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petiteprincesses · 11 months ago

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Hello, again! Welcome back to Petite Princesses! With Princess Maker 2 Regeneration out (except for the PlayStation), I decided it’d be polite of me to create a basic guide to some of the simple parts! This one will be about everything from the starting menu!

Bear in mind that due to the change in localization (bless the Translators), I’ll refer to each stat by all 3 English names on first mention, but I’ll default to the latest translation from then on. As well, I’ll be using Centimeters and Kilometers for ease of reference. Furthermore, I’ll be using Refine for screenshots.

Here’s our basic screen, of which you can see many different things. I’ve labeled them accordingly, and I’ll speak of each tab in detail!

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CURRENT DATE: A Box where you can tell the day— the year is on top (1210), with the month (April 4) and the day of the week (Sunday) on the left, with the day of the month (the Fourth) on the right. The game starts on your daughters 10th birthday, and ends on her 18th (in our case, April 4th 1218)

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STAR: I didn’t label this myself, but the “Star” section on the right side info box is pretty important. Here, our daughter’s sign is Aries (Mars), and her blood type is B. Your star sign determines starting statistics and a +100 bonus from slaying a certain foe that I’ll mention later, while type influences passive stat increases. I’ll explain the exacts in another post someday, but for the impatient, googling Patrons on the Princess Maker Fandom Wiki should do the trick!

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ARM/WPN: This is her equipment! You can set it in the menu marked ITEM (the box with the sword, shield, and scroll). All equipment can be equipped at any point, and your armor is even visible during (non errantry) battles!

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STATUS: Here she will have her statuses— there are 3 in the game. Sick (Stress > Constitution/Stamina, represented by a Skull) lowers her HP in combat and can lead to her demise, Degrade (Stress > Morality or Faith, whatever is higher, represented by blue lightning) makes her less likely to work properly and risks being arrested (lowering your reputations) / wasting your money (happens mostly during free time but can occur during working hours), and Love (Triggered by an event when she’s 14 that requires her Charisma/Glamour stat to be the highest, represented by a Pink Heart) that lasts 3 months, makes her less likely to work, and lowers 3 of her hidden stats (Relationship with Father, Cube, and Prince— the last of which could be troublesome for getting the ending).

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HER MEASUREMENTS: This ones pretty simple— it’s her Height, Weight, and Three Sizes (Bust/Waist/Hips). In modern releases, it uses Centimeter/Kilograms, but in the original DOS en leak, its Inches and Pound. If she’s overweight, then she cannot wear certain clothes (all that aren’t the Siren Robes, Cotton Dress, or seasonal outfits). You can tell her weight by her sprite. As well, you can calculate her threshold by .95[height]-[Age + 87]. To get a rough idea, let’s punch in our daughter from earlier, Alice. At 146 centimeters, .95 x 146 is 138.7. Now, she’s 10, so 10 + 87 is 97. 138.7 - 97 is 41.7. Behold, she’ll turn overweight the second the “weight” bar is “41.70”, but if she’s at “41.69”, it’s fine. Though I am to assume rounding is in play!

(Do mind the different stats of her three sizes— I don’t have the original file, so I had to make a replacement with the necessary stats!)

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STATS: Brings up a Menu. For Clarity, below is the side bar from Regeneration. I will list the stats in order, with every name applicable in the order of DOS/Refine/Regen.

Constitution/Stamina: Determines your daughter’s HP. Needs at least 50 to be good at most jobs. Also determines your daughter’s health. Most easily raised by Farming. Likely to be Lowered by Dieting

Strength: A bonus to Attack: 8 points of Strength is equivalent to 1 attack point. Most easily raised by Farming. Likely to be Lowered by Salon.

Intelligence: Essentially, her MP. Needs at least 10 to cast a magic attack. Most easily raised by Science. Likely to be Lowered by Bar work

Refinement/Elegance: Not particularly important unless you’re doing a Ruling Queen run— in which case it needs to be 800. You may need this to get random proposals (which means money!) Most easily raised by Decorum, or if you’re cheap, Lucifon in the Desert. Likely to be Lowered by Farming, so it’ll be zero for a while

Charisma/Glamour: Usually important for special marriage endings. Can cause a few problems such as Attempted Sexual Assault, becoming someone’s Mistress (if it’s her highest stat, indicated by her different facial expression), and generally being asked out. Easily raised by Dance, if you’re cheap (again) Lucifon in the Desert, or the Sleazy/Illegal Bar if you’re willing to tank the stress.

Morality: Need at least 30 for a basic marriage ending. Can also play a part in rejecting the more gross offers she may encounter, as well as being able to stave off delinquency if it’s higher than Faith. If it’s your highest stat, you may encounter a deal that will sell all of it for Equivocal Gold. Easily raised by Church Work, or simply being born with Type A blood. Likely to be Lowered by the aforementioned demonic deals.

Faith: Staves off Delinquency if higher than Morality. It’s definitely a stat that exists. Easily raised by Church, which can also prevent the demon from showing up to eat her morals. Likely to be Lowered by Science.

Sin/Karma: If it’s over 100/250, she will get a Sin ending. If it’s 500 (along with some decent fighter/magic reputation), she will instantly become the Queen of Darkness by the end. You’ll likely get this by killing anything in Errantry, but other “Sinful” acts like the illegal bar and hunting animals will raise it too. Can be sold off for 100g per 10 points, or simply going to Church for work normally.

Sensitivity: It’ll let her see what’s usually “mythical”, such as Fairies and the such if she goes where they hang out. If it’s the highest, she’ll run away, lowering her reputations. Easily raised by Salon work, but can be raised in a multitude of fun ways.

Stress: This is mostly a problem early game. So long as it doesn’t exceed her Morality/Faith or stamina stats, she’s in the clear. It can go to Zero in certain events, such as witnessing Fairies, so if you plan right, Free Time doesn’t have to happen.

Combat Skill: Essentially, your Hit/Dodge rate. Essential for any adventurer, otherwise you’re unable to do ANYTHING! Easily raised by Fighting/Kung-fu classes, but the tempting Restaurant and Inn can lower it.

Attack: Exactly what it says. It determines your daughter’s attack stat. Separate from your strength, but both will result in your “total” attack. Easily raised by Fencing and most Swords. Difficult to lose.

Defense: A difficult stat to raise terribly high. Also exactly what it says on the tin. Can be gained consistently by second level Kung-Fu classes, but not terribly fast. Also, most armor increases it.

All of these skills will be boosted by the spirit Valkyria, first Skill, then Attack, then Defense. When you get to 400 Fighters Reputation, as well as 40 instances of Fencing, Kung-Fu, or Errantry, you’ll receive the Valkyria Sword— which is the second best sword in the game, with 25 attack, 10 defense, and 18 skill.

Magic Skill: Like Combat Skill, but for Magic. Easily raised by Magic Classes. Impossible to lose.

Magic Attack: Much like Attack, but for Magic. Unlike Attack, there isn’t another stat that also functions as an attack bonus, but Magic tends to be what most of the tougher bosses are weak to. Easily raised by Magic Classes.

Magic Defense: It’s like Defense, but easier to raise! In fact, there’s a few ways to raise it! Unfortunately, most things that can do Magic can’t hit you once you’re skilled enough, so this is mainly for Wendy. Can be raised by Theology or working at the Graveyard. Likely to be lowered at Science (but slowly)

All of these skills will be boosted by the sorceress Fay, first Magic Skill, then Magic Attack, then Magic Defense. When you get to 400 Magic Reputation, you’ll receive the Power Ring/Unrivaled Ring, letting you cast Magic without needing 11+ Intelligence. Unfortunately, you’ll have to waste a ton of money as this also requires 32 magic classes- which become Useless very fast. More importantly than that, if you do only Magic classes for a mont, she’ll come raise one of the Magic stats by 5. The stat she raises is of your choosing, so my recommendation Magic Attack.

Decorum: You need decorum to be able to speak to people at the palace. Easily(and for the most part, Only) raised by doing Decorum classes. Impossible to lose.

Art/Art Skill/Artistry: Impacts her Dance Contest score and determines what painting she’ll create in Art Class. For the record, if it’s the highest of the Housework/Social stats, the daughter will be locked into an Art based ending. Easily raised by… Painting Classes. Cannot be Lowered below 100 once you reach 100.

