#but then if i ever want to discuss something that doesn't directly affect them they will literally just shut me down

[origami-butterfly]

Ok but sometimes the most infuriating political stance a person can have is point blank refusing to discuss social issues with you when you bring it up because they "don't want to get political". Don't open the tags unless you want to read a rant

[bright-side20]

Elain's Choice🌸

The first thing we learn in text analysis is that when the author stresses on something, it is not arbitrary; it is to set up an upcoming event.

Sarah stressing on Elain's choice :

“It means nothing,” Elain said, her voice breaking. “It means nothing. I don’t care who decided it or why they did—”

“I belong to no one. But my heart belongs to you.”

"And that love would trump even a mating bond."

=She wants to choose who she'll be with; she doesn't want to be forced into it, even if it's the work of fate.

Feyre

“Why not make them mates? I mused "Why Lucien?”..." What decides it? Who decided it? "....." You said your mother and father were wrong for each other;Tamlin said his own parents were wrong for each other. So it can’t be a perfect system of matching.What if—I jerked my chin toward the window,to my sister and the shadowsinger in the garden—that is what she needs?Is there no free will? What if Lucien wishes the union but she doesn't?

Rhys

“There is choice. And sometimes, yes—the bond picks poorly. (…) Some natural function, not an indication of true, paired souls.”

=They're discussing the possibility of Elain rejecting the bond and choosing the one she wants to be with.

“He brought you a present.”

Those doe-brown eyes turned toward me. Sharper than I’d ever seen them. “And that entitles him to my time, my affections?”

“I don’t want a mate. I don’t want a male.”

=She's directly expressing that she doesn't want Lucien at all.

Vs

"Yes" elain breathed....Azriel's hand slid up her neck, burying in her thick hair. Tilting her face the way he wanted it. Elain's mouth parted slightly, her eyes scanning his before fluttering shut.  

✨Offer and permission✨

=This wasn't a random expression, it was to show that it's her choice, she wanted him to kiss her and even she was the one who initiated the physical interaction by "put it on me"

"what if the cauldron was wrong"... Rhys's face drained of color "you believe you deserve to be her mate!?".... Azriel scowled "I think Lucien will never be good enough for her, and she has no interest in him anyway."

=Azriel highlighted that it's about Elain's choice, and she doesn't want Lucien.

Logically and analytically speaking, Sarah focused in three books on the fact that it's always Elain's choice to decide with whom she wants to be, and the fact that the mating bonds do not always work and could be rejected. Not to then make her accept the bond out of the blue and decide to obey fate and politics to make Lulu happy and avoid conflicts, or to make Azriel choose between her and Gwyn.

Those hints were a set up to serve a part of Elain's book plot where she'll reject the bond and choose to be with the one she fell in love with, Azriel, even if they have to stand against fate and laws.

✨Elain shall wed for love and beauty✨

✨I thought it was obvious✨

[imminent-danger-came]

I can't wait for the S4 finale episodes to solidify MK as monkie. Maybe we get a scene with MK's war form and Azure going "...fuck."

Also good mentor Sun Wukong moment where he apologizes because he has no idea what's going on but he's pretty sure it's fault and he manages to calm MK from war form.

ME TOO. The way MK being a monkey has been playing out is so thematically delicious for MK as a character. IT'S GOT IT ALL. His identity being literally shattered, all roads leading "to pain", being "just like Wukong", his self-worth being lower than it's ever been—as an MK fan, it does not get any better than this let me tell you.

I've discussed here and here why I think MK's creation is 100% Wukong's doing (or at the least partly his doing) and that he knew about MK's origins the whole time, but dear anon, you and I agree that Wukong will have his good mentor moment.

The end of 3x14 was a good start, but Wukong has hurt MK, and this is something MK has never confronted/discussed with Wukong himself. Mei did so on his behalf in 3x10, and Curse MK did so in 4x07, but we haven't had MK really and truly express himself to Monkey King directly (more on that later). So now we've had 4 seasons and 3 specials worth of building and unresolved tension, and you can see MK's hurt bubbling beneath the surface.

In the Revenge of the Spider Queen special, Sun Wukong unknowingly made MK feel like he couldn't help. Like he "couldn't do anything on his own". He—in a way—abandoned MK at the beginning of s2, "leaving him to figure out everything on his own". He wasn't honest or upfront to MK or the rest of the gang about his half-formed plan to defeat the Lady Bone Demon. Honestly, even expecting MK to face Demon Bull King on his own was...a debatable choice. Yes, fighting demons just like that was how Sun Wukong learned (it also being what he did in JTTW), but that doesn't mean that's what MK needs. Plenty of characters have pointed out that Wukong is a terrible mentor (Macaque in 2x07, Pigsy in 2x10, Mei in 3x10, SWK himself in 3x14), and I'm inclined to agree.

This isn't to say that Wukong doesn't already have any good mentor moments, or that he doesn't care about and love MK (he truly does), but he's flawed. Wukong's choices and mistakes have affected MK, and now MK doesn't want to hurt the people he loves in the same way Wukong has hurt him:

Curse MK: "We’re just like Wukong. A fraud! A trickster! Destructive! Why would our legacy be any different? Actually, no no- the chaos and destruction we’ll bring upon the world will make Wukong’s past look like nothing."

(4x07 Pitiful Creatures)

-

MK: “And the most messed up thing is, I- I never even realized, never even questioned who I am, or where I come from, or why, or- Until I know what I am, what my destiny is? I can’t risk hurting the people I care about—the one’s I have left.”

(4x08 The Brotherhood)

-

And oh, is it BEAUTIFUL irony. The 4x08 scene I listed above is a direct parallel to SWK in 3x10. MK, in one sense, doesn't know anything about himself, yet he knows everything he needs to: he's exactly like Wukong, fated to "hurt the people who care about [him] the most". After all, that's exactly what just happened. MK, desperate to save Monkey King from Azure Lion, gave into his anger and frustration and went full on monkey demon. His goal was to free his beloved mentor from his prison, yet it only led to Wukong's scroll piece getting sliced in half.

And so, motivated by fear, MK in 4x08 does the exact same thing Wukong does to him at the end of 3x10: MK runs off, MK leaves (JUST like he does in 2x05, 2x10, and the entirety of s3). This causes the people who care about him to worry, inadvertently hurting them in the process. And, oh, is it SO GOOD. LBD was right, there is no running, destiny will always catch up.

[The rest of the meta will be under the cut!]

MK ran away because he didn't want to hurt anyone more, which is the exact reason Wukong ran away at the end of s3 and even disappeared for hundreds of years:

MK: "*sigh* You think Monkey King ever felt like this? Maybe that's why he stayed up on this mountain, just having a good time with you guys. You know cause- cause he knew he'd be out of the way where he couldn't hurt anyone he cared about." (4x09 Roast of the Monkie Kids)

Wukong wanted to stop hurting MK, to keep him out of his fights, so he ran away from MK and towards his own demise. Doing things alone has never worked out for anyone in this show, and ultimately, Wukong only ended up hurting MK more. It's tragedy at it's finest.

If you'd like another punch in the gut, this 4x01 scene is particularly great for doing that:

MK, staring into his reflection, compares himself to Monkey King—seeing every bad trait in himself and none of the good. "We're just like Wukong." MK believes he's a fraud, tricking all the good in his life into being there.

Curse MK: "You can see it, can't you? This is your fate. Your friends will turn on you, seeing you for the monster you will become. They will destroy you, harbinger of chaos. It's just like the Lady Bone Demon said—despite your efforts, all you'll ever do is cause pain and suffering." (4x07 Pitiful Creatures)

So, let's finally go back to MK having never confronted Wukong.

There are already plenty of reasons for MK to feel hurt, but now we've only added to the pile with MK's past, and how Monkey King hid it from him. The end of 4x08 already parallels 3x10 in so many lovely ways, however, I believe we are due for a second 3x10 parallel.

