#even if that response inevitably impacts and changes you

[gay-crypt1d]

the scene of ellie cleaving david… the shot being just ellie…. fire blazing behind her… screaming with everything she has… bringing the cleaver down again and again and again and again…

“david broke something in her” blah blah blah whatever

what about the apocalyptic rage of vehement denial, of righteous autonomy, of stolen childhood, of a constant state of survival

david said the fight was his favorite part well guess what motherfucker

[carlosbaldellou]

The kind and the furious

When humanity was welcomen in the stars, nobody knew what to expect of these deathworlders. Their world looked stunning. Full of life. Well, mostly. They had serene places, fruit trees neatly arranged. Sure, the tectonic activity was on the high end of the spectrum, but perfectly livable. But then, you noticed the animals. The arms race of evolution. Predators that evolved to avoid other predators. Hervibores with toxines so potent as to wipe out the largest predator animal in the galaxy. Predators that somehow evolved to resist those toxins and other ludicrous natural defenses. It was... madness, to most of the galaxy.

Humanity spread far and wide. They had looked into the dark abyss of space for a long time, and now that they could roam trough it, they went everywhere. Small human settlements started to pop up everywhere. The races were cautious, but this new species seemed like a good neighbour. So they welcomed them, still unsure as to how to clasify them.

Untill a disaster happened. A huge chain explosion in a residential area. Buildings collapsed and fire roared. The emergency response teams were overwhelmed. But they, with time, managed to quench the fire and control the situation.

And then, the humans came. With their personal vehicles. From neighbouring cities. From far away cities. They started to clean the rubble, even if it was not their duty. They helped the victims. Looked for survivors. Cared for them. Healed them. Sure, kindness and help from your own species was expected to a degree, but from another species? It was unheard of. You cared for your own. But humans were different. They were kind to everyone. They helped as they could. Preparing meals. Setting up tents. Moving rubble... And every time a survivor was found, they cheered with enthusiasm.

The galaxy at large looked at them. And humanity was labeled as the kindest species in the falactic collective.

That is, until it was found what had happened. While moving rubble, some metallic carcass was found. One that was traced to an explosive from a species outside the galactic empire. Tensions rose. War broke out a couple years ago.

Humans joined the war. Everyone thought they were kind. Everyone tought they would provide support.

Everyone was wrong.

When humans started fighting, they showed why they were the dominant species of their world. Sure, they did not have vicious claws. Sure, they did not have venoms. Sure, they were not armoured. But they were smart. They were cunning. They had planned for stellar warfare before we found them. They already had devised strategies. Simple, brutal strategies.

Humanity grabbed the biggest asteroid they could find, strapped some rockets to it and launched it straight to the enemy positions. Their fleet, guarding behind it. Using it as cover. When tvey were found out, they jumped to defend that asteroid. They were a small group agains an entire planet. Nobody tought the humans could win.

Everyone was wrong.

Humans fought with all their cunning and might. They fought with ferocity and ruthlessness. Disabling thrusters and energy systems first. Then leaving the poor enemy ships to die. They were no longer a threat. The asteroid advanced and got into descent orbit. Impact was inevitable. And the humans left. They had done their job. A quarter of the world was wiped from the initial blast. The rest of the planet was uninhabitable, and would be for a long time.

Humans fought. Their strategies evolving. Changing to counter their enemies as they started to be prepared. Always a step beyond. Always with a new warfare solution. Orbital bombardment with titanium rods, cloaking technogy never seen before, new ship designs seemingly every day.

Humans fought. Captive humans found ways to escape prison and sabotage the enemy from within. Wounded humans went to fight again while still recovering. Their savagery in limit situations scared allies and enemies alike.

The war ended with the enemy surrendering completely. Mostly thanks to the humans. Peace was signed. And then, the humans sent aid to the defeated enemy. Cargo ships full of medicine and food started arriving. Human troopers helping with the reconstruction efforts.

Humans, like their homeworld, were a race of extremes. Capable of the biggest acts of kindness the galaxy had ever seen, but also the most furious and savage acts when it was necessary.

------

Hope you all like it. It's my first story of this kind

[jinwoosungs]

{ 019 }

- musings for yandere! sung jinwoo -

disclaimers: dark content; manipulative behavior; mentions of m*rder; i do not condone such behaviors in real life, but this is a work of pure fiction, so anything goes.

DEFINITELY the type to fall hard at first sight for his darling. you can be a hunter, healer, or a mere civilian- it truly doesn't matter to him. for if you are unlucky enough to catch his attention, you will be subjected to his obsession and love- you will not escape from his love unscathed.

the day had been so utterly ordinary for sung jinwoo when he accompanied cha hae-in on what he assumed was her poor attempt at asking him out on a date.

he notices the way she smiles at him, appearing very much like a bright sunflower who's smile can match that of the sun's.

jinwoo was very much aware of her awkward kindness and beauty, yet what he felt for her was nothing more than a mere fondness. if such fondness were to ever grow into love, then he felt certain that such feelings would amount to nothing more than a familial type of love.

and despite how he knew hae-in was considered to be the perfect woman by many-

jinwoo's heart simply didn't burn for her.

after making some small talk, jinwoo waits patiently by hae-in's side for the light to flash, indicating that it was safe to walk across the street. he truly was not expecting for his life to change at all-

and oh, how wrong he was!

for once the light changed and he walked across the street with hae-in in tow-

that was the moment he saw someone that took his very breath away.

that was the moment he saw you.

as jinwoo appeared rooted on the spot, you remained blissfully unaware of the inner turmoil you had caused within the shadow monarch's heart. never once did he blink when you walk past him, eyes eagerly drinking in the sight of your hair and the way your eyes shone with amusement at your phone's screen.

even when you reached the opposite end of the street, jinwoo just couldn't bring himself to look away from you, doing all that he could to burn your image into his memory when he was suddenly pulled away from you and into the sidewalk once more.

the distance between you and him had gotten much farther, and jinwoo could feel his fists clenching in response. feeing annoyed and upset, his eyes began to flash purple in response, glaring down at the blond hunter who's eyes suddenly became wide with fear.

"i-i'm sorry, but i didn't wish for you to get run over." hae-in meekly gestures to the sight of incoming traffic, making him calm down almost immediately while unclenching his fists.

he supposes he should spare cha hae-in after all, since if he had been harmed or run over by a vehicle, then he would further delay his inevitable meeting with you.

looking away from her, he mutters a half-hearted 'thank you,' before shoving his hands within the pockets of his coat, counting down the minutes until he could end this outing with hae-in and bask in his thoughts of you.

no longer will gravity be the one keeping him grounded to the earth, but rather, YOU. it is your mere existence that will serve as jinwoo's purpose in life. YOU will be what keeps him grounded. as if you were a beacon of light that shone a path within his dark and cold world, he would become obsessed with you almost immediately, meticulously planning the day where you would be his while stalking your every movement.

the day he had ran into you, his shoulders harshly bumping into yours as he sent a plethora of his soldiers rushing into your shadow wasn't enough.

it was never enough.

when he purposely collided with you, he had watched you through glowing, purple eyes as you remained slumped against the sidewalk for several seconds from the impact. your eyes had watered a bit as unshed tears were seen glimmering within your gaze in pain-

the sight of it all nearly made him come to you and apologize while comforting you-

but jinwoo held back those urges, watching with pride when you slowly stood back up on your feet. you dusted off any stray dirt that remained on your outfit before walking forward with your head held high, going on with your day as if nothing had happened,

he deeply admires your strength, feeling his heart melt at the sight of you as his world was now bathed in a rose-colored hue.

even knowing that he could simply watch you from a distance, using the soldiers he had placed close to you as his eyes-

jinwoo still wanted more.

even when he spent hours upon hours looking through the eyes of his soldiers to keep track of you-

it wasn't enough.

instead, he uses his loyal soldiers to memorize your schedule, down to the very last second as he wrote down every single activity that you did.

[ weekdays ]

0800: my lover wakes up and gets ready for the day, sometimes making breakfast; sometimes skipping altogether.

NOTE TO SELF: cook for her a balanced and delicious breakfast every single day. it's what she deserves.

0915: darling leaves the apartment and heads to the station for work.

NOTE TO SELF: obtain a copy of her key soon.

1000 - 2100: darling works hard at her job before going home at 2130.

NOTE TO SELF: spoil her well with lavish gifts that she will love.

2225: arrives home to make a late dinner.

NOTE TO SELF: cook all her meals.

[ weekends ]

my darling has a very spontaneous schedule. sometimes she sleeps in; other times she wakes up early to explore the city. i am always trailing behind her, never too far, but never too close, either.

if she buys a ticket to a movie, i'll buy a ticket and sit behind her.

if she enters a restaurant and enjoys her lunch or dinner by herself, i'll pay for her bill with no questions asked.

I NEED HER.

I LOVE HER.

I AM OBSESSED WITH HER.

at the end of each page, he would continuously write your name over and over again, eyes going hazy the more he continued to write your name endlessly before it became nothing but scribbles against his page that looked oddly like a heart.

only when he was certain he knew every aspect of your life did he finally make his appearance, allowing himself to be placed directly before you as he began the process of making you belong to him and him alone.

jinwoo had waited tirelessly for this exact moment.

he spent at least 8 months getting to know each and every minuscule detail about you, forming himself into your ideal man.

when your nose bumped into his hard chest as you 'accidentally' ran into him, jinwoo swore that he could feel his heart racing in response. his arms nearly came around you, trapping you in his tight embrace-

but he had to fight back such powerful urges.

instead, he allows your hands to rest against his chest, pushing yourself slightly away from him. it takes jinwoo a herculean effort to not crush your frame to his chest, hiding his desires with an easy smile when he sweetly asks,

"are you okay?"

jinwoo swore that he could feel his heart soar with happiness at noticing the shift in your expression, turning more shy and embarrassed as you attempted to move away from him.

naturally, jinwoo stops you from going too far, resting the palm of his hand against your back while maintaining the unassuming smile on his face.

jinwoo basks in your voice as you murmured saccharine sweet apologies to him, managing to elicit a delightful chuckle from him as he leads you away from the street.

"if you're truly sorry and wish to make it up to me, then i suppose you can do so by joining me for dinner, right?"

jinwoo finds your stuttering voice and flustered expression to be extremely cute when you manage to give him a nod at his proposal.

now that he's had you where he wants you (hooklineandsinker), jinwoo places a possessive arm around your shoulder,

ready to wrap his tendrils of darkness around your heart-

ready to completely OWN YOU.

the days spent courting you while remaining by your side was such a blessing to jinwoo. never once did he get tired of your mannerisms and quirks, basking in them while spoiling you with his pure love and affections. when he had been with you for close to a year now, THAT was when he slowly allowed his true personality to show, preventing anyone from contacting you to ridding you of the males that dared to look your way...

jinwoo couldn't have been happier with his first relationship-

for it was simply so utterly perfect for him!

with you being so innocent (so trustworthy) of him and his undying love and devotion to you, it had left you blinded to the numerous red flags that surrounded his actions-

which was exactly where he needed you to be.

while you remain asleep in his arms, you were still aware of many things-

like how your cellphone had a strange, blue light hidden within the depths of your camera...

or the sudden disappearance of the male coworker you were assigned to do a project with...

and how the shadows seemed to grow deeper and stronger as what seemed like hundreds of eyes were watching your every move.

jinwoo lets out a low chuckle while whispering longingly to you, "i did it all for love."

as he presses a kiss against your temple, the powerful hunter leans back to reveal something shiny hidden within the palm of his hand. taking a hold of your left hand, he finds your ring finger before sliding the gorgeously crafted ring against it.

jinwoo takes a moment to admire the ring on your finger, in complete awe of it as it remained the sole proof that you now belonged to him.

happy with his surprise for you, he places your left hand back on the bed, falling back into bed with his arms wrapped possessively around you. letting out one last yawn, jinwoo allows himself to slumber as he waits for you to awaken...

once the morning came and you noticed the glittering ring settled against your finger, your heart became filled with love for him, making you awaken your lover with a series of kisses against his perfectly sculpted lips.

sung jinwoo ends up smiling against your kiss, being filled with joy as you remained completely and blissfully unaware of how the ring was simply a thinly veiled chain in disguise, forever tying you to him for all eternity...

a.n. - i have a little bit of a writer's block, but had some brainrots pertaining to yandere!jinwoo... this man is too beautiful to ignore, and i lowkey find myself not minding this darker version of jinwoo... 😭

all stories are written by rei; reposts, translations, and plagiarism are not allowed.

