kate middleton allowing prince william to cheat on her because she's too "old fashioned" to PEG HIM is the most batshit insane thing ive ever heard

explain to me how bakugo is traumatized. the kid he grew up with was nice to him once and he immediately came to the conclusion that he should die. that's not trauma, that's being insane.

I'm going to start with the fact that, justifiably, there's never a reason to tell someone to kill themselves. Additionally, note that me saying Bakugo is traumatized does not mean that Midoriya is also not traumatized.

Regarding your question, the trauma that I mentioned on a recent ask, (I assume this one prompted your question) referenced the following:

Captured by the Slime Villain, effectively bound and suffocated in front of an audience (doesn't include the fall out after being someone who is publicly assaulted)

Muzzled, bound and robbed of autonomy in front of a national audience at the Sports Festival

Kidnapped and bound by the LOV (the forcible binding is recurrent through all the above)

Don't really have to go into the swath of issues he and Class 1A likely can and do develop from being child pawns in a war of adults but that can be applied as well re: survivor's guilt, PTSD, paranoia from the mole, etc. from the PLF arc and up until current manga events (I didn't feel like a spoiler warning).

Things that people don't tend to capture in the box of Bakugo's characterization:

He comes from a verbally and physically abusive household, demonstrably (you can jump down to the second paragraph of Bakugo's Strengths listed here for my thoughts on that impact)

Forced to defend himself against older kids from a young age and possibly on a recurring basis, as referenced in the above image. We could probably chalk the confrontation up to a consequence of his false overconfidence, sure. But does that justify 4th graders ganging up on what looks like a kindergartener/first grader?

As for Bakugo and Midoriya's relationship, we don't have much to go on. We know they were close and amicable as kids, things likely went to shit when Midoriya didn't develop a quirk, there's some beetle excursion in the woods that Bakugo refers back to a lot which is pending further context for readers/viewers, and then there's a fall in the river which really soured relations as Bakugo misinterpreted genuine kindness for condescension (see home life and such above). Again, none of this justifies the bullying we see at the start of the series or the way their interactions have shocking physical components. But what I do find interesting is that I've previously likened Bakugo's disposition to Endeavors but, in retrospect, I think he's a strong parallel for Dabi too.

Dabi's rage stems from being robbed of what he thinks is his inalienable birthright as the oldest son and heir to Endeavor's legacy. He disproportionately targets Shouto as the usurper of what is rightfully his. Dabi's claim, of course, makes more sense from a traditional and, probably, cultural standpoint. But the reason I mention it is that I don't think Bakugo was constantly telling Midoriya to take a swan dive off a roof. It doesn't forgive the bullying but it contextualizes why, that day, the bullying reached a new height when Midoriya was outed for still trying to get into UA. Bakugo saw this as an immediate threat to his position because, even though he didn't admit it at the time, if anyone could get into UA, quirkless or not, Bakugo knew Midoriya could.

Just as Midoriya has always seen Bakugo as being heroic and capable of being number 1, Midoriya proves time and time again that, even without a quirk, he's got the spirit of a hero and is successful in spaces where Bakugo is not. As the story progresses, we see evidence and the ultimate manifestation of Bakugo's remorse through his apology and other ways he's softened up. I'm not saying he wasn't a little shit but that's also not all he was (IDK if you've met kids but... without healthy socialization they can be little emotional terrorists). As things have unfolded, we see that, internally, Bakugo uses thoughts of Midoriya to galvanize his path forward and we've recently confirmed that when Bakugo spoke to Kirishima about strength... he was referring to Midoriya, you can scroll down to paragraphs around the last picture. I'm just gleeful about calling it. But, suffice it to say they've both been looking to one another this whole time.

There are still periphery pieces of their background missing because the story is largely from Midoriya's perspective. I don't think we'll get a comprehensive backstory but I think there will be some sort of meaningful explanation behind the beetle trip that may inform why Bakugo ultimately misinterpreted things so poorly at the river. I mean, maybe it's as simple as the fact that he couldn't fathom kindness because it's something not typically afforded to those who are perceived as strong. I don't know but I look forward to finding out.

The Job (Part 1)

AI-Less Whumptober 2023: 23. Forced to Watch, Alt 25. Stalked Fandom: Peaky Blinders, Tommy Shelby, f!reader, prostitute!reader Summary: Tommy has been hiring you for your services for a while now, but this is the first time he has asked you for help concerning his family business... Word Count: 3205 TW: Fighting, Razor Blades, Blood, Forced to Watch, Stalked, Prostitution, Reader as Bait, Smoking, Implied Death Notes: A HUGE thanks to @loverhymeswith who not only sent me the ask that inspired this fic and supported its writing, but also for getting me into Peaky Blinders in the first place! Part of @ailesswhumptober's event

Mastlist (coming soon)

Part 1, Part 2

“I want to hire you for a job.”

You grinned at Tommy over your shoulder as you finished buttoning up your blouse and began to pull on your skirt. “I’m pretty sure you just did.”

But Tommy didn’t seem amused by your joke. His piercing blue eyes stared at you for a long moment, his face void of emotion and completely unreadable. Then he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. As he placed it between his lips, he said, “A different sort of job. On Friday night, I need you to make yourself look pretty and go down to The Marquis of Lorne.”

“The Marquis of—” you turned to look at him straight on. “Why would you want me to go to that pub when The Garrison is right here? Places like that on the edge of your territory… People there don’t always take kindly to me. Not with my reputation and all that.”

Tommy took a long drag on his cigarette. “It’s precisely because of your reputation that I’m asking you to go.”

Placing your hands on your hips, you asked, “And why, pray tell, is that? What are you expecting me to do once I’m there? Because I’ve told you before, I pick who I service and I won’t have you demanding–”

“It’s nothing like that,” Tommy said, calmly. “Like I already told you, it’s a different sort of job. Your reputation alone is more than enough to fit my needs. Just go to The Marquis, order a few drinks ‘til you’ve created the illusion you’ve become intoxicated, and then walk out the pub, simple as that. I’ll be waiting for you after at my stables down by the canal.” 

“And why do I feel like that’s not your whole plan? It still doesn’t explain why The Marquis and not some other pub.”

Tommy tapped the end of his cigarette into the glass of water you had left out on the table. You had scolded him about doing so countless times but now did not seem like the moment to comment on it. Raising the cigarette to his lips once more, he said, “There is a new gang trying to move in on our territories. They think we haven’t noticed and we mean to put an end to it before they realize we caught on. They frequent The Marquis on Friday nights so I need you to go in, get their attention, and once you have made them believe your tongue is nice and loose, I want you to start spilling all of the Peaky Blinders’s secrets— the false ones I tell you to say, of course.”

“Ahhh…” you nodded, the final pieces of the puzzle falling into place. “You want me to make them believe you’ve let slip sensitive information when you come to me for my services. Which is why you want me for my reputation. They’ll think Thomas Shelby’s favorite whore has caught him with his pants down in more ways than one.”

“I’ve always said you were a clever one.” For the first time since he had gotten dressed, something akin to a smile ghosted across Tommy’s lips. 

Walking over to where he was sitting, you plucked the cigarette from his fingers and placed it in your mouth. You inhaled before slowly blowing the smoke out right in Tommy’s face. “So, that’s it? I provide these fools who are crazy enough to try and challenge you false information on the Peaky Blinders and then just go along my way?”

Tommy ignored the smoke as he reached out and took his cigarette back, his fingers lingering for a moment as they brushed against yours. “Like you said, these men are fools. They’ll believe your deception. And when you leave the pub announcing you are going to sleep it off in one of the Peaky Blinders’s empty stash houses, they will follow you. And I will be waiting.”

You had to admit, it was a clever plan. Due to the popularity of the Peaky Blinders and the constant gossip surrounding them, everyone throughout Birmingham knew who you were and about your weekly dealings with Tommy Shelby. Everywhere you went, whispers seemed to follow you and you often caught people pointing or staring. Not that you usually minded. It was actually rather good for business. After all, what man wouldn’t want to say they had bedded the same woman as the head of the Peaky Blinders?

But while you had been servicing Tommy weekly for almost a year, he had never asked you to get involved in any Peaky Blinders business before this. In fact, Tommy had made it very clear from the start that you were to have no part in that aspect of his life. You were his momentary escape, a place where he could spend an hour or so without the weight of the world on his shoulders. So for him to come to you now asking this…. He must be more concerned about the other gang than he was letting on.

“And what happens once I lead them to the stables? I’m guessing you aren’t looking for a friendly chat.”

“You just get them there and leave the rest to me,” Tommy said as he dropped the remains of his cigarette butt into your glass of water. Standing, he placed his large hands on your shoulders and gave you a tight smile. “So, do we have an arrangement?”

Biting your lip, you mulled the question over for a moment. Tommy was a brilliant strategist and you had no doubt his plan would work. But his brush off of your questions about what happened afterward had a knot forming in the pit of your stomach. However, it was ill-advised to say no to someone as powerful as Thomas Shelby, so somewhat reluctantly, you said, “Fine. But I expect double my usual fee.”

“Done.” Tommy gave your shoulders a soft squeeze then turned to grab his cap off the table. “I’ll send Polly around in the morning with the details of what you should say. She can also help you find something to wear. Then head to The Marquis on Friday at seven and you know what to do.” 

His hand reached for the door, but you called out, “Tommy” – he paused and turned to face you – “I’ll do what you want this once because it’s you who’s asking, but I’m not a Peaky Blinder. And I won’t have anything else to do with their business or transgressions. I don’t want to be involved with that lot. Are we understood?” 

For a moment, Tommy didn’t move as he stared at you, save for one exaggerated blink of his icy blue eyes. You wondered if you went too far and said something you shouldn’t have. But then, he nodded, his tongue sliding across his full lips. “Understood.”

You smiled in relief and ducked your head, but before you could thank him, Tommy walked out the door.

As with most of Tommy’s plans, everything that Friday night went exactly as he predicted. Polly ended up bringing you a flashy new dress to wear that Tommy had purchased and from the moment you stepped into The Marquis of Lorne, you felt the weight of dozens of eyes on you. From there, it was easy to loudly drop Tommy’s name and your connection to him as you pretended to drink—as well as your “top secret” facts about the Peaky Blinders. Your table was soon swarmed by the gang members you were targeting, each offering to buy you another drink in the hopes of loosening your tongue further.

