#characters and media in order of appearance ->

[spacestation-l7]

Hi! I was wondering what Zootles movies (like "Help!", "Hard day's night") would look like and if they even exist in this AU?

The Zootles take on the big screen!

The Zootles movies absolutely exist! Hell they even have their own Cartoon show!

The thing is, none of them enjoyed the process of filming. The only one who seems to enjoy being in the movies is Ringo, even though he's the one getting the worst treatment during filming. During this time, Carnivores weren't allowed to display any sign of aggression on camera, which meant they had to go through some modifications to their appearances. Some precautions had to be taken whenever The Zootles have to appear on screen which ranged from "dos and don'ts" to literal body modifications

Paul had to shave his horns, teeth, and nails down to look like an ordinary dog, George's tusks were made blunt, John had to keep himself quiet and poise. Ringo had to take an extra step which involves both body and behavior modification; His teeth and claws were shaved down, his tail made to look more cat-like, he wasn't allowed to open his mouth fully or talk in a volume louder than he was allowed to, he wasn't allowed to eat on screen or do anything outside of script, his character was always made to be the dumb and innocent joke character to appease the viewers.

Their species also affected the way each movies and series potray them; John became this Leader-like character with the typical bravado and protectiveness of a hero, Paul became his flamboyant little sidekick that does every plan he comes up with, George became this quiet but cool character that always seems to suave and mature for his age, and Ringo became nothing but a slapstick character being put through situations where he could possibly never function without the other three. The others never liked how Ringo got the short end of the stick but Ringo, the ever peaceful beast he was, took it in stride and decided it was nice to be the entertainer. Oh the others knew how Ringo wanted to be a movie star so bad and Ringo chose to ignore a lot of mistreatment in order to become the Actor he always dreamed to be.

Some people got off from seeing the "King of Beast" be degraded to this meaningless laughing stock, but Ringo chose to ignore that

It wasn't until Magical Mystery Tour, where Paul finally took reigns to become a Director, that the others became more than what media potrayed them to be. It was fun while it lasted. The movie turned out awful but the others wouldn't admit it to everyone else that they enjoyed making it.

[cr8zd-ace]

Unlikely Relations

HEADS UP: I promised that a new chapter would be released in early June, so here it is! Only this isn't exactly a new chapter. This is actually the first half of "Mind Warping" and the latter half is still in progress. I can't promise when that'll be out, however. Anyway, enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our story continues back in the darkest depths of Hell; even more harrowing and treacherous than any known location in the underworld. It was also the home of the Daemon Sisters’ mansion. They were currently holding Rock hostage in their basement, which they mainly use as their lair. Since they were busy with something at the moment, Fastener was there to prevent Rock from escaping, which can’t be ensured since he’s chained to the wall. The plush creature glared at the prisoner, making sure that the chains were on tight and that he had no possible chance of escape. “Uhm…. Well, you sure are focused on your job, little guy… heh…” Rock said, awkwardly grinning. He was at least trying to lighten the mood by having a conversation.

Fastener said nothing. Well, maybe it was because it was a plush mantis-like creature and if it even tried to talk it would only say its own name, and maybe it was because it was too focused at the time. It was both. Eerie silence began to fill the room once again. “Sooooo….” Rock began to look around for any sign of the demons and then looked back at Fastener. “...Do you have any idea when the others will be back or—” “YOU!!” Ironically, Scanty furiously called out Rock, indicating the arrival of her and Kneesocks. “You thought you could escape from us! You thought you could flee from our clutches and ruin our plans! But now we have you right where we want you, and we’ll MAKE you assist us if that’s not what you want!” The older Daemon sister viciously yelled while marching downstairs. Kneesocks tried to calm her sister while following her, despite being equally upset on the inside. “Calm down, sister. Rage will only take your mind off of the objective further,” She addressed. 

Fastener immediately got up and bowed to the sisters, while Rock looked over at them in panic, already being startled by Scanty yelling at him when she first entered. “Oh! Uh, hi, girls! … When are you gonna let me out..?” He asked in worry. Kneesocks glared at the latter. “Oh, don’t try to act friendly with us, mortal. You’re trapped here, and there’s nothing you can do or say to persuade us into setting you free.” Her words only intimidated Rock even more. “..... Well, can you at least loosen the chains a bit?” 

“SILENCE!” Scanty exclaimed, still furious about the whole ordeal. “You and your little friends have made us go through all of this trouble! Running into the princess of Hell would’ve been our ultimate downfall if it wasn’t for Kneesocks’ quick thinking.” Kneesocks blushed slightly at Scanty’s words. “Oh, sister, this is a serious moment. Please, don’t flatter me so much..” Scanty smirked at her younger sister’s embarrassment. “Well, maybe I should be more worried about your blushing tendency. You know how distraught you get when it happens~!” The sisters laugh at their conversation. Rock stared at them in confusion. He leaned a bit to Fastener as best to his ability with his current position. “Are they always like that?” He whispered. The plushie creature nodded in confirmation.

Once the demons had finished laughing and calmed down, they refocused their attention on Rock. Scanty, while still extremely upset, looked more sternly at him, yet slightly calmer. “Anyways, once weŕe through with you, you will no longer be a nuisance to our plans.” She smirked as she continued to speak. “As stated before, we’ll force you onto our side, making you part of an army which will spread across the multiverse!” She turned to Kneesocks. “Dear sister, is the mind warping device still in our inventory?” Kneesocks adjusted her glasses with a plain and blatant expression on her face. “It is, sister. But if we’re shifting the plan into controlling individuals once at a time, the device would need to be drastically modified.” 

The smirk on Scanty’s face quickly turned into an irritated scowl. “WHAT!? What specific modifications would be made!?” The demon already had enough irritation in her life the past few days, and with all that’s currently going on, she’s finding it more and more impossible to contain her temper. Kneesocks pulled out a clipboard and reviewed the modifications that needed to be made. “Well, for starters, in order to build a proper army, we must reduce the device to a handheld size, making it significantly easier for a victim to pass on our control once affected.” Rock listened in on Kneesocks’ listings. “Wait… So now your plan is to create an army that functions like zombies or something?” He asked. “...It could be said given the plan’s new format, yes…” Kneesocks answered the prisoner. She adjusted her glasses again and looked back at the clipboard. “Once the first victim falls into our spell, they would have the ability to spread its effects onto others in a method that has yet to be determined. To properly reach that outcome, the device needs to be reduced in size, as stated before. But as it’s done, the device's original functions would have to be transferred to the new model, along with finding the new model an alternative power source.” Rock was listening to the details, and found himself a bit intrigued by them. “...You guys may be evil… but, you did plan this out extremely well, I’ll give you that.”

Alternatively, Scanty grew more furious at the complications to modifying the multiversal domination plan. She thought about them and calmed down in only the slightest. “...I suppose I’ll take it upon myself to make those changes…with the help of Fastener, of course.” The moment after Scanty said that, Fastener obediently scurried over to Scanty’s feet. She turned back over to Kneesocks. “Kneesocks, darling, would you mind watching over our soon-to-be minion and make sure that he’s… comfortable?” She said with a villainous smile. “It would be my honor, sister.” Kneesocks said, returning the smile. Scanty and Fastener made their way out of the basement. The demon gave the prisoner a demonic smile. “And as for you… Don’t feel too bad about this. With you being under our control first, you won’t have to suffer from seeing your little friends experience the same fate~!” She exits, leaving Rock frightened at what will happen to him in the future. He looked at Kneesocks, who looked at him back with an indifferent expression. “...Am I gonna die by the end of this?” “...That outcome is estimated to be unlikely..”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hurry up, ‘Rina! We don’t know what progress those demon skanks are making, and we’re just getting started with assembling our team!” Back in the city of Townsville, Off The Hook, the Anarchy Sisters and the Powerpuff Girls were in the middle of figuring out where to go next to recruit people in their little resistance team, and Pearl was eagerly waiting for Marina to discover possible sites. “Hang tight, Pearl. I think I almost got something…” Marina typed away on her laptop, searching for the next destination. 

Blossom cautiously watched the idols, still processing the events of today. “I still can’t believe this… The concept of the multiverse IS real after all!” She was confused, but still couldn’t help but smile at the thought. “Yeah! And with brand new worlds, comes brand new ugly bad guys for me to punch!” Buttercup exclaimed, fantasizing on all the evil she’ll vanquish in different worlds.   “And maybe we can also meet some new friends!” Bubbles said happily. “We already have the cephalopod girls and the angel ladies!” She turned to the ‘angel ladies’ in question. “This is gonna be really fun, right?”

Panty was busy putting on makeup, and Stocking was toying around with her plush cat, both sisters not seeming to care one bit about any of the current events. “Tch. This is more of a big waste of valuable time than fun,” Panty replied while putting on eyeshadow. “Those Daemon Sisters have always been a piece of work, and it's always me and Panty who have to clean up their messes and deal with their bullshit,” Stocking stated, pulling on the plush toy’s tongue. “We’re only with you guys because you’d be doomed without us helping you.” “Well, you wouldn’t even BE here with us if you hadn’t tried to turn me and Eight into roadkill with your dumb car!” Pearl snapped to the angels, turning from Marina’s laptop to glare at them. She then began to realize something… “Wait.. Where IS Eight?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at Inkopolis Square sat Eight outside of Off The Hook’s empty studio. They wondered when they’ll return from one of the most complicated and weird expeditions they’ve seen so far…Not that they remember any other ones besides the NILS Statue incident. The line was drawn because of those crude ‘angels’ joining them in the first place. Apparently, they were a bit too inappropriate for Eight’s standards. 

Suddenly, they saw a brief glow from a nearby sewer grate in the corner of their eye. Curiosity getting the better of them, Eight sat up from their spot and began to carefully creep to where the glow was coming from. The color was like an ominous rainbow with dimmed out colors, possibly from when all the inklings and octolings in the square teamed up to destroy the ink ghost that those two demon women summoned. It also might be possible that the glow was from the remains of said ghost, not being defeated just yet as opposed from what was originally thought. 

Before Eight could get any closer to the grate, it began to spew rainbow-ish ink, covering the surrounding surface. The octoling let out a small grumble of confusion as they stepped back from the sludge, in an attempt to maintain the limited safety they had in the situation. The ink seemed like it could spill out for ages, but just then, it slowly started to form into a large creature resembling the same ghost that was ‘defeated’. While still being built from more of the monstrous ink, it loomed over the octoling.

Eight could only look in shock at the sight. They were unarmed, and nobody was really around to witness the spectacle. The only thing that they could do was stare back at the monster, anxiously waiting for its next move…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“... Eh. I’m sure that wherever they are, they’re all good!” Pearl shook off her wonders and turned her attention back to Panty and Stocking. “Anyway, what were you two possibly doing to help us? All you did was sit back and be slutty and fat respectively!” She exclaimed to the angels in an irritated manner. Panty returned the look of anger to the inkling. “We’ve done loads of shit to help you and your bitch out! We got y’all used to those red hoes and even sat around when you wrangled up those pint-sized flying brats!” She yelled. Stocking added on to Panty’s rant. “Speaking of those whores, we can drop by Hell right now and kick their asses before they can even do anything!” … Pearl fell over on the ground and laughed hysterically at both of their claims. Marina watched her girlfriend laugh and even giggled a bit at the claims. “Well it IS a bit laughable…” 

Panty seethed at Pearl’s laughter. “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LAUGHING AT, YOU DUMB BITCH!? WE’RE BEING SERIOUS WITH THIS SHIT, Y’KNOW!” She screamed, yanking Pearl from the ground, holding her by her collar. The latter wiped tears pricking from her eyes while she laughed. “I’m sorry… But what you two just said was the funniest crap I’ve ever heard!” Stocking grabbed Pearl next, being just as irritated by her laughter as her older sister. “Stop laughing, shit stain! Just give us one of those portal things and we’ll come back with two demon heads on a platter!” She yelled out. Pearl continued to laugh. “Oh my cod, you two are actually SERIOUS!!” She reached out for the bag of portal marbles. Blossom flew to her hand and placed one in it. “You forgot that I was the one with them…” She stated. 

Pearl shoved the marble into Panty’s hand. “Go ahead and knock yourselves out. But, those demons are better than you in every way possible! I doubt that you’d have any chance of stopping them!” She mocked the angels. Panty retaliated, “Oh, you don’t know half the shit we do, tiny. We’re gonna beat those asswipes to the ground, and then we’re gonna laugh in your face about how wrong you were!” She threw the marble to the ground, opening a portal. She turned around and smirked at Pearl again saying, “Besides, even if you were in our place, you could never do better~!” With that, Panty and Stocking entered the portal as it closed behind them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kneesocks carefully watched Rock as he was chained to the wall, still with no possible chance of escape. She stared with a stern and focused expression, and to Rock himself, she was a more disturbing guard than Fastener. “You’re much quieter than you were with Fastener. The unsettling truth about your future might be sinking in now,” She blatantly stated. Rock stared at her with an expression of disturbance and confusion. “That, and because you’re scaring me,” He answered back with slight hesitation. 

                                                               …….

After a very, very long period of silence, broken occasionally by Scanty and Fastener tinkering with their machine upstairs, Kneesocks finally spoke up again, “...So, tell me.. What were you and the other warriors doing while trying to hide your abilities from your world’s surface?” The demon’s question caused Rock’s emotions to shift from frightened to annoyed. “Listen, up until the last day and 12 hours, I knew absolutely NOTHING about having multiple ancestors that carried a legacy for centuries. I know it’s the sole reason why you kidnapped me and my friends in the first place, but I can’t tell you more beyond that,” He answered. “Now, how about I ask you a question that I can get a proper answer to,”  He snarked a little, his annoyance now turning into slight skepticism. “...Why do you guys even WANT to take over the multiverse?”

Kneesocks expression changed into a more serious one, if that was even possible. “...You wish to know why my dear sister and I are pursuing such a clever scheme as this one?” She asked. Rock looked around a bit before shifting his gaze back onto Kneesocks as he answered her. “Yeah…” He glared at her a little, concern and hopefulness in his eyes. “Just, think about it. By going along with this plan, you’re stripping so many innocent people from their freedom! Their own right to live! Doesn’t that sound a little… wrong, even for demons?” Kneesocks glared at him more sternly. “Such a fool you are. What you and others call freedom is perverse, unruly anarchy! So many pathetic specimens like you are taking that freedom for granted and using it to pursue unholy desires. Scanty and I saw this, and came to the conclusion that in order to keep the multiverse in balance and bring it to the proper standards it should be, we must rule it!” She stated sternly, her tone of voice rising with every word that escaped her mouth. 

She continued, beginning to keep a distance from Rock, sporting a passionate grin as she became more exaggerated with her movements as she described how she’ll improve the multiverse, “Giving inhabitants a new sense of respect and value through rules! Taking them into our control will teach them about conventional responsibility! As leaders, our influence and power will bestow a new sense of self-worth upon them!” Rock’s expression changed to one of slight amusement at how Kneesocks continues to ramble on. “You’re really passionate about this, aren’t you?” He asked, interested about her idea of improving the multiverse. Kneesocks gave him another glare, but it didn’t really bother him as much this time. “Of course I am! My dear older sister and I have been working persistently on this plot, perfecting its execution! We’ve come too far for it to be prevented, especially by pathetic scoundrels like yourself,” She ridiculed. 

                                                      …………

“Wait… I get it now!” Rock exclaimed in enthusiasm and understanding. He had registered the motives of Scanty and Kneesocks, but viewed them in a more positive, less sinister light. “You guys are only doing this so you can HELP everyone!” His smile faltered slightly. “But… You’re going the wrong way about it.” Kneesocks turned to the rock in extreme appallment. “WHAT!? How can we possibly be in the wrong!? We’re creating a new way of life for this multiversal occupancy, and it proves to be the sole correct way of controlling it!” She exclaimed. “Well… The appreciable aspect of this is that your goal is to improve the multiverse as a whole. But, don’t you think that there can be a less… villainous way of doing it?” Rock retorted. 

Kneesocks let out a long sigh of annoyance. She turned her back to him, adjusted her glasses yet again and spoke, “This plan shouldn’t even concern you. You’re imprisoned in this basement until we fully get you onto our side. You should be in the middle of begging for mercy from me, even though you won’t get any.” Rock smiled a little more. “Sorry, but… right now, hearing your reasoning for going through with all of this, you seem a little less scary!” He commented, looking just a little more hopeful at his situation. His optimism only filled the demon with more rage. She gave him a more stern glare, having a sense of tranquil rage at the moment. “...You’re as idiotic as you are pathetic,” She huffed. Kneesocks fully turned her back to Rock, creating another short period of silence between them. 

