#cw gaslighting

[pillowspace]

i find it funny to think she gaslights by pure reflex

[starsonmarsy]

making someone dumb and then using their lack of intelligence to gaslight them and be condescending 💕

[yanderecookierunkingdom]

Holy bread, that yandere dark Cacao (platonic) was really good!

Could you... Perhaps write more?

Request: Yes

Type: Headcanons

Warnings: yandere Dark Cacao Cookie, sheltering, gaslighting

Yandere Type: Overprotective

Note: Part 2! Part 1 here!

After the events of Snow On The Black Wall, Caramel Arrow Cookie stumbles on you and Dark Cacao Cookie. She orders her that you're meant to be kept safe, and she agrees. She's merely glad to have her king back.

Dark Cacao makes it obvious that he doesn't want you going back to the Brave Gang. He's very against the idea, and he does his best to convince you of it. Telling you how they couldn't protect you and the sort.

He doesn't let you be around Caramel Arrow that much. She merely sees it as him being worried for your safety, but she can't help but wonder..

The combination of his isolation and gaslighting, while only being with him, makes it very hard for you to not believe what he says. Even when the inevitable reunion with the Brave Gang happens, you choose to stay with the king. He's affected you, for the worse.

He's fine with that. Who better to keep you safe than himself?

[gothghostiie]

Albert Wesker with a corruption kink. He gets his hands on a poor hapless naive virgin, one who knows nothing about sex. He gets them to believe whatever he tells them- yes, the collar is normal, dear. No, of course it’s normal to be a bit tense, just relax. Yes, you have to be tied down, everyone has to their first time! Don’t be ashamed for squirting, dear, it’s perfectly natural. It’s customary for a lover to stay a while after sex, when that happens they relax in the cage for a bit. How long do you have to be in there? Don’t worry about it, little one.

Don’t you trust him?

cw: corruption, some gaslighting

awww. you're so nervous and scared because you never learned anything about sex!! yet here you are, al tying you to his bed, pushing his fat cock into you while you sob softly.:(

hes so gentle, kissing your tears away n telling you that it's okay, hes there, hes got you!! before absolutely wrecking your poor hole, leaving you a sobbing, moaning and drooling mess, having lost count of how many times you came:((

after he cleans you he gently puts you in a cage bc, that's normal honey! you wouldnt know. he sits by your cage till you fall asleep, you wake up with his cock pressed through the bars, demanding you to suck it :((

[forbidden-sunlight]

False Garden of Eden [yandere!various!csm x stoic!reader]

Credit goes to @hana-no-seiiki for inspiring and collaborating with me to write this piece that is based off their current CSM series Chainsaw and Happiness Pillbox [link to story is here!] and @lyomeii for proofreading/editing, especially with that one I was stuck on lol :)

The intention of this story is for entertainment purposes only, it is not my personal belief(s). The behavior exhibited here is inappropriate and unhealthy, hence it should not be encouraged.  There are also triggers, so please take caution. You are responsible for your Internet consumption!

Content and Trigger Warnings: Obsessive Behavior, Strong Language, Gaslighting, Stalking, Toxic Relationships, Toxic Behavior.

Humanity disgusted you.

For all their philosophical talk on the importance of imperfections and cherishing all life around them, their greed knew no bounds. Even when they had a roof over their heads or a warm meal in their bellies or hadn’t had their lives cut short by disaster, they wanted more. More, more, more. You knew it was only a matter of time before their mistakes became their undoing….but why did your husband love these pitiful creatures like an owner fawning over their precious dog? It baffled you. But to her credit, Makima was quite good at that; a great manipulator who lured others into Public Safety when they were at their lowest, and those who defied her commands would be on their knees, begging for mercy. Just like what she had done to you all of those years ago.

The chains she had coiled around your body was a contract of fidelity; a marriage, a vow to love and protect each until ‘death do us part’. In her terms, ‘love’ meant being an obedient wife who should kiss or embrace their weary husband after a troublesome day at work, and vice versa. Obviously, Makima referred to herself as the husband. It was her right as the ancient, powerful Control Devil to protect the pitiful Dreaming Devil. This unfortunate person was you, of course.

Sighing, you hoisted yourself up from the ground with gloved hands on your knees, using one to wipe the sweat on your brow before glancing around the valley. This area had been protected for the last century from being demolished and turned into a condominium because it was within the jurisdiction of a shrine outside Tokyo. And for the last century, it has served as a secret place for you to escape the city and remove yourself from the mask of a devil hunter in the Intelligence sector.

To bask in the solitude of nature for a few glorious hours before returning to the home that you shared with Makima. The priest did not mind if you planted seeds for a small garden, so long as you did not do anything to anger the gods’ resting place. A small price to pay for a ‘contract’ that allowed you to have freedom. In the time you have found this place, the small garden became a chaotic, lush area. And you would not have it any other way…except perhaps not two crows that you knew were under Makima’s control.

It was her way of respecting your privacy with a little….surveillance. You repaid such kindness by flipping up your middle finger and blowing a raspberry.

Yet despite the feeling of tranquility that flows over your stressed body, to be able to inhale the air in your lungs and just breath from the leash she had around your collar you knew deep down that this is not true freedom. Aware and you wanted more than just a garden to be free. You wanted to leave Tokyo and never come back. To go to some hidden corner of the world where no one, not even Makima, would even dream to think you would go.

You frowned. Wonderful. Now you felt like a hypocrite because of your excessive greed for freedom. Because without this garden, you knew you would have gone insane much sooner than your current mindset, being slowly and meticulously chipped away by Makima’s machinations until her focus reverted to Denji.

