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astral-mariner · 6 months

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Vegebul headcanons: Vegeta fell for Bulma first

So lots of ppl in fanfic often write Bulma falling for Vegeta first. I see it the other way around.

The ship explodes while he's training, and he suddenly has all this downtime he never had while serving under Freeza. They've had surface-level conversations before, gotten at each other's throats over alien-human misunderstandings as well as serious moral and/or experiential differences. But while he's recovering, he gets a bit stir-crazy and just...finds himself around Bulma rather often, and they actually start to get to know each other.

Bulma finds him dark and mysterious---fascinating to her in an almost scientific way because he's so like a human but so different at the same time. She admires his tenacity; though he would never characterize himself as a victim, she knows he's faced grief and hardship, and carrying on with such clarity of purpose anyway is heartening in a way. Meanwhile, Vegeta just doesn't understand why this woman insists on talking to him, making sure he takes care of himself... He can understand her providing gear and housing---she and her friends need him for the upcoming battle. But the interest, openness, and basic kindness she displays baffles him, especially when he is a sworn enemy of Kakarot's. With Nappa and Raditz things were always complicated. So many roles and expectations with him being their prince. But with this Earth woman, there are no expectations at all. So he doesn't know what to do with her.

He won't let himself think of her as beautiful even if his eyes linger on her. He has just seen so few women like her. Certainly, he's never spent so much time with one either. Always on his way to a new planet. No real friends or consistency of any kind. That's not to say he regards her as a friend. Of course not. He tells himself that she's useful. She has resources, power. And she pursues her own ends with intensity and fearlessness---saiyan qualities he understands.

And then she's in his thoughts day and night. He thinks of her scent or her voice when he's trying to train, when he's lying awake and can't sleep. That sparkle in her eyes when he challenges her, but it doesn't shake her in the slightest. Her laugh, her little touches. He's head over heels for her long before they have sex, but he has no context for feelings like that. He just feels like he's losing his mind.

And it scares the shit out of him. How can he focus on transforming and defeating the one who took his birthright and Freeza's death from him when this woman is just fucking haunting him? He doesn't even know it's romantic attraction. He won't even accept that he's sexually attracted even though his body reacts to hers however fiercely he avoids looking at or touching her.

Meanwhile, Bulma has just broken up with Yamcha. She's not really in a place where she's thinking about a new relationship. She might want to have some fun here and there now that she's single, sure, but she's much more focused on the arrival of the Androids. Especially since she knows how hard her future self worked to warn everyone and give them a chance to have a different outcome than she did. And Vegeta is a powerful asset to have on her side. As much of a jerk as he can be, he works tirelessly to prepare himself for the battle, and helping him become stronger may make a difference in their survival.

Sure, it tickles her scientist brain to have an alien living on her property she can ask about space and otherworldly tech whenever she wants. And Vegeta himself has a fascinating (if dark and disturbing) personal history. He's not what she expects in some ways. Proud, and yet also very reserved and even shy. Aggressive and intense, but at the same time thoughtful, introspective, and so dedicated to his calling that she realizes it's a spiritual thing for him, perhaps even religious.

She finds herself enjoying his company even when she knows that she shouldn't. He's not exactly a true ally. He's not a good person. But he's just so...interesting. And he's more attractive than he seems to realize. She indulges a fantasy or two of what he might be like in bed. But it's not serious. She knows she shouldn't. It would never work out. It would be so fucking complicated and fraught for everyone involved. There's no way an alien man would have the same (or even compatible) ideas about relationships or sex. Even if Vegeta did, he'd never fucking tolerate having a frank conversation about it. He's really kind of a prude.

And yet...they spend more time with each other, and the tension between them just builds. Over months and months, it builds slowly but surely. And one day, it just fucking breaks. One evening, they end up closer than usual. Touching each other, and it gets really intense really fast. No time to really discuss where things are going or what anything means---they just need each other in that moment. And it works out. Somehow. It's almost too easy. Despite all the cultural differences. They have sex, and it feels...good.

For Vegeta, sexuality had previously always been something tainted with negativity. What's the point of having a drive for sex, after all, when you're the last of your kind, and fleeting pleasures are hardly more than distractions? But with Bulma, everything just felt so fucking right and good. Like finally getting to experience all the things he'd always wondered about and longed for even if he never admitted it to himself. Things he thought were impossible. Having sex in a situation where he had a real choice in the matter. With a woman when he had spent his whole life having to accept the fact that no saiyan women had survived. On top of everything, not only does he want her---desperately---but she wants him in return. How she squirms when he touches her, how her scent changes, how she trembles and whimpers when he gets to do all the things he never let himself want before.

It just completely and utterly unravels him, and he can't get enough of her. He thought that, just maybe, if he gave in and slept with her, she wouldn't fucking haunt him anymore, but it just gets fucking worse. He needs her like water. Like if he doesn't get to be in her presence and touch her, he will just fucking lose it even more than he already has. And it fucking terrifies him. He's only ever wanted one thing: to transform and make things right after Freeza destroyed everything. But now he's preoccupied, and he can't handle it. He doesn't know what to do. What any of it means. What he really wants out of any of it. And he has no idea what she wants either. Only that however many times he tries to stay away from her, they always end up tangled up again. He couldn't even tell her how he feels even if he wanted to because he's so clueless about what's happening to him.

Meanwhile Bulma is just absolutely floored by how intense everything is from the beginning. She wonders if it's a saiyan thing, or if he's just intense like that himself. She doesn't know what Vegeta's full history with sex is, but she knows it's complicated. All she knows is that he kisses her like it's his last day on Earth. That he fucks her like he couldn't resist her if he tried (and he does try). And she can't help but ride that high. She brings this mysterious, strong, and austere man to his knees, and her power over him is intoxicating. She knows she shouldn't play around with someone so dangerous even if she's convinced he'll become an ally eventually. She knows that most of her friends wouldn't approve. It's not like she wants to DATE Vegeta. But gods...his desperation, the way he almost worships her, how wild and even frightening he can be---she can't help but indulge herself at least a little bit even if it's against her better judgment. It's not serious, after all. It's not like Vegeta of all people would even want to be some kind of partner to her anyway. He just wants sex (right?), and that's all she wants too. So she proposes a friends-with-benefits situation that they are determined to keep on the down-low.

Vegeta's head is just spinning at all of this. He still doesn't fucking know what to do with her. He can't have an attachment to her---especially not now when his sole focus needs to be transforming---but imagining his life without her is just... So he just lets her call it whatever she pleases, as long as no one else is involved and no one else knows about it. The weakness all the more glaring and real if other people know about it. He can tell himself he is just having sex with her so he can stay focused on training. Nothing more than that. Certainly not.

Over the course of it, Vegeta's feelings for her just intensify. If he was head over heels before they had sex, the more time they spend and the more intimate they become, he only falls more madly in love with her. And while Bulma tells herself that feelings aren't really involved for her beyond the friendship she develops with him, she has little pangs of romantic longing that hit her out of nowhere from time to time. Almost hard not to when the sex is the way that it is. She wonders sometimes if he has feelings for her. Real feelings. But he just couldn't, right? She's just being a silly hopeless romantic like she was when she was younger, and she's over that. He's an alien with a tortured past, and he's not boyfriend material, and she's fine with that. That's not what she wants anyway. Certainly not right now with the end of the world around the corner.

We all know how things go down after this, though, don't we?

But yeah. I headcanon Vegeta falls first and harder, whereas Bulma falls gradually after they become involved. Bulma has experienced good relationships before, and she wasn't looking for a romance with Vegeta in the wake of her breakup. Vegeta, on the other hand, hasn't experienced romantic love or sexual attraction where things weren't fucked up and fraught in some way before. So his "relationship" (re: passionate affair) with Bulma means so much more to him even if he couldn't articulate it. It completely blows him away, but he doesn't have the context or emotional insight to make sense of it. So he just panics, lol.

#yes I am planning to write a 3 Year Gap fic eventually #once I finish my Vegeta/Raditz under Freeza fic #vegebul #vegeta #bulma #I wrote a super shitty one waaaay back in the day #and my thoughts have evolved a lot over time #headcanons #astral.txt

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anncanta · 7 months

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@alma37

There is one more thing in the ending of ‘Dracula’, which probably seemed so obvious to me that I almost never said it. The point is that the final scene, the moment with sex, represents not only the expression of Dracula's feelings but – perhaps most of all – Agatha's own desire.

It's hard to explain. We saw those understandable coincidences (which are never coincidences, especially in Moffat's writing) in other episodes where Dracula drinks someone's blood. Just drinking blood is one thing, especially in order to satisfy physical hunger. Here we are not talking about hunger at all, and not about the process of drinking blood as such. We see two people between whom a very specific dialogue is going on. Very precisely and openly spoken one. A dialogue in which the words are so carefully chosen that no one is left in doubt about what we are witnessing.