[feministdragon]

every once in a while a discussion flares up on tumblr:  separatism vs activism reading through the various arguments I find myself agreeing with both sides in a lot of places.   the activism side argues that without it, we wouldn’t have the right to vote, bank accounts, property ownership, financial independence, sexual harassment and abortion laws, a lot of practical structures that free women in concrete ways.  i completely agree with this. the separatism side argues that women need a space away from men to experience themselves as human beings, to experience freedom and to experience female solidarity, and to develop networks of mutual aid.  I also completely agree with this. and then everyone starts fighting, which i really don’t understand.   We need both!  Both is good!   There are more than enough women in the world to do all the projects!  We can have some women creating separatist spaces for women to take shelter in, and we can have some women banding together to create practical change that free women in the short term.   What is there to argue about? I mean, maybe the background of this is the whole lesbian vs straight women thing?   Which tbh i also don’t understand why we have to fight about this.  I’m a lesbian, and the majority of my friends and feminist collaborators are straight women.  just by looking at the women around me I’m very very aware of how being partnered with a woman saves me an incredible amount of bullshit in my life, and yet I’m equally aware of why women choose to be het-partnered. for example in our organization there’s one women whose job title includes the word ‘responsible’.  Her husband began a campaign to undermine her participation by telling her that because her job title said ‘responsible’ that when our organization ‘inevitably bankrupted’ she would be left holding the legal debt which then (his main point) would impact him.  So she was scared by him into wanting to leave her position, when we really don’t have anyone else who can fill that right now, and so it would have caused a huge strain on us, but also, she’s perfect for this position, it’s very good for her, and she likes the work.  We were able to show her that he was just fucking with her, that the legal responsiblity for the money actually lay with a different role in the org, but it was yet another example of how men could reach into our private business and stir us about, because of how women are so financialy and emotionaly bound up with their legal male partners. so, do I cut off my friendship with this woman just because her husband is a danger to us?  Obviously not, because her husband is even more of a danger to her, and I’m trying to support her until her children are old enough that she can safely choose to leave him.   Is it irritating that her husband can just reach through her and fuck with us like that?  Absolutely.  Am I angry that women are constantly misled into marriage and find out too late that they are trapped?  Of fucking course.   Do I then conclude that all straight women are bullshit?   Also of course not.   But am I going to be cautious about who joins the group in future, and only let in lesbians?   Also of course not.  Because every set of hands is valuable and necessary, and we do other things to protect ourselves (like not let any man have a position of power in the org).  so what I want to ask is,  what is the separatism/activism divide about? why are people making it a choice between the two things?  is the foundational problem just either-or thinking?    if you are separatist why do you side-eye male-involved women?   if you are a male-involved woman, why do you side-eye separatists?

(crossposted on the Cloven Hooves forum if you want to comment on it there)

[xxscarletxrosexx]

Spy x Family Ch. 99 Thoughts + Analyses

God, this entire chapter has been an extreme roller coaster from feeling excitement to sobbing--I'm terribly emotional when it comes to reading war stories must be from all the times I was forced to read war stories throughout my English education program to anger to resignation.

... but this is why I love Spy x Family and the brilliant storywriting of Tatsuya Endo.

Ch. 99 Spoilers ahead.

There's a level of depth and care put into these characters that make them feel so real. If you have someone who has family serving in the army or if you are someone who has read countless accounts of war, then surely you are affected emotionally by the horrors of war. In my case, war stories are what made me look at life and identify the meaning of it. Although I won't go into too much detail about my findings, I did walk away having a deeper appreciation for literature and for humanity itself, in other words, I cry easily to war stories. Hence the case of this chapter.

I was already prepared that Ch. 99 would be a devastating chapter considering that Ch. 98 ends with a cliffhanger in which the alarms go off just as Martha was going to confess her feelings for Henry, and that this 'side mission' story is expected to conclude before Ch. 100. And it truly did not disappoint.

As mentioned earlier, this chapter is a jam-packed rollercoaster ride with previous expectations motivating my excitement as well as my dread for the inevitable.

First, I'd like to address a part that excited me: parallelism.

What quickly striked me was how similar Henry was drawn to Twilight after departing his jail cell. Even the context of the chapter leading up to this physical change indicates that sacrificing oneself for the best outcome/greater good was a theme echoed by these similar character designs.

There is also a third "similar character design" which has become a popularized theory in a possible relationship between the Captain and Twilight. However, I'm starting to see that these similar drawing styles don't identify relationships, but alignment in sacrificing oneself.

I see this as an alignment amongst the three because we now have two lores that shared the impact of war and the injuries sustained, whereas the Captain/First Lieutenant has yet to have his lore addressed. We can surmise based off Twilight and Henry's background that their experiences from war is what continues to drive them in their chosen field/occupation. I'm excited for the day that we learn the Lieutenant's real name and his POV from war. It is then that we will finally get three POV's:

The West / WISE - [Redacted]/Twilight/Loid

The Neutral Civilian - Henry

The Ostanian / SSS - Lieutenant

This is the perfect time to segway to my next excitement: symbolism.

Even though the lore on the unnamed First Lieutenant/Captain has not yet been addressed, his scars tell me that he's experienced a similar outcome. Tell me, have you guys noticed that all 3 men had experienced the same injury found on the left side of his face?

When I looked into the symbolism behind it, I found that the left side of our brain is responsible for processing emotions. The injury to the left side of the face signifies an emotional trauma in which their emotional side had to be silenced. Given what we've already learned about Twilight and Henry's backstories, their personalities and thinking are often stemming from an analytical/logical approach.

Of course, old wives' tales are not always scientifically supported, so I was prompted to research more, and I stumbled across an interesting one regarding emotions found in different parts of the brain:

Since this is a theory, it should not be taken as a fact without repeated research and evidence to support the claim. I, myself, do not claim to be an expert when it comes to neurology or psychology. But this information, when taken from a creative writing/literary analytical stance, can support that the left-face injuries had essentially damaged the positive facial expressions--which can support Twilight and Henry's experience. Thus, we can also surmise that the Captain had experienced a similar fate.

Another thing that we can learn from these injuries (at the time that they were present) is that the character is currently experiencing a time of vulnerability--[Redcated] after returning from battle and Henry, who is still in mourning, is still a bit withdrawn from his students.

Another symbolism that I got excited about is the dichotomy between Henry and his father in character design.

Notice Henry's hair is straight and tied up in contrast to his father who has his hair wavy and loose. Although subtle, I found this character design beautiful for its ability to show a dichotomy in their social/political views.

Wavy hair can be perceived as something flowy, as in going with the flow. Because it isn't tied up, I see that Henry's father doesn't need to hold himself back, and is free to express himself and his views. In contrast, Henry's hair is straight and tied back. Straight hair can be perceived to support Henry's straightforward nature (which is also one of his weaknesses as well as covered in the previous chapters). When his hair is tied up, he gives an air of elegance and looks like he's got everything together. However, his hair tied back could also illustrate imprisonment of the mind, where his views cannot be vocalized at a time when tensions were high during the first war. Furthermore, his "rebellious" behavior resulted in him ultimately being tied down to what was imposed on him (marrying the person his father picked).

I love the detail in which Henry is drawn with his hair untied and unshaven. He's broken at this point, and as we all witnessed at the assembly, he loses control of himself over this grief that he's taken into custody and slandered a traitor. The next time we do see him is when his long hair is chopped off and traded for an undercut--a telltale sign that he was starting anew, and looking awfully like Twilight.

During this social climate, Henry was perceived as the 'villain' in the Henderson family due to his 'bad' behavior. But let me, just say that Endo-san loves to remind us through character design just who is the true villain. Did you notice it, too? It's the nose. Henry's father has a pointy nose, reminiscent of a witch, whereas he inherited his mother's round nose. Another small detail, but it made me laugh. This is why I love Endo-san.

Above, I have addressed what made me happy. Now, I will address what brought me to tears, that being Martha and Henry.

I mean, it's no surprise that they wouldn't have a happy ending. I was well prepared with the knowledge I know about them from present-day story that mentions of Henry's daughter, cameos of his wedding ring, and Martha working with the Blackbells, and recently reveals that she had an old crush on Henry. The absence of their love being pursued led us to believe that Martha may have had a one-sided romance. But ch. 99 confirms that Henry reciprocated his feelings for her due to yearning her letters.

It wasn't until news of Martha's life-threatening decision did it impact Henry significantly, and then his breaking point to realization that he loved her too late was when Martha showed her vulnerable side in her letter with the following:

I practically balled right here. I was teary-eyed leading up to it because war stories are always so heartbreaking, especially to those who sacrifice or don't make it home alive.

We now learn why Henry ended up marrying someone else is due to Martha's "inevitable" death--unbeknownst that her decision not to volunteer would also result in death. From what we read, Martha was too emotional to vocalize her situation clearly, and even if she did, her message would be blacked out, unfortunately. So it is evident that Martha was trapped and had no way out other than choosing to volunteer and ultimately "die" in battle.

Henry, on the other hand, could not fight the system, despite that he became a History teacher just to do that. He failed because his countrymen and the system failed him. He lost his beloved and if he were to continue holding onto his belief, he'd lose his ability to teach. Essentially, he lost the fight (to change history/improve the situation through education during that social climate), but not the war (in which there is still hope for history to change). Heny, ultimately, shared a similar fate as Martha through self sacrifice of his livelihood.

I was and still am completely discombobulated by the war and its impact on Martha and Henry that, to be honest, I completely disregarded Donovan Desmond.

I know I won't be able to capture the importance of his lines as eloquently and moving as I did with Martha and Henry, the former pair leaving a moving impact on me during this chapter, so I'd like to recommend my dear friend, @yumeka-sxf 's, analysis which covers more of Endo's brilliant story writing and character development decisions.

After rereading the chapter as well as her analysis, I agree with her point that Donovan Desmond was made to be the antagonist of the story. I believe Donovan's view of liars and holding absolutely no hope for them is a necessity for readers to continue perceiving him as a villain in the series. This is because we cannot perceive good and evil as simply black and white in the series when we have both Yor and Loid dirtying their hands in the name of protecting their countries/loved ones. We hold love for the characters in this series because of their personalities, values, and moral compasses amidst taking life after life. In their social climate they must always choose to sacrifice themselves for the greater good, which is why their tainted actions can be perceived as forgiven. Donovan Desmond, on the other hand, cannot share that 'exception' because an action/drama story needs a villain.