The boy who was a shell to the Chainsaw Devil. Her idol, the Hero of Hell. He was everything to Makima….but to you, he was dangerous. As the Dreaming Devil, you were both a strong and weak devil. You thrived on the fear from the poor souls who were trapped in the illusion of their worst nightmares - a tactic that your husband has used on more than one occasion in an interrogation with a stubborn suspect - and yet with dreams themselves, pure and impure, they made you weak. Since Denji’s mindscape was full of these dreams, he was less than an ideal partner to be around when devil hunting. Especially since Makima had every intention of using you as an incentive for the kid and ensuring his absolute obedience towards Public Safety.

So why didn’t it bother you as much as you thought it should? Did it have something to do with the Chainsaw Devil himself? Or were you just being stupid?

More importantly, why the fuck did Makima have to bring him home, of all the dogs she could have possibly selected? She knows how dangerous the Chainsaw Devil is. If the ‘dog’ had been another Hayakawa Aki, then there wouldn’t have been too many issues.

Well-known asshole and a competent Public Safety official, at least Aki knew when to stand down, or at the very least be much more aware of the situation than Denji was.

You still did not understand why his face always turned red when he was within your vicinity. Humans had weaker immune systems than devils, so he could just be sickly from making too many contracts than the average hunter.

Still doesn’t explain why you would run into him even though you never tell anyone where you’d be in the city. Even Denji would just so happen to be nearby when he ran up to greet you like an enthusiastic mutt.

Shaking your head, you resumed your work in the garden. Once weeding had been finished and some of the bushes trimmed, the skies began to transmute into a dark blueish color, overriding the reddish-orange hues of the remaining daylight. Ah. You have been here too long. It was time to go. Back to the cage that was a ‘home’ to Makima and her dogs.

Fumbling around in your pants pocket, your deft fingers removed a glass vial filled with sand. Pulling up the cork, you shook out the sand and murmured under your breath, allowing it to engulf your body in a vortex and teleport you approximately half a block from the condominium.

It wasn’t hard to see why the Dreaming Devil was also known as the Sandman to the humans who feared them so.

Wiping off some of the dirt on your shoulders and pants, the Dreaming Devil who craved freedom was gone, and in its place was a stoic human who worked under the Public Safety’s Intelligence sector, [First Name] [Last Name].

When she got off of the elevator on the third floor, Makima smiled. Ah, her wife was finally home from gardening and had dinner almost ready. She hadn’t intended to stay at the office until late, but Denji needed an extra incentive. Or would it be considered a punishment to fondle his superior’s chest when it was obvious that he’s lusting after her spouse?

She blinked for a moment, then shook her head. Well, either way, he was motivated to kill the Gun Devil. Promising a puppy that he’d get anything he wanted in exchange for destroying an enemy was effective. She briskly walked down the carpeted hall and towards a door with 307 etched in golden lettering. With a quick turn of the key, she stepped into the hallway and was immediately bombarded by her precious pups.

Makima gave a short laugh, her grin widening as she gave each of them a good scratch behind the ears. “Yes, Custard, Papa is home. Were you good for Mother today? I hope you were too, Tiramisu, or no special treat for you tonight. The same goes for you, Strawberry! Don’t think Mother did not tell me about how you tried to chew up the television remote again! You know that isn’t a toy.”

Once all of her precious children were given affection, she walked into the kitchen and saw her sweet spouse standing in the kitchen cleaning the dirty dishes. Makima glanced over at the dining room table and saw that everything had just been plated. Miso soup, grilled fish with rice, and boiled veggies. A typical Japanese staple, minus the wine glasses filled with a visceral red she was all too familiar with.

Although devils did not need human food to sustain their appetite, Makima truly appreciated the time and effort her wife had put into planning the meals they shared. Especially acquiring blood without tipping off any of the other tenants. Yet what caught her attention was [First Name]’s shoulders. She was shivering. Did she forget to put on a sweater after taking a shower?

Goodness, she was a forgetful one, wasn’t she?

But that’s all right. This is why the Dreaming Devil had a reliable husband to look after her well-being.

“Is everything all right?” Makima asked as she approached [First Name] from behind, wrapping her hands around her spouse and resting her chin on the devil’s shoulders. “It isn’t very cold in the apartment? Did you spend too much time outside again?”

[First Name] did not answer. Instead she kept scrubbing dishes in the sink with a soapy sponge, hot water spewing from the faucet. Yellow orbs widened slightly as realization hit Makima.

Ah. Is she afraid that something bad happened at work earlier today and she’d be punished for it? Silly, silly spouse.

“If you’re waiting on something, don’t worry.” Makima felt [First Name]’s body quiver even more when she tightened her grip on her spouse’s middle. “I love you very much, [First Name], and would never allow anything or anyone to hurt you. No one will ever lay a finger on you but me.”

Denji...and Aki....they might look at her wife but they will never lay a hand on her. Although she has been a good girl and never interacted with anyone except for the cashiers at the grocery store they will never stop covering what they desire the person who is hers by divine right.

Taglist

@hana-no-seiiki

@lyomeii

[stories-and-chaos]

Tarnished pt 18

[Helluva Boss AU where Blitzø’s childhood theft from Stolas’ palace is discovered and major consequences ensue for everyone involved.]