Conversation/Speech/Eloquence: Really only used for two characters at the castle. Only raised by Bar work. Impossible to lose.

All of these skills will be boosted by the demon Paimon, first Decorum, then Artistry, then Eloquence. When you get to 400 Social Reputation, as well as 64 instances of Painting, Dance, or Protocol, you’ll receive Perfume— which… attracts suitors. Which at the point you get it, you’ll already attract anyways.

Cooking: Very important for the Cooking contest. You will need at least 90+ to win, alongside high sensitivity.

Cleaning: An entirely useless stat. It only impacts your Housekeeping reputation.

Temperament/Personal/Temper: Solely important for the Queen. Likely to be lowered by Sinful Work.

All of these skills will be boosted by the spirit Domovoi, first Cooking, then Cleaning, then Temper. When you get to 400 House Reputation, as well as 120 instances of Housework, Bar work, or Restaurant work, you’ll receive the Perfect Flour— it guarantees a Cooking victory, but by the time you get it, you’ll be guaranteed to win anyways.

Fight Repuation: Derives from your “Combat” oriented stats. Can be raised further by winning fights with the sword, or a Dragon Fang. Serves as Morale if higher than Magic. Can be uniquely lowered by selling the “Royal Sword” I allude to.

Magic Repuation: Derives from your “Magic” oriented stats. Can be raised further by winning fights with Magic. Serves as Morale if higher than Fight.

Social Reputation: Derives from your “Social” oriented stats. Can be raised further by winning the Dance/Art contests. Can be uniquely lowered by talking to the Clown.

House Reputation: Derives from your “Housework” oriented stats. Can be raised further by winning the Cooking contest.

All reputations will be lowered by being arrested or running away from home.

But wait! There’s more!! Let’s bring up the Four Hidden stats!

Relationship with Father (called Father_love by Mad Eddy) is rather relevant- you can use it to scold her and dissuade her from things like delinquency and being a mistress. Easily raised by Vacations and just. Talking to her. Most likely to be lowered by Free Time (regardless of pocket money) and resting for the Harvest Festival. Needs to be 100 (along with some stats) to Marry Her.

Relationship with Cube (called Cube_love by Mad Eddy) is rather less relevant. Pretty much is only for the ending, where it needs to be 100. Can be conveniently raised by changing equipment on errantry- you can essentially spam it if you’re really into that.

Relationship with Prince (called Prince_love by Mad Eddy) is mostly just for the Ending, but this time it needs to be 96. Raised by 12 each time you meet him, so every January 31st must be spent with him.

All of them are subject to lower by 6 if she falls In Love.

Maternal Instinct is exactly what it says, Important for some endings (like Princess of Darkness for some reason). Raised by Babysitting and Tutoring. Lowered by Hunting (for. Some reason?)

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TALK: Lets you talk to your daughter. The Three option are Father-Daughter Chat/Father-Daughter talk, Pocket Money, and Scold/Lecture.

When you click Father-Daughter talk, you get 3 more options. How she is doing/Recent matters will prompt her to speak about, well, whatever she wants. Usually, it is about herself, such as her (in)ability to do art, or how she worries about her childrearing skills. After that is Her studies/About study, which is related to what you’ve been making her study— be it how she appreciates how Art brings people together, or how she’s the best magician ever. As for Other topics/Another topic, it’s known to have some weird conversations, usually relating to her body, sometimes relating to other things. As well, picking any option here will raise your internal “Relationship with Father” stat by 1– this is important for two things down the line.

Pocket Money is a lot less complicated, as it’s pretty straightforward. Essentially, you give your daughter 20 + 10x gold, with “X” being the second digit of her age. So, if your daughter is 10, that’s 20 + (10 x 0), which would just be 20. If she’s 18, that’s 20 + (10 x 8), which would be 100. However, while the price increases, the benefits do not— she will lose 20 stress when used, regardless of age. This option does not raise the internal stat mentioned above. As well, if sick, she will not accept your money, and if “Degrade”, she will take it, and it will not impact her stress.

Scold/Lecture is pretty useless… it doesn’t do anything but make your daughter look a little confused. If she’s sick, she’ll wonder if she’s doing something wrong— which will lower her stress by 5, for whatever reason, at least in the refine version. But what you’d actually want to use this feature for is when she’s being rowdy, indicated by the “DEGRADE” marker— it’ll lower her stress by her relationship with her father, (up to a 100 point stress loss!!), and then raise it by 5. If you’ve been playing up a daddy’s girl, this could be of great use.

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DIET: Now, this one’s a little interesting. You have the choice of 4 options, which tie to her weight and stamina! By selecting the Normal/Standard diet, you’ll have a daughter that gains roughly .20 kilograms per month. This is the default, and is also standard, costing 30g. By picking the Robust/Hearty diet, you’ll gain a little over .30 kilograms, but you’ll also gain 10 stamina at the end of every month. It costs 80g, but can be good if you’ve been neglecting your stamina intakes— or if you really want to bulk up early game with the right set up. Then there is the Slim down/Refined diet— In addition to lowering your weight gain to around .15 kilograms, it also lowers your Stamina by 5. It costs 10g, so it’s not really recommended, unless you’re about to cross the threshold. Finally is the Slim Down/Intensive diet. Here, you’ll lose a hefty 20 stamina, but in return you’ll lose around .50 kilograms, and it costs 5g. This is only worth it if you have stamina (and kilos!) to burn. It’s worth noting that if your daughter is getting a little too weak (low stamina), then Cube will swap to the Hearty diet, but you can simply change back to whatever diet you’d like.

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INFO: You’ll find personal information here, such as your daughters birth and her star sign. You’ll also find connections (Raised by talking to Palace Staff) and Sick/Delinquency percentages. One percent is equal to one point of stress over the stat mentioned in “Status”— you’ll need 90% Sickness (Critical) to become Bedridden (Which will kill you if it lasts at least 2 months, ending the game), and 90% Delinquency (A hooligan) to become a Gang Member (Which will get you arrested— a harsh penalty to your reputation stats).

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SHOP: Another doozy, but we’ll simplify, simplify, simplify!

The Armorer/Armoury is ran by Armorer Zeno/Zen, with Anita as a Part Time worker. Here you can buy equipment, which goes in the Armor/Weapon slots. You’re free to buy anything here, but I highly recommend buying a Dagger and Leather armor, especially if you’re not confident in “Rushing” strategies. Don’t worry! I’ll cover adventuring as a whole in a future post, maybe multiple

The Tailor is run by Maura, who sells clothes. The variety isn’t particularly extravagant, but this is where you’ll find the seasonal clothes. As well, the Cotton Dress is only 500g: you’ll always be able to afford it for the harvest festival if you’re not in debt. Otherwise, there’s not many tips I can give here, other than pick the clothes you find cute— though you can wear most of these only when you’re at least 13, sometimes older.

The Restaurant is ran by one Chef Balbon, and sometimes his part timer Marcia/Marthia. Here, you’ll find food that’ll lower your stress (or raise Stamina!) and raise your weight. Here’s a fun fact! The food is free if you don’t have the money— you’ll just have to spend your first month block working at the kitchen for free. Regardless of if you pay or not, you can only eat here once per month.

The Item/Pawn Shop is run by Shalom alongside his part time assistant Wendy. Here you can buy a few so-so items (which also serve as birthday gifts for when the day comes: you’ll have to buy from the first four items on the list), as well as a Healing Pill and Grenade for errantry. Unique to this shop, you’re able to sell items, though I’d be wary on selling anything that’s “Royal”.

The Church may ring some bells to history buffs— Sister Lee will ask you to donate 100g. Accept, and you’ll lose 10 sin! That’s its entire purpose. This can be used should you rack up far too many on a murder spree and not want to dedicate the time to church work, though it does feel rather humorous in its execution.

Lastly, is the Hospital/Clinic, with Doctor Lombardini asking if you’re sick, and if you are, charging a fee for an examination. When you pay the fee, you’ll lose stress up to one less than your stamina— which means if you don’t gain any more stress (ie- resting), you’ll recover by next month. Really unnecessary unless you’re high up on stress.

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CASTLE: Basically, a way to gain reputation, a lot of it if you know how to work it. First of all, the key stat here is Decorum, raised by Protocol Classes. Let’s get started, rapid fire motion!!

