Tumgik
#be treated or viewed in the same ways as him. but i won't get into it
calware · 7 months
Text
"i happened to not find this character very interesting or likeable" doesn't automatically mean they're an objectively bland and boring character it just means you have a personal opinion
272 notes · View notes
laughingcatwrites · 7 months
Text
As a reminder that good exists out there, a coworker recently confessed to me that he found out his child is questioning their identity (kid's gender redacted for this post). The kid is keeping it from him, so he can't say anything to them or show that he knows, but he's doing his best to get mentally prepared and educated so that he'll be ready whenever his kid does feel comfortable enough come to him.
For context, this guy is a big, bulky middle aged dude who loves sports and typical outdoor "manly" activities. As his coworker and friend, I know he's a kind and sweet teddy bear of a person, but his kid probably views him as a stern, authoritarian figure, the way most teenagers view their parents. His family lives in a conservative area, so I'm sure between that, their dad's looks and interests, and the fact that their dad is a Figure of Authority, the kid is worried that they won't be accepted.
But you know what? When he found out about his kid, the first thing he did was reach out to his closest queer friend and ask for resources for parents of questioning children. His biggest fears are that his kid will be bullied or discriminated against and won't feel comfortable enough to be themself. His second action was to find himself a mentor in another parent who went the same situation (kid coming out in a conservative town). The other person is preparing him for some of the struggles his kid may face and the fights he may need to take on as a parent to make sure his kid is safe and treated well.
Something I want to emphasize for people focused on language as the primary method of allyship is that when we spoke, he used some outdated terms and thoughts about gender and sexuality. That does not make him bad. These were the terms and thinking used about questioning teenagers when he was growing up and he never needed to learn more current ones. But now that he does have that need, he's throwing himself in head first because that's his kid and he's darn well going to make sure that his kid feels welcomed and has a safe place to be themselves even if they never come out to him.
35K notes · View notes
prickly-paprikash · 1 month
Text
Kendrick doesn't just hate Drake as a person. He hates the very idea of Drake.
Hip-Hop is rooted in revolution. In defiance. These are the songs of an oppressed group of people, and decades upon decades people have hated it. Accused of being meaningless and invalid. Media outlets took steps to belittle hip-hop and make sure it isn't recognized as an art form and as a means to fight back.
2Pac spoke of wealth disparity and inequality. Tupac was literally a member of a communist organization when he was younger and never stopped speaking against capitalism.
Lauryn Hill spoke of the struggles a woman faces. Not just women, but black women. Salt-N-Peppa. Queen Latifah. MISSY FUCKING ELLIOT.
N.W.A made sure people knew about police brutality and violence against the Black community.
And now, in this day and age, we're also experiencing an explosion of Queer Hip-Hop. Lil Nas X is at the forefront of this. Lil Uzi Vert came out as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, even when they knew that a lot of their fans would never use it or even respect them for it. Auntie Diaries, a song about a young man who grew up in a transphobic environment and bought into those beliefs, but could never fully do it because his Uncle loved him so much and taught him a lot of life lessons, and that wisdom translated to him accepting his cousin as a woman as well.
Drake is none of that.
He's the perfect representation of what people think hip-hop is. Flexing. Posturing. Objectifying women. A fucker so insecure he bought 2Pac's ring just to feel like he's part of the black community. Rejected by Rihanna publicly. Tried to groom Millie Bobby Brown. Kissed and inappropriately touched an underage girl during his concert. His songs have inspired so many young boys to treat girls like shit. His belief that the amount of rings and chains and cars he has is the true meaning of success.
Additional Edit: This is my fault. If this post gains more views, then it would be remiss of me not to add to this. It was my fault to begin with, not stating this beforehand because while I did know, I got lost in celebrating Hip-Hop in a place that doesn't usually do so, and rightfully so.
2Pac did fight for wealth equality and better social living for the black community. He also has a long, long history of battery, domestic abuse, and sexual harassment against women. Specifically against women of color. He made a song to celebrate his own mother, but outright refused to give the same show of respect to other women in his life. His hypocritical nature was brushed off in later decades, just the way I did now.
N.W.A is the same. Sexual assault charges, violence—they spoke of Police reform, but refuses to give the same treatment back towards the women in their lives.
50 cent refuses to backtrack on any of his misogynistic lyrics.
Modern rappers of today, such as the dead XXXtentacion. 6ix9ine. Kodak Black.
I do love Hip-Hop. I love rap. And the music itself has always been anti-authoritarian at its core, because those are its roots. And I was happy that circles that did not normally know of it or enjoy it were getting into it, even for one thing like this rap feud.
Lil Nas X, Little Simz, Childish Gambino, Missy Elliot, Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hill—rappers who have at the very least consistently tried to put their money where their mouth is. Who have tried to act in accordance to what they rap and write and sing for.
@shehungthemoon @ohsugarsims finnthehumanmp3 were the ones who rightfully clarified in the comments. I know an apology won't correct my hypocrisy or my stupidity. I should have added all of this before making this post, but I wanted so badly to celebrate a genre of music but failed to do my due diligence in showing a better, holistic view of it. If anyone felt triggered, offended, troubled, frustrated or any other intense negative emotions surrounding this, please do block me. I'm sorry.
8K notes · View notes
Text
Lately, I've been thinking about Mithrun and the ways he is dehumanized in canon.
Before I get started, we know that elven society is incredibly afraid of death and illness. This is obvious in how they look down on the short lived races and see them as weak and childlike. We also know that Mithrun himself had ableist views toward his brother and these values did not leave him once he, himself, became disabled. He is a product of the society that raised him, but I also think how Mithrun is currently being treated contributes to his view of himself.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Mithrun has had three different caretaking groups over the years. The first are the ones his brother hired for him. From what we can see, they did the job, but we can understand that they did not know what to do with him. No one had ever recovered from having their desires eaten so the focus was less on rehabilitation and more on keeping him alive.
Tumblr media
Later we see Milsiril take an interest in him because of his desire to return to the dungeon. Since she did not bother to visit him for decades after finding him, we can assume that there is an ulterior motive here. Timeline-wise, this was when the majority of the canaries had just been wiped out. They needed more men, and Mithrun is set up to be the perfect single-focused soldier.
Tumblr media
Honestly, we can assume that Milsiril doesn't really care about him or see him as a person. Mithrun is just a new project for her to play with. We can see this in how she's focused on superficial level concerns like the fact that he doesn't look nice and wanting him to be overly grateful toward her. She also talks about him like he's not in the room and can't hear her. This is a dehumanizing trait shared by many characters when talking about Mithrun.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
When he finally does recover enough to return to the canaries, the military does not make any effort to accommodate his needs. We know the canaries are understaffed and the ethics are already bad, but they really did not even try to care about Mithrun's safety at all.
Tumblr media
Entrusting a criminal with his care was questionable at best, especially when Cithis immediately took the opportunity to abuse her power over him and no one stopped her.
Tumblr media
While acknowledging the light-hearted nature of the manga, it's uncomfortable that Mithrun was treated like a child and an animal by Cithis for her amusement. Regardless of her 'learning to respect him' later, the point is that Mithrun was taken advantage of and degraded because she believed he couldn't say no. No one bothered to do anything about this until Pattadol yelled at her.
Truly his treatment is summarized well by Milsiril here. Mithrun is extremely vulnerable to being abused by those taking care of him because he won't advocate for himself. He has one desire so he won't fight for himself in any other way.
Tumblr media
It is obvious that Mithrun was not treated well by his caretakers and this has resulted in him identifying his needs through a disconnected and frankly, infantilizing lens.
Tumblr media
I understand that it may have been a translator's decision, but I always thought it was interesting that Mithrun says that he's "not sleepy" which is a childish term. Otherwise, he speaks like everyone else, if not rather posh.
Tumblr media
This, followed by the fact that he is responsive to Kabru treating him like a literal infant to get him to eat, paints a clear picture of the fact that Mithrun is not unfamiliar with being treated like this. He responds to it because he's used to it and has no desire to argue with being treated this way. When we consider the fact that the chapter started with Milsiril treating an older child Kabru in the same way, it is likely that she also did the same thing to Mithrun when he was under her care.
Tumblr media
In these panels, we see that Mithrun does not believe that he can sleep without magical assistance, even though it is immediately refuted when Kabru takes the time to bundle him up and help him relax. Not only does he fully believe he can't sleep without external assistance, but he states directly that there is no point in him getting comfortable.
Tumblr media
As Kabru observes, Mithrun's inability to recognize his needs applies to needs such as hunger and exhaustion, but it obviously also applies to emotional needs. Kabru just wanting to feed him something delicious and not wanting him to give up on life is the most consideration someone has given Mithrun in years.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
The relationship they form over the course of a single week is enough to shape Mithrun's behaviour completely. Mithrun ignores Cithis's demand in favour of asking Kabru's opinion. It is Kabru's hand Mithrun takes to pull him out of his defeated state. It is Kabru Mithrun confessed his true desire to.
Tumblr media
Do you realize how depressing that is? All it took was the new perspectives from Kabru and Senshi to make him consider the fact that he should keep living despite no longer needing to fulfill his duty. Being treated well could have helped Mithrun much sooner and this shift in the way he sees himself contributes to his recovery going forward.
TLDR: Mithrun has no desire to be respected, but why does that make people feel comfortable acting like he doesn't deserve it? Someone not caring about being treated well doesn't give you permission to treat them poorly. This feels like a playschool-level consent lesson: just because he's not saying no to a humiliating or degrading act doesn't mean it's a yes and therefore okay to do. Acknowledging this is the bare minimum of treating him as a person.
4K notes · View notes
walpu · 4 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
I've got those requests almost at the same time jsrfwwxewe also I fucked up big time and accidentally deleted them but thanks god I've made the screenshots
I've been looking forward to writing something nsfw for him lmao
nsfw headcanons w/Aventurine
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
characters - Aventurine notes - gn!reader, nsfw, subby!Aven. Somehow turned into a character study. Somewhat angsty but with a turn for hurt/comfort. No beta.
Okay, first of all, he's no virgin. But he's NOT a manwhore either. Like for some reason when it comes to the cunning characters it's always either he's a dickrider-pussydestroyer-900 or he's actually a fragile innocent virgin baby. Not the case with Aventurine, not on my watch at least.
I mean it's pretty much canon that the only moment he feels truly alive is when he's gambling so he won't seek sex for the purpose of filling up the hole in his heart. And I don't see him as a lustful person in general.