[Part 18/?? Word count: 1989 Cw: gaslighting, mention of domestic abuse, anguage]

—————

The troupe quickly set up their tents in Greed, outside of Legalesedale. They steered clear of Notamafia Town, Extortionville, Corruptcopsburg, and Noyakuzahere City; those big population centers had crazy high taxes for out of towners. Legalesedale was slightly better in that regard.

The sudden change of location threw a lot of the performers off; they had to take a day to pitch tents and rest up. When the shows resumed, there were problems.

And they all had to do with Fizzarolli. He, Barb, and Barb’s mom were all still upset from Blitzo abandoning them. Tilly refused to believe what Cash had told them. The kids were mostly angry and sad at Blitzo’s absence. That icy chunk feeling in Fizz’s tummy hadn’t gone away. A couple performances by himself was a hurdle.

A solo act forever scared him.

Fizz liked the applause and laughter. It felt great to make so many people happy with something he had fun doing. But without his friend, the pressure was too much. Too many eyes on him. He’s started flubbing. He missed a catch juggling and he could feel Cash’s disapproval after.

He had to be perfect. He had to practice and be the best clown possible on his own. But that icy chunk wouldn’t go away!

If anything, the more he tried, the worse he got. He kept missing catches, dropping the spinning plates, tripping during the acrobatic parts. Cash was getting more and more angry with him. Fizz realized those looks the ringleader gave him were familiar. But he’d never been on the receiving end.

That had been Blitzo. Is that why Blitzo left? That thought didn’t make him less sad about the other boy abandoning them, it just made him more confused.

Almost three weeks into their stay in Greed, Fizz barely felt any thrill at performing. The iciness was all through him now. But he couldn’t give up. He was going to be better than that jerk who left. He was going to be perfect.

His hands decided otherwise and he struggled to make balloon animals. That crowd’s laughter that day hurt. After that round of performances, Cash pulled him aside.

“Fizzarolli, kid, what’s the big deal?” The adult imp looked and sounded sympathetic but something was off. Maybe the way he towered over Fizz or the slight hiss on his words. “You gotta get back to normal, you’re the best clown we got, don’t want to disappoint anyone. Right?” Cash’s eyes were watery and pleading.

Fizz felt bad for thinking the ringmaster didn’t care. He was probably upset about Blitzo being gone too, but the show had to go on. The little clown nodded eagerly. “I-I’ll do better sir.”

“Good, because the whole troupe is relying on you.” Then he gave Fizz a heavy handed push to go get dinner. The boy picked listlessly at his potatoes, trying to figure out how he could be good enough again.

Barb sat down next to him. “Still having a hard time Fizz?” He nodded glumly, eating a mouthful so he didn’t have to actually talk. She took a bite of her chimera nuggets before continuing. “Wanna team up?”

Fizz swallowed hard, “Huh? But you never liked the clown act…”

She shrugged. “I gotta find a new act, since…” her brow furrowed angrily, “can’t exactly do a twin act without a twin.” She bit into a nugget, tearing off its head to vent her anger.

The ice thawed a bit. He and Barb had always been friends, even if he’d been closer to Blitzo. Just having a friend beside him was calming. “Okay, let’s start planning our new act after dinner.”

He and Barb ended up being less comedic and more acrobatic, but they worked well together. It took a few months of practice before they were up to live performances. Before then Barb would wait just outside the ring, her steady presence helping him regain his confidence.

Their comedic bits had Barb playing the foil to Fizz’s humor. She had a way of looking completely disinterested that Fizz was able to adapt his jokes to. Their take on the pie gag had Fizz offering multiple flavors and spinning the rejects like plates. There would be too many to balance and all the pies would fall on Fizz. Barb’s closing line of “I wanted cake,” was a hilarious finisher.

Fizz’s renewed confidence and improved performance meant the disapproving glares from Cash eased up. Not that his demands for perfection were any less, but Fizz was meeting them.

Barb’s mom, Tilly, continued to clash with her husband. Not vocally, not after a second argument about Blitzo resulted in her wearing high necked and long sleeved dresses for weeks. But she refused to sleep in the same bed and made no effort to make sure Cash ate or had clean outfits. She wanted to head back to Pride, but didn’t dare leave Barb and Fizz alone with the older man.

Cash, ever the petty demon, had others in the circus give Tilly extra work constantly. Since she hadn’t performed since being pregnant with the twins, she did a lot of childcare as well as helping behind the curtains. She was a capable imp. Cash took advantage of that and her caretaker personality at every opportunity. She was constantly on edge. The never ending work meant she never had the chance to go to any other Ring on her own.

Barb was annoyed at her mom’s stubborn insistence that Blitzo wouldn’t leave them the way Cash claimed. Wouldn’t they have heard from him at some point? Not that the girl wasn’t hurt by her twin’s absence, but the lack of any communication pointed to him tossing the family away. Just like their dad said.

The circus continued to perform throughout Hell. Even though the troupe members suggested shows in Pride again, Cash refused them all. No amount of persuasion would change his mind. Fortunately the Greed Ring in particular enjoyed the clown and circus aesthetic. They made enough to offset any grifting that occurred in that Ring.

By the time Fizzarolli and Barb were in their mid teens, he was the star of the All Imp Circus. His stage fright of being solo was mostly gone. Which was probably for the best; his act with Barb was being scheduled less often.

Not that they didn’t enjoy performing together. But Barb was less interested in the spotlight; she preferred helping the strongmen act toss out creeps and troublemakers. As Fizz got more popular, there were more weirdos around the circus. She was glad to send them packing, usually with bloodied faces.