As the night wore on, a few of the men began getting more familiar with you than you were comfortable with, but you maintained your drunken facade and smiled through it. In your line of work, you had dealt with much worse before. However after one man stuck his hand up the bottom of your dress, you decided things had gone far enough and you rose unsteadily to your feet as you announced you were taking your leave. The men tried to convince you to stay or let them walk you home, but you insisted you would be alright on your own—there was an empty Peaky Blinders stash house nearby that you could sleep in for the night. You bit your lip to hide the smile threatening to break across your face as all the men’s eyes grew wide and they exchanged telling glances. Tommy Shelby, you are one brilliant man.

As you made your way out of the pub and into the foggy night, you could hear the men following close behind you. This was the part of the plan that concerned you the most. Back in the pub, there were other patrons who would step in if one of the men went too far or you called out for help. But out here on the empty road in the middle of the night, you doubted anyone would come to your aid if the men decided to approach you. You just had to trust Tommy knew what he was talking about and they would be more interested in finding the fake stash house than harassing you. 

You breathed a sigh of relief as Tommy’s stable came into view. He had promised to meet you but as you got closer, there was no sign that anyone was there. Hesitating by the door, you wondered what you should do. There was no back door that you knew of so if something had happened and Tommy wasn’t there, you would be trapped inside alone with the gang between you and the only way out. But even if you decided to leave and continue on down the road, the gang would continue following you until they eventually grew suspicious and confronted you. So there was really no choice. You said a quick, silent prayer that Tommy was waiting for you, and you stepped inside.

You continued walking until you reached the far wall of the stable, but still, no Tommy. Your heart was beating furiously in your chest as the men behind you began to call out to you—crude, drunken taunts, and horrifying descriptions of what they were going to do to you. Spinning around, you looked everywhere desperately trying to find anything you could use to protect yourself with, but there were only a few hay bales. Trembling, you sunk to the ground and waited for the worst to come.

But just as the closest man was about to reach you, a figure stepped into the doorway of the stable, eclipsing the moonlight that had been illuminating the darkened space. Relief flooded through you as you recognized that familiar silhouette. Tommy had kept his word.

The men all turned and must have recognized him a few seconds after you did because a hushed murmur rippled through their group as they looked at him. Despite the fact they very obviously outnumbered him, you could sense the air of fear emanating from them, and you couldn’t blame them. While he may only be one man, this was Tommy Fucking Shelby they were facing. And that should be enough to terrify an army of men. 

Tommy began to slowly walk forward, closing the distance between him and the men. As he slipped his jacket off and tossed it to the side, he called out in a strong voice that filled the stable, “Word on the streets is that you boys are trying to move in on our territory. Take things that are ours while you think we aren’t looking.” 

He gestured to where you were still huddled on the ground. Now that he had come closer, you could just make out his face. He raised one eyebrow at you, a silent query if you were alright. You nodded shakily and rose to your feet, still pressed tightly against the wall. You felt his eyes scanning you for anything amiss, and he gave a satisfied nod when he deemed you safe. 

Then, addressing the men once more, he continued. “You are not the first to think you could come for the Peaky Blinders and I am certain you won’t be the last. But I’m here to make certain that after tonight, you won’t be a problem any longer.”

Tommy came to a stop—his heels clicking loudly together—just a few inches before the closest man. Though his back was to you, you could tell the man was frightened by the way his hands shook as he raised them in the air. 

Tommy smiled at the gesture…. then ripped off his cap and slashed it across the man’s throat.

You gasped in horror and pressed your hands to your mouth as a trail of blood flew through the air and splattered on the floor. Almost in slow motion, the man dropped to his knees, a horrendous gurgling emanating from his ruined throat. Then Tommy swung his cap again, using the razorblades sewn in the brim to finish the job, and the man toppled over without another sound.

The stable burst into chaos. The rest of the men rushed at Tommy but he was ready for them. Normally, it would have been near impossible odds with Tommy outnumbered so, but the men had been drinking very heavily back in the pub and their senses were dulled considerably. Tommy was able to avoid most of their attacks while landing blow after blow on the men—his razorblades sending blood flying with every swing.

You of course knew of the Peaky Blinders’s signature weapon of choice, yet this was the first time you had seen anyone use it in action. It was a horrendously strange sight to see: Tommy swinging something so innocuous as his tweed flat cap at the other men just for a burst of crimson blood to bloom in that same spot. And the fluid manner in which Tommy ducked and dodged, weaving his way from one man to the next, was almost beautiful in a way. Like a dancer taking the stage—stage made of blood.

There was no avoiding it. The metallic tang of blood filled the air, burning your nose. Somehow, it even blocked out the pungent smells from all of the horses. Even in only the pale glow from the moonlight, everywhere you looked was dripping red. You had only been spared because you had dove sideways to huddle behind the hay bales next to you once the attack began, but they had taken the full brunt of the carnage. Blood was slowly filtering through the tightly packed hay as it traveled downward toward the ground—the pool on the floor steadily creeping closer to your feet.

You had to escape this massacre as soon as possible.

Eventually, you saw an opening but just as you gathered up your dress to make a dash to freedom, Tommy spun around and pointed one blood-soaked finger at you. “You! Stay where you are.”

You froze, unsure of your next move. Tommy had never said anything about you remaining once you had done your part. Your only job was to lure the men to the stable and he would take care of the rest. Surely he didn’t mean for you to remain here to witness this slaughter?

And yet, he remained standing there with all of his focus on you despite his remaining enemies still swarming around him, blood dripping off of the end of his outstretched finger. So you did the only thing you could. You released your dress, letting the fabric fall once more to the ground, and nodded to him even as you shrank back behind the hay bales, quivering in fear. 

Seemingly satisfied that you wouldn’t attempt to bolt again, Tommy slowly lowered his hand and turned back to the melee. There were only a few men still standing—the others were left moaning on the ground as they clutched at their wounds, or worse still, some lay perfectly still in growing pools of their own blood. 

With fewer opponents charging him at once, Tommy took a new, less frantic approach to the fight. Instead of attacking with the blades sewn into his hat, he began to use his fists— the sound of breaking bones echoing throughout the open area as his knuckles slammed into noses and cheekbones. One man even dropped like a stone as Tommy drove his fist into the man’s jaw. 

And you were forced to watch it all, terrified of what Tommy might do if you even glanced away. The one saving grace that made it even slightly bearable was that the clouds had shifted to partially cover the moon, hindering the visibility inside the stable. But that did nothing to shield you from the sounds or smells surrounding you.

Finally—mercifully—Tommy struck down the last of the gang members. He stood in the middle of the stable, chest heaving, as he looked around at the carnage surrounding him. Like this, he resembled some ancient god of war reveling in his battlefield, washed in the blood of his enemies.

Satisfied the fight was over, he picked his way through the maze of bodies on the floor and stopped before your hiding place. He held out his hand to you, but you ignored it, unable to touch the blood that coated it. Instead, you stepped out from behind the hay bales on your own and stood before him, unable to meet his eye.

He leaned in close until his face was only a breath’s distance from you and he said, “Next time I pay you for a service, you don’t leave until you are given permission. Is that understood?”

“Y-yes, Tommy,” you managed to choke out, tears stinging your eyes.

His eyes flickered over you, and even with such a slight gesture, you felt the weight of his gaze as it examined every inch of you. You had stood bare in front of Thomas Shelby more times than you could count, had him thrust into the deepest part of your core on a weekly basis, and yet, you had never felt as exposed or vulnerable as you did right now.

As his eyes settled once more on your face, he slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a stack of money. He placed it on the hay bale beside you and you shuttered to see his bloody fingerprints stained on the top bill. 

“I included a little extra for your trouble.” Your eyes snapped back up to look at him. Despite the circumstances, Tommy’s voice was as calm and level as always. It was the sort of tone one would expect to hear him use when he visited the church or held a business meeting, not when standing there surrounded by the corpses of his enemies and dyed red with their blood. 

“Now you are free to go.” He turned and walked calmly back towards the stable entrance. Pausing only momentarily to pick up his jacket, he slid it on in one fluid motion as he added, his back still turned towards you, “I’ll be round Wednesday at my normal time.” 

Then he disappeared into the foggy night, leaving you alone surrounded by the ghastly horror he had wrought. 

Part 2 coming soon and it will be much more relationship-heavy (plus pretty steamy😉)!

The Job (Part 1)

AI-Less Whumptober 2023: 23. Forced to Watch, Alt 25. Stalked Fandom: Peaky Blinders, Tommy Shelby, f!reader, prostitute!reader Summary: Tommy has been hiring you for your services for a while now, but this is the first time he has asked you for help concerning his family business... Word Count: 3205 TW: Fighting, Razor Blades, Blood, Forced to Watch, Stalked, Prostitution, Reader as Bait, Smoking, Implied Death Notes: A HUGE thanks to @loverhymeswith who not only sent me the ask that inspired this fic and supported its writing, but also for getting me into Peaky Blinders in the first place! Part of @ailesswhumptober's event

Masterlist (coming soon)

Part 1, Part 2

“I want to hire you for a job.”

You grinned at Tommy over your shoulder as you finished buttoning up your blouse and began to pull on your skirt. “I’m pretty sure you just did.”

But Tommy didn’t seem amused by your joke. His piercing blue eyes stared at you for a long moment, his face void of emotion and completely unreadable. Then he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. As he placed it between his lips, he said, “A different sort of job. On Friday night, I need you to make yourself look pretty and go down to The Marquis of Lorne.”

“The Marquis of—” you turned to look at him straight on. “Why would you want me to go to that pub when The Garrison is right here? Places like that on the edge of your territory… People there don’t always take kindly to me. Not with my reputation and all that.”

Tommy took a long drag on his cigarette. “It’s precisely because of your reputation that I’m asking you to go.”

Placing your hands on your hips, you asked, “And why, pray tell, is that? What are you expecting me to do once I’m there? Because I’ve told you before, I pick who I service and I won’t have you demanding–”

“It’s nothing like that,” Tommy said, calmly. “Like I already told you, it’s a different sort of job. Your reputation alone is more than enough to fit my needs. Just go to The Marquis, order a few drinks ‘til you’ve created the illusion you’ve become intoxicated, and then walk out the pub, simple as that. I’ll be waiting for you after at my stables down by the canal.” 

“And why do I feel like that’s not your whole plan? It still doesn’t explain why The Marquis and not some other pub.”

Tommy tapped the end of his cigarette into the glass of water you had left out on the table. You had scolded him about doing so countless times but now did not seem like the moment to comment on it. Raising the cigarette to his lips once more, he said, “There is a new gang trying to move in on our territories. They think we haven’t noticed and we mean to put an end to it before they realize we caught on. They frequent The Marquis on Friday nights so I need you to go in, get their attention, and once you have made them believe your tongue is nice and loose, I want you to start spilling all of the Peaky Blinders’s secrets— the false ones I tell you to say, of course.”