“Y’know, Kneesocks, I really do appreciate all the thinking you put into this, too!” Rock chirped, still having much more to say. “ Again, I know you and Scanty are evil demons who wanna take over the world, but this is planned out so interestingly to the point where it’s admirable! ..If it makes you feel a bit better, I’m still pretty scared about what you’re trying to do to me, but I’m sure my friends will find a way to rescue me soon enough…” He continued to drone on. He was clearly trying to have a light-hearted conversation with Kneesocks, but it was all to her great annoyance. She appreciated the praise for the most part, but he’s being held prisoner! He shouldn’t be THIS happy in a situation like this! She continued to have her back towards him, trying to ignore every single word that came from his mouth… but her patience was wearing EXTREMELY thin…

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Hell is a disastrous place to be in. A perfect punishment for all of those who have sinned against the holy father and their fellow man. It was dusty, dark, infested with treacherous parasites and has any crime you can think of done by almost all of its inhabitants. “Sweet fuckin’ Jesus, Mary and Joseph, this is what hell actually looks like!?” Panty exclaimed with utter disgust. “So many homeless people and pedophiles… I’d kill myself if God kicked us to HERE when he kicked us out of Heaven!” Stocking muttered in terror. The Anarchy Sisters walked on the streets of the underworld, stepping over, or even stepping on any sinner they come across. Panty growled in frustration. She was way too focused on proving Pearl wrong and stopping the Daemon Sisters before they did anything destructive. “Where the fuck are these bitches hiding, anyway!? The sooner we kill them, the sooner we can rub it in the midget-gangster’s face,” She exclaimed. 

As the angels trudged on trying to find the whereabouts of the demons, they’ve gotten various skeptical stares from multiple sinners. “Who the fuck are those sluts?” “They can’t be real angels, right?” “Well, they don’t look like sinners.”  “Those bitches look hot as shit~..” Sinner demons whispered in shock and awe at the appearance of angels, angels who are much different from the ones usually seen from the annual exterminations. Panty, still disgusted by the sight of Hell, then gets an idea about how she and her sister could maybe enjoy themselves here. “Hey, Stocking…” She tried to grab the younger angel’s attention as she removed her panties, transforming them into her gun. “You wanna double kill these pedo freaks with me?” She asked with a vicious smirk on her face. Stocking had already transformed her stockings into her katanas, stabbing a nearby sinner demon with them with a calm, yet mischievous expression. “Way ahead of you, Panty.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kneesocks felt as if she was on the brink of insanity. She had spent the last 30 minutes listening to that small boulder’s incoherent ramblings of positivity and hopefulness. Worst of all, he was doing it in an attempt to connect with her as if she had the potential to be his friend. He was so understanding… so encouraging… so friendly… all the things she thought she didn’t deserve from any mortal. 

Kneesocks’ back was still turned to Rock, but he was still able to catch a glimpse of her irritation. “Hey.. Are you doing okay?” He asked, dropping his previous topics entirely in favor of her well-being and wanting to know how to improve it. Kneesocks has had it. Something about his seemingly unconditional kindness and reassurance made her tremendously, unfathomably enraged. She was almost sure he was deceiving her with niceties in order to escape. Even if he wasn’t, Kneesocks didn’t deserve any kindness at all. Everyone she ever knew excluding her sister all turned out to be untrusting and deceitful. Maybe it was because she was a high ranked demon, and because of her status, everyone expects her to be plain snooty and rude… which was a bit of the truth sometimes. Or maybe it was because she was undeserving of a proper ally period. Who in their right mind would have the audacity to be kind to her?! 

Kneesocks slowly rotated to face Rock, looking at him with a stern and angered expression. “Do you think this is amusing?” Rock was startled to see the irritation in the demon thoroughly appear in front of him. He hesitated to respond to her query, but still said, “Huh? What are you talking abou‒” Before finishing his sentence, Kneesocks viciously cut him off. “You know EXACTLY what I’m talking about!” She stomped her foot. “Don’t think I can’t see through your foolish games!” The demon marched closer to him with the same infuriated expression on her face. “This… This unnecessary kindness! I am the one antagonizing you and all of your allies, and yet, you BOTHER to show me the simplest of humanity!” Becoming more and more doubtful of his next choice of words, Rock still tried to calm Kneesocks down by at least trying to explain why he wanted to be nice to her. “W-well, I was only trying to liven things up a bit between us..!” He cautiously responded. “You actually have decent motives behind your plan, and you look like a pretty nice person, too! I don’t think I have a proper reason to-” “NO PROPER REASON!?” Kneesocks furiously cut him off once again.

The demon stepped towards the rock until their faces were inches apart. “I am a DEMON. Absolutely NOBODY has the right to show me kindness of any shape or form. I am supposed to be ruthless, cruel, and unexplainably EVIL.” She pulled her face away from his, still keeping her focus on him. “Even if I wasn’t any of those things, I’d still be undeserving of affection. I’ve made far too many mistakes in my life to deserve it.. Besides, everyone in this realm knows what to expect from me.. And so I must provide them with it. ” 

                                                           ………

Rock went from finding Kneesocks’ words to be disturbing and fearful, to absolutely heartbreaking in a matter of seconds, and even when she was still talking. She believed that she didn’t deserve to be treated as a person no matter the case. She believed that no matter what she did, nobody would think that she’s making an actual effort to change. All of those conclusions and more ran through his head. And each one was more depressing than the last. As Kneesocks turned away from Rock and began to slowly walk away from him after some time, he spoke to her. “...Do you want to be what everyone expects you to be?” He quietly asked. Kneesocks stopped in her tracks once she processed Rock’s question. Did she want to be as cruel as she was today? Did she want to take part in the activities she did in the past? Absolutely not. But, as much as she objected to her own actions, she always told herself that this is the way things should be for her. This is what everyone around her expects her to do. 

“...Not quite,” She eventually responded in reluctance. She took a deep breath before continuing. “I never really desired to be the way I am. But, if only you knew the terrible things I’ve done in my past… All of those terrible, unforgivable things… Then you’d understand.” A tired expression fell onto her face. “I… I am evil. And that’s all I’ll ever be able to be.” 

Another long, painful and heartbreaking period of silence came by. Rock couldn't help but be empathetic towards the demon, looking up at her in pure, unconditional concern. He finally spoke, “You can change, Kneesocks.” Kneesocks’ ear twitched after he had spoken. A mortal thinks that she’s capable of change? A mortal? She said nothing, and continued to listen to what else he had to say. “You… It’s completely possible for someone like you to change, no matter how many mistakes you’ve made in your past,” Rock said with a reassuring smile. “You just have to look past what others expect you to do.. And focus more on what YOU want yourself to do, and how you see YOURSELF.” 

                                                            …….

After some time, Kneesocks picked up a set of keys lying on a nearby table. She made her way to Rock and with the keys, unlocked the shackles on his arms, even helping him back onto the ground. Rock looked up at Kneesocks in shock and confusion, while Kneesocks didn’t make eye contact with him at all, having an expression of guilt. “...Your motives… are confusing. They’re unusual… But also welcoming….” She paused to take a deep breath. “...I never thought I’d need to experience something like this in the current chapter of my life.” Before Rock could say anything else in the matter, Kneesocks summoned the same elevator that brought him and his friends down to Hell in the first place with a mere snap of her fingers. The demon solemnly hung her head down. “For clarity, I still insist on going by with Scanty and I’s previous plan…. But rest assured, I deeply respect your words to me, and your overall modesty. If you still truly believe that this plot will cause suffering, I’ll try my best to spare you from it.” The kinder, more humane Kneesocks had resurfaced after so long ago. Having made cruel mistakes that were dismissed as evil acts buried that aspect of her, and replaced it with one of pure hatred and malice. It was amazing what one mortal could do. Well, this mortal was technically more than a mortal, but still.

Rock scanned the elevator. He’s being given a free chance of escaping this madness! With all that’s happened to him so far, why wouldn’t he. But on the other hand, there was Kneesocks. As evil as she was, she still had a hidden soft side to her, and it was obscured due to how she was seen by society. She can defy the expectations of others if she really wanted to. She could try to establish a healthy relationship outside of her sister. And he wanted to help her do that. “Thank you… But, maybe I don’t have to leave now,” He chimed, a smile reappearing on his face. “...Why!? You have a perfectly exceptional chance of escape!” Kneesocks exclaimed in bafflement. “You have a chance of briefly evading this nonsense of ours, and you simply deny it? Why!?” 

“Listen, I know you’re meaning well with like… All of this, really! But, after hearing what you're going through, it doesn’t really feel right to just leave you alone…” Rock explained, his smile losing its prominence for a brief moment. However, it was restored after a few seconds. “So, maybe it would be nice to… Get to know you more?” The demon’s eyes widened at his words. He couldn’t possibly mean what she thought he meant… “Like… A friend?” Rock’s eyes widened slightly in delight. He said, “..Yeah! Like a friend!” Kneesocks stared at him in silent bewilderment, anger, and delight. This little rock is too kind for his own safety. He’s ignorant enough to try and establish a friendship with a demon, one who had done very heinous things at that. With that being said, a part of Kneesocks desperately wanted a friend to call her own. Even during her youth she struggled to connect with the younger demons. And maybe… just maybe… the kindness this object was expressing to her might be what she needs. She finally replied, “I suppose.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Again, this is only the first half of the whole chapter! You just have to wait until who knows when to see the full thing.

[duoghnut]

sketchbook stuffs

[michdoodles]

Chapter one of this fic might just be ready for posting but I will be going over it again just to make extra sure… and even if I wanted to post today, gotta wait till I get back home cuz I have not connected my new laptop to the work WiFi lol

In other news, I started writing a fic for a story arc in my main Sonic au, peaceful au, last night because I keep getting random ideas for it (usually in the shower when listening to Sonic music) and I need to get that thing out of my head already and in a way that makes sense… and since I’m not feeling like drawing much (nor do I have the motivation to draw a whole comic), may as well write it out. Still gonna take a while cuz I also have crochet projects that I am working on/queued up to work on for this spring so yeah, my free time is getting split among my hobbies and special interests. But yeah, I’m kinda excited about this. Hopefully I’ll be able to finish it and it will be a fun read :)

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

David Bowie - Space Oddity 1969

"Space Oddity" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was first released on 11 July 1969 as a 7-inch single, then as the opening track of his second studio album, David Bowie. It is a tale about a fictional astronaut named Major Tom; its title and subject matter were partly inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Bowie's feelings of alienation at that point in his career. Its sound departed from the music hall of his debut album to psychedelic folk inspired by the Bee Gees; it was one of the most musically complex compositions he had written up to that point. "Space Oddity" is considered one of Bowie's finest recordings and remains one of his most popular songs. It has appeared in numerous "best-of" lists, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll". It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2018.

The label rush-released the single to capitalise on the Apollo 11 Moon mission, which was launched five days later. According to Bowie: "It was picked up by British television and used as the background music for the landing itself in Britain … Though I'm sure they really weren't listening to the lyric at all; it wasn't a pleasant thing to juxtapose against a moon landing. Of course, I was overjoyed that they did." Upon realising the dark lyrics, the BBC ceased playing it until the Apollo 11 crew safely returned home. It initially sold poorly but soon reached number five in the UK, becoming Bowie's first and only chart hit for another three years. Reissues became Bowie's first US hit in 1972, and his first UK number one in 1975. Bowie revisited the Major Tom character in later singles, notably the sequel song "Ashes to Ashes" (1980).

A range of artists have covered "Space Oddity" and others have released songs that reference Major Tom or develop the story of "Space Oddity". In May 2013, the Canadian astronaut and artist Chris Hadfield, commander of Expedition 35 to the International Space Station (ISS), recorded a video of "Space Oddity" while stationed on the ISS that went viral and generated media coverage. It was the first music video to be recorded in space. In the video, filmed towards the end of Hadfield's time on the ISS, Hadfield sang and played guitar while floating around the space station. On Earth, Joe Corcoran produced and mixed the backing track with a piano arrangement by the multi-instrumentalist Emm Gryner, who worked with Bowie during his 1999–2000 concert tours. The lyrics were somewhat altered; rather than losing communication with Ground Control and being lost in space as a result, Major Tom receives his orders to land and does so safely, reflecting Hadfield's imminent return from his final mission to the ISS. The song also mentions the Soyuz spacecraft that Hadfield travelled in. Hadfield announced the video on his Twitter account: "With deference to the genius of David Bowie, here's Space Oddity, recorded on Station. A last glimpse of the World." Bowie's social media team responded to the video, tweeting back to Hadfield, "Hallo Spaceboy …", and later called the cover "possibly the most poignant version of the song ever created".

Hadfield's performance was the subject of a piece by Glenn Fleishman in The Economist on 22 May 2013 analyzing the legal implications of publicly performing a copyrighted work of music while in Earth orbit. "Space Oddity" is the only song of Bowie's for which he did not own the copyright; his publisher granted Hadfield a one-year licence to the song. When the one-year licence expired on 13 May 2014, the official video was taken offline despite Bowie's explicit wishes for the publisher to grant Hadfield a licence at no charge to record the song and produce the video. Following negotiations, the video was restored to Youtube on 2 November 2014 with a two-year licence agreement.

"Space Oddity" received a total of 86,5% yes votes! Previous David Bowie polls: #33 "I'm Afraid of Americans", #235 "Life on Mars?" (and original artist of #118 "The Man Who Sold the World")

[dcxdpdabbles]

Danny Fenton is Chip Skylark

Normally, I don't like doing multiple crossovers. I prefer to stick to just DC and DP. That being said, I have always loved the HC that Danny Fenton grows up to be Chip Skylark because it is the same creator and art style, so this is going to be an exception.

Bruce never understood the way people became obsessed with celebrities. He never experienced the whole "crush on the celebrity" or the urge to follow whatever scandal a celebrity was involved in (as long as no crime was committed).

If he liked an actor, it was because their moves and TV shows were good. Their acting had a range of roles that were well done. If he followed a singer or a band, it was because their music was something he enjoyed listening to. If he had a favorite sports player, they were terrific athletes who won competitions.

It was never because he thought them attractive or that he was burning with the need to know who they were dating. He didn't need to see every detail of their lives because he honestly didn't care if this singer was seen buying donuts on a random Saturday with an unknown man or if an athlete was seen buying from a discount bin.

It always made him uncomfortable how fans thought they had a right to a celebrities time. Running up and demanding autographs, taking videos or photos without consent and the worst of all, sending death threats to anyone they believe was stealing thier celebrity away.

He often heard people say that famous people knew what happened when you became famous, but that just sounded like an excuse not to treat another human being like a human being—at least to him.

The whole "they belong to the public now" was just....ugh.

Alfred was the same way. He got excited to meet someone famous from the theater but wasn't one to watch talk shows and sandals. Wasn't one to pin posters to walls or get offended when someone famous acted like a normal person.

Then Dick came to live at the manor, and although it confused him, Bruce let Dick get excited over a celebrity singer. Bought all the posters, signed CDs, met and greets, front row seats, and backstage passes if it made Dick happy.

Jason was the same with Broadway stars, gasping and babbling whenever someone he adored appeared on TV. Tim nearly fainted when he met that one famous skateboarder, framing the used napkin he had the man sign.

Steph adored that one Boxer, constantly babbling fun facts about the man that had nothing to do with boxing. Why would Bruce care what elementary school he went to? But he listened anyway.

Cass had dancers she went star-eyed for. There was that phase where she styled her hair the same way as her idol from Paris Oprea Ballet despite the fact that the style was only during nonperforming hours. Bruce had to special order the endorsed hair bands with a blue star of said Dancer.

Duke had an actor whom he never missed a single moive or show for. Even if the TV show she stared in flop from the terrible writing, the boy forced himself to sit through every minute if only because she appeared. He had a collection of DVDs long before moving in with Bruce and when Bruce took him to a special release night of her latest work, Duke had actually bursted into tears when they played her thank you for watching viedo before the movie started.

Really. Caring so much about people they didn't even know made no sense. He would understand if it was a fictional character, like the Grey Ghost because the character is and was just what that particular media presented. But real people? It was a real head-scratcher.

He assumed Damian would be the same as him. After all, Bruce knew his father, and his father's father had the same view of celebrities.

He was wrong.

"It's Chip Skylar!" His son screams at the top of his lungs when Danny's picture appears on the screen. His old college friend had contacted him asking if it was possible to have some special protection at his next concert.

Apparently, at the last one, he was kidnapped by some crazy fan and held hostage with a kid she babysat.

Seeing as Bruce and Danny often collaborated on tech for Batman (Before Danny got his big singing break, he was one of Gotham U's top engineering majors), Bruce saw no reason not to step in and offer help, especially if it turned out his kidnapping was due to magic, like Danny suspected.

He may not run around as Phantom anymore, but Danny had seen his fair share of magic users and magical creatures. That was the only explanation for how a tree had just appeared in the middle of the road and caused him to crash right in front of her house. She wasn't the cause of the magic, that much he was able to figure out when she chained him up, but it made Danny uneasy.

He was worried that the magic users would try again, and much like Superman, he had little to no defense against it.

"We're going to guard Chip Skylar!? " Damian hyperventilates, practically vibrating in his seat from excitement. "I get to meet Chip Skylar!?"

