#which isn’t my personal style but the evidence is everywhere

[lil-lycanthropy]

Just saw a post from a (formerly) beloved mutual that was talking about how all the hate for jk fuckwig is uncalled for and there’s no evidence that she’s been transphobic.

Like…read the room cis

(t*rfs don’t FUCKING interact)

[marta-bee]

I was talking to my brother today about open-carry laws  He’s much more of a gun enthusiast than me, though to be fair he’s also a very responsible gun owner, and doesn’t oppose certain forms of reasonable regulation. We disagree on what counts as reasonable, but he’s very much in favor of (say) gun regulation, mandatory training, civil liability for gun-related injuries, all that.

But he’s against restricting open-carry licenses in a big way, because for him this isn’t about gun safety nearly so much as suppressing freedom of speech. I actually agree to a point: from a safety perspective, people obviously carrying a gun aren’t any more likely to hurt people than those carrying it hidden. And I do think people in a situation have a right to know if the other people around them are armed. But this idea he recognized open carry was more about communicating something than arming yourself is fascinating to me, because what did he think he was communicating? The best I can work out, it’s a right to intimidate, or perhaps a right to more power over other people than they have over them. A right to exist in a shared space and still be fiercely independent, perhaps? Something like that.

Which is just such an odd conception of free speech to me. Expression, sure, though that’s not what I’d consider a positive trait I’d want others to associate with me. To each his own, I guess. But freedom of speech seems like something very different.

To be clear, I’m not talking about a 1st Amendment-style legal freedom of speech so much as the value. I’m not a legal expert, but what I understand of it, the legal freedom of speech is mostly about what we can say to the government and what the government can do to restrict our speech. Person to person seems different legally, and it’s why “cancelling” or boycotting someone for their views is legal. But aside from the law, there’s a civic value of freely exchanging ideas, maybe not everywhere and in all circumstances, but making a space for people to say incorrect, hateful and even offensive things.

I’m thinking of the philosophical idea, like from Locke and J.S. Mill and the like. I’ll spare you the full intro-philosophy lecture, and obviously they differ in the details, but when you ask why free speech is a good thing, usually you get a few arguments. One is a very libertarian (philosophy-libertarian, not Ron Paul ‘24 style) point: freedom is what matters and we should let everyone have as much freedom as they can, at least to the point it restricts someone else’s freedom. I’m not convinced of that, because while freedom is good, I don’t think it’s the only good, and the hateful things people say often do a lot of harm in other areas. But even if you agree with that, open-carry the way my brother’s talking about it very much is restricting other folks’ freedom. They’re right to come into a public space and not be frightened. The sort of democracy of all neighbors, to be on equal footing and not have some force others to essentially step aside and give them a wide berth.

There are other arguments. Good ideas, like scientific principles, are only fine-tuned and improved by being challenged. But challenged in a productive way. Not ridiculed or drowned out by all the news, but challenged in a way where people have a chance to offer their evidence, their criticisms. There can be a fair hearing, and if they’re valid the idea can and should be improved. But just screaming so you drown everyone else is something different. And from the other side, bad ideas are shown to be bad, so rational people who’ve latched on to a wrong or harmful idea for whatever reason have a chance to improve themselves. And related to that... hatred doesn’t like exposure. It thrives in privacy, and often when people express bigoted ideas, over time that’s what prompts them to evolve. Maybe not in the moment, and it really does require a safe space where they feel comfortable to let their guard down.  But there’s a real kindness toward our friends and families when we give them the chance to talk about those ideas. It’s like lancing an infection, which can be the best thing for it, even if the skin all around gets covered in pus, and provided you have antiseptics on hand.

Here’s the thing, though. All that involves exchange, not just expression. Giving people a bully pulpit where they can just say what they think without having to listen probably actually does more harm than good to the person doing the speech. And it’s sure as hell not pleasant for the rest of us.

I think that’s really where I am with free speech, why I think it’s good. If you really think (say) the Holocaust never happened or white people are the real victims of racism these days or some such (which said brother does not!).... well, if you have a point I actually want to hear it. And if that point is good, it’s so different from everything I believe, I’m going to have to think it through, but if you’re right, that’s definitely something I’m going to need to account for, I’m going to want to hear your explanations and ask some hard questions so I can really understand and evaluate that point. And if you don’t have a good point, it’s a kindness to you to let you say it out loud anyway. So long as part of that saying it out loud involves actually hearing what you’ve said, and what I have to say in response (beyond that’s hateful; moving on to that’s just not true and here’s why). Especially if we have any kind of a loving relationship, if you’re my neighbor and fellow citizen or even closer, my friend or my family, I want you to be able to get that pus out from under your skin and pack the wound with gauze and give you an antibiotic or two so you have the chance to heal. I want you to say it, hear what you said, and really think through what your having said it means.

Which is worlds away from just anyone should be able to say anything they want, and certainly from “I get to say what I want and you don’t.” It’s a key difference, and at the heart of why free speech is actually worth protecting, at least for me.

[woolyfaye]

I saw the Northman last weekend and I’m not exaggerating when I walked out of that movie with a smile on my face.  It’s a story that’s unapologetically told in a style we...don’t write stories in anymore. It sticks to the saga-esque structure and narration everywhere save one scene, and expects the audience to just roll with it. Which, to be fair, the one thing I can credit a lot of bad “viking” shows with is that the layman has a bit more of an idea of what some of these things are, even if it’s not to the extent I know.  I make the exception of one scene for the Draugr. The Draugr scene is shot in a way that's more “here’s how it would have happened in the saga, and here’s what probably actually happened.” This is probably because a lot of the other mythological aspects of the movie can feel far more grounded than this one, even if it personally was my favorite scene. I love draugr being pains in the ass, it’s a favorite genre convention. 

It also does something I wish more things were willing to do and show the transgressive nature of masculine magic users. It starts with the ceremony binding Amleth’s vow to pursue a blood feud should his family be killed with the reminder of Odin losing his eye* to learn women’s secrets, and that Amleth should never sacrifice to learn them. Later, we have the icelandic witch, who most obviously is wearing feminine clothing, and also he opens his legs as he performs magic, as if he is taking up the feminine position during certain acts. I’ve seen lots of portrayals of early medieval witchcraft, and this was probably the first that committed hard but left me going “yeah I can see it.” 

It felt like I was watching a story told to ghosts, and it was thrilling with every step. 

Other rambly thoughts: 

I would give a pound of flesh to see a blood feud story where a character chooses to pay wergild or chooses to settle the debt in some other way rather than do a dramatic closing duel, but that’s probably my desire for an early medieval legal drama talking

The Viborg shirt appearing a good century and a half early was kind of jarring

so was the implication of Vendel era daneaxes. Those are late viking age weapons. 

Panovas are theorized to have existed in this time based on iconography and the ease involved in making them, so it was nice to see on the slavic characters

love the commitment to fight in the nude at the end, 10/10 uncomfortable to watch with my parents, 5/10 think I saw the uncle’s butthole

*I’ve seen some theories going about that it wasn’t his eye that he originally lost hanging from that tree (I’ll let you fill in those gaps for yourself there) and it was changed later, but there isn’t very much evidence for this, considering older image depictions identified as Odin are only guesses and our written sources are from post-Christianization. But the reminder to Amleth not to sacrifice to learn the secrets of women is something that in the text makes it feel like the writers knew about this theory. 

[glowingbadger]

Now, I’m not saying that you do or do not have to do this but: may I ask about that Sylvain x reader x Felix x Dima HCs? SFW and nsfw? I feel like you’d get it. 😉

Man the toughest part about these poly and poly-adjacent asks is figuring out how this would even shake down without someone dying lol this is probably gonna have to be a tiny bit OOC by my standards. Anyway, let's chat~

[spicy hcs will be below the cut and tbh it's a lot lol]

Sylvain x Felix x Dimitri x AFAB Reader HCs

- As I'd said last time this came up, Sylvain is definitely the first person to catch on to what's going on here. Over a late night of talking through war relief and diplomatic policy, a quiet finally falls among the three of them. Clearly, a change of topic would be appreciated, but Sylvain chooses to go about this by saying, "Soo... Y/N, huh?" Which leads to the first time all three men manage to grasp and discuss the situation. They all care for you. They all want you. But how could they force you to make that choice?

- Frankly, you're shocked that this is the solution they've come to when they approach you about it. Surely it must only be the lifelong familiarity and friendship between them that would cause them to even consider "sharing" you. But of course, they're each gorgeous, each charming and sweet in their own idiosyncratic ways. Perhaps this could work...

- The best part of being (more or less amicably) pursued by all three gentlemen is how wildly different they are in personality and temperment. Sylvain is an expert of fun, lighthearted romance- surprising you with a kiss to the side of your neck and whispered words and a single plucked flower tucked behind your ear. Dimitri's approach is gentlemanly and traditional- kisses atop your hand, lingering stares over private tea dates, book recommendations and so on. And of course, Felix is as coarse and fiery as ever. He'll never say it outright, but his feelings for you are paradoxically the most evident. He's even a bit of a mother hen with you, scolding you when you don't take care of yourself, and initiating quite a bit of physical affection in private.

NSFW 18+

- For some time, all bedroom activities with the three stay fairly separate- and as different as their relationship styles are, their love-making styles are just as varied. Felix is passionate, intense, and if you can take it, quite rough. Dimitri does his best to be gentle with you, but it's clear that there's a fire in him that he keeps strictly in check. Sylvain's expertise is truly impressive, his smooth and effortless eroticism never failing to leave you trembling.

- It's his idea for the three to try pleasuring you together one night. He says with a smirk you "deserved a treat for putting up with us all the time." Dimitri is clearly interested, but reluctant due to his sense of propriety. Felix is the hardest to convince though- he already has to deal with Sylvain and the Boar more than he's like to for your sake, why should he have to share you in bed as well? But, the idea of trying it just once, just to see you absolutely shaken to your core with overwhelming pleasure, turns out to be motivation enough for all three in the end.

- They start by preparing you, Dimitri and Felix lying on either side of you and greedily caressing every inch of you they can reach. Dimitri eventually settles at your chest, gently kissing and nipping at your nipples and the surrounding flesh with an arm around your waist. Felix, meanwhile, is nestled against your neck, visibly marking you with his teeth as if in direct defiance of this whole arrangement. Then, Sylvain lowers his head between your thighs and puts that expert tongue to work. In no time, you're trembling and gasping between the three men, absolutely overstimulated but giddy beyond belief. It's almost too much to bear, but Felix's free arm wraps around your leg closer to him and lifts it, keeping you nice and spread open for Sylvain to work his magic until you're soaking wet and ready for all of them.

- Felix is the first to take you for real. He grumbles something about everyone wasting time and climbs atop you. The leg he'd been keeping in place for Sylvain now rests up against his shoulder, and he bucks into you with harsh, deep movements of his hips. He fucks into you as you lay on your side, and as he does, Dimitri kisses you sweetly and asks if you wouldn't terribly mind using your mouth for him, and even asks Sylvain if he doesn't mind having to wait a bit. The redhead is actually more than happy to kneel at the foot of the bed and enjoy the view, lazily stroking his own twitching cock as he watches you being ravaged by the other two men.

- You spend a good while getting steadily pounded by Felix's veined cock while struggling to take as much of Dimitri's rather large member into your mouth as possible. Sylvain jokingly remarks on how well everyone's getting along, but you can hardly process words in that moment. Your senses are overwhelmed by stimulus, by the masculine scent of your lovers, by deep, pleasured groans and your name in the air.

- When it's Dimitri's turn, you ride him, which he generally prefers. You're actually somewhat grateful that this time, you had Felix to rough you up a little and make you cum once or twice first, to prepare you for Dimitri's size. When you ease down onto his throbbing manhood, Sylvain positions himself behind you to fondle your body and periodically grind against your ass, all while Felix recovers for a moment. Sylvain's voice purrs in your ear, "Ah, our King is nice and big, isn't he. You're taking him so well, Y/N..." the blonde blushes a dark pink, but Sylvain is clearly enjoying the depravity of the situation immensely.

- At long last, with two down and one to go, Sylvain directs the other two to either side of you again, and finally takes you in the same position he went down on you in earlier- on your back, with your other two lovers at your sides. He's absolutely rock hard, having clearly enjoyed the show leading up to this moment. By now, your so over-full with your lovers' release that it acts as a lubricant, which Sylvain doesn't seem to mind in the slightest. Dimitri lines your cheek, your jawline, your neck, everywhere with kisses and gentle bites, while Felix's hand strays between your thighs to circle a single finger around your clit. This almost immediately pushes you over the edge, your eyes rolling back as you feel pleasure beyond what you thought possible. Certainly it wouldn't be with only one man.

- Having all filled you thoroughly, the three fall into a panting, satisfied afterglow with you. Felix is the first to get up to clean, but he does eventually return to check in on you. You're beyond exhausted- and all of them can obviously tell. You're not sure if you would be able to handle this becoming a regular occurrence, but... maybe every now and then.

[1ddiscourseoftheday]

Tues 11 May ‘21

Louis saw us all coming up with wacky theories about what the BMG announcement might mean and came to tell us what’s going on… wait no he just retweeted the same article from yesterday with the partnership wording! Haha, but in seriousness while I know not everyone agrees I think it’s pretty clear at this point that BMG is his new record label. The tweet he posted was captioned with another easily misconstrued statement, THANKS FOR THAT LOUIS, but I will repeat what I said yesterday, which is that by far the likeliest explanation of his announcing to a fandom that’s rabid for label news that he’s joined a label is that- it’s his new label! And all the evidence I see supports that. The post he retweeted said (in the words of Music Week) “After five One Direction albums and one solo LP with Sony Music and Syco, now Louis Tomlinson is officially an independent artist with BMG”. Some believe this means he’s NOT signed to BMG but is putting out his own album and simply using them as a distro; I personally would say it seems pretty clear at this point that that simply refers to the fact that BMG are, as a label that isn’t one of the Big Four, considered an independent label, making Louis, as someone on their roster, an indie artist- like the tweet said. If he’d gone rogue and started his own label there would be articles everywhere about it and that article would have talked about it (instead headlines read “Louis Tomlinson Signs Record Deal With BMG”), plus we have plenty of quotes that would be frankly odd if he weren’t signed to BMG, such as the vice president of A&R at BMG UK, saying "We are delighted to welcome Louis to BMG. He is already busy working on new music, and we are excited to join him on the next phase of his extraordinary career,” a BMG sales manager saying “BMG will have the new album” and referring to the fact that they’ll do promo for it (in a DM conversation that actually appears to be real, unlike SOME going around today), and Charlie Lightening posting “Congrats @louist91 on the new deal with BMG UK excited for LT2, gonna smash it lad”.

More to the point-- why do people want so badly to think he ISN’T signed with BMG? This is GREAT NEWS!! They’re an indie (what everyone has wanted for Louis forever), and they were founded specifically to give artists more control than the majors (after splitting off from Sony; they were more or less founded as a direct push back against Sony’s business model), but they’re big enough to give him the support an artist of his size needs, which would be very hard for him to pull off running his own label-- I’d much rather see him putting his energy into writing songs, touring, making documentaries, and running his management company, rather than doing his own promo and wrangling with distro deals and shit. He should be signed to a label to do that work for him! And BMG seems like an awesome choice! But the weird ideas out there just continue right on-- not just people saying he’s not on a label, but also others, who don’t think him being on a label completely unconnected to Sony will be able to prevent Sony from dropping a piano on Louis’ head like the moustache twirling masterminds they are er sabotaging BMG somehow (the whole point of them being an indie is that this shouldn’t be an issue?), and such amazing takes as “louis has signed to a queer label” (evidence? “we just know that they are queer”; an actual dialogue from tiktok), are unlikely to be affected by any number of facts, as are the twitter folks getting excited about him ‘unfollowing’ accounts he never followed to begin with (Syco etc).

Anyway Louis, on a roll of giving us what we want today, also gave us a VIDEO with his HAT OFF! I don’t even care that it’s a silly ad (for samsung), or that he trimmed his luscious locks a little, it’s Louis! Talking and stuff!! Showing off his still wonderfully long hair all pushed up and back! Gorgeous, amazing, perfect… and yes I am ignoring the slides and socks thank you very much, though I will mention that they are literally exactly the same as Harry’s slides and socks. He also followed BMG, one of his (no doubt many) NFT trading profiles was found (@LT282828, LMAO), and new shows are being added as the tour dates finalize (though ticketmaster showing a Harry date for the same day/place as one of them was a glitch, we don’t have Harry’s updated dates yet)

And speaking of Harry! MP filming was indoors today, so Harry was only seen walking to his car, but he showed up at the Brits!!! In an amazing geometric patterned (or, uh, “macro framed sequence print” I GUESS) brown and tan suit (that clashed just HORRIFICALLY with the neon pastel Brits décor and his award, I fucking love that) and a cute lil handbag and sneakers to accept his AWARD for Best British Single!! (For Watermelon Sugar oddly, but hey a wins a win). CONGRATULATIONS baby and WOW great to see him! He popped in with pal Tomo Campbell, last seen by us when they drove to Italy together last summer. He thanked “my fans, for being so generous to me, always, and everyone in my life who has my back, thank you so much I love you.” Question, did he make the choice to swap out the pink and yellow award he was handed onstage for the blue and green version he had later? Either way, lol. Lots more people will have nice things to say about him now with this high profile win, but even before that people were gushing about him-- Joshua Bassett came out as queer by calling Harry hot (”I guess this is me coming out”), we got Billy Porter on the Brits pre show carpet saying, “I am seeing change! You know Harry Styles on the cover of Vogue Magazine that is change. You’re welcome!” and someone from his recording studio telling us he “was very nice wasn’t he, he brought doughnuts for the assistants and gave everyone a lift home. He came into reception and offered to make everybody a cup of tea,” awww Harry! Lift home from Harry, that’s my new meeting-one-of-the-boys goal.