He has one-night stands from time to time though. Not particularly often but once in a while he feels a certain level of frustration and stress budling up in him so in order to distress without losing his cool he seeks sexual relief. For him it's a safe way to relax a bit without actually taking off the mask of a frivolous and confident man.
Also. He's very touch starved. Not even in a lustful way, he just wants to feel someone's touch. Someone on twitter pointed out that he's practically hugging himself on his e6 and I haven't been the same ever since.
And now look at his body language in almost every cutscene. He has his arms crossed and is generally pretty reversed. I think he doesn't trust people around enough to be in his personal space but when it's a part of the sexual act, it's just natural. He doesn't have to feel exposed. So yeah. This is another reason why he seeks sex.
Now do you remember what Sparkle said to him? About stripping himself naked for Sunday and all that? Yeah I feel like he gets comments like that a lot due to people's prejudice against Avgins. People are usually not this straightforward butttt the idea behind their comments is the same.
He may act unaffected as long as he wants to but I do think it messed him up quite a bit.
Due to his fucked up views on his own value and his sexuality he doesn't have a healthy set of boundaries with his partners, allowing them to be as mean and rough as they want. And I don't mean just kinky stuff, I mean genuinely uncaring partners who really don't give a shit about Aven's comfort. I think subconsciously he seeks people like this. In his eyes, it's better this way, otherwise he may crumble from a gently and caring touch.
So yeah. His sexual encounters usually leave him sore and exhausted. The initial feeling of relief washes away in the morning, leaving him more empty than before.
Okay now to the happier part because we are 466 words in and I still didn't say anything good or sexy.
If the two of you started your relationship as a fling then initially he would be surprised because of how observant and attentive you are.
"My, my, how caring you are. But don't worry about me, you're free to use me as you wish" he says in the same flirty tone as usual. And you just. Stare.
He acts like he's bored while you literally pry the information out of him and, well, he doesn't give you anything specific anyway so you have to ask questions during the whole prosses to make sure he's doing fine. Orrr you just set for something very vanilla just in case.
In reality he's a bit confused. Has mixed feeling about this. Being treated with such care makes it harder for him to hide behind his mask but it feels so nice.
And when he realizes that he has actual feelings for you he just. Stops sleeping with you lmao. If you have questions about this he'll find 2134144 excuses but in reality he just tries to figure out his own feelings.
If you started off as friends then he would not try to sleep with you until you start dating. At first he just doesn't want to mix up this dynamics. And when he catches feelings, he just tries to make sense of it. Plus since sex is not something entirely positive for him, he's just kind of... unsure how it may affect your relationship even if it's obvious that the two of you want each other.
Okay now the real talk. When the two of you are officially lovers be prepared to face his messed up views on his own sexuality. Will probably need a lot of reassurance, attention and aftercare to realize the importance of his own safety and comfort. Learns to value himself through you.
A very good lover, knows how to please you and wants to please you. His previous sex partners weren't important to him so he didn't go out of his way to make them feel good but with you it's a different story. Literally worships your body, pressing kisses everywhere. Especially likes your thighs. Kisses them, bites them, leaves marks all over them. Loooooves teasing them while keeping eye contact with you right before giving you oral.
I feel like he's a switch but leans towards being a sub. May dom if you want him to or, rarely, if he feels like it.
May look like a brat but is not actually a brat. Well, most of the time. He's a tease but still does pretty much everything you want without making you work for it. However, if he's in a playful mood, may get all cheeky with you. Says stuff like: "Oh, that's all? I know you can do better" or "My dearest, don't disappoint me, okay? You know I don't make deals that don't pay off" just to rile you up. He loves being tamed okay. He knows you won't hurt him so him being all cheeky and disobedient is actually a huge sign that he's comfortable with you and trusts you fully.
Worship his body and he'll melt. Like. He'll genuinely crumble.
Goes all worked up and needy and soft and completely submissive in your arms.
Loves loves loves edging you. And fucking hate being edged. And by "hates" I mean he will whine and sulk and beg you to let him cum already. Secretly loves it but won't admit. You know it anyway since he never tries to stop you, obeying your every command, like a good boy he is. If you tell him that you'll stop doing that if he actually wants you to he'll huff and admit that he's not actually against you being a meanie.
Loves marking your body and loves when you mark his. HOWEVER would prefer to leave/have hickeys on the parts of your bodies that are usually covered. Doesn't want to create any rumors and doesn't want to make you uncomfortable. However, if you're into this, he'll gladly cover your entire neck with hickeys.
Is actually very sensitive pretty much everywhere so it's quite easy to overstimulate him. Once again, he'll whine but would never be against it.
Has the pretties moans and is very loud as well.
Doesn't have a lot of stamina so if he tops and you're still not satisfied after he cums, he'll use toys to entertain you up until he is ready for another round. If he bottoms then please give him some time to rest. Andddd kiss all over his body so he would get worked up again as soon as possible.
Has a praise kink. And a bit of a degradation kink too actually. Don't just insult him, mix it up with a praise and boom he's ready to cum.
Loves aftercare. Both giving and receiving it. He feels extremely vulnerable after a sensual lovemaking session so please just hold him and tell him he did great.
1K notes · View notes
suiana · 28 days
Text
@yandere-romanticaa (aaand @harmonysanreads) i have an idea for yandere jingyuan 🤑🎀
imagine being his old lover that passed on because you were a short life species. you two loved each other dearly, at least from his point of view. so when you died, he was absolutely devastated, feeling empty even though he didn't show it on his face. he's the general of the luofu after all!
he didn't try moving on. why even bother? he knows it will never work, he'll never move on. you were everything and anything he needed. so he just leaves the house you two once shared in it's old condition, pretending you're still alive and by his side, talking to an empty house.
but then one particularly boring day, you reappeared, and with the astral express no less! he was flabbergasted, wide eyed and left stunned when he saw your familiar face walk the streets of the luofu, smiling like nothing was wrong. like you didn't take his heart and left him empty on the inside.
he couldn't even do anything, couldn't even muster up a simple 'hi' because of how shocked he was with your sudden reemergence. you... reincarnated? and now you're traveling with the express now? he didn't know how to feel.
but what he did know was that he had to get you back. of course he did! you belonged to him after all. thankfully he's now more mature, more experienced. he won't make the same mistakes he did when he was younger. no, he really doesn't want to have to restrain you again. he hates seeing you cry and yell at him, you know?
so when you and the astral express approached him to help the luofu for its crisis or something he acted like how he'd treat anyone else. acted approachable, like an easy going man who wouldn't dare think of anything as nasty as kidnapping or murder. he's grown more patient and knows how to hold back now in the time he's spent without you. even if he really wants to tear out that person's eyes for even glancing at you... he knows it'll scare you away and tear down the perception of him that he so carefully built up for you. so he held back. simply laughed and smiled at you as you told him about the people who confessed to you. oh well, at least he got to see your flushed cheeks and the way you grow flustered.
i mean, that smile he always has is just way too deceptive! anyone would think he's just a lazy and kind general! and maybe even get flustered because of his charming actions!
unfortunately you got charmed.
you fell for his charms, as he expected, and even told your express buddies that you'd settle down in the luofu after you solved the luofu's crisis with them. jingyuan couldn't be happier. ah, so your love for him carried on into the next life too? he just can't help but have a smug smile on his face once you confess to him.
it's even worse when he finds out your lifespan is longer than what it used to be. maybe even as long as a xianzhou native's? he's glad the aeons have decided to reward him for his dedication to you. he really can't bear losing you once more.
he gets the house prepared for your return, all innocent and sweet as he leads you back to your forever home that you used to fight so hard to leave. but don't worry! it's all for your own good! and he won't have to restrain you this time because he got your approval of love before making any moves.
all you have to do now is love him for the rest of your lives. that's simple enough right? he'll do all the hard work, all you need to do is welcome him home with open arms and a sweet smile on your face.
all you need to do is love. him. back.
and now you've also got a son (yanqing) to take care of! why would you ever leave him? you don't want him to get all sad now, would you?
Tumblr media
694 notes · View notes
rizzanon · 7 months
Text
childhood friend! Shinichiro Sano
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
part 1 (here) | part 2
childhood friend! Shinichiro whom you meet for the first time when you were both 8 years old at the playground, wondering why he was standing ontop of the jungle gym, looking at the distance
"Why are you standing up there?"
" 'cuz the view is nice!"
"....Weirdo.."
"H-Hey!"
childhood friend! Shinichiro whom you meet again a few weeks later at his grandfather's dojo where your parents signed you up for some taekwondo classes for self defense
"What are you doing here, weirdo?"
"Hey! I'm no weirdo! And this is my grandfather's place okay? I'm allowed to be here anytime I want!"
"Woahh, your grandfather's the teacher? That's cool!"
"I know right?!"
childhood friend! Shinichiro whom you become friends with over the next few days, watching him miserably fail to show off execute the moves his grandfather taught him to you
"HAHAHAH! You suck at this, y'know."
"Shut up! You don't have to tell me something I already know."
"At this rate, I can beat you easily in a spar..!"
"In your dreams!"
childhood friend! Shinichiro who introduces you to his only other friend, Takeomi, and the two of you hit it off very well (much to Shinichiro's dismay)
"I didn't think Shin had other friends."
T- "Neither did I, I thought he made you up."
"H-Hey! What's with this mockery!!?"
childhood friend! Shinichiro who ends up going to the same middle school and high school as you much to his delight
"You better stop slacking and start putting in effort in your studies Shin!"
"What are you, my mother?"
-smacks his head-
"Ouch! Okay, okay! I get it!"
childhood friend! Shinichiro who hates the fact that his siblings (Manjiro and Emma) love you as much as he does
"Seriously?? I can't believe you all are ganging up on me like this...!—Fake sobs—My very own siblings..."
"It's your fault that I'm just better, heheh."
E- "Yeah! She's way kinder to us that you are, Shin!"
"What?? But I'm always nice to you both too!"
M- "Plus, she always buys us our favourite snacks too!!"
"Bribery at it's finest... I can't believe this.."
childhood friend! Shinichiro who always goes to you to get treated whenever he's injured after fighting with other people
"Let me guess, you got into another fight again?"
"Ding ding ding! You guessed correct! Too bad there's no prize."
"Ha. Ha. Very funny Shin. Why don't you go and see an actual doctor to get your injuries treated?"