"You're a fan of his?" Bruce asks, slightly surprised, only to notice the same excitement on his children's faces.

"Ugh, duh. He's only like one of the most talented artists ever!" Steph gasped, pressing her hands over her mouth. "He once stopped to let a black cat, and every animal shelter in the state had their black cats adopted within a week!"

"I started flossing more regularly because of his Shinny Teeth song," Duke admits. "I couldn't get enough of that commercial."

Dick pulled out his phone, tapping rapidly. "I got to tell Wally. He will be so jealous I get to guard Chip Skylark!"

Bruce stared at all of them, wondering how even Jason and Cass seemed to be losing their minds over the same guy he once caught trying to drink three gallons of milk because, and he quotes, "It makes my bones go brrrrrrr"

"Danny is an amazing singer but-"

"Danny?" Tim snaps his eyes towards Bruce so fast, it took every ounce of his training not to flinch."How do you know Chip Skylark's birth name? Only the most dedicated fans know his non-stage name."

Bruce shrugs. "You all know how I feel about famous people. I'm not that dedicated of a fan but I happen to be friends with Danny. I can ask him to met you if you want-"

"YOU PERSONALLY KNOW CHIP SKYLARK, AND YOU DARED TO GIFT ME ART SUPPLIES FOR MY BIRTHDAY!? FATHER HOW COULD YOU!" Damian screeched, slamming his hands on the conference table as his siblings broke into an uproar.

Bruce honestly can never understand this.

[making-you-in-spore]

pinned post/FAQ

TRANS RIGHTS!! TERFS GET THE FUCK OFF MY BLOG!!!!!!!

we have a source of income again, but if you like my work, donations are always appreciated!

who are you?

i'm just a guy who likes spore [2008]

why do this?

i just really like spore and making creatures in spore. it helps me practice my creature creation abilities.

can you make my oc in spore?

as of right now i do not take requests. i generally find characters and creatures i want to make by them appearing on my dashboard. refer to the Request Beast.

what is in your icon?

captain thunderhide, my main spore space stage captain.

what is peeling?

peeling is when i remove all detail parts from a creature and show the bare sculpt underneath - anything that is not eyes, mouth, hands, feet, or limbs will be removed. it is a tradition around these parts

what are "original spores"?

original spores are spore creations that aren't based on existing media - ocs, copyrighted characters, or otherwise. usually, they're just making things to make them in spore, or are based on simple prompts such as "a plate of spaghetti" or "a penis".

do you use mods?

i exclusively play this game with mods.

can i download the creatures you make?

only if the original creator of the design is okay with it and requests a png. please note that in order to successfully download the creatures, you will need to download every mod used to create them.

i will not always be able to say what mods i use to make something, so it's a gamble if you don't have all of the ones i use.

how do i mod spore/do advanced creature creation like you?

darkedgetv's FAQ is a very good resource to begin. i started there, and it's where i recommend you to start if you're interested in spore modding. it also contains many other mods i have not listed under the cut.

as much as i disagree with the process of using a discord server to contain vital information and resources, the davoonline spore modding community discord is also a good source of resources and mods that even i do not use.

have you heard of [in-development indie sporelike]?

yes. i have heard of all of them.

i hold no interest in any of the currently in development indie "sporelikes". i believe they are trying to reinvent the wheel and overall they do not interest me.

are there any other blogs like yours?

there's a few and ever growing! i refer to this as the ecosystem or the making-you ecosystem.

i have a masterpost of all known individuals in this ecosystem here.

what editor mods do you use?

a lot, so they'll be under the cut.

not mods, but highly recommended for enhanced playing experience

4GB patch - Tutorial - patches spore [and other 32bit programs] to be able to use 4gb of RAM. recommended if playing a highly modded copy, and makes the game more stable.

Reshade & ReSpore - post-processing injector & shader that alters the appearance of spore, giving it more detailed shading and vibrant colors. i use this for gameplay and screenshots. runs on GPU power, so excellent if you have a strong graphics card

HD graphics fix - this doesn't actually seem to work for my copy, but it alters the textures of base spore to be more high-quality.

mods that are absolute must-haves

these mods are ones that i use in almost every creation, and add a lot of QoL to the editors. if i forget a mod in a creature png i post, it will be one of these.

Dark injection - THE spore mod. it's likely a lot of other mods you'll download will mesh well with dark injection. you can turn off whatever you don't want to use through the installer.

Universal Property Enhancer - a library mod that many other mods require

The Smoother - a useful tool for building muscles and smoothing out your creatures' bodies

Enhanced Color Picker - a requirement for super detailed creations, enables hexcode color picking and color wheel selection beyond normal limits of spore

[UPE] Infinite Part Scaling - allows scaling of parts near-infinitely, beyond the limits of the original game

Project Skyncraft - adds new creature skinpaints

Unshackled - adds nodes and limbs for creating custom wings, heads, hands, etc. a little bit unstable, i mostly use this for wings.

Spore Stacker - allows stacking of any part

Subtle Rotations - reduces part rotation snapping

Advanced CE - adds building editor manipulators to the creature editor

Every Part Costs Nothing - self explanatory

Rotate Anything - lets you rotate anything, including feet and hands

Advanced Creature Paint - allows for individual coloring of parts on a creature, like in the building and vehicle editors

Ambient Occlusion Disabler - removes baked-on shadows for creatures

Delta Paints - adds new skinpaints

Valla's Skinpaint Switcheroo - adds duplicates of all vanilla, C&C, and GA creature coat and detail skinpaints into their opposite category

Valla's Vanilla Style Parts - adds several parts which mimic the vanilla style

Delimbiter - increases the amount you can scale limb parts, and allows for more crazy movements of certain limb parts

test drive related mods

these mods are not required to download the creatures i post, but are recommended for the test drive.

No More Creature Editor Animations - turns off the animations that play when you add eyes, mouth, feet/hands, etc

Sevan's TF2 editor animations - adds multiple animations from tf2 into the creature test drive.

Mx3's Dance Animations - adds a multitude of dance animations into the creature test drive.

Tenebris's Creature Test Drive Animations - adds many animations from within the game to the creature test drive.

EditorBG - adds extra editor backgrounds

Ramone Kemono's MMD Drag Ball - high-effort dance mod complete with special effects and a reverse engineered camera system

part mods

these mods add parts to the editors.

DroneParts 2017 - adds many mechanical and polygonal parts useful for machine creatures, i like to use it for building clothes and markings.

New Drone Parts - a sequel to droneparts 2017, compatible with the old version. install both at the same time if you want to be able to use creatures from the old droneparts mod.

Himeric Engine - adds horror-themed parts to the creature editor.

Spore Resurrection Next Steps - adds a few parts to the creature editor and several new textures to the building and vehicle editors.

Dinosaur Parts - adds parts based on dinosaurs and other animals. mostly heads.

Strange And Beautiful - a now-discontinued, reuploaded mod that adds unusual and unique parts to the creature editor

Bionicle parts - adds a few bionicle pieces to the creature editor

Little Box Of Horrors - adds many parts with an overall horror theme. some are animated.

Pandora's Toolbox [1.0] - adds a multitude of basic shapes and polygons to build with

Replicant - adds non-textured animating parts and non-animating parts in a separate tab. good for if you want to use hands, limbs, etc without them animating or adding stats

Armoured And Dangerous - adds a few high detail mechanical looking parts.

Wordsmith 2.1 - adds letters to the creature, building, and vehicle editors

Kaiju parts - adds several parts based on popular kaiju

Organic Help - adds many membrane pieces to the creature editor, for creating wing webbing among other things

Project: Mad Mannequins - adds many human body based parts. and a horse for some reason

A Mouth For All Seasons - adds alternate versions of all vanilla mouths [and all unused cell mouths] with alternate diets

Valla's Captain Badges - adds all space badge models into the captain outfitter and creature editor

Rock On! - adds rock props from spore into the building and creature editors

Anime Parts - adds a couple anime human heads and anime hairs

[yuusishi]

runaway baby

synopsis : twst characters finding out you’re a runaway princess!!

pairings : Malleus Draconia, Vil Schoenheit x gn!reader

genre : hurt/comfort

cws/tws : implied abuse (? reader is very scared of returning home)

a/n : quick post because this prompt has been taking over my brain

Malleus Draconia !!

He found out when he was back in Briar Valley during vacation, he was talking to some of his advisers that mentioned your old name in passing.

He didn’t think it was you until he saw the picture, it looked just like you just…different. He knew it was you, it was undeniable, but there was something about the ‘you’ in that picture that felt almost uncanny to him. The light aura he was familiar with now felt heavy, your smile fell short, and your posture was stiff.

He wouldn’t confront you immediately, he knew there were a multitude of reasons to want to run away from the life of royalty. He knows too well.

Instead, he’ll wait, wait until you yourself confessed it to him. He wouldn’t be angry, he would be understanding and comfort you, you’ll be met by nothing but acceptance in his arms.

A pang of hurt would flash through his chest if you mentioned you ran away because of how much the royal life took a toll on you, whether mentally or physically. How you were forced to hide and run for years before being invited to Night Raven College.

You would hear thunder rumbling in the distance as you talk about your experiences. Malleus’s expression doesn’t shift to show his anger, he wouldn’t want to scare you, his thunder is something he almost couldn’t help.

In the end, once you’ve calmed, he’ll urge you to formally announce your detachment to your family. He wants to marry you, truly, but wouldn’t want to bring upon you the stresses of diplomatic processes between foreign royals.

And even if it wasn’t him you’d want to marry, he’d still recommend it for convenience’s sake.

If you ever want to confront your past head on, confront your family, your former status, Malleus will always be there with you hand in hand. He would stand by you, offering you strength to face your fears in order to lead you to a happier future.

Vil Schoenheit

He can’t say he’s not surprised.

He most likely found out via social media, maybe a thread or a random post on his feed discussing a missing royal. That’s when he sees a face too familiar to be a coincidence.

It was you.

But you felt different, you carried yourself with grace and elegance and yet he noticed your smile never reached your eyes. They appeared clouded, like you weren’t truly there.

For once in his life, he’d feel torn. Being a runaway is one thing but being a missing royal is something completely different, but it’s not like he can even begin to understand the life of an actual member of a royal family, his only viewpoint were from movies and shows he’s played and god knows how realistic those are.

As he continues analyzing his supposed next step, you walked in his room. He hadn’t heard your knocking. That’s when you saw his screen, old pictures and videos of you in that suffocating outfit in a room with disgusting people.

You felt scared for the first time in Vil’s presence, you were horrified he found out your secret and was going to send you back to that place. Instead he stepped forward and held your hands with the gentlest touch he could muster through the surprise he felt, a silent assurance that he wouldn’t bring you back if you truly didn’t want to, that he’d keep you safe no matter who or what came to the school to bring you “home”.

Vil knows he’ll never completely understand the type of life you lead before accepting Night Raven’s invitation, but one thing he knows is the great weight of societal pressure, being expected of so much. He’ll never bring you to your homeland and your family unless you explicitly state your desire to, that’s a demon that you yourself have to face, but he’ll be there with you every step of the way.

[demifiendrsa]

EGOT winning american film, television, and broadway actor James Earl Jones has passed away on September 9, 2024 at the age of 93.

Jones made his film debut in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove. He received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Claudine. Jones gained international fame for his voice role as Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise, beginning with the original 1977 film. Jones' other notable roles include in Conan the Barbarian, Matewan, Coming to America, Field of Dreams, The Hunt for Red October, The Sandlot, and the voice of Mufasa in The Lion King. Jones reprised his roles in Star Wars media, The Lion King (2019) remake, and Coming 2 America.

Jones' television work includes playing Woodrow Paris in the series Paris between 1979 and 1980. He voiced various characters on the animated series The Simpsons in three separate seasons. He then was cast as Gabriel Bird, the lead role in the series Gabriel's Fire which aired from 1990 to 1991. For that role, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and was nominated for his fourth Golden Globe Award, this time for Best Actor in a Television Series Drama. He played Bird again in the series Pros and Cons, which ran from 1991 to 1992; that earned him his fifth and final Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Drama. He then had small appearances in the series Law & Order, Picket Fences , Mad About You, Touched by an Angel, Frasier. His role in Picket Fences earned him another Primetime Emmy Award nomination, one for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. His later television work includes small roles in Everwood, Two and a Half Men, House, and The Big Bang Theory.

Jones' theater work includes numerous Broadway plays, including Sunrise at Campobello (1958–1959), Danton's Death (1965), The Iceman Cometh (1973–1974), Of Mice and Men (1974–1975), Othello (1982), On Golden Pond (2005), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2008) and You Can't Take It with You (2014–2015). He was also in various off Broadway productions and Shakespeare stage adaptations such as The Merchant of Venice (1962), The Winter's Tale (1963), Othello (1964–1965), Coriolanus (1965), Hamlet (1972), and King Lear (1973). His roles in The Great White Hope (1969) and Fences (1987) earned him two Tony Awards, both for Best Leading Actor in a Play.

[thatsexcpisces]

My least favorite placements (personal opinion)

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾. ‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾. ‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾. ‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃

• please remember that these are just my personal takes and observations mostly based on people I’ve met/know and if it doesn’t apply to you, it’s most likely aimed at the undeveloped versions of the placement! 💕

#1: Virgo moons

I’m sorry I have way too many people in my life with this placement (especially family members) and y’all just know how to get under people’s skin. Every virgo moon I’ve met seems to physically be unable to hold back their unwanted opinions and criticism. Y’all will serve the meanest comment on a silver platter when no one asked or wanted to hear that shit in the first place and then label it as “just being honest/trying to help” like nah you’re just straight up being annoying. So many virgo moons are also control freaks and want to project their routines and habits onto other people and enforce all their little rules onto them and expect everyone to accommodate them and their needs without considering other people’s needs. Also, this placement tends to be very insecure with themselves and their own inner critics so must of the time they also protect their insecurities onto other people cause they can’t fix them within themselves and that’s probably also why they dish out little snarky critiques to the people around them. They can also be way too pessimistic and “conservative” which gets on my nerves sm like you take these people somewhere on a night out and they complain about the music being “too loud” or people “talking too much and being annoying” like chill Karen. Stop trying to be a perfectionist babe, it’s okay to make mistakes

#2: Venus/sun/stellium in the 10H

Having this placement on its own in your natal chart is a blessing in a sense because you may receive a lot of good luck when it comes to your public reputation and people like you but personally, I feel like being around people with this placement isn’t as great. A lot of people I know with this placement tend to come off as superficial or “social climbers” who use others for career and reputation benefits. These are the types of friends that will ditch you if you’re not popular enough or if people are gossiping about you because they want to make themselves look good and will ignore you in public but then be your bestie in private cause they don’t wanna be seen with you. They also only seem to always talk about their image or what other people think about them. For example, I know people with this placement who would complain about their social media or followers every time we hung out. They would always complain about losing followers or why they can’t “have enough followers” and what to do to gain many. I had friends with this placement who would also ask for a lot but never give in return and put themselves on a high pedestal thinking they are constantly worthy of praise or deeds from others. On the downside, these people may put a false mask to the public. They can appear as kind and good-hearted when in reality they may not be that way and know how to manipulate in order to get what they want.

#3: Leo/Sag mercuries

I will say that these people are super fun and know how to tell the best stories and they are also very good at making people feel included in their life. However, on the flipside people with this placement seem to live in a world that is only made for them and only has space for them to be in. I’ve met so many ppl with Leo & sag mercuries and it always seems so hard for them to acknowledge the fact that other people have feelings too and what they say can hurt others. They just think of themselves as the main character most of the time which when they do it excessively, it becomes really annoying. I feel like people with this placement just don’t have the ability to be introspective and reflect on their actions and things they say to understand if maybe someone took it the wrong way or if they’re being too much. They also have little to no patience or tolerance when someone else is speaking and they find it impossible to let someone tell their full story without interrupting or sharing something about themself like it’s okay to let others have the spotlight for once (Im a Leo moon so I’m lowkey dragging myself a bit here). Also similar to virgo moons, they may make rude or “honest” comments because they are very direct and when someone expresses that it hurts them, they get super defensive and fail to see it from another person’s perspective. Also talking louder doesn’t mean you won the argument

#4: Gemini Venus

Please figure out what you want omdssss. Being in a relationship with these people is not for the weak let me tell you. I have an Aquarius Venus so in some aspects I get along well with Gemini Venus but in others it’s like I can never read their mind and they’re constantly changing it every 5 seconds. You would expect these people to be very good and open communicators since they’re associated w mercury but most of the time it just feels like they’re on a non-stop adventure with whatever their brain tells them to do and you just have to guess what they want and do it or they’ll get bored of you and ghost you. I know y’all need constant mental stimulation but I feel like most of the time the other person is offering that to you but you just want an excuse to get with someone else. CHEATERS. Especially the men with this placement. Options exist and y’all love that. Also in general and with friends these people can be very flakey they’ll make it feel like you’re their best friend one day then you barely know them the next.