The Palace Guard/Gatekeeper will be your first stop, needing 10 decorum to speak properly (almost every birthday will start you with 10 decorum). His preferred stat is Refinement. Every 5 points in refinement is worth one point for Personal Connections (hereinafter referred to as just “Connections”). You can gain up to 15 points per visit this way, and 40 total.

Next is the Royal Knight/Imperial Guard Knight, who needs 30 decorum. His preferred stat is Refinement. Every 8 points of Refinement is worth one point for your connections. You can get up to 25 points per visit this way, and 50 total. Did you notice the text was identical? This guy isn’t very special. But since you’re raising elegance anyways, it’s worth a visit.

After that comes the General, who needs 50 decorum. His preferred stat is Glamour. And every 5 points of Glamour will be worth a point for your connection stat. You can max out your visit at 50 points for connection, and 120 total for the guy overall. If you’re raising Glamour, which you likely are if you’re raising your decorum, it’s worth checking him out, at least until you max at 50.

Making it to 70 Decorum lets you speak with the Minister of State. His preferred stat is Intelligence. Aside from the usual, that being that every 10 points is worth a connection point, up to 60 a visit for a maximum of 100, your connection to him specifically can net you bonuses at the Dance Party— specifically, a score boost. This is fun if you are a dirty cheater!

If you’re still raising your decorum, at 80 you’ll have the manners to speak to the Archbishop. His preferred stat is Faith. Like the Minister of State, 10 points is one connection point, and a visit will max at 60, but his overall max is 120. You’ll want to raise Faith anyways, so it won’t hurt to visit the old man.

Getting tired? Great! So is our next stop— at 85 decorum, you’ll speak to the King’s favorite #2, the Royal Concubine/Favorite Mistress. Her preferred stat is Conversation/Speech/Eloquence. Yes, that’s right! A stat with three names!! Eloquence is the Regeneration name. Anyways, every 10 points of Eloquence will equate to 1 point for connections, up to a maximum of… 10 per visit. Her total maximum is 120, but considering you only get this stat at the Bar, I wouldn’t bother.

Now to the King’s favorite #1, the Queen! She’d love to invite you for tea if you have 90 decorum. Her preferred stat is Temperament/Personal./Temper. Much like #2, the same rules apply, 10 points = 1 point, 10 maximum per visit. She’ll raise your connections by 160 points total. This one is even more worthless, as it’s gained by doing housework (arguably easier), but there’s no other reason to raise Temper. What a fraud.

At 95 decorum, we’ll have the Bowing Skills to bow our way to the King. You may think otherwise, but his preferred stat is, strangely enough, Fight Rep. Every 10 points will go to your connection stat, but here’s where it gets interesting— the King has no limit per visit! For the crazies who raise it up to a maximum, the King will gladly give 99 points to your connections. His true maximum is 300, but Fighters Reputation is fairly easy to raise, and you’ll definitely be able to make use of his benefits.

So, what do connections do? Why, palace discounts of course! If you raise them high enough, you’ll get marked down prices! These apply even if she’s buying rogue, so it’s nice to have. Personal connections don’t go away, either! Well, unless you happen to sell that “Royal” thing.

Now, the Jester/Clown is unique— he doesn’t really care for decorum, and speaking to him will lower your social reputation by 15. What he does want is someone to talk to, and that Eloquence stat will come in handy. He’ll also raise your sensitivity by 15. If you keep talking to him, you may even be on the path for that 4th Art-based Ending. If you, of course, are feeling whimsical.

And to defy all odds, the Young Military Officer does… well, nothing. He doesn’t have any preference, he doesn’t require decorum, and he doesn’t impact your stats in any way. Well, not any way that you can see. He’s only available on January 31st, and if you keep your promises, he’s the ticket to becoming a Princess.

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ITEM: A screen where you can see your inventory. Many items in this game are passive, they’ll have their effect when just held in your inventory. Exceptions include clothes (which are to be clicked on to be worn- then granting their bonuses), Equipment (can be clicked to add to weapon/armor slot, then their effects are in, uh, effect), and consumables (like the Ancient Milk and the Breast Pill). Some items are to be traded away, however. Usually, they are to be traded in errantry.

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SYS: The save menu. You save your game. You load your game. You leave your game. That is. Uhm. All.

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SCHEDULE: Leads to the scheduling screen, of which, we’ll talk about… next time!! I’d like you tune in for that, ok?

#princess maker #Princess maker 2 #プリンセスメーカー #プリンセスメーカー2

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fool-counter · 8 months ago

Note

If you get the chance, could you do the Fresh Prince (o)of Bel Air theme?

fool count: 2

I appreciate the added "o" for the even fool count. such politeness must be rewarded!

Now this is a story all about how My life got flipped-turned upside down And I'd like to take a minute Just sit right there I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel-Air

In west Philadelphia born and raised On the playground was where I spent most of my days Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool And all shooting some b-ball outside of the school When a couple of guys who were up to no good Started making trouble in my neighborhood I got in one little fight and my mom got scared She said, "You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air"

I begged and pleaded with her day after day But she packed my suitcase and sent me on my way She gave me a kiss and then she gave me my ticket I put my Walkman on and said "I might as well kick it"

First class, yo, this is bad Drinking orange juice out of a champagne glass Is this what the people of Bel-Air living like? Hmm, this might be alright

But wait I hear they're prissy, bourgeois, all that Is this the type of place that they just send this cool cat? I don't think so I'll see when I get there I hope they're prepared for the prince of Bel-Air

Well, the plane landed and when I came out There was a dude who looked like a cop Standing there with my name out I ain't trying to get arrested yet I just got here I sprang with the quickness like lightning, disappeared

I whistled for a cab and when it came near The license plate said "Fresh" and it had dice in the mirror If anything I could say that this cab was rare But I thought, "Nah, forget it" – "Yo, home to Bel-Air"

I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8 And I yelled to the cabbie "Yo home smell ya later" I looked at my kingdom I was finally there To sit on my throne as the Prince of Bel-Air

fool count: 13

#fools on demand

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tell-me-a-tale-that-tells · 10 months ago

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HIS EVERLOVING DARK STAR

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Summary: Hancock encounters a vampire woman and slowly fell for her.

Pairing: John Hancock (Fallout 4) x Vampire OC

Type: request

Warnings: blood, sex, chem use

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

The thunderstorm in the wasteland is not an easy business.

Besides deafening sounds, the blinding flashes of lightnings, the radiations are the ones that will kill you for sure.

Unless you're a ghoul, then you can stay out in the open, under the poisonous rain, like it's a fricking day at the spa.

Hancock is doing just that, smoking on the balcony of the town hall.

He doesn't know what the hell he's smoking but it must be good because it's doing wonders with his nerves.

He glances behind him, checking on her.

Oh, her.

John wonders every day what he had done to be worthy of having her in his life.

Her long body sprawled on the couch, wearing only a thin night grown.

She takes a hit of Jet and then, feeling watched, she looks in his direction with a warm smile.

Yeah, he feels like the luckiest bastard in the whole world.

Their encounter was, for sure, the strangest of his life.

In a pitch-dark night, when not even the most remote star dared to show itself in the sky, he was returning home from the third rail.

The rustling of garbage in an alley picked his attention, it's not that in Goodneightbor there aren't cats or rats, but one can't be never sure.

He cocked his gun, ready to shot, just in case.

Hancock turned left and freezes on the spot.

On the ground there was an Assassin, his throat slit from ear to ear, his unseen eyes still open.

The figure crouched down on him halted their movements, raising their hands at the sound of the first shot.

"Wait! Wait don't shoot!" She yelled and John realized that the girl's hands were covered in blood.

"Besides doing me a favor, killing off that bastard, tell me why the fuck I shouldn't make a hole in your head" John hissed.

"Let me explain, please" The woman answered, slightly turning her head.

Hancock could see that even her mouth was red, smudged with fresh and glistening blood.

As she turned around, he pointed his gun right between her eyes "Sister, I'm afraid cannibals are unwelcomed in my town".

She narrowed her brows, looking confused and offended "I'm not a cannibal. I wasn't eating him; I was drinking his blood."

John could have laughed at her tone because she spoke those worlds like it was the most obvious thing to say.

"And what does that make you, uh? A vampire?" He smirked.

"...Well, yes" she stated.

Maybe he was way too drunk or high for that.