"Why would I do that when I have you who'll fix me up every time?"
childhood friend! Shinichiro who always goes to your class during lunch break to find you whenever he forgets to bring his own bento (was it on purpose? you don't know), knowing that you always make extra for him just in case
"Well, well, well, look who decides to forget to bring his bento for the third time this week?"
"Heheh, about that..."
"Don't worry, I made extra food for you."
"Aww, so you do care about me."
"Don't push it, Shin."
childhood friend! Shinichiro who worries that his rising reputation as a delinquent might bring down your reputation as well
"Are you sure you still want to be friends with me? I get it if you don't want to-"
"I already told you, I don't care what people think about me. What matters is what you think of me. That's all."
"...."
"Besides, who else will treat your wounds other than me, hm?"
childhood friend! Shinichiro who begs asks you to ride with him on his bike, promising you that he would keep you safe
"You want me to what??!"
"Come on...! Ride with me just this once! I promise you won't fall off."
"If I die, the blame's on you."
"Wha- You won't die! And I'll make sure nothing happens to you."
childhood friend! Shinichiro who introduces you to his other two friends in Black Dragons, Wakasa and Benkei, hoping you'd feel more reassured about him leading a gang and being a delinquent after meeting his closest friends
B- "Woah, didn't know you had a girl, Shin. Who's she?"
"What?"
W- "Let's be real, Shin can't flirt for his life."
"Hey! That's rude! I so have game."
"Game of a rock, you mean."
"Oi!"
childhood friend! Shinichiro who finds solace in you after every time he gets rejected by a girl he asks out much to your dismay (this was the 20th time)
"I don't get it. What am I doing wrong??!"
"It's simple. You're the problem."
"Rude... but seriously, why won't any girl date me? I'm certainly not that bad of a boyfriend if they gave me a chance...!"
"Well firstly, do you even have any interest in any of those girls you asked out? How do you even move on so easily?!?"
"If you put it like that... no, not really. I just want to date someone for the highschool experience y'know..!"
-smacks his head-
"Ouch!"
"No wonder no girl ever takes your confession seriously. Plus, your hair is so gelled up, no girl's gonna like that... Once a weirdo, always a weirdo."
childhood friend! Shinichiro who listens to your advice, and stops using gel as often as he used to on his hair, sometimes leaving his hair down to find out what you'd say about it
"You didn't put gel on your hair today?"
"Nope, I was kind of in a rush today, haha.."
"Well... you look... better like this, if I'm being honest."
"R-Really??"
"Yeah, keep this up and someday, a girl might accept your confession."
childhood friend! Shinichiro who tells you about the rumors he's been hearing around the school, about how many of the students thought you and him were dating and how he wasn't so opposed to the idea of that
"Wait, seriously?? People think we're dating?!?"
"My reaction exactly. I can't believe they think we're dating!"
"Not that I would mind that though..."
"Hm? What did you say?"
"??! You're hearing things, Shin. I didn't say anything at all..."
Part 2
m.list
678 notes · View notes
annabelle--cane · 30 days
Text
Tumblr media
there's a lot going on in the mag 58 supplemental, this one little scene does a lot of heavy lifting to set up martin and tim's arcs for the rest of the show, but I want to focus on these lines particularly because of how therapy comes back as a symbol in s4/s5.
broadly, in the context of the meta plot and not the individual statements, seeking therapy in tma is representative of trying to improve oneself and get out of a bad situation. later, when taking melanie to therapy, georgie suggests that jon should get some as well but, when asked, says she wouldn't be willing to escort him like she does with melanie, showing how she does wish the best for jon in theory but doesn't think he actually wants to get better, or at least that she's not sure enough to involve herself with him.
that view of jon doesn't come from nowhere, because here we have an instance of him rejecting that same offer, symbolically rejecting help in favor of digging himself deeper on his own (obligatory disclaimer that irl therapy is a very personal thing and says nothing about one's overall character, this is just an examination of a motif in fiction). the word choice of "he just says no" imo implies that martin has suggested this multiple times and jon keeps giving the same answer, continually reaffirming that he does not want outside assistance to pull him out of this spiral.
the fact that martin's the one advocating to go soft on jon despite repeated refusals for more sympathetic help is interesting to me, because I would guess that this conversation was instigated by jon aggressively confronting martin about trevor herbert two episodes earlier. we know he was stalking all three of his assistants, but that is the biggest and most threatening outburst we get from jon in this period, and in this conversation it is still martin being defensive and apologetic vs tim being frustrated and pissed off.
I've said recently that I'm pretty sure martin believed jon was self harming and/or suicidal at this point, so I can see why he would be particularly willing to give jon slack and try to prevent any big conflicts, but that still contributes to his current narrative role of "guy who is treated the worst but ignores it because he's also the guy who cares the most." in that way, he's a foil for georgie; she cares, sure, but not enough to ignore (perceived) risks. martin pushes for jon to get therapy even as he lashes out and rejects help, and georgie won't involve herself when jon asks if she'd be willing to help him see a therapist.
this motif comes back around for a final complication in s5, when laverne, melanie's therapist, winds up as part of her cult. melanie's effort to get better and get out did have lasting effects, she is separated from the watcher/watched system and is coping a whole lot better than she would have before, but those personal efforts still weren't enough to fully get her out of the whole mess. no amount of individual action could remove her from this structural problem, her therapist helped her a lot but also now thinks she's a prophet.
which also comes back to the above scene. tim and martin both write off elias as useless in this situation, so they start sniping at each other and talking about how to stop jon from doing what he's doing without even really lingering on how the guy who is actually in charge and has power over them all is making it worse by neglecting his managerial duties. I'm sure jon could have done with some therapy at this point, but that would have only dealt with, like, 10% of the archive gang's current problems.
201 notes · View notes
torchwood-99 · 8 months
Text
"her part seemed to her more ignoble than that of the staff he leaned on"
I love you Gandalf. He just gets it.
The sexism that blighted Eowyn's life, that came from the hands not from enemies but loved ones, reduced her and cut her down to fit her into a box, until Eowyn didn't even feel like a person anymore. And Eomer, when it's spelled out to him, goes back and looks at their life together differently, and realises the wrong that's been done to her.
She was a tool, something to be leant on and used, to provide support for the men's desires and the men's ambitions and the men's glory, with no will of her own.
Her family loved her, but they saw her as what they would have her be, viewing her through the lens of what they believe women to be instead of seeing Eowyn (and women as a whole) for herself, instead of recognising her as her own being with own merit and skills.
It's that thing of sexism not only making women less equal, but less human.
They are a tool, a service. They are a monolith, a group assigned to perform certain roles, valued for performing those roles (to an extent) but not actually individuals, with individuals thoughts and hopes and skills and dreams. Not to the same extent as men.
And because these are the roles they're meant to serve, there's no injustice, no tragedy of lost potential and missed opportunities, because as women they don't have that potential and they don't need those opportunities.
It's no wonder Eowyn wanted to die in battle. Going to battle, riding out against the orders of all those who caged her in, that was her regaining control of her life, a life that seemed to be no life, because she was no real living person. Just a staff to be leant on. And in going to battle, when she has been told not to, in making a choice for herself, she reclaims her humanity. But she's been so broken down that she thinks the only way to avoid going back to being an object is to die in battle.
Faramir doesn't treat her like an object. He treats her like a person, one similar to him. He sees her worth and merit and he admires her strength and her deeds while also feeling compassion for her suffering. After Faramir meets her, he seeks out Merry, to try and find out about her, instead of making presumptions about her based on her sex.
Faramir bothers, he takes the effort to find out who Eowyn is, instead of deciding for her.
And Merry, who rode to war with her and also sees her who she is, helps. No wonder he and Eowyn, though parted by distance, remain great friends and Eowyn adores him.
But Eowyn doesn't just get a happy ending from having a man in her life who treats her decently.
Tolkien makes a point to have Eowyn not just declare herself as choosing to live to be Faramir's wife, it's not a case of unhappy feminist who wants to be like a boy but is finally happy when she "accepts femininity" and finds a good man to protect her.
She says she will be a healer. Faramir has spoken nothing of that. It's not a role he has chosen for her or he's taking on and she's going to do to help him. They will be married and support each other and share a life, but she will also be her own seperate person.
It's a role that she's chosen for herself, without orders or pressure from anybody else. A role that will put her strength and her wits and her stomach iron to good use, and means she won't have to wait until battle to feel alive. A role that is seen as a mark of leadership, for the greatest leaders in Middle Earth, men and women, are also healers.
This such an important arc, and it really is incredible of Tolkien to write it.
A woman who has had her own goals and skills overlooked in favour of how she can serve men, who has been kept locked in the home to tend to her family's needs with no relief or chance to go out and live life on her terms.
Who is beloved by her family, who are good people, yet still mistreated because sexism is just part and parcel of her world and even well meaning people take part in it.
A woman whose humanity has been diminished at the hands of her loved ones because of sexism and gender roles.
A woman who proves the naysayers wrong by riding out to battle, bringing along Merry who has also been left behind, and proving herself pivotal to the victory.
A woman who only finds hope for the future when she is ceased to be treated as a useful object, when she forges bonds with Merry and Faramir who don't see her as a staff for the men to walk on, nor a faulty one who keeps trying to run off on its own and needs to be brought back, but as an individual with her own hopes and failings and dreams and skills, not defined by what the patriarchy says a woman's role is.
A when she does find hope for life again, she does so not only in finding love and friendship and camaraderie, but in a vocation that will be her own, in a career that will give her own her role in the world, a role that is associated with leadership, and leadership in her own right, not as an adjunct of her husband's.
And this is how she gets her happy ending. From love (Faramir), friendship (Merry), understanding (Eomer, looking at Eowyn anew in the House of Healing) and through independence (becoming a Healer). This is how she gets a happy ending, because this is how she reclaims her personhood.
517 notes · View notes
skzhocomments · 4 months
Text
Clingy - Bang Chan Oneshot Fanfic
Tumblr media
General Masterlist
Pairing: Bang Chan (Stray Kids) x OC (name: Aera. Story is written in 2nd person)
Genre: angst, fluff
Word Count: ~3.3k
Warnings: a little angst, crying
This is just a story that doesn’t describe Bang Chan or other mentioned Stray Kids’ members true characters in any way. It’s just a product of my imagination and should be treated as such.
This story is also on Wattpad (click here) and AO3 (click here)
---
Summary
You overhear Chan and Jisung talking about how clingy you are, and it really hurts your feelings.
A/N: As any other writer out there, I would appreciate reblogs and your comments on this story. Please let me know if you enjoyed it, and most importantly, have fun!
