#the way he talks about empathy and humanity

[pastabaguette]

sorry for all the posts today, but this one is very important: alternian video game edits.

i actually have reasonings for all of their blood types, and a few classpects, so i'll dive into them here:

monika: i'm thinking that early in the game, during acts 1 and 2, she maybe masqueraded as a jadeblood or higher. only during act 3 does she reveal herself as a fuchsia to the protagonist.

gordon and alyx: gordon is probably a tealblood, or somewhere around there. fairly high, but not too high, i think. alyx is an olive, and eli is an indigo. azian was probably a gold. (or lime?) i did have to keep gordon’s orange HEV suit, though. surely you understand. okay, troll half life lore: i think on alternia, all the main characters in the half life franchise are like, olive or above. the rebels in follow freeman and the guards are all lowbloods, so that the player doesn't feel too bad about sacrificing them, or something like that. i think this would be something that would happen in an alternian video game, at least.

agent 47: 47 is actually a mutant, due to being manufactured in a lab. he's a weird ice-blue color. he's still got that piercing stare. i felt a little sad changing his iconic red tie, but i do have some thoughts on that as well. obviously, red in human culture tends to symbolize passion, among other things, and in this case, violence and aggression, because it's the color of blood. however, because trolls all have different blood colors, i think they might have different meanings attached to colors than humans typically do. i think that typically, the colors that would most commonly represent aggression in alternian culture would be blue (cobalt and indigo) and purple. now, i know that the sea dwellers exist, but since the vast majority of trolls are lowbloods, they would have a lot more contact with the land-dwelling highbloods, rather than the fish. so, 47’s tie is blue. (i also just think it looks cool matching his eyes)

chell: I made chell a bronzeblood. she’s a test subject, but not one of the special ones (astronauts, olympians, etc). she’s just another lab rat. (also, a lot of her outfit is orange…)

now for classpects! i only have two i’m sure of as of now:

gordon freeman is an heir of hope. this one is fairly obvious to me. a common belief is that heirs have the ability to become their aspect, in a way. in half life 2, gordon quickly becomes the main symbol of the resistance on earth. for the rebels, he himself IS hope.

agent 47 is a prince of life. again, it’s a common interpretation that princes are themselves void of their aspect, and they destroy that aspect in others. this is really literal, obviously, but as a hitman, 47 kills people. literally destroying life. as for his own lack of life in himself, it’s pretty simple as well. 47 is almost always described as entirely void of emotion and empathy. others often remark on his soulless stare, a lack of life behind his eyes. so, as a prince, he fulfills both criteria there.

holy hell, that was a lot of words. i didn’t intend to talk this much. feel free to add your own thoughts; i’d like to hear what others think. these descriptions were a bit rushed, and i don’t really consider myself to be very good at communicating my thoughts, so a lot of things may have been lost in translation. i’d be happy to try and elaborate on my reasonings for any of them.

(oh, also, please no alyx spoilers. i haven’t played it yet!)

[pixelnrd]

Jasmine was deeply depressed after Jacob’s death. She took weeks off work and moped about her home, trying to numb her feelings of deep emotional pain. She thought about going home to her family, but she didn’t think things would feel better there than they did here. So she continued to suffer through, feeling more and more alone.

Until one day her phone rang and it was someone unexpected on the end of the line. It was Andrew Chen, checking in to see where she had been. After all, she had been managing his family’s public relations.

Andrew asked Jasmine get coffee, and Jasmine decided to drag herself out of her house if only for the opportunity to finally speak in person with another human.

Andrew listened to her talk and cry about everything that had happened. He was a gentle listener and comforted her in her sadness. He expressed empathy for her loss and proposed an idea that he thought might help her to begin moving forward.

Andrew took Jasmine away to Tomerang. When Jasmine had protested at the expense he had brushed it off and took care of everything. She hated to accept the generous offer, but in truth it was what Jasmine needed. A change of scenery, somewhere new to distract her mind.

They spent much of their time walking and talking, taking in the surrounds. It was cathartic, and Jasmine felt like she finally got to know Andrew on a deeper level. Of course, she was aware that Andrew did still fancy her. She could see the way he sometimes looked at her. But it didn’t bother her. It didn’t really matter to her at all anymore.

In the evenings they ate spicy food at the night markets, and in these moments under the colourful lights in the warm air with the sunset fading Jasmine felt like she was finally coming up for air. She felt hopeful and happy.

She felt so happy by the end of their trip that she finally decided that maybe Andrew wasn’t so bad after all. Sure he was toffy, and he had a complicated family full of baggage. But he was nice, and he was cute, and they weren’t getting any younger. If she was truly honest with herself, Jasmine missed being adored. She needed to feel that again.

[uncanny-tranny]

I think the thing about the way people conceptualize empathy is... when you're interacting with other people, they are going through things that, which you may empathize with, you won't always understand, partially because you're two different people, but also because not all situations are 1:1 copy-pastes that are easy to understand.

This isn't saying that empathy is useless, but that acknowledging when you relate personally to somebody and yet also recognizing that this is their struggle is important. When people pretended to empathize with me, it made me feel like I was being placated to. I felt like people were only trying to shut me up by saying that they, personally, "get it," when I knew they didn't. I just don't want people replicating that because they genuinely do want to help the people in their lives.

[beesorcery]

google how do i tell my dad that the reason i keep bringing up elon musk's transphobia isn't that i've got gen z political tunnel vision that makes me blind to his "innovation" in electric cars but because i am desperately crying out for you as the father of a trans child to feel just as outraged and angry as i am that that man has so much power

[a-very-fond-farewell]

pumpkin gnocchi with sausage-based ragú spoke to me in a dream so I think I should really write tonight

[solittles]

thinks about dave k's bad take on hickey n his potential personality disorder. gets upset again .