Mei: "You knew. All along you knew I had this THING inside of me. And you hid it from ALL of us! Why? What were you afraid of, that you were going to have to TEAR me apart to get your precious Samadhi fire!?" (3x10 The Samadhi Fire)

This scene alone is paralleled to with MK and Curse MK in 4x07. It's another piece of evidence for the fact that Sun Wukong definitely knew about MK, but it's ALSO evidence for MK finally confronting Wukong after the truth comes out. Just like Monkey King knew about the ring inside Mei, he also knew about MK. Just like Mei snapped and revealed all of her pent up anger towards Sun Wukong, MK will do the same thing.

I don't particularly know what war form is, but I have heard a cry in my notes of people like me who want to see MK go berserk, and I am hear to provide evidence for those people of that likely happening. Let's look at the couple of times we've already seen MK flicker into monkey demon form:

(I hope you enjoyed my "Scary MK Moments" compilation.)

MK's cracking the ground around him, he's flickering, he's even catching some of his friends in the sheer force he's emanating. When MK becomes a Monkey Demon, it's never treated as a good thing narrative-wise. The first time MK fully enters this form it's at the end of 4x07 when he defeats the curse, which then directly causes Wukong to become trapped in the scroll and Azure to free Peng and Yellowtusk. The next time MK goes full on Monkey Wukong's scroll piece get's cut in two. Both times, MK doesn't feel in total control.

In fact, MK choosing NOT to indulge in his monkey demon form is met with much more success:

Macaque: "You don’t want to fight Azure because people might get hurt, you don’t want to not fight him because people might get hurt--so do something else! Only you get to decide who you are kiddo." (4x10 The Jade Emperor)

And then that's what MK does, he chooses not to fight and instead steals back Wukong's scroll piece. His choice to save and protect the people he cares about rather than to fight back is the right one—he even runs away with his loved ones rather than without them. But even then, MK has to choose to resist his Monkey form:

It's all very in line with "harbinger of chaos" and how we could ever get to a point his friends would ever turn on him.

At the end of 3x10, Mei herself goes out of control—but MK refuses to let her go or abandon her. Instead he runs directly towards the fire, reaching for his friend, successfully bringing Mei back to herself. I 100% believe that Mei will do the same thing for MK. At the end of 4x08, we even see her start to make that same reach:

But MK leaves before she's able to.

This makes me think it will happen later, and that we'll get to hear her say "We can figure this out together!", as done previously many times.

I imagine it playing out something like this: MK goes into SWK's scroll piece to fix it from the inside, going through Wukong's memories along the way. MK comes across Wukong's memory of his creation—this is when things take a turn for the worse, as MK slips into Monkey Demon form and confronts the real Wukong about it (this scene would be a lovely parallel to 3x10 and Samadhi fire Mei). Wukong—meaning well—says the wrong things/reveals information that only makes everything worse. This pushes MK to go fully berserk and instigates the Sun Wukong V MK fight of my dreams. Their fight causes the two to break out of the scroll, giving Mei the opportunity to calm MK down.

Wukong being Wukong, is going to want to make it up to MK. With everything now out in the open, I think he's going to be able to do exactly that, and we'll get our good mentor moment.

[aguineapigcouldntdothis]

a general guide on how to research things online beyond just looking at a few tweets (this doesn't apply for every single thing you search but i hope it's helpful for anyone researching current events, history, science, or anything that's complex enough to warrant something more than a quick google search):

have inspiration for what you wanna research. doesnt matter where it came from it could be that random tweet you just saw! now, find a source that relates to what that inspiration said

find at least two more sources that are directly related to your first source. i like to use the "two is a coincidence, three is a pattern" rule.

examine the people who created your sources! who wrote them? are there any other prominent figures included? what are their credentials? what is their expertise? do they have enough experience in this topic to be discussing it? you can use these questions as a guideline but please please feel free to diverge. the main thing you wanna see is: is there anyone involved in this source who knows enough about this topic to be talking about it.

examine the places in which your sources are published! what are their biases? are those biases present in these sources? what type of information do they usually release? one question i like to ask is "how badly would they be fucked if they got a major fact wrong" this can range from a blogger who may get a few angry comments, to a writer of a huge news source who could be fired and not hired again for a similar position ever. this can help judge how important fact-accuracy is to that specific source.

☆ 3-4 are good steps to use google a lot, which you can honestly do in any of these steps but these particular ones lend themselves nicely to googling the fuck out of things.

5. analysis time! this is my favorite i love it but it can be a fucking pain especially when you're still figuring it out. basically what you want to know is what are these sources trying to do, what are they actually doing, and how do they tie together. sometimes this is really easy! sometimes all of your sources have the same overarching story, the same fact included, etc. however that's not always the case and sometimes you've gotta dig a little deeper to find those strong connections. and other times you'll have a source you thought was good but it just doesnt fit in, so it's time to scrap it and find a new one. this is your time to be super fucking nitpicky about details in the spirit of high school english classes.

6. now put all that together! you have your sources, you have overarching information you learnt, and possibly some specific information too! now you can share that if you wish or not share it.

"my guinea pig loving friend", you may be asking, "doesn't that mean I'll have less information to share"

abso-fucking-lutely it does, yet the information you do share will be a lot more carefully thought out and most likely better. every piece of information you share has the capacity to affect someone and being mindful about sharing proper info can reduce negative impacts. you will fuck up sometimes and that's super normal however you can avoid fuck ups by being careful about the information you believe and share.

i hope this helped someone! idk if it will this is just shit ive used and i think it works well. i might include an example in a reblog if i can find a topic to base it on sadly i am tired and that's not my problem rn

[orangerosebush]

I’ve been super fascinated abt something you said a while back abt artemis’ need for control and how it relates to his loved ones, where he feels if they just let him dictate everything for them it would be easier/for the best/etc (please forgive me if I’m remembering wrong!!) But I found that a super interesting analysis and I was curious if you think that would’ve been something he had observed/inherited from Artemis Sr?

Although I do think Artemis Sr's desire to protect his family is connected to the guilt/grief we see in the original series (as well as the paranoia/anger we see toward the People in the sequel series), the way that desire translates into patterns of behavior differs between Artemis and Artemis Sr. Like, it's the difference between thinking you can keep someone safe if you could just put them in a snowglobe and never let the real world come close enough to touch, versus thinking you can keep someone safe if you could convince someone it was their idea to never stray beyond your side.

In canon, Butler doesn't ever really indulge in that side of himself, as he's been trained to shove the personal down in favor of whatever the Fowl-Butler contract conscripts him to help with. But a similar thread to the one I describe with Artemis Sr. and love's ability to pluck at his worst impulses runs through Butler. For example, Butler mentions he'd be willing to leave the fairies out to dry when Artemis offhandedly mentions that the situation with Minerva might require endangering himself. Similarly, we also have Butler consider punitively breaking his contract with Artemis when Artemis puts Juliet's life in danger in TAC.

When Artemis wants something from his loved ones, he's very circuitous in realizing that desire. He often doesn't directly confront or try to strong-arm, but rather lies or acts discretely. I would argue that Artemis is most like Angeline in this sense -- they can both be remarkably calculating. Though of course, I say this with some caution, as I have found some historical attempts to discuss that side of Angeline to veer into misogyny and ableism. Neither Angeline nor Artemis are vapid, shrill, or frivolous in their manipulativeness. They're both traumatized characters who use their intellect (and the affection that others have for them!) to get their loved ones to behave in the ways that are "for the best" -- and neither really gets why that side of them makes others bristle (though both Artemis and Angeline hardly enjoy being on the receiving end of one another in this respect).

This is a bit of an aside, but in writing this, I realized the extent to which, arguably, Artemis appeals to emotion in the manipulation of his loved ones more often than he relies on his immense intellect.

tldr I love thinking through the mechanics of the worst and cruellest tendencies of these characters

[thefirstknife]

In regards to whole uluran/cabal thing I would suggest reading the post by @allonsyjeni in regards to their thoughts on the matter

Thanks for sending this! Here's the link. I'm glad to hear another perspective!

