#like I could understand if you had to pay to get exact information about what you're good in and what not but no

[daemoninfluff]

,,,, kinda mad rn cause I spend ca 7 min each on two IQ tests (one of them said it was for free) and for both I'm supposed to pay to get my results

#I'm reading Eureka fics and I kinda want my IQ to be 111 obv #like I could understand if you had to pay to get exact information about what you're good in and what not but no #you don't even get the number #EVEN THO IT SAID FOR FREE #and yea you have 20 minutes for the 20-22 questions but most of it was either spatial thinking or 'what comes next' which is eZ #I forgot the word for it but y'all know when it's like 8 18 9 and 36 46 23 so the answere for 10 20 is obv 10 etc #anyways where can I do an IQ test in rl without anyone breathing down my neck cause when they had me do one when I was like 8 the doc's #assistant didn't like me and always had me explain my reasons for answers which is why it took a looong time #fluff whining again

[yukipri]

I saw somewhere someone says it wasn't the Jedi fault what happened at Galidraan, they were there to arrest and investigate, not to kill, and it was the mando who attack first. Is that true ? I didn't read it

Ahh fandom misunderstandings about Galidraan continue.

Understandable, given it's from a relatively obscure base media but the event comes up a lot in fan works. I'll do my best to break it down.

All you need to know about the Massacre on Galidraan

The following info is all from the Legends comic Jango Fett: Open Seasons, specifically focussing on the 3rd installment, Winter. Here's a photo of my physical copy I have open as I type this, so you know I'm not pulling this info out of my ass.

First, some crucial facts:

1: Galidraan was not a Mandos vs Jedi conflict.

It may appear that way at first glance, and likely seemed that way to many outsiders across the Galaxy who only read about the massacre in a heavily censored news article. But while the battle was the True Mandalorians fighting against the Jedi and ultimately all dying except for Jango, that is not what the conflict was about.

2: There were 4 factions involved in Galidraan.

People oftentimes boil it down to Mandos vs Jedi, but that isn't accurate, because there were 4 parties involved:

The True Mandalorians (Haat Mando'ade; Jango's people)

The Jedi

Death Watch (led by Tor Vizsla, who killed Jaster, Jango's mentor)

The Governor of Galidraan

I have no idea why some fandom takes on Galidraan forget to mention the last two, when they are why the massacre took place at all.

3: The party responsible for the conflict on Galidraan was DEATH WATCH, with the Governor of Galidraan as their accomplice.

&

The Jedi were used, and the True Mandalorians were victims.

You can endlessly debate whether or not the Jedi or the True Mandalorians could have taken different actions to have possibly prevented the massacre. And it's true, it might have been possible! There were certainly other actions that both sides could have taken.

HOWEVER. That discussion can ONLY take place after understanding that both sides were very intentionally, and very MALICIOUSLY manipulated by a third party.

This was not a normal Jedi vs Mandos clash. Neither the Jedi nor the True Mandalorians would have fought (would have even been on the planet in the first place!) without these manipulations, so to ask which of the two was to blame without first understanding that Death Watch set them up is failing to get Galidraan at all.

Here's what happened at the Massacre of Galidraan:

Jango and the True Mandalorians took a job from the Governor of Galidraan to kill his political opponents. The True Mandalorians are mercenaries, and this was just a job for them. It's also implied that Jango knew in advance that the Governor of Galidraan had been harboring Tor Vizsla and funding Death Watch*, and he intentionally took the job in order to get the Governor to owe him and pay him with information on them.

Jango and the True Mandalorians killed the Governor's political opponents, just as they were hired to do, and upheld their agreement. When Jango goes to collect payment, it was a trap—Tor Vizsla and Death Watch were waiting for him, and attempted to kill him.

Jango escapes, but his jetpack is damaged, as are his comms (or perhaps more likely, his comms were intentionally blocked). This is important because Jango now knows explicitly that they were set up: that the Governor of Galidraan was always working with Death Watch, and that he and his people being called to this planet was a trap in order to kill them. He tries to warn the True Mandalorians (Myles, his second, to be exact) to evacuate, but is unable to reach them because of his comms connection.

Back with Death Watch and the Governor, after Vizsla fails to kill Jango, they watch as the Jedi land on planet. The Governor states: "Yes, as you [Tor Vizsla] instructed, I begged for [the Jedi/the Republic's] help. Informed them that the Mandalorians were slaughtering political activists, which is basically true."

So, let's get this straight: the Governor of Galidraan, who personally HIRED the True Mandalorians to get rid of his political opponents, is now calling the Jedi to say "Oh no the Mandalorians are killing political activists!" And he did so under the explicit orders of Tor Vizsla. He explicitly backstabbed the True Mandalorians.

Should note that the True Mandalorians do follow a code, and only killed the specific people considered a threat (aka combatants). The True Mandalorians did not touch civilians, but as you can see from frames above, Death Watch goes ahead and kills them to make false evidence against the True Mandalorians and therefore justify their slaughter.

Again: Death Watch/Tor Vizsla and the Governor of Galidraan EXPLICITLY set up the True Mandalorians/Jango.

Next: Jango gets back to the True Mandalorians' camp as soon as he can, and arrives just as a large group of Jedi arrive, led by Dooku. Their lightsabers are already drawn.

Dooku says to them: "You stand accused of murder. Surrender now and we will ensure that you are fairly treated."

The girl next to Dooku, presumably young Komari Vosa, adds, "But fight us, and we will bring swift justice!"

Jango's response: "Mandalorians, open fire! And shoot the loudmouth first!"

And so the battle begins.

Without any of the previous context, sure, it might be easy to say "Jango's responsible, he fired first." But take a moment to think about what led up to this moment.

Jango knows, explicitly, that Death Watch and the Governor are working together.

He knows that Death Watch just wants him dead, and in fact very literally just escaped being killed.

He knows that he and his people are caught in a trap, and that Death Watch and the Governor want them all dead.

He probably isn't sure how they're going to be killed—until he arrives back at camp, and sees a shitton of Jedi with their lightsabers drawn, who are accusing them of a crime they did not commit. And he must have thought, ah, that would do it.

This isn't a normal encounter with the Jedi. It's true that Mandalorians have reasons to dislike Jedi as a whole, but Jango didn't shoot first because of that.

Jango shot first because he recognized that the Jedi were the weapon that Death Watch and the Governor chose for the execution of himself and his people. And he wasn't wrong.

Could Jango have maybe stopped to have a gentlemanly chat with Dooku and say "Good sir, we did not commit any murder, you were told false information and are being manipulated and we the True Mandalorians have been set up. Please put away your lightsabers so we can talk"? I mean. He could have. But.

With all of the context above, his decision to raise arms also makes sense.

After the battle, all fo the True Mandalorians present have been killed except Jango, as well as roughly half of the Jedi. Many of those Jedi were killed by Jango himself, with nothing but his bare hands—this is how he gains his infamous reputation as a "Jedi Killer." But to him, he was acting in self-defense.

The Jedi—or rather, at least Dooku—realize that they have been used only after the fact, and that they've done something horribly wrong and have killed innocents. Surrounded by the bodies of Jedi and True Mandalorians, and having just watched Jango strangle one last Jedi, Dooku says:

"What have we done...?"

In the "present" of the comic (pre-clone deal), Dooku also tells Sidious about Galidraan, "It was a misguided mission from the start. And not the first of the Council's many...poor decisions."

So what happened afterwards?

Jango alone was captured alive, and for some darn reason the Jedi turned him over to the Governor of Galidraan*. The Governor sold Jango to slavers and he was forced to work on a spice transport, until an opportunity arose to escape.

After escaping, did Jango seek out the Jedi?

No.

He beelined straight back to Galidraan, where the Governor, who had sold him and worked with Death Watch, had taken his armor (Jaster's armor) as some sort of twisted war trophy. He recovered his armor, and threatened the governor to get info on Tor Vizsla's location.

After that, did he go on a revenge campaign against the Jedi?

No.

He went straight for Tor Vizsla, who was PERSONALLY responsible for the deaths of the True Mandalorians at Galidraan. And he fought him. And killed him.

(or more specifically, injured him then let dire-cats eat him alive. Looks like Fetts have always had good luck with animals)

So that's the facts about Galidraan.

After Thoughts:

I hope this breakdown of the events makes it explicitly clear that Death Watch and the Governor were at fault for Galidraan, and that it was never a Mandos vs Jedi conflict. The same thing would have happened had Death Watch chosen a different executioner—though to be fair, not much can kill a trained group of Mandalorian mercenaries like the True Mandalorians.

Could both the True Mandalorians and Jedi have taken different actions that could have averted tragedy? Possibly. But just as likely, had Jango tried to talk, word would have reached the Jedi's ears that oh no, more Mandalorians are slaughtering the Galidraan women and children! (what Death Watch was doing while the True Mandos and Jedi were fighting) and then one of the more hot headed Jedi like Vosa probably would have been like "These negotiations are a distraction! Even now you're killing innocents—we fight!" And the True Mandos would have been killed anyway.

Again, they were set up. The True Mandalorians to be killed, the Jedi to be used as their ignorant executioner. They were not the only parties involved, and any attempt to peacefully negotiate their way out of it would have been hindered by the true aggressors, who already had contingency plans at the ready. And also, both parties were already expecting certain things of the other: Jango knew the Jedi had been sent to kill them (though not why the Jedi believed they should), and the Jedi thought they were a bunch of murderers, not a professional group simply hired for a job.

This is just my personal take, but while I don't think either Jango nor Dooku acted unreasonably at the time of the battle, there were two points where I think they could have made better decisions (marked with * above):

1) When Jango decided to take a job on Galidraan in the first place, knowing in advance that the Governor was friendly with Tor Vizsla and Death Watch. Admittedly, the comic doesn't provide much context for this, and perhaps the intel Jango had suggested a more distant connection, or something else to imply the Governor would be willing to rat out Death Watch. It seems almost cute that Jango goes ok, well I don't want to just randomly bust this guy's door down to threaten him for info on my arch nemesis, so I'm going to do a job for him and get him to owe me, and then we'll talk.

If there is one not so intelligent move Jango made, it seems like this one, though again there's not much context so perhaps it does make more sense.

2) When the Jedi give Jango to the Governor of Galidraan. I don't know about the rest of the Jedi, but Dooku at least seemed to sense that something had gone horribly wrong with the mission immediately after the battle, before they took Jango into custody. But despite KNOWING this, they didn't take the time to thoroughly investigate (better late than never) before handing Jango to his enemies on a silver platter. I would say that the Jedi ARE pretty responsible for this part, especially since they had reason to know better.

This action of the Jedi handing Jango over also implies that even if Jango had complied and he and all of the True Mandalorians had surrendered to the Jedi in hopes of talks, the Jedi would have handed them all over to the Governor (and Death Watch) to either be turned into slaves or executed. So no, I don't think that would have worked out well at all.

(I'm going to give at least Dooku the benefit of doubt, since the comic shows that at least he (and possibly he alone of the Jedi present) recognized that something was wrong. I'd hope that as the leader and presumably most senior member of the group of Jedi, he'd have some sort of authority, but then again, this is the Senate. He might have tried to at least delay Jango being handed over to the Governor until an investigation was conducted, but was perhaps held back by too much legal tape, and had to watch as someone he was sure was a victim was handed over to a suspicious party. Maybe he personally did an investigation afterwards and found that his bad feelings were correct, but when he tried to bring it up with the Council/Senate, he was told to forget about it. That would certainly shatter what remaining faith he had in the Republic and the Jedi, and possibly also lead him to search out Jango specifically as a candidate for the clone project—but again, this is purely speculation. Either way, Galidraan forms a potentially very fascinating connection between Dooku and Jango that predates Sidious.)

On the Jedi:

While the Galidraan conflict isn't about the Jedi, and they were simply used, I think internally, it does reveal some deep flaws in the Jedi Order as a whole, and that Dooku's criticisms of how they acted are fair. Dooku tells Jango, "[Galidraan] was the last of my foolish errands for the Senate. And the Jedi."

The Jedi are supposed to be peacekeepers, are supposed to understand and help people across the Galaxy, which their connection to the Force is supposed to help with. But by becoming an entity controlled by a political power that responds to mission requests through that chain, the Jedi are at risk of being used for various political agendas, sometimes to terrible consequences—like at Galidraan.

The quote above shows that the orders for the Jedi came from the Senate, who got them from the Governor of Galidraan. The fact is that the Jedi are a completely external force with zero familiarity with Galidraan or its current happenings, who were summoned by a government to do their bidding. If there was any investigation done, it clearly wasn't enough, and the Jedi were essentially turned into super deadly government attack dogs.

Galidraan laid bare the great danger that the Jedi can be, when their power is given to the wrong hands. Again, the Jedi were used—but that they could be used, that they likely have been used in the past and will be used in the future so long as they are beholden to a Republic whose orders they must follow—that's something to think about.