If you made it to the end, thank you so much for your time! I hope you enjoyed my analyses and thoughts on Ch. 99! What do you guys think about the chapter and my analyses? I'd love to hear more from you! :3

[osmanthus-wine-addiction]

◈ Pairing: Zhongli x fem!Reader ◈ Summary: You've just gotten out of an exhausting relationship with your boyfriend of ten years. Your boss, who you've only brushed shoulders with a few times in the six years you've worked at the company, suddenly makes you an offer that you can't turn down. ◈ Contains: NSFW, Angst, Boss/Employee Relationship, Power Imbalance, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Emotional Manipulation

Already, this was more care and consideration than you've ever received in the past after having sex. Zhongli and you were technically just office acquaintances, albeit him being hellbent on changing your casual dynamic.

“Good morning Mister Zhongli.” You gave him an appreciative smile as you set his usual osmanthus tea in front of him along with a few binders.

Zhongli glanced up at you with a smile, his eyes softening. “Good morning, dear. How are you feeling this morning?” He asked, genuine concern lacing his voice.

A blush colored your cheeks at his reminder.

“A little sore still, but I'm fine.”

Zhongli raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment on it. “I trust you had a good night’s rest?” He asked, handing you a binder.

You nodded, a sincere smile on your lips.

“I haven’t slept that well in a while. So... thank you.”

Zhongli returned your smile, his eyes warm. “I'm glad to hear that, dear. It’s the least I could do for keeping you up late.” He said lightly before taking another sip of his tea.

The flush on your cheeks deepened at his words.

“Also, thank you for bringing my clothes.”

You didn't find out until days later that it was Keqing who insisted his driver take a whole chunk of your closet with him, insinuating that you were going to be spending a lot of nights at Zhongli's place and that she was completely fine with it.

“There’s another meeting with Mister Kamisato later today to sign the contract. I’ve also gone ahead and booked a private room at an upscale club this evening to celebrate the collaboration. The dinner will be served there as well.”

Zhongli gave you an appreciative smile, his eyes landing on a faint mark peeking out from behind your blouse's collar.

“I’ll be outside if there’s anything else you need from me.”

“Please stay for a moment longer.” Zhongli said, getting up from his chair. “I wanted to discuss something else with you.”

Zhongli made his way around the desk, stopping when he was standing right in front of you. You inevitably caught a whiff of his cologne because of how close he was. He reached out to fix your lopsided collar so that it hid the mark he left on your neck a little better.

“What do you need to discuss with me?”

Zhongli's gaze rose to your eyes. “I will be paying someone a visit in Mondstadt in a couple weeks. Would you like to accompany me on a business trip?” He asked softly, a hopeful smile playing on his lips.

“A business trip?” Your eyes widened.

If it were a business trip like he said, then it was your job to go with him and handle all the petty little preparations and paperwork involved like booking flights, renting cars, and hiring temporary personnel.

“Of course. You’re my boss. Wherever you go, I go."

Zhongli smiled at your response. “Good. I think it'll be a memorable experience for you.”

He reached out, gently taking your hand in his own and pulling you close. Maybe the spell he had cast on you last night hadn't worn off yet. Before you could snap out of it, he had his hand against your face and was leaning in to kiss you.

You quickly turned your head and avoided the kiss, slipping out of his grasp.

“Not at work.” You took your boss's hand, leading him to his chair and gently pushed him back into it. “I don’t want to be a distraction to you."

Zhongli stared at you in muted surprise, his lips parted.

"I’ll be outside if you need me.” You added before scurrying off.

Zhongli watched you go, feeling dazed and slightly disappointed by your rejection. You were right though. He shouldn’t act on his desires while the two of you were at work. He took a deep breath and turned back to his screen, trying to push the tantalizing thoughts out of his head. This was the first time he tried to kiss you at work since you had become his assistant. Maybe he was also still affected by last night. He had never meant to force you into anything, but his desire for you had gotten the better of him.

Your heart finally calmed down a bit and so did the slight pinkness on your cheeks. Your boss was a very attractive man. You were shamelessly aware of that. It's expected that after last night, things would change between the two of you. You were still much too sensitive to his every touch and glance, shivering if he so much as brushed a hand against yours. You were like a pile of dried timbers. A tiny spark could set you ablaze.

[storiumemporium]

Into The Dawn

Aegon II Targaryen/Reader

| Word Count - 3.6k | Smut 🔞 | Oral sex (M receiving), dry humping, foreplay (F receiving), slight Somnophilia |

I shoulda known what y'all horny bitches want, and I've got it right here for you 😭 C'MERE AND GET IT

Fair warning, it ends on a mean cliffhanger 😌

It’s strange, just what love could do to a person.

Not that it fundamentally shifts you, or any of the grandiose platitudes Westeros’ great poets might put forth about how love was all powerful. It wasn’t, and it didn’t, and it couldn’t. Love did not make you something completely different from what you already were.

But it did… for example… make you start to enjoy early mornings, where once you’d hated it the most.

Because now, tucked beneath a heavy silk cover, you turn against the cresting dawn just beginning to wake- and you see your husband in his most pure.

He’s lovely like this, deep set eyes heavily closed against the world, pale lashes fluttering every once in awhile as dreams carry him through the motions. The sun is reaching it’s fingers for him, hazy gray and not fully out yet- so early as to remain dark- but even this is enough to bring him awash. His skin milky and smooth within this gentle scene… Even his hair, so startling white that at times you found yourself dumbfounded by it, has in some way been softened, the impact reduced.

Aegon is just drifting there beside you.

He’s always been like this, from the very earliest that you’ve known him. A late and heavy sleeper, wound up in his threads and puffing quiet, wine-soaked breaths. A child only then, despite what others might say about him and his… past habits. The wine has faded with the advent of a nagging wife to gently pull him back from his vices, but the deep and difficult to disturb rest has not.

The distance feels impossible when affection comes knocking against the ribs beneath your skin. To not feel him and know that he is real and yours could send you sprawling after too long. And so, careful as to not tug your shared blankets away from him and wake him from this blissful and sacred little moment that you and you alone were allowed the chance to covet, you encroach upon his space. Once you hover over him, the scenes seem to change and invoke more firmly the vulnerability of the moment. The equality of laying side by side is thrown like curtains to let in the sunlight, and you can see precisely the pattern with which his choppy hair splays around him, the softness of large arms that do not flex or strain- have no idea of the weight looming so close by. He’s helpless before you, oblivious of all the ways his body is being picked apart beneath twinkling eyes.

None the rest in his world ever seemed inclined to see him, to understand the gentleness beyond the cynicism and the biting wit. None but you, and you hoped above all else that you could prove to him just how special you knew it was. Just how much you cherished this allowance. Just as you cherished every little smile that he spared you, more and more common as the days rolled past and he realized that you would not change, would not grow to finally be disappointed by him.

That he could smile and he would not, eventually, inevitably, be swatted away.

Fingers lift with the weightlessness of an idea- well, more a whimsy that has come to you. So soft, so sweet. So unaware. Fingers gentling across his jawline, feathered against the edge until you tap digits against his chin, thumb smoothing softly against the place where a divot sometimes forms as he talks and smiles and laughs. Little in response, Aegon sighs softly and stretches into his comforts, seeming only to sink deeper within the deceptively soft confines of his favored pillows. It’s a soft little motion that sets your heart on fire, smile curling away at the edges of your mouth in spite of yourself.

You could giggle like a child. In fact, you might have, but who was here to notice?

Like you’ve been given permission, you go on an journey, your little adventure across your husband’s sleeping form. He’s as oblivious as ever in his gentle rest, body reacting only of it’s own volition when you ghost over the dip in his throat, palm splaying over his chest. Just a moment, just a moment. Just long enough to feel the heavy and healthy and slow beating drum in his chest. Each time it presses defiantly against you is a pang of affection in your own. Good and strong, you carry back on with the urges of your flesh.

He’s a bit deceptive, your Aegon. He’s not all the hard lines and harsh edges of his younger, taller brother who prides himself on displaying his superiority in every fashion. He has a bit of softness to him, deceptive. Deceptive. Just the faintest bit to blur the expanse of his belly, but not so much that when he buckles over you and fucks you with the sort of singleminded intent you thought only belonged to a vengeful man, you can’t see the planes of corded muscle beneath.

Oh yes, he’s strong. Very strong. Enough that his stockier stature allows him to haul and throw you as he pleases- and it does please him. His favorite when he has nothing but salacious thoughts on his wicked brain. It inspires something indescribable behind normally leisurely violet eyes- you suppose the Dragon which all the Lords and Ladies of Kings’ Landing like to proclaim the Targaryen’s are possessed of. A predatory thing bred into their bloodline, whatever Valyrian magic threaded them inextricably with their fabled mounts. It shines through like embers might on charcoaled wood when he splays his hands over you and knows you could not move even if you so desired. Those muscles, those strong binding things he’s possessed of, they tense and show themselves for the briefest of seconds when you tickle your fingers over them. Finally, his face winces slightly- you pause- and then relaxes after your heart gives two thundering beats within your ears.

Getting too eager, now. Jumping ahead of yourself and forgetting what the idea was all about, the fancy that caught you to begin with. Eyes trace patterns over his face for any signs of awareness. But by some great fortune they do not come, and he allows you your second grace.

Close enough to feel the warmth gently radiate from his skin, to bloom out across your skin, you move to nearly straddle Aegon. It’s a shock of sensations, the motion making voids in this heavy cloth where the frigid air not yet warmed by the sun eagerly fills- rocketing over your legs and back to send shiver-flesh all across your skin, to pebble your nipples in that way that Aegon likes. It’s teeters on that disorienting precipice of pleasant-unpleasant, wanting to shy from the cold into the perpetual burn of your Lord-husband. An action that requires some work on your part, lining up to slowly and so, so meticulously lay yourself atop his slumbering frame. Not enough that he bears your weight, but enough that your cunt throbs at every inch of desperately desired contact between the two of you.

It’s good, it’s cathartic.

Still he does not wake- making little noncommittal grunts in his sleep that inspire your imagination. You try to fill out his dreams for him, unsure that he would even recall them upon waking. Perhaps he was speaking to someone, to a Princess? To you? To some divine woman upon a lake? A pleasant dream, one he would like to chase come the next night.

You start where your fingers had in the minutes passed. Mouth dipping to not quite kiss- rather a gentle brush of your mouth down and over his jaw, his chin, across his throat, over his collarbones. Your mouth makes sure contact only when you feel the feathered thump of his pulse in his throat- you’re captivated by this carnal urge, unsure for the briefest moment if you wanted to taste him like your lover, or taste him like your prey. Perhaps you truly were his bride, and slowly those animalistic, Valyrian urges have begun to hatch.

Your lips stay there a moment, thum, thum, thum against your relaxed lips. He groans, softly then. So quiet, distant still. Awareness is beginning to form along the crevices of your affection. His mind pooling at the peaks with the fundamental understanding that he’s being loved, and it is you doing it. To awaken and respond. Not quite, not quite. Your sleepy, tired boy. So you continue your loving, delicate descent across this body you’re so incredibly fond of. To his belly, where your ability to have restraint meets it’s match. No, indeed, you completely shirk the attempt to be discreet once the softened flesh that covers his abs meet your mouth- yawning open to take in bits of flesh here and there, to suckle and lick the faint salt of sweat. The skin here is softer than, say, the expanse of his chest, thicker than that on his throat. Nothing compares to his mouth, however. Divine, that is.

No, nothing compares, and those lips, rosy- floral pink, soft like blush, so pale and delicate, part in the morning light and greet you with peaks of his perfect, pale teeth. He’s made of something else, you’re sure of it. Your mind twists like wool on a loom, attempting to understand what it is precisely that Aegon reminds you of- snow, or porcelain maybe- as your tongue dips teasingly into his bellybutton on the way further south.