Niall wished “everyone involved at the Brits” good luck, and Liam wished an NFT creator luck on his sale.

[linkspooky]

idk if ur taking asks abt jjk but i was curious on ur thoughts abt gojo i haven’t rlly heard this around but i’ve been thinking abt the fact that gojo desire to basically indoctrinate children to fit his ideal sorcerer society is a bit strange and i saw this on your meta on how the schools only see these kids as tools but doesn’t gojo do the same idk my thoughts are everywhere and i get that gojo was raised in this system so it’s normalised in his eyes but idk gojo’s ideology is lowkey fucked imo and i was curious what u thought

I think Gojo is a product of the same society that raises up kids to be used as tools, and he unintentionally passes that lesson onto his students.Gojo knows that the system is wrong for using kids that way, but he’s such a fundamental part of the system, he doesn’t really know how to overcome it works inside of it instead.  I think what he said to Megumi is pretty telling of how he treats these kids in general, he tells him you better get strong or else you’ll get left behind.” He thinks he’s teaching them what’s best, because that’s how Gojo understands the world works, but at the same time he’s telling a five year old kid if he fails to protect his sister it’s all his fault. 

Gojo teaches his students to “get stronger, get stronger” as a response for all of their problems. He takes responsibility for their development as sorcerers, but nothing else really, and especially not their well-being as individuals. Gojo basically treats his students like mini-adults, friends he can pal around with, and that makes sense if you think about it, he’s raising them all to be political allies.  He’s not really trying to raise a bunch of healthy adults. I think Gojo genuinely does care for these kids and stick out his neck to protect them, and his goal is entirely an altruistic one to prevent the childhoods of other children from getting destroyed like his did. However, Gojo is fatally a selfish person just like Geto is fatally selfless, he doesn’t offer help out of the goodness of his heart, he barters. He always expects something in return from these children.

So, on one level I believe Gojo yes is intentionally using these children. He only extends help when he gets something in return from them, his helps is always conditional on the fact that he’ll gain another ally. However, at the same time I think the problem more lies in the fact that Gojo doesn’t see individual people as individuals, and therefore doesn’t want to pay attention to the indivdual emotions of his students that he ends up using his students this way. He thinks it’s fine. This is how he was used  growing up, but this time, Gojo is using them for good ends instead of a bad one. 

I think Gojo’s inability to take care of their needs as individuals, especially attending to their emotional needs is why Tokyo Students are so strong indivudally, but weak as a group. Gojo’s only interesting in fostering their strength as sorcerers, not their emotional health, or their interpersonal relationships, because he doesn’t view those things as necessary. I mean he’s only had one best friend his whole life, and look at him, he’s fine. 

To give evidence to my argument though, here’s a comparison between the Tokyo Kids and the Kyoto Kids. 

1. Tokyo vs Kyoto

Gojo can be a fantastic teacher when he wants to be, but it requires him paying attention to a student’s individual needs, which he almost never does. When he designs a lesson plan raound Yuji, he does two things that make him better than most Jujutsu Sorcerers already. First, most traditional teachers teach that cursed technique is everything, and would have rejected Yuji outright. Whereas Gojo sees Yuji’s strength as a brawler. He’s willing to go outside the box, and buck tradition to focus on a student’s individual strength and emphasize those rather than telling Yuji he’ll never be a strong sorcerer without strong techniques. The second is he comes up with a method extremely suited to Yuji’s learning style. 

However, I think it’s important to note that Yuji and Gojo are actually really similiar. He’s a really receptive student who hangs off of Gojo’s every word. For Gojo it’s like him teaching a younger version of himself, someone who believes that strength is everything, and wants to become the strongeste to be a pillar of support to others. You don’t really get good teacher points for spending the most time with someone who’s easy to teach.

And even  with Yuji whose really really receptive to Gojo’s highly individual focused learning style, there are several things that Gojo just neglects to teach or even mention. Basic, fundamental things, that every sorcerer should know. 

Nanami has to go out of his way to give Yuji the 101, because Gojo neglected to tell him all the basics. Children are smart of course, especially adolescents who are capable of thinking for themselves, but they also generally know what they’ve been taught up to this point. Yuji is a complete newcomer to the sorcerery world, it makes sense he’d basically be a blank slate having to learn all of this from scratch, but Gojo himself either doesn’t know this, or doesn’t bother with it because it’s too troublesome. He thinks of the kids as miniature adults so, it would make sense that he just assumes they know everything he knows already.

That’s the entire point of introducing Nanami into the story. Gojo teaches Yuji to be a better sorcerer, but not to be an adult, and it’s because he doesn’t really see him as a child to begin with. Gojo thinks becoming a strong sorcerer is the way to teach these kids to be good adults, but he neglects the emotional half of having to teach because Gojo doesn’t deal with emotions well. I mean, even in his training of Yuji, he designs a training method where Gojo doesn’t actually have to be there, and present with him most of the time. He can lock him in a room, and go run off to do Gojo things while Yuji teaches himself. As opposed to a mentor like Nanami who constantly watches and monitors his development. 

This is where we start to get to the comparison with the Kyoto students. Because even in the creaive way Gojo taught Yuji, there were some things that Yuji just learned wrong, and internalized wrong from Gojo’s lesson.

Gojo explained the theory behind Yuji’s divergent fist, but Yuji learned it wrong, because he didn’t understand the way cursed energy flowed through the body. If Gojo was paying attention, he would have caught it and corrected it, but Gojo’s teaching style is sink or swim, let students learn or fall entirely on their own. Whereas, when Todo actually sees Yuji’s flawed divertgent fist, he’s able to point out the problem.

Todo actually acknowledges that there’s a difference between beginners and elite sorcerers, that their’s a learning curve to these things, and rather than leaving Yuji to learn it on his own he guides him through these things. While at the same time, expecting Yuji to figure out some things naturally. Todo never once goes easy on Yuji, I’d say his standards for people are as harsh as Gojo’s. You either learn it or you don’t. You’re either strong or you’re not. However, there’s a distinct difference between Todo and Gojo’s teaching styles, and it’s that Todo is emotionally intelligent, and Gojo is not.

Todo pays attention to people, he notices when they’re off, when they’re going through something, and rather than just ignore it, he almost immediately addresses it and tries to talk them thorugh it. It’s not perfect of course, but having his emotions paid attention to, helps Yuji develop as a person moreso than a sorcerer. 

The Kyoto students have a teacher who pays attention to their individual needs. A teacher who actually teaches. While we may not know much about Utahime as a character yet, you can see the direct impact she has on her students compared to Gojo.

Gojo’s students are individually strong, but weak as a team,. Utahime’s students are much weaker individually, but can come together.

It shows both in the Kyoto Battle Event, but also the Shibuya arc. The Kyoto kids are all unstable it’s true, they’re all prone to lashing out, but because they’ve dealt with such dark emotions rather than repressing them they’re also way more capable of talking about their feelings to others.

Yes, the Kyoto kids don’t deserve to lash out at whoever they want. Yes, lashing out is a bad way to attempt communication. However, it’s also true that the Tokyo kids respond with what basically amounts to self-righteousness. The Kyoto kids are lashing out because they are going through something, because they’re suffering, yet the Tokyo kids don’t really try to understand those feelings. 

Kamo was seperated from his mother at a young age. Maki left Mai behind in an abusive household. Nobara has never experienced the same abuse that Mai has so she’s not really in a position to judge which twin she thinks is the good twin, and which is the bad one. Mechamaru is chronically ill and in constant agony, and then instead of getting him medical help he’s just being used as a toy soldier. 

So.  The problem is. Gojo’s style of teaching. He wants these kids to be political allies. He wants them to try to make a better world than the one he experienced growing up. However, Gojo doesn’t really teach them to think for themselves. He doesn’t teach them to look at the situation, and the way the Jujutsu World is designed to manipulate and use these children.

Individual responsibiltiy is a good lesson to teach. Individual responssibility can help someone get over themselves and their issues and work towards self improvement, but it’s also, not the only solution. It’s also, impossible to overcome these circumstances all on their own. 

Mai can’t be strong like Maki. She’s not weak for folding under the pressure of being in an abusive household. You could even argue that Maki isn’t stronger than her abuse, because emotionally she’s weak, she can’t even maintain a relationship with her own sister she has to cut herself off from everyone. 

Kamo has to follow the clan’s orders, he’s terrified they’ll hurt his mother and he’ll never see her again. She’s actively being used as a tool to manipulate them. 

Mechamaru is already strong as a sorcerer, that’s not going to stop the fact that he’s chronically ill. 

Basically, in this regard Gojo’s students repeat what Gojo himself always says. “Have you tried getting stronger?” We can see why this approach doesn’t work with Kokichi, because he did do what Gojo would always reccomend. He didn’t want to burden others with his emotions so he tried to be strong and solve everything on his own, and that resulted in his death.

Think if Mechamaru had been supported. If he thought it was okay to confide his problems with others, if it was okay for him to be weak, and ask for help when he didn’t know what to do on his own.

However, when he tried to do that with panda he just got slapped with a “Your behavior is wrong.” It’s why even when telling people, especially children their behavior is wrong you also need to be sure to take care of their emotional needs as well. Especially teenagers, because teenagers are literally all emotions, they’re not minitature, fully-developed adults. Kokichi was wrong to lash out, but his emotions were right. He has every right to be in pain. When he’s told off, he also takes that as a message that he’s weak for trying to confide anything in others, that him complaining about his victimhood made him weak in the first place, so what does Kokichi do. He retreates into himself, he quiets down about his problems, he tries to solve everything on his own and he fails at doing that because you can’t. You cannot solve all your problems by simply being stronger than them. 

Gojo’s students aren’t raised as emotionally healthy individuals, and because of that they also can’t really relate to the emotions of other people, especially the negative one. They are, strong willed individuals yes, strong sorcerers, yes, but they’re not really a team. 

I think that’s illustrated in how they all fall apart in Shibuya. All of Gojo’s students basically make the same mistake, they don’t listen to the adults, they charge into battle because “I’m strong enough.” 

Nobara, the adults literally all told you not to fight. Nobara: Nah it’s fine I’m strong.

Look at how Nobara loses. The second she starts fighting with Yuji as a team, she makes a sloppy mistake because she 1) underestimated her opponent and 2) was never taught how to fight in a team. 

It’s not just Nobara though it’s every single one of them.

Yuji runs off on his own, fights on his own, and loses to Choso.  Megumi suicide attacks to take down one (1) opponent whose just a regular curse user when he reaches his limit. 

This is what they are all taught. They all have to fight on their own, be strong on their own, and if they’re strong enough they’ll win, if they’re not strong enough oh well. The Tokyo Kids genuinely like each other as a team but they’re always running away from each other. They all overestimate themselves and what they’re capable of handling and get in over their heads. 

And it does go back to the Kyoto Battle arc, because the Tokyo kids are just as emotionally disturbed as the Kyoto kids, they just are repressed about it. Take Megumi for example, Megumi has been abandoned and neglected all of his life, and Gojo never really offered him any support or healing for that abandonment.

There’s no canon indication that Gojo ever raised Megumi or did anything with him other than provide for housing, and protect him from the Zenin clan on the condition that Megumi STILL BECOME A SORCERER, JUST ONE POLITICALLY ALLIGNED FOR HIM AND NOT THE ZENIN. 

He didn’t offer Megumi a chance at a normal life, or even help him grow up as an individual because Gojo’s not interested in these things. Gojo’s help is conditional on the fact that Megumi work hard to pay him back, and reach his full potential as a sorcerer. As a result, Megumi is walking around with completely unaddressed abandonment issues as a result of never having a stable adult in his life, and this goes, completely unnoticed, which leads to him constantly risking his own life, endangering and harming himself. Megumi’s just as unstable  as the Kyoto kids, he’s going to do something dangerous someday soon. It’s just Megumi’s been taught from a young age, he has to be the responsible one in his household, and he has to take responsibility for everything on his own by working to become stronger, and look like where that has led him.

Hmm, I wonder why Megumi always feels like it’s his responsibility to sacrifice, what could have possibly led him ot that conclusion? Why does he feel so responsible for the actions of other people around him? It’s a geuine mystery.

However, the Kyoto kids are capable of doing something the Tokyo kids can’t do. They can cry and be weak in front of other people. They can support each other as a group. Not only did they help Miwa at her lowest point, but Yuji would have given up, had Todo not shown up when he did. 

Yuji actually wasn’t capable of handling it all on his own. He couldn’t defeat Mahito just by being stronger than him, or having a strong will. 

Individualism like Gojo teaches is important, but it’s also incomplete. It’s only half the solution. The Tokyo kids need the camraderie of the Kyoto kids, the same way the Kyoto kids need to learn to take responsibility for themselves.

That’s why the Shibuya arc ends the way it does. The Tokyo kids failing as individuals, and the Kyoto kids coming together as team. However, since both sides only have half the answer, neither side is able to defeat Kamo Sr. totally.

However, Gojo’s mistakes are shown even more clearly after the arc resolves. Gojo doesn’t actually teach people to think for themselves, because he’s raising them up to follow his politics. Now, look at what his students are doing in his absence. Gojo wants to fix the broken world, but Yuji’s conclusion he comes too after suffering is that he doesn’t want to think about fixing the world. He just wants to become another cog in the machine.

What was the greatest mistake the previous generation made?

Geto. Not only in exposing him to the trauma of Riko dying in front of him. But also, offering him no support a year afterwards.  Yaga completely neglecting him and failing to see what was going wrong. Then, when Geto finally did break, sending another student to kill him.

Yaga really can’t understand why this eighteen year old would hestiate to kill this other eighteen year old, that’s been his best and only friend for three years.  Why is this child not comfortable with an execution mission? It baffles the mind.

Gojo, by failing to raise his students as emotionally healthy individuals repeats the same mistake.

Yuta and Yuji both don’t really care about the world around them, or politics. They don’t pay attention to those things, they weren’t raised to do that. However, now because of that, because both are willing to become cogs in the machine they’re both letting themselves beused right now. 

They refused to think for themselves, so now the elders are manipulating them into a conflict against each other. Yuta because he doesn’t see the situation at large, he only wants to protect his friends. Yuji, because the only way he thinks he has value is by killing curses, he’s just going to keep blindly executing them until Yuta comes to kill him. Gojo’s students are divided specially because of that reason. They’re not together as a group, they’re just a group of particularly strong individuals, and Gojo never even thought that these strong individuals with no particular connection to each other might turn against each other. They might lie to each other. They might keep secrets from each other. They might fail to communicate. Because, Gojo doesn’t really pay attention to complex relaitonships like that. He’s only had his one friend his whole life. 

Even though that’s also exactly what happened to his one and only friend, his emotional needs were neglected by the system around him until he completely fell apart. Geto and Gojo’s problem wasn’t that they weren’t “the strongest” when they were together. It’s that they were never “together” again after a certain point. 

[deltas-writing-corner]

Tsukumo Yuki relationship headcanons

Fandom: Jujutsu Kaisen

Pairing: Tsukumo Yuki x reader

Author note: Tsukomo Yuki is the reason I love woman and she can crush me between her thighs send tweet

Warnings: Potential manga spoilers (?) | Mentions of s*x, but nothing too blatantly explicit. I would still prefer it if minors did not interact with this post in any way.

Yuki always asks the people she meets what type of woman they like. If someone were to ask that same question back to her, she’ll most certainly utter back your name as if it were an obvious response.

What’s not to love about you? You’re cute. You make her laugh. You cook for her because heaven knows she can't if her life depended on it. Most importantly, you keep her company due to the lack of curses she’s ever sent to exorcise. Traveling the world is fun and all, but it’s even more fun with you by her side!

You’re not a sorcerer. You can’t even see curses. Yuki is a childhood friend of yours and has kept you in the loop regarding the world of jujutsu sorcery since she started integrating into it. She thinks it’s important for you to know that someone like you, a non-curse user who has no control over the curse energy you create, should know what exactly your negative emotions can lead to. It’s not to make you feel bad or pin blame on you in any way. It’s her way of protecting you beyond physical means as well as a way of showing you that she places a great deal of trust in you regarding the nature of her line of work and her true goals.

Because she rejects the methods of the higher-ups and her ideology is more along the lines of putting an end to the creation of curses permanently instead of letting them manifest and dealing with them when they start causing profound trouble, you’re often the one that has to listen to all her new, sometimes overreaching, hypotheses now and then. You may even take part in her research, but she would never put you in any sort of harm! At least, not unless you give her the okay to. Be warned, if you give your blessing to be her little lab rat she’s prone to get carried away with her methods. Speak up if she’s doing something outrageous or if she’s making you uncomfortable. Otherwise, you might end up in some precarious situations.

As mentioned previously, Yuki isn’t sent out on missions that often, if ever. She instead chooses to travel in and out of the country, for the sake of her research as well as for the pleasure of it. Since she’s one of three, later four, special grade sorcerers her salary is rather tremendous. Unfortunately, her travels outside Japan are “unauthorized” and sometimes her funds get frozen by the higher-ups. Her quick solution to the matter is to fly back, take on a mission or two to get her funds unfrozen (and into your account because you’re her partner-in-crime) or even take on a mission to earn some more funds, and then you and her are right back to traveling the world again.

During one of these money replenishing heists, she met a kid that she took a particular interest in and wanted to mentor, Aoi Todo. It’s hard for most people to spark her interest to the extent Todo did, so you happily supported her endeavors and even met with her young pupil a few times throughout the years. Her methods of training are a bit....extreme, to put it lightly. You understand that holding back her punches will only hinder Todo’s progress instead of allowing him the ability to improve and push past his limits, but you can’t help but flinch over the large scar that marks his face whenever you briefly meet up with him.