I want to say that my involvement in this is because my Jewish friends have been incredibly uncomfortable with Destiny ever since the stuff from Chosen and when things were put together + combined with the name "Cabal." A lot of the times when they wanted to speak about it, they would get harassed online for it so I offered to speak in their stead since antisemitic harassment doesn't affect me. I'm glad to take the punch instead of them.

Most of these things separately would not be as strange to see, but together it raises eyebrows. I wanna leave the majority of the discussion to people who are actually Jewish, but I do already know that a lot of Jewish people are unhappy about this naming so ultimately, it would not affect anyone outside of people who would be made less upset if the word was dropped.

I'd like to point out a few things from the lore perspective. First, what the "Cabal" describes. So far we have not seen any indication that it just describes their ruling style. All Cabal rulers, some of which differ wildly, have called their people "Cabal." Calus largely abandoned conquest and war but still calls himself and his people "Cabal." The word is also used to refer to individuals of the species. If it were just a ruling style, then we would reasonably see a difference.

This COULD be just a thing to make in-game stuff more uniformed but even outside of gameplay elements, all Cabal regardless of affiliation or status or rank are called the same. The name of the military leaders ruling prior to Calus was the Praetorate. Calus overthrew them to take reign as the Emperor. Despite all of these disagreements and differences in ruling, they all call themselves "Cabal."

OP also pointed out that they are heavily based on Ancient Rome. Which is true! It's something I am very familiar with, having a master's degree on this topic. It's also why it's extra strange to me that they are called "Cabal." Everything else they have has Ancient Roman terminology; centurions, legions, phalanxes, praetorians, gladiators. Their whole culture is based on Ancient Rome with conquest and war and integrating conquered species into the Empire, assimilating them and giving them citizenships... It's all a very clear reference.

So why "Cabal"? It is not in any way related to Ancient Rome or anything from antiquity. There's also other influences from other cultures for them as well! But never anything Jewish. Naming them "Cabal" makes literally zero sense. Which is exactly why it raises eyebrows for me and others, when paired with other stuff. Nothing else about them is Jewish, so why that name and random bits and pieces? Why "golem" out of nowhere? The guy is called Basilius! It originated from Greek and was adapted by the Romans! It's always been very strange to me, even outside of the context of antisemitism.

I also want to touch on "shadows" because that only works in context of Calus. Calus was exiled and brought with him his loyalists, aka people who still believe he is the one true Emperor. Calus has also always been preparing to one day return and rule the Cabal again. The "shadows" in this context absolutely evoke an idea that Calus is the real ruler, ruling in secrecy from the sides, like a "shadow government" until he is put back into his rightful place again. Which is an antisemitic conspiracy.

The association of the two words, "shadow" and "cabal" is directly linked to antisemitism. His Shadows are explicitly here to help Calus re-establish his reign again and they're all a part of his elite council. The imagery involved here is not subtle. Furthermore, the Shadows are all parts of other species, which evokes another troubling imagery of "the elite members of every group are in on this." The idea is that there are members of every species that believe in the true Emperor Calus, who want to help him become the ruler again. Similarly, the problem with "Shadow Legion" is the "Shadow" part.

Obviously, this may have been just a coincidence. It's really hard to prove what was the thought process behind this, as that is the whole point of dogwhistles. It can easily be explained with something else, leaving only those "in on it" to understand what it truly means. It definitely doesn't remove the fact that some people see it and have a visceral reaction to the implications.

Other details mentioned are all stuff that can be easily explained otherwise, as OP pointed out. I definitely agree on that which is also why I don't want to assume malice on Bungie's part. Unfortunately, the word "cabal" is pretty clear. Obviously it has a more benign possible meaning, but as we both said, it's why it's a dogwhistle. The origin of the word and the most common usage is very explicitly antisemitic, even when people don't know where it came from. And the situation irl currently is such that I cannot see that word and not flinch. It's incredibly difficult to remove the association and think of "cabal" as just my silly little space rhinos.

But I do want to show this perspective as well and ask others to see that as well. And I especially invite other Jewish people to weigh in on it because it primarily affects them. My personal opinion is always that if there's a group that is upset by something and the rest of us are indifferent to it, we should act on the behalf those who are upset.

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

This might seem like a weirdly personal question, but do you have any advice on managing strong romantic feelings for a fictional character and/or the actor who plays them? I only ask because after seeing MoM, I developed some feelings for Wanda, and by extension Elizabeth Olsen herself, that feel about as close to love as you can get without directly knowing the person. I know how this would come across to a lot of people so I will say upfront that I’ve never considered stalking or harassing her in any way, and that whatever interaction I might have with her would be on her terms in a setting she’s comfortable with. That being said, I also hold myself to a high standard in how I feel about her and have a lot of guilt or anxiety about other emotions, some of them trivial like feeling bad that I didn’t watch Wandavision when it first came out, and some more intense like even though I want to work in movies and maybe with Elizabeth herself, I’m not smart enough to be a writer and director and create something worthy of her talents. And in certain times, there’s also angst over not ever having a chance to be with her or even Wanda romantically followed by guilt over being that selfish in wanting her for myself. Sorry if this is going on too long but essentially, are there strategies you or someone you know are familiar with for keeping an affection for someone like this in your life in a healthy way, because I do appreciate the good aspects of Elizabeth’s talent and Wanda’s story but not letting the negative feelings on my part get in the way. Sorry if this is gets too personal but thank you for your time.

No apology needed at all, dear! It's alright. Thank you for reaching out.

I'm afraid I know very little about these things, to be honest. The way I see it, all emotions are exactly the same. If we're okay with people laughing or crying over a story, why would other emotions be a problem? It's a fantasy after all. Real or not doesn't really change anything, humans have developed so many different forms of communication precisely because we love telling stories to each other -- none of them are real, but that doesn't make them any less valuable.

I believe the question you need to ask yourself is if this is affecting your life in any way, as in your real-life relationships, your mental well-being, your work, your responsibilities, etc. But if it isn't, there's nothing wrong with fantasizing or feeling. Wanda is a fictional character after all so whatever you do or say is not going to hurt her, and regarding Elizabeth you seem to have it figured out just fine as well. So, is it hurting you?

As for the other less pleasant feelings such as anxiety, guilt, etc, I can only assume that if you have romantic feelings for her and Wanda, you will experience everything that comes with that. Love isn't always nice, is it? Be it with a real person or not, sometimes it's messy and painful.

Personally, I wouldn't try to fight against those feelings or bottle them up, that would only make things worse. Just allow yourself to feel them, maybe do something creative with them like write fanfic or draw or talk to other fans about it, etc. Or just fantasize about it in your own way, whatever makes you 'feel' is good enough -- both pleasant and non-pleasant are okay, maybe you can try to change the perspective and see those emotions as a gateway to understanding yourself better. I know the non-pleasant ones suck big time, but they can be helpful.

A quick google search says this is "fictosexuality". There must be some forums online with people who discuss this kind of thing, they'll probably give you better advice than me since I don't really know much about this. I'm sorry I can't be of better help here but know that you're not alone.

[icharchivist]

Not to armchair diagnose, but Beelzebub reeks of narcissism while Lucilius seems more to be on the psychopathy/ sociopathy side of the spectrum

Narcissists need everyone to know that they're the best, they need to feel big and they need that validation, usually because of some trauma that caused them to feel small and insignificant. Behind their grandeur, their ego is quite fragile and they will lash out when it gets hurt

Compared to that, a psychopath will not care. They already know they're great, they don't require any outside validation. Their ego is unchecked and they will twist everything to not be at fault for anything, ever. There's always an outside source. Also, they don't have any emotional attachments to anything. Their brains are just incapable of caring about people, it's pure reptile brain

Neither of them are a perfect fit and I think it's a bit boring to try and put labels on characters like that, especially since their realities are so far away from our own, but they certainly check some boxes, so food for thoughts?

mhmm i would rather not pronounce myself on that, sorry :(

those psychology states tend to be widely misrepresented and demonized in fiction and i wouldn't want to contribute to it by associating them to clear genocidal villains when i can avoid it, especially without doing proper research on both of those and/or with opinions of people affected by it first.