“Ahhh…” you nodded, the final pieces of the puzzle falling into place. “You want me to make them believe you’ve let slip sensitive information when you come to me for my services. Which is why you want me for my reputation. They’ll think Thomas Shelby’s favorite whore has caught him with his pants down in more ways than one.”

“I’ve always said you were a clever one.” For the first time since he had gotten dressed, something akin to a smile ghosted across Tommy’s lips. 

Walking over to where he was sitting, you plucked the cigarette from his fingers and placed it in your mouth. You inhaled before slowly blowing the smoke out right in Tommy’s face. “So, that’s it? I provide these fools who are crazy enough to try and challenge you false information on the Peaky Blinders and then just go along my way?”

Tommy ignored the smoke as he reached out and took his cigarette back, his fingers lingering for a moment as they brushed against yours. “Like you said, these men are fools. They’ll believe your deception. And when you leave the pub announcing you are going to sleep it off in one of the Peaky Blinders’s empty stash houses, they will follow you. And I will be waiting.”

You had to admit, it was a clever plan. Due to the popularity of the Peaky Blinders and the constant gossip surrounding them, everyone throughout Birmingham knew who you were and about your weekly dealings with Tommy Shelby. Everywhere you went, whispers seemed to follow you and you often caught people pointing or staring. Not that you usually minded. It was actually rather good for business. After all, what man wouldn’t want to say they had bedded the same woman as the head of the Peaky Blinders?

But while you had been servicing Tommy weekly for almost a year, he had never asked you to get involved in any Peaky Blinders business before this. In fact, Tommy had made it very clear from the start that you were to have no part in that aspect of his life. You were his momentary escape, a place where he could spend an hour or so without the weight of the world on his shoulders. So for him to come to you now asking this…. He must be more concerned about the other gang than he was letting on.

“And what happens once I lead them to the stables? I’m guessing you aren’t looking for a friendly chat.”

“You just get them there and leave the rest to me,” Tommy said as he dropped the remains of his cigarette butt into your glass of water. Standing, he placed his large hands on your shoulders and gave you a tight smile. “So, do we have an arrangement?”

Biting your lip, you mulled the question over for a moment. Tommy was a brilliant strategist and you had no doubt his plan would work. But his brush off of your questions about what happened afterward had a knot forming in the pit of your stomach. However, it was ill-advised to say no to someone as powerful as Thomas Shelby, so somewhat reluctantly, you said, “Fine. But I expect double my usual fee.”

“Done.” Tommy gave your shoulders a soft squeeze then turned to grab his cap off the table. “I’ll send Polly around in the morning with the details of what you should say. She can also help you find something to wear. Then head to The Marquis on Friday at seven and you know what to do.” 

His hand reached for the door, but you called out, “Tommy” – he paused and turned to face you – “I’ll do what you want this once because it’s you who’s asking, but I’m not a Peaky Blinder. And I won’t have anything else to do with their business or transgressions. I don’t want to be involved with that lot. Are we understood?” 

For a moment, Tommy didn’t move as he stared at you, save for one exaggerated blink of his icy blue eyes. You wondered if you went too far and said something you shouldn’t have. But then, he nodded, his tongue sliding across his full lips. “Understood.”

You smiled in relief and ducked your head, but before you could thank him, Tommy walked out the door.

As with most of Tommy’s plans, everything that Friday night went exactly as he predicted. Polly ended up bringing you a flashy new dress to wear that Tommy had purchased and from the moment you stepped into The Marquis of Lorne, you felt the weight of dozens of eyes on you. From there, it was easy to loudly drop Tommy’s name and your connection to him as you pretended to drink—as well as your “top secret” facts about the Peaky Blinders. Your table was soon swarmed by the gang members you were targeting, each offering to buy you another drink in the hopes of loosening your tongue further.

As the night wore on, a few of the men began getting more familiar with you than you were comfortable with, but you maintained your drunken facade and smiled through it. In your line of work, you had dealt with much worse before. However after one man stuck his hand up the bottom of your dress, you decided things had gone far enough and you rose unsteadily to your feet as you announced you were taking your leave. The men tried to convince you to stay or let them walk you home, but you insisted you would be alright on your own—there was an empty Peaky Blinders stash house nearby that you could sleep in for the night. You bit your lip to hide the smile threatening to break across your face as all the men’s eyes grew wide and they exchanged telling glances. Tommy Shelby, you are one brilliant man.

As you made your way out of the pub and into the foggy night, you could hear the men following close behind you. This was the part of the plan that concerned you the most. Back in the pub, there were other patrons who would step in if one of the men went too far or you called out for help. But out here on the empty road in the middle of the night, you doubted anyone would come to your aid if the men decided to approach you. You just had to trust Tommy knew what he was talking about and they would be more interested in finding the fake stash house than harassing you. 

You breathed a sigh of relief as Tommy’s stable came into view. He had promised to meet you but as you got closer, there was no sign that anyone was there. Hesitating by the door, you wondered what you should do. There was no back door that you knew of so if something had happened and Tommy wasn’t there, you would be trapped inside alone with the gang between you and the only way out. But even if you decided to leave and continue on down the road, the gang would continue following you until they eventually grew suspicious and confronted you. So there was really no choice. You said a quick, silent prayer that Tommy was waiting for you, and you stepped inside.

You continued walking until you reached the far wall of the stable, but still, no Tommy. Your heart was beating furiously in your chest as the men behind you began to call out to you—crude, drunken taunts, and horrifying descriptions of what they were going to do to you. Spinning around, you looked everywhere desperately trying to find anything you could use to protect yourself with, but there were only a few hay bales. Trembling, you sunk to the ground and waited for the worst to come.

But just as the closest man was about to reach you, a figure stepped into the doorway of the stable, eclipsing the moonlight that had been illuminating the darkened space. Relief flooded through you as you recognized that familiar silhouette. Tommy had kept his word.

The men all turned and must have recognized him a few seconds after you did because a hushed murmur rippled through their group as they looked at him. Despite the fact they very obviously outnumbered him, you could sense the air of fear emanating from them, and you couldn’t blame them. While he may only be one man, this was Tommy Fucking Shelby they were facing. And that should be enough to terrify an army of men. 

Tommy began to slowly walk forward, closing the distance between him and the men. As he slipped his jacket off and tossed it to the side, he called out in a strong voice that filled the stable, “Word on the streets is that you boys are trying to move in on our territory. Take things that are ours while you think we aren’t looking.” 

He gestured to where you were still huddled on the ground. Now that he had come closer, you could just make out his face. He raised one eyebrow at you, a silent query if you were alright. You nodded shakily and rose to your feet, still pressed tightly against the wall. You felt his eyes scanning you for anything amiss, and he gave a satisfied nod when he deemed you safe. 

Then, addressing the men once more, he continued. “You are not the first to think you could come for the Peaky Blinders and I'll bet you won’t be the last. But I’m here to make certain that after tonight, you won’t be a problem any longer.”

Tommy came to a stop—his heels clicking loudly together—just a few inches before the closest man. Though his back was to you, you could tell the man was frightened by the way his hands shook as he raised them in the air. 

Tommy smiled at the gesture…. then ripped off his cap and slashed it across the man’s throat.

You gasped in horror and pressed your hands to your mouth as a trail of blood flew through the air and splattered on the floor. Almost in slow motion, the man dropped to his knees, a horrendous gurgling emanating from his ruined throat. Then Tommy swung his cap again, using the razorblades sewn in the brim to finish the job, and the man toppled over without another sound.

The stable burst into chaos. The rest of the men rushed at Tommy but he was ready for them. Normally, it would have been near impossible odds with Tommy outnumbered so, but the men had been drinking very heavily back in the pub and their senses were dulled considerably. Tommy was able to avoid most of their attacks while landing blow after blow on the men—his razorblades sending blood flying with every swing.

You of course knew of the Peaky Blinders’s signature weapon of choice, yet this was the first time you had seen anyone use it in action. It was a horrendously strange sight to see: Tommy swinging something so innocuous as his tweed flat cap at the other men just for a burst of crimson blood to bloom in that same spot. And the fluid manner in which Tommy ducked and dodged, weaving his way from one man to the next, was almost beautiful in a way. Like a dancer taking the stage—stage made of blood.

There was no avoiding it. The metallic tang of blood filled the air, burning your nose. Somehow, it even blocked out the pungent smells from all of the horses. Even in only the pale glow from the moonlight, everywhere you looked was dripping red. You had only been spared because you had dove sideways to huddle behind the hay bales next to you once the attack began, but they had taken the full brunt of the carnage. Blood was slowly filtering through the tightly packed hay as it traveled downward toward the ground—the pool on the floor steadily creeping closer to your feet.

You had to escape this massacre as soon as possible.

Eventually, you saw an opening but just as you gathered up your dress to make a dash to freedom, Tommy spun around and pointed one blood-soaked finger at you. “You! Stay where you are.”

You froze, unsure of your next move. Tommy had never said anything about you remaining once you had done your part. Your only job was to lure the men to the stable and he would take care of the rest. Surely he didn’t mean for you to remain here to witness this slaughter?

And yet, he remained standing there with all of his focus on you despite his remaining enemies still swarming around him, blood dripping off of the end of his outstretched finger. So you did the only thing you could. You released your dress, letting the fabric fall once more to the ground, and nodded to him even as you shrank back behind the hay bales, quivering in fear. 

Seemingly satisfied that you wouldn’t attempt to bolt again, Tommy slowly lowered his hand and turned back to the melee. There were only a few men still standing—the others were left moaning on the ground as they clutched at their wounds, or worse still, some lay perfectly still in growing pools of their own blood. 

With fewer opponents charging him at once, Tommy took a new, less frantic approach to the fight. Instead of attacking with the blades sewn into his hat, he began to use his fists— the sound of breaking bones echoing throughout the open area as his knuckles slammed into noses and cheekbones. One man even dropped like a stone as Tommy drove his fist into the man’s jaw. 

And you were forced to watch it all, terrified of what Tommy might do if you even glanced away. The one saving grace that made it even slightly bearable was that the clouds had shifted to partially cover the moon, hindering the visibility inside the stable. But that did nothing to shield you from the sounds or smells surrounding you.

Finally—mercifully—Tommy struck down the last of the gang members. He stood in the middle of the stable, chest heaving, as he looked around at the carnage surrounding him. Like this, he resembled some ancient god of war reveling in his battlefield, washed in the blood of his enemies.

Satisfied the fight was over, he picked his way through the maze of bodies on the floor and stopped before your hiding place. He held out his hand to you, but you ignored it, unable to touch the blood that coated it. Instead, you stepped out from behind the hay bales on your own and stood before him, unable to meet his eye.