© all rights reserved by skzhocomments (Tumblr), skzho (Tumblr)/ storminsidemycore (Wattpad), storminsidemycore (AO3)
---
Clingy
"Is Aera coming over today?"
"Probably."
"Tsk. She's always here. Don't you find it annoying?"
You were just outside the door when this conversation between Chris and Jisung stopped you dead in your tracks.
You've been dating Chris for just shy of a year now, and you figured out early in the relationship that he never has free time. He's a workaholic through and through, starting his days with early practice and finishing them with late nights in the studio. Thus, you came up with a solution: whenever you wouldn't be working night shifts, you would come visit him in the studio and keep him company.
You never interrupted or bothered him. You just watched him work, stealing occasional kisses when he'd take short breaks, taking care of him, bringing him food (as he more often than not forgot to eat balanced meals completely), giving him water when his bottle would run out, and massaging his shoulders when he'd feel particularly stiff.
You never considered yourself to be annoying, until now. And although you shouldn't listen to other people's conversations, you just had to know what your boyfriend thought about it.
"Annoying? How so?" Chris asked.
"I mean, she's being so clingy. She always wants to see you or be around you and she's coming by, like, every day. It seems exhausting."
"Oh... Yeah, I see what you mean. Well..."
"What?" Jisung chuckles.
"She is a bit clingy, yeah."
"It annoys me sometimes. I miss our bonding time in the studio." Jisung chuckles again.
"Yeah, it would be nice to sometimes have time to ourselves. Sure." Chan chuckles as well, and you start feeling your heart break into a million pieces with every word you hear.
"Oh, so you also find her a bit... of a nuisance?"
"I wouldn't say that... But she does suffocate me sometimes, I won't lie."
You truly didn't know that Chris viewed you as suffocating. He's never told you.
If he had, you would've never started to come to the studio.
Why did he even give you an access key?
Already on the verge of tears, you decide to turn around and give Chris what he obviously wants: time away from you. Just as you do, you see Changbin walking towards the studio.
"Aera!" He exclaims and runs to you happily, taking you in his arms and spinning you around. You've become close friends ever since you started dating Chan, and this was how he always said hi to you.
"Binnie!" You ruffle his hair and smile back.
"Did you come visit? Let's go." He grabs your hand, and before being able to protest, he opens the door and drags you inside.
You try to keep on smiling as you say hi to your boyfriend and Jisung, but now that you're aware of their true feelings towards you being here, you can't help but notice every small detail. Chris and Jisung give each other a knowing look, and you notice it. You just know it's because you are there again.
You wonder if Changbin feels the same way, if he also finds you annoying and suffocating.
Your chest is tight, and it's getting hard to pretend that everything is okay. It's difficult to breathe. You can't even bring yourself to speak much, afraid that Chris will find you smothering, so your words get stuck in your throat, choking you.
You don't even laugh much at their jokes, and you wonder how everything can change in just a span of 10 minutes. The studio used to be a safe space for you, where you could relax and be yourself, but it now feels like a cage.
It seemed like you could now notice all sorts of things you weren't able to notice before. Although Chan is his usual self, it somehow feels different to you.
He doesn't want to spend time with me; runs through your head repeatedly, and with every passing minute, it's getting harder and harder to stay there.
You want to leave.
No, you need to leave.
Your eyes are watering up and the pressure in your chest is crushing you; the throbbing pain in your heart is getting too much; your eyes start to water again; and you need, you need to find an excuse and run away from this place.
You have to come up with something - anything convincing enough so that Chris won't bat an eye. Something that wouldn't be too obvious a lie.
"Oh, shit!" You exclaim, and the three men in the room look at you with questioning eyes.
"What's wrong?" Chris asks.
"I just remembered! Fuck! I promised Jia I'm taking over her shift tonight! Shit! I have to go!" You jolt up from the sofa and grab your bag hastily.
I have to get out.
I have to get out.
I have to get out.
"Oh, no! Want me to drive you?" Chris asks as he stands up as well.
"No, don't worry. I know you have work to do." You smile briefly, then wave to Jisung and Changbin and begin to turn around.
"You sure?" Chan grabs your hand, making you look at him.
"Yeah. If I leave now, I'll make it just in time."
"Ok, babe. See you tomorrow?"
"Sure." You smile as he presses his lips against yours briefly, before you part from him.
"Text me when you get there, so I know you're safe."
"Will do, bye bye!" You turn around and leave the room with haste, and once you're finally alone in the elevator, with the doors closed and already moving towards the ground floor, you break down.
It's hard to stop the tears from flowing, the overwhelming sadness completely taking over you, and you feel every piece of you ache. It shouldn't hurt this much. He didn't say he didn't love you. He simply said you're suffocating.
It's not that bad.
Is it?
You realise that Chris is right; you are smothering. You've always been the clingier one in the relationship, and maybe it's time to take a step back and stop being so keen on spending time with your boyfriend.
Maybe you should simply let him initiate whatever outings he wants, whenever he has time, and you'll see to your hobbies and occupy your mind with something else but him.
You get home and join a class right away. You don't even notice what you've clicked on.
Pottery, apparently.
Whatever.
This will do.
~
"She still hasn't texted me."
"Hm? What did you say, Hyung?" Han raises his head from his notebook. They've been working on a new song for a few hours now, and whenever Jisung writes lyrics, he gets completely absorbed in them, not noticing anything else.
"I said, she still hasn't texted me. How many hours has it been since she left for her shift?" Chan asks uneasily. You've always texted him to let him know you're safe, so this felt completely out of character for you.
"Maybe she just forgot." Jisung shrugs.
"Have you tried calling her?" Changbin asks.
"Yeah, I did... she won't pick up either."
As he answers this, Chan's breath hitches in his throat. What if something happened? What if you've had an accident, or fell and hit your head, or- it was already pretty dark out when you left.
Why the fuck did he let you go alone? He should've taken you to the restaurant himself.
Fuck, why are you still working there anyway? He's told you time and time again that he can take care of you while you search for a job in your field. He knows how hard you've worked for your diploma and how disappointed you've been after searching for months on end with no results.
Why didn't you want to take him up on the offer? That would mean all the free time in the world, and more importantly, no night shifts.
"I'm sure she's fine, Hyung." Changbin puts a comforting hand on Chan's shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. "But if you're that worried, you could go to the restaurant. It's not far from here anyway."
"Is that okay?" He asks anxiously.
"Yeah. We can manage just fine for a couple hours, don't worry."
With a short nod, Chan stands up and grabs his coat.
"You're just as clingy as her." Jisung chuckles slightly. "Message us when you're there."
"Will do!"
~
Chris runs hastily to the elevator and clicks on the button for the underground parking lot, then hurries to his car. The ride to the restaurant is less than 10 minutes long, and he curses once more for not taking you himself.
He couldn't even spare 10 minutes for you.
Fuck.
He's definitely never felt shittier...
... until he reaches the restaurant, goes inside, and sees that you're nowhere in sight.
"Chris? Oh, hi! I almost didn't recognise you with your cap on. What are you doing here?" A girl approaches him with a large smile.
"Jia? I thought you weren't working tonight?" He stares at the girl in front of him in confusion.
"Yeah, I am." The girl replies, just as confused.
"Oh... is Aera here?"
"No, she's working day shifts this month. Hasn't she told you?"
"She did, I just thought... whatever, nevermind." Chan waves his hand and smiles. "Thanks."
"You didn't have a fight, did you?" Jia asks with a worried expression on her face.
Chan didn't know. Did you?
"... no, we didn't. Thank you, Jia. Have a nice shift!" He waves and leaves the restaurant, and as soon as he's back in the car, he takes his phone out to call you again, when he notices a text.
~
Sorry Channie, it's been chaotic at work, and I couldn't check my phone until now. I forgot to text you to let you know all's okay. I got there safe <3
~
He freezes.
You lied. You've never lied to him before.
Why?
He decides not to call your bluff and plays along. You surely have a reason to lie to him, and he wants you to come forward yourself instead of having to confront you.
You're safe. That's all that matters.
Or that's what he's trying to tell himself, although doubts start running rampant in his mind. Your behaviour today has been weird, ever since you came to the studio. You avoided eye contact, you invented an excuse to leave after not even 20 minutes, you lied that you're going to the restaurant, and you haven't even messaged him to let him know you've gotten there, or home, or wherever the heck you've gone, safely.
With a sigh, he starts the engine and drives back to the studio.
~
"Babe, can you give me some water, please?" Chan asks in a quiet voice as he's trying to perfect a beat he's been working on. It's 2AM already, and he's growing tired.
When you don't answer, he asks something again, this time in a whisper.
"Did you fall asleep?"
There's still no answer coming from you, so he turns his chair around to see you, and then the realisation hits him.
You're not there.
In fact, he can't even remember the last time you've come to the studio to keep him company.
He noticed that ever since that night you lied to him, you've been acting strange. You no longer text him unless he texts you first; you don't initiate any dates or activities with him; and most importantly, you're never there.
He misses you.
Did you fall out of love? Are you trying to let him down slowly by spending less and less time with him?
Shit, he never expected love to hurt as much as it does. Your absence hurts.
He grabs his phone to text you, hoping that you're not asleep. It takes you 12 minutes to reply. 12 minutes that passed by agonisingly slowly, but he's at least grateful you actually replied. Waiting until morning would've been torture.
As soon as he sees your text, he calls you.
"Yeah?" You reply, your voice small. You always sound like this when you've just woken up.
Fuck, when was the last time Chan woke up next to you?
"Sorry, babe, did I wake you up?"
"Mhm. What's wrong?"
"I just- can I come over?"
"Now?" You reply, still sounding asleep.
"Yeah. I really want to see you."
"You have a key though..." You yawn. "... why ask me?"
"... I know. I'll be there in 10 minutes, okay?"
"Mkay."
Chan makes his way to the parking lot and checks his wallet, phone, and the keys to your place a hundred times. When he's sure he has everything, he starts driving. He usually loves late–night drives, but his heart is now ridden with anxiety, which makes it completely unpleasant .
In front of your door, he contemplates once more using your key. He used to use it and come over all the time, but he's been so stumped with work as of late that he can't even remember when the last time he's been here was.
The apartment is quiet and dark, so he does his best to not disturb the peace as he walks hesitantly through the hallway until the bedroom.
The lights are turned off in the bedroom as well, and you're now fast asleep again. Still, he comes behind you and spoons you; he lets his face come close to your head and takes in your familiar scent as he hugs you.
