyteller whose work has been published across several publications, including Ebony, Jetmag.com, Essence.com, Sesi, HelloBeautiful.com, and Huffington Post Women. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @PrincessGabbara.

from Greatist RSS http://ift.tt/2f7CEXA 5 Ways Your Career Might Be Secretly Hurting Your Health Greatist RSS from HEALTH BUZZ http://ift.tt/2wMcL7d

[effieworldwide]

Winner Spotlight: Valio & hasan & partners, “Lemmy”

March 9, 2017

All images courtesy of Valio and hasan & partners. 

In 2016, Valio, a leading manufacturer of dairy goods in Finland, faced declining interest in their product offerings. Together, Valio and agency partner, hasan & partners, needed to develop a marketing campaign that would strengthen brand recognition both locally and globally. The team came up with an unexpected solution: Legendary Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister was named a spokesman for the milk brand, a juxtaposition that would surely get people’s attention.

Sadly, news of Lemmy’s passing broke while the campaign was in post-production, less than one month after filming the spot. The news came as a shock and the team quickly regrouped upon realizing their original marketing strategy wouldn’t work. This introduced a new set of challenges as they worked to find a meaningful and authentic way to honor the rocker. With the blessing of Lemmy’s management, Valio and hasan & partners turned his forthcoming ad into a tribute to the Motörhead artist. The video was released the day before Lemmy’s funeral, and given the delicate nature of the effort, no paid media was used.

Coverage of Valio’s tribute to Lemmy spread through more than 33 countries, and the film was seen by more than 87 million people around the world (if you haven’t seen it, watch it here). Valio and hasan & partners’ “Lemmy” tribute earned two Effies at the 2016 Finland Gala, including one Gold and the night’s top honor, the Grand Effie.

We asked Jussi Lindholm, Chief Operating Officer at hasan & partners, to share how the tribute came to be. Read on to learn how he and his team turned a tragic and difficult situation into a valuable lesson on content marketing.

Tell us a bit about your Grand Effie-winning effort. What was the state of Valio’s business prior to developing this campaign?

JL: Milk consumption has been declining since the 1950s. The situation is particularly difficult for the basic milk products of leading brands, which are under constant pressure from ever-lower prices and generic labels. So, the current strategy is to focus on added-value products and to seek growth opportunities in the global market.

Though available in 27 countries, Valio products are actively marketed in only a few of these. Achieving growth globally requires heightened product recognition, both among consumers and also among key decision makers when they are deciding on their new product offerings. Entering a new market is always easier when the brand is known by at least some of its potential audience.

Supporting all target markets would require significant investment – with no guarantee that the effort will be effective. So, the starting point for our strategy was to rely on the old formula: “marketing effect = message x media.” We planned to do this in a way that has proven effective in the domestic market, but would also offer the chance to gain major international visibility.

What was the insight that led to the big idea? How did you uncover this insight?  

JL: In the domestic market, our aim was to get the attention of men over 30 years old, since this group includes many who have stopped consuming ordinary milk products and who pay little attention to marketing communications from Valio.

We felt we could get their attention by doing something surprising – and thereby create an opportunity to explain that Valio now offers much more than just ordinary milk products. If this offering includes some products that are suitable even for Lemmy, then it’s sure to have something for them as well.

The global aim was to focus not just on consumers, but also on B2B buyers, as we especially wanted the latter to know more about Valio’s innovative portfolio when considering new product listings.

We knew that to reach these audiences we had to do something that was exceptional and unconventional for the category, and that would potentially make the news and appear in popular media well beyond the industry press.

About finding the insight:

Valio has an established approach to pre-testing of advertising. It includes a review and analysis of consumer memories of old advertisements from Valio and from the category in general.

A comprehensive assessment showed that in Finland there are few milk advertisements over the years that consumers remember particularly well. One exception is the Milk and Health Association classic, “I never drank milk,” which came up again and again in our focus groups. This was particularly evident in the slightly older target group that includes a large number of former milk drinkers – who currently were beyond the reach of milk advertising. This group could potentially be reached with a contemporary – and surprising – version of the “I never drank milk” message, which would also create interest in Valio’s new added-value milk products.

The original “I never drank milk ad,” made in the late 1990’s for the Dairy Nutrition Council of Finland.

Correctly done, this would give us a PR and marketing asset that could also be cost-effectively applied in international marketing – measured both by local sales units and also as an effective B2B sales tool for building awareness and stimulating social conversation.

Our aim was simply to create a highly surprising video that was relevant to the target audience and could be used in domestic TV advertising – and that also had real viral potential that could make it a topic of discussion globally. Additionally, especially if supported by comprehensive PR and seeding, our aim was to create viral interest in key Valio markets that could then be used to target B2B decision makers.

The core of our idea was based on a controversial encounter between a rock legend and a milk brand; an encounter so surprising that even Lemmy himself found it funny and compelling enough to arouse his interest and commitment. A key to the idea’s success was that it was a credible way for the legend to play himself, as opposed to making a conventional endorsement commercial.

After the news of Lemmy’s passing, how did the campaign change course?