He leaned in close until his face was only a breath’s distance from you and he said, “Next time I pay you for a service, you don’t leave until you are given permission. Is that understood?”

“Y-yes, Tommy,” you managed to choke out, tears stinging your eyes.

His eyes flickered over you, and even with such a slight gesture, you felt the weight of his gaze as it examined every inch of you. You had stood bare in front of Thomas Shelby more times than you could count, had him thrust into the deepest part of your core on a weekly basis, and yet, you had never felt as exposed or vulnerable as you did right now.

As his eyes settled once more on your face, he slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a stack of money. He placed it on the hay bale beside you and you shuttered to see his bloody fingerprints stained on the top bill. 

“I included a little extra for your trouble.” Your eyes snapped back up to look at him. Despite the circumstances, Tommy’s voice was as calm and level as always. It was the sort of tone one would expect to hear him use when he visited the church or held a business meeting, not when standing there surrounded by the corpses of his enemies and dyed red with their blood. 

“Now you are free to go.” He turned and walked calmly back towards the stable entrance. Pausing only momentarily to pick up his jacket, he slid it on in one fluid motion as he added, his back still turned towards you, “I’ll be round Wednesday at my normal time.” 

Then he disappeared into the foggy night, leaving you alone surrounded by the ghastly horror he had wrought. 

Part 2 coming soon and it will be much more relationship-heavy (plus pretty steamy😉)!

Tag list: @loverhymeswith, @heart-0n-fire, @that-sarcastic-writer, @eternallyvenus, @writercole, @deppresseddyslexic, @confetti-cakemix, @flamingdisputes, @callsign-phoenix

Y’know, I don’t usually talk about ships I dislike, but this is one I haven’t seen criticized.

So the Gravity Falls fandom is riddled with bad ships, ranging from “Ah yes, let’s ship the victim with the demon that abused them” to “Incest between 12 year old twins is so great”.

Which would explain why all the effort of criticizing ships is going to those infamous ones and not any others that might be less ugly by comparison.

Heck, that note to Mabel in journal 3, saying Bill would have thrown Dipper’s body off the water tower was probably the creator’s way of saying “Stop shipping Dipper with the demon Dorito.” She’s terrified of that thing from trying to get Stan over his fear of heights, and Bill ended the letter by asking if she wanted to join Dipper at the bottom.

StanChez is the lesser evil ship I’m talking about specifically. But keep in mind, I’m a Gravity Falls fan, not a Rick and Morty fan, so my knowledge of that show is from video essays and osmosis.

It’s not on the same level of awful as saying Ford and Bill should be a couple after watching the man get chained and electrocuted.

Or well drawn incest between the two main characters, who are based on the show creator and his sister.

But StanChez is toxic. And I’d like to explain why on Stan Pines’ behalf, because he deserves better. And I also don’t think they’d get along for more than a few days.

Reason 1: Rick is a different level of Criminal

People seem to gravitate towards this ship because Stan and Rick are both criminals and bad influences on those around them, but it’s more surface level than you’d think.

The most we know about Stan’s kill count is that he killed a llama and Bill. And in his words “that llama had it coming”. Other than that, his main crimes are swindling and conning, with tax evasion through false identities.

But if a state full of angry people goes after him, his response is to run away and start a new fake identity. Not attack the people he conned or the police. And even though his bad products gave people rashes, they never crossed over into something truly heinous.

He also tries to befriend other criminals and attacks them out of self defense, and not intent to kill. Stan knows how to fight, but his intention is very rarely to kill, and that’s a healthier mindset to have.

Rick is in the habit of ruining versions of earth with his experiments, and then running off to take his own place in another dimension instead of staying to try and help. That’s not running away from a minor con like Stan, that’s leaving billions of people to die, over and over again.

Rick is also in the habit of killing people who are an inconvenience to him, whether they pose a real threat or not. He’s so used to killing on sight that he doesn’t bat an eye at making Morty take someone’s life.

Stan is a different kind of bad influence than Rick that isn’t as heinous. Not by a long shot. Dipper and Mabel may have to go on a character arc where they stop swindling people, but they’ve never been taught to kill or maim. They’ve never watched Stan murder people and ignore their distress when he does it. Or been forced to bury a body.

Dipper and Mabel may become worse because of Stan, but it’s nothing so serious that they’ll never recover. But Morty? Morty is in a very toxic situation where he’s been traumatized and started to go numb inside.

Reason 2: Stan’s self esteem

Stan has a lot more in common with Morty than you’d think. He was always “the dumb twin” and “the screw up”. Sure, his Ma tried to negate his father’s terrible words, but one of his parents still made him feel hated and useless.

For goodness sakes, it was Filbrick kicking him out as a high schooler, telling him to come back when he made a fortune, that set him on the path of greed!

It’s also Filbrick’s terrible parenting that made Stan try to be tough with Dipper and favor Mabel, the way Ford was favored.

Stan’s self esteem is much lower than it looks on the surface, and prolonged exposure to Rick would only make it worse.

You see, Rick doesn’t explain what dimension they’re going to, what to look out for, and what’s safe before bringing Morty on an “adventure”. They’ll get there, Morty will start asking because he doesn’t know, and Rick will drunkenly call him an idiot and barely explain. But Morty is supposed to be the stupid one for it.

Rick also favors Summer, Morty’s sister over him. Even though he’s been dragged along on these traumatic adventures much longer.

Say what you will about Stan being a bad influence, but at least we know he does it out of generational trauma and still cares about Dipper. Instead of being harsher on him for no reason, Stan sees it as teaching him to be tougher by making him do chores.

Rick is just playing favorites. And he’s also well known for talking down to Morty’s dad Jerry for being stupid. To the point fans only recently started to see through it and respect Jerry as an embarrassing but happy normal person.

If Stan started hanging around Rick, he’d be talked down to and compared to his smarter twin once again, but this time by the “smartest man in the multiverse”. He doesn’t need another toxic influence to stomp on his self worth.

Reason 3: Think of the children

Stan never replaced anybody. Yes, he had the wax Stan, but he wasn’t calling it Ford. My theory is he was practicing what he’d do with Ford once he brought him back, and the wax funeral was him remembering that Ford might have died.

Stan is known for letting the kids go off on their own, but he also tried to convince them that the supernatural wasn’t real to protect them.

And when he saw they were in danger, he fought the undead to protect them. Most of the time, he just doesn’t see that they’re in danger because they’re off on their own.

He cares about Dipper and Mabel and Soos and Wendy. Heck, he even gave Gideon a pep talk in the shrink ray episode. Do you honestly think he’d be okay with cloning one of them if they died? Or worse, stealing some other Stan’s family in another dimension?

He was looking for his Ford, not a random one from some other timeline. If Dipper was thrown off the water tower, or Mabel snapped away by Bill, Stan wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. And he wouldn’t be able to replace them. The same goes for Ford, Soos, and Wendy.

So imagine him finding the Morty cloning facilities at Rick’s Citadel. And Rick trying to gaslight him into thinking it’s better to leave the evil Ricks to clone and kill as many Morty’s as they want, because it keeps them distracted. Or finding out about Rick replacing himself in other dimensions without telling the family?

Y’all remember that Dipper asked Ford how he knew Bill, and he said:

“I’ve encountered many dark beings in my time, Dipper.”

I bet the reason why Ford was erased with other memory tubes is because he found out about the cloning and got angry with Rick. Because despite his issues with Stan, he still remembers the little boy getting mistreated by his father.

Needless to say, Stanley wouldn’t be approving of all this either, once he knew Rick was a monster. But if Rick wouldn’t listen to “the smart” twin and erased the interaction, he’s way less likely to listen to poor Stan. Because he’s well used to talking down to people when they confront him or disagree with him. And if he’d do it to his own family, he’d sure as heck do it to Stanley.

So yeah, those are my reasons why StanChez is a bad idea/doesn't work. This isn’t going to become a series or anything, I just thought it was worth explaining.

I have, a genuine question for you. Do you acknowledge the racism in the original AYTD or at least know about it? Like how MsKingBean uses slurs and racist stereotypes?

hey, so, i'm a bit apprehensive about answering this because...it doesn't feel like a very geniune question to me, if i'm being honest. "do you acknowledge x thing" is a question that is inherently set up so that i'm meant to answer "yes, i acknowledge that x thing is true," because the alternative is saying "no, i don't acknowledge that x thing is true," which is already framing this interaction as if to disagree with you would be a kind of failure on my part to do some due diligence of engaging critically with a text. and the fact that you say mskingbean89 used slurs in atyd shows me that you haven't even engaged with the text, because that simply...isn't true.

if what you're referring to when you say "slurs" is the anti-romani stereotypes--this is coming from an extra chapter in the bootleg tapes focusing on greyback, where there is a slur used to describe his living situation + he + his family were portrayed as nomadic irish people in a way that was insensitive. people who read that chapter and then went back to the canon story with that characterization in mind rightfully pointed out that it was fucked-up. mskingbean89 addressed those criticisms by adding this note to the beginning of that bootleg chapter:

personally, i think this was a good way to take accountability + acknowledge the mistakes she made with that portrayal. she was a human being who made an ignorant mistake, which then just happened to get absolutely blasted to millions of people--she did not have sensitivity readers or editors looking over her fanfiction, because she did not write it expecting it to reach the level of popularity that it has. to be honest, i am not really sure how she could have better acknowledged her mistake, aside from just....not having made it in the first place. she explains her intentions without acting as though that intent cancels out harm, owns up to the fact that the stereotyping was harmful regardless of intention, and provides resources to learn while also committing to be more mindful + educate herself moving forward. honestly, that's exactly the response i would hope to see from someone who makes a mistake like this one.

i agree with you that people reading atyd should acknowledge + understand the racism regarding romani stereotypes stemming from that bootleg chapter, which is why i think it's great that there is a note literally built into the beginning of that chapter acknowledging it! but i feel as though there's been this like...game of telephone happening online when it comes to atyd, where there are now people who have never even read the story talking about things that quite literally do not appear in the base text itself. i've also seen people acting as though mkb herself did not address these issues when they were raised to her, which is just...patently false.

and so what i'm wondering here is what you're looking for from me when you ask a question like "do you acknowledge the racism in atyd." anyone who actually reads the texts has to acknowledge the racism in that bootleg chapter, because mkb puts that acknowledgment front and center at the beginning. and also like...in the part of the fandom i'm in, in the conversations i've listened to or taken part of regarding atyd, people have acknowledged the issues with that bootleg chapter and the ways it reflects back on the main story. so what do you mean by "acknowledge" when so many people, including mkb herself, have already... acknowledged it? what action are you calling for, and who are you calling for it from?