When Fizz’s clown idol, the Deadly Sin Mammon, announced the first show tour he’d done in years, the teenager saved up to go. He even did extra performances to get tickets for him and Barb. He knew his best friend wouldn’t let him go alone. And she didn’t like clowns enough to pay for a ticket near the stage like Fizzarolli was. But if he already had one for her, she couldn’t say no.

Which was exactly what happened. He even convinced her into a Mammon brand crop top. And he was up close to the King of Greed when he announced the first clown pageant. Fizz was so excited he didn’t notice Barb’s skepticism.

“Okay, even for that guy, that was too many clowns,” Barb said later as they walked home.

“I have to win that pageant someday. Can you imagine how amazing it would be to get to work with him?” Fizz was giddy with the thought.

“Fuck that!” Barb said vehemently. “You’re already the star of our circus. Being that creep’s mascot sounds pretty lame in comparison.”

“But it’s the chance to work with my idol Barb. He’s giving someone new an opportunity to be in the spotlight!” His eyes sparkled in the flickering streetlights. “He’s an inspiration!”

“Yeah, of what not to do,” she said under her breath. “But were all those clowns, rants, an over hyped commercial, and puking on stage worth what you paid for tickets?”

“So worth it!” He sighed. Behind them was the faint sound of someone else on the street, but nothing unusual. “Barb, do you think I can win if I work really really hard?”

Barb smirked and punched her friend’s shoulder. “I think you’re the best clown in Hell and you’ll be the new clown face on everything if you want, contest or no contest.”

Then the sound of someone behind them was suddenly the sound of someone dashing into their path. “Holy, shit!” The gangly imp was flushed and sweaty, almost drooling at seeing Fizz. “You're Fizzarolli! Oh, MAN! Your stuff is great!”

Fizz hunched in on himself. “Oh- hey, there. Thank you, I appreciate that.” The duo tried to walk away but the bespectacled imp ran in front again. “Woah, oh-okay.” Fizz stumbled back, his tail wrapping around his legs.

The other imp kept talking. “After seeing your shows, I wanted to get into clown performing too!” Fizz winced at his fan’s excitement while Barb glared at him. “I’m really good!” Fizz started to hold out his hand to shake when Barb said, “Hang on, you’re that asshat that keeps trying to peep in his dressing room.”

The other imp ignored her and grabbed the young clown’s hand. “I have the best idea for a duo performance between us, that should spice up your act. Picture this: We start it like a romantic, ballroom dance or a-“

Barb shoved him away from Fizz. “Fuck off creepazoid. That’s the sleaziest pitch I’ve ever heard.”

“Who the fuck do you think you are bitch? I was talking to Fizzy!” He looked around the young woman and tried to grab Fizz’s hand again. “I’m sorry Fizzy, I’m not normally so aggressive-“

Barb laughed at him. “Yeah, you’re normally a limp dick hiding behind curtains trying to take a peek. Get lost fucko.”

“Nobody asked you bitch! Fizz, tell her to back off. You don’t want me to go, right? We’re gonna talk about doing an act together!”

Fizz, his tail wrapped around him as he stayed behind Barb, kept his hands to his chest so the other couldn’t grab him again. “We- we have to go now! Thanks though!” They tried to move past the fan again but he grabbed Fizz’s tail as the two walked by.

Fizz squeaked in surprise. Barb, seeing what made him stop, whirled around. A quick move had her kicking the guy in the groin. His face turned redder as he doubled over. “I told you to get lost fucko. And if I see you at the circus again, you’ll be singing soprano for life.”

Fizz held his tail in both hands as they finally walked away from the creep. Said creep was curled up under the streetlight, both hands covered his crotch as he spluttered in pain. “FIZZ! FIZZAROLLI!” When neither of the pair looked back, he screeched. “FINE! Fuck both of you elitist bitches! Your act’s fucking TRASH ANYWAYS!”

“Hellfire Fizz, how do you attract all these fucking weirdos?” Barb grumbled as they put more distance between them and the other imp.

“Barb…what if he’s right, what if my acts are trash?” His voice was shaking as he remembered the days when he couldn’t do any of his routines right. “What if I’m never good enough?”

The girl looked at him in disbelief. “Dude, don’t listen to a jackass like him. You’re plenty good enough. You pull the crowds to prove that.”

“But I need to be perfect!”

“Mmm, no, nobody’s perfect Fizz.”

“I just need to keep practicing, and someday, maybe I’ll be good enough for Mammon.”

Barb could only sigh at Fizzarolli’s determined expression. “Let's get home and we can talk about what kind of practice you wanna do tomorrow.”

Fizz gave her a sweet smile that was part and parcel to his personality. “Thanks Barb.”

—————

<<First <Prev Next>

[somnoflesh]

“You’re crying?”

Keeper removes his hands from his wings. He leans forward to grab little bird’s arms from behind and presses his winged back against his chest. Holding him from moving…though he was too struck with a paralyzing fear that he wouldn’t have moved anyway.

“You’re seriously crying, little bird?”

His voice is never raised. He never yells. It’s what scares birdie the most. He seems to have so much self-control despite how often he grabs and pins him still when he weeps. He scolds him so softly, reprimands him in such a kind voice, that no matter the words coming from his mouth, it seems so truthful. Something in your best interest.

“You’re that scared of me, are you? I’ve done nothing to hurt you. In fact, I do so much to help you…yet you cry. You cry like i’m so horrific…like I don’t clean you and feed you. As if I don’t put clothes on your back made just for you…”

Little bird attempts to give a weak and hoarse ‘i’m sorry’ and nothing comes out. Just his ever hitched breathing and scared little chirps each time the keeper adjusted his hold on his wrists.