"You're home?" You ask quietly.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."
"It's fine." You yawn again.
"I missed you so much." He whispers, and you hum.
"Mhm. I missed you too."
"Do you... still love me?"
"What?" You ask, your voice audibly more awake now. "Of course I still love you, Channie. What kind of question is that?"
"You've been so... distant lately. You don't even come over anymore."
"Look who's talking." You chuckle slightly. "When's the last time you've been here?"
"... you're right. But..."
"I'm sorry." You whisper, feeling yourself on the verge of crying again. "I do still love you, but... I was suffocating you. Maybe it's better that we spend less time together now."
"What?" Chan sits up on the bed, leaving you feeling empty and your back cold. You sit up as well and turn on your lamp, and looking at his face breaks your heart. His eyes are glistening with tears, matching yours like a mirror.
"You... you said you feel suffocated by me... I know I'm too clingy, so..."
"Wait! No... When- when did I say that to you?" He frowns. "Maybe I've just-"
"To me?" You smile bitterly, cutting him off. "Never. But you told Jisung how suffocating I am and how you sometimes just want time on your own, so... I'm giving you that."
As soon as he hears your words, he remembers. He had one conversation about this with Jisung, which he realised was bullshit anyway when he noticed how much he thinks about you and how lonely he feels when you're not there.
"Baby, I-"
"Don't even bother denying it, Chris. I heard it."
You look away as you feel like starting to cry again, and tears start falling immediately after. Fuck, it's pathetic, really.
"Aera, look at me, please. I didn't mean to deny it..." He pleads with you, but it's hard to listen to him and raise your head. It's so damn hard to see him.
When Chris sees you won't budge, he doesn't know what to do. You're crying and shaking, and it's all because of him. He's hurt you.
He thinks about how he could make it better and decides to hug you tightly.
"Baby, look... I did say that, and I'm truly sorry. I was so, so wrong. Yes, you are clingy, but fuck, I don't want it any other way. I've missed you so much these past weeks."
You stand silent and just listen to him.
"I kept turning my chair around to look at you and you were never there. I kept checking my phone but there were no messages from you. I didn't even know if I could still use the key you gave me, or if you're not comfortable with that anymore..."
"Channie, how can you even think that?" You cry out, and he hugs you tighter. "This is your home too."
"I'm truly sorry... I've been up in my ass with work and neglected you completely, and only realised how much I need you by my side when you were gone..."
"Yeah." You whisper.
"Are we going to be fine...?"
"... Yeah, we are. Just... please tell me if it gets too much, mhm?"
"It won't." He kisses your forehead as he smiles slightly. "Thank you for forgiving me. But Aera, you know? You also lied to me." He chuckles. "You didn't have any shifts that night."
"I'm sorry... I was hurt, and- wait, how do you know that?"
"I went to the restaurant to check on you, and Jia was really confused to see me there." He lets go of you and grabs your face with his hands, running his thumb over your cheeks and wiping away all the tears.
"I just... felt so horrible. Hearing you say that I'm suffocating you was like a punch in the gut. I'm so sorry I was too clingy."
He shakes his head and presses his lips against yours.
"Please be clingy from now on. I thought it felt suffocating, but I actually got so used to the warmth of your attention, that being without it felt utterly depressing. So, please, keep clinging to me."
"... okay." You nod.
"And please come by and spend time with me in the studio again, hm? What about tomorrow evening? We can have dinner together, and then you can come hang out with me. If you want to, of course."
"Oh, actually-" She chuckles slightly, "I can't have dinner with you tomorrow, sorry. I can come after 9 to the studio, though."
"Why?" He tilts his head.
"Well, you see...?" You rub your nape, "I have a pottery class from 7:30."
"Pottery?" Chan laughs in disbelief. "When did that happen?"
"When I decided to fill my days with something else to keep me from thinking about you all the time." You smile sadly, and he pouts.
"But I want you to think about me all the time. I also think about you all the time."
"The pottery class will last for a few more weeks, so you'll have to make do." You poke his nose playfully, and he is quick to scrunch it.
"You're punishing me." He kisses you again. "Do you like making pottery?"
"Honestly? I'm shit at it." You say, and both of you burst out laughing.
"I didn't ask you if you're a pro or not. Only if you enjoy it."
"Mhm... I think I do." You smile.
"That's amazing. Show me what you've worked on."
You excitedly grab your phone and show him all the photos and videos you've taken in the past few weeks, explaining the techniques you've learned and how much you've been struggling to keep up with the class, and Chris listens attentively.
By the time you're done talking, it's almost 5 AM, and both of you are barely able to keep your eyes open.
"So, now that we're okay, should we head to sleep?" You ask, and Chris caresses your arm gently.
"Yeah. Let's sleep. Good night, my love."
"Good night."
He kisses the back of your head, and you both fall into a deep, restful slumber.
~The End~
284 notes · View notes
Text
Yandere Fyodor and Dazai Compare and Contrast (How They'd Treat Their Darling)
Links: {Masterlist} {Yandere Fyodor Alphabet}{Yandere Dazai Alphabet} {Yandere PM!Dazai Alphabet}
Fyodor as a yandere is such an interesting concept.
Fyodor is a complex character who I believe is very hard to write and pull off.
He's deceiving in everyway of the sort, and I can see his darling having a hard time trying to figure him out. One day he can calm and quiet, and the next day he's sadistic and a bit more temperamental than yesterday.
I can see him acting like this as a way to keep you on edge. He isn't bipolar by any means, but he enjoys seeing the uncertainty on your face, the constant worry that a single slip up can through him into a frenzy, or he'll not even react and just let you deal with it on your own.
This is kinda where I compare him to Dazai. Dazai is very switchy in the same way, but he's a lot more consistent. Dazai rarely changes his behavior, but he actively changes his reactions, his actions often contradicting his personality. This is where being Dazai's darling become stressful because you'll think you know how he'll act, but in reality he'll react in a way that's completely out of character.
Fyodor and Dazai are full of mind games. Fyodor would rarely hits his darling. He finds it much more satisfying to see you stress your own self out, terrified of what he'll say or do to you, watching as you break down and pathetically try to hide yourself from his presence.
Dazai is sadistic, but not as much as he was when he was in the Port Mafia. He hates the idea of physically hurting his darling, and when he does he sinks into regret.
Now, where would they keep you?
I can actually see Fyodor bringing you along in his endeavors, and maybe even get you involved as a spy if you're powerful enough. I don't see Fyodor keeping you a secret from the ADA, and often uses you as a way to mock them, saying how they can't even save you. You're often viewing all his plans, and if a mission is a little too dangerous for his liking, he'll hide you in a place that you can't escape from.
Now, Dazai is more of an abusive boyfriend type yandere. He let's you like your normal life, go to work, hang out with friends, go to the mall, normal civilian stuff, but, he's watching you the entire time. You slip up once, and you'll deal with it at home. Dazai doesn't want to keep you in doors 24/7, but he also doesn't want you to leave him. You tell anyone about the horrors of your relationship, and you're left crying on the floor of the bathroom, the door locked as Dazai threatens you from the end. I also want to note, Dazai rarely if ever yells at you. The low and coldness in his voice is enough to throw you into tears.
So, who would be the worse to deal with full time?
Fyodor, here's why.
Dazai gives you a lot of freedom, much more than the average yandere, so you can live a mostly normal life. With Fyodor, you're stuck with him 24/7. He won't let you go anywhere by yourself, and has killed a few of your friends and family. So, if you did escape, you wouldn't last very long, and you wouldn't have anyone to support you.
The one good thing about Fyodor is that he's a pretty good balance of giving you false hope, and shutting your dreams down completely.
I do have one idea though. What would happen if you were acting as a spy for Fyodor, not for the ADA, but maybe for a powerful figure Fyodor wants something from, and you end up running into Dazai. It's one of the rare times you're alone, so I wonder how things would go.
290 notes · View notes
konigsblog · 4 months
Note
Konig with a darling that's constantly trying to give him a diagnosis
"Nein nein im not-"
"Yeah looks to me like you have anxiety and show signs of bipolarity disorder."
bring back therapist-reader and obsessive-könig. :(
cw: narcissism, god complex, coercion, manipulation, toxic-könig.
you try so desperately to explain to him that he's not well, that he's displaying narcissistic tendencies and behaviour, as well as other mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. he doesn't like to admit it though, perhaps he's terrified of admitting the truth – that there's something wrong with him – but, he doesn't want to believe it. i mean, he's perfectly fine, his expression of love and adoration doesn't seem abnormal, or at least to könig himself...
he talks to you about his struggles when it comes to his line of work, talking about the soldiers in a demeaning way, as if they don't hold the same amount of value as he does. sometimes he'll distract you and attempt to talk about his admiration for you. you treat him so well, why won't you accept his hugs and kisses at the end of the appointment? you're breaking his heart, little lamb.
könig may also attempt to seduce or coerce you into having sex with him, as he says, ‘it's a coping mechanism’. he's so depraved for you, he'd drop to his knees for you, and gets offended when you decline him. alright, so you don't think he's important? when he asks about your love life, he cannot control his rage hearing about another man. perhaps he shouldn't have asked, but he simply can't wrap his head around you not wanting him.
his god complex is obvious, that he doesn't view anyone the same as him. könig believes he's more important than anyone – that no one should receive the same amount of love as him, believing he's more worthy of respect than anyone else.
no regards for anyone, but himself. :(
388 notes · View notes
billthedrake · 5 months
Text
THE AD AND SON (PART TWO)
It was the third day at the cabin and uncharacteristically, Brian woke up before his dad.
He slipped out of bed and found some sweats to put on. He'd hoped to spend the week in the cabin without putting on clothes, but the air was nippy this morning.
As he stepped into the living room he could see why. Outside the plate glass window a foot and a half of snow blanketed the ground.
Brian took a minute to enjoy the serenity of the view then went to make coffee, mostly for his father, though he'd been drinking it more the last month, trying to make himself like it. Partly because he felt it was the grown-up thing to do, and partly because it was something his father enjoyed.
Brian wasn't good at cooking, and his dad usually made anything more complicated in the Casey home. But Brian could do breakfast and he proceeded to cook some bacon and get the eggs ready.
His dad had an eager look on his face as he stepped in, wearing his university sweatshirt and some pajama pants. "Man, this is a treat," he said, taking the coffee mug from Brian's hands. "How long you been up?"
"About a half hour," Brian said. "Looks like we got a snow storm last night."