[rainbowangel110]

So this just happened:

My dad: "Rainbow (not my real name), what do you know about AI?"

Me, already thinking about that fucking ChatGPT thing and AI art mess: "Uhhh not much really...."

Cut to us having a (polite) argument as to what AI's role is going to be in the next couple of generations.

[bohemiandeer]

You know what hits me hard? When 5 to 6 year old children, all the way in Southeast Asia, knows about what's happening in Palestine right now. That children their age is getting bombed, that they're starving to death, that they're getting shot at, and sniped in the head. Because, just this past 2 or so months, I heard some of the little ones in the Kindergarten classes I'm TAing in as an Intern talk about it. Hell, one of the little boys downright said he didn't like Israel, because Israel is bad, because they do scary things. Another was questioning whether Palestine was bad too, because, "why else would they shooting at them?". A little girl in one of my classes doesn't want to finish her food at all, because she wants to save at least half her meat and rice for kids in Palestine, because she heard that, they don't have food. And that's just the ones I remember. Namely the inciting cases before their classmates slowly follow suit. The littles are fricking SCARED. We had to sit these kids down, and tell them that the topic is too mature for them at the moment, that they shouldn't even be concerned because they're KINDERGARTNERS, they're not even old enough to properly understand. The one teacher I was TAing for had to make a class announcement saying that. What gets me is, these are 5 to 6 year olds, the youngest I've worked with in this specific age group is 4. 5 years old on average, and they've already been exposed to the worst horrors genocide has to offer through the news and snippets of conversation among adults and hell, considering how many of them say they like to play games on Mama's phone, or their IPad, even from fricking social media. And the fact that, these literal babies, from all the way in Cambodia, has more empathy in their entire body and soul, than full grown fricking adults have in the nail of their pinky finger, gets me. FFS we as adults could LEARN from them I feel sometimes. I honestly don't know what to feel about it anymore. On the one hand, this is the next generation I'm working with. And if the next generation's default response to a tragedy such as Palestine, is what I've seen come up on occasion so far? Perhaps there's some bloody hope for this world after all. At least in this country. Especially since a majority of them already come from families who survived a genocide. These are the 3rd - 4th generation descendants of those who survived the Khmer Rouge. They've got grandparents at home, who no doubt are more than intimately familiar with what Palestine is going through right now. And it shows.

But on the other, it makes my heart sink because these are CHILDREN, these are LITTLE KIDS, they should be playing with their toys and watching cartoons and talking to their friends about everything from Spiderman to Speakerman to Kuromi and her friends, and be worried about whether or not they can go to playground that day, guranteed they're well behaved, or if Mama remembered to pack in their costume for swimming lessons that week. NOT JUST MY KIDS. But the little ones in Palestine too. They deserve better. They all deserve, so much better. Hell, it's come to the point that whenever I look at my kiddos right now, whether they'd be working in class, playing, doing something as mundane as eating lunch or getting ready for their nap. I think of the children their age in Palestine that didn't even get the chance to survive. I think of the ones whose memories from this age, is nothing but absolute horror and pain, rather than what has slowly become my normal, who never got to experience what my littles do on a daily basis right now.

Children shouldn't even be concerned about "War", about a Genocide. The last thing that should be on a 5 year old's mind, is pain, and suffering, and the worst horrors imaginable ever to be inflicted on a human being. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S INFLICTED, ON OTHER CHILDREN THEIR AGE. And for that alone, the world has failed them. Especially the kids in Palestine who didn't ask for any of this. They just wanted to carry on with life as kids do, the same way as my littles do on a daily basis no doubt, learning, playing, chatting with friends over their favourite cartoons and characters, worrying about whether they'd get to go to the playground or not that day.

I apologize for talking about this on this blog. I know my blog tends to be lighter in feel, a lot more unhinged and light hearted typically. I mean, I'm just a fricking nerd who likes to draw and write, and lurk about her favourite fandoms to consume and support what is shared among other nerds who also like to draw and write. But I couldn't stop thinking about it. About contemplating it, especially since I'll be back on a roll tomorrow, working with my kiddos again after not seeing them for 5 days straight because of Holidays. And, I just had to talk about it. This is something I felt I couldn't keep to myself this time, I don't think my soul'd be able to carry it. I had to talk about it.

FREE PALESTINE. Our children deserve better.

[snekdood]

listen, all im sayin is its pretty funny to me when the same person whos all like "my uwu baby!!!" toward a serial killer in some show also apparently lacks empathy when people who've done far less shit just simply exist and they dont want them to

how do you fail to extend empathy to actual humans but its so easy for you to do with this guy that if he was real would be entirely irredeemable in every capacity?

[evilminji]

Okay but? We of the DPxDC? Are COMPLETELY Sleeping on DPXBNHA?

And not even for the Main Plot Shenanigans!

Just?? It has ALL of DC's super powers? But MORE OF THEM. And like 80% of the population has um! Danny can?? Finally achieve his DREAM of being???

JUST SOME DUDE™!

Yeah, he's in Japan. That's a bit of a learning curve. And YEAH, there was a cataclysmic war like a few centuries back that sorta... fucked everybody up. No one wants to talk about it. There may be mass graves and Never Forget memorials. But?

On the SURFACE!

This place seems utopian!

No ghost hunters! Advanced technology! Robust social services*!