Someone has already noted that of all Dracula's victims, only Agatha sees him in her dream, and more than openly in the finale. And we, I hope, will talk about this again. But it is important to remember that Dracula ‘gets’ out of his victims their secret thoughts and desires, something that they may not always admit to themselves.

Remember the conversation between Agatha and Jonathan? Jonathan is obviously ashamed of his dreams about Mina. This is clear from Agatha's words. If Jonathan had been ashamed to talk about these dreams, she would have said so, ‘There is no shame in sharing this with us. It is not only what you did in Dracula's castle that is important, but also everything you thought about and what you felt, right down to your fantasies and dreams.’ She literally says this when they return to her question about whether he had sexual intercourse with the Count. And then she suddenly drops her usual pragmatic tone and begins to talk about dreams as heaven in which we can sin without fear of being punished.

I think this is the same pragmatism, only in relation to something else – ‘stop being ashamed of your dreams and tell me about them.’ Agatha sees perfectly well who Jonathan is, and she understands perfectly well that if he decides that talking about something is wrong or ‘undignified’, he will never tell – even if she threatens to cut him into pieces. Therefore, she, like a smart investigator, uses reasonable tactics that will help her counterpart talk.

Jonathan's dream and its meaning are clear to Agatha precisely because she is looking from the outside. She doesn't notice her own infatuation with the Count – until she stumbles upon Mina's shocked look in response to the words that ‘Dracula is the best among vampires,’ and immediately corrects herself – ‘the most successful one.’ She can see a situation, though: Dracula gives the victim what he wants. And Moffat and Gatiss want us to remember this. Then this will be repeated several times, but not as clearly as with Jonathan.

In this context, by the way, Zoe's reaction is interesting. Dracula, just like with Agatha, is quite frank with her and, unlike other victims, drags Zoe ‘to his home.’ But there she reacts like everyone else – immediately manifesting her desires. ‘You are killing me?’ And, just like with the others, Dracula gives her what she wants, ‘It doesn't have to hurt.’

But let's return to Agatha. From what we've seen, it's clear that the ending is a gift for her because that's what she wanted. Whether she realized it or not, whether she thought it was normal or unacceptable, she wanted to make love to him. And he wanted it too.

That's why the ending is so harmonious. And so even those who don't like it conceptually often can't stop rewatching this part.

Such is the power of art.

#bbc dracula #count dracula #dracula 2020 #dracula bbc #agatha van helsing #dragatha #zoe van helsing

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its-the-sa · 10 months

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Here's another giant ask because I've been thinking about this for a while and I needed to share it with somebody.

The scavenger chieftain is really merciful towards Arti, given the circumstances. When I first reached that part, I was expecting to be sniped by a spear from across the map. But he doesn't attack you, despite having every reason to. Like, the Metropolis scavengers most likely have literally nothing to do with the scavengers that killed Arti's kids, and it's not like they understand why Arti is doing what she's doing. The scav king knows Arti has killed countless members of his group, probably people he knew personally and cared about. Maybe even his family.

But he doesn't attack you. You have to start the fight. He just points to the exit. He wants you to back away, to stop before you take this final step and seal your fate. He should have all the reasons in the world to want you dead by now, but he gives you a final chance to walk away.

It's what made me interested in the scav king as a character. For some reason, he doesn't want to fight you. One idea I had is that he's well aware of Arti being trapped in a cycle of violence, either due to having experienced something similar or his understanding of karma. (He has the mark of communication and I'm willing to bet he's met the Metropolis echo, who was also trapped in a cycle of violence. He's probably heard an explanation of the cycles and karma from Five Pebbles as well.) So, he knows very well what Arti is getting herself into and hopes that maybe she can still see reason before it's too late.

Another idea I had, and this is totally fanon and not supported by anything in-game but I thought it sounded fun- what if they knew each other before? Like, what if they were friends all the way back when Arti lived in the Garbage Wastes and wasn't hostile to scavengers, and the scav king was just a normal dude. Just a regular John J. Scavenger. Eventually, he finds the citizen ID drone and brings a bunch of his friends to the Metropolis, gets the mark of communication from Five Pebbles (who, I imagine at this point, doesn't really care that much if the scavengers live in his city and only gets mad at them once they start ripping out bits of his can). Flash forward years later and this normal scav is now a chieftain with a prosperous tribe, and he's wondering what happened to that weird red slugcat he met all those years ago when they re-appear out of nowhere and begin violently murdering his tribe members. That would be A Little Awkward Huh.

That's just my silly little headcanon, I'd love to hear your thoughts though. How do you interpret the scav king's actions here?

bro, you pretty much just summed up exactly why i ship them lol.

the scav king is the ONE person who refuses to treat arti like a monster, even when she's so far gone that she even disgusts and horrifies herself. he's the one person who will not feed into her spiral of self-loathing, no matter how hard she tries to earn his hatred. he refuses to strike first no matter how many times she tries to kill him. he always tries to reason with her. he always fights one-on-one, even though he has an entire kill squad ready to back him up.

but he doesnt let her victimize him, either. he gives her a choice, and he respects the choice she makes even when it's the wrong one. he kills her without hesitation when she forces his hand, but then he's always ready to offer mercy again, always ready to give her another chance.

and i just feel like that's exactly what arti needs. someone who is both compassionate enough and resilient enough to weather the storm of her rage until it burns itself out, and still be willing to offer mercy when she's finally ready to accept it.

... what was this ask about again? lol

RIGHT, ok. so. motivation. lets do this.

first of all I love the idea that they knew each other in the past. it would make a lot of sense, and it'd fit perfectly with my headcanon that arti used to be friends with the garbage wastes scavs before everything went to hell. and I love the drama that would come from two old friends having to fight each other to the death.

it's not the case in my personal headcanon though, just because I already have a backstory fleshed out for the scav king that would make it pretty much impossible for them to have met before.

however, i DO think that he sympathizes with arti because he's been though something similar. I think he lost someone very important to him when he was young, and just like arti, he also threw himself into a futile quest for revenge because he didnt know how else to cope. but instead of going on solo rampage, he raised a whole ass army and started a war.

he got to where he is through sheer spite and thirst for vengeance. he never really wanted to be a leader; he just wanted manpower to throw at his enemy. but after seeing his people get killed in service to him, he realized he is responsible for them now, and he needs to put their safety and wellbeing before his vendetta. so, while he is still angry and he does still carry his old grudge, it no longer consumes his life. he's learned that there are more important things to live for.

so, yeah, he definitely understands arti's rage. and he sympathizes with her, because he has his own people's blood on his hands, too. but he's learning, and he's trying to be better, and he believes that arti can be better too if someone gives her a reason to try.

...also, his default personality has 0.00 aggression and 0.99 sympathy stats, so he is arguably just wired to be Like That, lol

(i say 'default' because technically his stats are randomized each time you fight him, but he always uses the same sprite, which is scav king ID 8875. so to me that ID's stats are the canon ones, lol )

#rain world #scavenger king #rw regicide #sorry I am shipping trash

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thatpodcastkid · 2 months

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Magnus Archives Relisten 6, MAG 6 Squirm

Sorry this is late, but hey, Worm Sex Guy! You hate to see it.

Facts: Statement of Timothy Hodge, regarding his sexual encounter with Harriet Lee and her subsequent death. Statement given December 9, 2014.

Statement Notes: Really one of the most destroyed characters in the series. Man works from home, pretty isolated, gets a few days off. Decides to go to a club and hook up with a cute girl. Immediately contracts demon STD and has to burn his house down. Absolutely crushing loss for the weirdo community.

Substances are brought up again in this episode. Hodge states that he does drink and use drugs, but wasn't drunk that night. This was particularly note-worthy in this episode because, while Jon usually cites someone's substance use as a reason to dismiss their statement, he believes Hodge encountered one of Prentiss' victims even though he admits to drinking that night. This proves that Jon was just looking for excuses to dismiss statements, not actually doubting the existence of the supernatural.

"Writhe."

That verb, "writhe." That encompasses so much of the fear in this episode, so much of Jane Prentiss. That's what's always scared me about the worms: the way the crawl, and dig, and writhe. Jonny is such an incredible writer because he puts that image in your head well before you can even fathom Prentiss as a long-term threat. He makes you afraid before you know what to be afraid of.

Another motif that comes up in this episode is the sense of false security. When Lee enters Hodge's apartment, she calms down. Even though she doesn't have a real reason to, she thinks she's safer there. I think this is a really realistic element that Jonny Sims uses often. Real people know they're more likely to be killed by a friend than a stranger, that you're not safer just because the light's on, that the blanket doesn't do anything, but we let these things make us feel safe and secure anyway. It makes sense that a horror character would do the same thing.