because like. if what u actually want to say here is that atyd is Irredeemably Problematic and we should all like....shun it? universally agree that it's Bad? then it's just like. it is up to each individual reading the story to decide whether that specific portrayal of greyback in the bootleg chapters is something that ruins the story completely for them or whether they still think the story as a whole holds worth. personally, i feel like i can acknowledge that there are issues with mkb's portrayal of greyback and i need to be mindful of that when reading the story so as not to internalize harmful stereotypes while still finding atyd to be a masterpiece that really beautifully deals with a lot of nuanced issues regarding class and disability and systems of power. this is just part of thinking critically when you read; many famous and beloved works of fiction contain the biases of their authors or have mistakes or issues in the way they portray things that are a product of ignorance. and i know everyone reading marauders fanfiction should understand this, because if u genuinely think that a character being negatively stereotyped means u should throw the entire work in the trash, then none of u would be touching harry potter fanfiction with a five foot pole in the first place.

so, anon - if you have actually read atyd, and there are issues with racism that you have found that i am unaware of, and not just telephone-game twitter posts of people taking shit out of context that you're accepting as truth without bothering to engage with the work yourself--if you want to have a real conversation about it, i would invite you to come to me as an actual person and not an anonymous ghost in my inbox. my dms are open, but when it comes to talking about serious issues, i tend to find it more genuine if the person coming to me actually cares enough and believes in what they're saying enough to say it as themself. and if you haven't read atyd and are just parroting things you've heard other people say online then i would invite you to actually sit down and read the work and form your own opinions on it before getting back to me. i know that might sound harsh, but honestly i'm just completely fed-up at this point with all the bad-faith takes and misinformation that i've seen people spreading about atyd just because they think it's cool to dislike a popular thing.

Forgive me, Father, for I cannot help but admire the Chosen of your sworn foe: Enver Gortash's genius will take us far, but fear not - those of Bane always fall to the same folly: they cannot see the beauty of obliteration. The Absolute hoax will garner false love from new slaves, but once I've built a large enough army, I will use our hold upon the Absolute's slaves to begin this vile world's end. I can see the path through Gortash's brilliant plan. Gortash, Ketheric and I will seize the Netherese relics that control the Crown, and then use the Crown to command the illithid Grand Design. The Dead Three, age-old foes, our dire patrons, will be bosom friends for a time. Father, you created me to be the last soul alive. When the time is right, and my power is assured, I will slaughter Gortash and Ketheric upon your altar, where I myself hope to die when the world itself is gasping its last. At the end of this all, Father, there will not be a single creature living. Everyone will die. Everyone will die for YOU. I will make you proud. [Note appended at the bottom of the page in a different hand] Ha! Orin was right about her sibling. - Balth.

First off: so this whole plan is a deal between the Dead Three? I knew Ketheric had ties to Myrkul and the Bhaalists' affiliation is right there in the name, but I didn't realize Gortash served Bane. That's interesting. Also incredibly concerning, I am very worried about whatever's got these three working together, it can't be good for life in Faerûn. Guess that explains why they're important enough to get loading screen text...

Anyway, more importantly! Did Durge write this?! Is this what got them tadpoled, were they planning to betray the other Chosen to end the world and Orin ratted them out? They don't comment on it at all, not even to recognize their handwriting, but given the amnesia and brain damage situation that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

Getting some really strong daddy's kid energy from this, too. Like, they're going to end the damn world and kill everyone alive to make Daddy proud, that's... unhealthy. That's an unhealthy thing to do for parental validation. Don't do that. Although I suppose that does explain why they wanted the Slayer so badly, given it seems to be like. the ultimate expression of Bhaal's favour. Working on the assumption that Durge did write this I can't wait for Bhaal to actually make an appearance, I'm sure it'll be awful in the best way possible. The bit about them being created to be the last soul alive and them fully intending to die on Bhaal's altar at the end is also... a lot. Please can the party return the "let's help our friends escape the conditioning and/or control of the shitty incredibly powerful being who's been fucking up their lives" favour if/when Durge regains their memories, because I'm sure that's going to cause problems. And it seems like Orin did rat them out somehow, which... seems odd, given you'd think this would be her ultimate goal as well. If I had to make a guess I'd say either she's not quite as loyal to their father as Durge is, Durge got a touch overzealous in deciding what their father's will actually was, or this is Orin's goal too and she just wants the glory of being the one to enact it. Or maybe she decided that given Durge wrote this shit down they weren't smart enough. I hope they at least intended to destroy it...

Also: I haven't even met Gortash yet and I think I'm already starting to see why people ship him with Durge. I mean that "Forgive me, Father, for I cannot help but admire the Chosen of your sworn foe" bit? The note itself is called something like Prayer for Forgiveness (I don't remember the exact name and I can't find it on the wiki but I'm certain it talks about forgiveness, if I'd thought of it I'd have made a note of it but I didn't), so the apology is very much the reason why this was written! It has the same energy as apologizing to your parents for falling for the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks, I feel. And an excellent opportunity for enemies to lovers...

OK

So

One thing I was just brought to the attention of by a post is that we only have Macs side of the story. If you think about it that’s true, yes we have some other and can guess what their view is but we so far have almost never gotten Wukongs side. Like never. The only side is we actually get from him is the the JTTW book in lmk. And as we can see is really inaccurate. It probably doesn’t mention the brotherhood, assuming that it goes off of the actual book(which I haven’t read), but I know some parts of the book that gives me enough of info. Continuing on.

Alright where was I?

Right the book, starting from the very beginning of the book in lmk at least the book seems to be inaccurate.

-the brotherhood is never mentioned when wukong attacks

-he seemed to have one previous outburst before the brotherhoods attack

-not to mention when Azure says, “He had been defeated by the Jade Emperor”, for all we know that to could be the frabicated truth. Whether Azure actually knew what happened, I don’t know, but I’m going to guess he didn’t.

I’m going to take a guess that Wukong actually was shown what would’ve happened if Azure did become the emperor, both to him, macaque, and his (wukongs)people. Which is why when we see him from Azures view in the flashback, Wukong doesn’t seem to be hurt or tired. He seems guilty if anything. Refusing to view his comrades eyes out of shame. And when he finally does he glared at them, a warning to not continue perhaps? Not to follow? To abandon the current mission at hand so both they and others won’t get hurt? Maybe we won’t ever know. Wukong is made out of false truth and white lies. As we see with season three and the shammadi fire, Wukong didn’t mention that Mei was the fourth ring, in fact he lies about there even being a fourth ring. I think that he was going to explain this to them at some point in time but didn’t know how. While, yeah, this doesn’t excuse his behavior. But it does serve as a reason and sheds some light on his character. I also think that Wukong was gonna tell the others no matter when it was, sure it was a little late, not good, but he knew he just couldn’t not! We see his face when Macaque forces the ritual to keep going, he(Wukong) knows that it would take time to let it sink in, complete without anyone getting hurt, and train Mei on how to use it. Another thing that I believe is kind of minor that he lied about is how he got his staff, this one isn’t exactly a lie it’s sort of slightly fabricated truth.

In the book it says that monkey just smashed his way into the dragon of the East’s house, ask if he has weapons, and ends up leaving with a marble pillar turned in to a golden hooped staff through the same hole in wall. Now I don’t particularly remember whether the DOTE was mad or not, but there’s that.

The only time I remember his telling the truth (sorta) was when Mk first, officially, met him.

“Look, I’m gonna come clean, I’ve kinda been watching you for awhile now.”

I think thats what he said, now we also know that Wukong cares very deeply for Mk. He even apologized to him about noodles!(I know it wasn’t about the noodles.)

Tiny little note: This is regarding the relationship between Wukong and Mac. In the beginning they both seemed to care for each other, deeply. But when Wukong betrays the brotherhood, shit got dark real quick. Mac was obliviously the most hurt out of all. Imagine if your best friend/sibling/love(possibly) straight got up and left. And mind you, it seemed to be a healthy relationship. And let’s say that Mac did attack the Monk causing his death, imagine wukong finally seeing one of his closest friends again and he has to hurt/kill him because he attacked a Monk. Imagine the brotherhoods reaction when they realize the ‘coward’ of the group ran off and got himself possibly killed. And imagine Wukongs surprise when he founds out he(Mac) was revived by a talking skeleton. Relieved? Maybe.

In summary; Wukong is not a bad guy, he just doesn’t clean up his own messes in time. He has trouble with telling the truth because he’s so used to lying. And his closest friend died because of his actions.

Im starting to think that Wukong maybe even wrote the lmk JTTW books. I dunno just another thought.

I haven’t exactly watched the entirety of LMK nor did a read a paragraph of JTTW so if I possibly missed anything or got something wrong of sorts please let me know! More brain food for brain thoughts.

I'm asking for a sibling but, do you know any red flags in therapists to watch out for? Sorry if this makes you uncomfortable-

it doesn't make me uncomfortable, but it isn't always the best to seek advice like this from a blog on tumblr. generally, information seeking like this should be taken to professionals and adults you trust. that being said, in the past decade i've made my way through 7+ therapists and have been seeing my current therapist for more than 3 years, so i do have some things to say on the subject. i'll break this up into two categories- ethical and personal. ethical being the big, far reaching stuff involving the law, and personal being the things that i've learned through experience as being a bad sign. i recognize this is for a sibling, but for ease of writing, i'll be using the pronoun 'your'. and keep in mind that for the personal stuff, that these issues are complex and nuanced, and my experience won't be everyone's.

ethical:

lack of privacy - if your therapist spills the beans to someone about your personal problems without your consent, that's a big red flag. this is a little complicated if you're a minor, as parents think they have a right to know, and some therapists may tell and some won't, depending on their personal style. but if they go, 'oh yeah, i was talking to my non fellow professional buddy joe about your situation', that's generally a red flag

sexual advances - should be obvious. a therapist has a unique role of power in their client's life, and it shouldn't be abused. any sexual advances or desires for a romantic relationship are forbidden by their code of ethics. red flag if they express an interest in these things.