Todo is eccentric, but so is Yuki. Perhaps not idol obsessed like Todo, but seeing the way he takes great care of his appearance and flaunts his body (during a battle even), he’s a near-identical clone of Yuki. She knows that she’s good-looking, and she will always flaunt this fact to anyone with working eyes, even you! Does it work every single time? Yes. Yes, it does.

Honestly, how can it not? She’s tall. She has a great butt. She drives a motorcycle. Her tight biker pants are your Achilles heels and she knows it. Sometimes she’ll wear them around the house just to flaunt her curves and other bodily goods, even if it’s the middle of the summer, the AC is broken and the pants are made of stuffy leather material. If it gets your face all heated up, she'll wear it.

The compliments she gets from strangers are nice and all, but it’s your reactions she truly cares about. You’ve been by her side through it all. You're still sticking with her even despite the fact that she’s constantly moving around and living a somewhat free-spirited lifestyle. You genuinely support and help her when almost everyone else has rejected her methods and ideals and brush her off as some lazy, outrageous-thinking woman. Really, you stole this woman’s heart just by letting her be herself, a lazy, outrageous-thinking woman.

Yuki is indeed lazy, to the point it sometimes affects you and your shared apartment is left in a week-long accumulated mess. I’m talking clothes strewed about and spilling out the already full laundry basket, sink filled with dirty dishes, houseplant half dead due to insufficient watering, and little dusty bunnies in the corner of the room. Whenever you try to get around to getting your living space in order, she always drags you back to the bed with her either to nap some more or for a quick round of sex that leads to more napping. Eventually, you have to beat her with a pillow and threaten her with no sex for a certain period of time to get her to back off, which always works without fail.

If you really hold the “no sex until...” ultimatum over her head long enough, she’ll even pitch in and help you clean. But to be honest she kinda sucks at it so it’s sometimes better to just have her sit on the sidelines while you do all the work. She’ll jokingly suggest you clean with just an apron on (because she’s a freak like that), but you haven’t taken her up on the suggestion just yet. It’s mostly because you’ll use the “naked apron” method to further insinuate her punishment if your usual threat begins to lose its potency (because you are also a freak like that).

She’s a bad sleeping partner. Not only does she hog all the blankets and pillows, but she even stretches out her limbs over the entire bed. This usually leaves you curled up in a corner shivering your ass off until you either fall asleep via exhaustion or move to the couch. If you go to the couch, she’s 99.9% likely to wake up and join you shortly after, where she’s less of a hassle to deal with because of the limited space.

She’s a great big spoon, which is actually one of the ways you later use to solve her troublesome habits as once she latches onto you, she will not let go the rest of the evening. Unfortunately, she also snores terribly loud, but it’s nothing earbuds can’t fix.

Some might think she sleeps in something flattering, maybe even a bit scanty. That couldn’t be any further from the truth. Her pj’s are decades-old shirts and gym shorts that she never got around to getting rid of. If not that, she’ll sleep completely naked and she doesn’t care if someone walks in on her with the covers off. She’ll only ever wear lingerie or other promiscuous pieces of clothing if she has intentions of getting between your legs and rocking your world for the rest of the night.

I think it goes without saying that she looks great in lace, but as hot as she may look, she really likes seeing you dressed up in something risque as well.

If you’re female, she sometimes likes to wear matching lingerie sets with you, but her favorite material to see you in is leather, especially those harness-styled sets that squeeze your flesh all around.

If you’re male, she’s a complete sucker for a man in a clean-cut, custom-tailored suit and will take it off as soon as you put it on. Hope you don’t mind losing a button or two, because she will pop them off for sure when she rips your dress shirt off of you.

To all my gender-neutral folks, It’s never too late to whip out that naked apron I mentioned earlier! Or a leather jacket. Everyone looks great in a leather jacket!

Yuki’s diet is fucking terrible. You’re a decent cook, but despite this, all she ever seems to want is greasy take-out food that makes you wonder how the hell she’s still so fit after witnessing her down three chicken burritos in one sitting. Even when the two of you are abroad and are able to try out different types of cuisines not so readily available in Japan, she’ll still want to go out to a fast food joint that you can easily find everywhere. You’ve tried to get her to branch out of her comfort zone and eat somewhat healthier alternatives of her favorite foods, but so far you’ve gotten mixed results.

In summary: Yuki is a pretty outgoing person and sometimes can be a bit of a hassle to deal with, but she’s clearly ambitious and moves to the tune of her own beat. Her goal of finding and effectively eliminating the source of all curses is a testament to the fact that she wants to save future generations from having to carry the burden sorcerers have been carrying for thousands of years. Her goals are not only for the sake of the people who will come after her, but also for the sake of her future with you. You’re someone she genuinely cares for and wishes to spend the rest of her life with, evident by the numerous times she’s come clean to you about her fears of you dying when she isn't around to protect you or of her dying and leaving you behind to mourn during late-night pillow talks in hotels or in your shared home. A future where you and her can travel the world and truly take in and enjoy the sights and wonders instead of searching for an answer to one of the world’s greatest phenomenon is a future worth fighting for, even if she’s met with some pushback or the end goal seems like nothing more than a pipedream at times. So long as you’re there with her to see her research bear fruit, she’ll keep testing and coming up with new methods to eliminate curses permanently, no matter the extremes her research takes her to.

[gffa]

I know you mentioned this in one of your posts, but I also wanted to add something in regards to all those "hot takes" about Qui-Gon being Anakin's master instead.

You know what would be cool? If Saesee Tiin or Plo Koon were Anakin's master, instead. You know, Saesee Tiin, who is "regarded as one of the Order's best starfighter pilots" according to Wookiepedia. And Plo Koon, who (also according to Wookiepedia) is "one of the best pilots in the Jedi Order".

Yes, it is true that I do not like Qui-Gon for Reasons. But even setting those Reasons aside...

*shoves Plo Koon and Saesee Tiin in front of me and gestures to them furiously.*

I mean, I might be reaching here, but I think the 9-year-old who wants to be a pilot might find it very cool to learn from a very good pilot?

I love Obi-Wan, and it's basically canon that Obi-Wan was better with starships than Qui-Gon since Obi-Wan was the one to try and repair the ship, so he probably knows a lot despite his later dislike for piloting, and acting and costume design and the technology of the time probably played a not-insignificant role in the protagonists are Human...

But if someone wanted to explore Anakin having a different Jedi Master, I just think it would be much more interesting to put either of them in the role, compared to Qui-Gon Jinn.

I'm personally generally not really into "another master trained Anakin" scenarios because I think a very important theme in Star Wars is that Anakin's choices had to be Anakin's choices, that choice is at the very heart of Star Wars and implying that Anakin was nothing but a reactive agent rather than having any agency of his own would lessen the story. I take GL's words about how Anakin would have been fine if he'd been found as a Jedi earlier as the solution to be a pretty significant factor in that it's not on the Jedi for why Anakin turned to the dark side, but that because of his circumstances shaping him into the person he became, he couldn't let go of things, so he eventually fell. That it wouldn't matter if it was a different Jedi, that Anakin didn't want to let go of things. Further, while we don't see much of Anakin's training days (aside from the JQ novels, which were written before the prequels movies had finished coming up--some of the JQ ones even before AOTC!, which makes me take their worldbuilding with some serious grains of salt), TCW shows us that the Jedi seem to train their younglings in a more community-based style. There is some importance placed on lineage--AOTC and some of the supplementary material makes a point of Dooku's connection with Obi-Wan through Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan is an important part of Anakin's life still after his Knighting, we see Kit and Nahdar still working together, etc.--but even more than that, we see that Ahsoka is taught by pretty much every Jedi of significance that we know. So, I think Anakin already would have been having other masters stop by, would have had Saesee Tiin taking him out for piloting instructions, would have been learning from Cin Drallig in his lightsaber classes, would have been learning from Mace in dueling classes, would have been put under Plo's watchful eye sometimes when Obi-Wan had other missions, etc. Like, I do think that one of the troubles with Anakin and Obi-Wan is that they may not have sought other Jedi's help as much as they should have (but didn't turn it away all together--we see Bant and Mace stepping in to help them when they've been bickering a lot in the Choose Your Destiny book or you could argue that Anakin working really well with Mace in TCW shows that he's had plenty of experience in working with other Jedi besides Obi-Wan during his apprenticeship) but that ultimately Anakin's choices had to be about who he was as a person, rather than about who trained him. So, ultimately my point isn't, "Boo, no interesting speculation, no fun allowed!" (I feel like I'm being kind of a wet blanket at you, SORRY 😂) and more, "Feel free to go nuts with that stuff in canon-compliant fic and scenarios, because there's some strong evidence to support that it already happened!" And if you guys really loved me you'd write me a fic where Anakin goes to bug the caretaker for the Room of a Thousand Fountains and asking eight hundred questions about how the fountains work, where does the water go/come from, show me the diagrams, whoa, that's so wizard, you're growing plants in hydroponic bays to transfer them into the Kashyyyk corner of the gardens, hey, would it work better if you did it like this, and just Anakin being amazing at mechanics but also OMG PLANTS EVERYWHERE HE LOVES IT.

[kingwuko]

Wuko in the Comics: Ruins of the Empire: Book 1, Part 1

Welcome to my second post on Wuko in the comics. In this post I’ll be discussing the first half of Ruins of the Empire: Book 1. Wu is a prominent character in this comic trilogy, and there is lots of character development and exploration for him. There are also a lot of scenes with Wu and Mako together, and what’s more, there are a handful of visual parallels to Korrasami!

Ruins of the Empire

Book 1 of RotE was released in May 2019. The art style is different from Turf Wars- the colors are very vibrant and it almost looks like stills of the animated series. It takes place 3 months after the conclusion of the animated series, and there is lots of continuity following the events of Turf wars. Some major plot points that carry from Turf Wars include: Wu has been governing the Earth Kingdom, Korra and Asami are in a firmly established relationship, and Zhu Li is President of the United Nations.

Plot Summary

The first half of Book 1 of RotE highlights the transition of the Earth Kingdom into a democracy by focusing on the first state to hold its elections, Gaoling. Gaoling’s election is at risk of being disrupted by Earth Empire general, Guan, who didn’t surrender when the rest of the empire did. The Krew decides to accompany King Wu to Gaoling to ensure the election proceeds without interference.

Major plot points in the first half of Book 1

We start out with a flashback that sets the timeline for the rest of the comic. In Gaoling, Commander Guan is running an earth empire “reeducation camp” and has just gotten word that Kuvira surrendered, but isn’t planning to give up so easily. He insists that his “experiments” and the Earth Empire will go on, with or without Kuvira as the Earth Emperor…. Then we jump ahead 3 months to Republic City, City Hall. We start out with an excellent frame, the first of many Wuko Korrasami parallels! Get excited, there are SO many!

Bolin is working for President Zhu Li Moon now, because, why not? He just quit his job working with Mako on the police force, and now he’s Zhu Li’s administrative assistant or something. Zhu Li is going to be introducing King Wu for a “big speech” to the citizens of Republic City. Korra gives Wu a friendly elbow nudge and asks if he’s ready. (the first of many wholesome friendship moments between the two of them)

Wu is not ready, he’s nervous. He asks Mako to read his speech for him, and Mako says no way- but then he reassures Wu that he’ll do great. “Just be yourself” Wu is immediately comforted and says that Mako always knows the right thing to say and that must be why he keeps Mako around! (I can think of a couple other reasons...) Mako’s expressions are very stoic and closed off. He’s got his arms crossed and looks grumpy (I feel like I’m always saying Mako looks grumpy. But that’s the best adjective I can come up with).

Wu begins his speech where he announces that it’s almost time for the Earth Kingdom states to begin holding elections, starting in the state of Gaoling. Grandma Yin and cousin Tu are in the audience and Yin is booing Wu, and also yelling “Long live the monarchy” while holding framed portraits of Wu and Hou-Ting.

Asami, Korra, Mako and Varric are standing behind Wu, applauding along with the crowd (well, the crowd minus Yin). Korra and Mako casually compliment Wu, saying that he's doing great and almost looks like a real leader! Wu says that within a year there will be a peaceful transition to democracy. He gets bombarded by questions and panics and starts singing. He tosses his stylish hat into the crowd, which Yin catches and says “you’ll always be my king!” Mako covers his face with his hands, Korra says ”well you did tell him to be himself” and Mako says “this is NOT what I meant”. Sorry Mako. You know Wu better than anyone so you should have known a song was coming. Zhu Li takes the podium and Wu dramatically faints/collapses into Mako’s arms. I presume on purpose.

We cut to a scene of Kuvira’s trial. Kuvira, after being read the charges against her, pleads not guilty (because every thing she did was for the “greater good”), Suyin confronts her and Kuvira apologizes but Suyin isn’t having it and forcefully tells her that apologies aren’t enough, she has to take responsibility.

We move on to President Moon’s office, where Wu is sitting on a sofa and Bolin welcomes Asami, Mako and Korra in. Mako lampshades Bolin’s many career changes. Bolin makes a comment to Mako that just because Mako has “found” himself it doesn’t mean the rest of them have. I, for the life of me, can’t figure out exactly what Bolin is trying to say here. Is he referring to the fact that Mako has “found” his career as a detective? Or something else, like his true feelings for Wu? Probably the first thing but us Wuko shippers will happily apply it to the other thing.

Once everyone is settled in, Wu asks them to come with him to Gaoling for the upcoming elections! Mako is actually not thrilled, and tells Wu that they aren’t going to be there for him to show off as his entourage. Wu is like No, that’s not it! Well, yes, kinda. He wants their help dealing with the Earth Empire loyalists being led by Guan. The Earth Kingdom army is understaffed and Wu is worried the Guan will try to prevent the elections from happening. The Krew agrees that it could be a problem, especially since it could cause other states to back out of holding elections and allow the earth empire to rise again.

So the Krew plans to come to Gaoling to show support for the elections, hopefully deter Guan from interfering, and Mako says they will keep Wu safe. Zhu Li encourages Bolin to go as well. Wu is very excited to team up with Mako again! After they leave the President's office, Korra suggests going to go speak to Kuvira to try to gather intel on Guan- Asami is not thrilled and doesn’t want to go with her because Kuvira was responsible for her father’s death. Korra is understanding and supportive and they share a lovely little kiss before Korra heads off.

Korra arrives at Kuvira’s prison with Naga. We catch a quick glimpse into Kuvira’s mind as she remembers a moment from her childhood when she ran away from her parents-after her parents accused her of breaking a vase, the take away her toys and lock her in her room “for her own good”, and she uses her earth bending to break the wall and escape. This and other flashbacks attempt to make us more sympathetic to Kuvira so we can accept her redemption arc in the remainder of the comics. After her little flashback, Korra and Kuvira discuss Guan. Kuvira says she didn’t know Guan hadn’t surrendered, and that Korra should consider him a major threat because he is cunning and strategic. Then Kuvira tells Korra if she wants to stop Guan, she should bring Kuvira along to reason with him and convince him to stand down and surrender. Korra is not convinced, but Kuvira tells her to take time to think about it, and she’ll be there to help when Korra asks.

Meanwhile, Guan is rallying his troops. He’s got a sizable regiment of soldiers along with tanks, and is giving them a big speech about taking back the empire and rising from the ruins of defeat. He and his troops head out of their fortress, presumably to do exactly what everyone is worried about and stop Gaoling’s election.

Mako and Wu Scenes

Mako and Wu are featured in many scenes of these comics, together more often than not!

The very first scene with Wu, he is standing right next to Mako, in the same frame as Korra and Asami. I realize “standing next to each other” might not actually be ground breaking evidence for Wuko, but it feels like a parallel to Korrasami, and most importantly creates kind of an establishing shot, planting Wu at the center along with Korra. This is kind of amazing considering he was in only one season of the show and he was largely a comic relief character that I don’t think the writers meant for us to take seriously. There is a pattern of parallels in RotE with Korrasami and Wuko, and we don’t really need to reach for them. They are right there, visually.

We also get to see some lovely moments of Korra’s and Wu’s friendship. She elbows him good-naturedly. She’s kind and supportive. She compliments him. He does seem a little awkward but overall it seems he really fits in with the Krew now, and I find it really sweet. His characterization feels very different from the show. He isn’t obnoxiously flirting with every 'dame' he lays eyes on. He isn’t bratty, or materialistic. He’s still goofy and lands some comic relief joke moments, but overall he is treated like an actual character with substantial development and plot-advancing roles.

During Wu’s speech, Mako is staring like, way too intently at him while casually complementing how he almost looks like a real leader. (Well, up until Wu starts singing, and then his second-hand embarrassment seems more intense than the others, who mostly just seem a little stunned, while Mako has his face buried in his hands). Also, the running gag of Grandma Yin being obsessed with royalty has it’s funny moments during his speech, but I really like it because the fact that Mako’s grandma is reverent, affectionate, AND outspoken with Wu would probably create an interesting in-law dynamic, right? Also, during his song, the tosses his hat out to the crowd which Yin catches like a single lady catching the bridal bouquet, and says “You’ll always be my King!” I like to imagine that she now wears his hat everywhere, along with Mako’s scarf. I know I’m reaching but Yin wearing both their accessories is another Wuko moment in my mind.

Let’s also talk about Wu fainting. After his panic-singing, Zhu Li quickly takes over and Wu steps back and dramatically faints, saying “Wu down”- right into Mako’s arms. Why into Mako’s arms? Did he step back and strategically aim himself at Mako? Technically the closest person to him was Varrick. So he had to stagger back diagonally and fall back toward Mako on purpose. Did Mako catch him with lightning-fast reflexes? Korra was also right there and she’s the Avatar, you’d think she’d react quicker than Mako. Nope. The best explanation is that Wu for sure was intentionally falling into Mako’s arms, and Mako’s ‘protect Wu’ instincts kicked in faster than anyone else's because.. Well. You ship Wuko. You know what I'm saying. <3

During the conversation in Zhu Li’s office, once again, visually Mako and Wu are parallel to Korra and Asami. They are sitting next to each other on a couch opposite Korra and Asami. However, there is this one moment where Mako is NOT HAVING IT with Wu. When Wu asks the Krew to join him, Mako is like, why? For show? No way. He says “We’re not your entourage, Wu.” Honestly that was kinda mean of him to say. I’m not sure what to make of it other than Mako is suddenly grumpy because his brother (who was visibly offended by Mako lamp-shading his career-hopping) snatched away a tray of cupcakes a moment before. Still, Wu is quick to reassure him that it’s not like that at all, and delivers the news of Guan and quickly makes a case that it’s the practical thing to do considering the political climate. Mako immediately agrees after that, and quickly flips his script to “we’ll keep you safe”. And Wu’s triple “yes” response with an excited fist in the air is enough of a Wuko moment for me.