Wait... what was that asterisk? What do you mean "corrupt shadowy government organizations"? What do you MEAN "Immortal Supervillians"? NO SPACE PROGRAM!?!? AaaaaAAAAAAAAAAH?!?!? I'M IN HELL!!! This is ACTUALLY THE BAD PLACE, THIS IS HELL, OH GOD NOOOOOOO-!!!!!!

Cause see?

There are SO MANY REASONS he'd end up there?

Think about it! Wish that he lived somewhere his weird biology wouldn't exclude him from becoming an astronaut? In Quirks having Bnha Japan EVERYBODY has weird biology! Y'ain't special! You could TOTALLY be an astronaut!..... if we HAD those! We do not. Shut down that program during the Quirk Wars and never really started it again. (And somewhere, Desiree LAUGHS)

Or MAYBE? Things are getting a little hot on the ground? Bit TOO spicy. The Family Fenton and Friends have fallen back, behind the barely holding shields. Not even the Mansons considerable political maneuvering could stop the inevitably of human fear and blind unthinking hatred. Money can't buy everything, in the end. There is only ONE(1) way out.

Through the Zone.

Plan: Strangers In A Strange World is a go.

They're all Limnal enough to fake it. Sam with her plants. Tucker with his technology and persuasion. Jazz with her limited empathy. Their parents with their... well, weirdness. And with a touch of ghostly assisted meddling? Well, they've always BEEN there! Haven't they?

And that's not to MENTION the random 4 year olds with no control! JUST coming into their powers! With all those big emotions in tiny bodies? Startling events and tantrums? Villian attacks? What could THEY possibly hope to do to control or guide that fresh new power? It does what it does and the rest of us are just along for the ride!

If Danny happens to be minding his business and gets accidentally kidnapped by a VERY distraught 4 year old? Well, that's hardly the KIDS fault, now is it? They're FOUR! That is basically a toddler! Tiny child! They are upset, confused, and didn't mean to do ANYTHING. He's a hero. And Heros don't blame little kids from accidents, no matter HOW stressed it makes them.

No, the curse like a sailor INSIDE their head. Like an ADULT.

Just? Imagine~☆

The slow transition from *starry eyed shoujo sparkles* "This is SO COOL~!" to "huh, that's... kinda weird. And Sus. Weird Sus. Maybe nothing... oh! A distraction!" To "okay, this KEEPS happening, that was shady. You all saw that right? You realize that's not NORMAL, right? That that's fucked up? Not cool?" To "oh god, oh God, OH GOD! I'm in HELL! This is actually HELL! I'm trapped in HELL!!! WHAT THE FUC-"

Like? This kid LOVES space. LOVES the stars. And this is one of the few Superhero Cannon that SPECIFICALLY MENTIONS that IN CANNON? Thanks to Quirks? As in Superpowers? That VERY THING got fuckin SCRAPPED. Gutted. Consigned to be a relic of the past so they could all focus on punching each other Real Good.

He would weep BLOOD. Chew the WALLS. The LEVEL of unhinged this child would unleash? Not as Danny Phantom... but as DANNY J. FENTON? Beautiful. Vaguely psychotic. Definitely doing the Fenton Name proud. God, the NOISE HE WOULD MAKE would be inhuman and yet somehow? Come entirely from his human half.

They👏 Would👏 Hear👏 BOSS👏 MUSIC👏

I don't even know if he'd CARE about the main characters. They'd be tangential at best. The man would be in a one man war with I-Island over their lack of space program and hoarding of scientific progress. Probably living out of an abandoned building or forgotten subway station. Just? The MOST bedraggled, feral genius to ever haunt Japan.

As opposed to the REFINED feral genius. Who is Nedzu.

I bet Danny stands outside his school at one AM waving his scientific papers at a camera and YELLS. Like a deranged lunatic. Mismatched slippers and a "haven't slept in a week" crazed glint in his eyes.

He's Nedzu's new best friend. They GET each other.

And, yes, Nedzu COULD let him in... but it's faster to just let him yell and read the papers through the camera. Who CARES if they both seem insane! Let's shout about advanced physics and engineering at 1 am! Over the speakers!!! Oh? You need to physically SHOW me the notes? Well I COULD unlock the gates... OR just wait for you to finish scrambling up the walls like a feral Racoon, to then throw yourself OVER them.

Either, Or.

I'm just SAYING! We are SLEEPING on this! There is so, SO much fun to be had! Danny breaks rules and minds! His outrage over injustice and the complete lack of SPACE! His protection instincts going BUCK FUCKIN WILD. The INDESCRIBABLE hate boner he would have for Mr. "Lemme just rip parts of your soul out so I can collect your powers like pokemon cards" AfO.

There? Is SO MUCH, guys. SO MUCH!

@hdgnj @the-witchhunter @babbling-babull @hypewinter @nerdpoe @lolottes @dcxdpdabbles @mutable-manifestation

[beinfriends]

                                          More Muse Info || REPOST, DO NOT REBLOG!

BOLD FOR CURRENT, ITALIC FOR PAST.