When you reach the expanse between one hip and the other, that’s where things grow sensitive. It’s one of the few places where Aegon has hair, whispy soft curls of fine white hair that just nearly disappears against his skin. Tickling over your mouth as you press more kisses, mouth hovering to feel the warmth soak in. Aegon’s thigh twitches when you kiss a vein, and finally- too fast and yet too slow at once, you stare down at the gift you’ve been blessed with.

Well endowed would be the simple man’s term for it.

You were never the most well-behaved girl, and where the fright of your parents’ wrath kept you from fucking any boy who caught your youthful fancy, it didn’t mean you couldn’t look. And look you had, sneaky little eyes skittering between cracks in the walls- greedy as you watched the boys and men, some close to your age, some far older, undress. Greedy, innocent little eyes drinking up all the cocks you had seen and after long enough began to compare.

And Aegon? His cock is fucking thick.

It had frightened you, the first time you saw it. Hadn’t realized that he’d been pining so eagerly after you, the stories told of a man incapable of resisting his urges. That he’d have lied and cheated and stolen his way to you long before your wedding day had he been interested in you like that. Instead, you were met with the sort of sheer girth and shape you simply hadn’t seen in spite of your sinful curiosity. His cockhead an aggravated red, leaking precum with the urgency to have you, bulbous and veiny at the center and ever so slightly curved- not even partially hidden by the hair he has, soft and white where it gathered.

Even now, soft with sleep, you’re sure he could intimidate an experienced whore.

Without the urgent desire to stuff your cunt, he’s not so red. His cock is pretty, even. As far as a mans’ bits could be considered so. Pale like the rest of him and with the same brilliant, powdery pink at the head- not yet exposed by arousal.

You let spit begin to pool in your mouth, gathering steadily until you could lap at it with your tongue- then, slowly, you drag your spit soaked tongue up the expanse of Aegon’s cock in a long, slow stripe.

It’s all it takes, you can hear Aegon inhale heavily as you go. The feeling of his skin is soft against your tongue, ever so faintly salty- and this action alone beckons the first hefty throb of his cock. Finally waking up. Breath escapes him in a heave and you pepper kisses all the way back down, ceasing only once you find yourself nestled into the hair at the base of his shaft.

“Fuck…” It’s a groan, voice completely roughened by sleep. You can watch him clearly when you look up from where you give kitten licks that creep closer and closer to that sensitive little spot just beneath his cockhead. He’s blinking, confused, disarmed as his body shoots to awareness long before his mind manages it.

“Good morning, love.” You murmur softly, sweetly the way you would if you were kissing his cheek and petting his hair while he finally stirs against your chest. Then, without warning, you begin to take him into your mouth.

It’s taken a great deal of patience on his part, and practice on yours- and even still up to this very moment it is incredibly difficult take him completely. The saliva is a necessary aid, drooling out around around him in all the places your mouth is simply too shallow to hold, and your hand reaches out to take the rest. You only just manage to fit your fingers completely, humming with satisfaction now that you have him.

Aegon is breathing more shallowly now, the world twisting disorientingly from the dullness and dark of sleep to the overwhelmingly sharp sensation of your soft little mouth around him. He’s still not entirely sure what happened, knocked off his perch by the suddenness of everything that’s transpiring. But he can feel the soft, wet texture of your tongue wriggle against the underside of his cock, and the back of your throat constrict valiantly around his head- and all attempts at reason are thrown to the wind in favor of how his stomach drops, gut tightens and thighs lock with lightning. Head thumping heavily back against his pillow to let out a breathy ‘oh…’

It’s a reward like no other, his cock twitching heavily the moment you’d swallowed around him. One of his thighs flex beneath the steadying grip of your palm and eagerly you wonder if he’ll keep still like a good boy, or fuck your mouth like a whore. It matters not either way, you intend to take his seed into your mouth by the end of it. You intend to have him all wrung out, stones as empty as his pretty head before he even steps out the door of your shared chambers. More eagerly you bob, starting to pull yourself along him with a guttural, thick smacking noise. The taste is getting headier, saltier, your lips and his cock wetter when his own glistening pre-cum begins to contribute to your heavily salivating mouth.

“My- my girl… My pretty girl- ffff- what i-is this for, hm?” Aegon manages to choke the words past his lips, and you feel his fingers thread gently into your hair, cradling the back of your head as his breath dips from labored to shallow pants. He wasn’t prepared for this, and his end comes careening all the faster for it. No chance to exert control over himself, to draw himself out so he could fuck you good and proper like he likes.

You’d caught him by surprise, and all he can do is let out a horrible, wounded whimper when you whine around him and the vibrations make his head jerk back without his control, chin tipping up toward the sky. It’s straining his throat, tensing his belly so hard that the musculature can be seen. That tongue, pink pink pink like everything else about him, darts free to lick frantically across his lips. Wincing as you twist your own this way and that, suck deep, squeeze his base firmly.

“Hah… You’re- I’m- love I’m close, I’m so-”And as if you set out to fucking kill the man, you throw back the remaining covers, the only modesty that hides from him what you’ve been doing.

Can’t see it the way he’d like, no. But that does nothing to deter the way his arousal pools desperately with the pleasure you’ve already built up in him, captured by the sight of your hips moving frantic and shallow. He can imagine the wet stain beneath you, the way you’re trying so hard- his sweet babe- to chase after some sort of relief or friction on the mattress between his legs. Spread as wide as you can get in your position in the hopes that your clit could fetch against the sheets and zing with the pleasure you give him so readily.

When your palm slides down just a touch further, groping and massaging at his stones, it’s the final strand that breaks. He gives a strangled- desperate noise. A whiny high pitched moan that might pass as some attempt at warning you. And then his world glazes over as that contradictory awful-wonderful sensation absolutely ravages all of his nerves and all possibility to do anything except exist and writhe for you. Mouth squeezing around him, cheeks hollowing, eager licks as the distinct taste of his seed spills into your mouth.

It’s too much for you to get it all, paired with the size of him, and little droplets of pearly white spill out from the corners of your mouth when you pull away- letting him and his cock go slack against the bed. He’s watching you, half lidded and breathing in heavy puffs. Your gaze does not tear away, does not so much as waver when you wipe his seed up from your face with your fingers, sucking it off before you crawl to take your rightful place tucked against him.

His face is beyond flushed, desperately ruddy, eyes glassy and pupils shot. And he watches you with a holy sort of reverence, the kind of thing he never once spared for the Seven.

“Good morning.” He finally gets to say, voice still a bit hefty with sleep- gravelly for entirely different reasons. Your mouth parts with a curling smile reserved just for him- eager to greet him and pepper his face with kisses, and all that comes free is a whine.

His fingers, big and calloused, have taken their place against your clit. There’s no build up, nor tease. He rubs steady little circles there and smiles at the way the bud throbs. He knows he could lean back, see your cute little cunt clench and glisten. It already was, by the wet-spot he is unsurprised to see on the bed- but he wants to work you until it drips in crystalline threads down his arm.

Your brows furrow, he’s getting quicker with it now. The sensations of course, no less immediate than what you’d afforded him- just as raw and overwhelming. The difference is, Aegon has no struggle handling you the way you do him. No, not at all. You’ve a delicate little cunt, just for him. And Aegon is a man who has had women in spades- a man who has played instruments against the immense distaste of his mother his whole life. He had the sort of silver fingers that could make a whore pay him.

Yes, indeed. And you rock your hips into it. Starting to press harder now, starting to change patterns and directions- he seeks you out cleverly and unrelentingly. Trying to find that precise combination that makes you feel it in your teats, makes you tingle and writhe. Makes you try to escape him for the overwhelm of it. Those were the ones he likes, the orgasms where you’d cry from how painfully good it was, how overwhelming.

It makes you all too aware of how empty you are, now. Unfortunate though you do not regret the taste of him on your tongue, nor do you regret the way he’s looking at you- equal parts infatuation and a sort of predatory hunger.

“Did you dream of me, hm?” He says then, voice beginning to turn over as full awareness clears his eyes. “Well? My beautiful wife? Did you dream of taking your husband’s cock all night? Did you dream it would overwhelm you? That you would plead with him to stop because it was too much? That you couldn’t take another release? That you were sure it would kill you?

Is it this that got my wife from her slumber so cursedly early? Is this what drives her to suckle on her husband’s cock like the good girl she is?”

He drives his fingers inward then, groans appreciatively not only at the way you moan for him- you spread the leg you’re not supporting yourself on, open yourself submissively to him and let him see all the more vividly the way your now unattended bud is throbbing and throbbing for it. The pleasure accumulating and running tracks to your nipples, to your clit, the insides of your thighs. It burns and is cold all at once, punctuated by the way that his fingers- just two of them, are so much longer and so much thicker than your own. You could play with yourself like this for hours and simply be frustrated to tears, never reaching as deep as he does right now, fingers curling in such a way that you stammer a pleasured noise and sway into him. Overwhelmed.

“I hope that this is the reason you decided to reward me so lovingly, my dove. Because that’s what’s going to happen, now. I’m going to fuck you senseless.”

[thatsthewrongwallcraig]

so, i read a smut of yours and i was sure you were the right person for what i wanted, in my mind it happens with kappa but as long as it's a rory character i don't mind if you change it. i wanted a rebel sub reader, who fights back, resists and hurts him like he hurts her and spits in his face, which makes him fuck her even harder and more brutally, at the end you can add a aftercare, it would be really sweet to see she melting in his arms after so much resistance

Filthy Animals

Summary: There's nothing to see here, just two doms fighting for the upper hand, please walk on…

Pairing: Kappa x fem!Reader

Word Count: ~1k

Content Warnings: Unhinged Smut 18+!, We Take A Full Dive Into It Right After The Cut, A LOT Of Swearing, Kappa And Reader Being Two Crackheads In The Sheets, Scratching, Biting, Spitting, Slapping, You Name It, Unprotected P In V, Slight Daddy Kink, A Rather One-Sided Orgasm But That's Okay, Implied Aftercare, Implied Consensual Cutting

A/N: I have been evil cackling at this request since I saw it in my inbox, tbh 👀

Tagging the horny horde:

@crypticsewerslut @quicksilversg1rl @alalalaaallaaalaaa @icarus-star @milsthouqhts @roryculkinsbf @roryculkinsgf @spookyorchid @arch1viste @whoareyoi @angelsanarchy @b4sementgrl

Want you tied up in my bed

With my name carved deep into your chest

Harmless games went to my head

Now I want you breathing down my neck

- Animal By Jim Yosef, RIELL

"Why do you have to be such a fucking bitch about it right now?" Kappa's low voice groaned against the shell of your ear in a menacing tone as he pulled both of your knees over his shoulders right before shoving the full length of his cock into your oozing wet cunt.

"Oh, fuck you, asshole!" You pressed between clenched jaws, feeling how he drilled himself into you rather unceremoniously, "Who was that stupid twat talking to you in the hall, huh?!"

"I told you already, fucking hell! Absolutely no one.", Kappa hissed, his hot breath hitting against your cheek, "She's new to the group and asked for my help, that's that."

"Uh-huh, yeah, sure. That's why that blond-haired barbie whore was all flirty hair twirling with you, right?" With a certain degree of malicious intent you dug your nails into the skin of his back, dragging them down inch by inch until you were certain to either leave bright red marks on your property or draw blood.

"It was nothing!", He huffed from between grinding teeth, "How many times do I have to tell you?!"

Kappa lifted his right hand from the mattress to carefully straighten it out before his broad palm hit your cheek in a hefty slap. On impact, your head lolled to the side, the sharp pang of pain rapidly spreading over the entire side of your face.

"Maybe until I believe you, shithead!" You spat right back, not even remotely allowing him to gain the high ground right now.

In a sense of relentless fervor, you raised your head up until you were able to sink your teeth right into the toned muscles of his chest.