When they leave Zhu Li’s office, yet another visual Korrasami/Wuko parallel. Korra and Asami are in the back holding hands, and Mako and Wu are in the front with Wu’s arm draped around Mako’s shoulders. Wu is very happy that Mako is coming along. Says they should get a smoothie to celebrate, and it’ll be just like old times! I’m sure Wu missed Mako. Mako doesn’t seem quite as thrilled but at this point it's really just Mako’s face. He just always looks like that. Who knows what he’s thinking inside.

What this means for Wuko

So if you are writing some fanfic or just coming up with headcanons with the comics in mind, there is a lot of material to work with right away. They are in close proximity for most of their scenes. Wu is accepted by the Krew, and he is buddy-buddy enough with Korra to presume he’s probably been talking to her outside of the scenes depicted in the comics. So there’s some potential for wingman or matchmaker Korra, or at the very least she will be happy and supportive of them getting together since she has warmed up to Wu a lot. Both Mako and Wu have matured enough that a healthy relationship is within reach. Wu clearly has affection toward Mako, and Mako still has that protective instinct toward Wu, even if he looks like he’s not having a great time (But like I said, he looks like that all the time, so I'm pretty sure he just has resting bitch face).

So that is about the halfway point of book 1. The next post I will talk about the second half of book 1. Some things to look forward to: a sauna scene, Mako, Bolin and Wu giving Kuvira the Bitchiest collective look ever, and Wu casually telling Mako that he loves him.

Wuko in Turf War

Wuko in RotE part 2

[missdawnandherdusk]

Slytherin Extensive Dating a Malfoy Headcanons:

Here’s to all of my lovely Slytherin followers!

You’re sorted into Slytherin and you don’t quite understand why, but there had to be a reason. Draco didn’t quite understand either but not like he cares. pffft. nope. 

You’re a odd Slytherin. No one can deny your ambition or hesitancy to do things just right, but there are some times that you surprise everyone

Draco thinks you don’t belong in Slytherin but damn you’re good at Quidditch

You play as a Keeper. He thinks that it’s stupid but you give him a flash of your smile and maybe he’s forgotten what he’s supposed to be doing on the field too

He swears your part veela because people just stop and do things for you all the time

“Oh, I’ve forgotten my quill, does anyone have an extra?” There are about ten at your disposal from others that you always return with that same distracting smile not that he noticed 

You always get out of trouble, no matter what it is. With Filch or Snape or McGonagall. You just had a way with words and it frustrated him

And oh the way you snark at Potter. It’s not cruel like his normal taunts but you always have a way to sneak that smile in and a wicked quip leaving both he and Harry gaping after you

When Buckbeak goes to attack him, you’re right there, smiling and speaking softly to the beast and it backs down, charmed like everyone else “It’s alright, there’s no need to feel threatened, just calm,” Buckbeak then lets you and Draco approach and you give him that smile and the boy is a goner

“Malfoy?” You call his attention. “Huh what?” He blinks. “Are you alright?” You laugh and maybe he wasn’t paying attention the first time you asked him

You always looked so put together and confident whenever he was around, whenever he noticed you, you were always smiling and flawless and it wasn’t fair in his opinion because it just looked so effortless

First years from any house are hanging onto your every word because you’re always there to show them the way or give them advice on how to get on a professor’s good side which has him sulking because you never talk to him like that

Oh but wait until someone crosses you. He thought you had the patience of a saint but bloody hell 

One of your friends lies to you constantly? Someone betrays you? Oh you have receipts and evidence lined up against them. People from other houses and different years are at your defense because they know it just like you do. You’re ex-friend is a backbiter and damn Merlin if they think you’ll let them get away with it and honestly Draco can’t decide if he’s scared or turned on when he sees the fires of hell in your eyes

But then you catch sight of him and your smile is back and you wave and he’s gawking because yeah he’s definitely both scared and turned on

Even though everyone whispers around the school about what went down, you still hold your head high and still look flawless

But one night he finds you in the Slytherin common room, sitting in the window seat, watching the murky water of the lake, crying silently Draco starts panicking because what is he supposed to do you’re always put together what do you mean you’re crying alone

“Uh... are you okay?” He has no idea why he’s asking, but he can’t just leave you here... can he? 

You immediately wipe away your tears and smile, but Draco can see right through this one. He leans against the wall beside the window, waiting for you to explain

“Am... am I really vindictive, manipulative, and controlling?” You seem so insecure as you hug your knees. “I... I know Slytherins are cunning and ambitious... but I don’t want to be a bad person...”

He’s staring again because you always seem to keep him on his toes for trying to figure you out. And he’s never seen you as anything less than perfect and he’s not stopping now. You’re just more real

“You’re not a bad person,” He finally says, sitting on the window seat with you. Teary-eyed you look at him, and now he’s furious towards whoever thought they could make you think you’re a bad person

You laugh hopelessly and again, wipe away your tears. “Thanks Draco,” It’s the first time you’ve ever used his first name

He just nods and leaves you to your thoughts again. Now he’s asking around to what could possibly have you so upset and doubting of yourself even though you’re still put together in the halls, your head held high and maybe he hopes that someone might understand him back he’s not as put together as he seems either

You often come to him now when you’re really stressed out and you don’t want anyone else to know, but you know Draco won’t tell anyone nor judge you

Sometimes he just knows where to find you when you’re thinking alone and he has some sort of sweet, or tea, or something. You two just sit together, not saying anything, but not acting like you have it all together either

You notice in Fourth Year that Draco starts to slip through the cracks of falling into being like his father and you know he’s scared to be like his father but you also know what it’s like to not know what else to do

Draco notices that you’re getting a lot of attention from Viktor Krum and his school buddies. They all seem to have fallen for the same smile that he did but they couldn’t have you, they would never understand you like he did. How dare they even think it

“Do you want to go to the first task with me?” You ask him and he snaps his quill because Merlin how do you move so quietly “Me? Why don’t you go with one of your Durmstrang blokes?” He snaps. 

You gape at him. Sure, you knew you were getting attention from those guys, but was it really enough to make Draco jealous? “I don’t want to go with them, they’re entitled uncivilized imbeciles.” You scoff. “I want to go with you. Idiot!” Then you storm off. 

Draco realizes oh my stars I fucked up shitshitshitshitshitshit uh um bloody hell what to i do

So he chases after you and grabs your hand in the middle of that hall between classes so there are students everywhere

“I’m sorry,” He rushes out and you tilt your head, waiting. “If... if you still want to go with me...” 

“Malfoy bothering you?” One of the Durmstrang asks, coming up beside you, placing a hand on your shoulder and Draco’s blood just boils

But before Draco can get his wand out, you have the guy on the floor groaning in pain taking him down muggle style and Draco has gone back to being scared and turned on You smile at him and take his hand, on your way to the pitch to watch the task

He guesses that you’re dating now? No one ever offiaclly said anything and not much has changed except you always find him in the halls and hold his hand and maybe his most recent batch of Amortentia smells just like your perfume and favorite sweet... And maybe yours smells just like his cologne and favorite tea...

He eventually gets the words out: “Do you want to go out with me?” He’s stuttering and blushing because you two are alone and he doesn’t have to be Mr. PerfectTM and you’re smiling at him again and you’re making it so difficult for him and you know it

“Well duh,” You finally laugh. “You’re so dense sometimes Dray,” 

Everyone thinking that you are the EliteTM couple on campus because of how well you both charade perfection...

When you’re really just total goofballs. You like doodling stupid things on his notes and he always has a cheesy pickup lines at the ready. You two flirt but it’s more like banter because you’re already his and Merlin does everyone ship it 

Tickle fights / “For you my lady,” “Well thank you kind sir,” / Inside jokes / Maybe a prank or two that eventually escalates and ends when Draco has vibrant blue hair and you get the last laugh but merlin does he look good

His parents and your parents believe that they have the perfect couple between you two. Such decorum and tradition, and refinement. (And you and Draco are flying upside down on your brooms, running barefoot through the Manors, making a mess in the kitchen trying to bake without magic, blasting music in the halls and singing off key and dancing) Narcissa knows all of this and adores that you bring such joy to Draco’s life

Umbridge has met her match with you. She is completely enchanted with you, even though you’re running an underground network against her at the school and she doesn’t have the slightest idea Draco is so impressed and Merlin does he love how cunning you are

When No Nose comes back and fear is a constant lingering in the school and amongst Slytherins, you slowly drop your prefect facade and let others know it’s okay to not be okay. “Little Miss Perfect isn’t so perfect is she?” “No, but I am real,” 

You get fascinated with Dark Magic, because well, everyone keeps talking about it and you think that it’s stupid to be afraid of something you don’t know about so you learn and it doesn’t seem so scary when you realize there are counter curses and jinxes that spread like wildfire in the school in an underground network you and Hermione set up

Draco takes the Dark Mark, and so do you. You won’t leave him on his own. You want loyal and cunning and ambitious? Bring it No Nose who honestly believes that you’re on his side and for his cause because who can lie to him? You can.

 You stay at the Manor with Draco during the holidays. It’s almost vital that both you and Draco pull your masks of perfection back on for the sake of surviving. Which leave you both doing things that has you breaking down in each other arms in the quiet of the night because how did it come to this?

Using the same underground network, you feed encrypted information to the Golden Trio and Hogwarts. You always go down and talk with Luna and keep her company behind a silencing charm or two

You punch Pansy in the face when she suggests handing over Harry. 

You and Draco both stand with Hogwarts during the battle. You actually laugh when confusion breaks out across the Death Eaters and No Nose and you have the urge to scream “I’m a Slytherin! Who did you think you were dealing with!?” And maybe you do

After the war it’s hard facing anyone because for so long they thought that you and Draco had gone dark side, but slowly tensions ease and things get better and there’s a light at the end of the table.

You and Draco redeem the Slytherin House and later after you’re married to each other, McGonagall comes and asks you to teach and to be the Head of House for Slytherin

Tags: @coffee-addicti @msmcsmutt @ravn-87@artemismohr18@whygz @crazywritingbug @fuzzy-panda@bitemebro522 @zombiesnips-blog @jillanaholland@shookyungsoo @savingdraco@welcometomyworldwithoutrules@akari180 @slytherin-emerald@chaotic-good-gemini @memalfoy-spidey@theres-a-dog-outside-omg @queenfeatherwings@fanficflaneuse @go-whovian-universe@spicyshenanigans@darling-im-not-okay-i-promise@dietkiwi@katsukink@takemetothekingdom @strangerr-things@tmnt-queen@mccloudchloe @hxneybgb@justsomerandomgur @belcvayelena@moviesbooksandfandoms@howdycharlie@xtrashmouthxtozierx @cocochanelthepupper@ninacotte@mccloudchloe @braelynn-j@jiggllyy @honeymarvel@go-whovian-universe@darcypottah@atomicpunkrock @thiccheerioss @lottie289@boredashaeck​ @beautiful-pegasus @tceedlmao @deadlynyghtshayde @iconjuresnapeingrandmaclothes @anonymous034 @bi-andready-tocry @lunna-does-real-doodle @dragonsandbread @atomicwonderlandmentality @okaydraco@the–queen-of-hell@langdonzvoid @cmxreader @alienmotel @oh-itsnothing@tulippings @thestressedprincess @sunflowerxsadnessw@caps-wilsonn @fattycooter @angelotakunerd08@thisisahugemistake @fanficsigottaread​ @gweaslvy​ @okaydraco​ @strawberriesonsummer​ @ughjjloveme​ @honeymarvel​  @gaysludge​ @cleopatera​ @ray-of-sunrise​ @artist-bby​

[scripttorture]

I'm wondering whether a plot point in a story I once read was realistic:

A character claims to have been trained in torture techniques that not only leave no marks (which I think you've called "clean torture"), but also don't require "tools" - no weapons, no devices, no technology, no environmental control (e.g. over lighting or temperature), and so on. If I recall correctly, he says this to threaten someone who is restrained in an otherwise completely bare room, and there's no suggestion of sexual assault being one of the techniques

Is this a thing? Would one person actually be able to torture another if it was just the two of them alone in a room, and not have it leave any kind of physical evidence?

In short: yes, that’s possible. But the devil, as always is in the detail.

 You see from the way this is framed it seems as if the story is implying the character is highly skilled, dangerous and required specialist training. And that is in keeping with how torturers talk and behave. But it isn’t really in keeping with reality.

 Because what he’s talking about is probably a ‘clean’ (ie non-scarring) beating, which essentially amounts to repeated open handed slaps on fleshy areas of the body. It’s very painful. It is still dangerous and it can kill (via kidney failure). But it isn’t… smart or complicated or hard to think up. It doesn’t require training or specialist knowledge.

 It’s probably worth mentioning here that clean torture does sometimes leave temporary marks. But they’re always the sorts of marks that might be explained away by something else.

 The swelling standing stress positions cause in the legs goes down quickly. But even if an independent witness sees this swelling… it can be caused by a whole range of diseases and health conditions. Institutions can and have turned around and said possible evidence of torture was down to underlying health conditions or other factors.

 This is part of why torture trials usually have a lot of survivors giving evidence. It’s about establishing a consistent pattern over dozens or hundreds of victims rather then tearing apart the evidence of one person.

 Clean beatings can leave the skin swollen, inflamed and sometimes visibly reddened. But a wide range of skin conditions can look similar. Some people would get similar looking marks from being restrained on a hard bed in a hospital. I get similar marks from sitting her on my sofa with my laptop on my knees typing asks. I also get them from kneeling on the floor when I use my sewing machine.

 There are a couple of other clean tortures that could fit in this scenario. The British National Style favours standing stress positions without restraints, usually using a wall and enforcing them by beating people who refuse to comply. Forced exercise is another relatively common torture that fits this description.

 And again, these can potentially leave some evidence. It’s just not clear evidence and it’s not obvious evidence. An exhausted, pained prisoner does not mean clear evidence of torture.

 With more torturers sleep deprivation could also fit this scenario. Something like relay interrogation, where the torturers swap out to rest but continue questioning/berating the prisoner and keeping them awake for days at a time.

 Generally I don’t think there’s anything wrong with using this scenario in a story. But I’d advise anyone considering it to be careful how they frame this incident. It would be very easy for the narrative to accidentally back up the torturer’s assertion that they’re skilled/trained or imply that these ‘techniques’ are intelligent, unusual things.

 The scene itself isn’t ‘wrong’. It’s just the sort of scenario that can relies on the reader’s background knowledge to fill in the blanks.

 And unfortunately that’s not something we can do when we’re talking about torture or abuse. Accurate information is difficult to find and not accessible for the majority of people. Misinformation and apologia is everywhere. Until that changes I don’t think we can rely on readers filling in the blanks with anything but apologia.

 Which is why it’s important to try and think through the implications of what we write.

 I hope that helps :)

Available on Wordpress.

Disclaimer

[ppersonna]

too good to be true - ksj

you're just too good to be true. i can't take my eyes off you.  you'd be like heaven to touch, i want to hold you so much - cant take my eyes off of you, frankie valli & the four seasons

↳ summary- Kim Seokjin loves you. And, blessedly, you love him. As much as he obsesses over you, you feel it tenfold. He can see it in your eyes, the glimmer of adoration. You glow, mixed with your own love and his. Separately, you are your own individual persons, but together you fit as if cut from the same cloth. 

↳ rating- explicit

↳ word count- 4.8k

↳ pairing- seokjin x reader

↳ genre- fluffy af, smut, so much fluff it’s actually gross how cute

↳ warnings- penetrative sex, dirty talk, emotional(?) sex, too much love it will rot ur teeth, oral sex (m/f receiving) unprotected sex (bc theyre established!!! be safe friends), established relationship, domestic af, jin is a big ol softy, 

↳ a/n-  damn this fic came out of nowehere. i started writing and then suddenly i had over 4k words.  enjoy domestic, fluffy, in love jazz singer jin!

Kim Seokjin is quite sure he’s never met, and never will meet another being like you. 

There’s lust and infatuation.  And then, there’s something more that lies on the spectrum of affection and Jin falls right at the farthest end, clear past love and into something beyond. What he feels for you is something he can’t speak with words, it isn’t tangible or physical. It’s a quiet sort of love, but powerful. It fuels his very being, pumping blood through his veins and firing neurons through synapses.  

Kim Seokjin is sure he will never love another as much as he loves you. 

He can’t pinpoint exactly when he knew he loved you. It happened slowly, over time. All he knows is that when it hit him, it hit him like a brick wall.

He loves the way you leave him silly voicemails when he’s at work, bringing a smile to his face after a long night of singing at the bar. 

He loves the way your hair somehow ends up everywhere when you sleep, and all your bobby pins cover every inch of your shared home. 

He’s obsessed with the way your cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink anytime he tells you he loves you or how beautiful you are, although he does it every single day and has for the last five years.  You still act as if it’s the first time you’ve ever heard it. 

Maybe Jin loves the way you make him feel. Like it’s still as exciting as your first date, but comfortable as if you’ve been together for decades. He loves that you still stir a fire in his belly like none other, and can comfort him with words you know will heal all wounds. 