'multiple relationships' - by this, i mean a therapist shouldn't generally be seeing you outside their work or be in a relationship type with you that would get in the way of their work. this can be complicated because the nature of therapy from my experience is that they're closer than a professional friend but more distant than a regular friend. the explanation i use is that i like my therapist and enjoy the work we do together, but i wouldn't invite him out for coffee to gossip about the neighbors. there are certain boundaries that we both abide by.

lack of consent/informed consent - a therapist should give people information enough to make an informed decision about the course of their treatment. if they don't do this, that's a red flag.

lying about their experiences - putting those under the same category. if they're lying about where they got their degree from or their experience, run. that's a major red flag.

if you want more details on any of these things, look up their code of ethics and give it a read, they explain the law better than i can. but this is a generalized crash course of the biggest things in there.

personal:

this is stuff that isn't against the law, but should still be watched out for:

'only one solution' - i once had a psychologist tell me that only medication would fix my problems. and that talk therapy did nothing. this is... blatantly false. talk therapy takes time and effort, but it's not 'worse than useless' as she suggested. i dropped her after our first session. because why would i go to a psychologist to talk, if she believes that talking doesn't help? in general terms, the human brain is complicated, trauma is complicated, and the path to healing isn't easy. if a therapist tries to take your options away, or suggest that their path is the only path you can take to being better, be wary. there are multiple techniques therapists use, and some will be better than others, but if they're proposing 'my way or the highway'... that's bad. there is no one size fits all in these circumstances.

leaving your sessions in a bad place emotionally. this one is kind of complicated, but my current therapist does his best to make sure we don't end on a sour note in our session. due to the nature of the work we do, this is sometimes inevitable. but if you're leaving every session feeling worse than when you went in, and your therapist opens up (or lets you open up) big topics within the last ten minutes of a session, and doesn't close them off so you can function for the rest of the day, that's bad. generally, me and my therapist have an unspoken rule that the last ten minutes of any session coming back to a more stable place before we part ways. you don't cut someone's skin open to remove an abscess, and then shrug your shoulders five minutes later and say 'we'll take care of this next week.' again, not always avoidable, but if every session finishes like that, be wary. an example of what my therapist does would be what happened about seven months ago. we explored some new topics, i talked about some stuff that i hadn't mentioned before that was... exceptionally dark. i'm pretty open about my experiences on tumblr, but there are things that happened to me that i don't even talk to friends about. point being, we processed through some stuff together, and then in the last ten minutes, my therapist told me a story that involved his dog eating an entire plateful of broccoli off the dining room table when his back was turned, and how terrible the dog's farts smelled for the rest of the day. i, being a connoisseur of lowbrow humor, laughed until i cried. it was a fantastic and hilarious way to lighten the mood, and helped me regain my balance before i had to move on to the rest of my day. there are many examples i have of this, but that one sticks out the most. again, there are some sessions you'll leave feeling like shit. but if stuff's getting brought up last minute that's not addressed, bad sign.

not letting a client get a word in edgewise. - seems obvious, doesn't it? i had a therapist who would not shut up, and i left his sessions about 30-40 minutes later than the standard time. he didn't have that many clients, so he had extra time for individual people, but it was him talking the entire time and giving me his opinion after i'd describe the problem in one sentence. not a good therapist. dropped him pretty quickly.

not letting a client lead the session - if a therapist says, 'we are going to talk about this today' and you say you don't want to, and the therapist tries to put pressure on you to talk about something you clearly aren't ready to talk about, BAD SIGN. it may not seem obvious, but a client is and should always be in control of how a session goes. a therapist should never demand a session be taken in a particular direction, and they shouldn't put a crap ton of pressure on you to talk about a subject if you're not ready to or don't have the energy to tackle it. there may be times when they gently nudge you to talk more about something, especially if it is important, but a client is always the one in control and makes the final decision. if a therapist tries to take that away from you, that's bad. it's also bad if they never let you take an easy day or acknowledge your desire for a break from heavy topics.

yeah, the reason i've had more than 7 therapists in the past decade is because i am exceptionally picky. and i have the right to be, considering the work i'm doing. i hope this helps.

my experience with juju (@seakicker).

hello, i would like to begin this by saying that i did not want to post this. however, i believe that it is at this point justified. i have spent a few months having issues with her, and it reached a breaking point when i was offered no opportunity to explain myself when presented with false accusations by juju in dms.

before getting in to anything i would like to share a note. screenshots of messages here are either from a public discord server, or have been retrieved with permission of the person that sent them. i do not believe it is okay to share private dms publicly, thus will not be doing so - there will only be summaries of private dms mentioned. in these screenshots, the names of users will be blocked out. some (primarily the ones from my public server) contain irrelevant messages that just happened to be in the middle of a conversation. they are not relevant, especially considering most of the people in them are no longer in the server. in addition to this, i think it is perhaps worth noting that "fauna" is my new alias, thus why it is present in most screenshots. 

i do not have an exact date, but some time prior to february 7th i noticed that i was blocked on tumblr. initially i just let it slide, because i believe that the block button exists for a reason.

to myself, i narrowed it down to three things that it could be. 

first of all is this occurrence from january 31st. for context, this is the same day that my discord server was made (link to the post that i made announcing the server). she was amongst the people who joined and the topic of tumblr’s tagging system occurred. 

whilst i do regret pointing this out, i was reassured by juju that it was okay and that she did not think that i was trying to be rude. furthermore, i proceeded to apologize in dms and was once again reassured. i did not think about this again. 

the second conversation i do not have screenshots of, and for that reason i shall explain. what occurred was another tumblr user made a comment regarding blackwashing in my server. please bear in mind that my server was new, and me and the rest of the staff team worked as quickly as we could to come up with a way to go about this. the person who made the comment was justly reprimanded and warned in a channel that is hidden from everybody except for me and my admins. the messages were deleted both in the channel that this occurred and in the hidden punishment channel (that part happens during every instance). (this has since been fixed with the addition of a bot to log such messages).

juju continued to attempt to educate this user in the public channel. staff did not really step in which was regretful, though there is no turning back the clock. this was settled privately. i have since explained this to juju in private messages, of which this issue was thus explained and dealt with. 

finally, the reason that seemed to be the nail in the coffin and caused me to get blocked was me unfollowing her. i was not aware that i had done so until over a month later (march 13th to be specific) as this was caused by a glitch with tumblr itself. this same glitch also caused me to unfollow other mutuals.

i put his behind me and did my best to move on. yes, i am guilty of venting to mutuals about what happened. but i made it explicit every single time that i was in no way trying to change anybody’s opinions. i never intended it with any malice towards juju. and please feel free to ask anybody who i vented to about this, i am sure that they will back me up here. (because again, private dms.)

after being told that she was also talking to others about me, i saw no issue. however, when somebody comes to me and shares screenshots of a conversation where juju has shared messages from the aforementioned january 31st occurrence, i felt extremely uncomfortable. the screenshots were cropped to exclude the messages where some of my apologies and parts where she said that everything was okay and that things she knew i meant no harm were cropped out.

again, i do not recall ever having sent private dms to people. all that i sent were screenshots of what happened in my public server, which i deem entirely valid to do because it is a public thing. if this has ever happened, i sincerely apologize and that will never happen again. 

after these screenshots were brought to my attention ( march 31st ), i made a vent post regarding things. yes, i was supposedly wrong about these accusations. i have since cut contact with the person who made me believe them. this is something that i apologized to juju for in dms, and thus something that i believed she accepted.

shortly after i made this post, i privately messaged juju on discord. again, i will not share screenshots of this conversation. a lot of miscommunications were discussed and seemed like they had been resolved, including all of the points above.

apologies were exchanged, and i truly believed this to be the end of things. whilst juju seemed happy to return to being mutuals, i expressed my discomfort with it, and suggested that i need the time to heal, which she said she respected. generally, things ended on fairly amicable terms.

on april 13th, i was made aware that juju was again talking shit about me. this was due to a third party who had joined her server, someone whom had been banned from my own discord server. for context, after much discussion, i decided to introduce a rule banning cis men from my server due to the actions of this person as well as members expressing discomfort with men in nsfw spaces as a whole. i made the decision after a long discussion with admins and mods, and added the rule on march 18th.

i let this slide once again, because it was such a minor thing to me.

however, on april 30th i was made aware of this, and i'll just let the images speak for themself here.

( link to ask )

here you can see somebody (names blocked for privacy) that is telling me about their experiences with juju, including how they were encouraged to send a spiteful anon to me. i wholeheartedly trust this person based on my interactions with them. 

finally, i will deny any claims regarding me spreading juju's real name and proceeding to make fun of it. i never did this, as i do not know her name. i am aware that her discord profile was linked to other accounts, as this was a passing comment made by a friend of mine. in no way do i agree with doxxing in any way, shape, or form, much less bullying somebody for their name. i wish to also note here that i have asked juju about this (that is what i was referring to in this ask), as well as making a follow up message that i will happily welcome into my discord server to see for herself. 

i genuinely have no clue why this has continued for so long. it's contributed to my stress and put a lot of strain on me. i wish only to exist in my little corner of the internet and not be dragged into this. this will be my final post about this situation as i wish to move on from it. i was genuine when i told juju earlier today that i wished to just ignore one another and put this past us, but i feel a need to share my experiences and sides of the story. 

thank you for listening, i genuinely appreciate it. i don't wish to say anything further on this, unless juju herself is willing to reach out and reconcile. thank you again.

— thena.

I am a bit lost for words. I didn't know you'd be upset or that you've been asked the questions I asked countless times already. All the interviews I mentioned are interviews that have been known by most people in the aot fandom...

Kamiya san never said Levi and Erwin were not even friends...

Anyway, thanks for answering... I think because you've answered these questions before you kind of brushed of all my questions to tell me it wasn't canon. Please, I wasn't trying to push you to think they are canon. I simply wanted to be able to take off my own shipper goggles but your answers have still left me confuse because the wasn't any concrete answers that didn't seem like an annoyed rant.

There is so much hostility toward the Eruri fandom by Levi stans even tho there are people who literally ship Levi with Eren. It's baffling.

There's plenty there that's concrete. You brushing my answers off as "not concrete" pretty much proves my point. Nothing you noted to me or claimed has any, evidentiary backing. It's all pure speculation and assumption and applied meaning with nothing to actually back it up, which is what I told you, which is why I don't take any of it seriously. You read meaning into scenes which is colored by your bias of wanting to see it as romantic, and when I tell you so, you tell me I've offered you nothing concrete. I gave you explanations which make infinitely more sense, when taken in the context of the actual events unfolding in the story, than to simply say it's "meant to be seen as romantic". An example, you trying to imply that Levi holding the serum to his chest is somehow indicative of his feelings for Erwin, when all it is, as I explained, is Levi hesitating because he's just discovered Erwin is alive. You want it to mean that Levi's heart is hurting, or whatever, but it literally doesn't mean anything other than what I've laid out. How is that "not concrete"? I am annoyed, because I get asks like this constantly and I've repeatedly stated that I don't want to talk about this anymore, but no one ever listens. You must know my stated stance on Eruri, so you must know what my answers will be, and yet you continue to needle me about it, like you can't just simply accept my answers.