"Oh, get a grip!" He groaned as you bit down, the hand that smacked your face grabbing a fistful of your hair simply to yank you away from him immediately.

You felt how your teeth scraped over his skin, clenching it between your canines until it inevitably slipped away.

"Fucking feral cunt!" Kappa grunted whilst hammering his cock inside you in such a hard way that it nearly made you flinch.

"But your cunt!", You spewed, "You better not forget that!"

"I'd never!", His fingers let go of your hair, tracing over your jaw down to your chin, "C'mon, open up, would you? Daddy's got a special treat just for you."

At his words you felt your whole attitude shifting whether you wanted it to or not. With widening eyes, you stared at him, reluctantly opening your mouth.

"That's my good girl right there, no?" You simply nodded in response.

Your drowsy, somewhat fucked out gaze met with his arctic blue eyes as you heard him gathering the spit in his mouth.

"Tongue out, whore!" Kappa demanded, tilting his head with a lopsided grin.

Not breaking eye contact whatsoever, you let your tongue dart out between an open mouth.

"There, there…" His tone somewhere in between taunt and praise before spitting a sticky amalgamation of saliva right onto your tongue.

"Swallow for Daddy!" He scoffed, pushing your mouth shut again.

And that you did.

"Good girl!" Kappa praised you right after, picking up on his pace.

"Don't you ever doubt that you are my one and only!" He whispered, his lips softly brushing over yours, not quite kissing you just yet.

"There'll never ever be another woman by my side, I promise." You felt the tip of his nose nudging yours while his pace started to falter.

"I'll do whatever is necessary to protect you." Kappa's body turned rigid above yours.

"Fuck, it's really just you…" He drilled his cock into you for one final, deep thrust, before you felt him coming undone inside of you. White-hot ropes of his cum painting your insides and filling you up.

"It's just you!" Kappa whimpered, lost in his orgasmic bliss as he freed your tights from his grip and practically collapsed onto you.

Your muscles certainly felt sore as you stretched your legs out over the mattress but you barely paid attention to it, really.

"Come here…" Kappa rolled himself off of you, wrapping his arms around your waist.

"I know today was a lot, but I'm still all about you, Sugar.", You allowed yourself to curl right up to him, practically melting into his gentle embrace, "Nothing will ever change anything about that, okay?"

"Are you sure about that?" As safe and warm you felt in his hug, the voices inside of your head were louder.

"I'm so sure about it that I'd cut your name into my skin if you asked me to." Kappa reciprocated right away.

"Well, then, I'm asking you to, Kappa."

[letteredlettered]

Oh, I just realized your asks are behind the 18+ button 🤔

Sorry about that; I don't know how to change it, but I do have anonymous asks on, so technically anyone can ask anything, though my tumblr is definitely 18+.

I'll answer the question you asked in the post here, then link it in the replies, since it's too long for a reply. Here's the question:

do employee complaints to HR about a manager ever result in anything? Our HR seems to completely ignore them.

I can only answer for my company, but the short answer is: rarely.

The way almost all business is structured, not only in the US but in plenty of other places too, is hierarchical. A boss is at the top and employees are at the bottom. And unless you've got an HR employee for every other kind of employee (which you don't), this means it will always be easier for HR reps to know bosses personally than employees, because there are fewer managers than employees. Personally, I was responsible for about 30 departments, so 30 managers, but probably about 1200 employees. All the managers knew me and I knew them. I barely even saw most of the employees unless they were in trouble.

As you can probably tell, this kind of relationship structure means it's easier to regularly meet with management than employees. It's easier to hear and receive management complaints that employee complaints. And because HR has a relationship with management, there is more pressure to resolve management complaints than employee complaints.

The very definition of this structure is that managers have more power than employees. If employees are pressuring HR to resolve something, the effect of not resolving it is that employees are unhappy--but HR rarely has to deal with employees, so this is just not a big problem or a big impact to that HR rep's job. Again, there are too many employees for them all to get face time with HR, and these employees probably don't have time to go to HR anyway because it's not built in as part of their job. Interfacing with HR is built in as a part of a manager's job.

If employees go to their manager, and their manager takes the complaint to HR, there is more pressure to resolve the complaint, because HR has to deal with that manager every day. If the employees or the manager take the complaint to upper management, then upper management will pressure upper HR to resolve the complaint, which in turn means that upper HR leadership (say, the VP) will pressure their subordinates. The best pressure you can put on anyone to "get the job done" in a hierarchical structure is to have their boss telling them to do it. Therefore, the only way to put extreme pressure on the HR employee who represents you is if it is an upper level leadership concern.

Upper level leadership concerns are typically going to be about liability, and companies are most at risk if they are breaking the law. There are laws about things like physical violence and theft. There are also laws about discrimination and sexual harassment, though this depends on where you live. If upper leadership becomes aware that management is putting the organization at risk because a boss is breaking these laws, you might expect quick action. You'd be wrong.

I'm sure some organizations are different, but mine had a special office for dealing with sexual harassment and discrimination. This meant if I began looking into a case and found that it involved sexual harassment and discrimination, I had to stop immediately and hand the case over to that office to investigate. They're a small office so it took forever, and then they always wanted to meet with me to talk about it, even though I didn't have information because I had to stop looking into it so their office could look into it instead. The only thing they were doing in their investigation was determining whether certain laws had been violated. Then when they (inevitably) found that the laws weren't violated, they would turn it back over to me and I would basically have to start over again (weeks later).

Okay, so that's certain types of complaints that upper leadership catches wind about. What about the rest? Let's talk about what happens when an employee submits a concern.

If it's the kind of liability I described above and there's clear proof, the HR rep would probably tell their own boss, and then upper HR would contact upper management and things would proceed as I described above. Where it gets kind of gray is if your boss is being kind of skeevy and it feels like sexual harassment, but you don't have a lot of specifics. Or say you know your boss is racist, but all you have are a set of microaggressions that could have "innocent" explanations but you know they aren't, maybe because of other things that can't be easily explained or quantified. And then there are the complaints about your boss bullying you, or being rude to you, or giving you too much work, or not listening to you when you explain issues with the work.

When HR receives a complaint, the first thing they're probably going to do is contact the manager and ask what's going on. If the manager says there's nothing going on, the HR person is more likely to believe the manager, because that's the person with whom they have the personal relationship. But even if they don't trust the manager, they're not going to automatically trust the complainant either. Honestly, this was one of the things that was hardest about my job. I didn't trust the managers I worked with farther than I could throw them, but after a while I found it hard to trust employees as well. My instinct is to trust the powerless, but there were a number of cases where I had absolutely solid proof that employees were lying in their complaints and were likely doing so to avoid disciplinary action. I never knew whom to trust, so while I expressed empathy with everyone who voiced complaints (except sometimes management), I usually opened an investigation to try to get to the truth of the matter.

Finding said proof can be extremely hard if there's not hard evidence. It's not like TV crime where there is a definite bad thing that happened and the point is to find the perpetrator. It's one person saying something is happening, and often that something is undefined and amorphous. It's not really the case that HR can just go be a worker for a day and see how a boss treats people. The boss will act different; the employees will act different, and also there just isn't time for the really deep work that would require.

The best way for HR to find out what's going on is to talk to witnesses (other employees). This can be a very difficult and long process. Other employees don't want to talk to HR, and it's not a great idea to force them because it's so intimidating. You want employees to feel comfortable so that they feel like they can tell the truth. Due to this and the fact the employees are usually working really hard, even setting up an appointment can take a long time. Then, once you talk to them, they're afraid. They don't want to get anyone in trouble. They don't want their boss to know they talked bad about them. They might not be particularly invested in another employee who is being badly treated if they themselves are not being badly treated, not because everyone is so selfish but because if you have a bully for a boss you are probably already living in fear of keeping your job. I can say until I'm blue in the face that retaliation is prohibited, but retaliation still happens; the only thing I can do about retaliation is warn people not to retaliate and then when it happens, open yet another investigation and hopefully recommend discipline if I have evidence.

Okay, so say the investigation is conducted and the HR rep definitely has some solid evidence about a problem with the boss. Again, if said problem falls into the realm of discrimination or sexual harassment, there's often a whole other path that needs to follow. But say your boss is just an asshole. Now it depends on what kind of asshole.

I dealt with a lot of complaints where people could not understand why I was not taking action, when what was really going on was that two different people saw the world differently. Person A wanted me to reprimand Boss 1 for being blunt and aggressive. Person B appreciated how forthright and honest Boss 1 was. Person C wanted me to reprimand Boss 2 for being passive aggressive and never having a frank conversation with them. Person D was grateful Boss 2 was gentle and circumspect. Person E was upset Boss 3 reprimanded them in front of others. Person D was upset Boss 4 took them into a private room to reprimand them secretly instead of being open about it. Person F complained to me that Boss 5 was unnecessarily threatening. Boss 5, in the eyes of Person G, had had a frank conversation with Person F about doing their job. Did Person F have a good reason for not doing their job? Yes. Does that mean they could just not do their job? No. Was it appropriate for Boss 5 to have a frank discussion about the consequences of Person F not doing their job? Yes. Was Boss 5 unnecessarily threatening? Possibly. Was Person F also just really upset about the unavoidable circumstances which made their job suck? Possibly.

A crazy thing happens when you get both sides of the picture: things are no longer so black and white, and what seems like a problem on one side is something really different on the other. Do managers still mistreat employees? All the time. Is it really hard to diagnose? All the time.

But okay, let's say the problem is pretty clean cut; either there's evidence or a lot of people are all saying the same thing. You should know that in most instances, HR can't issue corrective action or getting folks fired directly. What they do is make recommendations. Whom do they make recommendation to? You guessed it--the next level of management, ie your boss's boss.

Your boss's boss doesn't want to fire your boss. As I explained in this post, leaders are hard to recruit and hard to train. Your boss's boss (let's call them the manager) would have to do your boss's job if your boss (let's call them the supervisor) got fired and your supervisor's job is likely a nightmare because your supervisor is likely middle management and middle management is awful. Your manager has risen above middle management and never wants to go back.

On top of that, your manager also isn't receiving the kind of pressure that spurs them into action. If an HR rep tells a manager to tell a supervisor that the supervisor better shape up, well, there's not a huge consequence if the manager doesn't follow through. For there to be a huge consequence, the HR rep would need to talk to HR leadership and HR leadership would need to talk to the manager's boss (let's call them the director). Now, if your director was telling the manager that the supervisor should be put on notice, your manager would probably have a conversation with that supervisor really quickly and put something in that supervisor's file that indicates they better shape up or else. But otherwise, the HR rep really does not have that much influence--sure, they can tell their HR leadership, but if HR leadership isn't being pressured by upper management, they don't have a lot of incentive to push the complaint, just as the HR rep themself also doesn't have a lot of incentive (other than altruism!) to press the issue.

So basically, the way typical companies are put together means employees are fucked.

The last thing I will say, though, is that I got a lot of people accusing me of doing nothing when I did do something. I really did, and things changed, and the workplace got better. And when they were accusing me of doing nothing, I asked them, "is the problem still occurring?" they would say no. And I'd say, "so what makes you think I didn't do anything?" and they'd say, "well I never heard what you did." I'd say, "okay, and if I was going to give you a corrective action, would you want me to tell others that it happened?" They would agree with me that this would not be cool. And yet, three months later, they'd be back again with a different, unrelated problem, once more telling me that the complaint they had last year was never "taken care of," even though they are no longer dealing with that problem any more. The number of times this happened was staggering. I even had people making up their own reasons why the problem stopped, while still complaining to me that HR never does anything, when I know for a fact the whole reason the problem stopped is because HR did a lot. But HR is never, ever going to tell you what they did, because they can't. There's a lot you can't be transparent about, because discipline should be confidential. But sometimes all folks want is for someone to get fired, and in the end, that's really the only thing that's super visible.