Again, it's not about Jedi vs Mandos. Sure, the fact that the Jedi have bad history with Mandos may have affected the lack of depth in their investigation. But it could have just as easily been "Group of X people are murdering innocents!" and the very same thing could have happened. This conflict revealed far less, "wow the Jedi really hate Mandos!" and more, "the Jedi and the Republic have a flawed relationship, and obeying government orders does not necessarily a peacekeeper make."

Given that the Jedi decided to give Jango to the Governor, I think it's very likely that no deep investigation was ever done into Galidraan, and if it was, it was covered up. After all, it's against the Republic's interests to show that they passed manipulated info to the Jedi, because they can't have the Jedi wanting to question future orders or worse, refuse to obey! And in a way, it's against the Order's interests to show that they not only fucked up by going to the mission at all, but further fucked up by handing the last surviving victim to the enemy after the fact. Add to that the fact that Death Watch was on site actively manipulating evidence and muddling the truth, and Jango no longer has anyone left alive to vouch for him so it's only his word, it's very likely that the truth really never got out of the small circle of those personally involved.

Perhaps the Jedi taught about Galidraan internally as a cautionary tale about being careful about the orders they're given. But given the above, I think that's incredibly generous and frankly unlikely.

On Jango Fett

This leads me to a final point: I disagree that Jango passionately hates and wants revenge on the Jedi.

At least, based on this story, as well as his depiction in the Bounty Hunters video game (which is supposed to be a sequel to this comic, even though its depiction of the start of the cloning contract isn't mutually compatible with the version in this comic) Jango doesn't actually really appear to care all that much about the Jedi at all.

You can say what you will about his actions, but he always has a very clear target for who his enemy is, and he goes straight for them. Immediately post Galidraan, it was the Governor of Galidraan and then Tor Vizsla specifically—not even the rest of Death Watch!

And while there isn't all that much official info on what Jango did after he killed Vizsla until he was pulled into the cloning project, I see zero evidence that he was consumed by revenge, or that he attempted to hunt down the rest of Death Watch or kill any Jedi despite the harm they have done to him in the past.

In fact, from his depiction at the start of the Bounty Hunters game, which I think is the best source of this period of his life that I can think of, it looks like Jango just kind of threw himself into bounty hunting work. After all, one does not have the reputation as "best bounty hunter in the galaxy" overriding "former Mand'alor, leader of the True Mandalorians" unless he did, well, a lot of bounty hunting.

He was a loner who didn't have any friends, which implies he didn't go looking for any surviving True Mandalorians—and there must have been, not everyone could have been in that battle. I suspect it's out of guilt, but that's a separate discussion. He didn't go hunting Jedi specifically, because presumably not many Jedi (who still identify as Jedi) have bounties on them, and "Jedi Killer" would certainly be a reputation louder than bounty hunter if that was his main focus.

But no. He was just a sad, lost dude who's really good at killing people so continues the Honorable Mercenary traditions of his people who are now gone, all by himself. Even the contest that lead to him being chosen as the Prime clone was originally just another job, and he just happened to meet Montross in the process, but he didn't really go out of his way to hunt him down either, despite how he was personally responsible for Jaster's death.

However—if you don't know that about Jango, and again don't have a full understanding of what happened at Galidraan (which again, I doubt many people do), I think it would be very easy to go oh! The Jedi killed all his people! So of course he hates Jedi!

(Which then provides a reason for why the Sith would think he would want to work with them to hurt Jedi—but does NOT explain why the Jedi would not think it suspicious that he's the Prime clone for an army supposedly made to help them. But that too is a separate exploration.)

All of this makes Jango a very fascinating character for me, and I could go on to explore his motivations and actions so much more—and in fact I do!!! All of those explorations of Jango and his motives and past are included as a large part of my fic, The Prime Override! So I won't go into it more here, this post is long enough, but you can check out my thoughts there! (LMAO sudden self-promo)

But anyway!!! I hope this whole thing was interesting for you, and that it helped you understand what happened at Galidraan better!

Again, the comic is Jango Fett: Open Seasons, written by Hayden Blackman, art by Ramon Bachs, Raul Fernandez, and Brad Anderson, published by Dark Horse Comics in 2002.

While I believe the standalone comic is out of print (I had to hunt down my copy on ebay), it's all included in Marvel Unlimited's digital comic library. It's also in the Star Wars Omnibus: Emissaries & Assassins collection, which might be cheaper because it's more recent.

As tragic as Jango's past is, it's one of my favorite Legends stories and I recommend reading the story for yourself if you can!

❀ ❀ Send YukiPri an Ask! ❀ ❀

#YukiPri rambles #YukiPri replies #Galidraan #Jango Fett #Star Wars #Star Wars Legends #Count Dooku #SW Lore #Open Seasons #comics #longpost #long post #OP comment: All of this is also why it absolutely BAFFLES me that new canon seems so obsessed with Death Watch #and has made lots of other Mando factions but hasn't really done much about the True Mandalorians??? #like that is what I was expecting the Book of Boba Fett to be about #especially given the timing of being after Mando S2 and Din getting the Darksaber but before Mando S3 #Should note: this comic predates the Darksaber's existence by 8 years #so people who say 'oh Jango and Jaster were never the true leaders of Mandalore bc they never had the Darksaber' #my dude the Darksaber did not appear as a concept until 8 years after these stories were published #Anyway if you are like me and think gosh most of the new canon Mando factions are real assholes in some way or another #why is there no Hero Group #here they are: the True Mandalorians and Boba Fett's heritage #Anyway really REALLY hoping they bring this story back into new canon #Jaster was an easter egg and now technically canon thanks to Boba's armor chain code which means True Mandos are also presumably canon #so here's to hoping... #Anyway yeah I wrote this essay in place of updating fic oops

[sovonight]

what's exhausting about bg3? I know me and a few others haven't been able to get it bc we're poor and I wanted your take on how it's exhausting if you don't mind

i called it exhausting for ace reasons so if you're not super ace you'll be fine. i do have other disappointments though:

visual character customization is lacking

like okay i'd bought the game blind so my disappointment is 100% on me, but can you blame me for assuming based on posts of people raving about the customization options and saying they 'made their oc' that there would be a fully-fledged cc with sliders for facial features and everything??

what you get is just a set of like 8 preset faces (for human/elf/half-elf/tiefling/etc at least) and 2-4 body options. there's an impressive amount of hairstyles at least, but what the fuck does that matter if i can't even really customize my character's face. there's not even much you can do with the textures--you only get a palette of pre-approved colors instead of a color picker, there's no option to flip or translate tattoos/facepaint, and you can't even layer makeup textures. the ui design here is very clunky too which just underlines how low of a priority it must've been

on one hand i get it, this all costs time and money and they clearly had a lot on their plate with the actual meat of the game, but on the other hand my character gets the most closeups on the camera in dialogue/cutscenes, so why can't i do more with their appearance?? the character customization possibilities everyone raved about really just boil down to class, stats, & numbers, so basically more like arpg character building, where it's more about gameplay than the character

don't get me wrong, the race/background/class you pick do influence dialogue options, but i can't do something as standard as sculpt my character's face?? are you kidding me?? like, if they're not gonna let me do that, then what the fuck are all these high res glossy graphics for?? everyone else in this game gets a unique look except for me, huh? if they care that little they might as well turn this back into a text-centric game and let me import a custom png for my character like in the old days

there are a few points in the game where i was like, they really took the trouble to write and pay a voice actor to voice responses based on player actions to that level of specificity… when that time and money could've been put towards the cc. like yeah it's impressive, but it's empty. i don't need this character to voice my exact actions--i KNOW i took those actions--i want something of worth to me.

navigating the map is kind of a pain

you use the keyboard to control the camera, and you use the mouse to click where you want the character to go. the issue i have with this is that the camera is SO frustrating to orient and zoom in and out sometimes--they go through great pains to try and not show the insides of any 3d models while you're moving the camera, and they'll cut away the rooftops and other levels for you, but sometimes the game just Doesn't Understand What I'm Trying To See. like they've made it so ~elegant~ and ~presentable~ that it gets in my way. i constantly feel like i'm fighting the controls--not just of the camera, but the movement too. tbf, i don't know how this could be made better so i think what they did was the best solution, but i do get very frustrated

there's no undo button if i click "hide" by accident

unlike literally every other button on the hotbar, there's no "click again to confirm" or "right click to cancel". they just instantly hide and that bonus action is WASTED

you can enable tutorial-like informative popups, but they forget to teach you some of the most basic ways to interact with the world

there's a heavy rock at some point that's "too heavy to throw" but is clearly meant to be interacted with. …you're supposed to click and drag to "drag" it away. i had to look up what to do with it and i'm not crazy because MANY people had the same question!! not to mention those small tunnels around the environment where your character's like "well I'M too large to fit in there" and i'm like "oh i'll summon my tiny familiar and have them scurry in there!" only for the tunnel to be like "uh your familiar can't interact with me actually". so i give up because i'm over it at that point and i go online hours later to look it up and SOMEONE SAYS YOU CAN SEND YOUR FAMILIAR THROUGH THE TUNN-- (at this point i have keeled over in rage)

you can press left alt to highlight interactable items, but they only highlight what they think is important based on their own mysterious criteria. you have to sweep around like it's an i-spy game to figure out ALL the interactables in the area

i would like this if the CAMERA WERE EASIER TO OPERATE and if--actually no! no! i would NEVER like this! either highlight everything or highlight nothing at all, don't waste my time! i understand that some stuff is left unhighlighted so that the characters can roll perception checks and go "OH! a hidden lever!" but JUST TELL ME OUTRIGHT WHERE THE CRATES ARE. i play with an unavoidable glare on my screen and also, frankly, i have better things to do than squint and pick out every item in the room. let me get my meagre satisfaction from looting and be done with it!

there is absolutely no firm indication of when you might be stepping into an exclusively romantic or sexual line of dialogue

i would like this if i could turn the sex off. like set sex to no. i'm a fan of not having too many dialogue indicators or visible approval bars, BUT ONLY when i know i can relax and feel comfortable in the game. this game loves suggestive wording so i can never tell whether a scene could just be played platonically or not. like (early spoiler) gale invites you to a private magic lesson that he says can only take place in an intimate setting, so you meet him after the party, alone. given the other conversations i'd just experienced (from the fighter & the vampire) i was like great this is going to be sexual isn't it, but i was weak and wanted character interaction so i gave in and i went--and then IT WASN'T??? in fact you could play it totally platonically?? so i almost MISSED a perfectly good companion interaction because of the overly suggestive way it was worded!

"sovo are you sure that isn't just gale's personality to say it like that" YES BECAUSE EVERY COMPANION EXHIBITS THIS. it's woven into the companions, into the narration, into all the word choices. it's just a suggestive game all around, the atmosphere NEVER goes away, even when it's just a false alarm. it's part of why it's so ABSOLUTELY exhausting--because i know every other person playing this and seeing this is having a blast, and i'm the only one out here with my guard up and 10 layers of emotional shielding because i CAN'T like any companions because they're GOING to proposition my character at some point and i WILL take emotional damage when my only options are "yes let's enter a fully animated sex scene!" or "no i fucking hate your guts". do you see?? do you see my pain?? where is the middle option--the compromise?? and oh yeah, the rest of the real life world thinks my complaints are baseless, ridiculous, and avoidable. "just don't fucking play, idiot!" but do i not deserve to have fun as well? can i not get a CRUMB of something in a world where i have to make everything myself?? just once, can i play a game and have it fit--not perfectly, but at least fit??

just give me the heart icons of da:2/da:i. tell me when i'm walking into a flag i don't want to raise. better yet, when the game asks whether or not you want nudity enabled, add an option there to opt out of romance too. i say romance even though all i want is to opt out of the sex dialogue options bc as we all know romance and sex can NEVER be separated--

anyway those are my gripes. the things i like about it are… well, there are a few fights where i was like, oh that's cool that it actually uses the environment and/or teaches you a mechanic about the game that you can put into use later. the environmental puzzles are interesting, but all satisfaction is lost when i have to look up the basic mechanics they rely on that i was never taught or made aware of in-game. but i don't play games like these for gameplay, i play them for the story and the companions and the romance, so given this specific game i guess i should just keel over and die

#sovo answers #kind of holding out hope that i can make it to sorcerous sundries to see it in 3d but since that's near the end and #i haven't even left the first map.. i'm not optimistic

[my-beloved-lakes]

@leveragetober

Leveragetober 2023

Prompt 4: crossover

Parker, Eliot and Hardison take a job in Paris. When it gets interrupted by a con artist who is scamming their mark, they decide to recruit him into Leverage International. (Under the cut.)

Parker eyed the man claiming to be the mark's assistant, tied to the chair in front of her. He was a grifter, No doubt about it now. And he was really good too.

None of them had suspected him of being criminal, not until they had caught him trying to clear out the mark’s bank account at the same time as them, making this simple trip to Paris much more complicated.

So, who was this guy really? A grifter, sure, but why had he chosen the exact same mark as them? Maybe it was just a coincidence, but what were the chances of that?