Lee mentions that when she woke up after being "mugged" by Prentiss, there was no wound where she was "stabbed." Assuming this is where the worm pierced her, this means that they can burrow into people without scarring them. But they still scar Prentiss herself, as well as Tim and Jon. Is it because Prentiss has repeat exposure? Is it part of her identity as an Avatar? Were Jon and Tim scarred as a means to make them more afraid or just to cause them more pain? Was it because the worms were less developed? Could it have been part of the ritual?

Entity Alignment: Hmm. Hmm I wonder what entity this could be connected to. Such a difficult choice. Hmm.

In all seriousness, I love this episode as an introduction to the Rot. It not only sets up the rest of the season but also how Prentiss functions. Once again, you don't understand why you should be afraid yet, but you know you should be.

Shout out to the Desolation for Hodge burning down his house. Very interesting that most of the Fears can be destroyed through the Desolation. Although I'm sure their ritual was flawed, I do think they were second most likely to succeed, right after the Eye obviously.

Speaking of the Eye, Sims really effectively foreshadows the crux of things through the paranoia motif. While they're in the club, Hodge says that Harriett kept checking the doors and looking at the exits, and she kept nervously glancing around as they walked home. She knows something is coming for her, she knows she should be afraid. The knowledge of what is going to happen is what makes it all the worse. This is why I think it always had to be the Eye who would end the world; people need some level of awareness to be truly afraid of something. Even the horrifying lack of awareness that comes from the Stranger or the Spiral becomes simple confusion without a moment or two of clarity. The Eye makes everyone in the apocalypse keenly aware of what is attacking them, what will happen to them, and that is why they're all so deeply afraid.

Character Notes: Jon explicitly states that he knows Prentiss is an issue. He acknowledges that she has consistently attacked people and caused harm through supernatural means. Yet he still attempts to deny other statements. The fact that he keeps up this facade for so long really shows how it isn't just denial or pretending, but a defense mechanism. If he doesn't look to hard at things, they can't hurt him. But because he was Eye-aligned from the start, he has to keep looking at things. He can't help himself.

(He also established that Prentiss' worms are canonically an STD, do with this what you will)

Sasha's really collected evidence in these last couple of episodes. So much really could have been solved if they had her skills in later seasons. That's probably why the Stranger targeted her. I miss her.

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k-martins · 7 months

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May i rant?

The way Gege implies that Naoya and Mei were pedos and then never properly addresses it is really disappointing. Why bring up a horrific issue like that? It serves no purpose. He already made Naoya a total dick with a murderous streak and Mei a greedy bitch without regard for people. They were already obviously terrible people without the additional child predator label.

Like if he’s gonna write characters that way then have them face consequences or if he wants them to get away with it at least write more about the victims so the audience can see how tragic their situations are

Better yet he shouldn’t write that at all and just focus on more character development for the main cast

Ah, little anon, I understand that feeling. Mei Mei and Naoya are two annoying little shits and the way Gege wrote them creates this feeling of "these horrible people are always getting away with it, when will justice be served?". It's frustrating, disgusting and unnecessary. After all, as you said, they've already been presented as nasty people, so why add the list of sins to "child predator"?

Actually, this is a very serious question and I'm just a profile that talks nonsense about ITFS.

But I'll do my best to explain my point of view and why I think Gege is doing an interesting job with his manga.

Well, I'm going to talk about Mei Mei because her situation is much more complicated.

She is a jujutsu sorceress who only cares about her own personal gain, not caring much about the situation if it is sending money into her pocket. So far, we have the character established and, although it is a somewhat altruistic attitude, it is not all bad. She's still there doing her job, still exorcising curses, still giving Yuji a choice between facing a high-grade curse or the humans transfigured by Mahito. Mei Mei is a greedy bitch, but a greedy bitch who does her job at the end of the day (which is expected). Until this moment, we can only consider her an eccentric character.

The issue becomes complicated when we observe her relationship with her younger brother, Ui Ui, a 12-year-old child who is subjected to her sister's technique which consists of suicide, from what I understand. It's a strange relationship, uncomfortable to watch and irritating (Yuji's face is the reaction of all of us seeing it). There IS something strange about these two.

Then we have the Malaysian scene.

I have my own opinions about this scene, but let's move on to what most people think happened. Mei Mei is naked next to her brother suggesting they sleep together. If incest doesn't shock, pedophilia does. And it makes it even worse because this scene takes place after Nanamin says how he would like to go to Malaysia and then he dies. It is at this moment that her question comes:

"Why bring up a horrible issue like this?"

Yes, why Sensei Akutami?

Why put in this horrible scene while we're still dealing with Nanami's death?

Why give Mei Mei, the greedy bitch, Nanami's dream and dirty it with this horrible, heavy-handed insinuation?

Why do I have to watch someone horrible live while a good person dies? … Oh.

Well, this is the point.

In JJK, the world is unequal. Megumi said that herself.

Good people like Nanami, Nobara and Yuji are killed and destroyed while horrible people like Mei Mei, Naoya and Sukuna get what they want. Therefore, their depravities have no consequences. That's why Mei Mei went to Malaysia, that's why Naoya didn't take any more damage, that's why Sukuna beat Satoru.

Gege is laying his cards on the table and saying "Good can lose and evil can win. Nanami's die while Mei Mei's enjoy peace."

This is one of the reasons I believe that even though JJK is a shonen, there is a possibility for Sukuna and Kenjaku to prevail. There's this not-so-small chance that we'll see our good guys blowing up while the bad guys rest in a hotel in Malaysia.

Who knows.

Gege Akutami is unpredictable and there are more names to cross out in his Death Note.

So, to recap, Gege is purposely making bad people with terrible morals "win" to show how unequal and unfair this world is. Good doesn't always win.

It is revolting? For sure.

Would you like justice to prevail? Obvious.

Think this could happen? Perhaps. I dream of this moment.

Well, I hope I made my point clear.

I'm not good at writing analysis or playing characters. But that's more or less how I see Gege's script choices.

Sorry if I didn't talk much about Naoya. I don't remember much about his character other than that he was a misogynistic piece of shit and wanted to kill Megs. I need to reread the manga.

Thanks for the question, little Anon! I had fun writing it! :D

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wuxianxkexing · 8 months

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Mu Qing x Reader: Stop Fucking With My Cat Part 4

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Y/N stood bleary-eyed in front of the gates to Ling Wen's palace. A few of the early bird Heavenly Officials happily stood around talking to each other but Y/N absolutely wanted no part of it this early in the morning. She carefully kept her distance, not caring at all if the others found it rude. They were the rude ones for being so loud this early. Plus Mu Qing was also there in the very front of the line, though he wasn't really talking to anyone. Y/N wasn't really in the mood to get yelled at again. Last night Xie Lian had told her that Mu Qing's cultivation path valued purity over all else and that he probably hated her for putting that demonic collar on his cat. As if a collar that can allow cats to speak would turn a regular cat into a demon just because a demon wore it. But whatever, plenty of people didn't understand things like that. Besides, what pet owner in their right mind wouldn't want a pet that could talk back to them? It was a shame that the collar didn't work the way that Y/N wanted it to.

The crowd of waiting Heavenly Officials slowly grew larger as Y/N stole glances at Mu Qing. What a pain in the ass the entire thing was and yes, it was entirely her fault, but was it really /that/ bad? It's not like she was going to steal anything from his palace, and she had been playing with Echo for weeks. She only got bold enough to go into Mu Qing's garden because Echo would meow at her incessantly and walk back and forth until one day she followed him. He obviously wanted to play in the garden with her, and while they would always meet in front of Mu Qing's palace gates in the beginning it eventually became their ritual that Y/N would just go into the garden to find Echo whenever she passed by. It was like that cat had an extra sense and would come out meowing at her indignantly if she ever tried to pass by without saying hello. It was kind of weird actually, but also super cute. Y/N smiled and giggled to herself.

Unbeknownst to Y/N Mu Qing was also stealing glances at her. He frowned seeing her smile and giggle to herself. She didn't seem to feel guilty at all. Demonic cultivators were universally not morning people, preferring to operate at night and avoid the sun much like real demons. A side effect of their cultivation. But that explained why she was to the side underneath the shade of a tree even though she should be further up in line than she currently was. Several Heavenly Officials had already cut line in front of her. He tsked to himself. She was probably just trying to delay the inevitable. The doors to Ling Wen's palace finally opened and Mu Qing was the first to stroll inside. He rolled his eyes as he thought he would get his merits from her one way or another.

Y/N remained outside lost in thought, never realizing that the palace had finally opened. It wasn't until she felt a firm kick to her shin that she came back to reality with a startled frown and furrowed brows. The offender was none other than Mu Qing, who stood in front of her looming down with a cold expression. Y/N resisted the urge to slap him. He'd probably go crying to Ling Wen to make her owe even more merits to him. Instead she gave him a forced small smile and greeted him politely. "Good morning General Xuan Zhen."

"We have a mission together in the southeastern swamps." Y/N died on the inside but kept her expression blank.