As is, there is also the fantasy aspect that can make putting a clear human name on those mental states to be difficult; This is why i talk about Lucilius' apathy (which is a clear description of "not caring about everything around them") than to try to put a pathology on it.

(also "reptile brain"?! there's a hundred of red flag in this sentence since reptiles are capable of showing affection, and it ends up sounding like those stereotype about lizard people, be mindful please.)

As it is i feel like it is impossible to really discuss why they are like this without talking about their position as clones and as immutable/unable to change astrals. Eventually you'll just run into a wall.

but as it is i think putting those diagnostic on clear genocidal villains while it's not something the text claims to do, can easily backfire and i would rather not fall into that.

especially when we can discuss it without having to put a name on it. Lucilius feels apathy for the world around him and as such he doesn't see himself as a part of it. Also i disagree about Lucilius "twisting things to not be at fault". he rarely, if ever, actually tries to dodge any type of blame, and "being tormented by memories of the past that must come from someone else so he blames Lucio and God" doesn't strike me as something that can be justified that way. I mean when Lucilius disregard Sandalphon he clearly says it was a miscalculating from his part, i don't see how it's him dodging his own fault. Lucilius being disconnected from reality because of his state of mind has much more to do with others psychological states that lead you to dissociates and not think you're yourself in your own body than directly branding him as a psychopath.

As for Bubs's description i don't think it's a wrong one, to say those symptoms fits him, but again i would refrain to use the name of a widely mischaracterized psychological state to describe it.

you can just say that Bubs has a mix of a superiority and inferiority complex that translates in him boasting himself to not feel small.

all and all, i would say be mindful on how this can be interpreted yaknow?

so yeah personally i don't want to put hard words on how they're behaving that way; I'll discuss all sort of symptoms, sure, but this doesn't seem wise to me to put those names onto their behaviors. On top of not being really nice, i think it also runs the risk of projecting symptoms that are not here on the characters in order to fulfill this list of symptoms and i think that's unfair to the text. even if this is secondary to people being misrepresentated in that specific case.

hope it helps.

[septembersghost]

people acting like Riley actively hates/is ashamed of her family and took DJ to intentionally criticize them (you know what I mean. also making fun of addiction) and rooting for her to get the estate because hopefully she'll demolish Graceland have got to be the most miserable people on the internet

there's...a lot to unpack here and it makes me hurt/angry (not at you anon!), so let's see if i can even begin to respond to this coherently.

if anyone seriously thinks that this woman was brought up despising and ashamed of elvis and her family, there is something very very wrong with them, and they are willfully choosing to disrespect her and dismiss her as a person. this isn't only disturbed and upsetting in regards to her grandparents, but also her mother whom she and her grandmother and the rest of their loved ones are still grieving. (unfortunately i did see a couple of the addiction jokes...sometimes people online have no empathy whatsoever, and the illness that is addiction is SO mistreated/derided, it's horrific. do they think that's somehow a tribute to riley to weaponize a role she's playing against her grandfather, while simultaneously dismissing that it also affected her mother and her brother? what kind of inhumane outlook incites this? i just said this to a friend recently, but the fact that addiction is somehow tied to moralistic ideals and used to tear people down and shame them does nothing but cause further harm, and is an insidious and awful form of ableism. i know firsthand how badly our society treats illness/disability in and of itself - physical illness, chronic illness, mental illness, and that extends very much to addiction and the cruelty and blame that often accompanies it). i know there have been comments about her looks too (disguised as compliments, but ultimately belittling), which is just...despicable idek. the people who say things like that are so mired in their own cruelty and getting some power trip off of it that they lose touch with human emotion.

they also fall into the category of "they don't know what the fuck they're talking about and haven't bothered to learn anything real ever" that i mentioned before. 🙃

it is very strange growing up knowing about someone you never got the chance to know directly. i say this on the teeny tiny scale of not meeting one of my grandfathers because he passed before my parents even met. i've never even seen video or anything of him, just some still pictures and old stories, so there's a sense of sorrow there that is a missing connection rather than a tangible one (like i have with my other grandfather, whom i was blessed to know well). obviously riley's position is far more surreal and unfathomable because that history is potently famous and embedded in the fabric of america. she can see him in countless photographs and hours of footage (and home movies and things i'm sure the family has) and hundreds of recordings, and she could be told stories about him by all the people she grew up with who knew and loved him, but it's still not the same as getting the chance to know someone yourself. this doesn't mean you don't love them, though! this doesn't mean you don't want to honor and respect them! that's not only some nebulous legacy to her, that's her family!!!

in regards to graceland, i'm not comfortable discussing the legal aspect because it's a private family matter and it breaks my heart that it's been raked through the mud of the tabloids in the way that it has, and i have an intense dislike of the "source" choosing to exploit that family to the likes of tmz after the amount of tragedy they've already endured, but i will say this: graceland isn't just some museum, or even only a house. it's their home. the treasure that it is to the millions of people who've visited there, who treat it like something of a pilgrimage, has basically no analogue in pop culture/music history. there's no place quite like that, where the heart and soul of someone has been kept so vividly, where people gather to remember and honor that in the way that they do. the...nasty glee? what do we even call this? at the idea that she'd sell or destroy it is unconscionably messed up????? and completely disregarding her? thank goodness priscilla did what she did to protect and salvage it, we would not have that connection if she hadn't. lisa marie then dedicated a significant portion of her own life caring for and championing that as well. these women quite literally kept his legacy alive by honoring him and his music/artistry and that place they chose to share with the world. there is such value and beauty in that, and they gave what they gave for that because they love him and believe in its importance and that he deserves it. undermining that isn't about...mocking and hating e or whatever it is that drives that...it fundamentally is a kind of sacrilege to the meaning of it culturally, and an enormous sign of disrespect for these women and the countless other people who have dedicated so much love and soul and time in preserving it for the rest of us, and i hope the light of that is always carried forward.

[sorcerous-caress]

I saw some discussion in another ask about whether Durge becoming a god would remain the same person, and I felt like sharing some stuff I read which I found really interesting- about ascending to godhood and "mortal" partners specifically.

Becoming a god, you are aware of everything going on in your domain, you can always hear and process the prayers of your faithful. The lack of need to continue indulging in food, sleep, etc, make it hard to still appreciate those things like one once did. And by comparison to just your baseline existence, it's underwhelming in the first place- again, constant prayers, higher power, higher understanding. In the end the person described it like having a pet, essentially. You love your pets and your pets love you, undoubtedly, but there are a lot of things you cannot share with them, because they wouldn't understand it or be able to appreciate it like you do. Just the edge of a god's consciousness, knowledge, awareness, would probably be intensely underwhelming to a mortal. A god wouldn't truly be able to meaningfully explain their existence to a mortal, etc.

Also the thing of immortality itself and how it seems to affect people's perception pretty directly, like elven lifespans do. You can become pretty detached to the concept of time compared to mortals or others who have shorter lives. What's a few decades translating an ancient language, when you've got eternity to do whatever you like?

I feel like those differences would be a non-issue, or even enticing to some (i mean. i think some people would be okay with the "pet of a god" position.) but it's certainly not for everyone. And what if you, as a god, do an oopsie and forget to dote on your mortal lover for a few years, because they aren't in your plane, and you had to attend to your faithful, or other manners of godly business?

I've wanted to ramble on about this for ages, hopefully this is alright lol. It's been swimming around in my brain, I just find the psyche changes so interesting. Good food!!

-Tressym Anon

Good food indeed

Side note: does that mean elves are the most spoiled pets ever with their owner gods forming an entire pantheon just for their precious little pointy eared guys? While humans are akin to a stray racoons dumpster-diving and scrounging for scrabs because no god would ever take them? Is that what Corellon doesn't want his precious pets to associate with humanity and their rabies?