"Who are you?" Parker asked. "And don’t bother lying. We’ll know if you do.”

Parker heard Eliot crack his knuckles behind her. She knew Eliot wasn't actually going to hurt this guy, since he wasn’t much of a threat, but this guy didn't know that. And yet Parker only caught a brief flash of fear in his eyes before he managed to hide it again.

He’s not gonna talk, is he? Parker shrugged. There were other ways of finding out what they wanted to know.

"Run his face through that thing that tells you who people are." She said turning to Hardison.

"Parker, it’s called...?" Hardison started to say but was interrupted.

"Wait, The Parker!?" The guy asked, astonished.

"The one and only." Parker sighed. She was getting tired of people recognizing her as a world famous thief.

"You stole the Hope Diamond five years ago!"

Parker nodded.

"And then put it back!"

Parker rolled her eyes. 

“Yes I did. So, since you know so much about me, why don't you tell us about yourself," Parker glanced at Hardison's computer. "Neal Cafrey."

"Ooh, you were good!" Hardison sounded genuinely impressed as he read from the files that popped up.

"Still am." Neal smirked. 

"Huh, says here that you're dead." Hardison said.

"Aww, Your FBI handler wrote a very sweet message for your obituary." Parker added, reading more information from the files that Hardison had found.

Neal ducked his head and looked away.

oops. Parker thought. She hadn't meant to be insensitive, but that seemed to have hit a nerve. Maybe they had been close.

Parker pulled up a swivel chair and sat down in front of Neal.

"Alright, just tell us why you were running The Oklahoma Little Chucky on our mark." She demanded.

"No, it was a John and Mary scam." Eliot corrected. "You need a pit bull and a wedding cake for the Oklahoma Little Chucky.”

"Well, it couldn't've been a John and Mary scam cuz you need a whole fire station for that one." Hardison argued.

"Oh, I had the fire station." Neal said slyly.

"Ooh!" Eliot, Hardison and Parker all said in unison. They were all genuinely impressed.

"And to answer your question; the same reason as you, I'd imagine." Neal continued.

"Because his company was polluting the surrounding areas, making people really sick and killing all the wildlife?" Parker asked.

"Okay, I guess not." Neal looked taken aback. "Alright, you guys have already figured out half of it.  I faked my death back in America and I fled here. I needed an easy score that would pay well so I could set myself up with a new life." Neal explained. "You guys are criminals, just like me. You understand, so, one criminal to another, would you be so kind as to let me go?" Neal slipped his hands out of the ropes and stood up without waiting for an answer. 

Parker cocked an eyebrow in surprise.  

“I'm very good at what I do.” Neal shrugged.

He was good. Anyone who could slip one of Eliot's knots had to be.

Neal grabbed his hat off the table, flipped it in his hand and placed it back on his head before heading for the door.

"What if..."  Parker said and spun her chair around to face him, "we offered you a job?"

Neal hesitated at the door.

"It comes with that chance at a new life you were looking for. A chance to run your own crew, long term, right here in Paris." Parker added.

she glanced at Eliot and Hardison who both nodded in agreement. It was the same pitch they had given to Hurley when they had set up the Mexican branch of leverage, and now she got to give it again. They had come to France in the hopes of setting up a new branch of leverage in the first place. She hadn’t been sure how they were going to find someone willing to do it, but then along came Neal Cafrey, an experienced grifter looking for a fresh start. The perfect candidate had fallen right into their lap.

Neal turned around. He was intrigued.

"Let's talk business." Parker said with a sly smile.

#leveragetober #leveragetober 2023 #leverage #eliot spencer #alec hardison #parker #white collar #Neal Cafrey #white collar fanfic #leverage fanfic #leverage/white collar crossover #i am having so much fun with this!

[woefully-undercaffeinated]

What to do when something illegal happens at work

When your boss does something illegal at work, it's common to freeze up because you're not sure what to do. Here are a few tips for how to handle those situations during and after:

While it is happening:

Keep yourself safe. In the moment, your first priority is always to keep yourself and others from physical harm and out of danger as much as possible. If any other advice I give you conflicts with that, your safety takes priority.

Make sure you know where you are. If you think your safety might be at risk, getting your bearings can be critically important. Take note of potential exit routes, hazards, the flow of traffic (both vehicle and foot traffic), cameras, and any safe areas you know of. Later, knowledge of your exact location may be very important in reconstructing events.

Check the time. Knowing exactly when something happened, and how long it took, will be extremely valuable.

Look around for witnesses, and try to bring some over if possible. Witnesses will both reduce the likelihood of more outrageous behavior and help you to take action afterwards. Do your best to remember who was there.

Say "please let me finish" every time you're interrupted, and count the number of times it happened. Bullies love to interrupt people at the first sign of disagreement, and then later they'll claim that nobody disagreed with them when instead nobody could get in a word edgewise. Saying "please let me finish" calls out the fact that they were interrupting, and a count of the times you were interrupted will help you protect yourself from being misinterpreted later.

Avoid agreeing to anything or signing anything if possible. You have the right to review any document that you're asked to sign, which usually includes taking the document and having it examined by an attorney. If you're being threatened with serious consequences if you don't sign immediately, write "signed under duress". If they're asking for a verbal agreement, try to get them to accept a "let me think about it/check my to-do list/etc" rather than a hard "yes". Even if the thing you'd be agreeing to is something you're okay with, it's still important not to agree to things when you don't feel like you're allowed to say "no"; in stressful situations, our judgment can be seriously compromised, and allowing yourself to be bullied into saying "yes" will set a bad precedent for further interactions.

After it's over, as soon as you're in a safe place:

Complete the WTWFU checklist

Send a follow-up email summarizing your understanding of what was communicated. It can be as simple as "just to ensure we understood each other, what I got was that you were telling me/us that [we'll be disciplined if we discuss our wages/contacting a union is a fireable offense/our pay will be docked if anyone submits a complaint to OSHA/etc], is that correct?". If there is information that protects you, such as a health condition or pregnancy you need accommodation for or a prior agreement that is being violated, include it in your email even if the company already knows. CC HR and any coworkers who were present and BCC your personal email*. Forward any responses to your personal email as well*.

Rescind any agreements you made. Either in the same email as step #2 or in a separate email, depending on what you think is appropriate, say "I didn't feel like I could safely say 'no' in that situation, so I'd like to rescind my earlier agreement until I've had some time to reconsider." If it's something you think you'd have otherwise agreed to, try to offer a time frame for an actual decision. CC HR and BCC your personal email*.

Collect any evidence you can, and make note of any evidence that exists but isn't accessible to you. This includes emails about the issue, any photos that were already taken or that you can safely and legally take,

If something illegal was done or hinted at, contact the applicable regulatory agency as soon as possible with all of the information above.

Consider arranging a consult with an employment law attorney -- consults aren't the same as retainers, they're considerably cheaper (or sometimes free, depending on your income and the possibility of a lawsuit) and can either turn into ongoing representation or just be a one-time service.

* Don't include information that you have a legitimate duty to safeguard, such as customer data, protected health information, or non-public market-affecting information. This does not include any information pertaining to working conditions, your compensation, regulatory compliance, or workplace safety -- the company isn't allowed to demand that you keep those a secret. Either try to get the point across without including the specific information that's being safeguarded, or censor it by replacing it with two underscores per replacement with generic descreptors as necessary (i.e. 'I have safety concerns about the release of our secret robotics project on January 10' becomes 'I have safety concerns about the release of our __[project]__ on __[date]__').

#employment law #worker rights #labor law #labor rights #you boss doesnt want you to read this

[hiemaldesirae]

Tis Thorn:

After The 2nd extermination and battle with Heaven, the Hotel gets another sinner. Everyone is extremely happy with this (well Alastor couldn't careless, except for how entertaining this sinner could be--and how he could use them to bug his Muse).

However...once VOX catches sight of this sinner...it's over. This sinner is his killer after all, and while Vox did leave a mortal blow on him as well (multiple blows, to be exact--Vox had poisoned his knives, during their fight. But the sinner had still popped Vox's head like a grape, so while Vox's death was quick the new hazbin's was an agonizing's six month long ordeal.)

So the Vees start ignoring the hotel and everyone in it. Angel Dust doesn't get called in--which at first he likes and is happy about. Until he starts running out of money. Which has never happened before with Val--the cash has always flowed, but so has the texts and calls...now, theres nothing.

Vox isn't following Alastor around at all, or paying him any attention either. He's hurt and pissed off. How dare Alastor help redeem his killer? Fuck the radio demon. Fuck the hazbin hotel. But especially Fuck Alastor and everything they ever had together.

OH. oh.... thorn your brain... humongus. ginormous. i endorse this idea 100% im crying screaming throwing up puking at this.genuinely tweaking rn what the hell

thinking... in the case that vox and husk had a familial relationship before he got contracted to alastor, he probably feels even MORE betrayed because now his pseudo father figure is also supporting his killer. fuck can you imagine. the horror that morphs into rage and anger when he realizes just who the new sinner at the hotel is

alastor probably doesnt understand why vox has been avoiding him at first, so he probably tries to send his shadow to go see why at first but when that gets turned away, he turns to angel, who for all intents and purposes is both elated to be left alone by valentino but also completely banned from the whole of the entertainment district for some reason. when they show up to ask why, charlie in tow, theyre informed by voxs quivering assistants that everyone associated with the hazbin hotel has been banned from the premises, before valentino and velvette come bursting through the doors and chases them out. alastor *almost* gets into a fight with them, but velvette manages to snatch him by the lapels and scream at him and call him a heartless bastard- at least, if youre fed up with voxs attention just tell him to fuck off like a normal person, you dont need to fraternize with the man who butchered and murdered him

and suddenly it all clicks with the fact that the new sinner at the hotel's stories, why he said he wouldn't be going with them to the entertainment district-- but then alastor, with his (sometimes annoyingly so) keen nose smells the scent of said sinner in the vees building and knows nearly instinctively that the bastard is headed for *his* vox's office, and without even a second thought he gives chase

#ran rambles #hazbin hotel #radiostatic #general asks #i do ramble a lot which is why its good that my tag says i ramble #because i really do ramble for a very long time. im sorry u guys have to read my yapping #but again thorn this is wonderful!!! i endorse this concept fully and tbh. if i find the time i might write a oneshot for it. #that is if u agree ofc #thorns killer au

[cyphertripping]

hii i really like ur writing! you have the exact same favs as me hehehe

can you do some Cypher, Viper, Fade and Neon HCs for a reader that's shy but easily excited and really likes hanging out with them? i feel like all four of our favs have some degree of "being confused when people want them around despite everything" and that's honestly *chefs kiss* (although some would open up more easily than others)

of course!! this is such a fun concept! i did kind of half established relationship/ meeting/ up to interpretation for relationship status but i hope you enjoy :D

Shy!reader HCs (Cypher, Viper, Fade, Neon)

Word Count: 1000+

Fluff

Cypher

He’s not sure when this became a habit, but a little mouse has become regular company in his workshop

By little mouse, he means you

It’s not unwelcome by any means and it’s not like his workshop is closed off to anyone

But he can’t exactly fathom why

He’s not the most welcoming looking person and most of the protocols are suspicious of how much he knows about them

Despite your quiet demeanor, it seems you’ve taken that to mean you can now learn about him as much as you want

Cypher likes to play the radio, either some lo-fi playlists or work background music

Sometimes he hears you humming along and smiles to himself

After awhile he figures it would be rude not to offer you some tea or a drink

The two of you bond talking about tech

One time you ask about what work he’s doing on his trips and he laughs cheerfully

“Well, I’m experimenting with different string tensions for my wires. You see, a simple horizontal tripwire is straightforward. But finding the tension for a perpendicular one? One time I caught the other Jett in it and she was like a fly in a spiderweb. I’m trying to perfect that.”

He would love collaborating on new traps and lineups with you

He also appreciates that you’re quiet. Not because he hates talking (the opposite— this man never shuts up if you let him), but because you see things others don’t

On missions, you’ll be the one to tell him, “they always send someone up long” and help him adjust his set ups.

He’s not sure what he did to deserve your trust and friendship, but he’ll do his best to never break that

Viper

She’s someone who prides herself on maintaining a certain level of professional distance/ fear with the other members of the protocol

That’s why you bewilder her

She doesn’t understand why you don’t cower from her and always greet her quietly in the mornings, a small smile on your face

But Viper only really starts paying attention to you when you save her on the field, shooting someone who had been about to come up behind her through her poison

When you express interest in her work and her poison, she counts it as reasonable repayment to actually take the time to explain things to you

What she doesn’t expect is for you to keep coming back

It’s always under the excuse of something, “oh, Brimstone asked me to forward this message to you.” “Why didn’t he just page me?” “I was on the way, I didn’t mind! Also I brought coffee.”

She did appreciate the coffee. The company wasn’t bad either.

