#and he needed physical contact for that

[quill-n]

Tiefling Shin'ya doodles that I thought looked particularly good :3

teef

bonus scene from my campaign's last session:

In other news, my criminology professor spent the first twenty minutes of class today talking about toe sucking so that's fun (10% of my class admitted to sucking toes)

[untitledgoosegay]

re last reblog I do see fanfic culture pushing/replicating a certain model of "what trauma looks like," "how trauma works"

this is a problem across all areas of society obviously, but transformative works are, well, transformative. they're about crafting and modifying narratives where the fan-creator sees a flaw or a lack -- often for the better! don't get me wrong, I've done my fair share of "I take a hammer and I fix the canon," it's the main thing that gets my creative gears spinning -- but what happens when that "flaw" is simply a narrative not conforming to popular expectations?

some people just don't get PTSD from events that sound obviously traumatic. they're not masking, and they're not coping; they just straight-up didn't get the permanently-locked stress-response that defines PTSD. they walk away from a horrible experience going "well, that sucked, but it's over now." some people do get PTSD from events most people wouldn't find traumatic. we don't really know why some people get PTSD and others don't. but fandom has an idea of events that must be traumatizing, of a "correct" way to portray trauma. you see the problems with this lack of understanding in e.g. fans pressuring the devs of Baldur's Gate 3 to add dialogue where the player character badgers Halsin about his own feelings on his abuse -- because he must be traumatized, and his trauma must fit a certain mold and presentation of sexual trauma, under the mistaken impression that anything outside that narrow window is somehow "wrong" and disrespectful or even harmful to survivors.

take, for another example, the very common trope of a traumatized character who hates touch or sex "learning" to like touch or sex as a part of their healing process. certainly that can be healing for some people; other people will never like, or want, touch or sex, because of trauma or because they just don't. the assumption that someone who doesn't want sex or doesn't like to be touched must be traumatized, must be suffering from this perceived lack, is seriously harmful -- to asexual people, to people with sensory issues around touch, and to people for whom healing from trauma means freedom to refuse sex or touch.

and there's a secondary trope, one that's slightly more thoughtful but ultimately repeats the problem -- that once someone has learned that their boundaries will be respected, they'll feel it's safe to soften those boundaries. once they feel safe refusing touch or sex, they'll feel comfortable allowing it on their own terms. but many people don't, and many people won't! many people will simply never want to be touched, and never want sex, and they are not suffering or broken or lacking because of it. the idea that proving you'll respect someone's boundaries entitles you to test those boundaries -- the paradox is obvious, and yet this is something i've seen hurt (re-traumatize) people i care for.

people are imperfect victims. people don't heal in the ways you expect. many people have positive memories of their abuse, of their abusers. many people hurt others in the course of their trauma, in ways that can't easily be unpacked in a 5k oneshot. very few narratives of trauma and recovery actually fit the ones put forward by popular children's media and romance novels -- which are the ones I most see replicated in fandom spaces, because they provide the clearest narrative and easiest catharsis, and so they're easy and soothing to reach for.

that's not necessarily a bad thing! i am not immune to goopy romance tropes. i am not immune to teary catharsis. not every fic has to grapple with ugly realities. but there's a problem when these narratives become predominant, when people think they're accurate and realistic depictions of trauma, when the truth of trauma is unpleasant and uncomfortable, and doesn't fit any single narrative, let alone one of comforting catharsis

[weedplantar]

Everyone always talks about autistic people who hate being touched, but where's the representation for sensory seeking autistics who love hugs and would be cuddling with someone 24/7 if they could????

[mayasaura]

So I noticed something in Harrow the Ninth. In chapter two, when John is trying to console Harrow over having lost Gideon, he puts his hands on her shoulders, and he says "Gideon Nav did not die for nothing."

Harrow feels "a hot whistle of pain run down [her] temporal bone," which is, we know now, Harrow having a stroke as her skull alters her brain so that she hears him say 'Ortus Nigenad' instead. And she replies to him in kind, using Ortus' name. So the interesting bit is John's reaction, look:

He had his hands on her shoulders the whole time. Physical touch negates lyctoral blindness, and she had a stroke while he was touching her. That look on his face. Is he working out an emotionally taxing anagram, or is he taking a good look at her and working out what the hell just happened? Then he says Gideon's name again, like he's running a test, and Harrow has another stroke. That's exactly the same test Mercy performed to figure out what Harrow did to her brain in chapter twenty-nine.

He knows. He's known about the lobotomy since chapter two. He thinks she did it to forget her grief and guilt, and he thinks he understands.

Which means when he 'notices' the lobotomy in this scene:

He's not really noticing it for the first time at all. He's calling attention to it. He's just told Harrow that she didn't open the Tomb, that she's wrong about the events of her own life, and then he deliberately 'discovers' and points out her brain damage to seal the deal.

John Gaius uses: Gaslight! It's super effective.

[dinoserious]

is hold

[heybiji]

"Do me a favor and put your arms around me."

[little-mouse-adventures]

@orangerosebush's post here, with my comment and @fowlblue's tags today got me thinking.

Artemis Senior has been teaching his son matters of business from a young age. Not only was Artemis, at 11 years old, discussing stocks with his father, but Fowl Senior had been imparting his wisdom onto his son for years by that point, discussing the ever-increasing value of gold with him before tucking him into bed. Even outside of pure monetary value, Sr. had tried to go legitimate with his business dealings, leading Artemis to have a few legal ventures of his own.

We also see very early on in the books that Artemis has been regularly using Butler as a resource for his plots: bouncing ideas off him was apparently a fairly common tactic when he was scheming.