Anyway someone should call animal control on Lolth. There's probably a huge poster on the gods' meeting room door reminding everyone to not feed the wild racoons outside their homes and don't even attempt to domesticate them, Mystra looks the other each time she passes by it.

But yeah, this is a very well written explanation of what it would've felt like to be a god. No wonder Durge is going to change beyond compression, even ascended Astarion would just seem like an exotic pet to him, like how some people keep tarantulas.

But one thing tho, I think their views on mortals are even lesser that of a pet.

If Mystra, a good leaning neutral god wanted her favourite pet to kill himself just for her forgiveness, it's wild to think what the evil aligned gods would require of you.

Maybe ants? Dolls? I mean you also don't fuck your pets so it is confusing a bit. Gods both can be attracted to us but also act as if we're more worthless than dust.

Some gods gamble with mortal souls, others keep mortal friends and walks in their mortal form a lot. It's like a 2D person being asked to imagine the third dimension, something that looks very simple and makes sense to us could be utter nonsense and impossible to even comprehend to them.

Dolls might be the best description honestly, sentient dolls. I'd imagine playing town management games to be the closest experience to being a god, years can pass like seconds to you but you also can slow down time to experience it minute by minute.

You see the people that you guide and order around and you acknowledge them as people but they all seem so small from high above, their efforts so meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

But you can get down on their level, maybe even have a small chat to them one to one, flirt a bit or sleep around. Then vanish back up when another task needs to be done as they get reduced to another number in your count of followers.

And here I was debating writing a god Gale au with a reader who ends up going back to him after ascending Astarion and regreting it, thinking a god surely is more responsible and respectful of them than a legit vampire lord.

It is funny to think that Gale has the potential to become the most toxic out of all of them, I mean we have all saw Bhaal's punishment for Durge if they fail to become his slayer, what he would reduce his favourite child to.

The line between good and evil must be very blurry when you're sitting up high. Or maybe mortality straight up just doesn't exist, it's action and reaction instead.

[agonizedembrace]

Caitlyn is well aware of who the other woman is, of course; but even had Evelynn not carried herself with a look that suggested unending boredom or perhaps even annoyance, she would not have approached her, respectful of her space as much as of her girlfriend's job. Even then, she stays across the street, leaning against Vi's motorcycle while waiting for her to return (hoping that whatever the reason Evelynn's assistant called her there would be no dire issue, when Vi had been so very excited about this job).

Her gaze, inevitably drawn to the other woman, flickers between apologetic for being present at all, to determined as she decides to use her chance to speak up. Maybe more directly than she ought to, addressing a worldwide famous singer, but that mattered little, at the present moment.

"Miss Evelynn — my name is Caitlyn. I'm Vi's girlfriend." The politeness in her tone is that of one raised from birth to adopt proper etiquette. It never wears off completely, no matter how long she's been trying to escape that life now. "Forgive me if I shouldn't be here — we weren't expecting her to be called in at this hour. It's a relief to see you well."

A pause, the tip of her fingers tapping against the motorcycle's seat; the diva's state did raise the question of why her bodyguard was needed, however. Nervousness does not detract from the earnestness shining in her eyes when she continues. "I know it's not truly my business to interfere, but Vi truly appreciates the opportunity you have given her. I hope there hasn't been any dire issue for your assistant to want to see her now?"

(hi han idk i wanted to make them meet 🫡 from @aimedshots ofc)

@aimedshots

In truth, Evelynn had not paid attention to why Robin had called her new bodyguard out at such an hour. Her focus was elsewhere -- to her girlfriend's texts she'd received just an hour ago, and the ever busy emails from the farm.

Disinterest could be seen from a mile away: there's certainly more that she'd like to do than stand outside on a chilly November night. Not that the cold actually makes much of a deference to her, rather an annoyance more than harming her in any way. In a brief glance, she did notice the other woman, yet granted nothing more than what someone might call a 'side eye'.

Part of it is simply her not caring -- none of her business. Long as the woman didn't get in her way ( and really, it wasn't like Evelynn was doing anything currently ), then Eve had no reason to be annoyed by her presence. And along that line: the fact of having a body guard. There's reasoning, Evelynn believes, but she didn't give effort to listen when it came to. Something about making her image look better?

She had already long shrugged the thought away.

The woman-- Caitlyn -- greets her. Polite and proper, a drastic difference from the very bodyguard she's hired. Gradually does she raise a brow, pocketing her cellphone to grant her attention. "Please, if another calls me miss I'm afraid I might lose my mind." Her own tone is light, intending to not come off as terrifying once more. "Evelynn is fine."

Golden hues now drift, from Caitlyn and back to where Vi ( that was her name... right? ) stands, in discussion with another. Her attention returns as the term girlfriend reaches her ears; a reminder of who she's meant to be returning to, and whose night is likely ruined for Caitlyn.

"So you're who she speaks so highly about," under the smoothness of her tone, is a hint of teasing. Her lips curl the slightest as she adjusts her stance, to something more open, before continuing. There's amusement in her gaze, not for the connection of Vi and Caitlyn, but for the mere humane thought that Evelynn could actually be in a harmful situation. "She's a hard worker and doesn't ask many questions, that's all I can ask."

"All is well, I'm sure. Robin tends to worry when it comes to new hires," affection laces her tone now, as she regards her assistant. With a hum, she glances back to Caitlyn. "... I'll be heading home to my own soon. To ruin date night... now that's a crime."

[bells-of-black-sunday]

imma hit you with a A-Z for Tarhos bc I’m unhinged and I know you are too

A-Z smut headcannons | Accepting

-grabbing you-

A - Affection: How affectionate are they during sex? Is it different with people they're romantically involved with? Can they sleep with people they aren't?

Tarhos is absurdly affectionate during sex if he's dating the person, he likes feeling his skin on theirs and kissing them, telling them sweet things even when he's the one on top. He's not teasing, but he is blunt in that he will directly say what he's going to do to Haru or ask what he wants him to do. But: during the act he is "Tell me how good it feels", "You're so beautiful", etc. he's quick to give praise and try to make him feel as good as possible especially in his base verse where he knows the relationship Haru has with sex isn't the best.

That being said, he absolutely has and will sleep with people he's not romantically involved with. With it just being the nature of a bunch of people being kept in close quarters he definitely has had a few flings with others he was kept with. Whether it be one of the three or someone else it doesn't matter, it's just happened. Sometimes your both horny and just want to get off.

B - Body: Are they into a specific physique? Why or why not? Are they just preferences or complete turn offs?

Not particularly? If he finds someone attractive he finds them attractive their physique has nothing to do with it for the most part. He's mainly attracted to people romantically that he can bounce off of easily, but for purely sexual encounters he does prefer a more athletic body as opposed to someone overly muscular or so on. But again it's not mandatory nor it is a turn off.

C - Chatter: Do they like to talk during the act? If so what do they like to talk about? Is it just dirty talk or something different?

Oh absolutely, as stated in A he likes to talk and give compliments, ask how they're feeling or have them describe how good it feels. He and Haru have absolutely just carried normal conversations during sex too, it's just something casual to them. A "we're both horny so why not get off together" type thing rather than a sacred act only meant for one thing.

D - Dominance: Are they into those types of power dynamics? Or do they like to stick to whose topping and bottoming? If they are into it why? If they aren't why not?

Both yes and no, I don't think him or Haru really pay attention to dom/sub power dynamics even if some of their sex does fall into it. They don't really discuss scenes beyond knowing what their safe word is and a lot of their sex is just spur of the moment. Like Tar wearing those sweatpants that he knows drives Haru wild or when they're so tangled up and their skin is pressed against each other and they start getting a little too handsy.

E - Erotica: Do they read or watch it? Does it get them in the mood? Do they create it themselves?

Not particularly in any verse, modern he used to when he was deployed, but normal definitely not.

F - Food: Do they believe certain foods can be aphrodisiacs? If so what foods are like that for them? Do they like using food in the bedroom or is it too messy?

Another one where it's like not really, he doesn't have any foods that really get him in the mood and he would never use food in the bedroom, because of the mess.