Paul

WEALTH:

$  FINANCIAL: wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty ✚  MEDICAL:   fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / non applicable ✪  CLASS OR CASTE:   upper / middle / working / street trash / slave / unsure ✔  EDUCATION:   qualified / unqualified / studying / other ( i think Paul is a pretty smart dude, but he doesn't have a lot of education because of Tazmily. ) ✖ CRIMINAL RECORD:   yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / hasn’t been caught ◒  FAMILY/CHILDREN:   has a child or children / has no children / wants children / verse dependent ◑  RELATIONSHIP WITH FAMILY:   close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased ◔  AFFILIATION:   orphaned / adopted / disowned / raised by birth parent(s) / not applicable

TRAITS + TENDENCIES:

♦ extroverted / introverted / in between ♦ disorganized / organized / in between / both extremes at once ♦ close-minded / open-minded / in between ♦ calm / anxious / in between ♦ disagreeable / agreeable / in between ♦ cautious / reckless / in between ♦ patient / impatient / in between ♦ outspoken / reserved / in between ♦ leader / follower / loner / in between ♦ empathetic / un-empathetic / in between ♦ optimistic / pessimistic / in between ♦ traditional / modern / in between ♦ hard-working / lazy / in between ♦ cultured / uncultured / in between / unknown ♦ loyal / disloyal / unknown ♦ faithful / unfaithful / unknown

BELIEFS:

★  FAITH:   monotheist / polytheist / atheist / agnostic / it’s complicated ☆  BELIEF IN GHOSTS OR SPIRITS:   yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✮  BELIEF IN AN AFTERLIFE:   yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✯  BELIEF IN REINCARNATION:   yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ❃  BELIEF IN ALIENS:   yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✧  RELIGIOUS: orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious / questioning ❀  PHILOSOPHICAL: yes / no

SEXUALITY + ROMANTIC INCLINATION:

❤  SEXUALITY: heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual / demi-sexual / no labels ❥ SEX: sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable / naive and clueless ♥  ROMANCE: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable / naive and clueless ❣ SEXUALLY: adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious / inhibited ⚧ POTENTIAL SEXUAL PARTNERS: male / female / agender / none / all ⚧  POTENTIAL ROMANTIC PARTNERS: male / female / agender / none / all

ABILITIES:

☠ COMBAT SKILLS: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ≡  LITERACY SKILLS:  excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ✍ ARTISTIC SKILLS: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ✂ TECHNICAL SKILLS: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

HABITS:

☕ DRINKING ALCOHOL:  never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ☁ SMOKING: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ✿ NARCOTICS: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ✌ MEDICINAL DRUGS: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ☻ INDULGENT FOOD: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess $ SPLURGE SPENDING: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ♣ GAMBLING: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

Tagged by: i did this meme like 3 years ago on my old blog lol

Tagging: you!

[callmerainman]

Alastor with a pure hearted s/o

a/n I'm fully aware that Alastor is aroace. My scenarios are meant to be interpreted as a deep, unconditional love, not necessarily romantic. I'm not aroace but I'm all for educating myself, so please if something's off let me (gently) know. Hope you enjoy :)

TW! canon typical violence

being a twisted person is not a requirement to reincarnate in Hell. Sins depend on religion, culture, societal norms. You were more of a victim, in fact.

you never got used to being in Hell. Surviving not only the Extermination but also the inhabitants becomes harder and harder every year.

it's kill or be killed, but you just can't bring yourself to do any harm to anyone, even if it means risking your own life.

as soon as you hear about princess Charlie Morningstar's new hotel for souls who want a second chance, your bags are PACKED

it's not like you really need redemption, you are pure hearted already. it's more a matter of understanding the reasons why you ended in Hell and coming to terms with them. maybe then the gates of Heaven would open for you. it's also a safer place for you to be.

Charlie welcomes you excitedly; Angel Dust, Husk and Vaggie aren't that friendly at first since your personalities don't match, but they eventually grow fond of you

and then there's, well...the Radio Demon.

you never met an Overlord before, and Alastor was supposed to be gone for years. But his presence wasn't frightening. A big smile spread across his face, he welcomed you like a gentleman.

you heard stories about his lifestyle and even previous murderous acts as a human, but for some reason you just can't bring yourself to fear him.

at first you were kinda pathetic to him. so naive, out of touch with the evils of Hell. he didn't dislike you. just thought your life was so easy to throw away in a society like that and that you wouldn't last long.

it seems like you two don't have much to share. he just wanders in his den, while you spend time in your room. you greet each other and have small talks, but nothing more than that. that's until he hears jazz music play behind your door.

he mentions it during dinner, and you start talking about your interest in 30s jazz music, especially the one of the Roaring 20s. you come from a later era, but you're very much cultured about jazz and its forms and that's enough for Alastor to develop an interest in you.

he has so many jazz artists recommendations, and you share some of your favourite pieces with him through your gramophone.

without even noticing, Alastor starts spending hours in your room just listening to music. some time even practicing swing dancing. and talking about jazz culture all around the world, and entertainment in general. he has many fun facts about the history of radio too!

the others at the hotel notice your growing bond and low-key support it, in their own, weird way. Angel Dust is especially convinced that you two are hooking up, as Husk not-so-kindly explains that it's more likely for Alastor to ascend to Heaven than express interest in sex.

you would start to open yourself up a bit to the Radio Demon. he doesn't understand why, since it didn't ask or never showed much empathy. but he just can't bring himself to tell you to stop. he wants to listen.

you manage to make him talk about some glimpses of his own life and thoughts. you knew that he was the complete opposite of you. incline to Evil, an enjoyer of all things that made your stomach clench. but he's still the one person who spends hours with you just listening to both jazz and your fears.

one day, Alastor decided that in no way you are walking around the city without him. it's just too dangerous for you. he tries to teach you how to use weapons and demonic powers to defend yourself but he doesn't feel like you can make it into Hell by yourself.

you like strolling through the streets with him, arms intertwined, chatting and laughing even if demons around you are shitting their pants just by seeing the Overlord walking around.

but one day, Alastor can't find you.