Dan padded over to the window and looked out. "Well, I'll be." He looked over at Brian. "Hope you're not hoping to go anywhere any time soon."
"We're trapped here?" Brian asked, a little concern in his voice.
"Trapped's a strong word. But it'll take a few days for the snow to melt enough to be passable. Still not wishing you'd gone to the Caribbean instead?" he laughed.
Brian plated breakfast for the two of them and came to sit at the counter next to his dad. "Eat up old man. We're going out and playing in the snow after breakfast."
"Is that right?" Dan smirked, stuffing a piece of bacon in his mouth.
"Yes, sir."
That's what they did. They geared up with thermal shirts and wool socks and hats and gloves and trudged out into the fluffy white snow.
"It's all fine powder. Shouldn't take long to melt once the sun comes out," Dan said.
Brian reached down and gathered up some of the snow. "Damn, won't make a snowball."
"And who the hell you think you're going to be throwing snowballs at?" Dan chided playfully.
"Christ, Dad, where's your sense of fun?"
Dan's eyebrow raised up. "I'll show you, you little fuck," he growled and charged toward Brian, knocking him back into the soft powder. His muscular body landed on him with an oof!
Brian got over his surprise and started giggling, like a kid almost, and Dan started, too.
"No fair," Brian laughed.
"Who said I was fair?" Dan said with a triumphant look on his face. Damn, his son could make him feel twenty years younger.
Just then Brian craned his face up and met his father in a kiss. Dan's body froze stiff, surprised by the action.
"Come on, Dad," Brian said softly. "No one out here but us. Let loose a little."
Dan nodded and now initiated their kiss. It was liberating as hell, making out with Brian out here in the open air. And Brian was on the same wavelength, he could tell responding to his kiss eagerly.
"You're one hell of a kid, you know that?" Dan said. Finally he stood up and offered his hand to help Brian up. "Come on," he urged.
Instead Brian ignored his father's outstretched hand and sat up, reaching out to the button on the man's jeans.
"Jesus, Brian!" Dan gasped.
"What part of letting loose do you not understand, Dad," Brian asked in a challenging tone.
He had to admit the kiss and now Brian's actions were making Dan erect as he could remember. The air felt cool on his cock once Brian freed it but it wasn't exposed for long. His son swallowed it and started blowing him, right there in the open.
When it came to blowjobs, Dan preferred to give rather than receive. Part of it was Brian's inexperience. But mostly it was just the way the father was wired. He never came quickly getting head and sometimes he didn't come that way at all. Meanwhile, the feel of a hard cock in his mouth and of cum gushing down his throat was the biggest turn on.
Only now, Brian's mouth was bringing him off. Maybe it was the naughtiness of the situation. Maybe his son's cocksucking skills had gotten better. But Dan Casey was gonna cum right into his boy's throat.
"Oh Bri, Oh fuck, I'm there, son." With that he gripped Brian's head and fired his semen in a sweet wave of release.
He barely regained his senses as he watched Brian spit out a health gob of his father's semen in to his hand and reach down to smear it on his own exposed hardon. Excitedly he stood up. "Think you can stay hard, Dad?" he asked. Brian was clearly eager to get off himself.
Dan nodded. No way was his cock going down now. He watched dumbly as Brian shucked his jeans down his thighs and turned around. Those amazing butt cheeks were displayed once more.
"Put it in me sir," Brian ordered.
His son's hole was still damp with lube from their fuck the night before and it took Dan only a few seconds to work his way inside.
"Oh yeah," Brian hissed. "I think your load is still in me."
It was. Dan could feel the semen deposit on his cock as he fucked Brian in this standing position. It was cold out but their connection felt hot. After a few strokes he felt his boy's ass constrict tightly against his rod. Brian was surprisingly nonverbal as he came, just grunting as his cum shot out into the snow.
They uncoupled carefully, and each man pulled up their briefs and jeans. Dan now met Brian in a kiss. "Thanks for getting me out of my shell. That was hot."
"It was." He gave his dad another quick kiss. "Ready to go back in sir?"
Dan could tell Brian was starting to feel cold. He nodded and wrapped his arm around his son's shoulder as they walked back to the cabin. "Maybe we can play in the snow more later," Dan said hopefully.
"Yeah," Brian replied.
Dan let Brian shower first, to clean off and warm up. His son looked much happier as he stepped out into the living room in his sweats. "Your turn."
The two spent the afternoon reading. Dan was reading one of the spy novels he liked reading when he had free time. Brian was studying for his accounting class.
The afternoon was going by and Brian closed his computer, stretching his body on the sofa. Dan set down his book. "Done studying?"
Brian nodded and reached down to cup his crotch. "Too horny for accounting," he grinned.
Dan slid over and removed Brian's hand so he could see the erection forming in the jock's sweatpants. "That's probably something I can help you with," the man grinned.
"No, that's definitely something you can help with," Brian countered and pulled down his elastic band, showing off the sizable boner.
"Fuck, that's beautiful, son," Dan sighed as he stroked it up and down.
Brian smirked. Something about his dad's excitement over his cock gave the 19-year old confidence. Made him cocky even.
"You know what's even more beautiful?" he asked.
"What's that?" Dan asked looking up to meet his son's gaze.
"Your mouth around it."
Dan growled at the suggestion and hunkered down between Brian's strong legs.
Brian hissed an exhale of air as his dad took the cock into his mouth. "Aw yeah, that's it sir. Go down on me, Dad. Further. Swallow your boy's cock."
Dan did, excitedly. He'd learned to suppress his gag reflex and now could deep throat Brian's decently large size without issue. And he could give long strokes with his mouth and throat, up and down, in almost a milking action.
Thankfully Brian had held off on his initial impulse to cum and was riding out the sensations. Their sex in the morning had taken the edge off and the men could both enjoy a nice, slow suck session now.
Dan took the time to build Brian up then hold him off, licking the nuts and kissing the insides of Brian's thighs while the young man looked eagerly on his father.
About twenty minutes into the blow job, Brian came, almost suddenly in fact, shooting hard and heavy into Dan's hoovering mouth.
The father was all smiles as he pulled back. "Whoa, stud... I think that was a record."
Brian nodded, smiling himself. "Yeah, I'd say so. Fuck, that was incredible, Dad."
Dan had a proud look on his face as he leaned back on his haunches. "I think we earned ourselves a beer before dinner. What do you say?"
The men watched some weather on the TV and some Sports Center while they had their beers and relaxed.
The sun was setting as Dan got up to start on dinner.
After they ate, Dan had an impish grin. "Feel like going out into the snow again?"
Brian smiled. "I think someone liked being a little kid again," he teased.
Dan shrugged. "Truth be told, I liked being with you out in the open. Kissing you like that." He blushed a little. "I'd like to blow you out there this time."
Brian chuckled. Sometimes he thought he was the one with the bigger sex drive but his father was a horndog, too.
Dan tried to read his expression. "Or do you need more time to recover?"
Brian shook his head no. "Oh, I'm good for it, Dad. Fuck, let's do this."
They were giddy as they put on their warm clothes, which had dried off since the morning.
They stepped out into the snow, which came up to their knees as they trudged on. They walked down toward the lake. There was some dim moonlight out to light the way.
"Think anyone else is staying near the lake?" Brian asked as they came to a spot with a good view.
"Doubt it," Dan said. "If so, they surely can't see us." With that he stepped up to Brian and kissed him softly. His son returned the embrace, holding onto his dad tightly.
"I like this," the younger man said. "A lot."
"Me, too," Dan said, kissing his boy with more passion now. Finally he leaned back. "I believe I promised my son a blow job."
Brian nodded excitedly and gulped as his father squatted down in the snow. It was a real trip getting serviced like this out in the open. They were probably out of sightline for anyone but the idea that they weren't thrilled Brian, who grew harder inside his dad's bobbing mouth. Maybe he had a bigger exhibition streak than he realized.
Dan was able to take his time on Brian's dick, knowing his son's hair trigger probably wasn't going to be an issue so soon after the last blowjob.
But finally Brian felt himself getting close and he pushed his dad's shoulders to ease him off. "I don't want to come yet, Dad," he said. "Let me do you for a bit."
They traded positions and Dan exhilarated once more in the sensation of his only son blowing him. Brian was definitely getting better at this he decided. His son treated him to a few minutes of head before backing off.
"Turn around, Dad," he ordered in a husky tone.
Dan felt nervous about what his son was asking but he was also turned on. It took a little maneuvering with the depth of snow, but he turned to face away from Brian. Then he felt his boy's strong hands on his hairy ass, kneading the muscle.
"My old man's got a hell of an ass on him," Brian growled, slipping his fingers deeper into the crack.
"Bri, buddy..." he started. "I should let you know..."
"What Dad?" he asked, kissing the left ass cheek then the right.
"I've... I've never been fucked."
He could feel Brian freeze behind him. "For real, Dad?"
"Fraid so, son. I'm not sure I'm ready..." he started to say, but Brian interrupted.
"It's OK Dad."
Dan relaxed then felt his son's face nestle in his crack. He wasn't going to, was he? Sure enough, Dan felt Brian's tongue snake forward and start licking Dan's hole.
Of all his 46 years, Dan Casey had never been rimmed. The idea had even been a little repulsive to him, either giving or receiving. But here was Brian opening him up to the experience. The first licks shocked him and made his body shake but then Dan decided it felt good. Better than good. Brian's asseating had him hard a rock and dripping too. And his boy's actions were getting more confident, his tongue swipes deeper.
"That's it, boy. Eat your daddy's hole," he growled, no longer concerned someone would hear. The night was otherwise still and quiet.
Brian ate him out excitedly. He'd seen this in porn videos and had been eager to try it out for real. Finally he had to take a breath.
"Goddamn, Dad. You got an amazing ass." His fingers explored his father's brawny butt before diving in to munch some more.
"Bri... son.... let's take this inside OK?"
Brian was all smiles as he stood up and tucked his hard cock back in his pants.
They kissed and Dan thought he'd be repulsed by the muskiness he could smell on his son's face, but the scent was a faint trace and not bad at all. It turned Dan on even, kissing the mouth that had just made out with his hole.
The two weren't in a hurry and Dan got off seeing the knowing smirk on Brian's face as they walked back to the cabin.
"You liked it," Brian said.
"I won't lie to you, son," Dan admitted. "I didn't think I was going to either."
"I'm going to eat your hole more tonight."
Dan loved take-charge Brian, he decided. "Is that right?" he teased.