"Listen. As I said, I have to thank you because that man was only causing troubles and he met the end he deserved. But I can't let you go so easily; you could hurt some innocent" he lowered his gun anyway.

"Are you a... sheriff or something?" She smirked, raising an eyebrow at his strange attire.

"I am the mayor, actually. John Hancock" he tipped his hat.

"Nimue" she answered back, her stained lips curling in a smile.

Since that encounter their days have been a crazy rollercoaster.

He tried to arrest her twice, keeping her in jail was basically hearing her hissing and complaining about the heat.

If Nimue is truly a vampire, John can't tell, she could be just a crazy woman with a very serious iron deficiency.

Sure, she drinks a lot of blood, but she uses also a lot of chems.

He like that part a lot.

Nimue can handle chems better than him, she needs at least twice the dose he takes to have the slightest effect, but when she's high...John blesses the Gods if there are any.

She's crazy when sober, her chatting and easygoing nature is so refreshing in a town like Goodneightbor or in every other town she steps in.

She seems rough and dangerous on the exterior but once one knows her better, they can appreciate her light side.

When she's high the things change, she's almost predatory, sensual and sinful but never in an unsettling way, there's always a sweet side peeking under all that dominance, a certain softness in her eyes.

Their first time together was unforgettable for both of them.

She was dancing around at the Third Rail, her body swaying to the nonexistent music.

Hancock had never seen anything like it.

He was mesmerized by her movements, the way her long legs seemed to glide over the floor.

"C'mon, Mayor. Why don't you join me?" She giggled

As Hancock watched Nimue dance, he couldn't help but feel his desire for her growing.

He'd always found her captivating, even in her most unpredictable moments.

With a smile, he stepped close to her "I'm afraid I can't dance" he said softly.

"Neither do I" Nimue stopped dancing and turned to face him, a mischievous grin playing on her lips.

She walked up to him, her fingers brushing lightly against his chest as she reached out to take his hand.

She lifted his arm, turning underneath it, and then placed her other hand on his shoulder.

"Like this," she murmured, guiding him through a few slow steps.

Hancock was surprised at how natural it felt to move with her, even if it was just a simple dance.

She was so close, their bodies swaying together in perfect harmony.

Hancock could feel his heart racing as he looked into Nimue's eyes and her intense gaze seemed to pierce right through him.

The chemistry between them was palpable, and Hancock couldn't help but lean in closer.

"John..." Nimue whispered, "I think that I... might have feelings for you," Nimue admitted softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

She stepped back slightly, breaking the intense moment they had shared. Hancock was taken aback by her confession.

He'd always known there was something between them, but he hadn't expected her to admit it so openly." Hancock felt a wave of emotion wash over him as he processed her words.

"Nimue, I... Are you sure? You don't really want to be stuck with this ugly face" Nimue giggled softly at his comment, but there was a touch of sadness in her eyes.

"Oh, John," she said, reaching up to caress his scarred skin "You're anything but ugly."

Nimue’s mouth was just a mere inch from his as she spoke "I don't care about your scars, John. You are strong, resilient, and brave. You spared my life and gave me a home, and for that, I will always be grateful."

The kiss was intense and passionate.

Hancock couldn't believe it, but he was kissing Nimue.

His heart raced as he deepened the kiss, his hands running through her hair and down her back.

She responded eagerly, her hands slipping around his waist and pulling him closer.

One of her razor-sharp teeth cut his lip and Nimue gasped an apology, she looked at the small cut on his lip.

Her eyes were filled with regret, "I'm sorry," she said softly "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Hancock smiled, trying to reassure her, "It's alright," he said, gently tracing the cut on his lip with his finger "It's just a small price to pay for such an amazing kiss."

They stood there for a moment, just looking at each other.

Nimue burst out in a laugh “Always so quick with a comeback, aren’t you?" She leaned in closer to him, their breaths mingling as they shared another intimate moment.

"What do you think if...we take this elsewhere?" Hancock looked at Nimue, his heart racing with anticipation.

He nodded slowly, his voice low, "Yeah, I think that could be a good idea."

"At mine or yours?" Nimue's question caused a smile to spread across Hancock's face.

He liked the idea of them being together in a private space, just the two of them.

"Mine" he replied, reaching out to brush his hand against hers.

The way to the town hall was interrupted many times by kisses.

The moment they stepped inside, the tension between them seemed to rise even more.

Hancock closed the door behind them, locking it tightly.

He turned to face Nimue, taking in every inch of her beautiful face.

Then everything was a blur of chems and alcohol and Nimue drinking blood from a sack before sitting on his lap.

"Are you hiding a knife or you're happy to see me?” She smirked.

Hancock chuckled at Nimue's playful banter.

He reached for her hand and led it towards his pocket "Well, this is actually my knife," he said before moving her hand over his crotch "and this definitely isn't it"

“And what do you plan to do with it?" Nimue looked at Hancock, her eyes filled with mischief and lust.

When she didn’t hear Hancock respond, she leaned closer to his ear "I'll tell you what we will do...", Nimue's words were soft "We're going to make love until the sun rises and then..." Nimue's words trailed off, leaving Hancock hanging on her every word "We will do it again."

John could only nod and smile, trailing his hands up and down her body, caressing her back and sides.

Nimue sighed contentedly, her eyes closing and her head tilted back, exposing the pale column of her neck.

John's hand wrapped around it, not squeezing but simply resting before his mouth joined in, propping a trail of wet kisses that made Nimue gasp.

Her hands slipped under his shirt, touching his roughed skin with a reverence and marvel that John couldn't believe it.

"Take this off, please” she asked.

He's self-conscious about his appearance, he knows very well what people think of ghouls and how repulsive they look to most of them.

It was rare to find someone who accepted them outside Goodneightbor, but Nimue couldn't care less about stupid people's minds.

Her eyes started on every new inch of exposed skin like it was a holy revelation.

She began to kiss and lick, occasionally grazing her teeth without biting.

John's mind was a haze of chemicals and arousal, he bet she felt his hardened member pressing at the worn fabric of his pants.

Like she was reading his mind, Nimue started to grind her hips on him, moaning softly in his ear.

John's control finally snapped.

He raised from the couch, taking her with him and carrying her to his bed.

He laid her on the raggedy sheets and sat in front of her. "You're still wearing too much" she murmured against his lips.

John chuckled, removing his boots and pants.

Nimue sat up, removing her red sparkling dress, exposing her body to him.

In his fogged mind he still could think that that didn't feel like a fling, one of the countless times he took someone in his bed just to never see them again the day after.

Now both in their underwear, it didn't take too much before they slipped the last articles of clothing off from each other bodies.

"John, please. I know we have all the time we want but...please" Nimue's pleading words made John's heart race, and he couldn't resist her any longer.

He slowly lowered himself onto her, feeling their bodies meld together as he slowly entered her.

She gasped, her eyes closing in pure bliss.

It was John's turn to moan once he bottomed out, feeling every inch of her warmth surrounding him.

They started to move in unison, their breaths becoming ragged as pleasure consumed them both.

Nimue arched her back and gripped Hancock's shoulders tightly, her nails digging into his skin.

In her long life, she never felt anything like that, she thought about it as John's strong hands held her hips tightly, moving rhythmically against her.

She could feel every inch of him inside of her, his rough skin creating a delicious friction.

When John filled her for the first time with his release, she couldn't do anything but following him over the edge, her long legs shaking from the force of her orgasm.

"John," she gasped, kissing his neck above his pulse "Again." Hancock rolled on his back, taking Nimue with him and positioning on her on top, "Work for it" he whispered playfully.

John's heart almost exploded as he watched Nimue's body bouncing on him and shake with pleasure, the sight of her breasts swaying entranced him and he cupped them in his hands, squeezing gently.

He felt a surge of pride knowing that he was the one who brought her to this state.

Her grip on him was tight like a vice, the drag of her inner walls was enough to make him lose his mind.

His hips bucked up, urging her to go deeper, to feel every inch of him.

His climax was building shockingly fast, and Nimue could feel it too.

She smiled down at him "Coming so soon?" she teased, biting her bottom lip playfully.

Hancock groaned, his muscles tense underneath her "You're killing me, Nimue."

She leaned down to whisper in his ear, "I could say the same about you, my love."

The rest of the night was a frenzy of passion and love, as the nights that followed.

Day by day, night by night, Nimue remains by his side on the highs and lows, always the faithful, unpredictable companion.