"Oh, ok! What do we have to do?"

"There's a large village where an abnormal amount of children keep on disappearing into the swamps, never to be seen again. So far there have been 15 victims, all children old enough to know better than to wander too far. For some reason Ling Wen thinks that I need your help." Mu Qing rolled his eyes in disgust.

"She probably just wants you to train me." Y/N smiled and waved her hand in an attempt to placate him. "I am still rather new so she doesn't know exactly what I can and can't handle yet. Thank you for coming to assist me." Mu Qing rolled his eyes again. Obviously her attempt at flattery hadn't exactly hit the mark. Y/N was pretty sure that actually was the reason Ling Wen assigned them both to this mission but for some Mu Qing seemed to think otherwise. Y/N briefly wondered if maybe General Xuan Zhen wasn't as powerful as he was rumored to be, but quickly dismissed the thought. He must just have the habit of taking things the wrong way. With the length of time he has been in the Heaven's and the number of temples he has there is no way that General Xuan Zhen doesn't live up to his reputation. Humans are too fickle to continue to worship a God that doesn't deliver. "Well I'm ready when you are."

"Let's get this over with then." Mu Qing crossed his arms and scowled. He began to lead the way to the outskirts of heaven and Y/N followed quietly. Welp this is probably going to be a fun mission, Y/N thought as she silently rolled her eyes to herself.

What a bunch of bullshit, Mu Qing thought to himself as he paced ever faster to the outskirts. This brat owes me merits and yet I'm having to help her get them for me? What kind of sense does that even make? Fucking Ling Wen. He stopped abruptly at the end of the Heaven's and pointed downwards. "That is the place we are going." Y/N peered over the edge and confirmed the spot before jumping down. Mu Qing froze with his mouth agape and watched in horror as Y/N fell. Technically yes, that was one way to get down but what the fuck?! Heaven's help me, Mu Qing prayed desperately before drawing a teleportation array. He wasn't going to follow in that idiots path.

Mere seconds later Mu Qing appeared next to a bruised and battered Y/N who was laying like a dead person on the ground. Her robes were torn and dirty and bloody. "Have fun?" Mu Qing smirked. Y/N looked up at Mu Qing with an incredulous look. That bastard looked perfect! "We normally use teleportation arrays just so you know. No wonder Ling Wen wanted me to train you, but I'm afraid you might be untrainable since you apparently have no sense."

Y/N grunted as she struggled to right herself. Mu Qing merely watched her struggle with laughter in his eyes. What a gentleman, Y/N bitterly thought. After righting herself she examined the state of her robes. Her left sleeve had a long tear in it from getting caught on something during her descent and she had a few blood spatters from a shallow wound, but nothing too bad. Y/N was red from embarrassment. Xie Lian always jumped down from the Heaven's like that, he never told her that they could use teleportation arrays to descend! But she wasn't about to admit that to Mu Qing. "I'm alright, that was fun!" Y/N tried to sound like it actually was fun but she wasn't able to hide how bitter she actually was. Mu Qing snorted and began to walk away, leaving Y/N to painfully limp after him. Normally Mu Qing would be a bit more sympathetic but Y/N was a martial Goddess, she should be able to walk it off, plus she did it to herself. Like he expected after a few hundred yards Y/N's gait returned to normal and they quietly made their way to the village.

During her days as a cultivator Y/N became very used to striking up conversations with strangers to investigate incidents, so she was kind of miffed when Mu Qing cut her conversation with a middle aged street vendor selling radishes short and verbally ushered her along. As they made their way through the large village Mu Qing shut down every attempt she made to gather information. How were they supposed to solve these disappearances if she couldn't gather information? It was a struggle to keep her temper down. Even though Mu Qing was the leader of this mission and probably had a plan he didn't bother to inform her of them and Y/N was used to having free reign to do whatever she wanted. It would be one thing if he wanted to do the interrogating himself but he made no attempt to do so either. It felt to Y/N like they were goofing off on a stroll rather than taking their mission seriously. Y/N's mind went back to Mu Qing's previous comment 'For some reason Ling Wen thinks I need your help'. Maybe Mu Qing slacked off on missions and he did need her help to keep on track. It would make sense with the lie she told Ling Wen the day she first met Mu Qing. Y/N crossed her arms and sighed. She wasn't opposed to slacking off, but she also believed that they should do that /after/ they defeated whatever was plaguing this village. Lives were at stake, and more importantly the lives of innocent /children/ were at stake. She glared at Mu Qing, who apparently felt her disapproving stare because he turned around and glared right back at her. "What is your problem?" He demanded.

"When are we going to actually get started on this mission? We can look at the village after we defeat whatever is here. We need to start interrogating people here to figure out what is going on."

Mu Qing rolled his eyes. "We don't need to interrogate anyone. I have a temple here, all we need to do is go there and listen to the prayers from my followers for a while. It will be a lot more efficient than seeking out random people who may or may not know anything. My followers will naturally tell me everything that they know." Y/N's face lighted up at his explanation. Of course! She felt kind of bad for doubting him earlier. General Xuan Zhen was known to be very efficient.

"Oh! Where is your palace?"

"Not far from here." Mu Qing turned and continued to lead the way. They finally came to his palace on the outskirts of the village and Y/N was honestly kind of impressed. It was a very attractive looking palace and the statue inside looked exactly like him! Y/N herself didn't have any proper temples but instead numerous small shrines that people typically kept inside their homes for personal use. It was the way that demonic Gods and Goddesses were traditionally worshipped. Mu Qing commanded her to make herself invisible to mortals and Y/N complied. He sat himself down right in front of his statue, invisible to the eyes of mortals, and began listening to the numerous silent prayers of his worshippers. Y/N grew bored of standing there watching him so she began to wander around his temple, touching things that she probably shouldn't but they were all so pretty. Offerings of gold, incense and fruit filled this temple. Y/N was kind of jealous. His worshippers here even gave him pets that the temple housed and cared for, and once finding that Y/N didn't leave the area until Mu Qing came to find her. She was petting a pretty brown tabby cat when Mu Qing kneeled down and completely stole the attention of the cat. To mortal onlookers the cat probably looked like it was doing typical weird cat things, and a couple thought that the cat must be asking for pets and came to pet the cat as well, not knowing that their God was right there petting it with them. While petting the cat Mu Qing filled Y/N in on what he had discovered. The children who had went missing only had 3 things in common. They were all from impoverished families, they all loved the swamp, and they all disappeared somewhere in the north end. With this information they finally knew where to start looking!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's the link for part 3!

#mu qing x reader stop fucking with my cat #mu qing × reader #mu qing #tgcf #heaven officials blessing #tgcf x reader #head canon that General Xuan Zhen's followers know how much he loves animals in general so all of his temples feed strays #and a lot of them get pets as offerings that get to live the good life in his temples #feeding or playing with the pets in his temples is said to give you his blessings even if you don't offer anything else

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piracytheorist · 1 year

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Damian Desmond, the bully and the victim

I'm prefacing this by saying I was bullied as a kid at school. It was not the worst bullying story you'll ever hear, but that makes no difference in bully victims, cause no amount of "It could be worse!" can heal the life-long scars bullying leaves in you. I'm not saying this to evoke pity or sympathy, but to give context for my point of view in this analysis.

My two most prominent (and persisting) bullies through my school years were two boys, unrelated to each other and in different times (one was in elementary school and one in high school), who both had divorced parents and lived with their mothers. I don't know the full details of what their relationships with their fathers were, but I can easily guess that there were unfulfilled wishes in their lives, and once they found me they were like "That's who I'll burst out my frustrations on". As if I didn't have my own issues at home, but why would my problems matter from their point of view?

The thing with bullies (and abusers in general) is that, for the most part, they don't understand the pain they're causing - and if they do, they think their victim needs (tough love situation) or deserves it. Everyone is a hero in their own story - I regrettably made fun of a classmate a few times, out of my own need to feel superior for once after having been on the receiving end for so long. And I can tell you that my justification for doing so was something like "I am smart and this kid should listen to me, if he does he will become smart too!". It was only much, much later that I realized that didn't hold and the kid was actually hurt by my uncalled-for behaviour. Usually, bullies don't have the empathy, or if they do they simply don't put it to use, to see things from their victim's perspective.

And in all the praise I have to give Endo for writing Anya very realistically as a child, I also have to give it to him for how realistic the bullying is. It starts immediately, uncritically. It persists and the stupid excuse of "Just ignore them" doesn't work at all. Anya gets angry and upset at it, to the point of violent outbursts and tears (though thankfully presented in such a way that the audience doesn't blame her). Combined with his conflicting emotions about her, Damian has found the perfect victim for his bullying; Anya is an outcast (aside from having Becky, thank god), has physical attributes he can make fun of, and because of her wanting to help with Operation Strix she just constantly presents herself to him, when normally she would try her damnedest to avoid him (like Becky always advises her to).