Both Artemis Senior and Butler are interested in (or at least, not opposed to) educating Artemis on the ways of their lifestyle(s). It would be Artemis Senior who would have taught his son the value of banks and safety deposit boxes and hidden safes but it was Butler who was actively working with Artemis to rob those safety deposit boxes.

In the same vein of breaking-and-entering, TLC also gives us the fun little moment where Butler hands Artemis his own lockpicks, to get into the workings of the bomb.

With one line we learn that Artemis knows how to pick locks, but does not have his own set of lockpicks. Butler, on the other hand, has both the tools and knowledge how to use them. Partnered with a brief mention in TTP of some the specific trades of those previously employed by Artemis Senior (including such things as crime lords, insider traders, and cat burglars), we can extrapolate that Artemis Senior would generally hire someone to pick a lock for him, rather than do so himself.

It's pretty logical to conclude then that Artemis learned big-picture management from his father, and day-to-day skillsets from his bodyguard.

Essentially, Artemis Senior taught Artemis how to run a criminal empire. Butler taught Artemis how to be a criminal.

[intriga-hounds]

god it was so peaceful for 3 weeks while baz slept in the pen. now he’s back to trying to crush me every night.

[mikakuna]

whoever draws dick grayson in comics so damn fine needs to get their ass up and start drawing jason as well

[mlm-blues]

mm they should make a boyfriend who is mine and also lives close enough to me that i can go to his house and kiss him when im bored

[eye-of-yelough]

scrolled through the main tag and felt like i was losing it so. time for me to make this post i guess

even if gortash is capable of love/empathy/seeing another as an equal, (highly debatable) this would come as a huge shock to him and he would fight it with everything he has. someone he truly sees as equal (for example, the dark urge because of their divinity) is not going to be treated “better” than anyone else.

being loved/seen as an equal by a man like gortash just means you’re his new favourite project. he will be continuously pushing all of your buttons and boundaries - partially out of scientific curiosity, seeing you as no more than a test subject, like seeing how you react to certain stimuli, and partially to knock you down a peg so he can go back to seeing you as lesser/disposable because it’s simpler for him than having feelings. and if that doesn’t work, it’s not suddenly getting better. because his next step would simply be to figuring out how to keep you by his side no matter the cost through heavy manipulation and removal of all of your other ties so he’s the centre of your world, fully dependent on him.

also being “the only one gortash can be himself around” means seeing the absolute nightmare of a person he is under all those masks, not “this tyrant secretly loves cuddles 🥰”

[gothic-mothic]

Your Narrator design reminds me of a father figure in some ways, maybe is the body for him (/pos)

Reminds me of my own father, I'll gladly hug your Narrator and never let go XD

Dr Coomer voice: HELP ME GORDON !!

[ray935sworld]

Again - Bez needs physical contact (according to the Bez episode of Migno's podcast - didnt watched it yet but saw it somewhere)

Now please consider this: He was properly to nervous to establish first physical contact with Vale in the early stages of being in the academy (relatable). But maybe he was already more comfortable with the other boys, Franky, Pecco, Cele, Luca, and Vale noticed. And realized what's going on. (Or he didn't and was worried that Bez didn't felt safe around him) So he started the physical contact for Bez to make sure he knows that he's okay with it

[teakoodrawz]

" I'm a Psycho, loving it~ "

[stiffyck]

I've been bothering people with this in dms so much but that's not enough so I'm sharing my insanity here.

Scar who doesn't need physical touch. He's not exactly touch averse (tho you could see it that way), he just. Doesn't need the affection. He likes the occasional hand holding or a quick hug, but he also likes his personal space and freedom. Hugs and cuddles are too warm and too stifling and he needs his freedom for movement.

He's not sad about this. It's not anything tragic or awful. He likes the idea of cuddling and he loves seeing other people hug and cuddle. It's just not for him.

He also doesn't understand touch starvation. He's never experienced it and probably never will.

In 3rd life, in the desert. Grian noticing scar taking a step back when someone is standing too close, shying away from physical contact and never being the one to initiate it. He stops trying to touch scar, only when it's necessary.

He notices how much more comfortable scar looks after he stops giving him so much physical affection. But... this leads to grian maybe becoming a bit touch starved.

Grian telling scar in the desert he feels a bit touch starved and scar asking him what it means. Grian explains.

After that, grian notices scar holds his hands much more often. It's not much but it means the world to him.

Hermitshipping under the cut

Also. Comedic potential.

Let's take redscape for example (or scarian. Works both ways. Just imagine whichever ship you prefer sjcjdksk). Scar and mumbo start dating. But since scar can't really provide all the physical affection mumbo needs, he goes to grian. Mumbo gets cuddles and hugs from his best friend and he gets hand holding and occasional short kisses from his partner. It works for them.

Now imagine tho. The hermits thinking it's mumbo and grian who are dating. They will often see mumbo and grian cuddle or hug or hold hands. A lot of the times scar is even with them, but keeps distance a bit.

Sometimes scar holds mumbos hand, but that's about it.

It's actually scar and mumbo who are dating but they don't know that.

Or

The mumscarian option where they are all dating. Grian and mumbo get the affection they need from each other and scar is happy to just be with them.

Sometimes, when sleeping on the same bed, grian and mumbo will cuddle while Scar just holds one of their hands. Or not even the whole hand, just have their pinkies interwined.

Also scar definitely has a ton of plushies to hug close at night

[s0ull3ss-p3rs0n]

Local emo shadow creature is avoiding getting in contact with the ice nindroid in fear of exploding again, and today it was proven that he does not, in fact, explode when being in physical contact with him-

Oh, the local emo shadow creature seems to like headpats, that's new, yep, now he's purring, his brother (gender neutral) is also purring while getting headpats from a woman that reminds him of his sister figure, I guess Zane got a lil brother (gender neutral) now.