It’s been a long time since anyone viewed her as the researcher she once was (except for those who wanted to use the information to poke at old wounds), and with actual interest

Eventually, she starts coming to you for your thoughts. As someone with a science background yourself, but who left academia for your own pursuits, your insights are… refreshing

It’s a working relationship, she tells herself, nothing more. She doesn’t know if her heart could stand making it more than that.

Fade

It takes a long time for Fade to warm up to you, much less even acknowledge your presence when you hang around her outside of missions

She appreciates that you’re a quiet person— i.e. Raze, as welcome as her friendliness is compared to the cold shoulders she’s been getting, can be a bit overwhelming

What she doesn’t expect is that you’re genuinely interested in her and her powers

As a fellow insomniac, the two of you tend to run into each other in the common area at odd hours

Over time, the two of you start chatting over Fade’s slow brew coffee

It’s fair to say most of the Valorant protocol don’t sleep well after everything you all have been through, but you’re the first one who appreciates her, even when her presence affects you all

Once the two of you are comfortably friends, you don’t hesitate to talk Fade’s ear off about Gothic architecture (she secretly loves it)

Though she seems really reserved, she’ll always do what she can to make you feel more comfortable, such as setting a mug of tea out for you in advance so you don’t have to ask

If the two of you go out, she’s the meme “they ASKED for no pickles”

Fade definitely has one or more cats and the two of you could hang out and the only activity be sitting in silence and playing with them

If you’re into video games, you would love playing Bloodborne and showing Fade all the lore bits. She would comment on what parts of the eldritch plane they got right or not, but finds it all really interesting regardless

You always have the best conversations with her, particularly at 2am and on

Neon

Neon is a very social person, she loves hanging out with the others in the protocol, whether it be to dim sum or karaoke, she’s always game

When she’s not in a group, she’s definitely less energetic/ reduces the tough exterior that she puts on when she’s in the zone

But she’s obviously the more extroverted between the two of you and loves dragging you out and pushing your comfort zone

At the same time, she would never want to make you uncomfortable and really just wants to spend time with you

Like Jett, she loves hanging out to eat food, whether from a casual food truck or sit down (she’d also use the opportunity to take the pressure of talking off of you)

When you finally get comfortable enough to talk about your interests, she’s happy to sit and listen (though she’ll ask endless questions if you let her)

Neon is like an excitement feedback loop, if you’re enthusiastic about something, she’ll double that energy back

While she doesn’t really struggle with the “wondering why people want to hang out around her”, if the two of you grow closer and if anything happened to you from her powers, she would take the responsibility very heavily

She could definitely overthink things in her head, working over her thoughts in her head way too much

She would appreciate talking it out, especially because she knows how much effort it can be for you to speak up about your own feelings

Neon also loves sharing new music with you. She’d definitely make a playlist for you and would be very touched if you sent her music

Also is not above flexing by taking you to an arcade to play DDR (though she has accidentally fried DDR machines before)

#cypher x reader #viper x reader #fade x reader #neon x reader #x gn reader #valorant x reader request #valorant x reader #valorant x reader fic #cypher hc #viper hc #fade hc #neon hc #reader insert #reader fic #relationship hcs #valorant x you

[green-ville]

Warnings: domestic Hannix. It's all fluff.

Summary: Third installment in the unplanned trilogy of Hannix. This is the final piece and it's summarized in one sentence. A Dagger reunion after Jake convinces Natasha to do something stupid.

_________________

"You wanna do something stupid?"

"That's a terrible idea."

". . .I didn't even say the idea, but somehow I know that you know what I'm thinking."

Natasha picked up three dragon fruit, putting it in the cart. "It's a terrible idea," she repeated and moved further down the produce section in the grocery store. Jake pushed the cart behind her, eyes sparkling, forearms resting on the cart as he trailed her.

"You totally want to do it," Jake claimed.

"I do not."

"Oh yeah you do. Babe, think of the tax benefits."

She snorted, head falling so her hand could cover her face. Her smiling face.

"See?! You're smiling. You totally want to do it!"

"I do not!"

~

"Hey I've been thinking – "

"Bagboy, no."

"How could you possibly know –"

"Because you keep bringing it up?"

"Orrrr, you've been thinking about it too and so it's always on your mind," Jake challenged, setting the plate down in front of her. It was tsunami season (it was always tsunami season in Guam) and so their windows were shut as sideways rain hammered down on their apartment.

Jake sat beside her on the table, a plate of his own in front of him.

She rolled her eyes. "Walk me through your plan Captain. Please."

"Well I'd want to go big, but I have a feeling you'd wanna go small, so we'll settle for small but make it a big deal."

"How, pray tell?"

"We tell basically no one and drop it at a party."

"A party?"

"Yeah."

"And what about family?"

"Admittedly, I haven't told my parents about you."

She high fived him. "My parents don't know you exist either!"

"Great! We'll surprise them too."

"That's a terrible plan."

"They pay me to be pretty, not to think."

"That's the exact opposite of what they pay you to do Bagman."

He shrugged. "So, whatcha think?"

". . ."

~

"I just don't understand why you want to do it."

"Tax benefits, screaming 'that's my wife!' when someone dishonors you – no, I don't want you to be dishonored, I'm just looking at the brightside of a terrible situation – owe. I deserved it. For some reason we're oddly compatible and quite frankly I don't see myself with anyone but you for the rest of my life. Where you go, I'm going. Even when you get sick of me."

Her heart thudded at the last bit. She stayed facing away from him, unable to look at him right now.

"Alright fine, I lied. It's not for the tax benefits. I. . .I never gave much thought to my future outside of the Navy until Miramar. Until I met you again and we did that. . .that thing that changed me forever. Then I thought about you for five years and it wasn't just sleeping with you again, it was seeing you, going on dates with you. Doing more. Now I'm here. Now I want the next stage."

She slipped on a beige button down over her tank top. She still couldn't look at him.

"You gonna say anything or have I ruined everything?"

If she wanted to get into work on time, she should put on her pants now. Otherwise she wasn't going to stay in her clothes for long and she'd likely be late to work. Bagman had off today, he didn't have to conform to schedules.

The less smart side of her won. This rarely happened. This used to rarely happen. It won a lot more since Bagman reentered her life. She'd be lying if she said she regretted it.

Natasha pivoted on her foot, a mask of no information. She pinned him down with her stare. He was sitting on the edge of their bed, lower half covered by a sheet, upper half exposed and golden from the sun.

She walked forward and his legs naturally parted for her to fit herself between them. His hands came to her hips and her forearms rested on his shoulders, hands clasped behind his head. She looked down at him, his open green eyes. Not open in the sense they were large, rather that they revealed so much to her.

He was being honest. He was joking with the tax benefits. She had finally gotten the real reason out of him and that was what she had wanted to hear. What she had waited so long to hear.

She tortured him with silence for a few moments longer, and then she couldn't keep her grin down any longer. It slid up and she saw the hope spark inside of him, could feel his grip on her hips tighten.

"I want a ring Jake Seresin."

"It's been in my dresser since the day after I arrived in Guam."

That grin became a smile and she kissed him, slow and long. That lasted three breaths before her hips were grabbed hard and she was yanked onto the bed, a body trapping her down.

She laughed against his smiling kisses, wondering what her parents were going to think.

~

"Holy shit, it's Captain Mitchell!" Payback exclaimed, eyes widening. The rest of the group turned to the newcomers.

And it was indeed Captain Pete Mitchell, walking up alongside Bradly Bradshaw.

Bradley made a 'what the hell' motion with his arms. "I'm here too."

"Yeah, but given the rest of the group, that makes sense. What the hell are you doing here Captain?" Payback asked.

The rest of the group being the entire party from Miramar. Fanboy, Halo, Yamaha, Yale. . .everyone was here. Everyone but Hangman, Phoenix, Bob, and Coyote.

Maverick joined the group, smiling at them all behind his sunglasses. They were sitting outside of a bar on a patio, string lights hanging above them, a gorgeous beach scene playing before them. A volleyball net was calling their name but they were all respectfully waiting for their supposed host.

And drinking a lot in the meantime.

"I uh, received a letter from Hangman? Said if I find myself free to come down here and visit him?"

"Did we all receive the same letter?" Fanboy asked. "And why did we all listen? Like, we seriously flew 20 something hours just to visit Hangman? What's wrong with us?"

"My letter was from Phoenix," Halo said.

The group turned to her.

"What?" Rooster asked, head tilted.

She nodded. "Phoenix told me to visit her."

"But, why would she be here?"

"Her and Hangman weren't stationed here together, were they?"

"Shit," Payback cursed. "It's a funeral. That's what we're here for. Phoenix killed Hangman. He finally said too much and she killed him."

"Maybe we shouldn't all be wearing Hawaiian shirts then," Rooster said, looking down at his shirt. "Since when did everyone start wearing them?"

"You're not a trendsetter Rooster, don't even think it. These shirts are cheap and we all look great in them."

"Please, Rooster, a trendsetter? Remember when he wore jorts – "

Payback cut Halo off with an exclaimed, "I still have nightmares!"

A round of laughs circulated the group. Rooster rolled his eyes and Maverick smiled.

"You're all ridiculous –"

"Guess they just let anyone into Guam these days."

The party turned and there they were. Nope, not them. Coyote and Bob joined the group and seriously, everyone was wearing Hawaiian shirts. What was with these people?

"Bob, Coyote? Hell, Hangman trying to do a reunion or something?" Rooster asked, grabbing his hand and doing a manly hug. It was manly because it was a brief second accompanied by two rough pats on the back.

Bob got a fist bump which he seemed perfectly fine with.

"Hangman's here?" Coyote asked.

"Don't tell me, Phoenix sent you a letter?"

"Phoenix is here?" Bob asked.

"What the hell is happening?" Fanboy asked, looking around, entirely lost.

"What're you guys doing here? I haven't seen you all since Miramar," Bob said.

"What're we doing here? What're you doing here?! I didn't know anyone was stationed in Guam!"

"I'm not stationed here."

"Then what the hell are you doing here Bob?" Rooster asked, breathless with how unhelpful the younger man was.

"Talking with you."

"Jesus – Hey, Hangman!"

He finally appeared, the man that was somehow the center of attention without even being in the damn vicinity. He appeared from the walkway on the side of the bar, breaking the group norm by wearing a white linen shirt and beige pants.

Beside him, also wearing white, Natasha Trace. No one had ever seen Natasha in a dress before. It was a sun dress, hugging her chest and waist, flowing from her hips down. It was old fashioned, modest, skirt ending below her knees.

Her hair was down. Rooster didn't think that was possible.

"Oh my God. . .they're holding hands," Fanboy observed, eyes wide.

"They're not a thing. No way Phoenix lowered her standards."

"Aren't you all a sight for sore eyes," Hangman greeted, characteristic grin plastered on his tanned face. He was holding Nat's hand as they walked up the stairs to the bar, joining the others on the patio.

"Captain, thanks for being here," Nat said with a bright smile.

She was wearing makeup.

Rooster didn't even know she could do that.

"Anytime Phoenix. . .uh, what exactly am I here for?"

"A celebration," she answered. "Jake and I just got married. Let's go drink!"

"Woohooo!" Jake howled, and Coyote jumped on his back with a laugh, following them into the bar.

Bob smirked, shaking his head. "Yeah. . .It was a nice wedding. Their parents are gonna kill them."

Rooster blinked. He turned towards the rest of the group to see if they had heard the same thing he heard, and from the looks of it, yes.

Maverick broke through first and nodded. He was smiling, filled with disbelief, but smiling. "Well, I did not expect that. Did not expect that at all."

"Just wait," Bob said. "Nat's pregnant and hasn't told him yet. I'm supposed to record the reaction."

Rooster paled. "Oh my God a little Hangman. It's like all my worst fears are coming alive."

~

She waited for him. She waited a stupidly long amount of time. It was like the pilot was trying to piss her off. She walked faster than he could fly. It wasn't even that long of a flight, what was he doing, slowing down to let the birds pass?

Natasha checked her watch. She had checked her watch every minute for the past hour.

Her stomach cramped again and she gripped the arm rests, trying not to tear them off the chair. An eternity passed before the pain let up, and the sweat that was sliding down her pale skin was alarming considering the air conditioned environment.

The first people finally started coming through and Natasha stood. And then she tried to stand again because she fell back the first time. Acting like the incredibly pregnant woman she was, she stood, needing the armrest to stand, one hand holding her back.

God she was such a stereotype. Everyone knew she was pregnant, she didn't have to showcase it so much.

How long did it take people to walk off a plane? Were they taking time to sightsee? Did no one have anywhere important to be?

For the love of all that was righteous and holy, how slow could people –

There he was.

She smiled, raging emotions easing away.

He smiled when he spotted her, duffle bag in his right hand, a teddy bear in his left. She met him a quarter of the way there. He was able to do three times her distance giving her predicament.

"Hey there gorgeous," he greeted, setting down his bag and wrapping his arms around her. She pulled him down by the neck, hugging him as best as she could with the crockpot of a stomach in her way.

"Look at me. I'm so fat right now."