After months of living together, John and Nimue's relationship had evolved into something deeper and more meaningful.

They shared everything, their joys, their fears, their secrets and their love for each other only grew stronger.

John is reflecting on all that, still smoking his cigarette on the balcony, it's been years since they met and both of them hasn't changed or aged a day.

Nimue makes a 'come here' motion with her finger, giggling and slightly raising up her nightgown in a sensual and inviting manner.

John shakes his head amused, "I thought you had enough for tonight" he says, walking towards her.

Nimue smirked and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close.

"I always have room for more," she purred, nuzzling her face against his chest.

"After all," she continued, looking up at him with a mischievous glint in her eye, "we have all the time in the world."

#fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #archive of our own #fallout #john hancock #smut #fallout 4

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jade-of-mourning · 1 year ago

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listen the idea of lin & mako having history pre-canon is the funniest shit to me ever idk why it's just funny especially seeing how their relationship casually evolves throughout the series

edit: i wrote this before getting around to rewatch and i drastically failed in my characterization of lin please forgive me

There's a ratty kid running messages in the middle of a busted underground drug transaction. He gets arrested with the rest of the participants who didn’t scram fast enough and is taken to the station — where he promptly escapes his juvenile cell before he can get pulled in for interrogation. Lin knows his type, thin-faced with eyes older than their body, and she hopes that this is the last she sees of him, because she hates having to deal with kids involved in crime.

Two months later, she's on the night patrol when she runs onto the scene of a Triad raid. There's a small firebender wielding flame and settling the building ablaze, stark against the black sky; she makes eye contact with him and realizes that it's that ratty, slippery kid who had been running messages. As more officers arrive on the scene and quell the flames, she snatches him before he can flee with the rest. He's snarling sparks and biting at air with his teeth, kicking his feet viciously in an attempt to escape the metal cables wrapped around his body, and she hauls him into the station and sits his ass down in the interrogation room, where he gets his first mugshot taken and she fills out the paperwork to send him back to an orphanage. A few days later, she reads an offhand report that a kid’s run away.

She doesn't see him again until a year later in the aftermath of a violent robbery, this time hauled in the back of a getaway car that their pursuers don't catch. There's a woman lying in water with smoke coming off her body, and Lin can see the lichtenberg figures crawling over her skin.

They're on a stakeout on a warehouse when he fires lightning through the window, shattering glass. Lin's yelling orders and fighting off a triad of gangsters, and as whips her cables around the last man, she turns around to see the now-teenager whipping lightning through her officers' metal suits and kicking flames through the air. He spits in her face when she captures him in earth and breaks away the back to cuff his hands and calls her the worst of 'em all, the mighty fuckin' Chief of Police herself. He's sitting in the interrogation room with his hands bound to the table and infinitely subdued, dead silent under the weight of her gaze, meeting her eyes with a hard dirty gold edge. His face is still thin and young the way it'd been years ago, bones still jutting out of his cheeks, hair chopped unevenly and falling across his brow. You must be close to Zolt, to have learned lightning to any level of proficiency, let alone been taught, she says to him, and he scowls and hisses like a feral pygmy-puma and doesn't speak a word. His second mugshot gets stored in his growing file. She learns from other subjects of interrogation that he's Zolt's project and intended successor should he survive long enough, learns of their general resentment towards him. Someone still busts him out of jail by the next night.

He's way too involved in the underground for anyone's liking. He's Zolt's protege and he's constantly involved in raids and exchanges and assaults. He's often the last one fighting off several officers until he's captured by Lin, the warehouse scenario playing out over and over again: he's shooting lightning and spitting fire and fighting viciously until his blood is in his eyes, absolutely wild without reservation. He vomits insults at the police out of his mouth while driven to the station, curses them for the lack of care the world's ever shown towards him and his brother. Every time he ends up in a jail cell and the guards look away for a minute, he's managed to slip away, a slippery bastard eel-shark. He quits his silence, tears into her and her job over interrogation rooms in handcuffs and still escapes despite it all. (He even manages to snatch the blasted red scarf out of her office while on the way out. What the fuck.) He's got nearly half a dozen mugshots accumulated in his folder at the station, each one documenting his eyes darkening to a harder gold, the growth of bruises around his neck, evidence of his increasing inability to fill out his skin.

And then he vanishes. At first she doesn't notice, but his absence becomes more evident as Zolt's work begins showing up with increasing frequency rather than his favorite errand-runner. She doesn't really give a shit about the little asshole fire-spitting punk who'd only caused trouble while running with the triads, a notable accomplice in harassing the city for the past four years — but she also can't help but wonder what happened to him. No body ever turns up and she eventually forgets about him; crime never stops.

Imagine her fucking surprise when three years later, he's suddenly best friends with an even more asshole fire-spitting punk: the Avatar. She sees him in the City Hall when she comes to assert her support for the pro-bending arena, doesn't register who he is until he turns in surprise and narrows his eyes at her, familiar in the cold fire behind them. She realizes that he’s the Mako she’s been hearing on the radio, the rapidly rising star of the sport. She also doesn’t get the chance to address any of this madness before Tenzin drags her aside, and then the world moves too fast for her to figure out how the fuck he’s involved in this mess. She sees him fight now and she knows that he knows she knows, but they don't acknowledge it at all because there's too much more at stake. His voice is still low and scratchy, but it's now carefully articulate, no sign of vicious vitriol and derision that had once spilled from his lips, just reservation and consideration.

Their non-interaction lasts until after the entire Amon ordeal is (somewhat) resolved and her bending is restored. She confronts him, grudgingly acknowledges his role in saving the city, then flatly declares that she doesn't trust him for shit. He glares her down for a moment before the familiar fire fades from his eyes and his shoulders slump ever so slightly. He says that he’s trying to be a better man now, that he cares deeply for the people around him now, that he doesn’t ever want to turn back to who he was forced to have been because it was never who he wanted to be. She tells him that she can’t let him go unanswered for his crimes from when he was younger; he begs her to not ruin everything that he’s worked so hard to make for himself. It’s unexpected for all that she thought she knew of him, the desperation open on a face no longer carved by starvation.

And Lin knows in her heart that he’s trying. She can see it in the way he looks at Korra like she cradles the sun in her palms, the way he puts his hand on his brother’s shoulder and opens his arm to embrace, the way he talks to the Sato girl with softened edges and keeps his eyes on her face, not her pockets. But she can’t trust that trying of itself is enough. It comes to her: she needs to keep an eye on him, and he needs a stable job (— kids like him who’ve managed to crawl out of the gutter are always on the hunt for one after all, despite how rarely they find it).

So she offers him an application for the force, tells him that she’ll turn a blind eye to his past if performs this service under her watch. She admits he’s got a good head on his shoulders, that he’s a good fighter — she would know —, and states that if he’s truly so determined to do right, then he should be extending that to the city as well. He looks at her and asks, Do I really have a choice?

She looks at him wryly, raises an eyebrow. I don’t have much of a choice myself, now do I? she tells him.

other random mako-related tumblr writings i did: x / x

this is also kind of the only way i can picture mako joining the rpcd initially, because it actually makes no sense to me lmfao. how he got involved, that is. like i can definitely see him being super passionate about it and ultimately coming to enjoy working for this fictional police force, probably finding some kind of self-appointed redemption for himself as a kid, but also how did this get started in the first place. consider me baffled.

… i kinda wanna write a oneshot on this now. oops. goddamnit </3

spat this out in maybe two hours cuz i thought it was funny. i'm still writing That Fic, it's almost 10k long somehow and i think i need to delete about half of it, but we'll see lmfaooo

also here's a wip on him i started that i may or may not ever finish

#lychee's brain trash #mako tlok #mako lok #lin beifong #this is basically a shitpost i always forget i can do that on tumblr

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obstinaterixatrix · 10 months ago

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THE GLIMM*R ZINE IS AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD TO BACKERS AND IT'S SO GOOD IT'S SOOOOOOOOO GOOD I think it has a good mix of requited/unrequited, mundane/fantasy, literal/figurative (though dreams inherently skew more figurative than literal) (maybe more... a good balance between a 'concrete' implementation of 'dream' in the sleep sense, and 'abstract' implementation of 'dream' as the wish/goal sense?)

all the artists did a great job, I think every single story was complete and satisfying and competently executed (though obviously some of them hit my biases more than others). I can think of positive and unique things to say about each story. so I will.