“That’s enough.”

He lets go.

“I’m going back to my room. Try to calm down before your bath.”

He stands up and leaves with no other parting words. Leaving the door wide open. He left little bird to sit and cry over nothing. He never took his wings from him. He never yelled at him. Yet the little bird couldn’t help but sob.

What a pathetic birdie he was.

(from: chapter one)

[yellowcry]

Some of worship Isa being unhappy

Warning for child abuse and gaslighting

Isabela wasn't sure about anything anymore. She knew that her name wasn't Maria. That she didn't always like like this. Briefly, she could remember people. Her family. As well as Mirabel's. But her knowledge was hazed, damaged by the years away from them. What she could remember were mostly facts.

Madre kept saying that she was crazy and needed to pray. Isabela knew that she wasn't. She wasn't some evil being or a daughter of Satan. She wasn't crazy.

She hoped that they were real. She really did. It's just that after years in this hell, she had no idea of anything anymore.

Sometimes she wondered if she imagined this all. Maybe the Madrigals were never real. What if Rafaela was just Rafaela, a random girl six years younger than she was and not Mirabel? What if the other girl she remembered as her sister wasn't her sister? Maybe they all were part of her imagination. Maybe everyone was right.

Isabela hated it. Deep inside she knew she was right. But each time when somebody called her 'possessed' she was getting less sure.

And she didn't want to argue with Madre. Because in the best case she would get beaten up for this. Her wrist would bleed from smacks, it was hurt already. Or maybe she could even be locked inside the closet room for bad kids. And she would cry against the door, staying in this small place for days. Hungry, thirsty and exhausted.

It also would mean skipping church. Part of Isabela hated it,but it was the only time when she could see kids from the other houses. Good thing they all had constant places in a palace. Finding Mirabel was easy. Even if Isabela could never get close enough to her to say a single word.

She wondered if Mirabel had any idea of their family, their real family. Of the fact that they were even related. This single thought was enough for Isabela's guts to twitch. But if she ever tried to speak to anyone without being allowed to, she would be crying on her knees, while her body would bleed. And Madre would call her a cursed child again.

Her mama never hit her. Isabela wished to go back to Mama. Feel the warmth of her homemade food. Or laugh over Papa's clumsiness. Maybe play under Tía's rain. Or get into catching up with Luisa.

They were real, right?

[rottiens]

Imagine Reader being a nun in training/junior sister and Priest Toji just loves to spank her on his desk and she has to endure it to prove her love for God and Father Fushiguro

oh wow……… you did not. you. 

[ineffably-human]

"You have let a human man transform you from a wild, horny, rampaging artist into a little pussy-bitch who 'collaborates'?"

Let's be clear, I don't think Tom and Richie Suck are in a romantic relationship (that forehead kiss/'I love you' felt more faux-paternal) and if they were it'd be a fucked up one. Tom exploits Richie, he gaslights, he freaking withholds food. The character was explicitly compared at one press conference to Eugene Landy, Brian Wilson's abusive therapist who over-medicated him and kept control of his career and money. But Richie's own ideas, at the end of the day, are awful. Tom's a nightmare but he did keep him in a career, and out of what looked like a brewing riot.

As other people have pointed out, the narrative does have Tom and Richie in clear counterpoint to Nandor and Guillermo. Guillermo does have Nandor's best interests at heart, while still letting him have control over his own life and terrible decisions. Nandor has also been transformed from a wild, horny, rampaging creature into someone who can be prompted to slow down, acknowledge someone else's ideas, and say 'thank you'. (I think he was always more inclined to this than other vampires were, but that's a whole other post.)

And because they work well together, as two people who've been through fire a few times and learned to communicate with each other, they do everything right. The djinn has to find the smaller cracks in their relationship to mess with, and he nearly doesn't. And you can tell he's watching them now. So do vampires need familiars (need humans) as a mediating influence? Maybe, but if so, it's as friends and guardians. As part of a team.

I do think that this episode makes a really interesting counterpoint to one of the other episodes Sam Johnson and Chris Marcil did together - the other episode about two performers learning to work together, and Nandor learning to respect Guillermo's efforts, and the influential person who acted like a caretaker but was also poisonous and abusing their power.

What was that one called? "Collaboration."

[gothghostiie]

Albert meeting this sweet little shy thing and just being like

Well I can’t not fuck them

And using his DILFy charm (manipulation, coercion, and being condescending. Oh and also tentacles) to get them around around his finger

But that’s not enough, he needs them completely dependent on him. So he cuts off access to the outside the world, tells them all they need is him, until he’s the only thing on their mind.

mmmm.

cw: gaslighting, manipulation

he sees you and he cant help himself!! you're so innocent, so sweet :( he needs to keep you all to himself and he knows just how to do it!!

makes you trust him by doing all kinds of things, giving you all kinds of things to make you like him make you happy :(

but after a while whenever you ask him to drive u somewhere he either all of a sudden cant drive u but cheers you up by staying with you or insists on coming with you!!

eventually he just convinces you to stay in, asking you if his company isnt enough?:((

you feel so bad so you just stay with him, spending evening after evening with him - you might as well move in no?

of course you're gonna sleep in his bed, hes sooo sorry because the uroboros keep sliding under your clothes and feeling you up all on their own! and you're so naive you believe him :(

you go outside less and less because he does everything and why do you wanna go out anyway?? see your friends? is he not good enough? do you not love him anymore?:(

eventually you only have him, whenever you're sad about it he just acts all guilty but tries to cheer you up, telling you hes here and he loves you :(( hes all you need, not your stupid friends, they didn't like you anyway :((