He remembers the heartbreak, and that the relationship hasn’t always been easy. He remembers the fights, how your loving passion turned into fury. Jin still carries scorch marks in his soul from the day he left you, watching you cry on your porch from the rear-view mirror.  “It’s too much,” he had told you. Jin had never been more wrong in his life. 

The enormity of it all hits Jin now, as he’s standing at the counter of the jewelry store. The way the diamonds flicker in the light remind him of the way your eyes sparkle at him. He sees you in everything he does, couldn’t help but to find you in his daily life. 

Jin texts his best friends, securing their help.  He has a plan and wants it to go off without a hitch. 

He’s singing tonight at the jazz club, his backing band is aware of the slight changes to the lineup. He needs you to be there, wants to treat you to a special night tailored for you. 

Jimin, your best friend, agrees to get you to the club with as little suspicion as possible. Jimin is good at sweet talking you, almost as good as he is at sweet talking Jin.  You both have trouble resisting the dancer. 

Jin’s eyes are waltzing along the pristine glass counters, stopping occasionally to look at a ring. He takes a while to decide. Most of the rings are almost right. They’re the right style, but the wrong cut.  The right cut, but not in the setting he knows you want.  He’s stalked your Pinterest feed enough now to know what you want down to a T. 

Then he sees it. Set on a burgundy pillow in the furthest cabinet from the salesman.  The stone is gorgeous, cushion cut and halo moissanite like you prefer. You don’t like real diamonds, don’t like the idea of blood literally on your hands, and Jin loves you for it. 

He points to the ring, and the salesman complies, and Jin has it sized correctly and buys all the extra protections. He has a special heirloom ring box to present to you, vintage style and gorgeous, just like you. 

Jin gives the ring and box to Namjoon, his trusted best friend.  Namjoon, who is also his trumpet player in the jazz band, will bring it with him tonight and have it ready to go for the moment Jin is most excited for. 

He arrives back home to find you stretched out on the floor, practicing yoga. He can’t help but grin as he watches you practice your downward facing dog, upward face, chaturanga and return to standing. You make every sun salutation look effortless, and he loses himself in the way your body moves and folds in your leggings and tank top. 

“Oh, hi!” you squeak as you see him through your legs of your downward facing dog. 

He winks at you and approaches. “I like this angle.”

You blush.  His favorite color is the one your cheeks bloom to when he hits on you. 

“Naughty,” you tsk. 

“Can you blame me? I walk in to find my girlfriend ass-up in my living room. I can’t help it.”  He stands behind you, presses his hips to your backside, letting you feel his growing member. 

“I missed you this morning,” you sigh as you slowly rise, pressing your back against his front. 

“I’m sorry, my love,” he kisses at your neck. “I had some work errands. Can I make it up to you?”  

You giggle and grind against his hardening length. “Depends on what you have in mind.”

Instead of replying, he turns you around to face him and cups your cheeks. His lips press against yours gently, and Jin feels as if the heavens open up just for him.  He’ll never get over how kissing you makes him feel whole, alive. Like it’s his first day of his life all over again. 

He guides you towards the bedroom and sets you on the messy, unmade bed. Your eyes darken with lust and you look at him as if he holds the entire world in his hands. Jin feels more powerful with you than he ever has in his life. 

“I love you,” he whispers as he descends to plant his lips on yours again. “I love you so much.” 

You sigh as his lips trail down your neck, licking and kissing and sucking at the supple flesh. There’s nothing you love more than Jin adoring you, worshipping your body.  To him, you are his idol, his goddess, and he is but a lowly servant and parishioner. He desires nothing more than to please you, to serve you.

The tank top comes off first, and you’re wearing a black sports bra that pushes your cleavage up deliciously. Jin loves your breasts, they way they fit in his hands and in his mouth. He often finds his hands resting on your breasts at night, comforted by the smooth skin and hardening nipples. 

Your breasts are sensitive, always have been, and Jin loves the way you react as he licks at your cleavage.  You’re still encased in a sports bra, but you react as if you’re stark naked.  You shudder and sigh, skin of your arms prickling in goose-flesh at the sensation. It makes Jin feel heady and capable. 

The bra goes next, Jin is eager to wrap his lips around the nubs of your breasts. He lies you down and caresses every inch of your torso, using his fingers to etch his adoration into your skin.  As the pads of his fingers tickle at your stomach and sides, his mouth finally, blessedly, attaches to a hardened bud and you're arching off the bed in pleasure.  His cock stiffens at the way you respond to him, to his touch and to his love.  

He laves at your nipple with a long stripe of his tongue, then moves to suckles it gently. He loves the feeling of it in his mouth, and he tugs it light with his teeth, which makes you squeak in delight and in pain. He knows you love the sensation; you have a set of nipple clamps you use on kinkier nights together. Jin loves watching the color of your nipples turn a soft shade of pink to beautiful rose red, enlarged by his suckling mouth and pinches. 

“Jin,” you breathe. It’s music to his ears, a symphony even Beethoven couldn’t compose. He slides his tongue around the nipple, before kissing his way towards your untouched one. It pickers instantly in his mouth and he moans around it.  It’s as if your body is wired to his, to respond to his touch and only his.  

You were made for him, molded to fit him perfectly in every way. 

Jin ensures he thoroughly loves your breasts, pinching and tugging and biting the buds, knowing beautiful maroon colored bruises will ring around your nipples later. It’s a goal of his to mark you every single time. He loves waking up to see the evidence of your lovemaking carved into your skin. Evidence of him. You are his. 

“Please, Jin,” you’re needy now, hips rolling against his for relief. 

Jin finds it hard to resist you. He normally loves to drag it out, make you beg for him, but he feels no need for it today. He wants you as desperately as you want him. 

He tugs down the tight leggings, and groans at the sight of your bare pussy, no panties in sight.  In the back of his mind, he knows you never workout in underwear, but seeing it now makes his cock weep. He can tell you’re wet, the evidence slicking up and down your mound and on your thighs. You always get so wet for him, so responsive to his breast worship that you become a waterfall by the time he attends to you. 

“Baby,” he breathes. “Look at you. So wet for me.”

You blush again, turning as red as your sucked-upon nipples. Jin wants to take a photo of you now. He’s never seen a more beautiful woman in his life.  Your eyes are full of devotion, breasts covered in his lovebites, cunt drenched with desire for him. He’s never felt more lucky to be with you. 

“All for you, Jin,” you sigh, pinching at an abused nipple and gasping at the sensation. “Want you so bad.” 

“I know you do, my love. I want to give it all to you.” 

He pulls you to the end of the bed, pussy right at the edge as he kneels to pray to his goddess. 

He kisses at your thighs before he tugs them onto his shoulders, granting you rest as he moves to pleasure you. 

“Fuck, Jin!” you cry as you feel his breath at your entrance.  It makes Jin smile, before he leans in and licks your slit from top to bottom, and back again. 

He’s tasted nothing sweeter. In fact, he’s never tasted anything that tastes as good as your delicious cunt. You’re flooded with love, and desire for him and the taste is intoxicating. He laps at you like you’re his fountain of youth, and drinks you until his never-ending thirst is sated. 

Your moans are loud, unabashedly so. He adores the way you cry and beg and gasp. He knows if he suckles right at your clit, right there, you’ll tremble and stop breathing, just for a moment, before you’re whining his name in joy. 

He does so and is rewarded with the melody of your satisfaction. He trails two fingers up to your entrance and swirls them around the wetness as he focuses his attention on your clit.  You’re panting, begging, thanking him for every single touch. He can’t hold back any longer, needs to feel inside you. The fingers slide in easily, slicked up by your wetness. 

“Oh, fuck!” You shout, head thumping in the bed hard as your eyes squeeze tight. 

He loves your dirty mouth, the way you can beg for his cock like a practiced whore.  He loves the duality, his innocent and perfect angel and his cock-sucking slut. 

Jin closes his eyes and loses himself in your pussy, sucking and licking as his fingers fuck into your channel, walls massaging them sweetly. He can’t wait to slip his cock inside you, knowing it’s the headiest high he’ll ever know in his lifetime. But he loves making your first orgasm happen on his tongue, loves feeling your cunt pulse around his fingers. 

He curls his digits upwards to find your g-spot, and he knows he’s successful when he hears your loud gasp. Your channel tightens, and he bites his lip. He feels his cock straining against his jeans and he wants nothing more than to sink into you, but refrains. 

“Cum for me, my love,” he urges. “Let me feel you cum on my tongue. You taste so sweet when you cum for me.” 

You keen at his words, back arching impossibly off the bed. Both your hands attend to your nipples now, needing the stimulation. Jin suddenly wishes he has more hands, enough to fuck your sweet little pussy with and pinch at those tight buds. He decides he must settle for enjoying the view of you doing it yourself. 

“So c-close, Jin!” you’re begging now, to anything or anyone who will listen. Your body is tightening, muscles contracting as the string holding your orgasm back coils tight, tight, tighter. 

Until it snaps, and you’re cumming hard around his fingers. Jin moans in time with your sated cries of ecstasy, and laps at the juices coating his fingers and escaping your core.  He wishes he could bottle your essence, wear it around his neck like a cross to kiss and to pray to. Your taste is one he wants on his tongue for eternity. 

Jin pulls his fingers from within you and sucks at his own fingers, groaning at the lingering wetness on them.  

“God, Jin,” you pant, sitting up on your elbows to watch him. “Get up here and let me suck your cock, please.”

His innocent little angel, asking so sweetly to please him. It’s a request he finds himself powerless to deny. He scoots himself onto the bed and lies his head on the soft pillows you insisted he buy. He’s grateful you talked him into them, as they cushion his head perfectly for such activities as this. 

“Your wish is my command,” he smiles.  His cock is straining hard against his jeans, and you lick your lips. Your breath still leaves in harsh pants; the after effects of your orgasm still coursing through your veins. 

“I love your body,” you whisper as you pull him up to take his shirt off. Your hands roam his chest, touching every ridge and line of his defined muscles. “I love everything about you.” 

Jin stares in your eyes as your own bask in his chest. His heart tugs hard in his chest, and he takes a deep breath.  Loving you was so easy, so natural, as if it was imprinted in his DNA next to his blood type and hair color. 

The jeans go next, and Jin is lifting his hips to help you ease the tight boxers down his legs too.  You match now in nakedness and Jin knows this is the state he wishes to be with you most. To feel your skin on his, the heat of your body warming him down to his bones. 

He closes his eyes as you kiss his body, planting deep devotion to every inch of him. He loves you, god he’s insane for you, and the way you feel against his body makes him want to cum. He’s sure that you could bring him to completion by just worshipping his body, cock untouched. 

Your kisses turn to kitten licks as you trail to his hips and pelvis, then finally descending to lick at the base of his cock and his ballsack. Jin groans out loud, and gasps out your name. Your talented tongue wraps around his balls and you suck at the tender flesh there, before licking up to the crown of his length. 

Jin feels as if he’s sinking into an ocean of bliss as your head descends and your mouth envelops him fully. You take his long length completely, allowing the tip of his cock to kiss the back of your throat. Jin’s eyes nearly roll back into his skull at the sensation.  You know exactly what he likes. You swallow, and the tightness of your larynx has him gasping for air.  

He opens his eyes to watch you as you bob your head up and down, slicking his member up with your saliva. Your eyes meet his and he feels himself nearly cum at the look in your eyes.  Your pupils blow wide with lust. You look at Jin as if he’s put the stars in the sky, as if sucking his dick so perfectly is the only thing you were put on this earth to do. 

Jin wants to weep, to cum so deep and hard down your throat for eternity, to have you drink his seed constantly. 

“Baby, fuck, fuck, fuck,” he groans. “You look so fucking good sucking my cock.” 

You smile around him, and your cheeks tickle pink again. God, he’ll never get over it. 

You speed up your actions, adding a fist around his length to take what you cannot reach into your mouth and the added sensation of your warm hand sends him careening over the edge. 

“Baby, shit! Oh, my god, I’m cumming, gonna cum down your throat,” he hisses, hands clenching at the untidy sheets below him.  You don’t stop, continuing your fast pace as his cock head swells intensely, and he’s twitching spurts of his seed down your throat. You swallow dutifully, as if it’s your mission, and pull off him with a satisfying ‘pop’ when you’re sure he’s finished. 

“Mmm, I love your cock,” you sigh as you nuzzle it with your nose.  It’s softened slightly, but Jin knows it’s only a matter of minutes before he’s granite hard and ready to go again. He can’t look at you naked for longer than a few minutes without his cock stirring back to life. 

He tugs you up to straddle his body, settled on his hips. 

“My cock loves your mouth,” he smirks.  You reply with a blush and a kiss to his lips. He tastes himself on your tongue. He thinks that’s the only way you should taste. Like him. 

Your hips grind down on him and his cock responds heartily, as if it didn’t just get the life sucked out of it by your skilled mouth. 

“I’m going to ride you, baby,” you promise. “Gonna fuck you until you forget who you are.” 

Jin believes you, knows the power you hold between your thighs. Being inside of you makes his head foggy, his only thoughts are you and that tight cunt molded just for him. 

“Please,” he groans. His cock is at full attention now and you lean down for one last kiss and lift to line his cock at your entrance.  You take him slowly, his thickness a stretch to your walls.

Jin sees stars. The heat of your pussy wraps around his cock and feels as if it wraps around his whole body. Your hands seek purchase on his abs, stabilizing yourself as you seat yourself fully with him inside you to the hilt.  Jin feels like a king, a god. Your walls are tight, gripping him wholly. 

“Fuck, this cunt was fucking made for me,” he hisses as you slowly ride him, making him gasp for air. “You were made to be mine, all fucking mine.”  

“You feel so thick inside me, babe,” you sigh as one hand presses against your stomach. You can feel his impressive length distend your stomach when he’s fully sheathed, filling you to the womb. 

Jin loves watching you ride him, loves the way your pussy grips his cock. Your eyes shut in pure bliss, mouth open to moan your pleasured sighs to your boyfriend below you. 

Jin moves his hand to grip your hips, and starts meeting your thrusts, pushing his cock inside you further and harder.  The change up makes you squeak, and the pace quickens. The sound of flesh slapping, wetness squelching, fills the room. Your tits bounce in his face and he’s mesmerized, pushing his head up to suck on your pretty nipples. 

“Yes, Jin! Fuck! Right there! God, you fuck me so good!” You cry, head tilting back in ecstasy. 

“That’s right, baby,” he grunts, turning feral with each thrust. “This pussy belongs to me. I’m the only one who can make you feel this good.” 

You’re babbling a response, the ability to speak coherently is being fucked right out of you. Jin doesn’t mind, loves seeing you get fucked until you’re unable to talk. 

“I love this tight little pussy, you take me so well,” he emphasizes his words with a deep thrust to your cervix and you scream in response. “My little love, fuck, I love being inside this cunt.” 

He can’t hold himself back, the sensation of your pussy gripping him makes him lose any filter. 

“Gonna cum soon, babe, gonna fill you. You want my cum, baby?” 

“Y-yes! Please!” You wail, your orgasm approaching quickly. “Need your cum, please, please, please!” 

“It’s all fucking yours, babe,” he grits his teeth as he feels his balls tighten impossibly. His thumb moves to your clit, circling the engorged nub the way you like most. Your mouth gaping open in a silent scream tells him you’re close, so close. 

“Cum on my cock, my sweet. Cum for me, let me feel this sweet little pussy milk my cock.” 

You’re gasping for air, crying desperately as his thumb moves quickly and his cock impales you deep into your womb.  The band holding you together snaps and you’re suddenly convulsing, holding onto his obliques to steady yourself as your core tightens around him like a vice.  His name is the only word you can speak as you orgasm, and your legs tremble against him. 

The feeling of your impossibly tight channel squeezing him even harder sends him flying into pools of euphoria, and his cock jerks hard inside you to spill his seed into you. He grips your hips tight, sure to leave bruises, as he cums. He’s gasping for you, whining his devotion and love as he comes down from his high. 

You remain atop him, softening cock still slotted in sticky wet, warm channel, and you lean down to kiss him.  It’s tired and sweet, but expresses more emotion than words can. He loves you. And, blessedly, you love him. As much as he obsesses over you, you feel it tenfold. 

He can see it in your eyes, the glimmer of adoration. You glow, mixed with your own love and his. Separately, you are your own individual persons, but together you fit as if cut from the same cloth. 

“I love you more than anything else on the planet,” he murmurs as he caresses your cheek. 

Your eyes shine, unshed tears of happiness lingering. “And yet, I love you a hundred times more.” 

Kin Seokjin’s palms are sweaty as he stands off to the side of the stage of the club. The band is warming up, tuning their instruments with each other. Hoseok ensures his drum set is stable, while Yoongi plays a C chord on the grand piano, Namjoon and Taehyung, trumpet and saxophone respectively, match the pitch to tune. He inhales deep, filling his belly with air before exhaling. 

Jimin texts him an affirmative ‘the eagle has landed’ which makes his nerves spark. You’re here, amongst the crowd.  You’ve heard him sing a million times, in a crowded bar and in the shower, but tonight is different. 

Jin checks his watch, notes that it’s time to get on stage, and nods to Yoongi, who silences the band for a beat before they begin their first song and Jin enters from stage left. 

He spots you in the crowd, and he’s momentarily breathless. You’re wearing a red velvet dress that clings to every curve, cups your breasts in a sweeping sweetheart neckline, with cherry red lipstick to match. Pearls dangle from your ears, the earrings he bought you for your 4th anniversary.  Jimin did well at getting you ready. 

He steadies himself and slips into his onstage persona. Ever the showman, he’s charming and confident and starts the evening off with a quick-paced love song.  Jin has tailored every song tonight to be about you. To the rest of the guests, he’s singing a mix of oldies and newer hits, but to you, he’s proclaiming his love in musical form.