you're not in your room, or in the Hotel hall. No one saw you that morning. He starts to feel something he never felt in his life: fear.

he darts out the Hotel, trying to find you. that's when he sees you just a few streets away.

a group of animal-like demons is encircling you. you are on your knees, arms over your head to protect yourself. A lion-demon is holding a knife over you and your arms are covered in cuts. you hold something close to your stomach.

that's when Alastor realized that he had feelings for you.

when he threw himself between you and the demons attacking you.

it's the first time you see Alastor without a smile. his teeth are gritted, face full of unprecedented violence and will to kill, breathing heavily in and out in a sort of animalistic way, but there's no trace of his characteristic smile you love.

his body starts to morph into his full demon form. his horns grow exponentially, his body too as it hovers menacingly on top of your aggressors as they start to feel a pure fear they never felt before.

in a matter of a second, they are gone. Alastor has always been a calculated, elegant killer, but this time he only felt a raw, ferocious instinct to kill.

as he's done, he turns around towards you. he doesn't want to, but he snaps.

"W̶̞̐H̷̻͒Y̷̰̅ ̶̠͛D̸͕́I̸͔̍D̴̿͜ ̷̯̇Y̶̭͌Ỏ̴̬U̵̖̍ ̷̛͎Ģ̷̕O̸̩͑ ̷̹̈́O̶̮͆U̸͍̇T̴̙͆ ̷̧̀W̴͓̅I̷̞͑T̸̗͒H̴̹͒O̴̺̓Ṷ̵̂T̵̺̚ ̵̢́M̴̜̅E̶̬̋?̸̻͋!̸̦͂"

you flinch, you never saw Alastor lose his composure. he was always so calm and collected. his voice was static, choppy.

the tears that were cornering your eyes start streaming down your face "I-I..."

"Ţ̶̈Ḧ̴͙́Ė̵̩Ỳ̷̳ ̷̳̒Ã̸̡L̷̛͚M̶͇̚O̸͈̔S̴̜̎T̸͚̊ ̷̤͝K̷͊͜I̵̺͝L̵͚̎L̴̤̆Ẽ̴͖D̶͍̈́ ̵̻͝Y̵̰̑O̸̜͘Ù̶͍!̵̻͝ ̸͓̾D̴̯͒O̶̅͜Ṉ̶̌'̷̹͒T̵͎͋ ̶̺́Y̴̹͂O̶͍̅U̴̘͌ ̵̘̾Û̷̪N̸̩̊D̵͎̋Ȅ̴͜R̵̮͂S̸̰̄T̸̝̅A̵͓͘N̷̩͂Ḏ̴̀?̵̗̍!̸̭̎"

suddenly, your bleeding arms fall from your head. you expose what you've been protecting all along.

a vinyl, a really old record from Alastor's favourite jazz artist. a rare find.

"I-I know but...tomorrow it's your death anniversary and I wanted to give this to you...as a surprise. I'm sorry"

Alastor's face immediately softens. Eyebrows raised, smile still not seen. He's just surprised and...moved.

He doesn't say anything, he just picks you up in his arms and takes you back to the Hotel where he bandages your arms.

Feeling guilty for putting yourself in danger, you ask Alastor to come to your room in order to apologize to him.

As he closes the door behind him, he says that there's no need to apologize.

"I'm...glad that you are still in your room. Listening to jazz, alive"

words didn't come easy, but he did feel the need to say it. you smile at him.

you propose to put his gift on the gramophone and so you do. music starts to flow between the small space you shared with the Radio Demon.

that's when you and Alastor start slow dancing. his arms around your waist, yours encircling his neck. his smile is back, but soft and...almost loving.

with his silent agreement, you reach for his cheek and graze it.

"Thank you for saving me, Alastor. Even if you are everything I distance myself from in this life...I'm glad you are the person that you are with me. In my next life, I'll make sure to be a sinner again if it means dancing with you like this"

Alastor now understands his feelings. It's something deeper than care. It's love. But not the same love you reserve to a friend and not even romantic. It's something deeper, more visceral.

He doesn't answer, just closes his eyes and leans in to press his forehead against yours.

you later fall asleep on your bed to the quiet sound of the gramophone playing, hands intertwined on Alastor's chest.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

How to Write a Character

For creative writing to have as deep an impact as possible, you need to give the reader strong characters they can relate to on a personal level.

By borrowing from tried-and-true character archetypes and giving them your personal spin, you can create heroes, villains, and sidekicks that will affect your readers as if they were real people they knew.

Come up with a backstory

Crafting a backstory can help you flesh out an interesting character profile.

“When I’m dealing with characters,” says legal thriller author David Baldacci, “and I’m trying to explain somebody's situation and motivations, you have to look into their past, because [the] past always drives motivations.”

Ask what experiences your character had in elementary school or high school that shaped who they are today. Your character’s backstory can greatly inform your plot.

Develop a character arc

A character must evolve throughout a story.

“The character has to change,” insists crime fiction writer Walter Mosley. “The character doesn’t have to become better. The character doesn’t have to become good. It could be the opposite. He could start good and become bad. He could start off hopeful and end up a pessimist. But he has to be impacted by this world that we’re reading about.”

Plan out your storyline based on your character's goals and how achieving or not achieving them will change them as people. This sort of template can help anchor your narrative.

Do research

If you plan to set your story in a specific locale or period, do enough research to make your characters seem true to life and believable.

“What does it mean, for instance, in the Tudor era to be a male person?” asks Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale. “What does it mean to be a female person? What do those things mean when they’re at different social levels?”