"Yes, sir," the teen smiled, hands in his coat as he hopped in the heavy snow. "I can't believe I waited so long to do that."
"I can't believe my own son just gave me my first rim job," Dan growled.
Brian smiled. "No way! Hot."
They kicked off their boots inside and shed their coats. As they stripped they both had boners. "Feel like warming up in the shower?" Dan asked.
"Yeah," Brian said. "You can go first if you want."
"I got a better idea. We can go at the same time," Dan smiled.
It was an intimate experience showering for the first time together. They used the occasion to explore each other's bodies. And Brian hunched down to eat Dan out some more under the shower spray. The father braced his strong body against the tile and let his boy treat him to a range of amazing sensations.
Finally they turned off the water and toweled off.
They walked back into the bedroom and Brian pulled down the covers. "Get on all fours, Dad," he instructed.
Dan felt weird following orders like this but he did as asked. And was rewarded as Brian returned to rimming his hole.
This was so taboo and nasty, and Dan loved it. Brian seemed to get off on it even more, his young dick erect and reddened with excitement.
Finally Brian pulled back and spit on his father's pucker and pushed a finger inside.
"Oooh!" Dan hissed.
"Too much, sir?" Brian asked.
"I'm good kiddo."
Brian reached over for the lube and applied to his fingers. Now two were pushing in. His father was tight as hell all right but the man seemed to be taking it OK.
"I'd never do anything you didn't want me to, sir," Brian said. "But damn, I want inside you so bad."
It was time, Dan decided. He'd been hesitant to let another man inside him like this, but if there was anyone deserving, it was Brian.
"Go for it, kiddo," he said. "Only we're doing it face to face."
"Yes, sir," Brian answered, skewering his finger's into his dad's hole, which was starting to give a little though was still snug. "Another finger first?" he asked. His father didn't object so Brian gently pushed a third finger inside.
"Easy there, son," Dan hissed, but he lay his head forward and let Brian gently wiggle more inside. His hole felt full, very full now, but it wasn't hurting. And the more Brian twisted his fingers around the more he got used to it.
Pretty soon Bri was able to pushing his digits in and out, literally doing a finger fuck motion.
"OK, Dad," he said. "Flip over."
Dan was hard and excited but nervous. But his son's kiss felt good and he loved the sensation of his built young man on top of him. Thrusting that erect son cock against his own.
The boy hoisted his legs up and nudged forward. Somehow Brian had lubed his cock and it felt slick as it bore inside. A sharp sting travelled through Dan's body. "Oh!" he yelped.
Brian held steady. "Sorry, Dad," he said with concern.
"Give me a second," Dan pleaded.
Brian nodded, patient. "Remember what you said when you took my cherry? That it would hurt at first but it'd get better quickly?"
Dan felt emotional at those words. His own words tossed back at him. "If I'd known how you felt, son..." he joked.
"You would have still fucked me," Brian countered. "You were right Dad, it starts to feel great. If you let it."
Dan nodded and decided he'd do this for his boy. Brian pushed in and was soon buried inside. Dan felt full and more than a little uncomfortable. But the sting was gone. Then another thrust. And another.
Only Dan saw his son's expression change. "You gonna cum son?"
Brian tried to hold it off but he gave a little nod as he started to come inside his dad. "Oh fuck! Oh wow!" he sighed as he came off his orgasm and started resuming his thrusts.
It turned Dan on. The knowledge that he had his son's seed buried inside him. The idea that his stud of a son was going for seconds, just like that. The idea that Brian had so confidently taken his cherry.
It made the older man hard and his insides turn to pure pleasure. "Oh, fuck. Fuck me Brian!"
"Yeah Dad!" the boy exclaimed, thrilled his dad was getting into it.
"Fuck your daddy. Fuck my hole. That cock's so good. Harder, son!"
Brian really started fucking now. His dad was on the same wavelength, thrilled at the first experience bottoming. As Brian fucked, Dan stroked and his whole body grew hot and tingly.
"Gonna cum son."
"Come on my cock, Dad. Your own son fucking you, sir."
That did it. The taboo tripped Dan's wires and he was firing off all over his chest, just seconds before Brian began his second ejaculation deep in his guts.
After cumming the sensation felt uncomfortable once more and Dan urged Brian to pull out.
"You OK, sir?" his son asked, concerned.
"More than OK," Dan grinned. "Jesus, my boy can fuck."
Brian had a proud look on his face. "You inspire me, sir."
"Inspired two healthy loads from you," Dan teased, reaching down to touch his no-longer virgin hole. It was wet with lube and Brian's seed.
"I don't think I've ever been so turned on in my life," the young man observed. "Please tell me that wasn't the last time."
"That wasn't the last time," Dan muttered as he met Brian for a kiss. He lay back on the bed and caught his breath. "Fuck. 46 and learning new tricks."
Brian lay down beside him. "Wasn't sure how you'd feel about having the tables turned."
"Mentally I'm still processing it," Dan said. "But physically... well, that was intense. I don't think I've come harder in my life."
"That's all the processing you need, Dad. Don't overthink it."
Maybe that's what he'd been doing this whole time with Brian. Overthinking it. Or swinging from not thinking to overthinking, and back. A happy medium would be nice.
"I love you, son. Very much." There, it wasn't so hard.
"God, Dad, you know I'm crazy about you, right?"
They kissed and Dan cracked wise. "I dunno. I thought maybe you were just a horny kid."
"Oh I am. But, Dad.... you're overthinking it."
204 notes · View notes
mysadcorner · 5 months
Note
Hello love! I hope this new year is treating you well! May I please have headcanons of Jason’s reaction when his s/o says Red Hood is their favorite superhero? Like they have no idea that Jason and red hood are the same person so they’re always like, “wow red hood’s so amazing! But not as amazing as you Jay!” Thank you 🙏 💕
Jason Todd x Reader That’s A Fan Of Red Hood Headcanons
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
————————————————————————
- Credit to the images owners - Please be specific about characters wanted in headcanons -
Masterlist Navigation
• Jason would definitely be surprised when you mention your passion towards Red Hood, or at least the fact that you like him. This surprised reaction from Jason wouldn't leave either, whenever you have anything good to say about Red Hood then it'll be as if he's hearing something shocking for the first time all over again simply due to the fact he hardly hears comments about himself that aren't negative. He seems to be quite controversial around Gotham.
• As he probably didn't meet you through being connected to other vigilantes, and was presenting himself as being as much of a normal person as could at the time, then he definitely didn't tell you about being Red Hood. And he would try his best to keep it that way, almost always brushing off your concerns about his injuries or bruises, and even his disappearances, through the regular use of sarcasm.
• One of his main reasons for hiding this from you would be him being scared of your reaction. Despite being tough and cold on the outside most of the time, he actually cares deeply about what you think of him and is pretty self-conscious about hoq you view him. In his mind, finding out about him being Red Hood may give you a reason to leave him on op of all of his other not so great qualities, even if this was just a projection of his own fears rather than how you actually would have felt.
• After you express your fondness of Red Hood he starts to purposefully pay close attention to your schedule and knowing whenever you go out later on in the evening. The last thing he wants is for you to accidently stumble across him as he's patrolling the streets, so he plans ahead to do his best to avoid you, and hopefully preventing you from figuring out who his is by stopping you from seeing Red Hood up close.
• The longer you express positive feelings about Red Hood for the more he starts to get paranoid and feel guilty about being around you. He knows that since you're just a normal person that a villain or someone with bad intentions could get a hold of you whenever he isn't around to use you against him, it also means someone could follow him to where he meets you or to where you live just to find out his identity. There are plenty of ways that things could go wrong if he isn't constantly extremely careful.
• Deep down he does actually like the fact that you approve of Red Hood and are somewhat of a fan of him, if you were a bit of an obsessed fan then he would still enjoy that you were although being slightly concerned. He may even bring up the topic of Red Hood just to hear you talk about him which also helps him feel better about himself and what he's doing without expressing it.
• Realising that he wants to act better knowing that you're watching the reports on his activity and looking forward to any mentions of Red Hood being sighted around Gotham, he purposefully goes out of his way to be on his best behaviour whenever the situation allows for it (more that Bruce could have ever convinced him to).
• After a while, Jason may try to test the waters to see how you may react about seeing Red Hood in real life, and this may help him see that you finding out who he really is won't end in a bad way. To do this, he may stage a little run in with you on a quiet night just to see your reaction, and not hanging around long enough for anyone to stumble across him interacting with you as the Red Hood. Putting up with your reaction and constant mentioning of it in the days afterwards won't be something he's irritated by, and will actually help fuel his comfort about you finding out.
•When he finally tells you, he's going to be his usual dramatic self, and you'll probably think he has something absolutely terrible to tell you when he sits you down for the conversation. But once he does tell you, he feels the burden instantly lifted from him. He'll still be concerned about you, but at least now he can be honest with you and not stress over making up lies or trying to hide things from you.
289 notes · View notes
sunshine-jesse · 7 months
Text
Ashley Graves Did Something Wrong
TCOAL plays a lot of fun games with the ways it makes you perceive events. From the title screen itself, to various pieces of official art, it primes you to accept certain narratives surrounding the game. Namely, the one that Ashley is very not good. She is, in fact, very bad! And it's pretty easy to see why- many of her actions fit neatly into the mold of an abuser. She's controlling, she tries to deflect blame, gaslights Andrew into making him take the blame for things she pushed him to do to begin with, and harasses other women to ruin his relationships with them.
It's all so easy, and makes so much sense. Case closed.
Right? Well, no. But actually yes! But actually, it's not that simple.
Y'see, as I said, the game establishes this framing from the get-go. It introduces us to our, uh, heroes and tells us in no uncertain terms that Ashley is bad and Andrew is a non-entity. It sets this framing intentionally so that many players will engage in a little quirk of human psychology called…
Confirmation bias!
I'm sure we all know what that is, right? Well, for those who don't, it's when we start with a bias towards something- or an idea of how things SHOULD be- and view every piece of evidence as confirmation that said bias is correct. The game, very blatantly, does this with Ashley's actions by priming us to see them as part of an abuse dynamic, with her as the primary abuser. And, indeed, it's not too hard to dig into Andrew's behavior and figure out that he, too, is fucked up and awful and come to the conclusion that their relationship was mutually fucked up and abusive. I did that in my last two essays, so I won't cover that ground again here. With this, it's easy to think that they bring out the worst in each other and that any relationship they have would be toxic, fucked up, dark, and every other word or phrase that describes the same idea, whether it makes them happy or not.