To end with just a little bit of positivity, I can advise that if you make a complaint and don't hear back about it, make the complaint repeatedly. Try to get a hold of the same HR rep. You can be polite about it. You don't have to be a stinker. But if you are persistent, they'll stop pushing your complaint to the bottom of the pile, and if you continue being persistent, they'll likely circle back to you to at least tell you they investigated. It probably means they didn't find anything or if they did, they're not going to tell you, but for some, it's a little better than nothing.

[jolynejay]

I really do love how the world of Genshin Impact, of Teyvat, is set up to guide the Traveler to godhood and make them a "good" god at that.

Because one thing is for sure Celestia is limiting the world - it is paraded as the highest of high ideals to achieve but all it's appointed Archons are named after demons. As a metatextual reader this creates an immediate discrepancy between the "heavens" imploying "demons" to rule humanity. Furthermore, Venti calls Celestia's waters foul, its fruit bland. A front that looks all nice and shiny but is rotten at its core.

And while somehow the Traveler's Sibling was made part of the world and conversely is under the laws of Teyvat's existence, the Traveler themselves is not. They are an outsider unbound by the rules and affected differently than the inhabitants of this world.

And as they set out to find their Sibling (notably, GUIDED by Paimon whose irl mythological counterpart is also a King of Hell), they traverse the world and meet its Archons. Along the way they learn, consciously or not, what makes a "good life" and how the gods all try to enforce their ideals - their dreams. One after another, the gods, the lands, the world itself imparts their dreams of a good life upon the Traveler.

The kind but apathetic Traveler that from the beginning only ever cared for their lost Sibling, not for the world of Teyvat. The blank slate that continues on without a single dream of their own. This Fallen Star, who has traveled hundreds and thousands of worlds before, learns what it means to live and to care for the future of this world.

And so their journey slowly teaches them:

In Mondstadt, they learn of the importance of Freedom as one of humanity's highest ideals - thus always to tyrants. Deep down we're all meant to be free.

In Liyue, they learn that for society to function properly there needs to be a social contract between the people, the gods, nature itself. Because "even the wind cannot blow on forever." Freedom cannot exist without Order.

In Inazuma, they learn that linging to the past will only serve to make the world stagnant. Order is all well and good but trying to conserve the past will only prolong grief and suffering. Change is inevitable - the only thing to ever be eternal - and dreams the catalyst.

In Sumeru, they learn that history is written, it is malleable. But while it may sometimes is better to erase pieces to lead to a brighter future, you can't erase history to escape responsibility and accountability. To know ourselves and others well is the most difficult and meaningful work to do. Knowledge is a blessing and a burden - and we bear the responsibility to hold ourselves and others accountable for the actions and paths we choose.

And the Traveler's journey continues on, even as they suffer, have to learn how to handle their own emotions, and decide for themselves what they want the future to be. And they continue to learn until the day of their ascendancy...

When their wishes, their dreams, become strong enough to reach the False Heavens and the Starry Abyss.

[hopefulvittori]

Kindled emotions

Pinocchio (Lies of P) x OC/Reader

Angst/Fluff

So this is my very first fanfiction... To be honest, I was kinda afraid to post it at first, but every starts are always the hardest. Sorry about my english in advance, I'm not a native speaker. I only created this blog as a placeholder because AO3 has a pretty long inv queue nowadays. As soon as I have an account, I'll post my upcoming fics here and there. :)

As his journey goes on, the puppet of Geppetto starts to experience fear and doubts about his circumstances. Luckily, a certain helpful falcon helps to take that despair away.

──────────

Pain wasn't foreign for the puppet of Geppetto. At least not anymore. He noticed a few changes ever since he started his journey. It hurt him when the frenzied puppets hit him with a candle holder or a shovel. Or when the monster-turned infectees latched themselves onto him. 

Yet, this kind of pain was different. It came from his chest area. It was suffocating. 

Ever since he dealt with the Black Rabbit Brotherhood and saw that painting, he's been thinking a lot. Every time he was close to shutting down, the woman in blue always stayed time's hand from claiming him. And despite his struggles, he always saw his father - his creator - watching that portrait with melancholic fondness. Oh, how he wished that his only family would've looked at him with similar tenderness...

He started to feel fear. Fear from the uncertainties of his time-manipulating circumstances. What if the next of his perilous endeavours will be the last? What would his father think of him then? Will he be sad? Disappointed, maybe both? Questions, yet no answers.

"Are you okay, pal? You've been spacing out a lot lately." Gemini asked him with a worried tone. His green light flickered in the dark streets of Rose Isabelle.

It was all true. He has been extra cautious when it comes to his stalking. Krat was certainly a dangerous place to live by, especially with these frenzying puppets and monsters around. Despite that, although slightly, his non-legion hand was shaking. He couldn't feel the sword in his hand the way he held it before. His cerulean gaze was glued to the ground. 

He felt cold...

"H-hey! Watch where you're going or else we'll be--!" Even though the puppet guide in the lamp tried to warn him, the encounter was inevitable. A large number of frenzied puppets fell from a storeyed house. Screaming like wild animals, they were lunging themselves towards the puppet of Geppetto. He reacted as quickly as he could and turned his back on his desired destination. Although he avoided getting clobbered by the puppets, he couldn't stop one of them latching itself onto his leg. Trashing against his captor, the boy managed to get himself free and cut it down with a single powerful strike. Then he ran away with the feeling of hopelessness and confusion.

He didn't even notice that lack of the lantern's green glimmer. The hostile puppet managed to grab Gemini and drop it to the ground. It couldn't see where the puppet boy ran off to nor warn its partner in crime as the impact managed to turn it off.

───── ⋆ ─────

The Falcon felt quite tired after spending the night on the streets of Krat, getting rid of the maddened puppets. With each strike, her indigo dress was painted with oil. She felt the taste of iron in her mouth. It sickened her. 

Separating her lance into two blades, she finished her work on the last two or three automatons. Electric sparks lightened the darkness as her enemies lifelessly fell into the cold stones. She sighed in relief while sheathed her swords. She saw no other puppets on the streets. None, except one. The Falcon noticed a familiar lanter lying on the ground. Its side was kinda battered.

"Cricky? What happened?" She asked as she picked up the lantern. No response. The lack of his peculiar green light worried her. Then she suddenly remembered how its owner turned it on and off. She looked for a button on its side. With a "click" and its signature green spark, the lantern turned on. 

"T-t-tori?" Though her distorted voice surprised the stalker, she was more annoyed about calling her that silly nickname.

"What happened to you?" She asked. 

"I-i don't know. There were... so many puppets and... and..." He said with fearful hesitation.

The Falcon looked around, searching for the signs of Gemini's owner. Did the puppets get him? He was pretty much inseparable from his lantern. Something bad must've happened.

"Where is Speckles?" She asked slowly. 

"I'm... n-not sure. One of the puppets grabbed me a-and... and..." Even though it felt kinda impossible, Gemini sounded like it was in despair. Its entire purpose was to guide its owner. Without him, no wonder it sounded so lost.

The Falcon grabbed the lantern and strapped it on her belt. Her hand rested on its form as some comfort of sorts. She didn't say anything but started her search for the puppet of Geppetto. She knew his nature. He was pretty much an Ergo-harvesting automaton. She always felt the sweet scent of life on him. It was both of her blessing and curse to being attuned to those souls, feeling their desires as her own. She followed that odor of the puppet's Ergo. She always found his scent quite nostalgic. Like settling around a fireplace after getting away from the cold rain or snow. It was warm. 

She stalked around Rose Isabelle streets for almost an hour. Luckily, she felt it. The scent of Ergo got a lot stronger inside of an abandoned storeyed house. She was careful though. Her steps were light as a feather when she started searching through the home. There she heard it: a quiet but hasty heaving. It came from a bedroom. The Falcon doubled her steps, carefully opening the door. Then she slightly gasped at the sight that awaited her. 

The puppet of Geppetto sat before a bed. His frozen expression was lightened in the fireplace's gentle gleam. It was subtle, but his eyes were staring forward in shock. Lips parted and gasped for air. 

It seemed that he was searching for some sort of solace. To remind himself of the comfort of his home. Yet despite his endeavors, he clearly failed to calm his nerves. 

"Speckles? What are you doing here?" The Falcon asked gently. She hoped for a response, yet the boy couldn't even look at her. The woman got closer and crouched before him. Even like that, the puppet failed to notice her presence.

Judging by his body language, he had a panic attack. The stalker didn't know that this was even possible. He was a puppet after all. Yet even though she had questions, she needed to wait for answers. 

"P?" The woman tried to call out for the boy once again. Only this time, her hand found its way to the puppet's human one. To the Falcon's surprise, it felt wet. His hand was drenched in sweat. She placed her other hand on his freckled cheek, forcing him to look at her. Despite tilting his head towards the woman, his eyes were unfocusing. 

"It's alright, P. It will pass." She said gently, stroking his cheek. "I'll stay with you until this is over."

Then she felt it. His human hand gently squeezed hers. He showed her appreciation in a way he could in this situation. She warmly smiled and sat beside him. She petted his fluffy chestnut brown hair while holding his hand.

"Try to control your breathing. It will help you calm down." She continued on as she showed it to him. "Take a big breath... keep it in for a bit... then breathe out."

She kept doing it until the puppet of Geppetto tried to do something similar. Even though he couldn't look at her, he tried to do his best to calm his breathing. His shoulders rose and fell in a more rhythmic manner.

"That's it, P. You're getting better at this. You're going to be alright." The Falcon said in an encouraging way.

His chest heaved less and his eyes became more focused. He needed a few minutes before he could finally look at her. He tilted his head a bit slightly to the right, eyebrows raised in a questioning manner. 

The Falcon smiled at him, unstrapping Gemini from her belt in the meanwhile. The boy was surprised to see his puppet guide in the hands of the stalker woman. 

"Some puppet must've snatched it. I found it after you hid here." She explained quietly, handing over the small puppet to its owner. The boy gave her a small smile as his appreciation. 

"What happened?" As she asked, his simper disappeared. He tried to avoid her stare, but the Falcon searched his gaze curiously. 

"I..." His lips were parting slowly, but no more words came out. She knew now: these feelings were beyond his comprehension. He wasn't ready yet.

The Falcon shifted and sat before the puppet boy. She grabbed his automaton arm and gently squeezed both of his hands.  

"I see now. You can't tell me, can you?" She asked quietly. 

The boy nodded curtly. 

"...Because it's something you can't exactly explain." She continued. 

He blinked a bit before nodding again. The woman averted her gaze and looked at the fireplace. 

"The flames partake in such warmth. To wash away the pain."

The puppet raised an eyebrow curiously. 

"Oh, just a phrase someone I knew used a lot..." She said with a tint of melancholy. The Falcon shook her head. "Anyway... if you have any doubts, you don't need to be afraid. I know how these new feelings and doubts can burden one's heart. But..." She gave him an encouraging look. "When you're ready to tell me about them... you know where you can find me. You can always partake in this warmth." 

This woman - this girl - intrigued him to no end. Sometimes she was witty, yet showed kindness to others. Even strangers. She was willing to sit with him, helping to understand these new emotions without asking anything in return. His doubts were washed away in those sea of flames she spoke of. As he held onto her hands, clutching them like small, fragile things, he felt... safe. Like a warm blanket, this new feeling covered his entire being.

He felt warmth...