G - Group sex: Have they ever tried it? Would they ever want to try it if they haven't? If they don't enjoy it why not?

Yes once or twice, not extremely often, but one every blue moon it comes up. He much prefers just being with Haru and keeping him for himself, he also knows it's what Haru's most comfortable with too so that helps.

H - Humiliation: Are they into it? Why or why not? How far will they go? Do they enjoy being de-humanized or is it more being made fun of?

Yes to an extent. He likes the pet names Haru gives him even if they are kind of demeaning sometimes, but he says them in such a way where he doesn't feel like he's being talked down to. He's not so into it that he wants to be dehumanized or made fun of, but he does enjoy it minorly and probably only with Haru.

He's his baby boy, whore, slut, etc. and he's more than fine with it.

I - Intensity: Do they like intense scenes? Or are they more a slow and take their time kind of person?

It really depends again because a lot of their sex is very spur of the moment, sometimes they both just want to not think for a while and especially in the joust au we have if someone comes knocking they're not going to stop. And especially darkin Tar where he wants to carve his name in Haru's bones and consume him in everything he has ever been.

J - Jousting: Do they like having more than one object or person inside of them? If so do they prefer toys or just multiple partners? Are they curious about it?

I'ma be blunt: yes. Yes he does. Objects or people it doesn't matter, the rare occasions it does happen he does enjoy it quite a bit, not enough to where it's like "this should happen more often", but enough to where he does enjoy himself on the rare occasion it does.

K - Kiss and Tell: Do they talk about their sex life to others? If they do do they go into detail or are they more casual about it? Do they share photos with other people or are those private?

Base verse he's more open to joking about his sex life even if he doesn't talk about it in detail, but in modern he's very stuck in his very ingrained ideals where he thinks sex is something to be kept private not that he cares when Haru brings it up. If Robin brings it up he gets flustered and is jus "Robin-" in a really low voice.

L - Licking: Do they enjoy using their tongue on their partners or is it too gross? If so what are their favorite places to use their tongue?

Yes absolutely, he loves giving head. He's also the kind of person to run his tongue down someone's body, he really loves worshipping anyone he's romantically involved with, but especially Haru. Because he knows how much he enjoys it and gets flustered by it, he way he tugs his hair and pulls him closer too is always a plus.

M - Masturbation: Is it a part of sex for your muse? Or is it something completely different? Do they enjoy watching their partner or being watched?

It can be a part of their sexual habits, but usually it's just a "I want to get off you're not in the mood" thing I imagine. There are times especially in modern where Haru has wanted to watch Tar touch himself and tell him what to do usually forcing him to make eye contact, because he knows how hard it is for him to do it, but Haru loves his pretty eyes so much.

He also enjoys watching Haru when they're in the mood, but he doesn't usually give him instructions he just again falls into his same habits of telling him how pretty he looks, how good of a boy he is, asks him how it feels, asks him if he wants anything more, etc. Tarhos has always been a soft dom when he does.

N - Nope: Do they enjoy orgasm denial or do they want to see how many times they can make their partner cum? Somewhere in-between?

As much as he huffs and calls Haru a nightmare over it, he actually does. Though to be fair he isn't one to think about sex beyond the context of what feels good, so he tends to absorb a lot of his boyfriend's kinks. Though when he's in control he does enjoy overstimulation and he's sure Haru enjoys it too.

O - Open: Do they enjoy having things in their mouth? If so what are their favorite oral fixations? (fingers, toys, giving oral, etc.)

Yes he does, he enjoys fingers for the most part it helps keep him quiet and especially if it's Haru getting him to taste himself he'll be so calm placid. He's just so into the maiden in every verse they have. Though I imagine with darkin Tarhos it's quite a bit harder to put anything in his mouth.

P - Preference: Does size really matter to your muse? Whether it be for others or toys in general. Do they have a favorite type of toy they like to use? If so is it the same to use on other people?

Not usually, but with toys he tends to fall on the bigger size, because well- he is a large man. He's 6'10 and 300 something pounds, of course he's going to have a preference for things like that. With actual people he doesn't care, he knows where to touch that gets him off and how to guide people to it. And as far as favorite toys go he doesn't have many to begin with like maybe one or two, so it's entirely on his mood. Same with using either of them on Haru, I don't think it comes up a lot.

Q - Quiet: Do they enjoy trying to see how long their partner can last without making a sound? Do they enjoy loud or quiet partners?

I don't think Tarhos would survive if he didn't hear Haru moan his name at least once and they're not typically ones to have sex in public unless its in his base verse where it's just whatever's secluded enough that people won't immediately see them.

R - Risk: Are they into some risky kinks? (breath play, exhibitionism, blood play, etc.) If so what are their favorites? Do they practice them safely?

Not really....? Unless you count above as exhibitionism, but it's not really a kink for either of them it's just how their life is when they live around a lot of other people in close quarters. They've shared a tent with the faithful three more than enough times for one of them to probably throw a pillow at the back of Tarhos's head. Though if he was he would be more on the safer side.

S - Suspension: Are they into being suspended like on a swing or during rope play? Or if not, what's the highest place they've ever had sex?

They don't really do bondage in any verse besides probably league? And even then it's already a challenge trying to find a tree that can support Tarhos's weight, so if it does happen it probably doesn't happen often. Though I imagine Haru loves the sight of his God barely having enough self control to not just snap the rope even if he probably inevitably does just to claw trenches into the ground because he has so much pent up energy.

T - TMI: Your opportunity to talk about any dirty thing you want to talk about with your muse. Could be kinks they like or just facts.

I feel like at a certain point with how often Tarhos compares Catholic/Christian gospel to Haruko in medieval, it probably will eventually become something so deeply sexual to him. Like he's in on something no one else knows and he'll refuse to talk about. Like forget about priest/nun kinks, he's fetishizing an entire religion and turning it away from something he hates into mocking it with something he loves.

U - Underwear: Do they enjoy lingerie or dressing up for their partner? Or is it too much of a hassle? Favorite garments to wear? Do they ever go without underwear?

He doesn't very often and not really in his base verse, it's mostly a modern thing. Even then it's rarely anything traditional like lace or jock straps, it's just him wearing clothes he knows drive Haru wild and when he's like that he doesn't wear underwear. Though I feel like one day Haru will convince him to wear actual lingerie one time and then it's all over.

V - Violation: Are there any kinks your muse flat out won't do or even people they know? Are bringing them up enough to turn your muse away from a potential partner for good? Any pet names get them like that?

Aside from the obvious ones, you're hard pressed to find any version of Tarhos I write that enjoys bondage or being talked down to like they're an animal for obvious reasons. Bringing them up isn't enough to turn him away, but he will be very blunt about it. Pet names are the same, he hates being compared to an animal and being dehumanized like that when he's spent so much of his life fighting to prove he is a person.

W - Water: Do they enjoy shower sex or anywhere else that's wet like a pool or hot tub? Is it too awkward?

Yes and it is awkward, so it doesn't happen often, but maybe one in a while he'll give Haru head when they're bathing together or vice versa.

X - X Ray: What's going on under your muse's clothes? Do they have any special scars or places they like to be touched or avoided? Describe their physique and anything else you'd like to expand on.

Tarhos in medieval is littered in scars some small and some large, but he doesn't mind Haruko touching them. Neither of them really like being touched by people they don't know, so just for Tarhos to even let Haru trace his scars is a big sign of trust already. On top of that, he was afab though raised male as soon as puberty hit and his hormones didn't make him look traditionally feminine in the slightest, he builds muscle really easily especially with all the work he does. He is a wall, but there's no where he really hates being touched by people he's close too.

Yes - Yes: Do they have any specific turn ons? Things that will automatically make your muse say yes to sleeping with someone else. If not what are some other things that get them in a more romantic mood? Lighting? Dinner?

Oh absolutely, there's just certain looks and things Haruko calls him that instantly get him in the mood. Sometimes he'll be laying his head in his lap and he'll say one thing and he'll immediately want to bury his face between his thighs. Other than that not really, he's not a person for romantic dinners mostly because he's never had the opportunity for it.