JL: The campaign advertisement had already been filmed and post-production was in progress when news of Lemmy’s death reached the team. It was immediately clear to us that the campaign could not be implemented as planned, and that there was an urgent need to reassess the whole case and evaluate and navigate a new set of risks.

The team decided to shift from advertising to PR mode, and link the message to the new circumstances. This new approach was then discussed with Lemmy’s management, and with their approval it was decided that the commercial would now take the form of a tribute.

The newly selected scene was a moment that had not been included in the original script, but which would portray Lemmy in an authentic light as a man who loved life, and would be done in a way that conveyed the right mood to the public under difficult circumstances. The selected scene was one that portrayed the legend in a way that fit quite perfectly with how people wanted to remember him. It was the fact that our portrayal of Lemmy rang so true that insulated it from any objections about distributing it under admittedly delicate circumstances – it really was a genuine memory.

This is not to say that the selected material was not controversial, as here was Lemmy on video telling us that he had never drank Valio products, even referring to the viewers as “you assholes.” Yet this was Lemmy at his most authentic, which made it relevant, interesting, and fully respectful of his memory. This is not to say that there were not still risks involved for Valio, but fully aligning our message with Lemmy’s authentic, iconic spirit meant the risks had been brought to an acceptable level in relation to the potential benefits that a global viral breakthrough offered.

The chosen release date was the day before Lemmy’s funeral, when the level of public interest – but also the potential risk – would be highest. Yet the risk was justified, as the tone and content of the tribute had been approved by the musician’s management, which the advertiser could refer to if necessary.

The campaign thus became a skillful exercise in “crisis communication,” as now the campaign was in a position to press ahead with every crisis communication specialist’s dream of turning crisis communications into skilled content marketing.

In its final form, the campaign became a package constructed around pure content marketing and PR, with the investment nearly 100% applied to producing the content itself. While this approach brings substantial risks, it can offer even greater opportunities.

Since this was a tribute, it was clear that no paid media should be used, as this would tend to diminish the value and authenticity of the message.

What is the biggest learning you’ve taken away from this effort?

JL: Listen to your audiences.

With this case, we first listened to the consumers and this helped us discover our creative insight. After the sad news of Lemmy’s passing broke, we listened to the band and the fans who were asked to share their memories. Without this focus on listening, our campaign and the tribute that flowed from it would have never taken place.

Through this process of listening, a one-day “campaign” attracted global attention for our Finnish client, Valio. And as a tribute, the international impact was much greater than we could have ever anticipated with the original plan; what began as a commercial ended up as global news.

Is there anything else we should know about Valio’s tribute to Lemmy?

JL: All together, it took over three years to create this campaign. Yet less than a month after the shoot, and with the commercial’s post-production nearly complete, the devastating news came in. It’s perhaps not hard to correctly guess the range of questions and reactions we had when the sad news of Lemmy’s untimely passing arrived – and before we were able to see the possibility of transforming a commercial into a respectful, spot-on tribute.

The feeling for us at that moment was one of real tragedy. It was absolutely heart-breaking, but at the same time we were profoundly grateful we had had this moment with Lemmy.

That one magical moment we selected for the final tribute was not part of the original script, but when we saw it we felt it crystallized the spirit of a true icon – and we wanted to share it.

As a Motörhead fan, this project meant the world to me.

“Born to lose, live to win. Long live the King.”

To learn more about the Effie Awards Finland program, click here. 

[crossdressingdeath]

I know a lot of people refuse to believe/forget that JC did canonically torture people to death for 13 years, so I gathered some proof directly from the novel that basically proves that JC did indeed do those things:

“Jiang Cheng spoke grimly, ‘Break his legs? Haven’t I told you? If you see this sort of evil and crooked practice, kill the cultivator and feed him to your dogs!’.”- Chapter 7, Arrogance Part Two

As soon as JC sees someone who uses even the tiniest bit of resentful energy, and for this reason:

“The boy’s movements were already fast, but Wei WuXian had done a lot of “tripping someone while slapping a talisman onto their back”, which meant that he was faster. The boy suddenly felt his torso become numb, his back weakening, and he unwillingly collapsed onto the ground, with his sword also falling to the side with a clunk. He couldn’t get up no matter how hard he tried, as if a mountain was on top of him. On his back, there was a ghost who had died from gluttony, crushing him to the point that he couldn’t even breathe. Although the ghost was weak, it was completely capable of dealing with brats like this one. Wei WuXian picked up his sword, weighed it in his hands, and swung toward the direction of the deity-binding net, splitting it in half.”- Chapter 7, Arrogance Part Two

So as soon as WWX defends himself from JL, and keeps him pinned to the ground, and obviously not going to harm JL, JC says this. Kinda sketchy.