… But what if I told you that this, too, was an intentional misdirection?
So. Let us, for a moment, completely remove the framing that their relationship is toxic. Let us remove the framing that their relationship is abnormal or aberrant. Let's even remove the framing that either one of them is responsible for the harm of the other. I'm not arguing that any of this is not the case. Please, for the love of god, do not think that I am, if only so you can take the rest of what I have to say seriously. What I'm doing is trying to examine the two of them free of as many preconceptions as I can, using nothing but textual evidence and inference to figure out why Andrew and Ashley treat each other the way they do.
I will later examine why they MIStreat each other too, but first comes the reasons they treat each other well.
I'm going to start with Andrew, because, despite being the more complex of the two, it's actually pretty easy to figure out why he treats Ashley the way he does based on what he says. Let's go all the way back to the earliest known incident between the two in the story, where the two of them were at their most, uh, "pure," for lack of a better word: The cupcake scene.
Leyley was supposedly a problem child. She was neglected by her parents, disliked by her friends, and had nobody else but Andrew to rely on. She got nothing- absolutely nothing- from anyone else. And so, Andrew decided to celebrate her birthday, by buying her the cupcakes she wanted, by giving her what she lacked from others. By providing for her, and taking care of her. All he wanted was to make her happy, more than anything else. And, as Nina learned the hard way, at the expense of everyone else.
He doesn't lack empathy, per se. Andy just loves Leyley more than he loves anyone else by such a wide margin that his desire to provide for her overrides his fear of consequences… until those consequences threaten to separate the two of them.
That is a very Gender Roles thing to do. More on that later.
So. Ashley. Everyone's favorite disaster. Why does she treat Andrew the way she does? What does she provide for him? Well, isn't it obvious? She, too, wants to provide for him. Remember, she wanted the lemon cupcake because she thought it's what HE wanted. She also does most of the chores around the house. She prepares food, cleans the house, and does their laundry. She also provides for his non-sexual physical needs by offering him comfort whenever he needs it. It makes her feel useful. Wanted. Needed.
Ah, another very Gender Roles thing to do. See where I'm going with this?
The two neatly fit into a standard husband/wife relationship in a lot of ways. It's THE platonic ideal of such a relationship, actually! They make each other happy and provide WHAT THEY THINK the other really wants. It's really cute and perfect! As long as you ignore all the bad.
ignore all the bad …ignore all the bad… But we obviously shouldn't ignore all the bad. That would be ridiculous.
What I want to do is, instead, examine where the bad comes from, and why it's there. With the abuser/abused dynamic in mind, it's pretty easy to come to the conclusion that a mutual desire for control and power over the other is the sole determining factor. It's arguably the Central Theme of the game, and maybe a big part of what Nemlei is trying to convey. But, like, why should it end there? Why should that be where the analysis ends? There's a reason for everything.
They don't want to control each other for its own sake. They don't want to control each other solely to cover their own insecurities.
So why?
Ashley, first. She's obviously an insecure little monster, having never received the validation that she needs to really come into her own as a person. She keeps seeking it. Keeps trying to provide for Andrew. Keeps trying to make herself useful. Now, let's look at her calls towards Julia:
"DO YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME!? Just because you can fuck him and I can't?"
Ah, wait, hold on a minute.
"You think that's love?! Are you fucking delusional?? Cumdumpsters like you are just that."
Where does that wording come from?
"He will never love you. Not like he loves me. I am the only one. I am everything."
She doesn't need validation just for the sake of her insecurities. She needs it because she needs Andrew to be happy, and in her mind, she's the only one who can provide it. She knows him better than anyone else. She can see how happy she seems to make him, and that nobody else can do what she does. She knows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she makes Andrew more comfortable than anyone. She knows how important physical affection is to him. She can feel it. She doesn't lack empathy towards his plight or feelings; she has more of it than anyone, actually!
But Andrew, crucially, never seems to provide her any validation for this, even though she knows better. That's why she's so insecure.
"But wait," you might say, "didn't he, literally, fucking kill for her?"
Yes. But he always tries to place the blame on Ashley or use her as a scapegoat, when he was the one who pulled the trigger. He never accepts even the smallest amount of responsibility. And if a man can't even take responsibility for the violence he inflicts on others, what does that say about him? What does it say about how much he actually cares? oh. more gender roles. huh.
In Ashley's mind, that validation isn't validation because he didn't do it to prove he cared about her. He did it to shut her up. And… he never says anything to the contrary. He refuses to. All his validation is depressingly, overbearingly conditional.
Tumblr media
Tumblr media
His words always come with a caveat. They're always said in spite of something. They lack warmth. They lack kindness. They lack affection. She is never, ever given a key to lock the door to her insecurities…
Tumblr media
…even though Andrew obviously has that key. He just refuses to give it to her.
But why?
Society! :D
There is something so fundamentally, obviously wrong with the way Andrew feels towards Ashley. She is a tar soul. A pariah. So horrid that her parents don't want her, so obviously bad that even demons don't want her. And yet Andrew, in spite of everything, still wants her. He wants to take care of her, when society tells him not to bother. He wants to protect her from other men, and even from herself. It manifests as jealousy because…
He, too, thinks the only one qualified to provide for Ashley is himself, because he was the only one who ever had. Violence comes so naturally to him that he takes it for granted. He kills for her, threatens to physically assault her when he thinks she's putting herself in danger.
It's so second nature to him that he thinks it should obviously be enough. But it isn't. His violence is so second nature as to be passive. It's non-committal. And what Ashley wants is committment.
But because of how society views Ashley, and how the world would view a romantic relationship between them, he can't truly commit to her. He can't give her the validation she really needs, because everything and everyone has told him that it's wrong. That she's wrong. And all his parents ever taught him is to be afraid of how others will react to that wrongness.
hey look, a man fearing the commitment a woman wants from him! more gender stereotypes!! I wonder what this game is trying to say!!!
Maybe I'm crazy or something. Maybe I'm just looking into it too deep. But I don't really care. I don't care if this is the intended reading, and neither should you. The fact of the matter is that most of the things that define them as toxic are not their fault. Most of the reasons they mistreat each other come from without, rather than within. The only reason they can't love each other is because the world tells them not to. Because it expects them to fill certain roles, to be certain people.
But Ashley can only ever be herself.
Maybe someone who's an actual expert on this subject matter could weigh in and give a true feminist reading. But me? I'm just here to point out patterns. I'm just here to point out facts. And one of those facts is that, to the world around her, Ashley did something wrong: She was born.
The Steam reviews of this game are fucking funny, but a lot of them say one thing that couldn't be further from the truth:
"I can fix her!"
No, you can't. She's only 'broken' in the context of her environment.
But in the words of another analyst:
It's madness to expect tar to behave like water.
So cut them some slack! They might finally succeed in a world that wanted nothing more than for them to fail. It's not our right to take that away from them.
345 notes · View notes
merakiui · 11 months
Note
He's a thought. Crowley is terrible at providing for MC. Everyone in the school practically knows this. So imagine if Crowley calls MC to his office one day and tell them they'll be staying with (insert character) from now on. Turns out the guy bought mc and they don't plan on mc ever leaving them.
I know you'll use mostly talk about octotrio. But I also like to imagine Malleus doing the same thing. Especially since you're his first friend
Oh, that's a good idea!!!!! :0
Riddle buys you with completely innocent intentions in mind. At first it's so that you won't have to be poorly provided for by that not-so-accommodating Headmage. He's cleared a room in Heartslabyul for you and Grim and as long as you adhere to the Queen's rules and follow dorm policies you will be granted a comfortable stay. Riddle is merely looking out for you. Besides, your education shouldn't have to be compromised because of poor living conditions! Of course, in the eyes of everyone else, Riddle's intentions aren't viewed in that way. Ace and Cater tease him about it until he's red in the face and scowling, insisting it's for your own good and not because of any other inappropriate reasons.
Ruggie buys you on a whim with Leona's money. He could use extra help around the dorm and Leona, though he complains, can't say much if you prove to be useful. That, and how else was Ruggie going to have you to himself? With so many spoiled silver spoons here, it would have been impossible to even think about purchasing you. Crowley talks a high price, but with Leona's wallet anything's possible. :) and you'll be good to keep around when breeding season befalls Savanaclaw.
You're an impulse buy for Kalim. He buys you because he wants to give you a better living space and lots of good food. You can't get that in Ramshackle, and so he thinks it would be best if you could live in Scarabia with him (in his room, naturally)! And Crowley could never turn down a monetary offer from an Asim! You're treated more like a pet than a person, with Kalim spoiling you with pretty outfits, delicious meals (all prepared by Jamil), and anything else you could ever want. The leash is invisible, but you know Kalim holds it when he treats you as if you're royalty, bound to him because he bought you at an insane price. It's dehumanizing to know that, but at least he's sweet to you.
By pooling their funds together, Ace, Deuce, Epel, Sebek, and Jack were able to buy you! And they all have completely different reasons for cooperating. Ace thinks it'll be fun to own you and have his own private darling who'll have no choice but to listen to him because he's the one who bought you. Ever the tease... T_T Deuce just wants you to have a better living arrangement. He wants to do his best to provide for you! Sometimes it feels like he's your husband... Epel is also in a somewhat similar category as Ace; he just wants to know what it's like to hold the reins and not be doted on for once. Now he can do that to you instead. >:) Sebek only did it because Silver mentioned he wanted to save you from the poor conditions in Ramshackle, and Sebek can't let him outdo him like that!!!! Jack is honest and pure; he wants you to have a comfortable school life, even if it's dangerous if you live with him in Savanaclaw. The guys there can get rough, but he'll protect you. <3
Ortho buys you with the intention of giving Idia a friend! :D Idia nearly faints when Ortho brings you back to Ignihyde, claiming he paid the Headmage so that Idia could look after you forever. Idia's a nervous mess around you. He's not used to sharing a space with someone other than Ortho, and you're just so...nice and wonderful and sweet and cute and wow he's down horrendously bad. >_<
Either Lilia buys you for Malleus or Malleus makes the decision on a whim after you mention how difficult it is to keep Ramshackle in good shape. He could just repair it with magic, but then what if you just stayed with him instead? That would be better, would it not? In Diasomnia, you would be most comfortable. Malleus is sure of this, and he spares no expense ensuring you'll be content living with him. Of course this also means you'll follow him back to Briar Valley after he graduates. You're his first friend and soon you'll be his first (and only) lover.
405 notes · View notes