Z - Zones: Favorite places they like to be touched? Are some less obvious than others? Any places they absolutely hate being touched?

All the obvious inner thighs and neck kisses, but also: his chest is particularly sensitive and he gets very flustered every time Haru bites it. I know I joked about it with Egg, but if Haru ever asked even jokingly to hold his tits he'd immediately tell him no and make up some excuse like his hands are too cold or something.

[darkerthanblack-666]

I assume that you don't very easily relate to other people or consider things from their point of view. Rather, if someone says that they disagree with you about something or that something you said makes them uncomfortable (like comments about sex or shipping or gore), your instinct is to tell them to fuck off. You also have a little bit of main character syndrome as you always feel the need to comment on everything to make it about you and tell how you feel about the matter, and you prefer talking to listening. You have very strong opinions and tend to always think you are right and have the correct facts, even when you don't. I assume you are not big on self-reflection and tend to blame others every time a conflict happens. Most likely you are going to tell me to fuck off as well.

First of all, a trigger warning to you anon, because you clearly don't like when I talk about myself, but you sent a detailed message with assumptions about me, so it's just a response to it:

I tell to fuck off (tbh I probably should tell you that, because that last sentence is a guilt tripping attempt, not a very healthy way to communicate) to someone who either doesn't tell me directly what's up (I don't know how to deal with vague messages, they seem dishonest to me), or when I feel it might be disguised prejudice (there are certain kinds of ideologies that give red flags and if I feel like someone might support one of them, I'm rude on purpose, because such things don't deserve any debate on my side, so I'm unwilling to discuss that, I already see enough prejudiced comments in my country's local politics and minority stress already affects me enough... so I don't want to deal with similar kind of thought patterns, because I know some people can't be reasoned with no matter how hard you try and I'm tired of having debates with people who have bigoted views... if you don't know what I'm talking about, double check which country I'm from). tl;dr - if I suspect someone might be an anti/homophobe/purist I don't want to have a discussion, because local politics already makes me feel like crap, I don't need more of that in fandom spaces

As for making people uncomfortable, it's only easy to make everyone happy if someone either likes only "safe" things, or when they're having a private conversation and that person in particular wants to avoid something (and they communicate it, because no one can read minds). Otherwise, someone at some point will always dislike something and it's not possible to please everyone. Even when I try to be nice and accommodating, I accidentally say something that offends another person. Believe me, I've tried to work on it and I used to be even worse than I currently am. I just struggle with social cues a lot and I'm desensitized to most things. Sometimes an innocent comment in my mind is a big deal to someone else and I don't understand it. But people are just very different from each other and communication goes in two ways. If only one side communicates, it's never going to function well. tl;dr - in places with too many different people your stuff will always bother someone and it's hard to tell what it might be, I also don't understand social cues

So about my feelings... yeah, I know what's going on in my head and only that. Making serious assumptions about other people is very invasive and I expect the other person will fill that empty slot instead of assuming I'll read their mind. That's because I only know what I think, I can only speak for myself. So yes, I do talk a lot about my feelings, but not for the reason you assumed about me. I just think it's not nice to decide for other person who they are, what they're like, and I honestly have no idea what people think until they tell me, because my perception of them will always be distorted by my own thought patterns. So my expectation is clear communication, I don't understand non-verbal cues and vague messages. If we've ever had a problem like that, perhaps you need to re-think your communication methods? tl;dr - making serious assumptions is rude in my opinion, so I expect the other person to share their mindset and feelings with me instead of expecting I'd guess, and that's why I explain what's in my head

I do talk a lot on here, yes. That's because in the real life I hardly talk to my family and I just want to socialize, even if it's just dumping my thoughts and emotions. In the real life I'm not always allowed to express them, so I don't know how to do it in a healthy way. Perhaps it's sometimes excessive. Emotional dysregulation is an issue that I don't know how to handle it. It's not fun when regular activities (music, fandoms, etc) don't help. tl;dr - tumblr is often my only way to socialize, so I talk here a lot

Main character syndrome - it's not even an insult, because I always say it about myself. Though don't get me wrong, I'm not arrogant, I just get excited easily, need to chat, and I think my comments are funny and enjoyable. If something clearly is a joke, I just want to be entertaining and I think it makes people happy! (and it often does, my humor is not for everyone though, I know it)

Do I think I always have the correct facts? No. Quite the opposite, I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't always want to discuss something, though. Depends on my mood. When it's bad it really is better to just leave me be until I'm better. But really, everything me or you think is distorted by our own thought patterns. No one ever knows all the facts and there's always more than one truth.

Also, I already blame myself too much for everything. So outside it might seem like I blame others. I used to be that kind of a person who always apologized, for everything. I'm trying to be different, to stop feeling guilty every damn time. I constantly say something, then delete it because I get anxious.

In general, your assumptions only scratched the surface. I don't think you know me well, I'm more complex than this. I do struggle with handling many situations, that's true. But that's not on purpose, I just don't know what the fuck I'm doing 😅. I also forget things 0,5 second later. My attention span is non-existent unless I'm emotional/passionate about something.

I'll end it with good old guilt tripping as a payback for yours: but you don't really care, do you? After all, there's always more than one truth.

[gunsli-01]

You know I don't want to make it feel like certain people shouldn't be able to vote or make theories but-

Then don't it is entirely that easy to leave people alone whose actions are not negatively affecting you. It is immensely easier than pretending to wish to avoid conflict while directly walking into it. It is even easier to show empathy and create a welcoming fandom space for people regardless of how they choose to interact with the source material. There is an endless wealth of people who will share your views and the same number of people who will not. There are so many ways to illustrate a point without creating a strawman out of others who enjoy the same thing as you do but in a way you personally find objectionable.

There is no reason to create an us vs. them mentality over these things. It's contributing to a very polarizing and negative atmosphere, and I know half of the people in this fandom are fully capable of elaborating on their points and defending their favorites without partaking in this sort of extremist behavior. Everyone should be able to vote, make theories, and have their own opinions on what exactly is going on. Saying otherwise will just lead to people growing disdainful of something they used to enjoy. If you don't like how someone else enjoys a thing then it's far easier and more enriching to work on your own expression/vocalization of your enjoyment than cut others down and try to tell them how they should express themselves.

Since trial 4 started, the Milgram fandom has gotten incredibly oppressive. It's about time people took a step back and thought about how their actions and statements in the real-world impact real people instead of concerning themselves with the wellbeing of fictional characters.

Also, if anyone wants to come at me for bringing up racial aspects regarding Milgram before stating this as a source of polarization and discomfort. It's completely fair for those aspects to be uncomfortable for some to unpack. It's also uncomfortable for me to discuss and to see overtake a fandom space I was actually comfortable within. This ties in heavily to my think about how your wording affects real people because by displaying such behavior, even in a joking way, it shows that this community is an unsafe place for certain minorities.

It has led to me debating if Milgram is something I should continue to be interested in as someone who has to face many isms and phobias in their real life. It's a hassle to write up why that isn't okay and how off-putting it can come off as.

Especially when a good deal of the vocal individuals in this community will just go x prisoner is cute, which means nothing they do can be wrong ever and regardless of if I disagree with their actions, I'll vote them Innocent on that alone or worse defend the action all together. It's uncomfortable, it's gross, and it makes the Milgram fandom unsafe to interact with and a franchise I would sooner tell individuals with similar circumstances to mine to stay away from than to watch. It's not surprising given the history individuals of color, especially black/brown people have with fandom spaces. Not even delving into Asian media specifically, but it certainly doesn't get any less annoying to deal with or see.

If that's the type of atmosphere fans of this series wish to create which at this point seems to be the case, congrats. However, if not, some reevaluation may be necessary to avoid these issues continuing to crop up. It would also be very telling if Mu's case is the only one where this issue arises, and the rest of the cases are smooth sailing.