#5: Moon square Mars or Pluto/moon in the 8H

These people know how to get what they want and can be incredibly manipulative. Be careful and try not to play their game cause once you do, it’s a never-ending mind fuck. Many people I know with this placement are the definition of “secret opps” or your “secret haters”. They most likely have a lot of unresolved baggage or problems so they look for any opportunity to hurt someone else and take it out on them (when the placement is unhealthy/undeveloped ofc). Also, this placement to me screams “evil/narcissist” mother. These people probably had a mother that was really controlling or emotionally toxic and they grew up repeating her habits and will continue to act just like her. My step sister has one of these placements and she would do whatever manipulative things her mother put in her head, to other people and report back to her like a dog. These people are usually completely blinded and owned by their mothers. They’ve most likely had life on hard mode and they resent anyone who’s had things going better for them and they find it hard to be happy and supportive of others. Everytime I see this placement in someone’s birth chart, I know not to share too many details with them or trust them that easily cause they know how to hide and are calculated with betraying you.

#6: Cancer Sun

Idk some of them just rub me the wrong way. It really depends on their other placements but usually cancer suns with air placements in their chart get on my nerves cause they can be so passive aggressive and when you meet them at first glance you get this vibe that they’re trying their best to be fake nice to you but they secretly have it out for you. These people are moody asf bonus points if they have a water rising and when you ask them what’s wrong they’ll just sulk in silence and have an attitude until you actively do something to give them attention or make things better. These people also hold a grudge for life and sometimes over the dumbest and smallest things. They’re the type of people to dedicate their whole life to hating you cause you accidentally bumped into them when walking past them. Also their victim mentality is so tiring, they constantly seek attention and validation over small things and have a hard time taking accountability for their actions and admitting they were wrong.

[syluspeach]

Softdark!StepdadSylus x reader

18+ plus (mdni) you’re responsible for your own media consumption.

Trigger warnings: dark!sylus, older man with younger woman, Sylus is in his early forties and reader is +21, loner!reader, clueless!reader, naive kink, innocence kink, reader’s mom is terrible, reader is emotional and it annoys Sylus at times, meanie!Sylus, Sylus is a manipulator, daddy kink, oral (fem receiving), fingering, squirting, p n v, first time, loss of virginity, Caleb is a district attorney lol, incorrect talks about restraining orders, Sylus talks you through it, drug use, drunk character, lots of plot holes tbh, domestic violence, personal items are destroyed, death of minor character, please don’t read if you’re uncomfortable with anything listed above. Let me know if i missed anything. Not edited.

+9k words

By clicking the keep reading button, you’re confirming you read the message above.

Sylus’ heart broke the first time he saw you.

With your shoulders curling inward and your head hanging low, something about how pitiful you looked caught his eye.

You sat across a woman he could only assume was your mother, judging by the similar features. She spoke to you in a harsh tone, demanding you “sit up straight and wipe that ugly look off your face” before she went back to scrolling on her phone. She made no effort to talk to you. If she did, most of the time it was merely insults or ways you could “improve”.

Doing as you were told, he managed to get a glimpse of your face. You had the saddest eyes he had ever seen. You were too pretty, too young, to be this miserable. You seemed like a good kid. The type to do as you were told. It's not your fault you were stuck with a mother who was more interested in spending the day gossiping with her friends from work than having a nice lunch date with her daughter.

The life he could give you. You would never have to worry about a thing. Wouldn’t even have to lift a finger. Your life would consist of total leisure. All you needed to be was a good girl for him.

Your mother didn’t know what she had. She didn’t deserve you. You were a little kitten that needed to be taken care of. You needed a nurturing presence in your life. She was merely holding you back, preventing you from seeing the beauty of the world around you. Anyone on the outside could see how suffocating she was.

He needed to do something about that.

——

It was strange having a new person in your life. Since you were born, it had only been you and your mother.

Having friends was out of the question and so was a boyfriend. This led to you knowing very little about the world, especially men. So, when your mom brought a man home for the very first time, you nearly passed out front the nerves.

You had seen men out on the street, but none that looked like him.

He introduced himself as Sylus, the man your mom had been seeing for the last few months. You could feel how your face burned as you made eye contact with him. He was so handsome and so…large. He wore a maroon-colored button-up that paired nicely with his unnaturally colored eyes. The fabric stretched across his chest, the sleeves pushed up to reveal forearms you would only see carved out in porcelain. The black slacks he wore made his legs seem as though they went on for miles.

He was temptation in a half.

A strange sensation bloomed in between your legs. The kind that made you want to push your thighs together. It was the same one that appeared every time you read one of your mom’s dirty books.

Speaking of which, you failed to see the sour expression on her face when you shook Sylus’ hand, but he had a keen eye. Nothing slipped past him. He could tell your mom was the obsessive type. One who puts the happiness of a man before their child.

This was going to be easy. He just needed to play his cards right and in the end, it would be only you and him. If it goes according to plan, your mother would be far away from your two, six feet deep in the ground, perhaps.

——

Much to your mother’s dismay, Sylus made sure to spend time with you.

You don’t know how he managed to get her to agree to such things, but you were grateful you were finally getting the chance to go outside and experience things with someone who seemed to genuinely care about your happiness.

At first, it was a bit awkward for you, not sure what you were supposed to talk about. You didn’t have much to say as you had little experience with life, but Sylus managed to fill the silence just fine.

After a few outings together, he noticed the nervous habits you had where you’d pick at the skin on the side of your thumb and bite the inside of your cheek.

“You’re gonna hurt yourself if you keep digging into your skin like that, sweetie.”

You tore your eyes away from the view outside the car window, your wide eyes looking at the white-haired man driving.

Oh god. Was he going to scold you the way your mom did? Would he tug on your ear the way she did?

“I-I’m sorry. Mom says it’s…uh…a disgusting habit of mine.”

“S’not gross at all. I just don’t want you hurting yourself.” Taking a hand off the wheel, he offered it to you. “Here.”

You stared down at the hand he extended to you. The warm skin on the back of it touching the skin of your knee your jean shorts didn’t cover. You swore a spark ran through you at the direct skin contact.

“I don’t…understand.”

“I’m going to help you get rid of that nervous manner of yours. Whenever I’m around and you feel like you want to pick at your skin, you could hold my hand, play with my fingers, whatever you want.”

‘Could even suck on them if you’d like.’ He thought like the disgusting old man he was.

“But you’re my mom’s boyfriend. Isn’t that…that wouldn’t be right.”

“You’re not doing anything wrong, sweetie.” He sighed. “Just trying to help.”

The sound of disappointment caused you to perk up in your seat. When he started to pull his hand away, you frantically reached for it. One hand wrapping around his thumb, the other grabbing the rest of his hand, you pulled it back into your lap.

“No!” That came out louder than you intended. “Oh, I’m…I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to yell.”

“S’okay. I’m not mad at you. I just didn’t want to push my luck.”

You said nothing for the next few minutes. You were too busy marveling at how large his hand was, your fingers following the veins that appeared on the back of his hand. His fingers were so long.

Thinking back to a romance novel you snuck out of your mom’s room, you wondered how easy it would be for him to wrap his hand around your neck. As the books would often say, he could easily manhandle you.

But he didn’t.

He was gentle with you. He treated you how anyone would treat a scared kitten. Hushed tones and soft caresses.

After a while, you spoke up, your eyes going back to staring at the buildings passing by you.

“Uh, Sylus…If you don’t mind, can I ask where we’re going?”

“Not at all, sweetheart. The other day when I was at your house, I passed by your room and noticed..how can I say this without sounding like an asshole? I noticed that it…lacked personality.”

Your grip on his hand tightened.

“I’m not allowed to hang things. Mom..uh…she doesn’t want me making holes in the wall.”

“You don’t need to put things up to make it your. You can easily add little knickknacks to your dresser or desk. Add a bit of color with a nice comforter. I doubt that thing you use as a blanket is keeping you warm at night.”

You could feel your cheeks heat up from embarrassment.

He was right.

Most nights, you went to bed with a long sleeve, fleece pajama pants, and sock-clad feet just to keep your teeth from chattering.

“I’m not saying this to put you on the spot. You need a space in that house to call your own. You’re an adult, you should be allowed to pick things you like. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how controlling your mother is.” He paused, pulling into a large parking lot that had cars moving in both directions.

You watched as he drove past everyone, stopping in front of a sign that said “VALET PARKING”

Much to your disappointment, he gently pulled his hand out of your grasp, moving to unclip his seatbelt. He stepped out of the car to speak to a young man who came up to the vehicle, his voice muffled by the sound of cars passing by and the chatter of people.

You nearly jumped out of your seat when your door was pulled open. It was another guy who looked about the same age as the one Sylus was talking to.

“Miss?”

You showed no intention of moving, stuck to the leather seat.

“I got her.”

Sylus slid himself in between you and the valet. You went as stiff as a board when he curled around you, unfastening your seatbelt.

“Come here, sweetheart. We got a long day ahead of us and I want to make sure you have dinner before I take you home.”

God knows your mom wouldn’t feed you when she got out from work.

——

The shops Sylus had brought you to were anything but welcoming.

There were so many people. They carried bags from stores whose names you couldn’t even pronounce. It would have been so easy to get lost in the crowd if it weren’t for the giant holding your hand.

He towered over everyone. Men looked at him with envy while women did a double take before giggling to themselves. You noticed how people bumped into one another, not even sparing a sorry to one another. Yet, when some guy on his phone knocked into you, one look from Sylus had him stuttering an apology.

It took a lot of coxing from Sylus to finally step foot into one of the cute little boutiques they had. The saleswomen perked up at the sight of him, their attention primarily on him. It was strange having them follow you two around. It was difficult to even look at the pretty trinkets as they instantly tried to get you to buy them.

“Those are the latest trends! Everyone is dying to get their hands on them!” The retail worker who introduced herself as Monica exclaimed. The sound of her voice being so close to you had you griping onto Sylus’ hand for comfort, his thumb immediately brushing against your skin to soothe you.

You looked at the display case. The “latest trend” were some kind of ugly-looking creatures. Their fuzzy little bodies and pointy teeth were strange. Their beady little eyes made you uncomfortable.

“I’m…uh…not too sure they’re my thing.” You tried to sound as polite as you could, but the way Monica’s face flashed with annoyance didn’t go unnoticed by you or Sylus. Reminded you of your mom.

“Everyone who’s anyone is causing these to fly off the shelves.”

“I don’t see why.” Sylus interrupted. “They’re unsightly. Now if you don’t mind, we’d like to look around for a bit, without being followed.”

Much to your surprise, Monica left without another word.

With the sour taste not only in your mouth but Sylus’, he led you out of the store into another one that had the loveliest clothing. The dresses they had on the mannequins were like the ones you had seen in magazines. The flower prints, light colors, and bows caught your attention.

“Everything is so pretty. So cute.” Your wide eyes swept across the expanse.

The corner of Sylus’ lips twitched at the sight.

“Why don’t you pick out a few things?” He offered, knowing you wouldn’t dare. You’d rely on him to make the decisions for you.

“Can you help me?”

Bingo.

Tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, he brushed the warm skin of your cheek with the back of his hand.

“Of course, sweetheart.”

What a perfect little doll you were. You let him pick things out for you, down to cute cotton panties. You tried everything on, shyly stepping out of the dressing room to show him. He gave words of encouragement, the approving hums making you feel good.

You appreciated his actions but you couldn’t find the words meaningful enough to thank him. Yet, he clung to your sweet little thank yous.

He carried the multiple bags in one of his huge paws. He’d be damned if he didn’t take advantage of every opportunity to hold your hand.

At some point, your guard began to come down. You unconsciously started to pull him into stores, marveling at things you had never seen before. Still, you refused to let him buy every little thing you laid your eyes on.

He did keep his promise. When he saw your steps begin to slow and your energy to drain, he suggested you two had dinner before he had to take you back home. Once you had your fill, tummy full, and heart content with the tasty meal paired with dessert you ever had, you sat peacefully in the passenger seat.

“I don’t know how you managed to get my mom to agree to these outings, Sylus, but I’m grateful. You don’t have to do any of this, yet you’re always so nice to me every time we see each other.” Your eyes started to burn, tears wanting to spill. “I’m glad to have you in my life. And I want you to know, you didn’t have to buy me all these things but, I’m truly grateful.”

The rest of the drive home was filled with Sylus filling in the quiet spaces. He asked you questions about yourself, your likes and dislikes. There wasn’t much but it was enough to confirm what he already knew. Your mother was a terrible person and she needed to be out of the picture for you to completely give yourself over to him.

He saw the way you looked at him. Your nervous glances at him, the ways your eyes trailed over his hands and arms. You’ve never gotten to experience a man before, but he was going to make sure he was your first and only.

——

Months passed.

Sylus had infiltrated your home and your mind.

It was wrong. You know it was, but you unconsciously craved him.

Seeing the kisses he shared with your mother made you envious. That should be you.

“Oh god.” Your hand came to press itself against your mouth. “What am I thinking?”

Scared by the thoughts clouding your judgment, you got ready for bed. You’d be going to bed with an empty house. Your mom and Sylus would be going out for a nice dinner. Who knows at what time they’d be back? Most of the time, you’d wake up in the morning and your mom would be gone to work.

You dressed in a soft pink nighty Sylus bought you a few weeks ago. It was kept hidden deep within one of your drawers. He suggested you kept certain things hidden as you knew your mother was a jealous woman. You had seen her sneering at the cute lamb plush placed in the middle of your bed, the white comforter with little flowers stitched onto it offering a nice resting place.

You went to bed with your arms wrapped around your plush, your face pressed against its fur as it still smelled of Sylus as he had carried it around after winning it for you out of a claw machine.

Gosh, you wished it was him. The warmth and serenity he offered you was something you hadn’t had in life. He always took such good care of you. He provided support and allowed you to speak freely, expressing your thoughts and concerns without being reprimanded.

With a heavy sigh, you started to fall asleep.

A loud bang came from somewhere around the house, the sound of heels being thrown onto the floor. Your mother’s muffled voice could be heard. She was angry. Not wanting to be subjected to her wrath, you pretended to be asleep as her footsteps were making there way to your bedroom.

The aggressive sound of the doorknob knocking into the wall, causing them to rattle had you jumping under the covers, a yelp escaping your lips.

The lights were turned on and your comforter was ripped off of you.

“Ma!” You pushed yourself into a sitting position against the headboard, arms clutching your precious lamb. “What are you-”

Her teeth were bared as she took you in. The nightgown you wore was of much better quality than the one Sylus had gifted her.

“You little fucking whore. I knew it!” She yelled as she grabbed your hair and tugged you out of bed. “You’ve been fucking him this whole time. Why else would he be paying so much attention to you? He cancelled dinner plans and I’m sure you had something to do with it!”

You cried at the burning sensation thrumming through your scalp.

“No! I would never-”

Her palm made harsh contact with your once unblemished cheek and your bones rattled when she threw you on the floor.

Her eyes took in your room. Once barren and plain, there was life in every corner. Little figurines of cats, bunnies, and bears were arranged neatly on your desk. Your handy-down clothes were replaced with feather-trimmed dresses. Beat-up white sneakers were long gone, three new pairs in their place.

At the feeling of something soft against her foot, she looked down and was met with the annoyingly cute face of your lamb plushy.

With wide, terrified eyes, you watched as she picked it up.

“Ma, please. Why are you doing-”

“Quiet!”

Her fingers worked your cotton-filled friend. Her fingers flexed, a stormy expression taking over her face. Suddenly, she twisted its head, the stuffing hitting the floor as she threw its decapitated body at you. She stomped across your room, shoving the small critters off your desk before going over to your closet and ripping the clothing off the hangers.

Your once neat room was now a disaster. All the precious memories attached to every little thing were now replaced by the hands of your mother.

You needed to get out of here.

As quietly as you could, you tried to not alert her as you got up. When you were nearly out of the suffocating space, you were shoved against the door, the knob biting into the skin of your side.

A cry escaped.

“Where do you think you’re going, you little brat!”

Her nails were digging into the exposed skin of your arms, crescent shapes left in their wake. You tried the best you could to shake her off.

“You think you can take him from me? You think just because you’re young now, he’s going to stay with you forever?”

Through tears and wrecked sobs, you shoved her off of you.

She was left dazed on the floor. You took the opportunity to run, grabbing her car keys from the bowl by the door. The driving lessons she gave you a few years back better pay off.

Shifting the car into drive, you watched from the rearview mirror as your mother who was standing at the front door became smaller and smaller.

——

The low hum coming from the record player filled the living room as Sylus’ eyes trailed across the pages of the book held in his hands. He was somewhat at peace as he didn’t have to pretend with entertaining your mother. Selfishly, he canceled the plans he had with her, using the excuse of something coming up at work.