His eyes meet yours throughout the whole performance, and he winks at you, which makes you blush. His heart thumps steadily in his chest as he sings song after song, getting antsy as the finale approaches. 

After the penultimate song, Jin takes a moment to breathe and sip some water.  He’s back at the mic in an instant. 

“This is our final song tonight, ladies and gentleman.  I thank you for being here with us tonight, you’ve been a lovely crowd.”  He’s met with generous applause, the guests enjoying the show. 

“This number is special, and it’s dedicated to a very special little lady in the room tonight.”  

He gazes at you, and your eyes widen impossibly. Jimin nudges you and your cheeks turn a bright shade of red. You’re not shy in front of crowds, thank god, but he catches you off guard. You thought tonight was just a fun night out with Jimin to watch your boyfriends’ perform. 

“She’s the gorgeous doll, sitting there in that impeccable red dress,” he smiles. “Could you come up here, love?” He motions you to a plush chair on the stage.  You bite your lip for a moment before you’re slipping out of your chair and down the aisle to the stage. A stage hand helps you up and you’re suddenly seated in plush leather. 

“This woman,” Jin sighs into the microphone, “is the love of my life. And this song is for her.” 

Namjoon begins the song, trumpet playing the opening notes of ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You’ before Hoseok joins in with the drumbeat. 

You gasp and put a hand to your mouth to hide your surprise.  It’s your favorite song. You told Jin it was your favorite on your first date, remarking how it sounded like what you thought true love must sound like.  Tears flood your eyes but you will them away, unwilling to cry your hard-fought makeup off. You can’t believe he’s remembered, after all these years.

Jin’s crooning begins, and his voice sounds like an angel’s. The man sings with passion on any night, a dedicated performer, but tonight he sings like he means it, like nothing is more important to him than serenading you with your song. 

He alternates singing towards the crowd, and towards you.  He caresses your head as he croons to the crowd of his undying love for you, and his heart is beating overtime.  He’s suddenly worried this is too much, perhaps too public.  He hopes the song ends how he wants it to.

The crowd is eating the show up, eyes glistening at the romance palpable from the stage.  Jin turns to Namjoon, who’s given him the ring box slyly, before Jin is finishing the song with as much heart as he can put into it.

“Oh, pretty baby, now that I’ve found you stay, and let me love you, baby.  Let me love you.”

At the end of the song, Yoongi maintains a soft beat of the chorus on the piano as Jin kneels in front of you on one knee. His eyes well up, and he’s crying without knowing or caring.

“____, I’m in love with you.  I want to spend my life with you,” he whispers, the mic now far away.  He pulls the vintage ring box out from his pocket and opens it, the sparkling ring gleaming in the stage's light.  The crowd cheers and claps and you can’t help but burst into tears.  

Jin is still for a moment, hoping the tears are of joy, before you’re throwing your arms around his neck and holding him.  

“Yes!  Yes, you amazing man, yes!” You cry into his ear.  He wraps his own arms around you and holds you tight, grinning from ear to ear as tears flow down both of your faces.

You’re just too good to be true.  

Jin can’t, and won’t ever, take his eyes off of you.

© ppersonna - 2020 - do not repost on any site, or translate without express permission from author.

[jeongyunhoed]

Past-Present-Future Black Dahlia

Two major tragedies bring Lee Mirae closer to the edge as she goes through the stages of grief in a more violent manner that would affect not only her relationships with her boyfriend Jeong Yunho and her half-brother Choi San, but also has her becoming closer with the immortal mutant Kang Yeosang. Fueled by rage, grief, and pain, along with a very rude awakening that has Mirae spiraling out of control and questioning everything she holds dear.

Group: ATEEZ Member: Yunho Pairing: Jeong Yunho / OC Genre: Action, adventure, angst, fantasy

Watch Out! : Violence, blood, death, grief and loss, major character deaths, use of weapons, some jealousy (but no cheating ofc), implied smut (not sure if there is any but i’m putting it out there nonetheless), mental illness (probably?), gambling and alcohol

Anything else? : Mentions of other idols of course as well as other characters. SuperM, Dean, Chanyeol, Zelo, soloist Park Jihoon to name a few.

Author’s Note: So... I didn’t expect this would happen for some reason? But it’s interesting how things unfold when you just wing it. Anyway, more reveals ahead a.k.a Yeosang reveals what more he can do and not just suck the life out of people/mutants.

Masterlist

Chapter 6

Loud yelps of pain echoed what looked like a ballroom found within the abandoned school that Ten created. Jongin was seated on top of an operating table, his injured leg that had a gaping wound was being tended to by another male, wearing a suit. Dr. Lucas Wong, another telepath that also had extensive medical knowledge. “She tore through your muscle and the tendons, this might take a while to repair, the tissue damage is extreme and even if it did, there will be some discrepancy in the weight distribution when you walk,,” Lucas muttered as he wiped the rest of the antiseptic over the wound. 

“Yeah, she did,” Jongin bit his lip to stifle the groans leaving his mouth in pain. “Even threatened to wipe out my entire family while she did it. She’s got quite a grip.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t do the same to you, hyung,” Lucas glanced at Baekhyun, who had a brace on his neck. 

“Yeah well, I thought she needed to know who was making her suffer. I don’t regret it one bit of course,” Baekhyun frowned, sitting back against the red chintz chair. 

“And now you’ve turned her loose against us when we should be convincing her to join our cause,” Mark said. “You chose to pursue your vendetta over the greater goal that we plan to achieve, and from the looks of this, it seems like Ino has already let it slip that you and Jongin tampered with their Danger Room. We aren’t the enemy, the non-mutants are.” 

Baekhyun fell silent. “To be fair, it was fun helping them out in their plans, it gave me something to do,” Taeyong spoke, his feet up on the table that had Lucas’s medical journals, making the doctor swat his feet away while he dressed the teleporter’s wounds. “I think she also turned Yeosang away from the venture though.” 

“See?” Mark sighed in frustration. “We need her and Yeosang. Yeosang wields significant influence, granted that he practically owns the entirety of Seoul. With Mirae, it’s going to give the venture the added muscle.” 

“You mean she’ll be our enforcer,” Jongin chimed in. 

“In a way. If people have a problem, we can convince her to take care of it. She’s got a lot of skills, skills that must be utilized. She’s let herself go ever since she got rid of the Utopian cult,” Mark explained. 

A portal soon appeared in the middle of the room and Ten stepped out of it. “She’s here. And she’s pissed, and at the same time sad,” He said. He glanced at Baekhyun. “You should’ve kept the ruse going, hothead.” 

“She blew up my house though,” Taeyong pointed out. 

“You’ve got the money, you can build a new one,” Lucas muttered, dressing Jongin’s wound. “Taemin’s still not done from his meetings, is he?” 

“Nope. But I already told him what happened. He should be here in an hour? Two hours tops,” Taeyong replied. “He’s not going to be happy.” 

“Damn right I’m not.” 

Taemin had appeared by the door, looking evidently pissed off. He slammed his jacket down on the nearby desk along with his briefcase. “Didn’t even give me some time to get my stuff before she blew the place up.” 

Lee Taemin was also a telepath like Mark and Taeyong, but his main powers were mostly being able to mimic or augment a mutant’s powers. If Taemin were near an omega-level mutant, he could only mimic but not surpass their abilities completely. Unlike his younger brother Taeyong, who could turn into a diamond form to shield his mind from other telepaths, Taemin’s was naturally present, and he often used it to hide from other psychics. If there were even other psychics apart from them. 

Ten put a finger to his lips. “Shhh. I placed her in one of the rooms of this whole...estate. If I were to go to her now, she would hear everything you are all saying. We wouldn’t want a repeat of what happened in the mansion now would we?” 

“So what’s our next move?” Taemin asked. 

“We call on Ino, ask him regarding what to do about Mirae, and then maybe approach a few willing politicians. I heard not everyone remained arrested after that encounter with Chun Doohwan’s adviser,” Mark explained. “Some are desperate to make a comeback in the political scene. Even after they were exposed.” 

“How are you framing that? I’m not so sure people in this country are keen to forget something like what they did,” Taemin questioned. “Actually, people in this country don’t forget nor do they forgive unless they’re like us.” 

“You could say the same with everyone everywhere, it’s just that we feel it more here,” Taeyong argued. “Then again, it’s not like they know who we are.” 

“Exactly. We should take advantage of the flaws of this society. We’re the superior race, and they will know about their inferiority soon enough,” Mark said. 

It was making Jongin think. “Since that could take some time, I wonder what we plan on doing with Mirae? Are we just keeping her here? Clueless? You forget, you can’t read her mind.” 

“You don’t need to read a mind like hers to know what to do with her, silly,” Ten smirked. “All I can say is that all of you better watch your backs with her. A person who is grieving over the loss of the people closest to her will not think straight, but a person like her who is grieving over losing three people she holds dear? I wouldn’t be surprised if she does turn around and wipe out your entire lineage. She almost did that with you, didn’t she?” He turned to Jongin. 

“How can she do that while she’s over here?” Jongin raised a brow, until he figured out what Ten really meant. “...You wouldn’t.” 

“She’s got every reason to hate each and every one of us now that she knows you were all behind the deaths of her friends. With the shield in her mind, no telepath can control her,” Ten pointed out. “Of course, she doesn’t know my affiliation with the rest of you so she may leave me out of this.” 

“Bring it on, then,” Baekhyun said. 

“Really? You’d really take that risk? I could tell her where your families and loved ones are right now and you can watch them go bye-bye at her hands,” Ten looked satisfied seeing the older male get uncomfortable. 

“I’m already dead to my family, what makes you think I still care?” 

“Enough, Chittaphon,” Taemin rolled his eyes. “We get it. The only one she can’t kill in here is Mark, but even his own life isn’t certain. We need to control her somehow. We’re not the enemy. The non-mutants are.”

“There is a way,” Baekhyun raised a brow. “Choi San and Jeong Yunho. I’ve been thinking of making my next move towards them. Make Mirae really alone.” 

~ 

“How much longer do we have until we get there? How do we even get there?” San looked over at Junhong. They were still driving down the road that seemed to lead to the city proper with Yeosang’s help. There was a kind of uncertain quality about the city, as if it was part of a certain time yet had modern technology. The people living in the city were wearing different variations of the hanbok, styled in either coordinates or as dresses and suits. 

“It won’t be long,” Yeosang replied from his seat, making all of them look out the windows. “One kilometer more and we’ll be able to find her, or them, or both.” 

“We don’t have much time, unless Yunho can teleport us even at this time, by the time we get to her, she’ll have probably made up her mind,” San said. 

“When I was at those ruins, what I saw gave me chills,” Wooyoung said quietly. “It’s as if all I could feel from that place was rage and sadness. Junhong, both Hyuk and Chanyeol meant so much to her, didn’t they?” 

“Oh yeah they do. If they survived the explosion, you can imagine we’d get things done faster,” Junhong glanced over at them. 

Yeosang sighed. “Oh well, here goes nothing,” He closed his eyes and muttered a few words, making others look over at him. 

A flock of seagulls was flying out of the way of the van, making all of them whip around to look out the window. Their surroundings changed. They were no longer in the city proper, but they were at a dreary-looking street and at the end of the street was the gates of the school. “...Yunho?” Hongjoong glanced at the taller. 

“It’s not me,” Yunho looked just as surprised. 

Yeosang shook his head. “Well that spell was rusty,” He muttered. 

“Spell? What do you mean by spell?...You can do magic?” Mingi stared at him. 

“It’s a gift I try not to use very often. It takes the fun out of everything,” Yeosang casually replied. “I must confess I fear I might be losing my touch with it.” 

San grabbed him by the collar. “You mean to say you could’ve brought us there without having to travel?!” He couldn’t help but yell. 

“In my defense I didn’t do that when I came to the rest of you,” Yeosang yanked his hand off his collar and straightened himself up. 

“You better figure out which side you’re on because it seems to me that you’re buying them some time,” Hongjoong shot at him. 

“Give me a reason not to kill you right now,” Yunho suddenly looked over at him. “You could’ve saved us the time.” 

“Whenever I use magic, I will need to feed. It uses up my energy and turns me into a ghostly hag,” Yeosang held up his hand, his skin becoming translucent, revealing the veins that were becoming more and more visible.

“You are an old hag,” San pointed out. 

“Regardless, the more I use, the hungrier I will get. I don’t think any of you would be willing to give your lives to me, and thus control is needed. It’s one of the downsides of my abilities. That and, I tend to absorb the memories of those I kill,” Yeosang said quietly. 

“In that case, you’ve now got a reason to feed,” Hongjoong said as Junhong pulled the brakes. 

“All of you have your weapons, I can stay behind and wait. There are communicators with you, so you should be able to talk to me and each other in case you split up,” Junhong turned to them. “Good luck. Get Mirae back.” 

“We will,” San nodded and the rest of them got down.

The eight of them faced the massive gates of the estate. “Do we climb over or do we break in?” Seonghwa asked, an idea immediately coming to mind. His eyes and fingertips glowed green, the chains locking the gate coming apart, opening the gate in front of them. 

“I’m here to remind you that we’ll be dealing with a few telepaths and teleporters. Be careful,” Yeosang said as they walked inside, a cold gust of wind hitting them. “As much as it pains me to say it, San is our best bet to get to Mirae. I’m sure they already know of his relation to my dear, as much as they already know who Yunho is in her life.” 

“So we need to watch Yunho and San, is that it?” Hongjoong deduced. 

“Precisely,” Yeosang replied, only to duck out of the way when he felt something strike him. It was an axe, Mingi’s axe, and the taller male himself was attempting to strike him. 

“Mingi!” San tried to stop him, but he wasn’t answering and instead tried to strike towards everyone else, making them take out their weapons. Mingi seemed to be in a trance.

“Mingi!” Hongjoong sped around the taller male. “He’s- What’s happened to him?!” He dodged a shuriken that was thrown his way. Wooyoung and San had joined in the fray. 

Yunho dodged his strikes with an axe, only to run out of the way when he saw Jongho charge towards him. “Oh no, Jongho!” He yelled, avoiding the spikes that were protruding from his arms and legs. Jongho was also in a trance. 

Yeosang took out the concealed sword from his walking stick and knocked Jongho out of the way. “They seem to be under a spell- They know we’re here,” He said, realizing the situation. “One of them’s controlling Mingi and Jongho, or should I say two- Mark!” 

A portal opened from one side of the grounds and out stepped Mark himself, followed by Lucas. “I thought as much, Yeosang!” The immortal said. 

“Can’t get your hands dirty?” Yeosang cast a spell only for it to hit Lucas instead as he saw Taemin step out from the same portal and Ten. 

“Why would I need to?” Mark scoffed. 

“We’re not the enemy,” Taemin said, his eyes and fingertips glowing the same green glow as Seonghwa who was already trying to redirect the shurikens and axes that Mingi was throwing while also dodging Jongho’s kicks and punches. He disarmed their weapons, throwing them to the side. 

“Where is Mirae?” San asked. 

“She’s safe, somewhere in there. But I’m sorry to say that you can’t get to her,” Ten replied. “We need her.” 

“And we need her,” Yunho stared at them. “We’re not joining you and your Project Apocalypse and neither should Mirae.” 

“Ah, Yeosang told you. I guessed as much, he’s turning into a literal vampire before our eyes too,” Mark gestured to the immortal, whose skin was becoming even more translucent, his eyes turning icy blue in color. “You might as well show them how you actually look after all of that magic, you know.” 

“Still sore about Julia the Elder choosing me over you after all,” He said. 

“We’re not the enemy as you all seem to believe. Mutants are the inheritors of this earth, we’re all on the same side here,” Lucas reasoned. 

“Oh really? Then why is Mirae being kept?” Hongjoong questioned. “You’ve got her, we want her.” 

“You’ll have to get through us first, then,” Mark said. 

“No problem,” Hongjoong said, before speeding past Lucas and Taemin, knocking them off their feet. 

Mark took out a swiss army knife from his pocket and shook his head. “Care to duel, Yeosang? To the death as it seems,” He said. 

“I’d want to stick around more, no thanks,” Yeosang sent a hex towards him, sending him to the end of the field, almost knocking into the pillar. Wooyoung transformed into his shadow form, slithering across the ground and capturing Ten, nearly getting sucked into the portal he was trying to create. 

Mingi took out his lighter, sending blasts of flames towards  Mark who reappeared, making him fall over, covering his face in pain. “Chanyeol taught me that,” He grinned. 

~ 

Mirae looked out the window from the room Ten placed her in. She was getting restless. She wanted to know where Baekhyun and Jongin were, and possibly kill them when she found them. The room she was kept in gave off the impression that it was once among the opulently decorated rooms in the school, perhaps a room of a teacher or school head. 

“Mirae.” 

She turned around upon hearing the familiar voice. It was Ino. “So now you’re here.” 

“I am, and I don’t blame you for what you did to me-” 

Her eyes and fingertips glowed and she reached into her pocket for her deck of cards. “What makes you think I’m sorry for what I did to you? You deserved it as much,” She hissed. 

“Baekhyun, Jongin, their entire group has a cause worth fighting for.” 

“And Hyuk and Chanyeol are collateral damage, is that it?” Mirae flung a charged card towards the older male, only for it to explode through him. “Baekhyun killed them, and he killed Jihoon too. And you let it happen.” 

“Their deaths were a price to pay!” Ino tried to reason, dodging all the cards being thrown at him. 

“They never deserved that! And you know it!” Mirae yelled and a shockwave of energy suddenly reverberated around the room, causing cracks in the windows and walls. Ino saw his face had traces of burns caused by the shockwave. “They never deserved to die!” She yelled again, sending another shockwave that made the furniture burn and disintegrate and Ino felt more burns on his skin. 

“You’re becoming stronger, Mirae,” Ino realized as the burns on him were healing. “Remember what Junhong said to you-” 

More shockwaves of energy reverberated around the room, the ceiling and the walls already on the verge of collapsing. “All this time I was living with guilt thinking that I was responsible for it, when it’s you- You let everything happen!” She shouted, another shockwave making everything collapse and fly outwards. 