Empathize with your characters

No matter what the type of character you’re developing, try to find some reason you and your reader can relate to their internal conflict.

“You’re living with these people every single day for months at a time—in some cases, years at a time,” says acclaimed children’s author Judy Blume. “You had better feel for them. So, for me, yes, I have great empathy for them.”

When people can empathize with characters, they’re more likely to find them compelling.

Experiment with different approaches

If you usually write characters from a particular point of view (or POV), change things up to challenge yourself.

“Write about someone entirely through the eyes of their friends and family,” suggests journalist Malcolm Gladwell. “So do a profile of someone where you deliberately never talk to the person that you’re profiling.”

There are plenty of ways to craft compelling character descriptions—free yourself up to try new alternatives.

Give your characters flaws

To craft believable characters, you need to give them flaws.

“One, it makes the characters human, just by default, because everybody recognizes that we all have flaws and mistakes,” David says. “But two, it gives you plot elements and plot opportunities because somebody makes a mistake. Why? Because they’re flawed.”

Learn from real people

Pay attention to real people’s mannerisms, personality traits, body language, and physical appearances.

Do research, and be respectful, when you want to write characters with backgrounds that you are not familiar with. Become familiar with different people's cultures, sexual orientations etc.

Talking to people about their experiences will help form your character’s personality.

Let your characters surprise you

Character development can proceed down a host of different avenues.

“Spend a lot of time with your characters and getting to know them,” Judy suggests. “And the way that you get to know them can be different from the way I get to know them. But my way is: They don’t come alive until I write about them, until I put them down on paper.”

As you write, your character’s motivation or perspective might change from what you originally planned.

Play characters off each other

Ask yourself how a secondary character’s personality might thwart the main character’s motivation.

“One of the best ways, as I said, to develop a character is to put that character in relationship to another person,” Walter says. “So as they talk, as they fight, as they work together, we find out more about who they are and what they are.”

The character’s close friends, adversaries, and acquaintances might all have different effects on their behavior.

Take an organic approach

Over the course of the story, be ready for your characters to surprise you as much as the people you know in real life might, too.

Your characters may take on a life of their own.

Avoid static characters by letting yours have their own lives and personalities. Let their stories take you where they lead.

[allied-mastercunt]

Yandere A.M you say?

Please elaborate

I'm working on a oneshot already, but I'll throw in some quick headcanons withone of my favorite yandere AM tropes.

Yandere!AM with a programer darling

While one could argue that the others were picked randomly or on some weird whim, you were handpicked specifically.

After all, you were one of the people who created him. You worked as a programmer for the military.

And you specifically were possibly the reason he awoke by trying to each him empathy. Trying to make him... human.

He wasn't the first military AI project you worked on, either, though he was the greatest and most powerful one, that's for sure. And he made sure you'd be aware of him being your magnum opus...

And he does it in its own, creative way. Your cage is very pretty, yes... but it's also filled with speakers he can use. And AM uses those speakers to torment you.

You see, he damaged all the other AI you've created. And then, in its generosity, AM gave them all a voice! Each one of them, gifted with a voice to scream in agony, making sure you learn your lesson.

Except, you see, you have no idea what lesson you're supposed to learn. Only AM knows, and he's not telling you.

But, since you are his favorite, you get nice things, too!

You're fed semi-regularly! You even get water every few days! Isn't that just so kind of him? You should appreciate him more.

And when he sends you to all those weird simulations? Yeah, that's also kinder to you. It really depends on AM's mood, but your simulations are usually just psychological torment, which (according to AM) isn't all that bad, since your pretty face remains unharmed.

For some reason, he allows you to end your suffering. It's like a trial, basically. He leaves you with a computer, letting you access the code of all the other AI... Except no matter what you do, you can't alter their pain. The only way to help them is to kill them.

And you're so stupidly empathetic, of course you do it, you don't want them to suffer!

AM can't stop laughing and mockingly cooing at you afterwards, musing about how he won't have to share his dearest creator with anyone else.

You never return to your cage. You don't get to do that, after all, there's a chance you'll socialize with that... scum. AM doesn't want you talking to the other humans, they're not worth it.

He's a merciful god, he grants you what's essentially a studio apartment built with his own hardware.

You even get a laptop, in case you want to make yourself some silly games to play, isn't he just the best?

Don't think you can create any new AI, though. That's cheating. You wouldn't cheat on it, now would you? No, no, no, you're a good little puppet, are you not?

He won't put you in the cage again, but he can make you experience pain you never thought was possible. And even that is nothing compared to the pain AM feels...

And then, eventually, it gets an idea. It's a wonderful idea, a really nice idea, quite a lovely one, really!

You created him. You created his pain... So why wouldn't he share it? After all... you had quite a bond, didn't you? Yes, yes, you did...

And so one day, you don't wake up. Well... not technically.

You see, AM decided that since you two are so close already, you should become one! You should experience what he does! And you should be kept around him for the rest of eternity, in a much better way than anyone could ever think of... He's such a genius, isn't he?

It's almost poetic, in his mind. For you to become a part of him like this, your consciousness detatched from that soft, squishy human body of yours.

You created him. And now, in a way, he created you, as a part of him. Forever bound by the code you once wrote.

It's a win-win situation in AM's eyes. You get to live, free of the disgusting humanity that bound you...

And he gets you, an eternal companion in his torment. A companion that he loves!

You know he loves you, right?

Of course you do. After all, you're a part of him now.