Unbeknownst to him, this would lead to your mom drinking too much wine with dinner and you, who was tucked safely under the soft bedding he had bought you, would be subjected to her anger.

His eyes started to flutter, the book in his hand falling against his chest as his breathing slowed.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he woke up to the doorbell ringing. For the first time in a long time, his stomach dropped. Whatever he was about to deal with, was going to upset him greatly.

Pushing himself off the couch, he made his way to the front door. He couldn’t help the way his eyebrows furrowed at the sight of you. Through the glass, he could see the way you had your arms wrapped tightly around yourself, a disheveled nighty being your only protection against the rain. With your back towards him, it appeared as though you were making sure you hadn’t been followed. Your shoulders were shaking, the cold night making your breath visible in the air.

Your mother’s car was parked haphazardly in his driveway, the lights still on.

As if sensing him, you turned around. Your tear-filled eyes beckoning him to open the door faster.

He did as such, pulling you into the warmth of his home. In the different lighting, he could see the cut splitting your bottom lip.

“Sweetie, what are you-”

“I don’t…I don't know what happened.”

Oh, how terrified you sounded.

Your mother was doing exactly the opposite of what she wanted. She was pushing you into his arms like the fool that she was. He had to hold back the smirk that threatened to form.

“I-I was sleeping and she barged…she barged in…s-screaming about me being a…a whore.”

Now that wasn’t what he wanted. You weren’t supposed to become collateral.

A defining sob wrecked through you, Sylus taking the opportunity to wrap his arms around you.

It was his fault.

He should have known better. Your mother was spiteful and envious. She could see what you couldn’t. You liked Sylus. In your naive mind, you confused your feelings for him as something strictly platonic, but the dreamy look in your eye when you stared off into space at the sound of his name was just the right amount of confirmation your mother needed.

But this leads you to him. It was becoming so easy for him.

Without a second thought, you hugged him back. He was so warm, so welcoming. He was everything your mother wasn’t. The attention he paid you made you giddy, as well as the affection he offered.

“I don’t know why she treats me like this. I’ve always done what she asked of me. Is it so wrong that you treat me with a dash of kindness? Why does she want me to be miserable? Don’t I deserve love?”

The hand resting against the back of your neck pulled you away from his chest, his eyes zeroing in on the bruise blooming on the apple of your cheek. You were too sweet to be treated as such. Your obedience streak ran high. Always do as you are told.

“It’s time for you to do right by you, sweetie. I know you love you’re mom, but you can’t let her get away with this. You need to make an example of her. Let her know you’re not going to let her keep treating you as such.”

“But I don’t know how.”

You went to hide your face against his chest, but he wouldn’t allow you, leading to a whine coming from your pretty lips.

“I have a friend who works as a district attorney. I’m sure he could connect us to someone who can help you create a strong case for domestic violence.”

“A case? Like-like involving the police?” You pulled away from him, your arms going around you once more. “I can’t…I couldn’t do that. S-she’s my mother, Sylus.”

‘So stupidity runs in the family.’ He thought.

Okay, he’ll admit, that was mean, but he wasn’t going to let your mother get away with this. Most importantly, he wouldn’t let your kindness cloud your judgment. This was only the first step to getting you all to himself.

“If you don’t put an end to this now, do you know how quickly situations like these can escalate? Your mother isn’t stable. I can’t even imagine what I’d do if she…”

“If she what?” You asked with your head tilting slightly.

“Honey, at this point, I wouldn’t put it past your mother to try killing you.”

You felt the sandwich you had for dinner try to make its way back up. Your tummy feeling sour.

“She w-wouldn’t do that! You’re wrong!” Angry tears burned the corner of your eyes.

The sudden rise of your voice, at him of all people, set him off. Within a second, he had your face within one of his big hands, your back pressed against the door.

“I know you love your mother,” He spoke through clenched teeth. “ Even though she did nothing to deserve it, I will not let her get away with treating you like this. I’m doing this for your own good. So here’s the deal sweetheart, you’re going to sleep here tonight and tomorrow morning, we’re going to the police station to make an official report, got it?”

You were taken back. He’d never spoken to you like this. You didn’t like it. He was the only one who treated you like a decent human being. He always went out of his way to make sure you felt included. He had brought you so many gifts that ended up being destroyed at the hands of your mother. If anyone deserved your love, it was him. He was the father you never had.

Bringing one hand to his chest and the other to the wrist of the hand holding you in place, you spoke up.

“I’m sorry, daddy.”

Now that riled him up. The dent in his pants grew, stiffening against his thigh, the head pulsating with need. He held himself back from ripping your clothes off and taking you against the glass door. Instead, he pressed a forceful kiss against your non-injured cheek, breathing in your scent.

“That’s a good fucking girl.”

——

The rest of that night was a blur.

You slept in one of Sylus’ many rooms. While you were off in dreamland, most definitely aided by the sleeping pills he gave you, he stayed by your side.

You were ignorant to the fact that he watched you sleep, his fingers trailing across your cheek.

So soft compared to him.

Everything about you was soft.

Your breathing was slow. Your chest rising and falling under the sheet. When you stirred, shifting your position just a little, the bedding slid down, exposing your neck and chest to the man’s greedy eyes.

Taking this golden opportunity ahead of him, he leaned over you and pressed his nose into the junction where your shoulder met your neck. He breathed in your scent, your heat radiating off onto him in waves. It was like he was scenting you, rubbing his skin against yours, hoping this would ward off any unwanted individuals.

“You’re home.” He whispered “You’re going to be so happy here. I’ll make sure of it.”

He stayed there a little longer, basking in the sensation that was you.

He didn’t need sleep for tonight.

His mind was too busy calculating his next move. Everything had fallen into place. Your mother played her part perfectly, down to a t. And you, you came running to him. You willingly became a tender little bird in a gleaming cage.

The next few days were going to be extremely busy for both of you. He knew it was going to take a toll on you, but it needed to be done. You’re mother needed to be gone.

He was the only one you needed.

——

You were grateful for Sylus’ jacket which was working as a safety net. It kept you warm against the cool air that filled the police station. The skin of your thumb had been picked raw and blood permeated your tastebuds.

Sylus spoke in hush tones with, Caleb, the district attorney. The younger male held onto a large file.

They made you fill out so much paperwork, most of it you didn’t even know what it was for. You gave a lengthy statement of what happened the night before and they made sure to take pictures of your injuries much to your discomfort. Even your nightgown was taken for evidence as it showed signs of a scuffle.

The sweats you wore were far too large, dwarfing you to anyone who glanced your way.

“Usually, we’d start with a restraining order but since you want to escalate this further, I’d say we have solid evidence to lock her away for a few years,” Caleb mentioned while you tried to focus on the sheets of paper before you.

How could you do this to your mother? She brought you into this world and yet, you’d be taking away her freedom.

This was all a mistake.

You needed to see her. She’d be able to make you see this was all a misunderstanding.

On autopilot, you stood from your seat and started to head out. You made it past the door when you heard your name being called.

You didn’t look back. You just kept walking.

“Where are you going?”

At the feeling of Sylus’ hand landing on your shoulder, you were roughly spun around.

“I-I want to see her.”

Sometimes your sweetness and ability to forgive so quickly was annoying. He held back rolling his eyes.

“Honey, no. You can’t. There’s a restraining order against her. She can’t be near you. You can’t go home anymore.”

Your eyes burned and your bottom lip trembled.

“This was wrong of me. She’ll make this right. She always does.”

When you turned away, Sylus’ patience cracked. His hand shot out and tugged you harshly over to his parked car.

“Why are you making this harder than it needs to be? It’s too late for your remorse. You signed the papers and now there’s a warrant out for her arrest. You won’t be able to see her until your court date.”

You tried to pull your arm free but he wouldn’t let you.

“I’ll take it back-”

“It’s too late for that! Don’t you see? What mother in their right mind would put a man above her child? What mother would lay her own hands on the one person she’s supposed to cherish? A mother is supposed to be a natural nurturer. She doesn’t love you. Get that through your thick skull!” He nudged your head with his finger and you yelp at the cruelty of it.

When he saw your frightened expression, his grip on your bicep loosened. His free hand came up to your jaw.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He pressed a kiss to your temple. “I didn’t mean to be so harsh. I just wish you see the truth. She doesn’t care for you, but I do.”

He took a deep breath before continuing.

“I love you.”

A pregnant pause filled the space between you.

“You don’t…you can’t mean that.”

“I thought being with your mother would be enough for me since you two look so much alike, but after spending time together, you two couldn’t be more different. You’re an absolute delight to be around. When you come out of your shell, you shine so brilliantly. You offer me a different insight into things in life. A fresh perspective. You’re everything she’s not and I love you for it. You allow me to look after you, keep you safe. While you’re allowed to make your own decisions, I will not allow you to let her off the hook. We’ll be going through with our original plan and your mother will serve the time she deserves.”

You stayed quiet, stuck on the L word.

“You really love me?”

Sylus let out a breathy laugh.

“Of course I do.” He pressed a kiss on the corner of your mouth. “How many more times do I need to say it?”

Pressing tiny kisses all over your face, the tension in your body went away, and happy giggles slipping past your lips. With one last peck to your cheek, he moved to open the passenger door, gesturing for you to slide in.

“You had a rough night and a busy morning. Let’s get you home so you can rest.”

——

Caleb made sure to keep Sylus up to date with anything involving your mother. Even let him know when the cops were on their way to bring her to the police station.

He sat in his parked car, a distance away from your old home. The flash of red and blue lights reflected off his tinted windows. He watched with rapt attention as your mother opened the door, confusion written on her face.

She looked a mess. Her hair resembled a bird’s nest, clothes were wrinkled and untucked.

The microphone hidden in the lapel of Caleb’s suit allowed him to hear every word.

“Oh, officers! I’m so glad you’re here. It’s my daughter…she…she had an episode. Destroyed the whole place and left. I’ve been going crazy trying to find her! I’m sure the neighbors contacted you, yes?”

How dumb did she think they were? What mother wouldn’t call the police as soon as their “unstable” kid took off with their car?

“Ma’am, we’re here on behalf of your daughter who has filed a report against you. You have the right to remain silent as everything you say could be held against you in a court of law-”

“But I didn’t do anything. Officer, please-”

“You’ll have enough time to present your statement. Please, don’t make this difficult. You don’t want any other charges brought against you.”

As the police officers closed in around her, she tried closing the door on them, running into the house.

Over the walkie, Sylus could hear the struggle, rolling his eyes at her pleads.

Pathetic.

After a few minutes, she reappeared, cuffed, and led over to the awaiting police car. She was resisting them, almost fighting them. Her shouts were silenced by the sound of the door closing.

“Let’s get her booked. We can add resisting arrest and battery against multiple officers to her chart. Go ahead and start the process, I’m going to stay back and make sure all evidence is collected.”

Caleb could be heard giving orders. Once the crime scene investigators showed up, did Caleb signal for Sylus to join him.

“I always love when they put up a fight.” Caleb started, leading Sylus throughout the house. “Makes the job so much more thrilling.”

The place you called home was in total disarray. Wandering through the familiar walls, glass crunched under his shoe from a broken picture frame. A picture of you. The only picture of you your mother had displayed.

He picked it up, removing it from the frame and dusting off the shards of glass. It would look lovely on his desk in the den. He carefully tucked into into his coat pocket, patting it as if to secure it into place.

“They’re at the station.” Caleb interrupted, stepping into your old room. “They’ll get her processed soon enough. I’m sure you’re going to be receiving a call from her soon. Pick up the call after a few rings, make it seem as though you haven’t been waiting for it, yeah?”

“Course.”

——

“You have ten minutes.” An officer said as he held the door open for Sylus. “You can hold hands but no kissing.”

‘I wouldn’t worry too much about that.’ Sylus wanted to say, instead, he settled with a curt nod.

Taking a seat on the cold metal chair, he waited for them to bring in your mother. When she walked passed the threshold, a warm feeling filled him as he noted the orange jumpsuit, hands cuffed in front of her.

At the sight of the white-haired man, your mother ran to him, hugging him as best as she could with her bound limbs. She didn’t even pay attention to the fact that he didn’t return the hug.

“You really came! I’m so happy you’re here!”

She took a seat before him, smiling brightly.

“Oh, Sylus! I’m so glad you actually came. You need to get me out of here. I don’t belong in this place! I don’t know what got into that little brat. I’ve been telling you she’s nothing but trouble, that kid. Don’t know why you wasted your time and money on her. But I promise, as soon as I get out, we could leave town. We’ll never have to see her again! Doesn’t that sound wonderful?”

“You’re going to rot in here.” His eerily calm voice caused your mother’s smile to fall, replaced by a look of confusion. “Don’t you know what they do to people who abuse their children?”

“But-but I didn’t do anything! She’s the one who went berserk! Oh, you should’ve seen her, Sylus.” She hid her face in her hands, her fake sobs muffled. “I’m so embarrassed. She was always so ungrateful. Everything you bought her, out of the goodness of your own heart, she just destroyed it! All those pretty clothes were ripped to shreds. Please, you-”

When she reached for his hands, he leaned away. He no longer needed to pretend he enjoyed having her hands on him.

“I saw her. She came to me after what you did to her.”

Her eye twitched. Lips curling into a frown, she banged her hands against the metal table and spoke through clenched teeth.

“I knew it! I tried to ignore it but I always knew she liked you! Little fucking whore could never let me have anything. Leeching off of me like the disgusting parasite she's always been. From the moment she was conceived, she took and took from me. How could I love the thing that nearly killed me when she came into this world?”

“Either way, what’s done is done. I can’t see you slinking your way out of this one. She filed a restraining order against you and I’m not paying your bail. What kind of man would I be if I rewarded your behavior? You’ll still have to wait for your court date to be posted. As far as I can see, you’ll be in here for more than a couple of months, sweetheart.” Adjusting the cuff of his jacket, a small baggy fell into his palm as his hand held hers “But there’s a way out of this mess. Let me help you one last time, yes? Take this with you and pour it into the drink that comes with your dinner. You won’t feel anything. It’ll be like going to sleep. You’ll be at peace and you won’t ever have to deal with that parasite ever again. You’ll be free of her.”

“I can’t do-”

“You won’t make it out alive. They’ll tear you apart. Don’t let her take your last bit of freedom, sweetheart. Take matters into your own hands.” With that, he gave her hand a gentle nudge.

The bolts from the door made a loud thud as they unlocked.

“Time’s up you two.”

As Sylus walked out, he heard your mother call out to him, but he paid her no mind. He needed to get home to you. You’ve been alone for too long but everything has fallen into place beautifully. By sunrise, your mother would be gone.

When he got home, he expected to find you in the spare bedroom from the night before. Instead, you tucked yourself into a neat little ball on the black leather couch. You clung to the coat he had lent you earlier, your face tucked into the wool collar. Even asleep, you looked for him for comfort.

Without waking you, he carried you upstairs, tucking you into bed. Pressing a kiss to your forehead, he pulled the sheets over your shoulders. He hardly spent any time with you today. He needed you near. Leaving only his shirt and slacks, he laid beside you, on top of the covers.

‘Just a few minutes.’ He thought, resting his forehead against your cheek.

He listened to your breathing which shortly after lulled him to sleep.

——

The familiar sound of a phone ringing pulled you from your slumber. Blearily blinking up at the ceiling, you let your eyes focus, feeling pressure against your side. Small gusts of air tickled your neck.

Turning, you were met with Sylus. He was out like a light with his arm draped across you.

You took this time to look at him.

With his face completely relaxed, he appeared so sweet. The arrogant aura that clung around him was nonexistent. Though he had a couple of years on you, he had little wrinkles, his face smooth and sharp. You guessed growing up with the amount of money he had, he never really had to stress about anything.

Bringing your hand from under the covers, you traced the bridge of his nose with your pointer finger. When you got to the tip, he sniffled, pressing his face deeper into your skin.

He was so handsome.

His confession from earlier had you feeling like you were on cloud nine. You were so lucky to have someone like him in your life.

Your thoughts were interrupted by the shrill of a phone. You looked around, your eyes landing on the coat thrown lazily over the back of the single-seater, a dim light coming from the pocket. Gently, you removed the arm Sylus had around you and made your way over to the phone.

When you picked it up, a dread filled you.

Caleb

Why would he be calling so late at night?

It was rude to pick up someone else’s phone but it didn’t look like Sylus was going to be waking up anytime soon. Surely he wouldn’t mind. You knew whatever Caleb had to say was going to involve you. On the last ring, you answered.

“Hello?”

“Uh…Hi…Is-uh-Is Sylus available?” The district attorney asked.

“He’s asleep. Is everything okay?” He sounded concerned. “Anything I can help with?”

“Miss, I’m going to need you to sit down. I was hoping Sylus would be the one to break the news for you, probably would be better coming from someone you know, but it wouldn’t be the first time I deliver bad news.”

Your heart was in your throat as you took a seat.

“What is it?” Your voice was a mere whisper.