Everything Damian does is an outburst of his own feelings of neglect. I know manga readers know more about the family dynamic, but as an anime only I've also been given enough to understand it's very, very problematic. But that's not an excuse. Having trauma on your own does not excuse thrusting trauma upon others. I mean, you think Anya, the orphan from the lab who didn't have anyone to give a damn about her happiness until she had to manipulate both her ways into getting a father and then a mother, has less trauma than Damian does???

It's not an excuse, but it's a dynamic for Damian to become better. Damian's behaviour problem doesn't only stem from him being neglected; it's also from the fact that he hasn't been taught sympathy. Which, like, makes sense. His father is an ambitious politician who genuinely believes that it's impossible for humans, even relatives, to understand each other, and had no qualms saying this right in front of his kid.

When it comes to Damian's behaviour, it does not matter that those words hurt him terribly. He doesn't have the emotional maturity and empathy yet to understand that he's only perpetuating the same toxic behaviour with his classmates. The fact that Donovan felt so comfortable saying those words in front of both his own son and a total stranger shows that it's something he's used to; and such traits can very easily be passed on from parents to kids without even consciously trying.

Meanwhile, while Anya had a much worse time while being used as a science subject, she was taught the idea of peace; in the first episode flashback, the scientists talk about how they can use her powers for world peace, to justify cutting her play time short in favor of whatever they were doing with her. When Twilight thinks that understanding her will lead to world peace, she immediately starts complying with that. And when she hears his thoughts about how he wants to create a better world, she decides to stay with him as his daughter to help him in the mission, despite understanding the risk and knowing that whether the mission fails or succeeds, Twilight will walk away in the end. She understands the idea of kindness and good. Maybe the way she was introduced to it wasn't the most noble - after all, the scientists were using it as an excuse to practically abuse her - but she still knows and understands enough about what it means for someone else to be happy.

Damian… doesn't. For the grand majority of his presentation he doesn't do things for someone else, in fact, he's so used to others doing things for him that we always see Ewen carry his backpack for him.

I do not doubt that Ewen himself, being the bootlicker he is, offered to carry it, but the fact that Damian never once went like "Nah it's okay man I can carry my weight today" is very telling about how not used he is to doing things for others.

However, his dynamic becomes interesting and receives redeeming qualities because of the times he does show altruism. First when he stops the ball from hitting Anya in the face during the dodgeball game, (though he instantly and openly regrets doing that). And it wasn't from conscious thought - it was an action purely out of protective instinct. Then, when he's the instigator of consoling George Glooman when the latter thinks he'll be moved out of the school. That one he also regrets doing, but it's much more understandable and it doesn't take away the sympathy he showed him.

There is something he constantly does, however, with someone else in mind; he studies hard and tries to excel at school to receive Stellas, in order to get his father's attention. His way of getting that attention has been so messed up by his upbringing that he thinks the only way of getting any positive interaction with his father is by working hard to not be a "failure". And even that hides some personal motives behind it, because the poor kid longs for some affection from his family. Donovan's character and the distance Damian has from him, his mother (when he calls home, he talks with their butler, not her), and his brother all combined do not allow the kid to understand the concept of doing something to make someone else happy, even (or especially) if there's nothing in it for him.

That's not selflessness; that's a neglected kid pushing himself to prove to his abusers that he's deserving of their affection, something he naturally craves and obviously misses from his life. Tough "love" is so prominent in the Desmond family that Damian had no hopes of growing any differently.

He has the potential to become better and has only been held back because of his family's toxic environment. But he needs to develop a conscious understanding of altruism first if his character is to grow into a morally better area.

You can't just give a character a painful backstory and expect audiences to automatically root for their happiness. You need to show your character also has grown empathy because of said painful experiences. We see it with all three mains. Anya was treated as a lab experiment; you start rooting for her when you see that she wants to help bring peace. Twilight went through a war as a kid; you root for him when he says he wants to create a world where kids won't go through the same thing. Yor lost her parents when she was very young; you root for her when you learn that she took care of her brother and gave him opportunities for education and a better future that she rejected for herself in his favour.

So yeah, I do feel sorry for Damian. But right now I only root for him to understand the meaning of making someone else happy — the meaning behind his own protective action over Anya in the dodgeball game and the sympathy he showed George. When he does that, and he realizes he has more in common with Anya than he dares to accept, it's only then that he'll grow from a layered but still toxic bully into a character audiences can root for.

It's also not the responsibility of Anya of all people to take up all the abuse from him and be the one to help him build up some character. It has to be him making the realization, and Anya can choose to be a friend to him as he does that, but in no way can his development depend on her.

(Again, anime only fan here, don't spoil me for the manga)

#yeah uhm this has been in my drafts for like two months #that post I saw made me want to clean it up and post it #the shipping is one thing the whitewashing of his bullying is another #Spy x Family #sxf meta #Damian Desmond #(if you see this in the tag and reblog just to argue with me no you didn't)#(discussion is welcome but pointless arguing is not)

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onewholivesinloops · 1 year

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knowing that rena was diagnosed with ptsd because of the trauma of her parents' divorce, i think it's a fair assumption to make that satoko's ptsd started with her mother's multiple relationships with men and constant remarrying. this already disrupted her sense of self and identity. the abuse and ostracization by the community against her for being a houjou amplified the symptoms and hinamizawa syndrome worsened the effects (which led to her pushing her parents off the cliff, rip), and then her ptsd was hyper-intensified to c-ptsd levels by her aunt and uncle's abuse and the loss of her brother.

when satoko was 'cured' of the virus, i think to rika it was as though the root of her trauma was 'cured'. rika always desperately wanted to save satoko from her trauma, her abuse, her uncle, her aunt, the virus. this is why once satoko was out of those, she believed that as long as satoko remained with her she should be safe.

it's why she can easily not notice the way satoko is suffering at st. lucia. for rika, this is a place Without All The Suffering that was present in hinamizawa, it's a place for a new future, and a new start. this makes rika underestimate the potential of the pain it can cause for satoko.

in rika's mind, there's no longer anything she needs to "save" satoko from in st. lucia, because none of the stressors and factors in hinamizawa that were responsible for satoko's torment are supposedly present here and there's also nothing rika herself needs to be "saved" from.

(because satoko's suffering has always been the certain reality that rika will also suffer, as the rare fragments where teppei comes back and takes satoko away are the worst of worst fragments for rika. she loves her too much so she sees their suffering as one. satoko's abuse was also rika's pain. one of rika's flaws is that as a victim and survivor she always centers herself and her own pain, even when it concerns others. this isn't necessarily a bad thing because at some points you do need to prioritize your well-being over everything else, but rika doesn't realize how far she takes it sometimes).

another part of it is rika conflating everything about satoko's trauma and mental illness with hinamizawa syndrome. there's a critique of the original here. hinamizawa syndrome in the original is a "mental illness/circumstances that lead to a tragedy" allegory, and it works for what it's intended for, but it's also a double edged sword - many people ended up using it to deny the characters' complicity in their crimes. "oh it was all the syndrome" and they ignored the fact that it's a metaphor. the characters being forgiven after committing murders wasn't because they were mind controlled by a disease. it's symbolic of being forgiven for the circumstances that led to this tragedy - an acknowledgement of that. the characters still have an internal logic unique to them informed by their experiences and struggles even when they're infected with it.

ryukishi explains it better than i ever could here:

so it's interesting that gou satokowashi starts with 'curing' it for satoko - satoko is 'cured' of the mental illness allegory. it's taking this allegory to its natural conclusion.

you can even see the flaws of having such a plot device in satoko's reception. some people refuse to try to understand her or sympathize with her because unlike rena or shion or takano etc etc she doesn't have the syndrome. she's lost that card that made it very easy for some to forgive what other characters did in the original.

and rika - being the character in gousotsu who's a mirror for the viewer and their expectations - dismisses what satoko is saying to her in the watanagashi ritual scene even though it's satoko opening up about her deepest pains and traumas, and she's even saying things about the future and previous loops she shouldn't know about unless she's also a looper. rika would rather purposefully look away from all this than acknowledge a reality where satoko could be involved in something like this. a reality where satoko could be this vicious and unforgiving.

and even as far back as their time in st. lucia, rika was ignoring The Signs because satoko no longer had the syndrome or was in that environment. "it's just a foul mood" she said. this means she must be fine, right? wrong. she's absolutely not lmao.

it feels to me like ryukishi's admittance of the flaws in hinamizawa syndrome as a narrative device. it's an admittance that those characters are still mentally ill without it.

you can't just blame the mental illness as some unseen demon or curse or magical virus that takes your loved ones and makes them do bad things but also - as a possible extension of that metaphor - they want to pretend that if they got victims out of that situation that made them paranoid, they would never 'snap' and become 'unsaveably' mentally ill and kill people.

there's also this desperation from rika to get away from hinamizawa and everything that entails. it's why she's proactive in getting kimiyoshi and oryou to 'end the dam war' and 'forgive satoko' even though it's just everyone collectively deciding to go "all's well that ends well" without taking into consideration the ramifications all the shunning might've had on satoko. she's not even afforded an apology. it's like sweeping everything under a rug and rika is complicit in that. rika prefers to tap into the Savior Complex than admit she victimized and was powerless to save satoko from some things even if she managed to stop some others things. she's like utena. duelist rika.

i'm pretty confident in this read because ryukishi lampshades hinamizawa syndrome in umineko which lets go of this narrative device. lambda making fun of battler's theories by going "are you going to speculate about how there's a virus called rokkenjima syndrome causing massive delusions".

i think he's been considering this for a while.