"Is this a moment where I'm supposed to deny it or support you because you're growing the heir to the Seresin name?"

She snorted, the hug ending but their arms staying around each other. His arms on her back, hers around his neck. "The heir? To the Seresin name? What is this, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets?"

"If it matters," he said, kissing her hairline. "I think you still look sexy. Lordosis and all."

She punched him in the gut and he backed away, laughing.

"You're laughing now but my water broke like, several hours ago and my contractions are so at the 'get me to a hospital' stage."

His eyes widened and she laughed.

"Are you serious?"

"Oh yeah. I need a hospital." She needed a hospital two hours ago.

"Jesus, babe, shit!"

"Let's go pop a kid out Bagman."

"You're about to have our kid and yet you're still insulting me. What a woman."

"Damn straight."

#jake seresin #natasha trace #jake hangman seresin #natasha phoenix trace #jake x natasha #coyote #bob #payback #fanboy #pete mitchell #maverick #hangman x phoenix #hannix #hannix fluff #fluff #top gun #top gun maverick #tgm

[whumpitisthen]

here's a quick rundown on astarion: gay vampire spawn (not a vampire. like a demo version vampire. a "lesser" one but don't let him hear that) who has been kept for 200 years by his master as a slave. guy (who was an actual vampire) carved him up, tortured him and forced him to lure victims into his manor. astarion has been abused in so many ways i'd hit some sort of character limit if i listed half of them. he was only allowed to feet on rats and small vermin in the sewers. poor little meow meow astarion is now free due to [game story] reasons and seeks power and revenge -- he's an edgy fuck with a lot of swag and no moral compass. bro is a menace and loves causing problems on purpose. [slight spoiler] he will literally try to suck some of your blood like a day or two after you meet him and unless you succeed a skill check he'll just keep doing it until you die. if you resurrect yourself afterwards he'll go like "ooooh ooopsie sowwy! i wouldn't kill you if i knew you'll be back teehee can we forget about this? ;) <3 don't fucking kill me". he's such a good fucking whumpee you don't even know. it's insane. i don't want to ramble but he's almost everything i've ever wanted from a character like this in a large scale rpg. [slightly bigger spoiler] despite being the go-to "fuckable" character who everyone finds hot as hell (both in-universe and online) he's HORRIBLY traumatized by his sexual experiences from when he used to be a slave and when you romance him a good portion of his storyline revolves around trying to make him realize that he's more than just a slab of very attractive meat. he hides his feelings behind a facade of "evil tumblr sexyman-esque" mannierisms and getting to finally peel it back and see him for the poor wet cat that he is is so fucking satisfying. [an even bigger spoiler] i loved watching him cry when he finally gets to confront his former master. pristine content. there's so much more to his character (and this game in general) but if you ever need to justify spending full price on a new videogame release, there's nothing better than bg3. if i could choose one game to beam directly into the brain of each whumpblr user, it'd be this one.

Okay so i already loved him from the very little information i had about him, but this is so delicious

I saw some pics of bad scars which are always hhh and heard that he is a whumpee but i didn't know the extent and now i think ive collected a new blorbo

You are telling me he meets his old master at some point...... and he cries..... and hes all sad....... he rly was made for tumblr but especially me youre telling me he has white hair and is a vampire twink who was a slave and hurt and traumatised and he has incredible sad wet cat energy and he only has a flimsy layer of confidence and absolutely no idea what morals are. i knew i needed to know more you have to understand my knowledge of the game stopped at the bear sex scene like that is it and yet i somehow always find the most pathetic little men no matter what in any media i could not give a shit about any of the rest i will consume the entire thing just to know the exact extent of his sad little life

Also i wish i had the opportunity to even consider buying a full price new release no matter how good the game is there is no world in which id be able to pay for that. Also idk about the gameplay either it seems very story oriented roleplay and almost dating sim-ish? Not a huge fan of those in general its gotta have more gameplay than walking around and basically watching a movie, but, again. No idea about anything, maybe it has incredible gameplay and i just dont know. Dont tell me if it does itll just make ms sadder bc that would absolutely make me wanna play it myself. Its kinda funny honestly the longer i spend not knowing anything the crazier everyone seems to me both online and irl. Its like im living in a separate world, i know no one who hasn't played this fucking game fjfhskhfd

#asks #anonymous #that lasts part wasnt a read btw im glad its such a good game #im so used to new releases costing a whole lot of money while being complete dumpster fires #its just actually amazing bc I'm usually the guy who knows everything thats going on Especially in the gaming world #and now im just here like #hey ive been seeing this lil vampire dude a lot lately? no fucking clue who he is but i hope he endures torture today :) #thank you for the ask! #and the tiny explanation #you rly know what i like and came ready with all the whumpy bits #appreciate it greatly #all i need to know is that he is so sad and whumpable and traumatised and looks fantastic in pain

[look-at-the-soul]

The Photoshoot (Part 19)

Cillian Murphy x OC

Previous parts here

Sorry I’m in a rush, I have two birthday celebrations I wouldn’t miss for anything… happy reading!

And oh! We have another photoshoot they did together for the play Ballyturk ♥️ courtesy of Catherine Ashmore (photographer) I managed to find a little excerpt from the original play (in italics).

@onlydeadcells choose to have the Scout walk instead of some angst, so here it is…

⚠️ Warning: Some smut (light)

She felt bad for lying to him earlier that morning when Cillian asked about the background noise. Yael told him she was doing a photoshop in the tube, therefore the noise, when in reality, she was at the airport waiting for her plane to take off to Ireland. It was a one-hour flight, so it wouldn’t take her long, she only had a carry on and her camera case, so she wouldn’t waste time waiting for her luggage.

The butterflies in her stomach went wild in excitement, hoping he would like the surprise, even if it was only for two and a half days.

She couldn’t resist the temptation to pay Cillian a surprise visit. After some time apart, she was finally able to have a few days without work and the first thing on her mind was to see him.

Her heart was beating so fast as the cab pulled outside the building, Cillian answered all of her questions about where he would be that day, like the exact place. She managed to distract him through their conversation about the rehearsal for the play, and since she hasn’t been to Ireland, Cillian accepted to take pictures to show her around. She used that information to make sure she was at the right place.

Writing her name on the register list, she forced a straight face hoping her lie would go according to plan.

“I’m the photographer of the play. Mr. Walsh is waiting for me.” She said trying to sound secure, hopefully the woman behind the counter wouldn’t see her as a fan trying to sneak around.

The woman smiled. “Take the lift, then your left first door, they are rehearsing there.”

Thanking her, Yael followed her instructions. She could hear male voices, opening the door a little, she finally spotted Cillian holding a red balloon. Over one of the many conversations, he mentioned he was playing man 1, as the actors didn’t have names. He was standing next to Mikel, who was man 2. He had sent her a picture with them. Enda was the first one to spot her, walking towards her, Yael introduced herself in a low voice, not wanting to interrupt the rehearsal.

Feeling her heart could burst in happiness from just watching Cillian, she watched in silence, he was so focused on his role, saying the lines, and even though she didn’t understand half of what they were talking about because she had no context, it felt like truly gift to see him.

“Would you mind if I take some photographs? I’m sorry, I can’t help it, he is such a magnetic force pulling me in.”

“Be my guest, please.”

She was able to get a shot of Cillian and Mikel holding the red balloons.

Watching someone over the corner of his eye, Cillian stopped midsentence and looked in her direction. Immediately he returned into his character and continued with his lines, but for a brief moment, a mere second that they made eye contact, she was able to see the sparkle in his eyes.

He was a professional, so was she. In the end, it was a deadly combination.

Cillian had his back at her, so she took advantage of the moment to capture him.

1.…and dawn shining now. (Slight pause.) It warms the air around him and pushes back all that was yesterday. (Pause.) And in his mouth he tastes the drink from last night…

Stephen walked around as she snapped the shutter, achieving a shot of him about to move the golf brat over his shoulder. Cillian walked around to take a seat and Yael caught him winking at her right before resuming his role.

To be able to shoot him like that, totally immersed meant everything to her.

The minute the last line was done, Cillian moved to her. A wide smile on display.

“Loved the long pause you made there.” Enda praised, but Cillian was focused on Yael now. “But of course, you are not listening.”

“Can’t believe you are here!” Cillian pulled her for a tight hug and a soft kiss, he wanted a longer one but it wasn’t people around rated. “When did you arrive?”

“Just came straight from the airport.” Yael replied with a smile before Cillian introduced her to Mikel and Stephen Rea. “It’s so nice to meet you, I have heard so much of you.”

“If I tell you that Cillian hasn’t been talking about you, I would be a filthy liar.” Enda joked.

“Can’t believe you came.” His arms pulled her into his embrace.

Enda pinched him on the nipple, Cillian gasped in pain. “Now you can believe she’s not a hologram.” Yael looked at them surprised, their bond seemed so strong and close. “Loved the photos you took, think I could use them for the promotion?”

“Absolutely, I will email them tonight.”

Cillian shook his head. “Absolutely the fuck not.”

The way he made his words sound along the dead stare made everyone laugh.

“Whenever he lets you catch your breath.” Enda winked at her with a smile, she couldn’t help but blush, embarrassed of the road the conversation turned.

“Rehearsal’s done, right?” Cillian asked but he didn’t wait for an answer, he threw his jacked over his shoulder and his wallet and started guiding Yael out of the room.

“Want to have dinner at my place?” Enda called behind their back. She looked over her shoulder and smiled in his direction.

“No!” Cillian replied not even stopping his walking, earning a round of laughs of the men behind their backs.

Once in the parking lot, he pinned Yael against a green mini Cooper for a proper kiss. One that showed the other how much they missed each other.

“Hey stranger.” Yael murmured against his lips.

“Hello.” He leaned to brush her lips one more time. “I thought you said your agenda was full.” He spoke over the soft music playing as he moved in the city. Her hand wrapped between his.

“I did, I mean… do, but managed to do some changes on the dates, I can only stay for two nights, I hope that is alright.”

Flashing her a genuine smile, Cillian nodded. “That’s perfect.”

He was the perfect guide around, told her about the important buildings he knew in the city as they were passing by, until they reached a residential zone around forty minutes later.

“You have one minute exactly to say hello to Scout.” He warned Yael before opening the door to his apartment, they could hear the intense barks behind the door. “Then you are completely mine. Understood?”

Yael nodded as if she was in some kind of trance, his voice and gaze had that effect on her. She would do anything he wanted.

Holding her backpack and camera case, he saw Scout jumping on her, wriggling its tail excitedly, surprised by her visit. She knelt on the floor to pet him, but Scout kept running around. The happiness was palpable.

“Hi baby, have you been a good boy?” She scratched her nails all along Scout’s back.

“You two make me sick, really… time’s out, your dogmance* ends right now.”

Pulling her on her feet, Cillian took the time to look at her, still not fulling believing she was there with him. It was until she was on her tiptoes, Yael closed her eyes and cupping his face between her hands she kissed him softly, tilting her head to the other side as his hands intertwined around her waist. But soon he moved them down to the hem of her summer dress finding her skin. The kiss suddenly more heated and desperate.

Walking down the hall, they couldn’t make it to the bedroom, Cillian had her pinned between the wall and his body, the dress long forgotten somewhere on the floor, next to his clothes.

---

The following morning Cillian took her to have breakfast at a local restaurant he liked, the food was incredible but what she loved the most was his company, to see his smile live and not through a screen. She was surprised to see some people looking in his direction but no one came close, some lifted their hands in a small wave or nod their heads to him, but that was pretty much all and he seemed much more relaxed now. His hometown made him good.

After he explained her how the owner started with the food from his own kitchen to how he made turned it into one of the best places to eat in Ireland, Yael placed her hand on top of his.

“I don’t mean to ruin our pink world here… but,” she asked in a low voice, just for him to hear: “have you heard anything of the baby?” She scratched her right arm, below the shoulder.

“Yes, baby is doing fine, growing strong.” He looked at his coffee.

Sometimes she had practically forced the topic out of him, he still thought she was going to break if he talked about it.

“I’m glad to hear that, that’s the most important thing.” With a tender smile, Yael reassured him she was okay if he wanted to talk about it. “Where are you taking me today?”

“To a bookstore, two floors of old books, what do you think?” The smile appeared back on his lips.

“And your rehearsal is at twelve, right?” Cillian nodded. “So, we have plenty of time to go through book treasures.” He noted her eyes sparkled in excitement.

“Both places are a few blocks from here, so we can walk if you want.”

He was distracted asking if the owner was around to say hello, so Yael took advantage to take the check and her credit card to pay the bill, he never let her do that.

***

Cillian opened the door of his apartment and let Yael in, Scout ran straight to her, kind of smiling or at least showing the teeth to her. She leaned forwards to touch Scout, blowing kisses. They had been out since that morning.

“I can’t believe this, he loves you more than he loves me.”

“Dad is jealous.” She whispered to the dog, he was getting heavier.

“Can you two take your dogmance outside?” He grinned, Cillian was always coming up with new words that somehow were funny and made sense at the same time.