[dailyadventureprompts]

You've done a few Monsters Reimagined posts about gods already, so I was wondering... any ideas for reimagining Lolth? I know in your Drow post you suggested just ditching the spider cultist stuff, but I do think Lolth herself has some potential. (I have some ideas of my own, which can be summed up as "to high elves, Lolth IS an evil trickster, but to Drow she's the goddess of law, art, magic, and anything to do with webs, and CORELLON is the trickster" but I'm curious what ideas you have)

Deity: Lolth, Queen of Spiders and Weaver of Lies

Its said that in the dawn era when the world was still settling the first mortals caught one of their gods in a lie. It was a benign, harmless thing, but that first falsehood turned sour in the god’s mouth, and when spitting to earth it took a shape with many legs, and scuttled off into the dark

Setup: None can say where Lolth or her cult first emerged, as a goddess of deception she has worn many guises and worked to obscure her true origin since perhaps the first moment of her existence. even her commonly recorded name; Lolth, is but the most recent of her aspects, one that many scholars believe she has abandoned in recent ages as more and more of her followers awake to the cruelty of her doctrine, leaving behind a hollow idol the way a spider sheds its carapace when it grows. 

Lolth is a goddess of deception, not the simple half truths that everyone lets slip now and again (though some more orthodox faiths claim that these lies give life to spiders), but to the falsehoods that warp the perception of individuals, communities, and entire nations: they are out to get you/ I didn't push you, you fell/ our way is the godly way, all others are degenerate. When one of these delusions takes root and begins to skew lives, the goddess weaves another thread into her tapestry of deception, wrapping her victims in a false reality the way a spider wraps its prey. Lolth too is an enemy of objective reality, sowing madness in the minds of mortals or using her agents to muddle and destroy historical records.

Logically it doesn’t make sense to worship a goddess of deception, nightmares and gaslighting, until one asks who might benefit from others falling prey to such afflictions. Tyrants, abusers, con artists, the ones that think they’re clever enough to lie forever or the ones so prideful they believe that their opinions override reality. These are the ones that feel the tug of the spider’s string, and delude themselves into thinking they are puppeteer rather than puppet.

Adventure Hooks

After the death of their high priestess, a cult of darkelves found their connection to the spiderqueen severed, throwing them into a theological crisis that left most of their leadership dead as each tried to backstab their way into proving that they were Lolths next chosen.  Faced with a total lack of guidance, the cults lesser acolytes and henchmen have taken to following the last survivor off this divinely ordained massacre:  A former apprentice of the high priestess who died performing a grand rite and was transformed into a deathlock for her trouble. Kept around as both jester and example of what fate awaits those who waver in their faith, this cackling cadaver has forgotten much of who she was and now calls herself Hollowhead, a cruel nickname given by her mistress when she realized her dead apprentice always had spiders on the brain, literally.   Now tugging at the neck chain that once secured her to the high priestess’s throne, Hollowhead leads the cult out to enact whatever whim her goddess puts in her head, with the features on the menu being sacrifices, rampant poisonings, and gross transfigurations.    

In one of their many adventures, the party end up clashing with a charming huckster who’s gone and made an enemy of some very powerful people. Perhaps he’s backed a guild leader into a bad business deal, or swindled a fortune out of the party’s prospective patron. Perhaps he introduces himself as a mentor for a young party of roguish individuals and then leaves them holding the bag in the midst of a heist. When he dies (either when the party catches up to him or months later after he’s been justly tried and tossed in a dungeon) he realizes that he’s called  upon the weaver of lies one too many times in the course of filling his pockets, and is at risk of having his soul claimed once it passes into the underworld. To avoid this terrible fate, the huckster pulls one last trick, stealing himself from the goddess’s clutches and wandering the world as a ghost. Never one to be denied her prize, the goddess dispatches a monstrous construct from her realm, a Retriever, to fetch the trickster’s wayward soul and flatten anything that stands in its way: such as the party, who the huckster has been quietly haunting for some time as a means of tagging along with their adventures. 

On the trail of a missing merchant caravan, the party encounter a village Where Everything Is Fine, with the one exception being the library dedicated to Ioun seems to have been boarded shut. Folk here vaguely remember the merchant passing through, but having come a long while the party decide to rest in the rustic and comfortable inn to enjoy some good food and the owers’ charming hospitality, only to wake up with one of their number missing. Find out their horrifying fate under the cut

They find their missing friend some hours later living a completely different life, having been married to an attractive and attentive stranger for some years and never once having contemplated becoming an adventurer and leaving the village Where Everything Is Fine. Snapping their friend out of it is as easy as noticing the faint trace of webbing near their ear and squishing the spider that’s crawled in there carrying a number of delusions with it, but there’s no telling which one of them could be next to forget. Checking inside the boarded up library reveals a few haggard townsfolk and a VERY paranoid priestess of the goddess Ioun who’ve been hold up inside while the rest of their neighbors went all Norman Rockwell/Stepford wife. To hear them tell it, things started happening after the innkeeper’s wife showed up with bruises after the two had a raucous shouting match infront of  a large crowd of patrons. The two had always had a rocky relationship but she insisted over and over again that Everything Is Fine… and people started to agree with her. Desperate to preserve the illusion of a blissful homelife, the innkeeper’s wife has made a spontaneous pact with Lolth, and her increasingly blasphemous self delusion will stop at nothing to ensure that no one ruins her fantasy. Depending on how tactful you want to be consider having her turn into a giant spider monster, with her abusive husband hollowed out, alive and aware but filled with innumerable skittering young.