#higurashi #higurashi gou #higurashi sotsu #satoko houjou #rika furude #gamo.txt

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running-with-the-feels · 4 months

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hello :3 you are. very very cool to me. and i love your mk content. i must ask you. do you have any jade headcanons? she is one of my fav characters and i don't see her enough :((

tysm! I have a few for her, but I don't know her character that well so this might be a short list

never wanted to be an assassin. Though she takes great pride in her skills and does enjoy kombat to an extent, Jade always secretly wanted to be a diplomat.

In her youth she was often punished by Shao Kahn for speaking out of turn bc she'd suggest diplomatice solutions to various problems, even though he'd use them later

Actually doesn't hate Mileena. She doesn't like her, to be clear, and they won't ever be friends, but as far as Jade is concerned Mileena is as much a victim of Shao Kahn as anyone else and while she has to be stopped as she's becoming him, if Mileena had a change of heart and tried to redeem herself, Jade would welcome her

Jade also secretly thinks that Kitana and Mileena are very similar as Mileena is only slightly more bloodthirsty than Kitana was when she was still under the sway of Shao Kahn's manipulations. She's never said this to the princess, however, as she knows it will not be received well.

Hates Kung Lao bc she finds him rude and disrespectful. She doesn't understand why Kitana tolerates him.

Indifferent to Liu Kang, but watching him to make sure he doesn't hurt Kitana

She and Kitana are ride or die, Jade was raised with the sole purpose of defending Kitana as a bodyguard, later becoming an assassin when Kitana was old enough to defend herself. Jade would do anything for Kitana and feel no remorse about it

Jade is also older than Kitana by quite a few years, and can actually remember bits of Edenia from before the conquest. She's not sure if these memories are real or not tho, but she clings to them regardless

She and Kotal had a secret romance in Shao Kahn's court as they didn't want to risk being used against one another. It was the court's worst kept secret but everyone just humored them as their loyalty to Shao Kahn was unquestioned at the time

Kotal showers her in gifts and affection and praise and she doesn't know how to accept it

Jade dislikes Skarlet bc while Kitana, Jade, and Mileena were raised by Shao Kahn (in as much as Mileena was raised by anyone) and thus indoctrinated in his cruelty from birth, Skarlet was adopted into the court in her early teens and had suffered bc of Shao Kahn's cruelty all her life. As far as Jade is concerned, Skarlet was the best person to try and break the system out of all of them as she should have been able to see that it was wrong where Jade and Kitana were blinded by manipulation. That Skarlet chose to uphold the system instead is unforgivable

That's all I can think of rn, but lemme know if you want more or if you have any hcs you'd like to share!

#Jade mk #mortal kombat #mortal kombat x #mortal kombat 11

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therealvinelle · 2 years

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rereading the scene where bella is with alice and jasper in the phoenix airport (and eventually escapes them) in 2022, it reads EXTREMELY like something where bystanders would look at that and think bella was potentially a trafficking victim. what if someone intervened there, trying to help her?

Oh I love your mind anon.

Though, I'm not sure anyone would pick up on it. Jasper and Alice are wealthy, white, young, and good-looking. They don't look like the mental image people have of traffickers. That Jasper accompanies Bella to the bathroom would look more like it's her boyfriend.

I'm not sure anyone would look at this situation and think traffickers.

If, however, someone also going to the lady's room saw him accompanying Bella, waiting outside, and then saw Bella sneak out- now the alarm bells are ringing.

Even if trafficking's not involved, it's hard to think of an innocent explanation for a teen girl needing to escape a scary-looking guy at an airport.

I imagine this person is now terrifyingly out of their depths.

Bella can't be caught by Jasper.

But also, Bella must have a place to go. Who's to say she's stepped foot in Phoenix, or that she even speaks English?

They can either go after Bella and ask if she has a place to go, and get her a cab to the nearest women's shelter if not, or they can go stall Jasper to ensure he doesn't get his hands on her.

I think, weighing their options, they decide that going to Bella is both the best way to ensure she's not caught (As Jasper could have accomplices) and to protect her should she be intercepted by traffickers. Someone shady-looking tries to approach, our good Samaritan is yelling COPS!!

With that, Bella's attempt to catch the bus headed to the ballet studio is interrupted by a concerned-looking woman asking if she's okay, what's her name, who was that man waiting outside the bathroom, and does she want money for a cab to the women's shelter?

Bella at first tries to explain that nothing's wrong, she's just meeting a friend. Everything's fine here, yessir.

This does not explain her Houdini routine.

The woman offers to accompany her to her friend.

"Don't you have a plane to catch?" Bella tries, and she's starting to feel annoyed.

The woman wavers a bit at Bella's attitude but damnit, if she's right then letting this girl go is something she'll regret her entire life. So, no, she has all the time in the world.

More, Bella's attitude means that asking her outright if she's being trafficked or otherwise in danger won't go well.

So she asks why Bella gave her friend the slip.

Bella, who gets offended Jessica asks about her lunch with Edward, can't believe the gall of this woman.

She claims she wasn't giving Jasper the slip, she just needed to go the bathroom before leaving the airport so she chose that exist.

The woman asks why Jasper was waiting for her outside if Bella leaving was always the plan.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bella sees the bus she was supposed to be on leaving. She'll have to wait for the next one, which means the Cullens will have time to realize she's left and come get her.

She's lost her window.

Her mom is going to die, alone and afraid, killed for reasons she doesn't understand, because Bella couldn't catch a bus.

She visibly panics, and before the woman knows what changed she's got a crying teenager on her hands.

That confirms it, the girl was definitely trafficked. Thank god she did something.

She's deciding whether to hail a cab or call the cops when the scary-looking man and his tiny female companion are standing there, accompanied by a massive hulk of a man, a teen, and one other adult.

In the confusion of a sobbing Bella and these terrifying but beautiful people talking at each other very emotionally, the woman gathers that the girl had a stalker who was threatening to hurt her mother if she didn't sleep with him, and the beautiful people don't believe the mother was in danger in the first place and Bella shouldn't have sacrificed herself anyway.

Which is terrible and all, but holy shit, she was right. Not completely on the money, the guy waiting outside was a good, if terrifying, guy, but by confronting Bella she prevented her from getting raped by some creep.

The guys save the red-head teen disappear to go confront the guy, and the woman takes this to mean the stalker is about to be beat to a pulp.

She has hot chocolate with these odd people and listens to Bella talk to her mother on the phone, and when the little pixie-like girl suddenly smiles at her brother and says, "It's done," she hopes that doesn't mean what she thought it meant.

Edward buys her a car and pays off her mortgage, and the woman takes this to mean these guys were part of the mafia.

#twilight #twilight meta #twilight renaissance #trafficking tw #bella swan

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bcacstuff · 1 year

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Why does it bother you that Sam and Caitriona are friends in real life?

Oh yes, here comes the counter attacks... or you are just very ignorant Anon.

But let me explain.....

Nobody here, including me has anything against Sam and Catriona being friends in real life. Nobody here, including me, wouldn't mind if he spend his b-day in Glasgow with friends, including Caitriona. Nobody here, including me doesn't mind where he spends his b-day and how and with whom to begin with.

Got that?

If you read my blog for a little longer than the last 5 minutes, you would understand that I'm not here with an agenda. Unlike many other blogs. You know the ones that cheer prematurely about things that aren't facts. And even harder when they might occasionally become a fact. But then of course explaining it all the way their agenda suits.

And the other many times the facts do not match their agenda, they have the most amazing fantastic explanations. Quite hilarious, from time to time. But quite disturbing as well. If you look at how Caitriona's husband is torn apart, a man she is married to and nobody knows a thing about. The man doesn't have social media, but the names they call him and the way they explain his presence is totally disgusting. And then Caitriona herself, she's blamed for all the 'hiding' and Sam is the poor victim. And I don't even want to go into the fact how they question a young one year old boy's paternity and the abuse of a funeral video and pictures in an Irish newspaper! 😞

And then what, then you have blogs like mine, and BIF, who just post the facts like they are. Even though at my blog we speculate now and again about options, it's always clear when things are just an option we keep open or when it becomes a fact. And that my dear Anon, is why shippers attack us, blacken us, and posts lists to block us, my readers and followers. Even this week I've been told how some 'innocent' shipper posted a picture of Caitriona, thinking it was from 2016 and saying she was 'pregnant' in that pic. It turned out, the picture was not from 2016 but from 2013, and when she was told, there was a whole range of blocking and blackening of accounts. Just imagine to see a fact and have to admit it, right? So better block!