I didn't brush your questions off. I literally went through every one and gave you my legitimate thoughts on each. You presented nothing to me which proves, or even suggest that Levi is in love with Erwin, because there simply isn't anything to support the notion. What's so confusing about that? What's so hard to accept about that?

I'm not hostile toward Eruri shippers, I'm just sick of these inane, persistent and obsessive questions I get, over and over, most of which in fact are aimed at me with the intent to argue. I said I'm sorry for being harsh, but you have to understand this from my perspective.

It's beyond tiring at this point. I gave you thorough answers to your questions, you then accuse me of brushing you off and not giving you anything concrete, because they weren't the answers you wanted, and then you act confused as to why I'm being so blunt. This kind of act gets to me, this constant hiding behind a facade of innocent intent or ignorance, as if you don't know what my opinion already is. You do, I'm sure, but you keep pushing. I've talked about this particular topic more times than I can count. You provide no evidence for the things you claim Isayama has said, saying it's because you don't know how to link to the source. There's endless supplies of false rumors and mistranslations floating around out there, and none of it matters, as I've repeatedly stated, because, again, the only thing that matters is what's in the manga/anime. That' IT. Even if Isayama said whatever it is you claim he said, it doesn't matter, because those are just off-handed, spur of the moment, vague answers given without much thought in live settings, or they're interview answers given in the midst of his writing the story, which necessarily means he can't give complete, fleshed out answers to anything, either because he didn't have a fully formed picture in his head at the time of where things were going, or he couldn't reveal what he knew because it would spoil the story.

If you want to believe Levi was in love with Erwin, go right ahead. But don't pretend like there's actual, concrete evidence or proof of it in the story, because there isn't.

I've written three replies to you now, and you haven't shown an ability to accept my answers on either one. You want to believe Levi and Erwin are romantically involved, and nothing to the contrary is going to matter to you, including the lack of proof in canon. I think this conversation is done now.

 3 notes

Just bc Sam's a bad person doesn't mean this whole blog's at fault, and when I explained how Sam was a liar about a bunch of things, Club was quick to understand then cut ties with him. However, before then, it was hard to understand what exactly was going on, especially bc at that time SAM was the one manipulating me (He still tries to of course, but no longer succeeds.) and made me believe I was at fault, so because of that I tried reassuring Club that Sam wasn't bad. Before he manipulated me, I already had a hunch he was a bad person, and warned Club about it. I was basically very confused about Sam back then, and this caused Club to get confused. I should've thought rationally about the whole thing to give Club a proper warning without any confusion, so it's not his fault. However now he does know Sam is terrible. (Especially considering the fact Sam lashed out at Club and falsely accused him of stealing his Discord mod thingy or whatever.) Club would never be friends with Sam if he was properly aware of what kind of person he is and what he's done.

1 note

Ugh a hypocritical nutcase is throwing baseless slander at Club and threatening to get him arrested, wHy On EaRtH iS hE uPsEt??!!

1 note

No hon, what I think you mean is Club is nice to me unlike you, so no shit I know who to trust.

 1 note

Yet to this day he's still very active on the internet. Y'know, you won't be able to scare innocent people anymore when you give these empty threats and...they prove to be nothing but bluff.

2 notes

My guy, how is me liking to roleplay with my friend him grooming me? You know throwing that word around hurts awareness of the actual thing, right? You really need to understand not all roleplays are erp smh. And that part where you say your blog doesn't dox people?? OOPS! You doxxed Tri and sent some magazine, and I'm pretty sure it was an erotic one too bc you guys are creeps, and on my last post, I called out this...4 notes .

Oh wow! So yeah DADramaNow, your blog is indeed full of doxxers and/or people who are perfectly fine with doxxing someone. Keep lying, I'll be happy to tear those lies down.

3 notes

That post of his wasn't even about you, but you made it about yourself...and again Club didn't actually commit pedophilia, but YOU did indeed commit harassment among many other things...including pedophilia :)

And why do you think childishly pretending to take away Club's OC will work...? He ain't gonna listen to your ass, honey. And he is a victim of your lies and harassment, meanwhile you're a privileged pos who's not a victim of anything. And for the love of God leave his poor mom alone, she has no idea of this shit-hole drama's existence and is probably a wonderful woman. Don't paint her as a hateful alcoholic.

Aight I'm once again done for now, bye!

Manipulation as a concept is something many people have trouble defining the borders of, but in the end, there are rules of thumb that make someone less of a red flag.

“Sorry….” Deuce trailed thoughtfully after Cleo finished the explanation of her pristine plans. The one that will hopefully help Claw burst ahead of Stripes.

But he was half-paying attention and caught only bits and pieces. He wanted to help, but it was hard to not pay attention to the fact that Cleo has changed a lot lately. For the better.

He doesn’t think Princess De Nile would’ve lifted a pretty finger for others last year. Now it feels like she is carrying the world on her shoulders for the good of others.

“I got caught up with the fact that You’ve been working so hard lately. Have you even had a break today?”

      SORRY? confusion knitted her brows, snapping attention upward from where she had her eyes glazed over her phone screen. recipes, invites, banners... all the stuff that draculaura's swift work of magic hadn't covered. granted, now that particular tactic was temporarily banned, so if they were going to do this the much-less-forbidden way, the vampire sorceress couldn't assist with her spells. this was a fact more than fine with cleo, for the dark haired princess had the PERFECT ideas crafted… she knew a lot about getting people to follow her, after all. free things were definitely the way... especially if one of such things included food.             regardless of such knowledge within her mind, that didn’t mean she immediately understood why deuce was apologizing. was he about to say he wasn't going to help? why in the world would he refuse taking the opportunity to promote claw and defeat toralei? there was no way, and she fluttered her eyes a bit, wondering just how tired her brain was from focusing so hard that entire morning. she l i v e d ( unlived? ) for this sort of stuff... that didn’t mean the weight of it hadn’t started to wear her thin.     she couldn’t reveal as much; being tired was the sort of thing her father would scold her over and nefera would laugh. de niles didn't stop... not with victory on the line.                   ( though they would also glare upon the fact that the victory would technically belong to clawdeen. )         royal’s tongue clicked, lowering her device as snake haired lad started to explain the reasoning for sudden apology. it was simultaneously surprising to hear while also not at all. despite the ways of trouble he had once indulged upon, cleo fondly could recall the tender compassion deuce had always carried for others. it had always added such delight to his bad-boy facade... though golden flecked grace had to shove such l i n g e r i n g aches from her thoughts. smile curved elegant expression, but left it laced with deviousness. as well as a mild, false tease of offense.                   "deuce, i always work hard. clawdeen may be in the running for prefect, but i still run this school. that doesn't happen without handling things myself." it wasn't an entire joke, but she found that her usual strain of demanding popularity didn't feel quite so wound together. her family ALREADY knew she wasn't in the running, that argument had long passed. no sense in whining over the school's picks.       besides, were she honest, even she knew their werewolf companion was the better pick to run against tor. an excellent balance of sweet to the werecat's spicy. the sort of thing cleo wasn't known for... a fact her heart noted and hung a bit heavy with.                     long breath was taken, feeling the warm air of late summer settling into her lungs. it was nice... the cold left lingering feelings on lonesome and anxiety dwelling in her being. tainting a soul she wasn't sure she had. could a body without a heart have such a thing? did monsters enjoy such pleasures? or would osiris have little concern for hers considering who her father was?                     ...questions she had no readiness for answers.         "i don't NEED a break, what i need is a way to make dozens upon dozens of cookies! with clawdeen's face!" pause, depths growing soft yet sparking with sudden glow. "does heath have that cake printer still...?"

@storybounded

Hello! Can i get a message from my sm please? I hope you're good 💗

-K

Hi! I heard a voice begin speaking when I saw this message today. Here’s what came up:

Hello love

How’re you this evening (thick non-posh British accent, smacking gum) Me? I’m alright. Just been bopping about town, getting up to some shenanigans. (Images of them like walking in a circle with their finger trailing on the table, it’s coming in circularly) You’re only young once you know. (Wearing black leather jacket, black jeans, very like throwback to the 50s vibe, black and white striped shirt) And I for one intend to live it up (very flirty). Just been partying a bit, having a good time (they come across as sort of manipulative, I feel like they’re avoiding something and are like walking around topics). Yeah maybe I am avoiding something but I don’t want to talk about it. I already know what to do. It’s a time thing. So yeah, it’s maybe eating me up inside a bit but it’s fine. I’ll get through it. (Avoiding emotions, do you do this too? I’m feeling like this is showing up to mirror something to you?)

Reading notes:

Their energy is super weird. Like smooth and serpentine. Like very much a person who knows how to maneuver people, but I think that energy is slicked over someone with some sort of deep pain going on beneath the surface, but they are hiding it behind this sly sort of charm. It was really weird to read them. I feel like this may be the energy of a person you will meet much later in life. The energy they are in now is very low vibe like player energy, very disconnected from their spirit which is why I think this connection is a ways off for you.

I think soon this person will be jolted into a different reality where they have to let this mask go. I think it felt so unsettling to me because their soul and their mask have some sort of karmic tie, like normally I see peoples souls or higher selves which is how they explain so much, but this one it’s like the higher self can’t come through fully. It’s somehow connected to this weird sly persona.

It took me a bit to get below it but below it is just this deep sadness, I’m not sure if someone died, they seem like the type who has never really had parents or any sort of support really. There’s this vast sadness I felt in them. That’s part of what ties them to the mask is this void they feel within, they don’t feel it when they pretend to be someone else. That’s why it felt so icky! This sly persona I don’t like energetically. It feels just slimy. It’s like they have two selves. The true self that’s hidden beneath the mask that is a character they created, I’m getting this character has a completely different name, like this person becomes someone else. Weird. It was such a strange feeling okay. It’s a survival tactic but I think soon they’re gonna begin working on connecting these two selves and doing the shadow and integration work they need to.

Card Pull

Work Your Light Oracle

It took a minute for this card to fly out so I think this is confirming what I’m saying about this weird connection between your person and this persona. Like they’re clinging to the persona and the universe is trying to whip it away. I think they’re scared of losing this part of themselves because it has kept them safe.

Transformation—things are changing at a cellular level. Deep healing.

Yeah this confirms to me what I’m saying that they are about to or are currently going though something that is making them transform. Like the fact I could get through to the soul at all shows that they are already doing some of the work, but something big and painful is coming on their path that is really gonna make them integrate the two. It will take this level of pain for the false mask to be destroyed. Kinda like how in cartoons you hit your head and lose your memory so if you hit it again, you get the memory back. It’s like this. To break the mask created by pain, the pain of the break must be equal.

How can K help their SM at this time?