Another thing;

“After a moment, the corners of Jiang Cheng’s lips pulled into a twisted smile. His left hand started to unconsciously stroke the ring again. He spoke softly, ‘... Well, well. So you’re back?’”-Chapter 10 Arrogance Part 5

All because WWX just summoned a corpse to save JL. Remember, at this time, everyone thinks WWX is actually MXY. All the disciple says is that ‘MXY’ was the one who summoned WWX. What if it had been an accident? ‘MXY’ was only trying to save JL, and WN had been the first corpse to pop up. JC doesn’t say anything in thanks for saving JL, and instead does this;

“Sure enough, as if eyes grew on his back, Jiang Cheng saw that he went outside Lan WangJi’s area of protection, and was determined to grasp the chance. With a slanting crack of his whip, Zidian slashed out with the semblance of a poisonous dragon, precisely landing on the center of his back!”

He whips WWX immediately. Doesn’t seem like the actions of someone who didn’t torture people to death for years, simply because he believed they were WWX. Immediately. Let that sink in. And even if you want to argue that JC probably only whips him because of WN; here’s another thing.

“A moment ago, Jiang Cheng was certain that this person was Wei WuXian, and all of the blood in his body started to boil. Yet, now, Zidian was clearly telling him that he wasn’t. Zidian definitely wouldn’t deceive him or make a mistake, so he quickly calmed himself and thought, this doesn’t mean anything. I should first find an excuse to take him back and use every possible method to get information out of him. It’s impossible for him to not confess anything or give himself away. I’ve done things like this in the past anyways. After thinking it through, he made a gesture. The disciples understood his intention and came over.”-Chapter 10, Arrogance Part 5

We’re currently in JC’s POV. He has no reason to make things up in his head. His disciples also clearly help him capture demonic cultivators. HE LITERALLY FUCKING ADMITS TO HAVING DONE THIS BEFORE, TO THE POINT WHERE NO ONE WOULD CARE IF HE TOOK ‘MXY’ BACK TO LP, AND DO ALL KINDS OF THINGS TO HIM. But if people still need more proof.

“Everyone in the cultivation world knew that the young leader of the Jiang Clan watched out for Wei WuXian in an almost crazed manner. He would rather catch the wrong person than let go of any possibility, and took anyone who seemed like they held the soul of Wei WuXian away to the YunmengJiang Sect, inflicting severe torture on his victim. If he wanted to take someone back, the opposition would surely lose half of their life.” Chapter 10, Arrogance Part 5.

JC is a powerful sect leader! No one would dare spread false rumors about him! So why do these exist? Some more;

“Lan SiZhui tried to reason with him, “Young Master Mo, it was for your sake that HanGuang-Jun brought you here. If you do not follow us, Sect Leader Jiang will not be willing to let the matter go. During these years, there were countless people whom he caught and took back to Lotus Pier, and none of those people were ever let out.’... “Lan JingYi spoke, “That is right. You have seen Sect Leader Jiang’s methods, have you not? They are quite cruel…’”-Chapter 11, Refinement Part One

These are GusuLan disciples. Speaking about things that are false/spreading false rumors is forbidden! A strict no-no! As much as I love Petty!LWJ, even if it was about someone he hated, LWJ would correct the juniors if he believed/knew they were false! That’s his nature. But he doesn’t. Some more proof;

“Jin Ling replied with an ‘oh,’ and his footsteps faded into the distance. Seeing Jiang Cheng turn around, Wei WuXian immediately pulled a mixed expression of “I’m so shocked,” “my secret has been disclosed,” and “what do I do now that Wen Ning had been found.” Jin Ling was actually quite clever. Knowing that Jiang Cheng hated Wen Ning more than anything, he made up such a smooth lie with the previous knowledge he had. Jiang Cheng knew that the YiLing Patriarch and the Ghost General often appeared together, so he already suspected that Wen Ning was in the area. Having heard Jin Ling’s words, he was already mostly convinced, and Wei WuXian’s expression convinced him even further. On top of that, he burst into fury whenever he heard the mention of Wen Ning’s name. With his eyes blinded by wrath, how could he still have doubted?”

If JC really didn’t torture people to death, why the hell would JL feel the need to save ‘MXY’? This is JC’s own fucking nephew, why the hell would JL doubt him? Oh wait, let me guess. Maybe it’s because he actually does do that!

Some more, if they still don’t believe;

“Jin Ling, ‘It’s not the first time my uncle did such a thing. He has never let any of them go, even if it was possible that he caught the wrong ones.’”

What is not clicking? JC tortures them so badly, JL feels the need to save him!!! This is JC’s own motherfucking nephew. Someone who knows JC, and spends time at LP. He’s very clearly heard JC do this before.

Some more proof;

Here, I couldn’t find the actual chapter, but when JC’s own people are afraid of him, and genuinely believe he tortures demonic cultivators. (If you know the chapter, would you mind listing which it is?). But anyway, there’s also a quote where the screams of the tortured people can be heard in LP. People are so scared of JC, they can’t even ask the sect for help with reeenful energy problems! Quite telling, no?

Thus, this concludes my ‘JC really did torture people for 13 years’.

Yeah, it’s a whole thing. It’s quite a study in willful blindness, seeing people insist that it was just rumours and JC never did anything like torturing people to death. Like... they have to be actively ignoring every scene where the matter comes up to say with such confidence that JC is innocent of the thing that every piece of evidence we get says he’s guilty of.