She found the leash and the pup started running around barking excitedly to go outside.

“Do you still have time to go?” He had a radio interview soon.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Taking his keys, the three of them walked outside of the apartment.

Scout was curious, he wanted to sniff everything he found in front, every bush, plants, flowers, every little detail he discovered was fascinating.

“I’m trying to follow the same route so he can get used to it.”

Scout pulled her to move at a faster pace, as if he was following a clue.

“I simply love how every little thing is something huge for him. Can only imagine what it was like being at the shelter.”

Cillian took her free hand.

A genuine smile forming on his lips. “I got him because of you.” Yael looked back at him, smiled when she found his smile. They kept moving switching places since Scout walked the opposite way, in a zigzag line, Cillian placed his hand over Yael shoulders this time.

“When I was a kid, I always wanted a dog, my brother and I asked for one Christmas after Christmas, but my parents never got one for us. They said they had a lot of work with four children and couldn’t add a dog into the mix.”

“A dog is a 10-12 years commitment, is basically a child you need to be present, give them your time, the checkups, the food… we are all they have.”

“The only thing missing is they don’t talk.” He joked.

“Obviously having a kid is different, but at the same time is a very close task… I kindly suggest you hide your shoes in a safe place, he is going to have a lot of energy as he keeps growing.”

They turned around and started walking back to his place.

“Did you grow up having dogs?” He looked at her, his hand inside his pocket.

“As a teenager, when I moved out, my parents kept the dog, said it was theirs.” She laughed. “They didn’t say they would miss me, they just said I couldn’t take the dog.”

“Priorities clear.” He loved the way the wind moved her hair, she did a little flip with her head to get it out of the way. “Why don’t you adopt one?”

“The thought it’s been in the back of my mind.” They looked at each other. Their talks constantly felt like the most natural thing in the world. “But I used to travel a lot for work and it didn’t seem right to leave a dog alone, they need people, it’s a big responsibility.” Leaning against him, she added: “And I have Scout now.”

---

Yael walked out the bedroom wearing only his black t-shirt and her underwear, a regular practice between them when he let her sleep in, just for the pleasure of watching Yael wearing his clothes. And his gaze showed exactly that, devouring her frame from her ankles to her eyes.

A soft jazz tune coming out from the kitchen guided Yael around his place, his apartment was beautiful.

Cillian looked embarrassed. “My sister got me that coffee machine for Christmas, but I never figured how it works.”

Yael placed the puppy on the floor again and washed her hands. While Cillian flipped the French toast, she walked to the coffee machine. “It’s your lucky day, while learning photography I made a session for a brand to promote the machines but they didn’t have the expert on set so if I wanted to get my photographs, I had to find out how it worked, so you will always have a nice cup of morning coffee.”

“I really like the sound of that.” He whispered close to her ear, kissing her behind it, the coffee machine made a little sound, notifying them the drink was getting ready.

A couple of minutes later, the smell of coffee was incredible. With a smile and a kiss, she accepted the cup from his hands.

“Thanks.”

She joined Cillian on his rehearsal the previous day too, not having enough of watching him doing his job, catching his eyes for seconds, stealing unnoticeable glances when it was men 2 and 3 turn to talk. She was able to get a few more shots of their rehearsal.

“There’s maple syrup on the fridge for your French toast.” He told her, but Yael didn’t move, hugging him from behind, leaning her cheek on his shoulder. She would be flying back to Manchester around two, she had a photoshoot at seven.

“Having you here is so refreshing, are you sure you can’t postpone your shooting?” His fingers trailing up and down her back, sneaking under his t-shirt on purpose.

“Not this one… but I will be back before you know it. I loved it here.”

Cillian chuckled. “But we didn’t go out much.”

“No need.”

“I’ll take you to Kerry the next time, promise.”

“My brother sent me a picture.”

“Oh yeah? About what?” He asked while getting napkins for them. “And which one? ‘Cause you have four.” Cillian was proud of the breakfast he made.

“One of the twins, it’s about a very handsome agent wearing Ray Bans… do you know him?” She showed her screen cellphone to him, a picture of his role as agent Buchanan.

“Never seen him before.” He made a little pout while shaking his head.

“It’s funny because you never mentioned anything about it.”

“Well it was filmed in 2013 and I totally forgot about it.” He was caught up.

“And you forgot going to the premier too?”

“Yeah, I forgot to do the RSVP thing.”

By the look on his face, she knew he didn’t forget, he did it on purpose.

“They didn’t want to see me anyways, had the spotlight reserved for Johnny Depp and Morgan Freeman.”

It hurt to hear him talk like that, how on earth wouldn’t they want to see him? She wanted to shake his shoulders to make him realize the outstanding job he did, she understood how humble he was, but he also needed to learn to take compliments from time to time, to accept the fact that his performances regardless of if it was in a series, a movie or theater were on the top level. To acknowledge what he could bring to the table.

“That’s not true.”

“It was a small part; the main focus is the AI.”

“And yet you don’t let me praise your work.”

“We were busy remember?” As she finished her breakfast, Yael took a seat on his lap.

“I might have a little memory problem.” She joked, he didn’t seem to enjoy that kind of events.

“If I remember correctly, we were doing this.” He kissed right behind her ear. Yael closed her eyes at the contact, a small moan escaped her mouth. “Then I got stuck here.” He kissed and sucked slightly on her neck, slowly moving down her collar bone.

“Think the memories are coming back. Keep going.”

The premier happened those last days they were together before he moved back to Ireland. He called his agent to say he wouldn’t be able to attend the event.

His teeth on her shoulder biting her skin. A loud gasp escaped from her chest. His thumb caressed her nipple over his t-shirt. Cillian repeated the motion as she arched her back to make him touch her again.

“What makes you think I would choose going to a premier over this?” His eyes looked at her full of lust, the desire building up.

“I wouldn’t change this either.” She whispered against his lips. “What does the agent want?” Her arm around his neck, pulling him closer.

“Bend you over here.” Cillian pointed to the breakfast bar.

And so he did.

——

Dogmance*= dog+ romance ♥️🐶 sorry? 🤷🏻‍♀️

#cillian murphy smut #That’s what Cill said #cillian murphy #cillian murphy imagine #cillian murphy x oc #cillian murphy fanfic #cillian murphy fanfiction #cillian murphy x reader

[libra-stellium]

Tw: narc mom

There’s been a sense of freedom in finding out that my mother is a narcissist. I’ve noticed all the signs my whole life but it was under the idea that oh it’s just MY mother that’s like this. It’s just HER personality.

This put so much pressure on me bc it made it MY situation and that it was up to me and my mother to find a solution. I truly believed that if I’m able to learn new information and change my behavior accordingly so could she! And it always felt like I was so close to a breakthrough with her like if I just found the right words she would understand the pain she’s causing me and she would change her behavior. If I just compromised on these boundaries she would respect me and respect other boundaries. And this just kept happening for years. I was being baited 🤷🏾‍♀️

Hearing stories of other people with narcissistic parents, especially a narcissistic mother, I realized oh my god I have not been living a unique experience!!!! All those things I thought were just my mother were some very basic narcissistic tactics! I did not feel dumb or ashamed for falling for it but instead I felt validated! Like WOW I was feeling the exact way I was supposed to feel under the circumstances! A product of narcissistic abuse is not trusting your feelings and getting outside confirmation that other people react the same way was amazing.

I felt silly last year when I stopped eating my favorite cereal. In May 2022 my mother was staying with me and she asked me for a bowl of cereal. Nothing unpleasant had happened yet during her stay bc I was playing “the good daughter” knowing that she would only be there for a week and I did not feel like recovering and picking up the pieces of myself after making her angry. I had two cereal options and she asked me which one I would choose and I said “this one is my favorite!” And she said okay she would go with that one. She made herself a big bowl of it and acted like she was excited to eat it. She took a regular spoonful of it and GAGGED!! I was shocked and looking at her so confused and I’m sitting there thinking she’s choking and she goes “this is disgusting I don’t like it at all how can you eat that???” I just shrugged and she walked to the kitchen and emptied the bowl.

Immediately I was having so many thoughts in my head like “omg you’re so naive!! Why would you tell her it was your favorite?? Don’t you know by now you shouldn’t share what you like with her??? Everything was going so well!!” I don’t remember anything after that! It’s now almost September 2023 and I still haven’t had a bowl of that cereal. To add context it’s Honey Bunches of Oats lol the regular one in the orange box 🙃 not some random flavor of cereal that has many flavors or a strong flavor or anything like that lol she 1000% did it purposefully to be hurtful!

Me from last year was trying to figure out what to do bc I had been keeping my bigger likes to myself bc I noticed the pattern and i didn’t want them ruined for me! But how can you have a relationship with someone where you can’t even tell them your favorite cereal????

Fast forward to this year I’m learning that a narcissistic person will literally tell you that your likes are horrible as a way to bring you down bc you’re feeling joy from that thing and the goal is to reinforce this idea that you don’t deserve to feel joy unless they tell you you can!

I saw this play out on an episode of Say Yes to the Dress where the daughter was so excited about the dress and the mother completely shut her down by saying she didn’t like the dress at all she didn’t think it looked good and that if the daughter wanted it she would pay for it but she wasn’t going to pretend to like it. The daughter looked exactly how I did in that moment with the cereal just very defeated and even though she loved the dress she said she didn’t like it and wanted to take it off. I felt so bad for her and I wanted her to wear the dress anyway but I also understood that she couldn’t bc now the dress is tainted with her mother’s comments! The same way I can’t think of cereal without being reminded of that interaction is the same way she would be reminded of her mother’s comment on her wedding day while she’s getting ready! And you can tell it was intentional in the episode bc there’s a clip of the mother pointing out the dress on the mannequin before saying how beautiful the dress is and then there’s another clip where as her daughter is trying on wedding dresses she’s complimenting the dress of the seamstress. It’s all just to reinforce the programming for the daughter that she is not important even when she’s a bride picking out her wedding dress and that she can’t trust herself bc she loved a dress that her mother completely disliked.

This episode was eye opening for me bc ever since I started day dreaming about getting married (Libra things lol) I always knew that I would either go find my dress by myself or I would take a couple of my closest friends with me! At the time I told myself it’s bc the women in my immediate family don’t get along and I don’t want to risk an argument during my fitting bc that would bring down the mood and that is not true at all! I just couldn’t admit to myself at the time that my mother would intentionally ruin the moment for me in some way! I couldn’t admit to myself that my mother would intentionally make me feel bad knowing how important that day would be for me.

I’m now 4 weeks no contact with her! She still sends the occasional text message telling me she misses me and loves me and I feel nothing most times but she sent me another message last night as I was watching a show and I broke down. As I watched the parent child relationship in front of me it was so heartbreaking to know that I’ve never had that and that I never will. Which is incredibly unfair!

#narc mom #narcissism #narcissistic mother #narcissist mother #narcissistic abuse #healing from abuse #healing from trauma

[not-a-bumblebee]

Interdimensional Fix-it Bure.au

- It works like this: when a little world, like your own, is having a WDE, the emotions of many people-

- A what now?

- Sorry, a World Destroying Event. It is exactly what it sounds like: an event that is apocalyptic, or, at least, destructive enough in its nature to count. It can be caused by anything from natural disasters out of anyone's control to actions from a very determined individual.

- I am starting to get an idea which one I am dealing with.

- A combination of those two, actually. A very common cause. Where was I? Ah, yes. When such an event occurs, the intense emotions of the people who are experiencing it generate the kind of energy that allows a contact to be made with our Interdimensional Fix-it Bureau. We process the call for help and send an agent, if the situation fits the set parameters.

- Which are?...

- It needs to be preventable. There needs to be something that evokes a very particular feeling of "if only there had been a person to fix this particular issue, none of this would have happened!". We then seek out a person that possesses the exact set of skills needed to fix the issue, and send them in, usually at a point far in the past of the world's timeline. With their actions, they cause a new timeline to split off, one that has a chance of survival, and they assure that this new timeline persists.

- Just like that.

- Yes?...

- I'm sorry, I am merely finding it difficult to believe that there is no catch. No big price one needs to pay for such a service. No strings that your "bureau" can pull on to force the inhabitants of the little worlds to do your bidding in exchange for salvation.

- I see how you could come to this conclusion, and I will be honest with you, I cannot exactly deny it, but it is nothing as insidious as stealing your soul, per se. What usually happens is that the person who made the contact with us to request our services, may in turn be hired to aid another small world with the skills that they possess.

- I... see. And so, you are here because the destruction of this world is judged to be preventable by... what exactly? I am sorry, It's just that there must be better targets, better times...

- Perhaps, from a certain point of view, but this is not a mistake. The one who has contacted us at your world's end, however, had judged that it is detrimental to the timeline that you do not proceed with your attempted, ah, jailbreak.

- Great. And the person who so graciously judged that I need to die like this is?...

- Classified.

- Of course. Why would you tell me that. Why would anything be fair. Fuck.