Chakra Exploration Deck

These cards took a minute to come out so I’m feeling that you are not meant to focus on this person at this time but instead focus on yourself. This chakra and work that you do for you will also help your person, but do it for yourself.

Crown Chakra— where is despair and lack of faith showing up in your present reality?

Mantra: I possess unshakable faith in the divine hidden order around me. I cultivate hope that heals, inspires & births miracles into form.

So I’m getting that you need to work on trusting more in the goodness of life and that things can become better. This is blocking you from blessings. One of the ways you can work to heal this is by brightening up your living space, like go buy flowers and have plants in your house that you can watch grow and thrive, get a pet or volunteer with an animal organization. These can help you bring some hope to your life. Maybe paint as well.

Songs

This song came to mind while I was making this post

This came through during the transformation card

This came through at the very end of the reading

Some very interesting insights came up during this reading. I highlighted them. Thanks for the chance to read for you, K! Strange reading I know but would love to know how this connects at all.

Not to mention that over the past years, fascists have been slowly taking more and more language for people with schizo and dissociative disorders into their hate-speak/signals to other fascists. (And intellectual disability, but I don’t have one so I don’t think I want to talk on that rn)

Instead of seeing anyone say, “that’s fucked up, and you’re cowards for this”. Wanna know what I’ve seen besides no one noting it? “Watch out for anyone who uses these words!”.

Those words are necessary for psychotic and dissociative people to speak on our experiences, created for us to use, created to speak of us, and those words came from our marginalized lives. And you’re spreading the word that they belong to people who want me dead and have a history of violence to people like me, of eugenics, of fucking homicide, for the literal reason of being mad?

How fucking dare y’all? Both the fascists and the leftist hypocrites. Honestly. “Watch out for [language used by mentally ill group at extremely high risk of violence who still don’t have equal rights] in case they’re a fascist!”. You think that’s ever appropriate to say about people on the schizophrenia and psychotic spectrum disorder, with common persecution paranoia, and to people with DID— which I don’t think I should have to explain why that’s wrong when it’s a group of people who were hurt so badly that they lost their identities and memories?

Are you’re seriously throwing us under the bus and forgetting that the second listed people on the Genocides that have happened in history(and probably ongoing ones too) reads “[ethnicity depending on region], disabled people,…”? Or how the USA psychiatric system was built around eugenics of us, similar to many other countries? That lobotomies didn’t start to end in the USA until the 1960s? That the reason they stopped was financial cost of overcrowded hospitals and being given an antipsychotic that could do the same to us chemically without the procedure?

It wasn’t out of compassion and remorse for their abuse towards us, and I’m not sure if people are overlooking that common sense fact blaring at you when you know how cruel the system is still to this day. & no one saved us.

Both of these groups are already watched by fascists, fyi. Both of these groups are already at a higher risk than average to experience abuse, fyi. Both of these groups face constant social pressure, alienation, disconnection, mockery, and being the punchline of jokes whilst the shock-horror in movies, fyi. The last thing both of these groups needs is people to once again use them as pawns for their gain or more false accusations and misinformation, for your fucking information.

You’re focusing on the dog whistles that are using vulnerable populations to spread hatred as the problem while trying to hide themselves from consequences, but there’s no thought that Nazis are fucking us over and further demonizing us? You’re doing their job for them by pushing the idea that insanity = threat. You’re further harming a group who has no solid protections.

And hilariousssss how an alt right assholes on the net can use our language obnoxiously and incorrectly without anyone batting an eye, but if someone liberal with wild hair and makeup is using that language and says that they have the disorder, your first thought is judgement about them lying or being an attention seeker, you screenshot and make a joke about the person, showing them to thousands as a joke.

Fuck you. I have every right to be paranoid and bite at this point. Fuck you.

Note: Definition of Liberalism:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism

Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed and equality before the law. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but they generally support individual rights (including civil rights and human rights), liberal democracy, secularism, rule of law, economic and political freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, private property and a market economy.

--

1/ There's a small but vocal minority on the right which claims either:

Liberalism is wokeness, or a type of wokeness.

or

Liberalism decays into wokeness and wokeness is an inevitable result of liberalism.

Both claims are wrong and I'll explain why.

A Thread🧵

2/ How can they claim wokeness and liberalism are the same thing? There's two ways:

1. They might conflate agreement on political policy with ideological agreement.

2. They might argue liberals and wokies agree on worldview and ideology, and the differences are merely cosmetic.

3/ The first point is easy to refute: two people can agree on a policy for different reasons. A wokeist and a Libertarian may both think the Iraq war was a mistake; that doesn't mean they agree ideologically. This is obvious, it is the next argument that is far more interesting.

4/ The next argument claims that liberals and wokies really have the same goals, worldview, values and largely the same agenda. This view claims disagreements between wokies and liberals are merely surface level disagreements about how best to enact their shared vision.

5/ This is a mistake. Wokeness and liberalism are totally different worldviews. The liberal worldview says: 1. Reality is accessible by humans 2. Humans can have objectively true knowledge of reality 3. Truth is not relative 4. We can communicate truth clearly and accurately

6/ They make more claims then that, but those are the claims that we will focus on here, because the woke worldview would take issue with all four of those points because the woke world view thinks about knowledge and truth entirely differently then liberals do.

7/ The woke would say: 1. We don't have access to reality only to our expreience of reality 2. Knowledge is created with 'standpoint epistemology' where people's 'knowledge' is rooted in their identity. That is, your social identity is what allows you to know what's true or false

8/ 3. Knowledge and power are intimately connected, and the process of creating and legitimizing knowledge is a political process meant to increase and perpetuate the power of the people doing the process. 4. All truth claims are also justifications to wield power.

9/ In other words, liberals think that rigorous epistemologies (knowledge production guidelines and processes) can give us knowledge about the world that is objectively true. While these can go awry because humans are limited, over time they do give us truth about the world

10/ Wokies deny this. Wokies think what is really going on is each group wants to control the process of deciding what's true because the group that controls that process can say THEIR beliefs are the true beliefs. Whoever decides what is true in society has tremendous power...

11/ And the process of creating "truth" is really just about who gets to decide which beliefs in society are true, who gets believed, and therefore who gets the power.

Obviously these are VERY different views.

12/ So one might argue "sure, liberals and wokists disagree about science and knowledge, but they agree politically, and that's the point."

That's a step away from the original claim, but let's look at that claim for a moment because it will help set up the rest of the thread.

13/ The wokies think science and knowledge creation are political processes they want to use political legislation as a means to influence it. Liberals want the opposite. One of liberalisms highest priorities is removal of politics from science as much as possible

14/ In fact, the wokists read politics of all sorts (almost always identity politics) into everything in that happens in society. Liberals are against this. The liberals believe certain things must remain outside the political realm. Science being one such example.

15/ Clearly these are different worldviews. But this is important because it sets up the second part of our thread regarding The claim that liberalism either decay's into wokeness, or enables forces that cause the decay into wokeness.

Let's turn to that next.

16/ The claim that liberalism decays into wokeness rests on the idea that once you have liberalism, wokeness is unstoppable because liberalism has no defences against wokeness. Liberalism is "thin civilizational gruel" as @SohrabAhmari says here:

17/ The claim here, that liberalism is civilizational grues misses the point. Liberalism is not SUPPOSED to be the thing that gives your life meaning or purpose. Liberalism is a way to resolve conflict within a democratic society without resorting to guns and warfare...

18/ For example, political disputes are resolved through voting, knowledge disputes are resolved through science, value disputes are resolved through the market, and moral disputes are resolved through legislation or through freedom of association. Now, I see the rejoinder:

19/ Liberal systems have been hijacked by wokies because liberalism can't stop a group like wokies who refuse to play the liberal game and instead hijack the liberal system for woke ends. IE: Cancel Culture, getting people fired, and using the education system, to teach wokeness

20/ While it's true that systems of liberalism can be put to misuse, (an achillies heel of liberalism no doubt), I would say the only reason wokeness got a foothold was because we, the liberals, did not react to it quickly enough. It was complacency on the part of liberals....

21/ Which allowed wokeness to metastasize in the space between the academic left and the radical political protest left. This is not good and it should never have been allowed. But the fact it happened does not imply that liberalism necessarily rots into wokeness. After all...

22/ There are woke priests, woke bishops, woke rabbis and so on. Lots of religions that are not "civilizational gruel" have had large swaths accept wokeness. Given just HOW woke the catholic Church is getting, I'm surprised people think Catholicism is wholly immune to wokeness

23/ Besides, liberalism properly construed is not supposed to be civilizationally sustaining, it is supposed to allows competing claims about what is good, true, and meaningful to be resolved peacefully and fairly. That's the goal.

Now, there is one last point to deal with...

24/ It appears to be the case that some people have accepted postmodernism on the right. They have decided that Foucault was essentially correct and that given that foucault was correct, liberalism leads to wokeness because it rejects postmodernism and thus disarms itself...

25/ by refusing to use postmodern tools and postmodern weapons.

This critique is that in the age of technology where all knowledge production is de-centered, it really is a fight over who gets to decide what is true, and power is both to be used, and to be won, in that fight...

26/ I would argue that in such a scenario, the person able to develop the best technology and have the most effective results will rise in prestige in a decentralized environment. That means whoever gets closest to truth will be the winner of whatever power is available...

27/ In which case the best way to proceed is to take as much of the politics out of knowledge production as possible and have a fair method for resolving disputes. This is liberalism.

Those arguing for illiberal methods of defeating wokeness seem to have one thing in common:

28/ They have a desire to use force to just "make things right." This is wish casting, not a solution. If any of the people proposing using force to defeat the woke were capable of gathering the resources to use that force, they would have done so by now. They have not.

29/ Now, I am fully aware that my mentions will be flooded with illiberal people telling me that I just need to accept some postmodernism, or that just a little bit of authoritarianism is needed.

I decline on both counts.

30/ Finally, I have not dealt with every argument one might have made against liberalism. I am aware of this too. I dealt with the arguments that I have seen most often in my feed. I freely admit there are arguments that I have deemed to obscure to be worth dealing with here...

31/ Thanks for reading, lets defend liberalism ok people? It really is the best thing going.

/fin

==

Jonathan Rauch wrote what is often regarded as one of the most definitive - or sometimes even the definitive - books on liberalism and liberal ethics, Kindly Inquisitors.

It should be noted that critique - in the Marxian sense, i.e. rejection - of liberalism is explicit in Critical Theory, the doctrine which underpins the theology of Woke fundamentalism. Delgado and Stefancic's Critical Race Theory: An Introduction, for example, has an entire section on it, titled literally "Critique of Liberalism."