“One of the guards at the jail your mom’s at was doing their nightly check-ins. When he got to her cell, he noticed she wasn’t on the bed, instead she was on the floor. Once she was examined, she was pronounced dead by the facility’s physician. I’m so sorry, Miss. You can come to claim the body in the morning. I’ll send the details to Sylus.”

Ending the call, you sat in silence before a broken cry came from you, tears sliding down your face. You tried muffling your sobs to not wake Sylus, but it was too late. Said male was beside you in an instant.

“Honey, what’s wrong-”

“She’s dead!” You screamed, the phone sliding from your hand and onto the floor. “Oh god, Sylus, my mom’s dead!”

“That can’t be right. How could she…She’s under constant surveillance. That doesn’t make sense.”

Your hands came up to grab your hair, fingers tangling with the strands before tugging.

“I killed her. It’s my fault she ended up there and now she’s dead! She was right. I’m a disgrace! She didn’t deserve this! She wasn’t the most attentive but she was still my mom, Sylus! And now she’s gone! I’ll never see her again.”

You threw yourself at him. You needed him to ground you. There was no other way of consoling you than to let you air it all out. You needed to cry. All the feelings brewing inside of you needed to come out.

He wrapped his arms around you, holding your face to his chest. Slowly, he moved you two to the ground. He didn’t say anything. He just rocked you back and forth, his hand rubbing your back with soft strokes. Cradling you between his legs, he smiled.

She was gone.

And you had nobody but him.

This was always how it was going to end.

——

Sylus made sure everything went off without a hitch. From the autopsy declaring your mother died from a sudden aneurysm to the cremation niche, her urn was placed in to being filled with her favorite flowers.

Sadly, he didn’t expect you to lose yourself in your sadness. He didn’t get it. Why were you crying for her? She was a shitty person and an even shittier mother.

During the entire ceremony, all he could hear were your sniffles and whimpers. The car ride home was just as silent.

Entering his home, you let him take your coat, your black flats left discarded by the front door. He followed you up the stairs and into your room.

“Sweetie, I think you should-”

“I can’t do this, Sylus.” Your hushed tone filled the space. “I can’t stop thinking about her. She died alone and I can’t stop picturing her face. I need…I can’t…I just need my brain to shut off.”

Turning to look at him as he stood at the foot of the bed, you trailed your eyes over his figure.

In the books you read, it was always mentioned how the female lead would forget everything when she was claimed by her lover. Maybe that’s what you needed. With a sudden wave of confidence, embarrassment be damned, you grabbed the hem of your black dress and pulled it off in one smooth motion.

“Baby, what are you doing?” He could feel his cock hardening as he took in your white lace-clad body. “You’re not-”

You walked over to him. With little force, you had him sitting on the foot of the bed, your form standing in between his spread legs. Holding onto his shoulders, you climbed onto his lap.

His hands curled into fists, nails digging into his palms. He wanted to touch you so bad. His dick was digging into the zipper of his slacks at this point.

“You’re not thinking right.” He whispered when you brushed your lips against the corner of his mouth.

“Please. Won’t you help me, daddy? I need you to take care of me. Make me forget, please.”

Fucking hell.

He took a deep breath before slotting his lips against yours. Your kisses were novice level but you tasted like pure fucking candy. You’ll learn over time.

With one arm wrapped around your back, he flipped your positions, pressing you into the mattress. While he trailed kisses down your neck and across your chest, suckling on your warm flesh, your hands tried to untuck his shirt. You wanted to feel his skin flushed against yours.

“Off, please.”

“Not yet.” He replied, unclasping your bra with expert fingers. “Let me take care of you first.”

With your breast uncovered, the cool air caused your nipples to perk up, enticing the man in between your legs. Nudging a hardened bud with the tip of his nose, he breathed in your scent as he took it into his mouth.

His tongue was a smooth, warm muscle curling around the hardened point. His hand came up to squeeze your other breast, the fat spilling from in between his fingers. Whatever pattern he made with his tongue, he mimicked with his fingers. Pinching and pulling when he nibbled at your nipple.

Little red splotches slowly appeared and your panties were becoming uncomfortable. Most importantly, his lower half was pressing into your cunt, his dick slotting between your folds. When he slightly rocked his hips, you keened.

“Please, want more…need more, Sylus.”

Pulling away from your breast, he kissed you once more before sliding your panties off. He paid no mind as he tossed the piece of fabric somewhere onto the floor. Slotting his hands under the back of your knees, he positioned you with the soles of your feet on the edge of the bed. He was making you present yourself for him.

Your cunt was sticky with need, the patch of curls shining in the light.

Taking you in, he smiled.

“You’re so fucking perfect, sweetie” He could smell your arousal. “And all mine.”

He fell to his knees, his cheek nuzzling the inside of your thigh.

When his tongue first made contact with your soaked slit, you jumped at the sensation. It was a whole new experience. You’re so grateful that your first time would be with him.

First, it was only tongue, then you felt his fingers prodding your untouched hole. You took in a deep breath when he slid one of his fingers inside of you. Pushing yourself onto your elbows, you watched him stare up at you from between your legs.

His eyes roamed over your face, taking in your expression. Your cheeks burned, not from mortification, but from the immense pleasure he was giving you with his tongue and fingers.

With rapt attention, he watched your face as he slipped in another finger. You hid your face against your shoulder, your breath hitting the warmed-up skin.

“That feels good, sweet girl?”

A quiet uh-huh could be heard, your eyes squeezed shut as a feeling in your tummy appeared. It was a warm pressure in your lower abdomen, almost pulsating as it grew and grew.

The upward curl of his fingers with a particular suck on your clit had you crying out. Your thighs were shaking, begging to shut, but his free hand held you open. His fingers alternated from scissoring you open to pressing on a small spongy spot near your womb.

You fell onto your back, your hips moving against his face. One of your hands snuck into his hair, holding him in place as you gyrated your cunt against his tongue. And he let you. He was enjoying seeing this side of you. You were always so put together, never this needy.

“Oh, daddy, something’s-” You gasped out, your toes curling and your grip on his hair tightening.

“I know, baby. I know.”

Just as you were about to burst, he pulled away from you. You couldn’t hold back the mewl that left you. How dare he. You were so close.

“Why’d you stop?” Your pout was adorable.

“Not having your first time cumming not be on my cock.”

The furrow in your brow faded as you watched him undress. As if putting a show on for you, you watched as he unbuttoned his shirt in an agonizingly slow way, letting it slide off his arms as his hands moved to the buckle of his belt. The way he pulled out the smooth leather from belt loops was unfairly attractive.

Removing his last bit of clothes, your eyes widen in surprise. His cock, as beautiful as the rest of him, was imposingly large, thickening towards the base. The mushroom tip was an angry red, the cum that he leaked while he ate you out leaving him shiny.

He closed in on you, his hands hooking under your armpits to pick you up, pulling you towards him. Instinctively, you wrapped your legs around his waist and your arms over his shoulders. When he moved around the bed, you could feel how the head of his dick slapped your ass with each step.

“Needed to have you dripping before I took you, baby.” He settled in the middle of the large bed, you in his lap. Reclining against the fluffy pillows, his hands smoothed up your sides. “I don’t need you hurting yourself as you fuck yourself on my cock.”

Your face burned at his choice of words.

“Normally, I wouldn’t mind being a top. Granted this is your first time, so I’m letting you decide how much you can take.

Spitting into his hand and gathering some of the essence that spilled out of you, earning himself a whine, he wrapped his hand around himself, spreading your musk along his length.

“You wanted me to make you forget and I will, but you need to play your part as well.” He lined himself at your entrance, holding it there for you to take. “Help yourself, sweet girl.”

With one hand at his shoulder and another on his thigh, you lifted yourself onto your knees. As best as you could, you started sliding him inside of you. The mushroom tip popped past your opening with ease. Slowly, you split yourself open on his length.

Once Sylus was sure he wouldn’t slip out, he gestured for you to take his hands. With your hands clasped, he said,

“Start rocking your hips, little by little, you’ll start to take in more of me.”

You were such a good listener.

You did as you told, your head falling back as his base started to stretch you out. Eventually, his cock prodded against your cervix.

“S’full, Sy.” With small bounces, you started to move yourself up and down his length. “So big.”

The sound of wet skin meeting echoed throughout the room.

“You’re doing so well.”

His eyes refused to stay locked in one place. His view alternated from your blissed-out face to the recoil of your breasts, down to the space where you were connected. Your puffy lips were spread to accommodate him, offering him a view of the bundle of nerves.

Your juices spilled out of you with each thrust, leaking down his dick and onto his abdomen.

With a shaky breath, you spoke.

“I can’t…” Your eyes roll to the back of your head. “I need you-”

“Want me to help you, sweetie?” He sounds breathless.

Your little heart went soaring.

He was enjoying this. As if his loose jaw and furrowed brows weren’t enough evidence.

“Wanna cum…wanna cum so bad, daddy.”

“Plant your feet on the bed and hold yourself up with my thighs.”

Feeling the muscles flex under your fingers, a keen slipped out as he started fucking into you, his hands grasping the fat of your hips.

You were on full display for him. Your spread legs leave nothing to the imagination. Each time his dick kissed your cervix, little “uh uh uh” spilled out of you. Once he felt your cunt clenching around his cock, he brought a thumb over to your clit, sloppily rubbing circles on it.

With a few more plunges of his cock, he had you squirting against his abs, his seed spilling into you at the sight.

You mewled in embarrassment, hiding your face against your shoulder once more. Accompanied by each buck of your hips, more spurts slipped out of you.

“Oh god. I’m sorry- I’m so sorry-I don’t know how that…why that happened.”

You tried to pull yourself off of him but he wouldn’t let you. Instead, he rolled you over, trapping you under his weight.

“Sweetheart, that was so…so fucking hot.” He said in between breaths. “I wasn’t planning on letting you go, but after that, they’re going to have to bury me deep in the ground to keep me away.”

Brushing your hair off of your face, he pressed a kiss to your lips, allowing you to taste yourself for the first time.

“Did I do good?” You whispered.

“You’re a temptress and you don’t even know it, sweetie.” He said with a smile, hiding his face against your neck.

‘I’m never letting you go.’ He thought and that was a promise.

[cripplecharacters]

What exactly defines a token character as a bad representation choice and not as a "background character" who happens to be disabled? And can a disabled character be the only disabled character but still good representation?

I know having relevant disabled characters is important, but when, besides the cast members who influence the plot, you have one of those scenes where a one-off character needs to be there, like when the autistic protagonist needs a ride in the middle of the road and a little person stops to help, or when the wheelchair user main character wants to talk to the magic council about a certain situation and the attendant is a blind person with a cane who checks the information of a braille book, is it safe from tokenism?

Hey!

For this post I will use "representation" to imply good/decent representation, not just the act of XYZ minority technically appearing on the page.

There's definitely a lot to discuss when it comes to tokenism, and there are a lot of different criteria that you can use to define what exactly it is.

So I'm gonna start with the main definition of what would differentiate a "token" from an unimportant character (=one that doesn't influence the actual plot) who just happens to be disabled: how you go about the fact that they are in your book(/comic/etc.).

If you put in the description of your work that it's "disability rep!" because there's this one guy in a wheelchair in one scene, that's tokenism: using a minority to simply boost/promote something as "diverse". That's the most annoying occurrence of it, there's so much media that people recommend as "XYZ rep" and when you look into it, the "rep" is a side character that shows up in two episodes and has like a line of dialogue. Sad!

To use one of your examples, tokenism would be if you claimed that your work has "dwarfism representation" in it because of that one guy who helps the main character in one scene. It's... just not that. That doesn't mean it's bad; if every single background character who wasn't a cisHet white abled Christian man (etc.) was supposed to be deep and thought-provoking then no one would be writing them, because that's not what a background character is supposed to be.

But - you could commit a tokenism with a character even if they are just a background extra who shows up once. Tokenism often goes with the fact that the token character could be swapped out for a non-minority one and nothing would change, since the key here is that the author doesn't really care: it's all just to say "hey, I got XYZ in my book!". So if you were to write a background character that you explicitly mention has disability X, but then they do something that a person with that disability wouldn't be able to do - that's probably a token (if not, it's still a badly made character). It's there to "represent" a group, but it doesn't make sense and there is no point so to speak because the author just doesn't care.

In that way, many disabled characters are just tokens - because the writer is writing an abled character, but keeps calling them disabled. When's the last time anyone has seen a character with albinism who was blind or low vision? What's up with all those deaf characters who read lips and speak orally so well that you literally forget they are even supposed to be deaf? Why is that "tragically unable to walk" character... walking for the entire duration of the book? They're just tokens done with no care nor research, it's all diversity points and quirky aesthetics. Everyone wants to be "inclusive", no one wants to actually have a disabled character who experiences disability.

Another thing with background characters is what role they serve. Most of them are fine - cashier has a skin condition, guy ordering a drink uses a speech generating device, mom of an annoying kid doesn't have a leg, cool. But sometimes it's worth to just ask "why am I making this specific character, whose disability has no impact on the story, disabled?". That is to say that if you need a prodigy piano player and your idea is to make them totally blind who always wears sunglasses, or to make the generic murderer have a big burn scar on half of their face, you're repeating a stereotype. "Role" also encompasses what happens to them. Does the one disabled guy just... die, and that's all? That's a token.

Those are the main things I'd avoid when it comes to background characters. Don't claim that they are what they aren't or represent what they don't, and if you want a disabled character - even just an extra - then either commit or just don't do it, and keep in mind where you're putting them in the first place.

Can a disabled character be the only disabled character but still good representation?

They sure can, but they just aren't, usually at least. The problem with single character representation is that it puts a big burden on this one character: to represent a whole community. That's a lot. I've found myself in this exact spot before: small cast, one character is disabled, and I try to make the whole thing better and more authentic... every single time the result was adding more disabled characters, even if their roles were smaller. It's about the potential contrast.

There are choices that you can do when you have multiple characters of X minority that you should probably avoid if there's just one of them. If I see a work that has three blind characters and one of them wears sunglasses, my reaction will be "oh, cool, they have photophobia like me". If there's one blind character, and they wear sunglasses, my assumption will be that that's what just the writer thinks all blind people wear.

(Even though, that singular character could 100% also be photophobic. My assumption here is based on my experience, because that's how it usually goes.)

In that case you can find yourself in a place where you either need to subvert a bunch of stereotypes (some of which are based in fact!) or address it in one way or another in your work. That character could say "oh, I wear sunglasses indoors because even artificial light really hurts my eyes", but in order to do that, you need to be aware that this is a writing trope in the first place. Not to mention, if you do it too much, it starts reading as some sort of disability PSA. There's a fine line to everything, and the fewer characters of a particular minority you have, the harder it is to navigate it in a way that feels natural to actually read.

Sometimes the occurrence of just a single disabled character also raises some questions. Where's everybody else at? There are some exceptions to that (e.g. stories with a very limited character count) but generally speaking, everyone knows someone who's disabled in one way or another, especially if they're disabled themself. Books tend to make disabled people seem as a rare phenomenon, but that's really not the case.

Sometimes it borders on nonsensical worldbuilding - all those disabled characters who only get their mobility aids/meds because they Know A Guy (or are that guy)... I always ask myself, "what about all those people who don't know this one specific guy? what about everyone who lived before and after this one specific guy?", and I don't think the authors ever consider that. Unless the world population count is in triple digits at most, your character won't be the only disabled person. Writing in a way that subconsciously implies that they are is to me just another form of tokenism, because they're not only the only disabled character in the story, they're also presumably the only one in that universe overall.

This is just a lot of paragraphs to say that you probably aren't ever fully safe from tokenism unless there are multiple disabled characters who have at least somewhat important roles in the story - and even then, they can still be badly written, just in different ways.

Sorry for the long post but I hope this helps,

mod Sasza

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

SPOILER SPOILER

new yuu for the scara manga. Credits to magister_xehanort on reddit. Doesn't she looks cool?!! She kinda gives me kalim vibes since she looks bubbly. What do you think miss raven?

I already gave my (very brief) preliminary thoughts on our new Yuu, Yuuna Oujou (I must stress it is NOT Ojou) in this post. I would be more than happy to expand on those thoughts here though ^^

So firstly, this Yuu is a girl--and a very feminine presenting one at that. This supports the theory that each manga!Yuu will be going in the boy-girl-boy-girl order, or perhaps the opposite gender of the Great Seven member of each book/dorm.

I think it's great that we have a very femme Yuu in official Twst media; it definitely adds to the diversity of the Yuuniverse. I especially appreciate what this implies about the NRC cast: they don't treat a girly girl significantly differently (whether being overly nice, overly mean, or overly awkward around her) than they would a masculine-presenting or nonbinary Yuu.