“It was the price to pay for Project Apocalypse, Mirae!” Ino tried to reason again, even if he knew it was inevitably futile. “There are people willing to die for causes greater than themselves. It’s time mutants had considerable influence in the world, we have a right to live in this world just as much as everyone else does. Out from the shadows, no longer hiding.” 

“What makes you think I was hiding? What makes you think Hyuk and Chanyeol were hiding? Jihoon wasn’t even a mutant yet he was killed!” Mirae threw another card at him followed by another, the second card ricocheting off the column as it exploded, knocking it over. 

Ino looked up and everything that was about to crumble down froze in mid-air. Baekhyun and a limping Jongin appeared, followed by Taeyong. Baekhyun released a beam of light towards her face, making her fall over, covering her eyes. Taeyong transformed into his diamond form and charged towards her, Mirae knocking him over before he could strike. 

“You don’t even bother to see that your friends are out there right now,” Baekhyun tried to blast another beam of light towards her. “San and Yunho, did you really care for them?” He taunted, only to gape when the beam of light hit the staff she had extended, the energy coming from her being redirected towards him and sending him flying towards the other side, Jongin teleporting in time to catch him. 

The whole school burned down into ashes and shockwaves reverberated all throughout the grounds, making everyone in the midst of their fights fall over on the ground from the impact. Taeyong, Jongin and Baekhyun appeared close to the rubble as Mirae emerged from the ashes. Ino had also reappeared, the burns on his hands and face healing. 

Yunho got up upon seeing Mirae and he ran up to her. “Mirae! Mirae!” He called out, only to get pushed inside a portal. 

“Yunho?” The glow in her eyes faded. “Yunho!” She called out, running towards the portal only for it to close, making her stumble and fall over. Mirae looked over, her eyes scanning the ground for San and getting back on her feet. “San!” She called out. 

“Mirae!” San got back up on his feet only to get pushed inside another portal that closed before Seonghwa could keep him out. 

“San! San!” She yelled, staring at the spot where San disappeared. Mirae glanced at Ten, who was still within the grip of Wooyoung’s shadow form. “Wooyoung, get out of the way,” She said, her eyes glowing red. 

“Project Apocalypse must go online without any interruptions,” Ino said. 

“Wooyoung,” Mirae looked over at the shadow form still wrapped around the male. “Get out of the way.” 

The shadow seemed to slither away from Ten, transforming back into Wooyoung as Mirae’s staff began to glow the same red glow from her eyes and fingertips. “If you kill me, you won’t know where Yunho and San are,” Ten pointed out. “If you join us, Project Apocalypse, you will have them back, unharmed, not possessed or crazy that’s for sure. If you refuse, let’s just say you will have lost two more people you care so much about. In such a short span of time too.” 

“Don’t join them, Mirae,” Hongjoong called out. “Yunho and San wouldn’t want you to join them either.” 

“There’s nothing but pain for you if you join them,” Wooyoung chimed in. “It’s not going to end. It’ll only get worse.”

“If you can’t command, you must obey,” Baekhyun said quietly. 

The words made Mirae look over at him and she struck her staff into the ground leading up to where he was standing, the shockwave sending the rest of them flying back in different directions. “How dare you control me,” Mirae muttered, the glow in her eyes becoming brighter than ever. 

“Mirae don’t join them!” Seonghwa called out, the green glow in his eyes and fingertips. 

She ran up to Baekhyun and before he could get away, she struck her staff in the ground again, the impact making him stumble and fall. Mirae grabbed him by the collar. “Could you really kill me, Lee Mirae?” He said. “One of the last in our group, the sentimental value of it all is enticing isn’t it? You don’t have it in you to kill me. You keep searching for a face to blame for all your grievances, when that face is staring right back at you in the mirror.” 

Baekhyun’s satisfied expression soon turned into horror when Mirae’s eyes turned black. “You really are a monster,” He said, before disappearing. 

Mirae looked back at the group where a portal had opened. “Ino.” 

“Baekhyun is part of Project Apocalypse. It is about to go online in a matter of hours,” Ino explained. “Make your choice, Mirae. If you want to see Yunho and San again, if you want to find them unharmed, you will make the right choice.” 

Mark, Taemin, Lucas, and Taeyong had entered the portal. Mirae closed her eyes. She could hear Yunho calling out to her. Somehow, she had relayed what was happening to Yunho, who was now also aware of what was going on. 

I’m here in this kind of wild west village

There’s so many crows, a murder of crows.

It’s deserted

Mirae, don’t join them, just find me, I’ll tell you where to go

San won’t want you joining them either, and Wooyoung will know what’s going to happen if you do

Don’t join them 

She kept hearing him. Mirae opened her eyes. “Keep your word and I will consider.” 

“I’ve kept my word that I took you to the place where you will find your revenge, didn’t I?” Ten replied, seeing Jongin limp inside the portal. “You can trust me.” 

“Trust, that’s a word that I haven’t heard in a while,” Mirae struck the other end of her staff on the ground towards him, making him fall inside the portal. She turned to Ino. 

“You will regret that decision,” He said. 

“And you will regret the day you allowed everything to happen,” Mirae stared at him, a wave of energy hitting the elder once more, burning his face. As Ino fell over on the ground, he disappeared.

[gaylotusthatexists]

undesirable

pairing: platonic dlampr ig? focused more on platonic logicality

summary: Logan realises that the others don’t give him physical affection as much as they do for everyone else, and conducts an experiment in order to make himself more ‘desirable’.

trigger warnings: sympathetic janus and remus, touch starvation, negative self talk, please let me know if i need to add anything else

word count: 3233 

a/n: so this idea came to me due to this thread with @5-falsehoods-phonated so i wrote this entire thing in one go last night. logan bby i am sorry. i hope y’all enjoy~

ao3 

Patton hugged him today, for... the first time in a while, Logan was pretty sure. He couldn't remember that last time he was physical with any of the other sides, preferring to keep his distance, not really feeling like he needed it. Studies had shown that physical affection was important in a human's development, and he knew how important physical affection was to Thomas himself, how people... enjoyed it? Logan wasn't human, though - he never really considered that he'd need it, that he'd want it.

Did he want it? It had felt nice, warm, comforting when Patton had hugged him earlier. Why had Patton hugged him again? Patton had been... excited, Logan was pretty sure. He thought that Logan's idea had been good, and in turn given him a hug to display that... happiness? And it hadn't been terrible, Logan supposed. Startling at first, of course, and he hadn't been quite sure on how to respond, wasn't sure what the proper hugging etiquette was. That was kind of concerning - did he really have so little hugs that he didn't even know how to react when someone gave him one? Surely he should know what to do with that. Surely he should have known how much physical touch burned, in a... good way.

He wanted to hug Patton again, but wasn't quite sure how to initiate it. Just asking for a hug would seem uncharacteristic of Logan - Patton would assume something was wrong, which wasn't true, of course, but Logan wouldn't know what to tell him. He'd hugged him after he explained his idea, so maybe just having good ideas was the way to go? But Logan put his ideas forward all the time, and they had never received that kind of response. In fact, it wasn't even his best idea, so...

Logan scooted over to his computer and opened a word document, beginning to type down his ideas for a new experiment. An attempt to figure out how physical affection worked, why it felt so good, and how he was to get it. He felt... stupid, as he typed up his hypothesis, his brain telling him he was pathetic for even wanting that, but his arms were cold and he was desperate to feel that heat again, he needed this.

~*~

Day one. Logan had stayed up late the night before, researching why people formed relationships, what it was about people that made other people want to touch them. He hadn't found any solid advice, nothing real - all just stuff about feelings, things that he didn't, couldn't understand. So instead, he decided to take the day to observe the others in action, figure out what made them initiate hugs or the like. Perhaps if he could document the behaviours and attempt to imitate them, people would find him more 'desirable' to engage with.

He hadn't realised before just how much the others touched each other. It seemed like everywhere he looked, someone was touching another. Roman and Virgil curled up on the sofa watching movies, Patton and Janus making cookies in the kitchen with their shoulders touching. Why was it that whenever Logan did those activities, everyone kept their distance? He occasionally would watch documentaries with Virgil, those David Attenborough ones that Virgil said helped to 'calm' him, but Virgil had never tried to cuddle Logan on those nights. And then when Logan cooked dinner with Patton or Janus, they always stayed on their own side of the kitchen, nowhere near close enough to just casually touch.

That got him thinking - was there something wrong with Logan himself? Was it something about him that just... made the others not want to go near him?

Perhaps Logan needed to change a lot more than just his behaviour, if that was the case.

From his spot on the couch, he looked over at Remus and Janus standing by the stairs, Remus telling some sort of joke. Janus started laughing, and placed a hand on Remus' shoulder. They got closer and closer until they were hugging, and Logan felt... something, deep in his chest. Anger? Sadness?

Jealousy?

No, no, Logan had never been jealous before, had he?

He looked away, glancing into the kitchen. Virgil sat on the side with his legs swinging back and forth, and Patton stood between them, his arms wrapped around Virgil's waist. They looked happy, which just made Logan feel awful. Then he looked at Roman on the sofa with him, shuffled all the way to the other side, eyes fixed on the tv screen, not even thinking about Logan. Which just filled Logan with... rage.

Logan stood up and stormed upstairs, pushing past Remus and Janus and, in doing so, brushing against Remus' hand. He loved it. He wanted to reached down and grip Remus' hand tight, twist their fingers together, but... he couldn't. He ignored the concerned stares from the others as he went into his room, slamming his door shut.

~*~

Logan tried to research more, but all the stuff he could find was on abstract emotions, things that didn't quite make sense and Logan couldn't just do. So, he decided to try a different strategy. From the parts of the research he did understand, he had gathered that people tended to be physical with those they found attractive, so perhaps if Logan made himself appear more attractive, the other sides would be more inclined to perform physical acts with him.

What was it about a person that made them attractive?

Logan tried to think about who he found attractive, but that proved to be difficult. He then tried to think about who Thomas found attractive, but that wasn't much help, as Thomas himself didn't look much like any of his celebrity crushes. Logan supposed he could always shape-shift, but that seemed... wrong, manipulative, like he was tricking the others. No, no, he needed a different approach.

Maybe he needed to be more like what the others found attractive?

Humming, Logan grabbed his recorder and left his room, heading down into the commons. An interview would be a good idea, valuable to his research. Who to interview, though...

Patton was in the kitchen, preparing dinner. None of the others were in sight. Okay, Patton it was.

~*~

Interview One. Date: July Seventeenth. Subject: Patton Sanders.

Uh, do you have to-

The recording is important evidence for my research, Patton.

...okay. What exactly are you researching?

I can't tell you that, or the data may come out false. This needs to be unbiased.

Alright then. Be quick, though. I need to keep an eye on the cooking.

Of course. Question one: on a physical level, what do you find attractive in another person?

...

Answer the question, please, Patton.

Uh, I don't know. Everyone is beautiful in their own way.

Yes, but is there anything specific?

I don't know. I like people who can make me laugh?

...that isn't a physical quality.

Well, the 'physical qualities' don't really matter that much. I mean, I guess there are some people I find prettier than others, but really it's the personality that matters more.

Hmm. Interesting.

Why are you asking this?

I told you before, it's for science.

Do you... need to talk?

No, Patton, I'm-

You look rather pale, are you okay?

I- I think I'll end the interview here.

~*~

That had been a complete waste of time, Logan realised. Personality? How was Logan supposed to change his personality? He could easily make himself more physically attractive, it was fairly simple to alter one's body or change their hair style, or, in Logan's case, shape-shift into the perfect man, but... changing his personality in general was a lot more difficult.

And... it got him thinking, sent his mind to places he'd rather not go. Was he really that undesirable? Just because of the way he was as a person? Did Patton rarely give him affection because he just hated him so much?

Something wet dripped down Logan's cheek. Frowning, he looked up, but saw no signs of a leak or any water above. And he wasn't sweating or anything, so...

Was that a tear? That didn't sound right. Logan had never cried before. And he wasn't sad, was he?

Perhaps he just needed a different test subject. Chances were, Patton was just an anomaly. He must be able to get more concise, useful data somewhere else, right?

~*~

Interview Two. Date: July Eighteenth. Subject: Roman Sanders.

Can we make this quick? Thomas really needs my help with this new video idea-

Of course, I only have a few questions. Firstly: what do you find most important, appearance or personality?

Uhh... that kinda depends? Are we talking about what I look for in a romantic partner?

...sure, if you want to think of it that way.

Well, appearance obviously plays a big part, although if I don't like someone as a person I'm not going to get in a relationship with them, you know?

So, what you're saying is they're... equally important?

Yeah, I guess.

Huh. Alright, second question: what do you find physically attractive in a guy?

Oh! Oh, there's... actually a lot, there. The eyes are what I first look at, usually. And the hair. Oh, and muscles! Big strong lads are great. But not, like, aggressively muscular. Like, a soft side is nice too. Fashion is a big thing as well, I guess. Like, guys in crop tops? Amazing. Tanks tops as well - it's the arms, I think.

Interesting. So... a fit person?

Sure. I mean, it's not super important, but like if someone clearly frequents the gym, they've caught my eye, y'know?

Alright. Thank you. Uh, final question: what do you find attractive in someone's personality, if anything?

...hmm. Well, someone who shares the same interests, I suppose. Y'know, someone I can talk to. Good humour. Confidence.

Confidence?

Yeah. Like, I like it when a person knows what they're doing, when it seems as though they aren't afraid of anything.

Oh.

Is there any reasons for these question?

No, no reason in particular. Just... for science.

~*~

It had been several weeks since his conversation with Roman, during which Logan had been working out every day, using Roman's old gym in the Imagination, mostly running on the treadmill and lifting weights - weights more often, as Roman had stressed the important of arms. He'd also talked to a couple of the others, who had essentially given the same opinions as Roman - in particular, Virgil had gone on about how a sense of style helped, and Remus had explained more about the muscle situation.

Nothing much had seemed to change, though. Logan had attempted to change how he presented himself, even taking off his tie some days in an attempt to make himself look less serious. He had considered investing in some crop tops, but couldn't imagine himself wearing anything not tucked in, so that idea was quickly abandoned. Then he thought about stealing some of Remus' tank tops - and even had, briefly, only to discover that he just looked uncomfortable, plus he had begun to smell like Remus which was certainly less than desirable. He'd even tried walking around shirtless one morning, but that had only earned him a couple of weird stares, confusion, concern.

He'd experimented more and more with his appearance, changing his hair style every few days, wearing different coloured contacts in his eyes, even wearing makeup a few times to see if that did anything. But still nothing. The other sides still kept far, far away from him, just like they always did. He didn't understand what he was doing wrong.

It did occur to him a few times that he could just ask the others to give him a hug. Patton would probably comply, even if it was just out of pity. But then that wouldn't prove anything, wouldn't change anything. And there was always the chance that they'd say no, and... Logan wasn't sure if he could handle that. He already suspected that the others thought he was undesirable, but hearing it would be different. Strange, he'd never been afraid of rejection before.

~*~

Date: August Fifth. Subject: Patton Sanders. Objective: physical affection.

I am aware that this is a bad idea, but it is pivotal to my research that I at least attempt. Worst case scenario, Patton explains that he's too busy, and we never have to speak of this again. Best case scenario, I finally get that 'hug' that I've been... craving? I believe that's the word, although I will make a note here to look it up later. I am now approaching the kitchen, where Patton is preparing dinner alone. My recorder will be placed in my pocket, as holding it may make the experiment more troublesome, I hope the audio will not be too muffled.

Oh, hey Logan!

Good evening, Patton. I'm...

Are you alright?

Yes, of course. I'm just- doing that experiment still, and need more data.

Oh, of course! Do you have more questions? I just put our food in the oven, so I have time to talk if you want to.

Um, it's- I don't really need to ask any more 'questions', per se, just...

...what is it, Logan? You look nervous, do you-

I'm fine. I- [deep breath] Would you be willing to engage in... physical contact, with me? A, uh... y'know-

...are you asking me to hug you?

Yes. If- If that's okay with you. If not, that's fine, but it would helpful for my research. Although I- I can leave, if you want me to, of course. It's- I have enough verbal data to complete the experiment regardless.

...

...

Logan, can I... Can I ask you something, instead?

Uhm, yeah, sure.

What exactly is your experiment about?

...

Logan?

I have to go.

~*~

Logan laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling and hugging himself, clutching on tightly to his shoulders. He couldn't stop himself from crying, and he didn't know why, didn't understand what was going on with him. It wasn't as though Patton had rejected him. Just... maybe he was beginning to realise just how stupid this whole experiment was. It wasn't as if he could force the others to like him. He should've just asked in the first place, then... then maybe it wouldn't have gone this far.

He didn't understand what he was doing wrong. He'd tried everything he could think of, but nothing worked. He'd tried every combination of different appearances, tried to act differently around different people - more confident in front of Roman, more sensitive in front of Virgil, more friendly in front of Patton. Still, nothing. Nothing had changed, and nothing was going to change. This had all been a waste.

Logan took out his recorder and listened back to his logs, to the interviews, to his two am rambles, trying to figure out if there was anything that he was missing, any detail he'd forgotten about. Then he moved to his laptop and scrolled through his document, checked through all of his data, all of his calculations, but still couldn't find a single thing wrong. Perhaps he just needed to admit the fact that he was undesirable, unloveable. There was nothing that could change that, nothing that could make him better.

This was fine. It wasn't as if he needed it - he'd gone on this long without it before, he could cope with never having it at all. Couldn't really miss what he'd never had.

~*~

Date: August Seventh. Subject: ...I'm not sure yet. Logan Sanders, possibly? Or everyone. We'll see how this goes. Objective: ...I don't know.