It's not difficult to take into consideration all the clearly race related things. The stop the woke left nonsense, jokes about doctoring tapes, head canons of Mu's victim being half black, discussions around Mu's victim deserving to get stabbed and theories that despite Mu's victim being killed outside the victim attacked Mu with a chair in the classroom all being attached to Mu's case and think man wonder how the writer will spin this one not well regardless of verdict more than likely.

[commsroom]

Hey✨! (First will just say you by all means don’t have to answer this! Representation and interpretation of ai characters is something I’m really interested in so just wanna hear some of ur thoughts if your up for it!)

I’m curious as to whether you have though about how ‘human’ interpretations of Hera are and whether the want to represent her but the lack of understanding on how being an ai would feel (for obvious reasons of, we are not ai) effects how much people portray her as ‘human’ to try and understand how she works (drawing her with eyes that look at screens and hands that fiddle buttons to work the Hephaestus, making outcomes where she can get physical affection, something we consider staple to our relationships because humans need physical affection where an ai might actually not ect)

Also!! Just wanna disclaim I do not mean interpretative ai characters in more human ways is bad at all and all the interpretations are incredible, I’m just interested in how ones own humanity may affect that interpretation. Have a good day!

okay, this ask is so old by now; i’m sorry if you don’t even see my answer. but i wanted to make sure i could link you to some version of this post first, so... if you're mostly interested in my perspective on 'human' interpretations of hera and how i think that fits into her canon perspective/self-image/portrayal, then. your answer is (hopefully) in there.

i'm going to try to be brief and not rehash everything i said in that post, hence... why i'm linking the post... but i think the question of whether hera would express a desire for physical interaction or affection is kind of. already answered by the show itself, in that she canonically does experience physical loneliness in the way she perceives herself 'away' from the rest of the crew in memoria. like, if it's a question of AI Characters in General, then i absolutely agree that it's unfair to assume they would necessarily have the same desires or priorities, but... i don't know how much that particular discussion is really relevant to hera.

something else i didn't bring up directly in that post, but i think is worth considering: wolf 359 uses plenty of audio tricks to suggest inhuman or nonlinear perspectives at other points in the show, but it doesn't make much of an effort to ever apply those from hera's perspective. if anything, hera comes across as more human from her own perspective because of the added physicality in her self-perception and the lack of filters on her voice (and the addition of filters on everyone else's, further equalizing them and suggesting physical distance rather than a different state of being entirely.) that doesn't change that the reality of her situation is more complicated, but it's an intentional choice in what it communicates about hera as an individual, and in what it says re: how hera fits into the show's broader theme of asserting and recognizing humanity in people who have been dehumanized.

i think there's also just a question of practicality when it comes to fanart, like... hera can be an equal presence in an audio format in a way that she couldn't be in a visual one, so if you want to represent the feeling of a scene rather than Literally How It Would Look, you have to make some choices there. like with my personal design for hera, i ask people to draw her with that kind of blue hologram look, but i don't think that's either. literally how she looks, or how she sees herself. it's just a design choice that i feel will make her more recognizable.

i definitely don't expect everyone to come to all of the same conclusions that i do, but i think... based on the way all of this information is presented in canon, i think we can get a pretty good sense of how hera sees herself. i think it's important, at least, to acknowledge that she does have that internal self-image, that it matters to her, and that however she might feel things throughout the station due to the ways she's connected to it, the station itself doesn't represent a physical sense of self for her. again, she does express a desire for physicality and she experiences physical loneliness. so, while i can't definitively say why any individual artist might choose to, i do think that representing hera in a more 'human' way is a reasonable extension of her canon portrayal.

at the very least, i hope this answer + the linked post make it clear that this is something i've put a lot of thought into, and that i'm not making these claims lightly or out of an assumption of human physicality as the default. and i want to say, i totally get why a lot of people who feel not-quite or other-than human tend to get very attached to AI/robot/etc. characters, like. i am one of those people! and given the track record of a lot of sci-fi, i know how frustrating it is when it feels like Being Human is treated as something necessarily aspirational, or as if it's interchangeable with Being A Person. that's why it's important to me to be clear that i'm talking about hera's specific circumstances, her own self expression, and that i'm only talking about hera.

[thoughtfullyrainynightmare]

Hi Laura. I hope you’ve been well and that these haven’t been asked already. Can I please have Eros 5, Philia 2 & 3, Storge 5 for Solara? Then for Nora Agape 2 and Ludus 4? Thank you!

Hiya Acacia! ^^ Apologies for getting back to you only now T^T But I most certainly will!! <3

Solara Equinox

Eros 5

How closely is their opinion of their own beauty (or lack thereof) linked to their confidence? Do they see themselves as more or less worthy of love or sex based on how attractive they feel?

I don't think she really thinks about it that much on a daily basis. As in, she doesn't wear make up or do her hair more than tie it with a hair-tie (even if it'd be half-up, because it's merely tying a portion of the hair behind her head with a hair tie), but she tries to look "presentable". So, she is confident without "getting herself ready" aside of the minimum of brushing and tying her hair and using moisturizer. However, after giving birth when there is a drastic change having happened to her body, which does put her down. Because she doesn't look the same anymore and it will take time for her skin to become at least a bit more firm, though it will never be the same again. And it's during this time period that she is a lot less confident about herself, because she does want to look "nice". It's also during this time that she doesn't feel as attractive as she used to be. But she'll get over it, because she'll get that affirmation that she is loved. And attractive. She doesn't cross into the "I'm not worthy of love" territory though. It's just uncertainty that settles into her mind for some time.

Philia 2

Does your OC find it easy to make friends? Or are there barriers to them doing so? If so then are these due to issues of inclination, communication, or something else entirely?

She can form friendly relations relatively easily yes, but becoming a good friend of hers, who she'd ask for a cup of tea or just to spend time with, can take time. She will most likely entertain an invitation though if she likes someone, because you need to spend time with people to connect. It's more so a matter of simply spending most time with the people she connects with the best. As in, many people have "best friends", then friends, then acquaintances. So, she wouldn't say that she struggles to make friends no. It's just that she forms those deep bonds only with a few, despite being able to be friendly, or "pals" with a lot of people.

Philia 3

What qualities does your OC most value in a friend? Loyalty? Shared sense of humour? Or something else?

Loyalty is high up on the list, but also the willingness to understand both sides of the argument/other people. She doesn't mind a discussion where both parties would have differing view points, as long as it doesn't cross into the territory of "you have to believe what I believe". It's eye opening to be able to have that discussion and it'll bring both parties closer to another in any case most likely. Humour I would say is also quite important, because you need to be able to share jokes that you both find funny. She would also put "responsible" on the list, because though it might not affect her directly, it allows for something to connect over; similar work-morals.

Storge 5

Is your OC able to love without necessarily needing or expecting reciprocation or reward? Or are all their relationships to some extent transactional? Have they ever loved another person unconditionally, whether a child or another adult?

Ideally she would be loved in return, but whenever she loves someone she doesn't think about having to get something in return. It's not a "if I do this, I should get this in return". But also if she doesn't feel loved in a relationship, she doesn't see a reason to keep investing emotions into it. However, she does love her kids unconditionally, because of... just how she is. And she understands that while raising kids, it's your job to guide them in that emotional maturing process. She's not going into her relationships with expecting something as a reward, but she's also a reflective person, so if someone shows genuine love for her (generally speaking) she will show more love to them in return.

Eleonora "Nora" Equinox

Agape 2

Does your OC feel a spiritual connection to the world around them? Do they have a particular love for nature or living things?

Nora has a sense of wonder for the world, but she's not particularly spiritual per se. Curiosity, I would say. And she does like nature more than city life, but that doesn't mean that she'd be against living in the city. However, nature walks and camping trips do bring her a lot of joy.

Ludus 4

Who was your OC's first crush? How do they feel about it now?

She hasn't had a crush (not that I have thought about it yet at least ^^' ). But how she would feel about it would greatly depend on who it was. Most likely she would end up saying something like "it was so stupid tho," with a mutter. She'd be a bit of a tsun, really

Thank you for the question ^^