Midnight Smack by Anna Chen Campbell: The art style is fun and distinct and very expressive, I loved the role reversal of a fantastical creature being in the position of going What The Fuck. Very solid meet-cute!

Dear Nina by Kristina Luu: The story is told through the perspective character reminiscing of the past, which means a nice intimate first(/second) person narration. I really liked the mood whiplash of wistful longing and seething cynicism, the atmosphere is top-notch.

Good Morning, Rose by Rowan Maccoll: I love the dream vibes in this one--it really captures that experience of going along with different scenes that aren't supposed to cohere, disjointed in a way that works for the story. I love how the... not-really-negative space is used during the true form reveal, very atmospheric.

R.E.M. by Jona Li: It's one of the heavier stories because [spoilers] the narrative centers suicidal ideation/suicide attempt, and I think the artist does a good job with emotional nuance; I also like that there's ambiguity whether the subject of the dream is their real self, or a projection of the dreamer. The contrast between hard/soft textures is super arresting.

Merderous by Gabrielle Kari: The first of three illustrations! Alas, the two-page spread is broken up in pdf format... I can't wait to get my physical copy so I can see it in its fully glory... it's got what's clearly an intricate narrative with no context or explanation, so you get to puzzle out your own interpretation if you want, which I liked.

Eternal Waltz by Adeline Kon: EXTREMELY heated drama between women. It has resentment, it has longing, it has separation and bitter reunions, it has violence, and it has a butch woman who's definitely an arrogant fuckboy. I want fifty more comics just like this.

Derailed! by Kimberly Wang: I'm very unfairly biased towards this comic because I've been following this artist for a while and I Love Their Work. Great composition, great expressions, great energy, just all around great stuff (there's also an interview about Of Thunder And Lightning in this zine!). Anyway, they described this comic as "type A hobonichi girlie meets girl who's perpetually late and has no impulse control, who survives", it's very funny and very charming and I knew I'd love it from the very first preview. and I was right. I want fifty more comics of this duo.

The Visitor by Yuchen H: The second illustration, which is also the cover of the zine. The art looks so soft and edible, really captures a dreamy atmosphere. I want to bury my face in those feathers. The pain (and longing...?) for someone ignorant to the impact of their own actions... solid vibes.

One Last Dream by Laura Rovinsky and Ez Carol: The protagonist is an old woman in hospice care, which really grabbed my interest. Despite the heavy premise, it's super sweet and cute and Filled With Joy, and there were a lot of elements I liked (the main character being active in working with the love interest, the main character's waking life being enhanced by the dream, etc). I would love to see more old women protagonists!

Step By Step by Jess Fleming: I liked the maze setup--the artist did cool stuff like the blueprint-to-completed-gardens page, and the atmosphere's very... I think liminal fits best. Also, the impossible status divide between a groundskeeper and a noblewoman who's in an arranged marriage to end a feud, AND the emotional implications of constructing the maze PLUS having to guide the noblewoman to her betrothed? Very good setup for The Longing

Love Everlasting by Ellen Mei: The third and final illustration. VERY clear narrative and VERY heated drama. I love an unethical scientist and I love how Very Definitely Unhappy the android looks about the situation. Sooo tasty and unhinged, nobody's getting out of this unscathed.

anyway, those are my thoughts, must-read for yuri enthusiasts, if you didn't get the chance to back the kickstarter definitely pick up a copy once it's for sale. I love it.

#ff recs #recs #long post #misclb #orlbs

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true-power-limited · 2 years ago

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datathearsonist · 8 months ago

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Spoilers for DRDT ch 2 ep 16

HOLY FUCKING SHIT WHAT HAPPENED- Like, yeah, I get Teruko's a bitch and all, but like.. c'mon dude, don't try and kill her off. She didn't do anything wrong MonoTV, don't make her suffer more than she already is with that stab wound. And Levi? Bro, she said she'd be fine, you didn't need to jump in, even if you don't believe her. Sure, she saves your asses all the time in trials (bc she's the protag), but that don't mean you *have* to save her.

And I may not be an Ace lover, but holy fuck do I feel bad. He won't know if Levi survives the bullet wounds, and he'd never know he'd grilled Arturo for nothing because he couldn't save him if Levi doesn't live. His execution was incredibly fucking funny, even if it has a lot of really cool details in it. Just fuckin'- *dies of fear induced cardiac arrest* Like- This dumbfuck died the funniest way possible, like this was meant to be the comedic relief point of the episode.

The execution itself, however, is really sick. "Thanatophobia" being the fear of death, either of yourself or of loved ones, and also being the name of his execution is, quite obviously, very fitting. He made it so painfully obvious that he's scared to die, both at the end of ep 15 and the entirety of his last bit of time living in ep 16. The beginning where the scythe is thrown, signaling Death is after him, makes it really start off with a bang. Then immediately transitioning to the showing of types of death with illness being first, that slowly starts making him spiral downward. After the illness comes fire, where he bravely (for him) charges through the flames before going to the next, car accident. Him barely dodging and it switching to falling is smooth as fuck. The murder, drowning, and lightning come before finally death by execution, specifically by firing squad. He's already stressed the fuck out and quicly getting worse as the guns are raised. He believes he's gonna die by bullets, but they're simply blanks filled with confetti. The damage is already done though and he collapses from going into cardiac arrest.

Also, WHIT IS FUCKING PISSED WITH MONOTV WHEN THEY TRY TO GET LEVI TO THE INFIRMARY BUT THE ELEVATOR WON'T OPEN BECAUSE "The trial isn't over until the blackened is executed." AND IT JUST FUCKING TERRIFIES ME SEEING WHIT SHOW SO MUCH NEGATIVE EMOTION-

#drdt #drdt spoilers #drdt ace #drdt chapter 2 #WHAT THE FUCK BRO- THIS MENTALLY SCARRED SOMEONE WHO'S ALREADY HEAVILY MENTALLY SCARRED

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cairavende · 1 year ago

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Worm Arc 15 interludes thoughts

Carol interlude:

Holy shit you really were just a fucking TERRIBLE mother!

Like I get it, you had lots of horrible childhood trauma. And you didn't want to adopt Amy and let yourself get bullied into it by your sister. But that doesn't give you an excuse for how you treated both your kids.

Got to see another trigger event!! Fuck yes. Give me more. I want to see more details on those higher dimensional beings.

Fucking hell seeing Marquis's powers in play is pretty crazy. Dangerous boy.

Carol was just going to full blown stab right through that closet door without even looking inside! She almost killed a child! God damn.

“No. He’s just my daddy. Reads me bedtime stories, makes me dinner, and tells me jokes. I love him more than anything else in the world. You can’t take him away from me. You can’t!” Fucking ooof that's a line.

No seriously though this can't be the first time there has been a young child of a cape that needed to be adopted because their parent was arrested or killed. Is there really no system in place for this? Cause Amy should not be going with Carol.

Just the way through most of the present sections of the interlude that Carol thinks about her daughter and Amy. Not her daughters. And this was before she knew anything about what Amy had done. Terrible mother.

HOLY SHIT AMY OH MY GOD YOU MADE IT EVEN WORSE! And I thought flesh coffin Victoria was bad! FUCK!

Vic is going to need lots of therapy.

Fucking Carol basically deciding Amy is her daughter now only because she doesn't want to think about Victoria being her daughter. Damn. Bad mother.

And Amy is in the birdcage (Hellfire playing in my head the entire damn time I'm reading this part). I'd be rather terrified to see what she becomes except no one ever gets out of the birdcage so obviously there is no worries. She is never going to be an issues. (I shouldn't need the /s but just to be safe.)

Brian interlude:

Not much to say here, most of my thoughts on this relationship was said in my last post.

I do always love seeing Taylor from the PoV of someone else. Just shows how fucking badass she is. And kinda terrifying.

"She conveyed an eerie kind of confidence that he knew she didn’t have at her core." This is just incorrect bud. When she isn't thinking about how she is portraying herself she conveys the confidence she does have at her core. The stuff she hides from herself.

Alexandria interlude:

DATES! DATA! LORE! AHHHHHHH!!!!

Date of first Endbringer attack!!!!! Strong estimation of the number of capes in August 1986! Knowledge that Cauldron was working in 1986! Their "success" rate at the time that I can compare to now! (Success in quotes cause I don't personally think tentacles is a failure. I want to meet tentacle lady.)