Titles: Queen of Spiders, Weaver of lies, Mother of Deceit, Lady of truth (for the faithful)

Signs: Excessive spiders, or spiders where there should not be spiders (such as in your mouth or ears), a pervasive sense that someone is lying to you or that what you perceive is not real, faces momentarily showing opposite emotions.

Symbols: Spiders and their associated iconography, more subtle symbols may include objects in groups of eight, like eight stars in a ring upon a flag or eight jewels set in a fractal spiral upon a broach. Other cults unconnected to spider iconography use that of weaving: looms, spinning wheels, dropspindles, and may occasionally substitute silkworms for spiders where regionally appropriate.

Followers:In addition to her active cults, such as the most well known among the darkelves or creatures like the chitine Lolth is a proactive goddess when it comes to choosing champions, most often selecting for those with the capacity for controlling or deceiving others, or those victims who would replace their abusers rather than see their torment end.  Some few desperate also worship Lolth as a means of protecting themselves from deception or madness, but the queen of spiders is likely to exact a heavy toll for such protection, if she extends it at all.

Also yeah, no sexy spider goddess art for you folks. Her many-legged majesty may take on a pleasing guise when trying to entice you to do something but when it comes time to throw down you’re going toe to toe with something that exemplifies madness and lies and treachery

Art

[thedragonboi]

I am simultaneously in an ADHD-Autism alliance and an ADHD-Autism rivalry and I’ve never been more hyperaware of someone’s autism because I don’t want to just interpret their behaviours as “ew, annoying” and make them suffer further social isolation because of something out of their control. But at the same time, unlike my other autistic friends who understand I’m also neurodivergent just in a different way, he refuses to understand or be lenient with my neurodivergent behaviours.

No matter what I do or how I try to explain it to them, they keep ignoring/not understanding me. And I know autism makes social cues harder to understand but please this man is 23 and I’ve explained my boundaries and outlooks and ADHD behaviours non stop for MONTHS and I’m so close to killing him because he doesn’t understand and instead of taking that at face value and leaving me alone to avoid conflict he fucking keeps INSTIGATING.

I make a repetitive sound to keep myself focused and grounded? “Stop doing that”. Ok I’ll stop for a little while, maybe sensory issues. I’m loosing focus in class but conflict avoided. I go sit further away to do it again next class and try and focus. He moves to sit near me. “Stop that”. Huh???? You purposely sat next to the adhd student who ground’s themselves by making repetitive noises. I just move back to my original seat cause I can see better. If it’s genuinely that bad please wear your earbuds, I know you have them I’ve seen you wearing them.

Study session. I’m fiddling with the notebook while I wait for him to answer the exam question. “Stop that”. Ok, I’ll fiddle with the pen to focus instead. “Stop that”. Jesus fucking Christ what AM I allowed to do to keep myself grounded and focused??? Go study with someone else at this point.

Jesus fucking Christ this cretin refuses to give me peace.

He followed me on my walk home once.

No, not once a couple times. But I just remember the last time really vividly because he kept bringing up movies who’s subject matter I don’t like interacting with (I forget the movie titles but he said they’re about war and genocide and historical events where people were subjugated and abused by colonialism). I kept trying to change the subject to movies that I enjoyed but he kept FUCKING PUTTING ME DOWN CAUSE THEYRE NOT THE MATURE ADULT SAD EMOTION MEDIA.

FUCK YOU. I was walking home by myself, 2 minutes away from school. He sees me minding my business and comes up to me. Weird but ok, probably doesn’t understand the social boundary. Forgivable if uncomfortable. He brings up a subject matter I’m sensitive about. I try and change the conversation politely because, again, probably just doesn’t understand the social cues I’m trying to send. He REFUSES to let me change the subject matter and then you’re fucking SHOCKED when I get upset????

While that’s just one incident he does other things which just feel extremely mean spirited? Maybe they’re not but I genuinely don’t know how to get him to shut up about it.

Lately I’ve been doing this thing where I reward myself for small accomplishments by giving myself affirmations. It’s been great for my mental health so far. Just calling myself smart or cool whenever I get a question right in class or a good assignment/test score. I’ve been consistently getting good grades (I never used to before) so I’ve been saying/giving myself positive affirmations a lot more than usual. But he’s taken offence to it or something?????

Whenever I try and answer a question in class and I get it wrong he fucking pipes up and goes “not so smart are you?” so smugly. Genuinely actually shut the fuck up before I commit bodily harm against you. And so far I’ve been trying to rationalise his behaviour as not understanding social cues but this kind of behaviour is genuinely unacceptable. Like it’s one thing to not understand boundaries but it’s another to butt in the middle of class and call someone not smart.

But like…sometimes when people or even the fucking teacher pipes up and goes “hey maybe don’t do that” he responds with “sorry, autism, don’t really understand social cues” and like…no one in class is a psychiatrist so we can’t comment on it but I want so badly to just yell at him that there’s a point where your behaviour isn’t exclusively the autism and that you’re a 23 year old adult who is ultimately responsible for your own actions.

I think my experiences and friendships with other autistic people just makes it more obvious to me that his actions aren’t sourced from autism but don’t think I have it in me to just internalise and admit to myself that I’ve been dealing with my boundaries and feelings constantly being ignored while he insists we’re friends.