Without hesitation, he leant towards the Falcon and gently pressed his forehead to hers. Her breath hitched as her entire body froze. His human hand shifted to stroke her long ashen brown hair. His eyes were closed as he tried to express the gratitude he had felt. Then a small smile appeared on his lips as he felt her being relaxed in his grasp. Her hand found its way to his arm as a way of support. This situation was also new to the stalker. Her kindness was appreciated. Her words didn't fall on deaf ears.

It wasn't in vain.

Realizing this, she gave out a sigh of bliss. The Falcon felt a bit light-headed from the content she had felt... or maybe from the tiredness. Her head slowly slipped from the boy's forehead onto his left shoulder. He gave her a mild puzzled look as his arms encircled around her form. Each time she sighed, her shoulders were rising. The puppet of Geppetto could've sworn he heard her snoring. He felt his gears moving a bit faster as he looked at her peaceful form. The Falcon completely tired herself out, yet she found the strength to help him. He carefully scooped her up and laid her down onto the bed. He watched her serene face as a content smile appeared on her lips.

"Geez, she is completely tired herself out. Just to look out for you." It was a genuine surprise how long Gemini has been quiet. Its voice was kinda raspy from the damage it sustained, but it survived worse situations than this. The boy was fully convinced that it was fine when the puppet guide suggested to draw a mustache and a monocle on her face. With a deadpan face, he reached for his lantern.

"Imagine her reaction, that would be price... Wait wait! I was kidd--" With a loud "click", Gemini was turned off. The puppet of Geppetto quietly sighed as he sat down next to Falcon's resting form.

Morning wasn't coming any time soon. He could wait until down to make sure she gets some rest. As he watched her defenseless form, his hand reached for hers. He gave her a last squeeze before standing up and reaching for the door.

"Sweet dreams."

──────────

In the original storybook, the Falcon was a minor character. It was the Blue Fairy's helper who rescued Pinocchio from hanging. I thought it would be a neat idea to put P in a similar but symbolic situation. He was literally suffocating from his fears and doubts until the Falcon tried to make those feelings go away. :) Btw my OC just loves giving nicknames yet she hates being called Tori (her real name is Vittori, her nickname means "bird" in japanese).

Once again, sorry for any grammatical errors. I hope you enjoyed this story filled with angst and fluff!

[horizon-verizon]

Alysanne is treated awfully by her husband, who is never once confronted by the narrative for his horrible behaviour. Who would rather risk her dying in childbirth than take any steps to prevent pregnancy as she requests, forces her beloved and mentally disabled daughter to be married off despite the obvious risk to her life and refuses to take responsibility when Daella inevitable suffers an awful death, and who values people of Alysanne’s gender so little that he completely goes against Westerosi custom by passing over his own granddaughter.

If Alysanne, powerless apart from what Jaehaerys deigned to grant her, helpless to stop her daughters being out at risk or to decide for herself to see Saera again, is GRRM’s example of a good queen, it’s pretty sad.

I understand the frustration, since again we never get more queens exactly like Rhaenys or Visenya and even here we may comment on how un-feminist or anti woman it is to not have them as "ideal" queens when Rhaenys died in the violence of war (the eradication of women in fiction) while Visenya enables a tyrant to rule...but really F&B and the Targaryens' history was not really supposed to be a feminist tale BECAUSE the history--though not-- was meant to show the decline of royal female power & agency that happened due to the assimilation into Andal patriarchy for power and/or to get a foothold and unified state to fight against the Others if you think of the theory of Aegon having a dragon dream about this. Especially in connection to Dany's rise.

AND I will say I do agree to critique on how GRRM's writing sometimes inspires anti-women-ess through a paltry (thought we can't say nonexistent, there is a punishment against rape or sense of social taboo on rape in Westeros, but...) pushback or punishment for rape and violence against women [joannalannister]. I'm saying that GRRM's work is not meanT to be taken as actual feminist literature but a series that really sets out to dramatize already present/past truths and conditions and sometimes to the detriment of its female characters and the impression made on readers. GRRM is still a liberal-ist white man.

AT THE SAME TIME, SINCE THIS ISN'T A FEMINIST SERIES BUT A "LOOK WHAT CAN HAPPEN" SORT OF THING

I think that the whole point is that, yes, this is a sad and it stems from how limiting such a set up is AND Alysanne was a politically "good" queen. How she treats her own kids and is complicit in how they died or ran away should be a part of how "good" one is as a general sort of leader, yeah, but unlike Jaehaerys and the "good" he did Alysanne's "good" acts for the realm had much more of a necessary impact in the sociopolitical landscape of their subjects. and I mean towards more marginalized groups, esp women. It's like she made sure to "round up" those left behind in other aristocrat's projects.

la-pheacienne says this:

Whether that someone has been chosen by the people, or by the gods, or by destiny, or by circumstances, and regardless of the political system that allowed them to yield that power, the point is that someone has power ad hoc at any given time, and power equals responsibility. What do you do with it? How do you govern? How do you choose between two equally grievous alternatives? Who do you listen to? Who do you trust? How can you learn? What if everything you've been told was a lie? How do you move on from there? What if the promises you made contradict each other? What if you fail? How do you live with the guilt, how do you go on? How do you instigate a structural change? What if you try to do that and people die? What if you try to do that and it kills you? Was it worth it? How do you use th

On top of that, Alysanne was still a Consort, not a Regnant. (POST & POST) She had less power than Rhaenya or Visenya, who though were not exactly Regnants they also weren't just Aegon's wives but consummate and active politicians themselves, making deals in the open, riding dragons into wars, enacting laws, and creating institutions. Alysanne had to rely on her husband's power to have and hope to have her thoughts on legislation come to reality. It is just a fact that queen Consorts, unlike Queen regnants, had to depend on her royal husband's favor, regard, or perception of need of her to have any semblance of power because she is a woman and a Consort. It's part of the deal, the sociopolitical conditions. In reality and real history, it was such for MOST queen consorts. Yeah they had more power at court and influenced their husbands, but you are seeing in Alysanne something that looks like what that sort of power could have been like. Even Alysanne had more influence over Jaehaerys than some real queen Consorts and those that came after her! Think of Rhaella, Naerys, Myriah Martell, etc.

Were there female consorts in real history who practiced more influence, power, etc. than their officially ruling husband or were their active equals in terms of policy making while showing some power over their kids lives than just, of course! But this is not the rule of the land, but exceptions. nor the common experience of medieval/early mod pd women/female consorts precisely bc it was thought women didn't make good rulers. There is Empress Sisi, who couldn't even keep her own children close to her because royal children are not considered the Queen's but those "of the state", so the emperor and/or his mother could force them apart for any reason.

Juxtapose this to the Viserra situation. Alysanne actually was the one to arrange for the marriages she knew her husband wanted (esp after the whole deal with Daella refusing nearly every man/boy), and insisted to Viserra she had to marry Theomore Manderly. She had more power over her kids than you may think...it's not perfect because she is of course anticipating Jaehaerys' desires for the girls to be married off quick enough to build certain alliances or to just get rid of them, but she does not allow herself to really think the match bad and refuses to listen to her daughter. There was will here, from Alysanne not present in Sis, and again, she had more power than later Consorts...yet based in Jaehaerys because she is a Consort and a dragonrider (helps the impression and image to gain "respect").

So we're presented with another question this series inspires: when & how should someone lay blame or responsibility on marginalized groups, identities, etc. like women of aristocratic classes, men of lower classes, either of different "races" (fiction and reality), and with what evidence?

First, Alysanne married and stayed with Jaehaerys as his companion since she was 13. She saw him as the default king, the leader, and herself as a necessary ingredient to Westeros' prosperity. That they would work more together than other couples...She was both right and wrong, and I think she was sorely and quietly disappointed well before she observed Jaehaerys pass a girl over the 2nd time. So she acted the way she did at "home" towards her kids to feel more in control bc that si where Jaehaerys left her to act more.

Second, Daenerys is the example of a "perfect", ideal but also realistic "good queen", someone that realistically and optimistically chooses to do good with the power she has and has managed to find value and meaning to use said power for others other than herself despite all that she went through. Howe those things would likely have turned other women out and as compelled to be more self-oriented as Rhaenyra or Daena. She is purposefully different from her ancestors this way, but also similar to a lot of them, ion that particular strength that she has to reinforce her altruism. That doesn't mean that people who don't do it to her level are completely incapable, evil, or "bad queens".

Cersei? Hell yes, but even with Cersei we must acknowledge how she is how she is due to certain circumstances and most criticism against her in the fandom--or the loudest--are sexist or just unfair. Alysanne? She at least did something where most did nothing and went against the clear wishes of her husband, and within the timeline she still is a source of inspiration for people like Dany. That has to mean something or there really is less of a source to compare oneself and learn from or to be able to analyze thr good, bad, and how things developed the way they have.

This is a world where you are not encouraged to think outside of your own class, much less the principles and ideology about your gender. There are little to no thinkpieces or essays about how sexist some men and women are, how they ae, what gives them the feeling that the way they think is correct, etc. There was no and is no vocabulary for that; there is just experience and having to respond to your environment. You have to do the legwork yourself, fnd your group and support system, your own connections, and play the game. Soemtime, you will fall off and especially when you have been bested or someone has used their socially given advantage over you, as Jaehaerys has done to Alysanne a few times.

So, with this in mind, I think it's important to acknowledge that yes while GRRM did not supply more examples of ideally acting "good queens", he does provide a clear outlook on how women could, would, and did act in real life history and TODAY. Because those questions about how to be a good ruler or a good person or how to differentiate. But it's not GRRM's personal example, necessarily or what he thinks a woman is capable of in his idea of a what a good medieval queen cold be. Alysanne is a "good" queen in that she does try to think of her subjects' needs before aristocrats even with her behavior towards her daughters. To undermine that in our understanding that she did what did to her daughters is probably on GRRM.

Not even Jaehaerys was that sincerely altruistic: right of first night abolishment, the KL drinking water, her attempts to convince maesters of girls and women becoming maesters, etc. Again, It is Queen Consorts, unlike Queen regnants, had to depend on her royal husband's favor, regard, or perception of need of her to have any semblance of power because she is a woman and a Consort. I

I suppose I'm trying to say that in the process of understanding rather than being told what is right or logical, it's important to "good queens" from the context of which they come and take serious their conditions to understand the nuances of how truly "good" they were...even if we can say being a "good" queen needs to be an absolute in ther first place.

Does Alysanne need to be a perfect feminist to be a good Queen? What if she is also responding to the setbacks against her AS she is trying to rule better, these setbacks that are designed for a man, her husband, to have more power than her and even to stop inhibit her ability to address certain problems without fear of losing said power given to her in the first place bc of her connection to him and official subordination to his paternal rule?

Outside of how he writes sexual violence and general violence against women, the line b/t power of self vs power from men, present in women's authority (especially in pre-feminist movement history), must be studied with some more nuance than with men's power. On our part as readers.

I'd say that GRRM uses violence against women as too much of a "gotcha" or flagrantly uses it as a device of emphasis than it needs to be, which simultaneously converts it to something psychologically insubstantial, something we shouldn't pay as much mind to, yes. The specific events of violence or normalization of violence done to women in ASoIaF that doesn't match real historical realities for women is definitely a huge concern because of this, but to mistake the power dynamics b/t a Consort and her ruling husband and most women to men does not help matters.