Obviously I'm not a big fan of any of the Cauldron people on the surface. But I think I like Contessa within those boundaries. I technically have no idea what she can do but I'm almost positive she is some type of precog. And I kind of ship her and Alexandria.

Behemoth is fucking scary. Just light people on fire from the inside, shoot lightning. Full energy manipulation. Damn.

Alexandria is the head of the PRT! Damn! (I assume at least.)

I want to know more about the Terminus project!

And Coil is a product of Cauldron! But he doesn't know it (supposedly). Damn. They list him as an alternate to the Protectorate which is very interesting. I'm super curious what Cauldron's goal with the Protectorate was and how Coil can do the same.

Fucking Alexandria just going and grabbing people to be experimented on and it's "ok" cause they were dying. Holy shit! She even manages to make the comparison to her chemo treatment and still does it! Fuck lady. You can justify anything.

Triumph interlude:

See? Triumph is fine! So Skitter didn't do anything wrong.

Triumph is Cauldron created too. Cause he was only good enough at baseball for the minor league but not the majors. God damn fucking privileged ass rich white boy. And he describes it as a traumatic thing! God. At least later he does kinda call out that he got stuff from having a rich dad with connections.

Assault seems to be doing great! Sure was a good idea to let him join the Protectorate just cause he wanted to be a creep to this one girl. Turns out when that girl is gone he doesn't have any motivations to be a "good guy". Great decision Legend.

Robot daughter! Good to see you again! And you built yourself a bio body! Or a head at least. Still, fun!

AAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Defiant.

Definitely isn't Polearm McGee! Nope! Absolutely a different person. That also likes really long pointy sticks.

I am glad Frank Miller's Armsmaster was able to remove the restrictions on robot daughters code. She deserves freedom. Pretty much served his purpose now and she basically just keeps him around to humor him. "Oh yes I need Defiant to help me, even though I built his suit and could just control it directly myself."

Seven Dragon suits in Brockton Bay huh? I'm sure that won't result in anything next arc. What with Dragon specifically on the lookout for Taylor and Taylor planning on going with her dad to the town hall on the election.

Triumph gives in to the weight of not speaking up about Defiant being Armsmaster but then he gets mad at Prism for not speaking up! My dude! You didn't speak up, you can't be mad at her for the same thing!

Fucking LOVED the ending of this interlude, and thus this arc, though. Absolutely perfect. Just with the inherent comparison of Defiant to Mannequin, especially considering Colin called Mannequin a "monster" in his interlude and said "I'm nothing like you!" And then Triumph thinking how he could see the reason for every step Colin made and could see himself justifying each one. And the previous chapter had Taylor dealing with how far she had let herself go. All that and then ending this chapter with Triumph staring at the bodies of Crawler and Mannequin (finally confirmed dead) and the line "Maybe it was to find some clue, some sign he could watch out for, that would let him identify the monsters from the men."

Just fucking. So good. I think it's my favorite quotable arc ending so far. I might like Arc 11's ending more (it's close) but not in quotable way. "All lies" at the end of Arc 14 is a close second, but I like this one more.

#Worm #Worm Web Serial #Parahumans #Cairavende reads Worm #Carol Dallon #Creepy Crawlies #Alexandria #Cauldron #Triumph #Dragon #Frank Miller's Armsmaster #For real though I kinda want to write up an essay on the “identify monsters from the men” bit. There is just so many layers of stuff!#At a minimum it goes all the way back to 3.6 when Tattletale is talking about her “cops vs robbers” analogy.#And she says “And then there's the monsters.” Referencing SH9 and Nilbog (want to know more about) and Skitter brings up the Endbringers.#And the whole constant theme of the heroes not necessarily being the “good guys” and labels mattering more than actions.#And just the idea that there is 3 things. Heroes. Villains. And Monsters.#Monster in many ways being just as made up of a label as hero or villain but it lets people justify their actions better.#Just. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#Worm is good.#Girlfriend thank you tag! Thanks for pestering me (affectionately) to read Worm.#My life (and the life of everyone who likes reading my thoughts on it) is better for it! Love you!!!

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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 3 months ago

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By: Helen Pluckrose

Published: Mar 20, 2025

Cathy Young recently wrote an excellent piece on “How to Navigate Transgender Issues in the Trump Era”. Cathy argued for a ‘sane middle’ that rejected any bullying and dehumanising of trans people and discriminating against them in the military or controlling how they lived their lives while recognising the need for stringent safeguards on gender clinics and protections for women’s spaces and sports where biological sex matters. She called for open debate over dogma. I shared the piece and congratulated Cathy on it. One reader commented,

This is where Cathy is stuck between a rock and gaping chasm: their wish to “live as they want” as she puts it, impedes the ability for women and gay men to live as is their (our) hard-earned right. Need I remind anyone reading this, gender ideology is inherently non-consensual and forces people to use language that runs head on against reality. Hmm! Does compelled speech seem particularly “sane middle”? When the transgender movement has set colonised and reappropriated gay rights to the point where we've all been dragged into the quagmire of gender identity fiction; when we're outcast from our own social circles because we adhere to fundamentals of reality; how reasonable are we expected to respond? Being constantly forced into preference falsification has resulted in gaping wounds of moral injury. The well of charity, for many of us, has run dry. This fascination with being middle-of-the-pack and “centrist” over every issue inherently causes people to trip over themselves in favour of playing into fiction. Furthermore, every time we're “nice”, we're enabling this ideology and in many cases a fetish, whether the source be innate or social. Not affirming. Enabling.

This comment perfectly encapsulates a fundamental misconception of liberalism that I have been encountering increasingly frequently. Although Cathy is writing about the need for a ‘sane middle,’ what she is defending and what her critic is condemning is what I have described as the fundamental liberal principle “Let people believe, speak and live as they see fit, provided it does no material harm to anybody else nor denies them the same freedoms.”Subscribed

No belief, speech or way of living is “inherently” non-consensual or forces people to use language that goes against reality or against their own positions. People can really, really believe that everybody else must perceive reality the way they do and use language that affirms that, but they have to have institutional power to enforce this. The use and abuse of institutional power in a society is the legitimate business of members of that society while the beliefs, speech and lifestyle of other people are not.

We can test whether a belief is inherently non-consensual or whether consent is forced by institutional power quite easily. Imagine a situation where someone says, “I am a woman despite having been born with a penis” and you want to say, “No, you are not because ‘woman’ is a biological sex category defined by the reproductive system.” What happens if you try to say or type that? Do your mind, tongue or hands get possessed and you find the words, “Yes, you are a woman” coming out? Does your head explode? Do you get struck by lightning?” Clearly not. There’s nothing inherent about the beliefs that coerce minds or speech and, in fact, throughout history, people have been able to say that men and women are sex categories without being prevented from doing so or anything bad happening to them. Coercion is enabled to happen when the proponents of an idea gain institutional power and can start firing, arresting or cancelling people for not affirming it.

This has always been the case. Imagine someone says, “Christ is your saviour and the only way to Heaven” and I want to say, “I don’t believe in Christ or Heaven.” I am physically able to form those words and nothing bad happens to me for doing so. Yet, 500 years ago here in the UK, I’d have had to recant and pretend to believe that or be executed. What has changed in that time is the use of institutional power. Christians who believe that everybody must accept Christ as their saviour because otherwise they and anybody else they convince of this will be damned to eternal hell still exist, but the rights of others to be atheist, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh etc. are protected by law, in institutions and largely accepted socially. There is nothing inherent to Christianity that enables it to be imposed on everybody else and we can know this because we live in a time and place where it isn’t. I have also lived in a time where nobody was coerced into pretending to believe in gender identity.

We need to do effective things to be living in such a time again and we are. In the UK, Gender Critical views have been upheld in a court of law as a protected philosophical position and we have seen the closure of ideologically captured gender clinics that were harming children and changes to rules about sports and prisons that were harming women. Challenging coerced beliefs and speech on an institutional level works while trying to coerce people to pretend to hold different beliefs just recreates the same problems from a different perspective. This remains the case even when one of those positions is almost certainly true and the other demonstrably false. I think Christianity goes against reality and Young Earth Creationism does so demonstrably. I think the world would be much better off without it. Yet I will not seek to impose my position on everybody else to try to prevent the harms done to people (again, often women and gay men) in the name of Christianity. People must be able to believe, speak and live according to their beliefs and we must prevent them from using those beliefs to do material harm to others or deny their freedoms.