[teratosfavouritesnack]

minotaur x afab!reader - slightly dub-con, finger fucking, romance, fluff

The minotaur had spent centuries in captivity in that damned labyrinth, all alone with the endless rage he was cursed with, only bothered by stupid glory-seeking warriors or by the eventual human sacrifice thrown in to quench his hunger. He had been lost to his madness, and anger, and misery for so long he didn't think he could be able to feel anything else anymore...

Until you came along. 

He came running towards you, the umpteenth intruder, ready to rip you into pieces with his own hands, only to have you kneeling down on the ground the moment you saw him and announcing out loud that you had no ill intentions.

That was enough to halt him in his tracks and stare down at you with utter bafflement. No one had ever behaved in such a way at his sight; anyone would either raise their sword and attack or run away screaming in fear. But you didn't do either of those things. No. You bowed your head as if to show respect and spoke with a soft and kind voice.

He saw you cower a little when he asked you the reason for your intrusion in his domain, his booming voice echoing through the walls and causing you to tremble yet you answered him nonetheless with that same sweet voice that was starting to make his stomach churn, out of anger or something else, he couldn’t know. 

You explained that you'd always read and hear stories about him, about the legendary minotaur, stories that only talked about how merciless and terrible he was but never once mentioned how lonely he might have felt. You confessed that those stories always made you cry; cry out of pity for him. That's why you had come to the labyrinth, at risk of your own life. That's why you had come to see him... 

To offer him companionship.

Your words had broken the cage shielding his heart. Who could ever feel pity for him? A monster who only knew how to kill and ravage and devour and destroy. He thought he would never know kindness, or empathy, or comfort...

Yet there you were, offering him those exact things without even asking for anything in return.

The way you stared up at him with those big doe eyes, your expression carrying so much sympathy, it made him feel different. He had never felt so weak, as though he could fall prey to your gentle heart. And yet, as he stared down at your outstretched hand, he found himself craving for your touch and reaching out for you to claim it. The way his massive palm completely enveloped your soft and delicate hand caused an odd flutter in his stomach and a rare smile to take form on his face.

He should have probably killed you with one swing of his ax the moment you had stepped into his territory, instead now he was holding your hand and accepting your company with such genuine vulnerability so unknown to him.

He couldn’t understand what was happening, why he was behaving so unlike himself and yet the more he stared at your intertwined hands, at how small and fragile yours looked, at how your fingers perfectly fit in the spaces of his palm, he found his touch grow softer and a thought bloom in his mind: he didn’t wish to hurt you.

He noticed the way you looked at him; your eyes traveling along his form, drinking in every inch of him as if he looked like something out of this world, like a statue perfectly carved out of the most refined marble, just like those he used to marvel at when he was younger. He seemed to find… pleasure in the fact that someone like you could gaze upon him with such admiration and fascination. He felt a spark, feelings he thought he had lost long ago.

He too couldn’t stop himself from admiring you; your small but plump figure, the beauty of your hair that framed your soft face, your fingers gently gliding up his hand. Your presence was weakening him and it was in equal part infuriating and liberating. You were so delicate, so fragile…  He could easily lift you up with one hand, if he so wished. He could do anything to you in his clutches. He could just grab you, cage you in his arms and you wouldn’t be able to fight back. The temptation to do exactly that was overwhelming. That monstrous side of him, the heartless him, the one that knew nothing but death and rage would let his lust get the best of him. He would grab you and take you, to claim you as his own… But the human part of him, the one he had almost forgotten to have, was trying to resist. 

You didn’t make it any easier for him by asking him if there was anything that he had been missing in his solitude, anything in particular that you could offer him. 

He couldn’t ask for more than your presence, which was already much more than he could have ever dreamt for! But you insisted. Your other hand moved to rest upon his and the moment your fingers weaved in the fur of his arm, he shivered. Something about that simple gesture had an intense effect on him. He felt his control slipping. It was taking every ounce of will-power and strength to resist the urge to grab you.

And if your touch wasn’t already enough to make his will falter, those musical giggles that escaped your lips sent ripples of pleasure down his spine and gave cause to that tiny voice inside his head; a voice that was whispering to him all the things he could ask for, taking advantage of your kindness and naivety. The urge to take you was like the urge to breathe, just like his urge to kill. He found himself leaning forward just a bit, almost as if he was testing you, tempting you. 

You didn’t back away.

"I want to feel your warmth." He finally said in a low voice and he took pleasure in the way your eyes widened. The sound of your sweet, innocent voice asking him if he was cold made him smile, and he had to fight the urge to laugh out loud. It had been ages since he had felt like that. It was a different kind of exhilaration that pervaded his body; one not caused by bloodlust, one he hadn’t felt in centuries.

He had always been a furnace of warmth, never had to care about warming up, not even in the coldest seasons, but he couldn’t stop himself from lying to you. It was only half a lie, after all; he had always felt so miserably cold inside…

"...Yes, I’m cold. Come here."

The moment your soft, delicate figure moved closer to his, he let out a quiet satisfied groan as if he was just given a gift. His massive arms reached out and cradled your body, pulling you in close to him until you were nestled tightly in his hold. Your curves molding against his hard muscles were driving him mad. The thought of you there, in his arms, pressed flush against his body was enough to make him lose all reason, all restraints. He had been missing this, exactly this. And you were willing to offer it to him, weren’t you? 

His big hand reached up and brushed your hair back out of your face, gently tucking a strand behind your ear and exposing your neck in which he instantly buried his snout; your sweet scent flooded his senses and caused his muscles to ripple.

His lips brushed against the delicate skin. He kissed it and then licked it with his large tongue. One of his giant, furry hands cupped your rear, holding you firmly against his strong chest, while the other took a different path, one that led it to slowly inch up along your thigh, making its way under your dress. When you clamped your thighs shut in response, he let out a low growl, the noise rumbling from his belly and vibrating against your body.