I haven't left my room since the encounter with Patton in my last recording, although have been communicating with the others via text. They have asked me to join them in the commons for a talk. What this is about, I have no idea, but I will record it just in case, for future reference.

...

...

...

Logan!

Good evening, Patton. (I am now sitting down on the couch. All five other sides are here, and they look... concerned?)

What are you doing with that?

I'm just recording this conversation for future reference. You know, the experiment and all.

Yeah, about that. I- We'd like to talk to you about that.

You... would? (Patton seems to be taking charge of the conversation, but the others are all staring at me, intensely.)

I- I did ask the other day and you didn't respond but... what is the experiment about? We're... all a little worried, in all honesty.

(Interesting.) Why are you worried?

... You've been acting weirdly recently, Logan. You have to admit that.

(He's not wrong. That was a fear when I first started the experiment. Perhaps I should start again.)

Logan, can you stop talking to your recorder and just... listen to us? Tell us what's wrong?

There isn't anything wrong. I told you, this is all purely for science.

What's the experiment about?

I... (I'll have to start the experiment over again anyway, as it so clearly failed. New test subjects with therefore be required. Due to this, there is nothing wrong with telling everybody now.) I realised that... out of all six of us, you guys seem to come to me the least for acts of physical affections, if you come to me at all, so I wanted to understand why, and attempt to change myself to better fit to your standards required for wanting to participate in physical relationships with others. I... was attempting to make myself more 'compatible', I guess. More desirable.

...

...Patton?

...

Patton, are you crying? Did I say something wrong?

...Logan, can you turn off the recording?

~*~

Logan sat in the middle of the couch, with the other five surrounding him, engulfing him in a 'cuddle pile', as Patton had called it. It was nice, he decided. Warm. He wasn't quite sure what he was meant to do, but was grateful for the warmth of skin to skin contact, for the safety he felt as the others wrapped their arms around him. Why had he never done this before? Was it that he never wanted to, or... was it that he never asked?

Patton had tried to explain that they all tried to keep their distance from Logan because they thought that was what he wanted, that he'd be uncomfortable with hugs all the time. Logan had tried to explain back that, yes, in the past he hadn't quite understood the appeal of physical affection, but had since began to 'crave' it, to want it more than anything. Patton had asked why he hadn't just asked the others to hug him, and Logan had answered that he didn't know how to ask, or didn't want to sound desperate. Then Patton had reassured him that there was nothing wrong was wanting to be touched, and that he didn't need to be afraid to ask for it if he needed that. He'd told Logan that there was nothing Logan needed to change about himself - they all liked him just the way he was.

The experiment had been... successful, in a roundabout way. He'd achieved physical affection, at least? Although all that research had been for nothing. It wasn't as though he hadn't learned anything, though. He learned that... it was okay to ask, it didn't make him weak or pathetic or desperate. He wasn't undesirable. And the others weren't going to let go.

[funkymbtifiction]

So, I am an ENFP [redacted] and I am very enthusiastic about typology (it’s one of the few interests that have stuck with me for more than a few months). Your blog is almost my only source of knowledge, which means, of course, everything I know, I know because of you. […] Has anything similar ever happened to you online or even here, on Tumblr? Has anybody ever discredited your knowledge without providing actual arguments? Or has anybody ever questioned your type because you don’t give them “ENFP vibes”?

Okay, for the other people reading this, in a nutshell the OP tried to have intelligent discussions about character typing online, but then got flooded with shit-posts, which turned into a bombardment of troll abuse attacking her on a personal level and insisting she must not be her own type because of her debating style. :P

I’m sorry you went through all of that, and got bullied off the platform. I’m afraid that’s why a lot of forums and public discussion places (including IMDb’s discussion boards, which I loved) have had to shut down – because bored TP trolls take over the discussion and insult people and/or flood it with spam. As for not taking a public place of discussion seriously – that tells you their mindset. This is a place to troll when I’m bored, and any serious, intelligent discussion of the topic at hand intimidates me because I know nothing. So take some satisfaction in that your arguments were so good, the only tactic any of them had was to attack you personally – the classic misdirection of a beaten opponent.

I’ve been called an ESTJ many times online because I don’t fit into people’s presumed stereotypes about ENFPs being emotional airheads. One of my first discussions with an “INTJ” (debatable now) on a forum resulted in them telling me that I reminded them of their ESTJ sister and was probably an ESTJ instead of an ENFP because when they asked me to describe my thought process, instead of using a metaphor to describe it, I answered them plainly and said what my mind does. It’s funny in hindsight that they assumed an ENFP would always be living in some metaphorical place where there’s no straight answers to questions, but at the time it was very confusing and a little insulting as a newbie to the system to be told I had to be a high thinking-sensing type.

There are also still people who assume SFJ was right about me, even though I think I’ve given enough proof of always-rethinking to leave a trail of Ne-dom evidence everywhere on the internet by now. It used to bother me, but I does less these days since I know myself better than a stranger knows me.

As for discrediting or ignoring my knowledge without providing actual arguments, yes, all the time… the key tactic of someone who doesn’t know anything and cannot offer a decent argument is to make an argument personal. Once the focus shifts off the topic onto you, you know they are done / beaten, but they are hoping to use the personal insults as a distraction. In short: they got nothing. I face this all the time when I type a popular character against the popular typing for them, which is based on nothing but air. Elsa is not an INFJ, Tony Stark is not an ENTP, and way more of their favorite character are sensors than intuitives. If there’s no direct evidence, you don’t follow a generalization or a stereotype.

For what it’s worth, characters are only as good as their characterization. Some characters can be so poorly written that after 8 hours, you still don’t have a clue – and since I’m a perfectionist who tries to get things ‘right’ that can be greatly frustrating. I’m slowly learning in those cases to just make an educated guess, offer what evidence I can to support it, and if it’s wrong, it’s wrong. It’s not the end of the world.

The thing is, people like you and me take typology seriously. We want to get it right and have intelligent conversations about it and treat it in a serious and intellectual manner. But the vast majority of people don’t care that much, so to them, it doesn’t bother them nearly as much to see an ESTJ 1w2 character mistyped ENFX on a public form. An ENFP who is taking something seriously and providing evidence for it can indeed come across as strongly Te, by the force of their arguments since it’s one of their passions. It doesn’t invalidate you as being a Ne-dom, but what people are seeing in that moment is fierce Te. “Where the hell is your evidence, you are talking crap!?” isn’t what they expect from a “sparkly manic pixie dream girl” but often what they will get.

ETA: In a public space, you are also running into anti-feeler bias among uneducated thinking types who assume F in your letter combination means you are “emotional” rather than someone who makes ethical judgments. It’s sad, but another facet of bigotry within the casual MBTI community (which also devalues sensing types in favor of intuitive types). The irony is that a great many internet thinkers are not the type they assume themselves to be (aka, not INTJs) and a fair number of them aren’t intuitives, either.

[leutik]

Literature between Political Correctness and Cancel Culture

(Analyzed through Walter Siti, Natalie Wynn and Rick DuFer.)

(buckle up, because if you're gonna read this, it's gonna be long)

«Today is much easier to mistake an author’s personal stances with the content of their works, and then make the author pay for the work’s sins.

Today I look around and I have the sensation that literature is no longer taken seriously: that the way to interpret literature the way I knew it, depth-focused, focused on the power of words to reveal truths otherwise concealed to their own author, is disappearing — substituted by a conception of literature that has to serve a list of good causes.

When some writers of the “neo-effort” (Siti’s neologism) insist on the fact that words are decisive, and that it’d be urgent to change the words in order to change reality, I’m suddenly reminded of those old Marxist authors: they explained that the structure, which is what lays under society, determines what lays upon it, that is words and ideology. Thus, changing the name of something doesn’t change the thing the word stands for at all.

Literature has been considered throughout time the most indicated form to make resurface the part of ourselves — often, the least pleasant — that we’ve exiled in the shadows of our subconscious: a process that often happens without the author’s acknowledgement of it.

The authors of the neo-effort believe they have the duty to spread their ideas to the largest possible number of people and that, in order to do so, they have to simplify as much as they can what they write, sacrificing on the altar of efficiency the style, considered useless. The aim is to do good, namely gain an effect, what does it matter if it’s good or bad literature? Literature used to “take root”, to influence; put at the service of pre-established ideas, and not to venture into the discovery of something we don’t know yet. This way, it gains an ancillary role. And it’s a humiliation of literature — which can truly be useful, instead, only then it hurts.

Sartre’s “Nausea” doesn’t align with his political stances. For Sartre, the effort was the individual reflection of a society in perennial revolution, substantially a school of liberty, whilst for neo-effort the role of literature is to reassure.

Their attitude, their rejection of style, their low consideration of literature, tends to isolate the good writers out there, marginalizing them in a niche that looks like a convention of obsessed aesthetes in the public’s eyes.

I see it in the writing courses I teach: more and more young people whose main interest isn’t to write to learn something about themselves or society, but it’s to write to gain the title of writer and place themselves on the market, detecting the most profitable sector at the moment, which might be fantasy, crime, or effort-centred writing: it doesn’t matter, what matters is for it to be trending and to be reassuring to the reader, in a more and more therapeutic conception of writing.

Literature isn’t immediately therapeutic, this is the difference. When “The Sorrows of Young Werther” was published, copies of this book were burnt, because of the suicides it inspired. Today we read it at school. How much time has passed? I don’t refuse knowledge’s benefit, I refuse that knowledge can benefit instantly, painlessly. When I went to a psychoanalyst to face my neurosis, the psychoanalyst made me suffer for months, and only after I took benefit from it. What would have happened if they had welcomed me with a pat on the back and said “Don’t worry, stop thinking and go help African children”. Probably I would have had an immediate benefit, but all my neurosis would have stayed there, intact.

The Literature I talked to you about is depth-centred, and literature hasn’t always existed: thus it can disappear, sink for many years. Who said that it’ll survive, despite everything?

In Pasolini’s trial he was acquitted because Ungaretti was called to testify. He wrote a letter where he wrote that the formal value of Pasolini’s work turned into literature even those scenes that the prosecution deemed obscene. Law couldn’t do anything but recognize the critical judgement and welcome it. Web’s tribunal, today, would have burned Pasolini at the stake, and Ungaretti with him.» (via Walter Siti’s interview with the Huffingtonpost)

In other words, we can summarize Siti’s view with the sentence «novels aren’t the cure to the world’s evils.» They aren’t, because they don’t have the power to be, and more so they aren’t even supposed to be: writing is a form of art, and art has primarily an end in itself. Literature isn’t a political marketplace, even if it can be used to be — it’s not a crime to turn it into one, but by doing so, one loses Literature’s nature. By doing so, the harm could be mistake literature’s primary aim (that is being a form of art, that is style, that is the pursuit of the truth) with what they turned literature into: a marketplace to defend the author’s ideology.

Siti’s powerful image of the Web’s tribunal, the Web’s court finds an echo in Natalie Wynn video Canceling: in a sense, what Siti calls “neo-effort writers” fall under the same line of thoughts of Cancel Culture perpetrators.

«Like the guillotine, [cancelling] can become a sadistic entertainment spectacle.

Now there's a version of this conversation that's already been had to death, and it goes like this: On the one side are a bunch of male comedians who constantly bitch about how Cancel Culture is out of control, you can't joke about anything anymore without these Millennial jackals trying to get you in trouble.

And the other side is mostly progressive think-piece authors who argue that there's no such thing as cancel culture, it's just that powerful people are finally being held accountable for their actions and they can't fucking handle it, so they go around bitching about cancel culture.

Now unfortunately, neither of those viewpoints is quite as correct as some people might hope.

What Cancel Culture does, [is to] take one story and transform it into a significantly different story.

Presumption of Guilt

There's a traditional understanding of justice according to which, before you condemn or punish a person, you hear the accuser's side of the story and the accused's side of the story. You allow both sides to present evidence and only after everyone involved has had a chance to make their case do you pass judgment and punish the convict.

But cancelling does not abide by the law. Cancelling is a form of vigilante mob justice. And a lot of times, an accusation is proof enough.

Abstraction

Abstraction replaces the specific, concrete details of a claim with a more generic statement.

Essentialism

Essentialism is when we go from criticizing a person's actions to criticizing the person themselves. We're not just saying they did bad things. We’re saying they’re a bad person.

Pseudo-Moralism or Pseudo-Intellectualism

Moralism or intellectualism provide a phony pretext for the call-out. You can pretend you just want an apology; you can pretend you're just a “concerned citizen” who wants the person to improve. You can pretend you're simply offering up criticism, when what you're really doing is attacking a person's career and reputation out of spite, envy, revenge.

No Forgiveness

Cancelers will often dismiss an apology as insincere, no matter how convincingly written or delivered. And of course, an insincere apology is further proof of what a Machiavellian psychopath you really are.

Now sometimes, a good apology will calm things down for a while. But the next time there's a scandal, the original accusation will be raised again as if you never apologized.

The Transitive Property of Cancellation

Cancellation is infectious. If you associate with a cancelled person, the cancellation rubs off. It's like gonorrhoea, except doxycycline won't save you this time sweetie.» (via Natalie Wynn's Canceling video transcript)

Natalie Wynn describes and formalizes the phenomenon of Cancel Culture in those steps:

I only listen to the presumed victim,

I abstract the context to a vague idea,

I equate the action to the actor’s very essence (as if such thing even existed),

I say I’m acting in favour of morals or truth,

I accuse every person the presumed abuser ever came in contact with to be an abuser as well,

and I either reject every form of apology at the moment, or bring up the issue as if no apology was ever made at their first misstep.

Now, in this post I’m not trying to perpetrate any concept of charity, not only because it’s an attitude that takes a lot of work to inherit, but also because the negative aspects that might bring one to be a neo-effort writer or a Cancel Culture perpetrator are part of the very human nature (or, very stupidly, they wouldn’t be humans.)

The self-evidence rises here: those negative parts of human nature can be channelled everywhere, and literature or any other form of art is the healthiest way to do so: you’re not going to get rid of your anger, or your sadness — the best thing you can do is learn to control it and suppress it, but how is it going to work in the long run? It’s going to act past your good judgement, or even cloud your good judgement, clouding it into thinking you’re defending some pseudo-moralism or pseudo-intellectualism, when what you’ll be doing is just venting on someone else.

This is one way to see it: when one forgets what proper thinking is and falls into those quick and gut-feeling “thoughts”. Or one could even take advantage of this Cancel Culture, of this ground of poor thinking to instrumentalize this lack of critical judgement to attack someone else.

On instrumentalization and its dangers, Rick DuFer says:

«Political correctness works when its aim is to protect the weak from abusers, but when it favours every little susceptible sensitivity it turns dangerous.» (via Rick DuFer’s podcast DailyCogito)

Rick DuFer talks about a shared responsibility that happens during offence: shared between the offender and the offended. The problem with offence, as opposed to harm, is that it isn’t quantifiable, so the offender is guilty in regard to their intentions, and the offended is guilty in regard to the instrumentalization they can enact with the situation.

And again we find “instrumentalization”: if one destroys my property, I can quantify the damage, but if one insults me, how can I quantify how offended I truly am? This is when I can twist one person’s words and turn them into an offender, this is when sensitivity becomes a mask and no longer a virtue (or, for the toxic masculinity’s thought, a vice.)

Now, to wrap things up:

These people take the (s)word of this school of thought (which some other dichotomists may, generalizing it, call it “Strong Thought” or “Unique Thought”), perhaps without even knowing there’s an alternative, while there are multiple, actually: as many as the human beings right now populating Earth.

They may do it out of a dualistic and very childish view of society — divided into good and bad people. And if that’s your view of life, you’re not gonna want to be associated with who others deem as bad, following a gut feeling and nothing more. (And I say “gut feeling” to avoid saying “very poor thinking”, because that’s what absolutization, essentialism, and the rest is.)

Your thoughts aren’t really yours, and you become a vessel for something that belongs to someone else, someone who crafted those thoughts in a very different context, or with instrumentalization in mind. You don’t want to risk criticizing those thoughts because you don’t want to be isolated, or because you’re a sane person who deems it important to act rightfully (even if you’re letting others tell you what “right” is.)

And for how problematic moral relativism is, it surely is better than any form of absolutization: better than rejecting your status as “sapiens” and stopping thinking altogether, passively accepting what others taught you to be right and wrong, maybe even out of fear, or a stupid rush for glory and sympathy.

So I wouldn’t call this moral relativism, strictly, but rather moral subjectivism, or context-centred morality. A morality in which people still have a brain to separate a piece of work from an author’s ideology (against essentialism) and to still take into account the context in which an action was performed (against abstraction). A morality in which “good” and “wrong” aren’t seen in black and whites, but rather into lighter and darker greys; a morality which systematic use can slowly dress into the habit of charity towards one another, into kind teaching rather than cruel instrumentalization.

And is it really utopistic, is it really unfeasible, if we’re not falsely annihilating the suffering and the negative parts of the Human Experience?

This whole discourse could be turned into a political marketplace of rights and lefts, of conservatives and progressivists — but my aim here is much smaller (or bigger, if one is a humanist): to make the reader question their critical thinking, and just that.

(We love some self-doubt.)

I believe moral acts aren’t supposed to be a badge to share on one’s vest — to renew your status as “approachable person” (as if saying “don’t worry, you can talk to me, you’re not going to be deemed as bad for it”) or to be praised for. Moral acts are the only acts that raise humans from other species, the acts where the “sapiens” shows its evolution, the acts where our negative aspects aren’t hidden but channelled into arts, without the fear that someone might call us bad for it. (Immoral, even, whilst acting in the most moral way possible, exorcising those negative parts of us in the least harmful way possible.)

So, at the end of this unnecessary rant, my question is: is it better to be a minion in a culture where you have to watch your mouth, as if it wasn’t yours, or to be a person who’s engaged in researching how right and wrong truly manifest?