This is liberalism and it is the role of liberalism to protect everybody from coerced beliefs and speech, including Christians and trans-identified people. The problem is that we, as a society, have not been upholding the principles of liberalism and that is what we need to remedy if we do not wish to be coerced into pretending to believe anything we don’t or penalised for not doing so. It would not have been ethical or productive to replace authoritarian Christianity with authoritarian atheism and it is not ethical or productive to replace authoritarian trans activism with authoritarian ‘anti-wokeness” or gender critical feminism.

When people try to address a problem of coerced beliefs and speech by neglecting the role that institutional power has to play in the coercion and instead going to “Nobody must be allowed to believe or express belief in these ideas that are currently being imposed on us”, they just seek to replace one authoritarian form of mind and mouth control with another. They might be able to do that if their ideas gain enough influence and power, but not only will this perpetuate the abuse of institutional power as a norm, but the people in power will almost certainly change and their complicity in enabling them to impose their ideas on everybody will come back to bite them.

Is this entirely satisfactory, though? Cathy’s critic goes on to say that every time “we” are “nice”, we are enabling this ideology. Is this not a reasonable point? People who want the concept of gender identity not to exist enable its existence by being nice to people who claim a gender identity different to their biological sex?

I understand the drive to eradicate beliefs that one thinks is harmful in all situations. I have felt this drive myself as part of the New Atheist movement. I continue to think religion is harmful and way more so to women, children and same sex attracted people than a belief in gender identity and if I were to try to urge people not to be complacent about or speak in ways that give credibility to anything, religion would still be my priority. However, having been part of a movement that did that for many years - picking up on people referring to "God" as though one is real and asking them to evidence this, imploring other atheists not to speak in ways that validated the concept of gods but use terms like 'mythological deity,' criticising atheists who treated religion with respect as 'faitheists' enabling a delusion - I have to say it wasn't helpful and only alienated people. What we really needed to do was work with religious believers who also upheld the values of secularism to oppose harm and denials of freedom being done in the name of religion. Activism that works by trying to change the way people think by changing the way they speak doesn't work. It just makes people stop talking to you when you really need them to talk to you to achieve anything.

Nevertheless, it could be a good argument for one anti-woke or gender critical activist to make to one another that if they want to eradicate the concept of gender identity, they should not be nice to people who claim to have one or use any language that could be seen to accept the concept of gender identity. However, people don’t have to be anti-woke or gender critical activists. Most people are not. I am neither. I am a liberal. I will find common ground with anybody who shares my aim to let people believe, speak and live as they see fit, provided they do no material harm to anybody else nor deny them the same freedoms. This means I share values with liberal trans people, liberal anti-wokeists and liberal gender criticals and am opposed to authoritarian trans activists, anti-wokeists and gender criticals.

Because I have been so critical of the authoritarian Critical Social Justice (woke) movement including authoritarian trans activism, there is a tendency for some among the anti-woke and gender criticals to treat me as though I am a malfunctioning anti-woke or gender critical activist who is not pursuing their goals doggedly enough when I am actually being a functioning liberal pursuing my own. Compare:

Primary anti-woke activist goal: Oppose anything woke.

Primary gender critical activist goal: Oppose the concept of gender.

Primary liberal activist goal: Oppose authoritarianism.

I have no “fascination with being middle-of-the-pack or ‘centrist’” but a strong commitment to being consistently liberal. Sometimes, to be consistently liberal, one has to push back hard at a rising authoritarianism on one side and then one is perceived as being on the other side. I have been pushing back at the authoritarianism of the Critical Social Justice (woke) movement on the left for a decade now and this has caused people to see me as being on the right or as being defined by anti-wokeness or as being gender critical rather than a left-leaning, empiricist, rationalist, anti-authoritarian liberal even though I have made no secret of this. Often, to be consistently liberal, one has to push back at rising authoritarianisms on both sides and then one is perceived as being a wishy-washy, centrist fencesitter. I am still a left-leaning, empiricist, rationalist, anti-authoritarian liberal and still making no secret of this.

This misconception about the fundamental principles of liberalism typically arises in people who do not hold freedom-centred principles themselves and have difficulty conceiving that anybody else does. The fundamental (and, I believe, genuine) failure of the dogmatic, authoritarian mindset to comprehend “Let people believe, speak, live as they see fit provided it does no material harm to anyone else nor denies them the same freedoms” is not only unethical, however. It is also counterproductive because most people are not dogmatic or authoritarian. Most people are not strongly principled liberals who look closely at all the major issues of our day and apply first principles to them either, I must concede. Nevertheless, people who are not deeply entrenched in any aspect of the Culture Wars and way too online do typically have a general sense of fair play, proportionality, a will to live and let live and a dislike of bullies. That is, most people are more liberally-minded than authoritarian-minded. (I have argued this in more detail here).

It took significant time for enough liberally-minded people to become convinced that the “woke” movement was authoritarian, unjust and disproportionate that public opinion shifted against it and it began to wane. It seems clear from polling surveys that illiberal, identitarian left-wing ideas were a significant factor in the shift away from the Democrats in the last election. It would be a huge mistake, I’d suggest, to believe that this means those swing voters are now in favour of illiberal, identitarian, right-wing ideas. Those of us who want to see ‘woke’ die would do well to influence the parties and movements we support to become more liberal and less identitarian if we do not want people who support us in that aim to swing back behind wokeness again. The gender critical movement, similarly, had an uphill start in trying to convince enough well-intentioned people who care about the rights and freedoms of everyone, but particularly minority groups, that the dominant form of trans activism was aggressive, abusive, authoritarian and was doing harm to women and children. They achieved this, I have argued, by focusing on the harms and denial of freedom of belief and speech being done by it. They gained the support of the liberally-minded and they will lose it again if they mistake this support for freedom of speech and opposition to harm and abusive behaviour for newly acquired gender critical activist aims and badger people to take an aggressive, abusive and authoritarian attitude towards trans people.

The authoritarian anti-woke and gender criticals will shoot themselves in the foot if they do not recognise how much of their support they owe to liberals opposing the same harmful authoritarianisms that they were because they were harmful and authoritarian and not because they have suddenly become anti-woke or gender critical activists. Strongly principled liberals won’t be bound by the activist aims of either group and will actively oppose them if they become harmful and authoritarian. This is not because we are wishy-washy, fence-sitting centrists who always want to find a middle ground and ‘both sides’ everything. We are not half-measure anti-woke or gender critical activists. We are full-measure liberals.

To be a principled liberal is not to take a weak position but a strong one that frequently finds us fighting many battles at the same time. When one is opposing authoritarianism coming from more than one angle, one frequently finds oneself in between two or more opposing dogmatic forces and believed by each of them to be on the other side. Alternatively, dogmatists on one side or the other may believe that we are there too because we have supported their freedom of belief and speech and supported them in opposing harmful authoritarianism, but believe we do not support them strongly enough because we oppose their harmful authoritarianism too. At the same time, we are typically trying to persuade the large number of people who are liberally-minded in that they value freedom and tolerance and oppose bullying, but do not dedicate much of their lives to evaluating the culture wars using the first principles of liberalism not to surge left or right depending on which side they see as more authoritarian at any time, but to oppose authoritarianism consistently.

Consistent, principled liberalism is not for the faint-hearted! It is not a weak position and it is often significantly harder, more complicated and more stressful than falling in line with a dogmatic, single-issue movement. Liberalism requires accepting that social reality is messy and that navigating it in an ethical and effective way that both protects freedom and prevents harm takes more than simply trying to blast all the ideas we don’t like out of existence, (which has also never worked in the history of humanity). What liberalism has in its favour is that it works. We need progressives to recognise that what has produced so much progress for women and racial, religious and sexual minorities is liberalism and conservatives to recognise, when speaking of conserving Western Civilisation, that the defining feature of this is liberalism.

There is nothing wishy-washy about that.

#Helen Pluckrose #liberalism #liberal values #liberal ethics #secularism #freedom of belief #freedom of speech #free speech #classical liberalism #centrism #authoritarianism #woke authoritarianism #religious authoritarianism #anti authoritarian #anti authoritarianism #religion is a mental illness

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