One thing I LOVE about Yuuna is that she actually has several unique interactions with the NRC cast and the world. Part of why I don't like Yuuken or Yuuka as much is because their level-headed personalities didn't lead to them really changing much about how they interacted with this new environment + people (other than the occasional change, like Yuuka squaring up to fight). I liked Yuuta a lot more because he has way more moments to "be himself" in the world, like using his cooking to convince Leona to let him sleep over in Savanaclaw, being softer around Jack, and having a backbone when Grim tries to hurriedly cram food into his mouth before class. Yuuna goes even FURTHER than that. She has her own nicknames for each character, takes selfies with them, literally plunges into Kalim's Oasis Maker water without a care in the world, plays dress-up with the shiny stuff in Scarabia's storage room, freaks out about the bugs in Ramshackle, and SO much more. Yuuna legitimately feels like a part of this world rather than a passenger in it.

I think we should talk more about how Yuuna dresses! This is known as gyaru, which is a Japanese fashion subculture typically known for its rebellious outfits, tanned skin, big and/or dyed or bleached hair, many accessories, and exaggerated makeup. It is also associated with a particular attitude or behaviors, such as being outgoing, sociable, and energetic. The name gyaru (ギャル) originates from a Japanese transliteration of the English word 'gal'. I believe the style originally developed in the 1970s as a statement of nonconformity to Japanese beauty standards (which emphasizes being pale-skinned, dark-haired, and demure in their appearance). Gyaru was originally considered very inappropriate, and the older generation tend to stereotype it as frivolous and associated with adolescent delinquency. In the west, it was even sometimes mistaken as racist depictions of dark-skinned people. Nowdays, gyaru is more understood as being a way for people to break out of conventional beauty standards set upon them by society.

What Yuuna wears, as one of the anons shares, is a substyle of gyaru called kogal or kogyaru (子ギャル or コギャル). The 子 or コ (ko) in kogyaru means "child", referring to the childishness or youthfulness of those who typically wear this fashion. It is defined by those who wear clothes resembling Japanese high school uniforms with alterations and flairs made to them. (These alterations are usually frowned upon, as Japanese schools are very strict about wearing their uniform properly.) This could include alterations in color, wearing one's uniform differently, wearing loose socks, shortening the skirt, and/or adding accessories to bags. We may also see bleached hair and/or tanned skin. This substyle formed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but is popular in modern day, as it has been picked up and promoted by Japanese media.

As I mentioned in the original post, Yuuna comes from the countryside and she helps her family out on their rice fields. However, her dream is to become a model in Tokyo (this is what her audition was for).

We don't get to see a lot of her parents, but I don't get the impression that they disapprove of her fashion or life choices. They just short of tell her off for looking at magazines while she's supposed to be doing work. They allow her to go to a modeling audition too, rather than taking efforts to prevent it or to shame her from going. There's also no bullying alluded to or mentioned; I genuinely don't think Yuuna is supposed to have a tragic background. (None of the other manga!Yuus did, either.) She just has an interest in this fashion, and there doesn't have to be a deep or trauma-related reason for it. Simply her being into the gyaru subculture makes her a foil to Jamil. Gyaru is all about expressing oneself, even if society frowns upon it. Yuuna is able to be "true to herself" in this way, despite coming from a humble background. She is also willing and able to help her family out with their rice fields--but her aspirations lie elsewhere. Jamil isn't able to do the same. His family actively opposes his decisions and put him in a position where he isn't able to freely express himself or pursue anything other than what he was born into. He comes to resent what his family does and how he is forced to comply with it.

It's also interesting that her bubbly personality is also similar to Kalim's. Yuuna is shown to get along with him very well and is super friendly to the other NRC students, just like Kalim is. I wonder if this also plays into why Jamil thinks she can be easily manipulated (since he was also able to easily manipulate Kalim in book 4). He may underestimate them because of their similar personalities.

One last thing I want to note is 🤔 Yuuna continues the pattern of all manga!Yuus having surnames related to death... Her surname, Oujou, sounds like おうじょう or 往生際 (oujougiwa), a word that can mean "rebirth in another world", "a calm and peaceful death, "to breathe one's last", and/or "the moment before death/the brink of death". Ominous...

[beifong-brainrot]

Hey so can we like stop with the "Zutara is for the girls and Kataang is for the boys" thing. It's silly and it's breakdancing just on the edge of gender essentialism.

The assumption that there is something inherent to Zutara that appeals predominantly to women and Kataang that appeals predominantly to men is dishonest because every ship can have appeal to all genders.

The discussion of the "female gaze" in Zutara and the "male gaze" in Kataang is also redundant. I enjoy dissecting the concept of "the gaze", however it is important to note that the "female gaze" doesn't have a set definition or grouping of conventions it adheres to. Lisa French,  Dean of RMIT University’s School of Media and Communication says:

“The female gaze is not homogeneous, singular or monolithic, and it will necessarily take many forms... The aesthetic approaches, experiences and films of women directors are as diverse as their individual life situations and the cultures in which they live. The "female' gaze” is not intended here'to denote a singular concept. There' are many gazes."

Now excuse me as I put on my pretentious humanistics student hat.

Kataang's appeal to women and the female gaze

Before I start, I want to note that the female gaze is still a developing concept

There are very few female film directors and writers, and most of them are white. The wants and desires of women of colour, the demographic Katara falls into, are still wildly underepresented. Additionally, the concept of the female gaze had many facets, due to it being more focused on emotional connections rather than physical appearance as the male gaze usually is. Which means that multiple male archetypes fall into the category of "for the female gaze".

The "female gaze" can be best described as a response to the "male gaze", which was first introduced by Laura Mulvey in her paper: "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" , however the term "male gaze" itself was not used in the paper.

Mulvey brought up the concept of the female character and form as the passive, objectified subject to the active voyeuristic male gaze, which the audience is encouraged to identify, usually through the male character.

To quote her:

"In a world ordered by sexual imbalance', pleasure' in looking has been split between active'/male' and passive/female'. The determining male gaze' projects its fantasy onto the female' figure', which is styled accordingly."

Mulvey also brings up the concept of scopopfillia (the term being introduced by Freud), the concept of deriving sexual gratification from both looking and being looked at. This concept has strong overtones of voyeurism, exhibitionism and narcissism, placing forth the idea that these overtones are what keeps the male viewer invested. That he is able to project onto the male character, therefore being also able to possess the passive female love interest.

However, it's important to note that Mulvey's essay is very much a product of its times, focused on the white, heterosexual and cisgender cinema of her time. She also drew a lot of inspiration from Freud's questionable work, including ye ole penis envy. Mulvey's paper was groundbreaking at the time, but we can't ignore how it reinforces the gender binary and of course doesn't touch on the way POC, particularly women of colour are represented in film.

In her paper, Mulvey fails to consider anyone who isn't a white, cis, heterosexual man or woman. With how underrepresented voices of minorities already are both in media and everyday life, this is something that we need to remember and strive to correct.

Additionally Mulvey often falls into gender essentialism, which I previously mentioned at the beginning of this post. Funny how that keeps coming up

"Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" started a very interesting and important conversation, and I will still be drawing from certain parts of it, however huge swathes of this text have already become near archaic, as our culture and relationship with media evolves at an incredible pace.

And as filmaking evolves, so does our definition of the male and female gaze. So let's see what contemporary filmakers say of it.

In 2016, in her speech during the Toronto International Film Festival , producer of the TV series Transparent, Jill Soloway says:

“Numero uno, I think the Female Gaze is a way of “feeling seeing”. It could be thought of as a subjective camera that attempts to get inside the protagonist, especially when the protagonist is not a Chismale. It uses the frame to share and evoke a feeling of being in feeling, rather than seeing – the characters. I take the camera and I say, hey, audience, I’m not just showing you this thing, I want you to really feel with me.

[Chismale is Soloway's nickname for cis males btw]

So the term "female gaze" is a bit of a misnomer, since it aims to focus on capturing the feelings of characters of all genders. It's becoming more of a new way of telling stories in film, rather than a way to cater to what white, cisgender, heterosexual women might find attractive in a man.

Now, Aang is the decided protagonist of the show, however, Atla having somewhat of an ensemble cast leads to the perspective shifting between different characters.

In the first episode of atla, we very much see Katara's perspective of Aang. She sees him trapped in the iceberg, and we immediately see her altruism and headstrong nature. After she frees Aang, we are very much first subjected to Katara's first impressions of him, as we are introduced to his character. We only see a sliver of Aang's perspective of her, Katara being the first thing he sees upon waking up.

We see that she is intrigued and curious of him, and very excited about his presence. She is endeared and amused by his antics. She is rediscovering her childish side with his help. She is confiding in him about her own trauma surrounding the Fire Nation's genocide of the Southern Waterbenders. She is willing to go against her family and tribe ans leave them behind to go to the Northern Water Tribe with Aang. We also see her determination to save him when he is captured.

As the show moves on and the plot kicks into gear, we do shift more into Aang's perspective. We see his physical attraction to her, and while we don't see Katara's attraction quite as blatantly, there are hints of her interest in his appearance.

This is where we get deeper into the concept of Aang and Katara's mutual interest and attraction for one another. While her perspective is more subtle than most would like, Katara is not purely an object of Aang's desire, no more than he is purely an object of her desire.

When analysing this aspect of Katara and Aang's relationship, I couldn't help but be reminded of how Célene Sciamma's Portrait of a lady on fire (in my personal opinion, one of the best studies of the female gaze ever created) builds up its romance, and how it places a strong emphasis on the mutuality of the female gaze.

Portrait of a lady on fire's cinematography is very important to the film. We see the world through the perspective of our protagonist, a painter named Marianne. We also see her love interest, Héloïse, the woman whom she is hired to paint a portrait of, through Marianne's lense.

We see Marianne analyse Héloïse's appearance, her beauty. We look purely through Marianne's eyes at Héloïse for a good part of the movie, but then, something unexpected happens. Héloïse looks back. At Marianne, therefore, in some way, also at the audience. While Marianne was studying Héloïse, Héloïse was studying Marianne.

We never shift into Héloïse's perspective, but we see and understand that she is looking back at us. Not only through her words, when she for example comments on Marianne's mannerisms or behaviours, but also hugely through cinematography and acting of the two amazing leads. (Noémie Merlant as Marianne and Adèle Haenel as Héloïse. They truly went above and beyond with their performances.)

This is a huge aspect of the female gaze's implementation in the film. The camera focuses on facial expressions, eyes and body language, seeking to convey the characters' emotions and feelings. There's a focus on intense, longing and reciprocated eye contact (I have dubbed this the Female Gays Gaze.). The characters stand, sit or lay facing each other, and the camera rarely frames one of them as taller than the other, which would cause a sense of power imbalance.

The best way to describe this method of flimaking is wanting the audience to see the characters, rather than to simply look at them. Sciamma wants us to empathise, wants us to feel what they are feeling, rather than view them from a distance. They are to be people, characters, rather than objects.

Avatar, of course, doesn't display the stunning and thoughtful cinematography of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and Katara and Aang's relationship, while incredibly important, is only a part of the story rather than the focus of it.

However, the 'Kataang moments' we are privy to often follow a similar convention to the ones between Marianne and Héloïse that I mentioned prior.

Theres a lot of shots of Katara and Aang facing each other, close ups on their faces, particularly eyes, as they gaze at one another.

Katara and Aang are often posited as on equal grounds, the camera not framing either of them as much taller and therefore more powerful or important than the other. Aang is actually physically shorter than Katara, which flies in the face in usual conventions of the male fantasy. (I will get to Aang under the male gaze later in this essay)

And even in scenes when Aang is physically shown as above Katara, particularly when he's in the Avatar state, Katara is the one to pull him down, maintaining their relationships as equals.

Despite most of the show being portrayed through Aang's eyes, Katara is not a passive object for his gaze, and therefore our gaze, to rest upon. Katara is expressive, and animated. As an audience, we are made aware that Katara has her own perspective. We are invited to take part in it and try to understand it.

Not unlike to Portrait of a Lady on Fire, there is a lot of focus placed on mannerisms and body language, an obvious example being Katara often playing with her hair around Aang, telegraphing a shy or flustered state. We also see her express jealousy over Aang, her face becoming sour, brows furrowed. On one occasion she even blew a raspberry, very clearly showing us, the audience, her displeasure with the idea of Aang getting attention from other girls.

Once again, this proves that Katara is not a passive participant in her own relationship, we are very clealry shown her perspective of Aang. Most of the scenes that hint at her and Aang's focus on their shared emotions, rather than, for example, Katara's beauty.

Even when a scene does highlight her physical appearance, it is not devoid of her own thoughts and emotions. The best example of this being the scene before the party in Ba Sing Se where we see Katara's looking snazzy in her outfit. Aang compliments her and Katara doesn't react passively, we see the unabashed joy light up her face, we can tell what she thinks of Aang's comment.

In fact, the first moment between Katara and Aang sets this tone of mutual gaze almost perfectly. Aang opens his eyes, and looks at Katara. Katara looks back.

There is, once again, huge focus on their eyes in this scene, the movement of Aang's eyelids right before they open draws out attention to that part of his face. When the camera shows us Katara, is zooms in onto her expression as it changes, her blinking also drawing attention to her wide and expressive eyes.

This will not be the first time emphasis is placed on Katara and Aang's mutual gaze during a pivotal moment in the show. Two examples off the top of my head would be the Ends of B2 and B3 respevtively. When Katara brings Aang back to life, paralleling the first time they laid eyes on one another. And at the end of the show, where their gaze has a different meaning behind it.

We see Katara's emotions and her intent telegraphed clearly in these instances.

In Book 1, we see her worry for this strange bald boy who fell out of an iceberg, which melts away to relief and a hint of curiosity once she ascertains that he isn't dead.

In B2 we once again see worry, but this time it's more frantic. Her relationship with Aang is much dearer to her heart now, and he is in much worse shape. When we see the relief on her face this time, it manifests in a broad smile, rather than a small grin. We can clearly grasp that her feelings for Aang have evolved.

In B3, we step away from the rule because Aang isn't on the verge of death or unconsciousness for the first time. It is also the first time in a situation like this that Aang isn't seeing Katara from below, but they are on equal footing. I attribute this to symbolising change of pace for their relationship.

The biggest obstacle in the development of Katara and Aang's romance was the war, which endangered both their lives. Due to this, there was a hesitance to start their relationship. In previous scenes that focused this much on Aang and Katara's mutual gaze, Aang was always in a near dead, or at least 'dead adjacent' position. This is is a very harsh reminder that he may very well die in the war, and the reason Katara, who has already endured great loss, is hesitant to allow her love for him to be made... corporeal.

However, now Aang is standing, portraying that the possibily of Katara losing him has been reduced greatly with the coming of peace, the greatest obstacle has been removed, and Katara is the one to initiate this kiss.

Concurrently, Katara's expression here does not portray worry or relief at all, because she has no need to be worried or relieved. No, Katara is blushing, looking directly at Aang with an expression that can be described as a knowing smile. I'd argue that this description is accurate, because Katara knows that she is about to finally kiss the boy she loves.

Ultimately, Katara is the one who initiates the kiss that actually begins her and Aang's romantic relationship.

Kataang's appeal to women is reflected in how Katara is almost always the one to initiate physical affection with Aang. With only 3 exceptions, one of which, the Ember Island kiss being immediately shown by the narrative as wrong, and another being a daydream due to Aang's sleep deptivation. The first moment of outwardly romantic affection between Aang and Katara is her kissing his cheek. And their last kiss in the show is also initiated by Katara.

I won't falsely state that Kataang is the perfect representation of the female gaze. Not only because the storyline has its imperfections, as every piece of media has. But also because I simply belive that the concept of the female gaze is too varied and nebulous to be fully expressed. With this essay, I simply wanted to prove that Kataang is most certainly not the embodiment of catering to the male gaze either. In fact it is quite far from that.

The aspects of Kataang that fall more towards embodying the female gaze don't just appeal to women. There's a reason a lot of vocal Kataang shippers you find are queer. The mutual emotional connection between Katara and Aang is something we don't have to identify with, but something we are still able to emphasise with. It's a profound mutual connection that we watch unfold from both perspectives that sort of tracends more physical, gendered aspects of many onscreen romances. You just need to see instead of simply look.

✨️Bonus round✨️

Aang under the gaze

This started off as a simple part of the previous essay, however I decided I wanted to give it it's own focus, due to the whole discourse around Aang being a wish-fullfilling self insert for Bryke or for men in genral. I always found this baffling considering how utterly... unappealing Aang is to the male gaze.

It may surprise some of you that men are also subjected to the male gaze. Now sadly, this has nothing to do with the male gaze of the male gays. No, when male characters, usually the male protagonist, are created to cater to the male gaze, they aren't portrayed as sexually desirable passive objects, but they embody the active/masculine aide of the binary Laura Mulvey spoke of in the quote I shared at the beginning of this essay.

The protagonist under the male gaze is not the object of desire but rather a character men and boys would desire to be.

They're usually the pinnacle of traditional, stereotypical masculinity.