I don't have a thing against people being in their happy place when they love to dream about S and C as a couple. But they have to realize that it is just a fantasy and nothing else. It is based on the characters they played for many years now in a tv show and not on reality. And thank the Lord, they're good friends. Working with someone that long and that close, going through a live changing experience for both of them. No surprise it builds up a good friendship, and good for them. You don't want to work with someone that long and close if you dislike each other.

So, if you were ignorant... now you are not anymore. And if you had another agenda, too bad, but stay in your own lane. I'm off, have to get my taxes in before midnight!

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zomboys-blog · 10 months

Text

(based on a real c.ai chat between me and sam carpenter)

sam carpenter x fem reader

mainly just fluff

the comfort she needed.

sam stood there drenched in cherry coke as tears threatened to spill. First her sister was mad at her and now she had just been assaulted and degraded about rumors that weren’t even true. how could this get any worse?

the group had walked off to the shared apartment, following tara like stray dogs, but y/n had stayed which confused sam, after all y/n was tara’s friend, not hers…

“what are you still doing here?” sam spoke quietly as she cleaned off the mess on her shirt.

“that girl was a fucking asshole sam, i should’ve done something, i’m sorry” y/n said inching closer to sam offering her a couple napkins to dry her shirt off.

"No, it doesn't really matter," Sam shook her head, looking the other way so she wouldn’t draw attention to the tears that threatened to spill. "Those bitches just wanted attention."

y/n felt sorry for sam, y/n knew about the past events at woodsboro and she knew sams life went to shit, it was blow after blow from the universe, she wondered if sam was tired.. tired of fighting.

“i don’t believe them… the rumors and theories i mean, i may have not been there but i know your innocent” y/n spoke, softly as if she was scared that at any moment she would scare the girl away, this was the longest conversation they’ve ever had, besides the occasional hello.

At first Samantha seemed surprised by that statement, but then she lets out a little laugh and nods her head. “I appreciate you saying that, it really does help. But I mean, I understand where the rumors come from. I was a really troubled kid." Her voice is suddenly laced with guilt now, her expression changing into some sort of reflection of her past.

y/n had felt so bad for sam she couldn’t help but hug her, the cherry coke leaked onto y/n’s shirt as she held sam, sam was taken a back by the sudden affection, she had been touch starved all her life and now some girl was giving her a hug and it felt blissful but she could never say it out loud..

“i’m sorry, it’s just you had to go through so much fucking shit when you were younger then your sister almost died, then ghostface tried to kill you, then it turned out to be your boyfriend, and now you have no one and not even your sister wants to be near you but I DO sam i do you have me and if you ever need someone to talk to i’m right here sam if you ever need anything say the word and i’m there and i’ll always be here for you” y/n had always been a kind and loving person, sam knew this but she never got to experience it first hand, until now and she wouldn’t be lying if she said she finally felt seen.

This display of emotion seems to knock all sense of rationale from Samantha. Suddenly tears spill from her face unknowingly as shes pulling you closer into the hug. “i genuinely feel like i’m going insane and that one day i’ll be the reason tara gets hurt…" As she speaks into your shoulder, her tears drench you, the sound of her voice being replaced with sobs.

as samantha cries to you, you can’t help but feel tears swell into your eyes, feeling like the world had failed this girl, you felt as tho the universe personally attacked her and doomed her from the start, you wondered why? why would did the world fail to see that samantha wasn’t a murderer she was a victim. she wasn’t cold and grim, she was just a raged 15 year old who found her mothers diary.

“jesus christ sam life has kicked you in the fucking stomachs left and right, one after another, i’m sorry, i’m so fucking sorry that you have to deal with that” as you held her, rubbing circles on her back you couldn’t help but feel as though sam was forced to grow up too fast under her circumstances.

“yeah i guess life hasn’t been to kind to me..” sam spoke, you knew she was tired and she herself felt tired, she felt like she wouldn’t survive another beating from life, she wanted nothing more than to be able to rest peacefully without a care in the world, without a worry that someone would come and hurt her family once more, without a worry that she would be hurt once more.

“god, why haven’t you run away yet? can’t you tell i’m damaged goods?” sam spoke, she felt as though she really was damaged and that no one in this world would want her or accept her, not even her own sister, so why would you?

“run away? why would i runaway? your not damaged goods sam, not to me anyway, your nothing but perfect that’s how i’ve always seen you, perfect.” y/n said offering a comforting smile to sam as she returned it.

sam let out a chuckle that y/n thought was beautiful, “perfect? i’m sorry y/n but i’m very far from perfect, i struggle every day.”

“and that’s okay sam, especially after everything you deserve to be able to have some peace and i’m here to offer that, so after every hard day of struggling and stress i’ll be here for you, to support you, to offer an ear, and to..” y/n struggled to say the last part, scared that sam might be scared off once more but she said it anyway, “to love you.”

to your surprise sam didn’t reject your show of affection instead she leaned into you, her face dried with tear lines as she leaned on your shoulder, “thank you.” was all she mumbled, in this moment she felt calmer with you than ever, she felt like she had finally found someone to accept her, like she finally found..

home.

you decided to walk sam back to her apartment, not wanting to leave her in this moment.

——————————————————-

as you reached her apartment you opened the door to see the group happily watching a movie on the couch, you and sam decided to join them.

an hour into the movie you looked next to you to see sam had fallen asleep, you guessed it had been awhile since she had gotten a full eight hours, you could tell from her eye bags so you let her be.

this was the first time in awhile that sam felt true peace, that she fell asleep without a worry in the world, and it was thanks to you, so as she slept, head leaned on your shoulder you couldn’t help but fall asleep too, not a worry in the world you two slept peacefully.

end.

sorry if this sucked, it’s my first fic so you know 😭

#samantha carpenter #samantha carpenter x reader #fluff

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zipegs · 8 months

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alana & chilton // 905 words, g, past hannibloom // ao3 written for day 5 of fad’s au challenge: hanahaki

The first flower petal Alana coughs up is a bright yellow tansy. She fishes it out of her mouth with trembling fingers and stares at its wet, fragile form. Hostility, she thinks dumbly. A declaration of war.

A small, desperate part of her wonders whether Hannibal, wherever he is, might be suffering the same. Her affliction has taken root because the man she loved was never anything more than a facade.

But his... If he fell ill, Alana wonders, what flowers would bloom first in his fertile lungs? Lavender, perhaps. Or yellow carnation.

She crushes the tansy in her fist and holds her hand out over the edge of her hospital bed.

Hannibal doesn't love you, she tells herself. No version of him ever did.

Maybe one day, it will start to sink in.

She opens her palm and lets the petal fall.

---

It's not long before the medical staff notices. Alana expected as much, but she hates how they've begun to look at her, with the same pity and gentleness one would show an injured stray.

She starts coughing one morning while a nurse is taking her vitals and can't seem to stop, props herself up on one elbow despite the pain that blossoms in her hips and chokes on a purple sliver of bittersweet.

The nurse tuts when she sees it catch on Alana's lip and lifts it carefully away, turns it over in front of her as though by doing so it might take on some different form.

"My aunt dealt with these," the nurse says, shaking her head. "Truth." She huffs out a humorless laugh. "She couldn't understand why she kept getting them until she found her husband's credit card receipts."

If only it were as simple as adultery, Alana thinks darkly. The nurse pats her shoulder consolingly, and Alana forces a tight-lipped smile. She wonders what truth the bittersweet is meant to call to mind. There are so many lies to untangle that it's nearly impossible to start.

Alana closes her eyes and clears her scratchy throat. She's been dreaming about her residency again, a world where all she knew of Hannibal was that he was beautiful and brilliant and kind. She'd go back there, if she could. Even if just for a single moment.

Alana has treated victims of relationship trauma before, distraught young lovers who sob on her small purple couch. They say they can't understand how this happened, that this person who hurts them is a stranger wearing their partner's skin.

You think it's a nightmare, she tells them sometimes, but this was always what was hidden beneath their facade. You've woken up—you've emerged from that perfect dream. I know that it's hard. But there is no going back. It's gone.

Alana stares at the empty white ceiling and wonders if every therapist has trouble reconciling their own advice.

---

Chilton lets himself into Alana's room just as she's hacking up the petals of two delicate pink crabapple blossoms, and he doesn't do her the graciousness of letting it go.

He lifts his bouquet in greeting, and the butcher paper and cellophane crinkle with laughter.