- ... I can tell you that they do not want you dead. In fact, merely killing you would make the WDE arrive faster. In order to prevent it, you need to be alive, and also, not escape from the prison.

- Are all of your agents this well-informed?

- No, we usually send them in with less information. Giving them too much tends to interfere with their character arcs. I am actually the Bureau's founder, and rarely participate in missions myself.

- Character arcs. Of course. So then, the world needs me to stay imprisoned? Why am I not surprised. Of course I would not be allowed to escape that part of the plot. Stupid novel.

- Not exactly. In fact, this is where my specific skill-set comes in. I am here to defend you.

- Do you even know the crimes I am blamed for?

- Yes, I have familiarized myself with the accusations.

- And you would still defend me?

- It is my job.

- What if I actually did it?

- Did you?

- ... No. Not most of it, at least. It is... complicated.

- I did not think the fate of the world would rest on a simple case, no. I will try to understand it, if you explain.

- It is not your understanding that I am concerned about. It's... You would not believe me.

- Ah, but believing in the client is my duty!

- Hah. Okay. Sure, what the fuck. Let's save the world by talking to my anachronistic lawyer. These past five years have already been crazy enough, this may as well happen.

- I am ready to hear whatever you have to say.

- Sure. I have one last question, though.

- Ask away.

- "Interdimensional Fix-it Bureau"? Seriously?

- "Anything Agency" was taken by my son-in-law.

#flash fiction #fanfiction #alternate universe #transmigration #ace attorney #ace attorney fanfiction #(technically) #(more of an overlong joke left vague on purpose) #(probably ooc) #greentrickster is to blame for this (also technically) #(indirectly) #it uh... should be obvious who the characters are if u know what to look for #the non-AA character is paying their Bureau intervention forward since theyre already a transmigrator #their special skills are good memory and latent homosexuality

[funkymbtifiction]

Hello :) I texted you before asking was I istp or isfp. The problem is I provided you with vague information and that could be applied for many types. So I’ve mulled everything over and came up with a full description. Sorry for bothering you a lot...

Having read all that you wrote, I honestly think ISJ, probably ISTJ. Most of what you describe for the Ti-dom section is very Si-dom -- detail driven, comparing now to back then referencing (how is this like that other thing?), myopic views, doing detailed research when you don't know about something, being slow to try new things, and being anxious under stress and thinking how things can go wrong and/or having no patience for anything abstract (inferior Ne).

For example:

I consider my decision making process complex and structured. I rely on my past experiences, for example if confronted a problem slightly similar to what I had in the past. I will try the exact same way of solving to a new problem to see if it works. In case it doesn’t I’ll brainstorm and come up with something new. <- this is Si/Ne

Usually I have drawers with opinions in my head, I avoid speaking up when I know nothing about subject being discussed. <- also Si

I hate when something contradicts my logic. I’m not fast to believe any information, I have to read and research before formulating a strong opinion. I usually go down the rabbit hole and spend many hours and even days reading about something. <- Si/Te (carefully do research and find out the facts before accepting something)

Sometimes I notice how I change my opinions due to new insights. <- Ne development

When i see that people I discuss something with don’t hear me out, and are not even willing to understand why I point out something, I say “okay, probably you’re right; yeah, makes sense” though I disagree and it makes no sense to me at all, because it’s a waste of time and effort to continue. <- Te, plus this feels like an avoidant attachment Enneagram center (perhaps 9?)

I think some of your lack of attachment to other people (why are they mine to take care of? that's ridiculous, family comes first) is coming from low Fi (I prioritize who I care about over strangers).

I like observing everything around me. I explore the world through my senses. I pay attention to details, even when I want to concentrate on something, I may get distracted when I see something new. [...] Sometimes I notice changes in people: haircuts, new perfume (usually the ones I communicate the most with), today I noticed new traffic lights down the street.<- Si

So, in conclusion, I think ISTJ with a withdrawn/conflict-avoidant Enneagram type (such as 9). You seem to adapt to other people fairly well, go along with the flow to avoid conflict, shy away from confrontations, and are somewhat 'numb' at times.

I am sorry about what's happening in your life, btw. That's very hard and I hope you come out of this situation safely.

#question #mbti #enneagram

[tired-truffle]

Rivers and Roads

A Lokixfem!reader Fic

Word Count: 3.4k

Part 9/16

Masterlist

Operation Get Loki To Let His Guard Down And Tell You All His Secrets had had a rocky start. You’d gotten some more information from him on why he was here; he’d disagreed with friends and he’d been banished. There was no way that was the whole story, if it was even true, but you were pleased to have at least a little bit more insight. 

Your last dream unnerved you, you didn’t know what to make of it. You were having a harder and harder time denying that they were real, the more that you dreamt, the more you felt like you were filling this empty part of you that you hadn’t even realized was missing. 

If it was real, you worried that meant that you’d done something terrible to Loki. Was this all part of some scheme to exact revenge? Were you the so-called friend that had betrayed him and imprisoned him here with the help of his brother? Maybe that ‘puzzle’ you’d talked about doing with Loki was really just a way to get him trapped on this planet for sixty years. Or had you done worse; attempted to sacrifice him to complete the ‘puzzle’? No, you couldn’t imagine yourself ever willingly doing that to anyone, you refused to believe you were capable of betraying someone who had become a friend. Moreover, what were these infernal infinity stones you kept hearing about? Every new vision only seemed to bring up more questions than answers and it was starting to piss you off.

That and your confusing feelings for Loki, a man you knew so little about, were getting out of your control. Waking up in bed to find yourself wrapped around his back like a koala was enough to set your heart thundering in your chest. You managed to move before he stirred and hoped he hadn’t noticed you stealing his body heat. It was just so damn cold in the bunker when the fire burned low. You’d have to figure out how to subtly put a pillow between you both tonight to avoid any more awkward circumstances in the morning. 

“Are you even paying attention?” Loki snapped his fingers in front of your face, bringing you out of your thoughts. You blinked rapidly, clearing your head as you refocused back on the book he was holding. 

“Yup.” You grinned apologetically at him.

“You are a terrible liar.” He gave you a disappointed look. 

“I’ll leave the lying up to you, God of lies.” You said cheekily. You were sure he’d told you his secondary title in your brief time with him, right? If he hadn’t you must have heard it from wherever else you’d gotten your extremely limited knowledge on Loki from Norse Myths. That or you just gave him a hint that you were remembering things you weren’t sure he wanted you to know.

Loki blinked but kept going, “If you aren’t going to pay attention then you will certainly never understand All-Speak, if it’s possible at all.” 

Loki had been kind enough that morning to give in to your pestering him to teach you how to read his language. It wasn’t going so well. 

It wasn’t your fault, All-Speak was a weird written language, you’d never seen one where the letters moved and changed shape like they were tiny little golden insects. How were you supposed to keep up? 

“What’s this letter?” Loki asked, pointing at what looked like an ‘S’ mixed with a ‘B’. You had a one in twenty-six chance to get it right, assuming they had English letter equivalents. 

“An ‘N’?” You guessed at random. 

Loki sighed in exasperation. You took that as a ‘not even close’. 

“I’m sorry, Loki,” You stuck out your bottom lip and gave him your best puppy dog eyes, “I really appreciate you trying to teach me, could we keep trying? I promise to pay attention the whole time.” 

Lucky for you, he couldn’t resist your charm. That or he had nothing better to do. You preferred to think it was your winning personality. 

“I shall read you the first short story in this book and you can try to follow along, though if you aren’t able to grasp the simplicity of the alphabet then it is unlikely you’ll understand the word and sentence formation.” 

“Wow, thank you for that vote of confidence, makes me feel really smart.” You deadpanned. 

“You are smart,” He said, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, “For a mortal.”

“You’re the worst,” You jabbed his arm with your finger, a scowl adorning your face, though you couldn’t keep it for long when he gave you that wide smile that lit up his face like he was a child on Christmas morning. How could a face so cute be as sinister as your visions made him out to be? He seemed like a guy who’d been very lonely for a long time and had forgotten how to interact with people, not a cruel man who kept you locked in a cage. 

Not all of your visions of Loki were bad, you had had some good moments with him, cooking together, teasing him, and he’d even wanted you to go with him after whatever war it was you were fighting was over. You almost wished he was just mean to you, it would make your thoughts a lot easier to sort through and your feelings a lot clearer. You were stuck in this in-between phase, not knowing if you could trust him, but wanting to more than almost anything. Besides going home, of course, going home was your ultimate goal. Though if you were honest with yourself, the more time you spent with Loki, the more unsure you were that home was anywhere but here. But you weren’t ready to admit that, so you buried that thought deep within you.  

“Tell me the story, you big bully.” You crossed your arms, scooting a tad bit closer to him so you could see the pages better. Your legs were less than an inch apart and brushed up against his when you moved, sending chills up your spine, you managed to suppress your shudder. God, you hated the effect he had on you.

“As you command, Princess.” He said looking down at you with a softness that threatened to turn you to mush. The scowl on your face disappeared as you locked eyes, and for a moment, you forgot how to breathe. Your face was close to his, closer than you’d realized, and the way he looked at you like you were more to him than just a bunker-roomie had the butterflies in your stomach flapping around at top speed. You wondered what would happen if you leaned forward and closed the distance, would his lips feel as soft as you imagine? Would he-

You cut yourself off from that train of thought. You cleared your throat and looked away, trying to hide the blush that was quickly spreading across your face. What were you even thinking? You needed to reel yourself in, you couldn’t go staring lovingly at a God you’d just met. Especially not one who had potentially kidnapped you more than once. 

“So what’s this story about? It’s not like those other books you gave me, right?” You asked, bringing the focus back to the book. The moment was gone, and much to your chagrin, you found yourself wishing for it back. 

“You’ll just have to wait and find out.” Loki flipped back to the first page and you watched as the beautiful golden letters swirled around the page. If you never could figure out the language that would be okay with you, watching the words move about like they were performing their own secret ballet was entertainment enough for now. 

“The Great War Against the Frost Giants,” You resisted the urge to yelp when you heard him say that, yet another part of one of your dreams spilling into real life. Loki had been a ‘Frost Giant’ or at least you’d called him one when he’d turned himself blue. There had to be more to that there you’d originally thought. If he noticed you still beside him, he did not make it known as he continued reading, “Started as any other Great War, with the clashing of two powerful Kings, Odin All-Father, King of Asgard and Protector of the Nine Realms, and Laufey, King of Jotünheim, whose quest for power had only just begun.” Loki began, his voice melodic as he read. If it wasn’t for the burning questions building in your throat, you would have been content to sit quietly and listen for as long as he would allow. You couldn’t ask about him being a Frost Giant as that would raise too many questions from him, but there were other ways you could try to work it out. 

“You said you were part of the royal family and Asgardian, so unless there's more than one Asgardian royal family, Odin would be your father or grandfather, right?” 

Loki paused his reading to give you a long-suffering look that you’d grown quite accustomed to whenever you asked him anything, “Yes, Odin is my father. May I proceed now, Princess, or is there anything else you desire of me?”

If Odin was his father and not a Frost Giant, then how on Earth was Loki able to make himself look like one? You wondered if it could have just been an illusion, a projection onto himself to try to make you afraid. That would make a lot of sense. You wanted to ask about his magic powers and if he was able to do something like that,  but the intense, but not angry, burning look in his eyes had you shutting down any more questions that may have arisen. You could barely speak past your dry throat and you crossed your legs self-consciously. Damn this man and his effect on you, “Go ahead.”

Loki began telling the story again, his calming voice carrying you into a world where you felt like you could really visualize what he was saying. You’d always enjoyed the images you were able to produce in your head when you read, almost like watching a movie play out. 

The Jotuns, tall, brooding, blue men in nothing more than loincloths, stood in Norway. Their leader, Laufey, held the Casket of Ancient Winters, ice shooting out of it and swallowing the land, the humans, and their vessels whole. They jumped, ice forming on their arms into sharp weapons as they stabbed innocent humans. They threatened to plunge the Earth into an Ice Age, but humans could rely on their Gods and did not face the threat of the Frost Giants alone. The army of Asgardians appeared in a flash of bright rainbow-coloured light to counter the intruders. Odin led the charge against Laufey whose blood-red eyes filled with rage as he snarled and urged his people to attack. They fought with a viciousness that terrified you, bodies falling left and right, but you couldn’t look away. Weapons of ice and light collided in fiery explosions as the Asgardians fought the Jotun back into their own world. There were many losses on both sides, but in the end, Laufey fell and the source of their power was taken from them. The Casket of Ancient Winters was taken back to Asgard where it would be forever kept out of Frost Giant's hands, and the realms were once again at peace. 

You blinked, shaking your head as the images you had produced fell away when Loki stopped speaking. You’d always had a vivid imagination, but as you focused back on the golden words moving around the page, you felt like there was more to what you’d seen than you had initially thought. It hadn’t been like your other visions, it had been more subtle, like someone had put a projector image over your life, allowing small bits of your background, and the sound of Loki’s voice to break through. 