Appearance wise: muscular but too broad, chiseled facial features, smouldering eyes, depending on the genre wearing something classy or some manner of armour.

Personalitywise they may vary from the cool, suave James Bond type, or a more hotblooded forceful "Alpha male" type. However these are minor differences in the grand scheme of things. The basis is that this protagonist embodies some manner of idealised man. He's strong, decisive, domineering, in control, intimidating... you get the gist. Watch nearly any action movie. There's also a strong focus placed on having sway or power over others. Often men for the male gaze are presented as wealthy, having power and status. Studies (that were proved to be flawed in the way the data was gathered, I believe) say that womem value resources in potential male partners, so it's not surprising that the ideal man has something many believe would attract "mates". [Ew I hated saying that].

Alright, now let's see how Aang holds up to these standards.

Well... um...

Aang does have power, he is the Avatar. However, he is often actually ignored, blown off and otherwise dismissed, either due to his age or his personality and ideals being seen as unrealistic and foolish. Additionally, Aang, as a member of a culture lost a century ago, is also often posited as an outsider, singled out as weak, his beliefs touted as the reason his people died out and.

Physically, Aang doesn't look like the male protagonist archetype, either. He isn't your average late teens to brushing up against middle aged. Aang is very much a child and this is reflected in his soft round features, large eyes and short, less built body. This is not a build most men would aspire to. Now, he still has incredible physical prowess, due to his bending. But I'm not sure how many men are desperate to achieve the "pacifist 12 year old" build to attract women.

Hailing from a nation that had quite an egalitarian system, Aang wouldn't have conventional ideas surrounding leadership, even if he does step up into it later. He also has little in the way of possessions, by choice.

As for Aang's personality, well...

I mean I wouldn't exactly call him your average James Bond or superhero. Aang is mainly characterised through his kindness, empathy, cheerful nature and occasional childishness (which slowly is drained as the trauma intesifies. yay.)

Aang is very unwilling to initiate violence, which sets him aside from many other male protagonists of his era, who were champing at the bit to kick some ass. He values nature, art, dance and fun. He's in tune with his emotions. He tries to desecalate situations before he starts a fight.

Some would say many of Aang's qualities could be classified as feminine. While the other main male characters, Zuko and Sokka try to embody their respective concepts of the ideal man (tied to their fathers), Aang seems content with how he presents and acts. He feels no need to perform masculinity as many men do, choosing to be true to his emotions and feelings.

These "feminine" qualities often attract ridicule from other within the show. He is emasculated or infantiliased as a form of mockery multiple times, the most notable examples being the Ember Island play and Ozai tauntingly referring to him as a "little boy". Hell, even certain Aang haters have participated in this, for example saying that he looks like a bald lesbian.

I'd even argue that, in his relationships with other characters, Aang often represents the passive/feminine. Especially towards Zuko, Aang takes on an almost objectified role of a trophy that can be used to purchase Ozai's love. [Zuko's dehumanisation of others needs to be discussed later, but it isn't surprising with how he was raised and a huge part of his arc is steerring away from that way of thinking.]

Aang and Zuko almost embody certain streotypes about relationships, the forceful, more masculine being a literal pursuer, and the gentler, more feminine being pusued.

We often see Aang framed from Zuko's perspective, creating something akin to the mutual gaze of Katara and Aang, hinting at the potential of Zuko and Aang becoming friends, a concept that is then voiced explicitly in The Blue Spirit.

However, unlike Katara, Zuko is unable to empathise with Aang at first, still seeing Aang as more of an object than a person. We have here an interesting imbalance of Aang seeing Zuko but Zuko meerly looking at Aang.

There is a certain aspect of queer metaphor to Zuko's pursuit of Aang, but I fear I've gotten off topic.

Wrapping this long essay up, I want to reiterate that I'm not saying that Zutara isn't popular with women. Most Zutara shippers I've encountered are women. And most Kataang shippers I've encountered are... also women. Because fandom spaces are occupied predominantly by women.

I'm not exactly making a moral judgement on any shippers either, or to point at Kataang and go: "oh, look girls can like this too. Stop shipping Zutara and come ship this instead."

I want to point out that the juxtaposition of Zutara and Kataang as respectively appealing to the feminine and masculine, is a flawed endeavour because neither ship does this fully.

The concept of Kataang being a purely male fantasy is also flawed due to the points I've outlied in this post.

Are there going to be male Kataang shippers who self insert onto Aang and use it for wish fulfilment? Probably. Are there going to be male Zutara shippers who do the same? Also probably.

In the end, our interpretation of media, particularly visual mediums like film are heavily influenced by our own biases, interests, beliefs andmost importantly our... well, our gaze. The creators can try to steer us with meaningful shots and voiced thought, directing actors or animating a scene to be a certain way, but ultimately we all inevitably draw our own conclusions.

A fan of Zutara can argue that Kataang is the epitome of catering to the male gaze, while Zutara is the answer to women everywhere's wishes.

While I can just as easily argue the exact opposite.

It really is just a matter of interpretation. What is really interesting, is what our gaze says about us. What we can see of ourselves when the subject gazes back at us.

I may want to analyse how Zutara caters to the male gaze in some instances, if those of you who manage to slog through this essay enjoy the subject matter.

[weepinwriter]

Road to Heaven is an 18+ Dystopian fic which takes inspiration from popular media like the “Shatter Me” series and “Hunger Games”. It may contain distressing content like major injury to the characters, character deaths, blood, gore, body horror, amnesia and optional sexual content. More specific warnings will be given at the beginning of each chapter.

You are inmate No. 1441, incarcerated in Tartarus, the most notorious prison on the continent. You find yourself imprisoned for a crime that you do not remember committing, leaving you in a state of uncertainty about your own identity and purpose. The first memory you have is awakening to the sensation of a gun being shoved into your mouth.

Within the grim confines of Tartarus, you have been branded as the most dangerous criminal, feared yet hated by both fellow inmates and prison authorities alike. It becomes clear to you that in order to survive and unravel the enigma of your past, escape from this formidable penitentiary is imperative. However, achieving freedom will not be an easy feat, as you must navigate treacherous encounters with some of the most malevolent criminals known to humanity. In your quest for freedom, you find yourself entangled in complex relationships with three significant individuals. Firstly, your cellmate, whose icy demeanor suggests a deep-seated disdain for your very existence. Secondly, your best friend within the prison walls, whose seemingly excessive friendliness may harbor ulterior motives. Lastly, there is the warden, whose overtly amicable nature masks a peculiar familiarity with your past. As you navigate the perilous labyrinth of Tartarus, your ultimate objective is twofold: to survive amidst the most notorious criminals and uncover the truth about your forgotten past. In a world where danger lurks at every corner, you must tread carefully, for the path to redemption and self-discovery is riddled with uncertainty and perilous choices.

Fully customize your MC. Choose your pronouns, sexuality, appearance and more. Take control of your interactions with the characters and experience the world of Elysium City through a personalized scope.

Romance one of the 7 RO’s, and if you are charming enough, fall in love with any two of them. The four possible poly routes available are: The Cellmate and The Friend, The Warden and The Master, The Protector and The Master, The Cellmate and The Rebel

Struggle against the evil that wants you dead and uncover secrets about yourself

Accept your identity as an Esper and rediscover your powers, or completely reject them

Master your ability of Conscious Manipulation and perhaps learn a few things about yourself unexpectedly

Choose to make allies within Tartarus or antagonize them. Your choices have consequences

Lead a dying rebellion against the Hightable or join them as an equal

There are a total 7 romance options, each with their own personality and a story along with dark secrets for you to uncover

Survive

1. The Cellmate [f/m] | Enemies to Lovers

Subject Name : Twenty

A palpable enigma surrounds the inexplicable disdain they harbor towards you, leaving you to ponder if your past misdeeds have sowed the seeds of their ire. Your questions remain unanswered, rarely do they grace you with a response, and when they do, it arrives veiled in hateful glares and a tapestry of venomous words. The origins of their animosity remain shrouded in silence, with fellow inmates mirroring their reticence. Only when they are complaining about the prison's wretched conditions and the Warden's despotic rule do they momentarily shed their icy facade, revealing hints of vulnerability and human emotion. When they do smile, albeit rarely, it is a fleeting moment of breathtaking beauty. If only you could find the courage to tell them that.

[ Number 1579 is an S rank Arcane Tendency Esper with the Cryokinesis ability. They are under Libra’s Jurisdiction, and thus only follow orders coming directly from them. ]

Other Tropes : Emotional Scars, Nobody thinks it’ll actually work, Hate Sex

2. The Warden? [m] | ???

Subject Name : Nikita

There is an uncanny familiarity surrounding him, leaving you torn between the unsettling grip of dread and the elusive allure of desire. He claims to know you personally. Apparently the two of you were close friends before The Incident. Yet, when you press for details, he skillfully redirects the conversation before your emotions can catch up. "The past is but a fleeting shadow," he says, "no need to talk about something that can't be changed. Besides, you wouldn't remember anything." Evidently your memories had been erased. The question of who hangs heavy in the air, but his response remains enigmatic, offering only a mirthless smile.

[ Nikita is the Warden of Tartarus, the Reformation Asylum in Sector 10, 8th District. He is under Scorpio's jurisdiction. ]

Other Tropes : Slowburn, Betrayal, Puppy play

3. The Friend [f/m] | Friends to Lovers

Subject Name : Victor (m.) | Vanessa (f.)

A compassionate and devoted companion, V. shines as a beacon of light in the desolate depths of this grim abyss that became your world. From the moment you opened your eyes, they extended a helping hand, guiding you through the labyrinthine complexities of Tartarus and easing your transition into this unfamiliar realm. Unfazed by the venomous whispers that tarnish your reputation, they remain steadfastly by your side, unwavering in their loyalty. Their warm smiles and whimsical wordplay serve as a balm, mending your wounded spirit after every bitter clash with Twenty. How fortunate you are to be blessed with such an illuminating presence, brightening the shadows that consume your existence.

[ Number 1339 is an A rank Catalyst Tendency Esper with the Illusion Manipulation ability. They are under Scorpio’s Jurisdiction. ]

Other Tropes : Partners in crime, First Love, Good people get good sex, Slight yandere

4. The Count/Countless [f/m] | Forbidden Romance (relationship history can be friends with benefits)

Subject Name : Emir (m.) | Evara(f.)

A remarkable visionary and an exceptional entrepreneur, E. stands as an unrivaled figure in the illustrious realm of Elysium City. Holding the distinction of being the youngest Grandmaster in history and amassing unparalleled wealth, they reign as the CEO of the renowned Quinn Industries. E. is adorned with numerous titles within the esteemed echelons of society, serving as an icon of inspiration and a beacon of hope, while simultaneously arousing envy in the hearts of many. An arrogant and proud individual, their ugliness is conveniently covered by their astonishing fortune, combined with innate brilliance, seems almost mystical, as if destined for greatness from their very birth. Within Elysium City's grand social tapestry, few possess the persuasive prowess to sway the decisions of the Hightable itself, yet E. stands tall even among this select few. As an eligible bachelor, their daily inundation of love letters and marriage proposals is a testament to their allure. And yet, amidst all this splendor, it is you who has found a place of interest in their extraordinary life.

[ E. is a part of The Senate and thus does not fall under any District's jurisdiction. ]

Other Tropes : Belated love epiphany, Billionaire, Power play, Daddy/Mommy kink

5. The Master [f] | Forbidden Romance

Subject Name : Leo

In her calculated pursuit, you find yourself ensnared. Your allure captivates her discerning gaze, for you possess what she desires most. You are the coveted object of her desires. In this strategic game, you are but a pawn, a possession within her calculated grasp. Yet, curiously she maintains a measured distance. Her reason? She eloquently articulates, “Witnessing the growth of one's possession is a fascinating phenomenon.”

[ Leo is the Master of {DATA REDACTED}. They are the Ruler of the 5th District. ]

Other Tropes : Secret Identity, Second Chance, Blood play, Begging

6. The Protector [m] | Bodyguard Romance

Subject Name : Caesar

A battle-hardened soldier, Caesar bears the scars of a lifetime spent serving the FAE and the city. With an intimacy unparalleled, he has danced with mortality on numerous occasions, making death a companion rather than an adversary. Yet, behind that facade of strength, Caesar is a fractured soul, haunted by insecurities and a self-destructive nature. His journey, filled with shattered dreams and the weight of his daughter's aspirations, has brought him to the edge of despair. The immortality he once embraced now feels like a curse, a harbinger of misfortune that has become synonymous with his presence. In his eyes, he sees himself as not a protector but a bearer of ill fate. However, the stars, in an unexpected alignment, have granted him a final purpose: to protect you. Beneath the intimidating exterior lies a gentle giant, yet one plagued by a profound sense of self-loathing. He grapples with the belief that his very existence is a catalyst for tragedy, a vortex that draws calamity toward him and those he holds dear. Intrigued by this complex guardian, you see the duality within Caesar — an attentive and understanding individual burdened by the weight of his own perceived malevolence. As you navigate through the intricate layers of his psyche, perhaps you could help him ease his suffering, even by a little.

[ Caesar is a registered S rank Endura Tendency Esper with the Regeneration ability. He comes under Leo’s jurisdiction. ]

Other Tropes : Beauty and the Beast, Single parent, Stop calling me daddy

7. The Rebel [f/m] | Enemies to Lovers

Subject Name : Gael (m.) | Gwendolyn (f.)

You betrayed them. Or perhaps it's the other way around? You do not remember. The trust you once held dear has been shattered, and now you must face the price for your misguided beliefs. Like a fool enchanted by deceit, you must bear the weight of your choices. Remember this lesson, for betrayal's toll is a heavy one to pay. Proceed with caution, lest you become ensnared in the web of your own treachery.

[ There is no known information on this individual. Extreme caution is recommended. ]

Other Tropes : Amnesia, Revenge, Redemption, Breathe play

Links

[ DEMO ]

[ PINTEREST ]

[ THE DISTRICTS ]

[ THE HIGHTABLE ]

All asks and reposts are welcome 😁!

[ask-nurse-curly]

Welcome to Bullying Nurly Club!

[blog in chronological order]

Hello and welcome! This is an ask blog for Nurse Curly from the Roleswap AU by @omagpies (mod). Everything in character is tagged #nurlysays; everything by mod is tagged #modsays. The blog operates on a queue, but sometimes some things will be shuffled.

Another ~Official Roleswap Crew Member~: @ask-captain-anya

[roleswap au masterpost with all the art]

[Nurly's Medbay Playlist]

(OG intro) Curly is stuck in the med bay bored out of his mind, to the point where he might just respond to texts from unknown numbers. He might even doodle something on post-its (poorly. He isn't much of an artist. Isn't much of a nurse. Isn't much of anything. He's nothing. Ñ̴̨̥̟́ơ̶͚ṱ̶͛̊̕h̵͉̮͚̦͆̂̅̕į̴̣͇̑͠n̷̺͍͛̂g̷͍̼̼̾̿́̀-̴͕̬̒̓͑͝-̵̖̬̃̀̚͘ͅ)

General info and rules under the cut!

The setting is pre-crash Tulpar

The crew is as follows: Captain Anya, Co-Pilot Swansea, Mechanic Daisuke, Nurse Curly, Medical Intern Jimmy

You are communicating with Curly via his phone. Which for some reason has reception

Asks = text messages; submissions = airdropping files across the vastness of space

Regular text posts (not responses) are something between Curly's thoughts and phone notes

In ask responses, text put (in brackets like these) = Curly's asides. Sometimes tags will provide helpful context from mod :)

Curly only communicates via answering asks. If you put something in a reply or reblog, it won’t reach him

You cannot manifest in the med bay/interact with his world or other characters. Literally you all are just guys in his phone :)

You can try impersonating people Curly knows (crew mates, parents, friends, alternates etc), but he is liable to realise that you aren’t them :)*

At the same time, you are absolutely welcome to bring in OCs; if your OC shares some kind of backstory with Curly, we can either improv it or workshop a little. Hit me up here or on my main!*

You can try telling Curly that he is fictional but he will not believe you. Any media pertaining to canon mouthwashing+roleswap's 'canon' (playthroughs, art from the masterpost etc) will appear as corrupted and illegible*

* UPDATE: Curly is now somewhat more open to the idea of the multiverse. Do with that what you will

All information Curly reveals is compliant to the Roleswap AU, but the ask blog itself is not **

** UPDATE: as of Feb 16th 2024, the plot is diverging from canon roleswap :)

Curly is an Englishman; mod, however, is a silly little ESL. If Curly says something weird, assume that Anya's ESL is rubbing off on him. Also those five hours of sleep

Bullying/ribbing is fine, sexual jokes are fine (he is easily flustered), but mod reserves the right to play it by ear and not respond IC to something they find uncomfortable

Sometimes Curly will signal that you are crossing a boundary. Curly’s boundaries don’t equal mod’s boundaries, so if you want to keep pushing go ahead :)

Have fun and be yourself!!!