"I brought you flowers," Chilton drawls, the good side of his face tugging up in an amused smile, "but it seems I shouldn't have bothered. You've already got your own."

Alana settles back against her pillows and stares up at the ceiling again, refusing to give Chilton the honor of seeing her unsettled. "They come in pieces," she says drily, with a nonchalance she doesn't feel. "It'll be nice to have some in their undamaged form."

Chilton strolls over to the side of Alana's bed and sets the flowers on her bedside table, then gestures at the petals lying on her stark white sheets. "May I?" he asks, already hovering his fingers over their vibrant form.

"Go ahead."

He picks them up at one end and lifts them with evident distaste and curiosity, like a child showing off a decapitated worm. "Hmmm," he muses, "Crabapple blossoms. Rather pedestrian for someone in your circumstance; wouldn't you say?"

"There's a relief to be found in the expected," Alana says. "I've grown tired of surprises. Haven't you?"

Chilton hums and brushes off his fingers, letting the petals flutter to the floor. "How long until you start retching up full blossoms?"

Alana shrugs. "Difficult to say. Eager to be rid of me so soon?"

"Not exactly." Chilton fingers the silver head of his cane. "You got yourself to this garden, Dr. Bloom, but there are ways to... uproot it, so to speak."

Alana turns her head to look at him, attentive for the first time since he stepped foot in her hospital room. "You don't strike me as the charitable type," she says, uncertain of his aim.

Chilton shrugs a shoulder, and his lips twitch into a grin. "The enemy of my enemy..." He taps his cane lightly on the linoleum. "How long, do you think," he asks, "until Will Graham has reentered Hannibal's orbit?"

Alana lifts an eyebrow, and her own lips curl into a hint of a smile. "Not long. And with a little manipulation..."

Chilton hums. They watch each other for a moment, and then Chilton sniffs and makes his way to the door. "Once you're released from medical care," he says, "you know where to find me."

When he leaves, Alana's breath catches, and she coughs again.

This time, she spits out a purple columbine.

#hannibal #nbc hannibal #hannibloom #alana bloom #frederick chilton #hannibal fic #mine #mine: writing #fadserver

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lenteur · 6 months

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random thoughts about castaway diva, episode nine

(read more because i always get carried away lol and this post might contain spoilers)

Seeing bo geol confront his father reminds me of that time he blew up and shouted at him, telling him how he wished he left the family alone. He's courageous enough to face him and hopefully get rid of him. I'm still scared for him but he's the only one in the family who is able to do so. Even when he was a teenager, he was the one who told the truth to his father. Both the mom and the older brother were too scared of mr jung. It's heartbreaking to see him go there alone, even though he has a support system now. He doesn't want them to be hurt. Plus, add to that he's the one in the family who spent the longest time with mr jung. I'm rooting for him. I'm sure he can find a way to make the father leave them alone, but I'm still scared about his safety.

It's interesting how ki ho's decision to meet with mr jung was influenced by mok ha's words, stating how she was sad when her father p*ssed aw*y... It's also incredibly kind of her to put herself in her father's shoes, explaining how he too had a harsh past. Mok ha really is kind and empathetic. Even though she was a victim of ab*se, she still tries to defend her father, perpetrator of said ab*se.

And now we see bo geol repeat mok ha's words to his father. He said he should've lived a happier life and ignored his son who abandoned him. Manipulative behavior from the dad who keeps putting all the blame on his family, when he's the one that pushed them away because of his ab*sive behavior.

I'm so proud of my boy ki ho for outsmarting his biological father. But sad at the same time that he had to use such measures to prove he's been ab*sed for such a long time 💔 .

I find it sad that mok ha puts yoon ran joo before herself and she's willing to bow down at her and take all the criticism just because she's admired her for such a long time. Where is the fighting spirit she had when facing people like lee seo jun? I just want her to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a singer. No matter how close she is to ran joo, i don't want her to be so weak in front of her. She can stand up for herself. Mok ha has always been faithful and an incredible support system for ran joo. And to see ran joo take advantage of that by using harsh words directed at mok ha is hurting me too. I find it so unfair.

But at the same time (should become my catchphrase atp), I do understand how ran joo feels because she's been betrayed by a previous artist with a similar path to mok ha's (my bet's on that man is now eun mo rae's manager). She doesn't want to be disappointed a second time. It's true that she put her all into that artist and she now knows the consequences of such actions. However, that doesn't mean it'll be the same for mok ha. They could've sat down and had an adult conversation about mok ha's sudden decision.

Both women are suffering (for different reasons) which is why they're both emotional most of the time. But they're also two of the strongest women i've seen so I hope they make up and start anew with a better mindset.

Me? Don't mind me I'm being emotional because ki ho was finally strong enough to be vulnerable around mok ha. After such a long time putting up a front and acting like nothing happened, he's freeing himself of all that emotional burden that's been there for far too long. Also, we finally see mok ha comfort him after he was the one comforting her when they were kids 💗💗💗 I AM EMOTIONAL :(((

Ah, I was wrong Mok ha told him he'll never see mr jung again because she was the one who was going to take care of him. Now i'm scared for mok ha... Stop playing with my heart please!!!

I knew it! Eun mo rae's manager was the artist who gave up. I'm glad they gave him a backstory and gave us an explanation as to why he seems so harsh and cold.

Yoon ran joo still feels sorry for mok ha and wants what's best for her. I hope they can make up and mok ha starts thinking about herself too.

Seeing mok ha choose rnj ent and standing up for herself is a great thing to see. I really hope ran joo can be a part of her project.

I'm pretty sure stagnant water is either eun mo rae's manager. Edit: and i was right!

So happy to have so many mok ha singing moments. Park eun bin's voice is no joke.

I knew lee uk was doing something behind everyone's back when he overheard that bo geol went to see mr jung. I don't know what but I'm curious to find out.

BO GEOL RUN TO HELP MOK HA AND YOUR MOM THEY'RE IN DANGER!!!

First you're leaving me on a cliffhanger and now you're giving me that preview? How can I wait for the next episode? HOW???

I'll give this episode a 8.5/10

#i don't want anything to happen to my boy ki ho #but i know mr jung will do everything to break the family and take back all the control he had over them #the preview for episode 10 has me on the egde of my seat </3 #i really hope there's a happy ending to this drama #or else i'll riot #random(al) thoughts #kdrama #castaway diva

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swearyshera · 1 year

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I REALLY like how you wrote DT’s speech. I never had a problem with the original, but I know some people felt it was bordering on victim-blaming (which I don’t blame DT for, since 1. They were missing some context and couldn’t have known everything that went on and 2. They obviously aren’t the type to handle things lightly), so I think your version avoids those problems while still delivering the same emotional blows. I personally have always interpreted DT’s speech as their way of helping Catra. I like to think that they DID care about her, in their own way—they’re not above betraying someone they care about, of course, but I think they did like her, as the chemistry between them seems legitimate. Their speech was intended to help, I think, even though they didn’t do it in a nice, friendly way (because that’s not how DT rolls). It may have even been done for multiple reasons—maybe they were salty about being left imprisoned, maybe they wanted to distance themself from Catra because they don’t want anyone to get too close—who knows? Of course, the interpretation that DT never cared about Catra is still valid, but I firmly believe they did, at least a little. Maybe not “I’d die for her,” but certainly “I vibe with her, she’s cool, we should hang out more.”

The view of DT's speech as inadvertently victim-blaming Catra is one that I can absolutely see and understand. I also don't believe for a second that it was the intention, but you don't always see every audience interpretation when you're writing a line like that. And of course, there's a few ways to explain it away, as you've mentioned, but I think it was a genuine 'I didn't think of it that way'.

Knowing that was a common read of that line, I obviously wanted to make sure I didn't fall down that trap too, but the intention from my end was to frame it around Catra's mental health and how she had been ignoring, or even fighting off, everyone who wanted to help. I said earlier that it was about DT acknowledging the hurt she'd suffered, but also making it clear that she hasn't done anything to help herself - because we are the only people who can help ourselves (or at least, make the choice to get help). That was the key message to get across.

I also think it's important here to mention another maxim that I have when writing about Catra on here, particularly when it comes to talking about her actions: Reason, not excuse. It's absolutely possible to see that opening the portal, driving Scorpia away, fighting Adora, etc, were actions that had a clear reason for her doing them. But at the same time, that reason doesn't become an excuse for them that absolves her of responsibility, and DT is holding her to that. There is a small, fuzzy line between the two terms - and it can be so close at times. But there comes a point at which someone has to say "Look, I get why you're feeling like this, but that still doesn't make what you did right." and that is Double Trouble's role here.

Will it be something that Catra takes on board? Not yet. She's not in the right state of mind to process that concept - and that's why it hurts her so hard (and possibly why DT's original line came across in the way it did). It takes time (and more trauma) for her to start to realise the truth in what they were saying to her. But she'll get there.

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