[td-frog]

thoughts on disventure camp e4:

tom and jake

seeing people complain about tom being a hypocrite for snarking at jake here and i agree that it is hypocritical. but i don't think it's bad writing (i honestly really like it?)

like. tom and jake are messy. they have no communication. they overreact to everything. that's like their whole thing.

idk why tom ghosted after the first season, or while he's continuing to be distant (and now, more openly hostile). this is because the show hasn't told us yet. i assume, given that it's only episode 4 and this plot is getting a lot of attention, that there will eventually be some explanation. it doesn't really feel out of character to me at this point, just that we're missing information.

also specifically the reason i like this interaction is because it makes it very clear that tom is also being shitty here! like imo that was clear from the very start with the ghosting and dodging confrontation stuff, but more recently the focus has been on jake's jealousy. and while i do think jake is being unreasonable as well, tom is not innocent. as before, they are messy!!

villians' alliance and elimination

first off: i so called miriam being out this episode. didn't know the exact context, but in order for the alec helping fiore plot to work long term she needed to be out of the picture.

i like that she played well here though. like she did exactly what she should have done in the situation and it just didn't work out. sad to see her go, but not surprised.

poor connor tho :( my man's all alone now. i'm hoping that with grett turning on yul (you go girl) that maybe he'll last a bit longer

also yet again reminded why i love alec as a player and a villain. he's so good at planning and thinking things through, and he's not just thinking in terms of his own best interest. man plays this game like chess.

like. the rest of yellow team would have happily let ellie or fiore lose and get booted despite the alliance. alec's main goal was to get rid of miriam, but at the same time he was proving to ellie (and less so fiore) that he was also looking out for them.

i also like that it's not working out as cleanly as he'd like. miriam exposing him may not have been a problem here, but it will be later. in s1 he was able to largely fly under the radar for a while, and now is having to change tactics.

other thoughts

aiden and tess made me smile :) i want them to be friends

like ally's apology and hunter's non-apology (and fiore's wtf response). i think ally's really sweet and i get why fiore doesn't buy it but i'm glad someone on this team was like "maybe bullying a child is wrong"

ashley's backstory :(

predictions for next episode

elimination is harder to predict because the teams are even again. i'm thinking yellow team again makes the most sense, given the inevitable fallout of the villain reveal and the vote for yul. my guess would be connor vs. yul (vs. alec?) and of those three i see yul as most likely.

(could also be connor but the letter from miriam might save him somehow; i'm mainly doubting that they'd take him out of the competition here bc that'd be pretty unsatisfying for the connoriya drama. kind of leaning this actually bc yul being betrayed but not eliminated could also be juicy.)

if it's not yellow team... i could see gabby on cyan, mostly through process of elimination. tom and aiden need to stick around for the drama with jake, ellie's got the villain thing, and tess hasn't really gotten to do much other than be stuck in the middle of things.

gabby also hasn't really gotten to do anything besides support ellie, but i wouldn't be surprised to see her go early- like with james and lake, it feels like her character so far this season has been more in support of another character, and the impact her elimination would have on ellie feels like the most likely plot direction for this team to take.

that said idk why anyone would vote gabby out at this point. but i digress.

i really doubt it'll be magenta. fiore and jake have their own plots happening that i doubt will be wrapped up next episode, hunter and ally's relationship feels like it needs slightly more focus and deterioration before either of them goes home, and ashley just doesn't really seem likely?

aside from elimination

jake's gonna be sad about miriam. i think tom might be too, but unclear how exactly he'll react. will definitely make their whole thing worse, because for some reason they decided miriam should hold the brain cell of their relationship.

yellow team is definitely gonna have drama: fallout from miriam telling everyone alec was untrustworthy, the whole situation with grett and yul's relationship, connor being the only outsider to the alliance.

not sure what else- hunter and ally might have some plot progression, but i think those top two bullets will be the main points.

also whatever advantage connor got will definitely come up- seen speculation that it's like the "make people switch teams" card riya got in s2 but idk how that would play out

[menalez]

I hate the way you are being treated for experiencing trauma and sexual abuse, no survivor deserves this including you. I acknowledge you have incredible grace in dealing with this but more importantly you shouldn’t have to, it’s not right to put a survivor in this situation and constantly triggering their trauma no matter what you think about them. I have had similar experiences with CSA and ongoing SA after and I can’t imagine how I would deal with being picked apart like you have been. I don’t care what grievances these people have with you, if they actually supported survivors they wouldn’t react in this way to you (also I fully believe you about your experiences and about your sexuality if that isn’t clear). It sickens me to see people saying they fight for women’s rights treat you like this. If we can’t support our fellow women what’s the point? I know not all women have the same opinions and politics but it’s seems very basic to me to not harass a survivor of these things. The least they could do is shut up and leave you alone. I honestly don’t know how you can deal with this, I know if it was directed at me I would’ve either fallen deeper into CPTSD or gone offline entirely or both. I am glad you have the strength to continue though bc I think your perspective on many issues is difficult to find and deeply important to hear. I guess I don’t know what I mean with this message other than thank you for what you do and please do not let these awful people take you back into that horrible place that I think all survivors know. Your voice is so important and I hope to continue hearing it, you make change being outspoken. I know we can’t control being triggered and sometimes can’t regulate our responses but I hope that you can block these people and be as unbothered as is possible. Other survivors see you, I see you, I know we are in some ways the same and these people clearly cannot conceive of being in our position

it’s not right to put a survivor in this situation and constantly triggering their trauma no matter what you think about them.

i keep saying this but it just falls on deaf ears!

in terms of how i deal with this… ive said this before & was mocked for it but this has triggered my PTSD several times. i almost always end up having nightmares for weeks afterwards, more flashbacks, and perhaps a mental breakdown or two followed by a long period of dissociation. when i brought up how deeply hurtful it is and how much it triggers me, i end up getting mocked & accused of guilt tripping.

so basically, i’m not allowed to respond to assumptions made about my trauma bc it’s traumadumping. i’m not allowed to talk about the negative impact being harassed over my trauma by these ppl has bc it’s guilt tripping. they have the right to say vile things like saying i’m a “retired ho” (for having a trauma response like hypersexuality as a child and being sexually abused????) and saying that me reacting in a common way CSA victims react to rape a decade ago makes me bipolar or histrionic (love being called a hysterical slut for having a normal reaction to facing rape as my first sexual experience) but i have no right to correct these assumptions at all. it always ends up with several of them harassing me on & off anon, and other people just silently watching. once these ppl leave like they always inevitably do, then radblr starts talking about how horrible these ppl are & often will even harass me over these ppl’s presence as well! idk. it’s a constant lose-lose for me.

anyways… thank u for ur sweet msg ❤️ many other CSA survivours & rape survivours have reached out to me and told me that me talking about my story made them feel less crazy/alone bc they also have a similar story. many are lesbians who face an additional trauma & disgust & shame bc they see how trauma similar to their own is misconstrued & talked about. i’m glad at least that from this persistent harassment i’ve been experiencing for like 5 years now, women with similar stories reached out to me. it made me feel less alone and more understood. i try not to let all this stuff affect me & have been taking breaks online and/or talking to my gf whenever it does take a toll on me. it doesn’t fix it but it helps. some of it is unavoidable bc no matter how many anons i block, i keep getting msgs about it regardless and new blogs keep being made to discuss it

[whovianderson]

“Oubliette” hit me much harder than I was expecting. Sorry to everyone, but this post is going to get a little bit personal.

So, I have complex post traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). Personally, I found this episode to be such powerful exploration of trauma that it left me reeling.

Firstly, I took the episode symbolically, wherein the whole story was an allegory for Lucy’s trauma. Amy’s situation paralleling hers felt to me like a real depiction of what it’s like to have flashbacks. While I don’t often get visual flashbacks, I do get emotional flashbacks, and that side of it resonated beyond measure with me. I almost cried when Lucy said “I don’t want to do this again”, because that’s exactly what it’s like for me to face my triggers.

Also, Amy’s injuries appearing on Lucy as a physical demonstration of how the past is still mentally hurting her felt very validating.

I related to Mulder’s trauma too. I take responsibility for everyone around me to ensure that nothing like what traumatised me happens again, and I saw that in Mulder’s desperation to change things for fear of a repeat of what happened to his sister, for example, the CPR on Amy.

Mulder’s distress when he realised that Lucy had sacrificed herself for Amy was impactful for me too. I’ve had to learn the hard way that I am ultimately powerless to control what happens to other people, and that upsets me greatly, as it did him. There’s also a sense of inevitability and inescapability from the cycle of trauma when you experience these things again that is deeply harrowing.

I’ve worked a lot on healing my inner child with my therapist. The ending of this episode, with Lucy’s death and Amy’s survival, felt like a message that it’s possible for the trauma in me to recede, and the child I never got to be to be free.

I left this episode emotional, but so grateful that something I could see so much of myself in something I love so much.

Finally, if this is relatable and you want to talk to someone who understands, please feel free to message me. It sounds hollow to say, but it really does get better, even if you don’t think that applies to you. I had gotten so used to living with trauma that I never thought I’d exist without it, and yet here I am, doing better than I ever thought possible!

[daebelly]

so like. i understand anti-voting sentiment. i get it. i think it's not all that good for effecting change, too. we agree on this and are friends. i also understand and resent that our current president has thrown in his lot with israel while israel commits genocide, and i would withhold my vote were it my choice. but here's the thing that i think a lot of people who say we should not vote for the lesser of two evils haven't factored in: their effective accelerationism will near-inevitably result in a genocide of poc and queer people if it were to succeed. trans people would probably be attacked first, with an especially immediate impact on trans women--guess what i happen to be one of? that's right! a trans woman!

the worst option is to vote for trump or whichever fascist in his place. the second worst option is to simply not vote. (and after that, it's voting third party, which is mainly bad bc it doesn't bolster our defenses against republican solidarity in their voting habits. i understand though, supporting getting a foot in the door for having more than a two-but-actually-one-party system is a very good thing to do, cant fault that).

i just think it's especially convenient for people who want to use israel's genocide of palestine as a foot in the door to spreading genocidal sentiment elsewhere that people are using sympathy for the victims of the genocide to make people in the us think it's productive and/or helpful to just not fight back against the fascists that really want us dead.

just kind of disconcerting to see people declaring that us americans shouldn't vote for the outright nazi's only real opponent while knowing if the outright nazi gets back in there's a chance a lot of us won't make it. and i'd much prefer to survive than be executed for my identity.

put simply: if a nazi gets in, more people die and there's yet less checks on the crimes that the president can commit. a notion of 'honor' in not voting for the lesser of two evils is worth less than the lives of people within the state that's voting and the lives of those that that nazi not getting in will save through preventing the galvanization of the us gov't's support of israel. put even more simply: if things get worse, they will be worse than they would be if they stayed the same. this is so bizarrely simple an equation that i do not get how some people aren't getting it. reducing harm to the minimum is the point.

for anyone confused or intentionally misreading this, a bulleted list below the cut

i am not saying that voting is the only thing you should do. you should be taking more action than just that. but you should still vote. use every weapon in your arsenal, they all perform a function.

i am speaking of rhetoric used by and towards usamericans specifically and i am not prioritizing usamerican issues over the suffering of the victims in gaza. please be respectful and do not try to cast me as seeking to be the victim in a situation that does not really affect my life because i am not.

on that, i think it's unreasonable to expect there to be no discussion at all of issues peripheral to an ongoing crisis, especially when the primary topic in that conversation is of the government of a different state entirely and how people behave within it and an ongoing crisis contributing to that behavior. i have seen sentiment against discussion of this sort and it just doesn't feel reasonable.

if i get weirdness about the 'especially immediate impact on trans women' i'm gonna be cross. it's common knowledge at this point that trans women are a priority target for conservatives and that we register to conservatives as a nice first target to lead into everyone else in the community.

apologies for the rigor, i have just seen some Very Hostile Responses to others political posts for much less and i am not about to countenance that behavior here