“Do you think now that you can master All-Speak?” Loki said cockily. 

You frowned, furrowing your brows, “Isn’t there something missing from that story?” 

That was it, that feeling, like when you tried to remember your name and came up with nothing but blankness when you knew there should be something there. 

Loki tilted his head as he looked at you, “That is the end to what is written, but there are many more stories of Asgardian history if that is what you are referring to.”

“But…” You trailed off, gathering your thoughts, “Shouldn’t there be something about a Jotun baby?”

Loki became deathly still, his leg frozen against yours. You looked up at him to find a war of emotions flying across his face so fast you could barely make any out. You thought you saw anger in the furrow of his brow, grief in his wide eyes, and hope in the parting of his lips, but you didn’t understand what that mix of feelings meant. You worried you’d just asked about some taboo history, you really didn’t want to upset him, it had been going so well with you two, and you didn’t want all your hard work to go to waste. 

“I’m sorry, it must have reminded me of some other story.” You squeaked, shrinking back from him.

Loki closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, he had calmly shut out everything that he had been feeling before. He hid behind that mask, hid from you. You weren’t sure why that upset you as much as it did, but it made your heart sink into your stomach and your eyes water. 

“Don’t apologize,” He said firmly, “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

You suppressed another sorry, “Okay.”

There was a beat of intense silence before you jumped out of your spot on the couch. 

“I’m going to make dinner.” You announced, leaving no room for arguing, you headed towards the kitchen. 

You were barely aware of yourself cooking the meat from the deer-like creature that Loki had brought home the other day, or the vegetables you added to the sauté. You were so caught up in trying to make sense of that strange interaction that you almost forgot to add the bright pink grain-like food to boil in a pot beside your meat and veggies. You haphazardly tossed in some spices until you registered the smell and were pleasantly surprised. 

When you risked a glance back at Loki you found he had gone back to his book, but as you listened more intently to his movements, you noticed that he wasn’t turning the page. You wished you could read his mind, or even get a glimpse of what he was thinking. He still didn’t know you had visions of him but was he putting the pieces together? Or had he been the one to give you these visions in the first place? You still didn’t know the extent of his magic, stifled or not. And what about you asking about a Jotun baby made him look at you like that? 

“So,” You started, looking back at the stove, “What was it like for you before you got stuck here? Being a prince and all must have been a good time.”

“Different, yet surprisingly similar,” Loki admitted, you heard the shuffling sounds of him replacing the book on the shelf and walking towards you. Crap, that wasn’t what you wanted, whenever he got close to you your thoughts turned fuzzy and you found it difficult to think over the butterflies doing aerial stunts in your stomach, “I was trapped in a sort of prison there as well for most of my life, the only difference was that I didn’t realize it.”

He stopped beside you, peering down at what you were cooking, “And of course, there were the beautiful maidens who did my cooking, just like yourself.” 

You narrowed your eyes at him, moving past the beautiful maiden comment that made your heart leap, “Watch it.” 

He smirked, leaning back on a shelf, “I think I will.” 

You rolled your eyes, taking the pot of grain off the stove to let it cool. If you had to guess, the meat was almost done. Honestly, you were just hoping Loki would tell you, though he seemed preoccupied with your questioning. 

“Any friends you miss? I know I miss mine, if only I could remember who they were,” You pursed your lips, instead of knowing who your friends were, you were stuck having visions you didn’t understand. The more you had, the more you felt sure that they were from your past and the events that lead you to this situation, but there was still so much missing. And why weren’t you able to remember anything from before you’d met Loki? Why hadn’t Loki told you he knew you, and how did any of it tie together and end up with you trapped on an alien planet, decades in the future? In one vision you’d said you’d lost your memories, perhaps something like this had happened before, you may never remember everything about who you are, but you at least seemed capable of making a new life. Even if it always seemed to get ruined.

“None worth note, I wasn’t the most popular amongst the Asgardians, Thor was their beloved champion.” Loki’s voice dripped with disdain. 

“You hate your brother that much?” You asked, you wouldn’t blame him if he did, he had imprisoned Loki alone on an alien planet, that was enough to hate anyone for. Yet you hoped for his sake that he had had some companionship before you.

Loki softened, “No, I don’t hate him. We have a complicated relationship, but he is my brother, even if we are nothing alike.”

You smiled, “So you miss him then?” 

Loki scoffed like the prospect of him missing his brother was as ludicrous as missing a pet rock, “I wish Thor and his inane axe would leave me alone more often.” 

“Inane axe?”

 “Forged in the heart of a dying star, he had to take the brunt of the force to make it, it has a living tree as an arm.” Loki droned, “I can only hear him talk about that axe like it’s his lover so many times before I toss it off this planet.” 

You had a feeling he’d done exactly that. 

“You’d be so cruel as to toss his lover off the planet?” You teased, plating the dinner for you both. Loki hadn’t told you otherwise when you’d taken the meat off the stove, you hoped that meant it was done. 

“His lover is dead and in Valhalla the last that I heard and I haven’t bothered to ask since. He broke down in tears for days on my bed and I was forced to clean up the mess he left,” Loki said, a small hint of sympathy in his words that he seemed determined to do his best to leave out, “Not much left of her to toss off the planet.”

“Oh,” You said, unable to think of much else, but still wanting to lighten the mood, “Did you have someone before you were sent here, a sweetheart waiting for you at home perhaps?”

That did the opposite of what you had intended, though you really should have seen that coming. 

He accepted the bowl you placed in his hands with a tired, sad look on his face, “None for a long time that I cared about. And when I did find someone I never got the chance…” He trailed off, moving away from you to sit back on the couch with his dinner. When he looked back at you, his expression shuttered, and you were once again left with that blank mask that he used to shield himself from whatever inner turmoil he was experiencing. 

“They left, there’s not much more to say after that.” He shrugged, spooning food into his mouth to avoid saying anything more, grief and anger flashing through his eyes. 

“I’m sorry.” You said, guilt churning in your gut. 

“Maybe it was for the best, I was blind to their true nature. I will not make that mistake again.” Loki said, his voice icy as he averted his gaze and picked back up his book. You could feel the tension in the room build, the hair on your arms standing up and prickling your skin,

Good job, you’d just made the situation worse. You would have to add that to another one of your silent and awkward meals spent with Loki. If only you’d known how many more were in store for you in the near future, you may have tried to fix things then and there. But there was nothing you could do as Loki burrowed within himself, and you found yourself regretting your question more than you had thought possible.

Next Chapter

#loki x reader #loki x y/n #loki x you #loki needs a hug #protective loki #hurt loki #hurt/comfort #fluff #Angst with a happy ending #eventual smut #fem!reader #reader insert #visions #loki laufeyson #loki laufesyon x reader

[abeautifulblog]

Okay I saw that post you reblogged re: body language, FBI interrogators, etc, and it reminded me that I was wondering if you have any Opinions or musings about the whole “witchers can smell lies” trope, esp. since it’s such a big part of the AWAU lore. After a while in this fandom, I’ve come to find it rather off putting, in part because I think it reinforces some false and dangerous beliefs about deception that are aligned with, like, copaganda about lie detector tests and all that sort of stuff, and also because I think it tends to streamline interpersonal challenges in a way that is kinda boring, y’know, narratively. So I kind of just wanna stop seeing it so much, but I also think it COULD be really interesting to explore, eg, the ethical implications of that kind of imbalance of available information in interactions between humans and witchers. Or like, what kinds of conventions about boundaries and privacy do witchers develop among themselves? I DUNNO. I have lots of thoughts on this, but my intention was to ask about your thoughts, so I’ll leave it here.

Hah, so many places to go with this ask!

Aight, first off let's talk about "lie detecting" irl -- I didn't go into the weeds about it on that other post, but if there's one takeaway to be had from body language studies, is that there is no such thing as "detecting lies." You can learn to identify the physical tics that often correlate with discomfort and stress, and polygraph tests etc provide, in essence, a witcher's eye view to that by also making changes to heartbeat/respiration/blood pressure/whatever visible.

But that's all they are -- indications of discomfort. A polygraph test going nuts is not irrefutable proof of guilt, it just tells the interrogator where to push, and keep pushing. It's a game of hot-and-cold, not a straight-up yes/no. Body language and polygraph tests don't tell them what the truth is, just what subjects they should dig into further, ask more questions on, press for more details, until you either slip up and contradict yourself, or break down and confess.

(I actually wrote an original-fiction short story that explores that in a fantasy context, Let Justice Be Done.)

And I tend to take a similar approach when I'm writing witcher fic -- that it's not an exact science.

@grison-in-space, one of my regular beta readers, is a biologist who actually knows how all those sensory systems work, anatomically, and we have had some long discussions about the feasibility of witchers being able to "smell" emotions. And I do not always let myself be constrained by the limitations of reality, but I do take them into consideration.

My personal headcanon (which I think I talked about in the director's commentary of For the Asking) is that it's not strictly smell that they're picking up on, it's a whole host of other cues -- respiration, heartbeat, body temperature, facial microexpressions, hell, let's say they can detect the body's electrical fields too -- that, taken holistically, they have learned what correlates with which emotions. It just gets shorthanded to "smell" because that's the sense that feels most salient.

Moreover, I don't believe that it necessarily has to turn interpersonal relations into easy mode -- because knowing what someone is feeling is a far cry from knowing why they're feeling it, and therein lies the stuff of drama.

In Song of Selfish Hearts, a story entirely predicated on dramatic irony, Geralt is paying close attention to Jaskier and he does pick up on those emotional shifts -- but unlike the audience, he lacks the context to understand why Jaskier is reacting to certain things the way he does.

In The Very Dubcon One, Geralt's witcher senses are as acute as ever, but that doesn't help if the only emotional states he understands in other people are "content," "angry," and "distressed." Experience and context are a prerequisite before you can interpret the data you're getting, and he lacks it in that story.

Recall also that all the "tells" of lying are just indications of stress -- if someone is genuinely unconcerned about the untruths coming out of their mouth, there is going to be no physiological indication of it. This causes some consternation in the dubcon fic when Geralt realizes how easily and how casually Jaskier is capable of lying to people, that it's indistinguishable from when he's telling the truth -- and realizes that he has no way of knowing if/when Jaskier is lying to him.

As for the privacy issues involved in witcher-senses, I really just see it as an extension of being able to read body language? They're privy to some data that normal humans are not (such as hearing heartrate increase, etc), but I feel like someone paying close attention to body language cues could pick up on those same emotions. It's not telepathy, they're not plucking your secrets out of your head; they're just noticing the signals you're giving off.

In conclusion:

A) The notion of body language or polygraphs can TELL WHEN YOU'RE LYING!!! is indeed copaganda.

B) There are still lots of interesting things to do in fiction even with the "cheat" of a character with a preternatural ability to read emotions.

#asks #on writing

[a-student-out-of-time]

hey mod hope ur doing ok, if it helps I think the way the story is going rn is very interesting, and yeah I can understand why some other anons would be annoyed with the Kisaragi Foundation for hiding information, but they're shown to not be perfect or know everything (they're flawed like the rest of the cast), so they thought it'd be better to tell the gang more details until they were done their current mission, mb if my words don't help

//Thank you

//To be honest, my issue isn't so much with the story itself, it's that some people will simply never be satisfied with what answers I provide. Even when I try to explain things like they asked, it's still not enough. It feels like a lose/lose situation, no matter what I do

//"These characters are hiding something from us, and that's why we can't trust them" *(They tell the truth and why they did it)* "Well, since they lied to us, we still can't trust them"

//Like...what do you say to that??? Especially when they start making up what happened not based on what happened in the story, but from personal experiences with lies and applying the exact same logic here, when they're completely unrelated

//There comes a point where "objective analysis of what happens in a story" becomes "projecting personal biases on the characters and making things up out of whole cloth"

//I was actually forced to cut a lot of what I had in mind for the opening of this arc. I was gonna have all kinds of reveals, connect the dots and show people how it all fits together, and I thought that would be fun.

//Instead, I got bombarded with angry asks either saying I forgot that we covered this before, that I was just trying to do damage control for Sunako and co., that this was just trying to answer all of Review Anons complaints, etc.

//And through it all, barely anyone actually paid attention to what was being said. I can't even respond to asks like this normally, because that sets people off too and then it becomes a case of "Oh wow, why even let us ask questions then"

//Because I can't move the story forward if nobody is actually trying to help me. Getting fifty asks telling me we covered this before doesn't help me, and yes, we did cover this before, but I was providing greater context to the whole situation and how it relates to the entire situation

//But no, I had to get straight to the answer just so all this would stop and i could actually tell the story like I wanted. Everyone who actually gave a damn about what's going on, you're the real MVPs, you really are

//I didn't forget anything, I've been working on this arc in the back of my mind for months now and I've got people who helped me hash out all the details.

//All I ask is that I be allowed to actually tell the story I'm trying to tell, and that people pay attention to what's being said. Is that an unreasonable request?

#mod talks #mod rants #a student out of time