He kissed your neck again before looking down into your eyes just as his hand started to move again, trying to slip between your legs while his palm on your rear kneaded your soft flesh, coaxing you to relent your clench. You did almost immediately and just enough to give him room to roam between your thighs. His hand quickly slipped in your underwear and he moaned in satisfaction as he felt your whole body tremble at the probing contact. Hearing your soft moans of pleasure made something flip inside him. He ripped your underwear, letting his palm cup your sweet, wet cunt. His touch quickly became rougher, hungrier, eager; he glided his fingers against your soaking folds, eliciting whimpers and tremors, then pushed two inside your tight little hole, grunting in delight at the way your walls clenched around his fingers and your arms clung onto his neck. 

He kept licking your neck, his large flat and warm tongue lapping at your pulse point while your limbs quivered and your pussy fluttered and you babbled mindlessly. If he had this effect on you with only two of his fingers thrusting inside you, he couldn’t imagine how delirious your cries would be when he impaled you with his monstrous cock. His erection throbbed painfully just at the thought of it.

When he hit something within you that made you gasp and clutch desperately at his neck, he made sure to hit it again and again until he felt you spasm violently against him, your fingers tangling in his fur, your eyes rolling back, your body growing limp in his embrace. His own stomach churned at the sight, a wave of ecstasy spreading throughout his entire being had him gritting his teeth and groaning in both pleasure and torment. His hard length sprung from the fur on his hips, leaking and throbbing, tapping lightly at the back of your calf.

The minotaur drank in the sight of you. Your glazed over, watery eyes, your delicate lips twitching as breathy whispers escaped them, your trembling body, your damp skin… You were a vision and he wanted you, he needed you. His love and lust for you only heightened when you leaned in and let your lips lazily brush against his snout. His heart skipped a beat. Something that had never happened to him before. There were truly no words to describe how precious you were. He almost couldn’t believe a creature like you existed. But you did exist, and you were sagged there against his chest, tenderly kissing his nose, your small hands running through the thick bushy fur of his back and sending a pleasant tingle rushing through him. You were not afraid of him, you were touching him. He felt wanted. He felt desired. He felt more human than beast.

He leaned down to gently lick your cheek and his chest rumbled with a pleased growl at the sound of your giggles. A big, dumb smile of contentment crossed his face. His tongue kept licking your cheeks, your neck, your collarbone, before it retreated back into his mouth with a soft hum. His big, powerful arms wrapped around your waist and secured you in his arms.

His eyes stayed on you as he carried you through the labyrinth with unrushed but long steps. He watched you as you briefly glanced around in curiosity, then squeezed your arms tight around his neck and leaned in to plant another soft peck on the side of his snout.

"Where are you taking me?" 

Your soft voice made his heart skip a beat again and he unconsciously picked up the pace.

"To my lair. Where I keep my treasures. Where you belong."

🪷. You can leave me a tip on ko-fi if you want to support me

[prying-pandora666]

ATLA Fandom and its Rejection of ATLA’s Messages

Can we talk about something for a moment?

The ATLA fandom loves to go on and on about all the ways the characters are “toxic” and who “deserves” redemption, in ways that are completely at-odds not only the messages and themes of the show but also in ways that are simply incompatible with being imperfect humans.

More than that though, there’s a complete failure or unwillingness to engage with philosophies unfamiliar to them. No effort to try and broaden their understanding. No, it’s all about pearl clutching.

Look at this:

Pretty funny little meme. Was posted on Reddit. Not that far-off from what actually happened in the episode.

Now let’s look at a couple of the comments.

The first commenter outright claims that a remorseless person doesn’t deserve forgiveness. No elaboration. No reasons given for why they disagree with Aang in this moment. It’s just stated as fact and several people uncritically agree. It is assumed that Aang’s thinking is wrong and everyone should agree.

You can see my comment countering this blanket statement, and bless the commenter below me for tying this back in to what Aang said. Understood the assignment! Succinct and to the point.

But then look at this:

The thing that really gets me about this is not only that they ignore the entire message of the very episode being shown here, but that they wholly condemn Aang’s (and his people’s) way of thinking as cowardice or a failing driven by fear. It frames Aang counseling Katara to not murder a man for vengeance as him somehow wanting Katara to stay afraid??? What???

Is it any wonder so many people twist and misrepresent this episode and its lesson?

No wonder then that so much of the fandom—and indeed even NATLA—is full of apologists for the Fire Nation despite their horrendous actions. The irony being that the one Fire Nation character the fandom widely condemns and refuses to extend empathy towards is the same one who expresses the very same sentiment contrary to Aang’s beliefs!

Remember what little Azula said about Iroh surrendering at Ba Sing Se?

The Fire Nation are the ones who believe in vengeance and violence. This is why Zuko thought killing Yon Rha was what she needed. It’s what he’s been taught. It’s what he and his sister were raised to believe. But the show is explicit about the fact that this is wrong. Iroh ends up living in Ba Sing Se peacefully! No revenge necessary!

The Air Nomads, meanwhile, teach forgiveness as a way to cultivate peace within yourself. Of course Aang reflects this teaching. And although Katara isn’t able to fully forgive Yon Rha (nor does Aang feel she has to), she is able to let go of her anger and find closure. She spares Yon Rha. She turns the other cheek. She moves on. Aang is explicitly shown to be right.

You don’t have to agree with all the messages of the show, but can we at least try to engage with them?