There’s a point where the amount of times he says we’re friends after crossing a boundary feels like gaslighting. Doing something a friend shouldn’t do, or at least apologise for if they do, and then immediately saying “it’s ok, because we’re friends” and I just sit there in silence to keep the peace. Gaslighting probably isn’t the right word but idk any other description for this behaviour

[lackablazeical]

how does Leo "break" Usagi down to the point where he's like we see him? What tactics does he utilize to mess with him?

Manipulation, gaslighting, and all forms of abuse.

He makes Usagi think he's crazy, Leo pretends to see Usagi's trauma hallucinations but also makes Usagi feel like his meltdowns or outbursts are just him overreacting in some way and not acknowledging why Usagi may be so upset. Leo validates and invalidates Usagi at the wrong times in the wrong way. It makes Usagi feel completely confused as to what is and isn't real, and he then depends on Leo as a rock to ground him. Dependent in that way.

He makes Usagi not feel heard. Usagi saying anything doesn't matter 99% of the time. What he wants, needs, etc. Leo decides that for him. There's points where Usagi can't even pick what temperature of water he can shower in (Usagi likes cold showers, Leo doesn't want his bunny chilly.) Leo doesn't listen to Usagi's needs or wants, he decides everything for Sagi. Eventually, Usagi believes that what Leo wants is best. After all, what Usagi wants only makes him and everything around him worse.

Leo doesn't respect Usagi's physical boundaries, making Usagi tend to feel extremely dirty or to disassociate. Usagi can rarely even get the 'luxury' of sleep, bc he has to sleep laying down and with it quiet, both of which are near impossible with Leo around, as Leo will move Usagi around and talk constantly. Usagi doesn't feel like his body is his, more like an object to be moved around and looked at then a person. Mikey doesn't help this, making Usagi feel like it's Usagis fault and Usagis choice that he's experiencing these things, rather then Usagi being unable to get away or get Leo to stop.

Leo is in a HIGH position of power over Usagi. Usagi is a very capable, talented guy, but Leo is infinitely more dangerous. Leo is analytical and could easily figure out a million different ways to hurt anyone around him, and often showcases that power. Even if Usagi has 'power' over Leo in some ways (like bargaining affection to get Leo to do something) that only reinforces that Usagi truly is everything that Mikey calls him, and plus Leo often ignores the 'terms' of the agreement and Usagi can't really stop him.

Leo saying that he's 'not gonna let anything happen' or that 'he'll keep him safe' is horrifying to Sagi. Because Usagi just hears 'you're not getting away from me. You're not dying on my watch, you will never be rid of me.' Ya know?

Leo manipulates all of Usagis insecurities, needs, and wants. Usagi has horrid abandonment issues, and he just aches for someone to say they won't leave him. When Leo says it, there's a quiet part of Usagi that's just so so happy. And it makes him sick, and guilty. But he needs it so badly. And Leo knows that. He feeds into it. It's a nasty cycle of desperately wanting Leo to leave him alone but never leave.

Toxic and abusive relationships are complex like that.

[kentoberry]

note: this is very rushed and prolly has lots of typos... forgive me!!

when thinking of al-haitham... he would be so much fun to be with. bimbo! delilah... especially college! au he would definitely be the handsome nerdy senior who always helps you. he is clever, wise and absolutely loves reading. need help with your essays? yeah, al-haitham is here. you have a test? he would tutor you. you have the same lecture? you must sit beside him (he never says that but it is the unspoken rule). al-haitham, a sapient man of few words who spends his time at the library reading books, but still has time for ya and ur needs (･ω<)☆

casually slips his arms around you (hugs you) when there is no one around and says “i feel like it!”. he has this image of a distant and cold man, but he is a warm person from the inside and you know it. he would reply to you as you asked why and specifically asks you for hugs as a payback. even if your relationship wasn’t public considering that he may be a conservative man, but even tho everyone will know who u r (e.g. “yeah, al-haitham’s delilah.” , “yeah man i see them all the time together.”) he would honestly be very spoiling bf. buys you lunch, clothes, bags and always gifts you stuff (either you want or need). he is well-off, he has money and he chooses to spend it on you. 100% would read for you. he would die for you both to discuss a book he likes/reads. splitting the bill 50/50? what’s that? he’ll pay it all by himself.

the manipulation part hohohoho!!! in simple words, gaslighting!! when you realise you r doing well ofc you won’t need him anymore, right? he doesn’t want that so he convinces you that you are still behind, bad at everything and can’t totally do anything without him.

“no delilah you don’t understand at all. i must teach you again!” and “no, this is not how you do it. you have to do it like this.” i believe he makes things harder for you to understand and make you look like a fool. yeah, he denies your progress and treats you the same as before (his clueless delilah who always needs -his- help). poor you what would you do if he wasn’t there? you should be grateful that he helps you out! he helped you, right? where are his kisses and hugs? give the man affection (he needs) in private ;)

—koko♡

okay... i'm finally letting this out of my inbox but !£)#!#)£)"; when i tell u i SCREAMED !!!! poor little bimbo lilah and her smart guard dog alhaitham...

no grade is ever good enough for him ! u could still be getting 100s and straight As but alhaitham always manages to find some faults in your logic.

i think he would make you cockwarm him while you study, and he'll make some rude remark about how "sluts like you only focus when their needy cunt is the one getting the attention". every time you get an answer wrong, he'll give you a little slap and tell you off too :(( sure, it stings, but he's helping you, remember?

you know that pretty girl in your bio class? the one everyone has a crush on? well, alhaitham turned her down purely because he's spending his time with you instead ! you can't disappoint him now, can you?