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pupmkincake2000 · 3 months

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Longpost.

Lately, I have been very annoyed by the frequent statement that “Jeffrey is covering for Hank at work.” And to be honest, I have no idea why people are so sure of this.

Let's think about this logically and competently, because this misconception is quite infuriating.

In addition, Mr. Anderson is sometimes called a useless worker, which means people believe that all his merits are in the past. But why?

This statement seems dubious to me. What is merit? These are outstanding achievements. How often does any police officer manage to achieve some outstanding achievements? Not so often, I assure you. Simply because in the US - a free country where people still remember who the Founding Fathers were, where the possession of firearms is allowed and where there is no strict system for registering citizens - it is impossible to achieve the absence of crimes.

People may disagree and say something like "oh, this is how things are now, but according to the game the year is 2038"

My response is: what should have changed radically? Lady Warren, the President, rose to supreme power starting as a blogger. Mr. Kamski has a firearm and he deosn't fear to use it in front of a cop. Leo Manfred uses drugs. The murder of Carlos Ortiz does not cause any particular horror; the police investigate the house routinely, exchanging remarks and gloomy jokes. Somehow it doesn’t look too much like a wonderful future, but it is quite consistent with the expected development.

Current technologies, of course, are still far from intelligent androids, but if some breakthrough is made (in this case, the discovery of thirium), then yes, it will look like modernity. From this we conclude that a lot of crimes are committed, and criminals have enough opportunities to avoid punishment. What can a police officer do in this case? Count on experience and detective luck, but this in no way guarantees triumphant captures and skyrocketing case solving rates.

In other words, Hank had the opportunity to participate in a group pursuing drug dealers and he took advantage of it. Now such brilliant prospects do not appear, but this does not mean that they will not exist. And here we smoothly approach the next statement.

Mr. Anderson is retained in his position only because Mr. Fowler's covering for him.

To begin with, I would like to ask: where exactly do we see this so called covering? What does Fowler do to “cover up” an employee’s negligence? Is he lying to his superiors? Falsifying reports? Is he hiding any Hank's flaws?

But there is nothing like that. According to Fowler, Lieutenant Anderson’s personal file is full of disciplinary sanctions, which directly indicates that not only Fowler, but also his superiors are aware of all the shortcomings. But at the same time, no one is talking about the fact that it’s high time for Anderson to retire.

Fowler threatens to fire Hank in the only case - when Hank is stubborn and does not want to accept deviants cause. And here Fowler is right: this is the police, there is no place for the concept of “I don’t want to do this.” Besides this, only Hank himself talks about throwing away the badge. And Perkins too, if you start a fight in the department. But in this case, we should not forget about the historical confrontation between the police and the FBI, and also that it is not customary to hit an FBI representative in the face, especially when he is conducting a case of national importance.

Going back to Anderson’s characterization and personal file… So, the authorities (not Captain Fowler, but more senior ones) are aware that Lieutenant Anderson is working not without criticism. And... they do nothing. Does that mean the entire Detroit police force is covering up for Lieutenant Anderson? Doubtful, don’t you think? This means that, apart from disciplinary wornings, Hank is working wonderfully and there is no need to protect him.

This leads us to the next statement.

Mr. Anderson is careless at work, drinks heavily, is aggressive, and is inappropriate for his position.

It is unclear to me where the statements of negligence and inadequacy come from.

Mr. Anderson takes on an unpleasant deviants case at the very beginning… What's nice about it? Not only does working with robots bring back difficult memories, but there is also another aspect: there are no regulations and proven schemes for such cases. After all, there were no android-criminals before. How to work with them? How to look them for? Who to ask? What will be considered the limit of acceptable self-defense? What will be considered the permissible pressure limit? So, the first policeman ever getting that kind of case will have to work on it without guarantees and insurance, and he doesn't know when the others would help. Great deal!

By the way, this proves Anderson's highest qualifications. Mr. Fowler is confident that Hank can handle the case. And there is no need to talk about friendship, Fowler has to report the results of this case to his superiors, where friendship won't justify you if you fail. The fact is that Captain Fowler entrusts Lieutenant Anderson with a case, the disclosure of which was previously put under surveillance.

This concerns suitability for the position. Then there is the issue of negligence. Again, where do we see this? Hank performs the full range of actions: inspects crime scenes, interrogates, chases those involved in cases, fights them. It’s typical that Mr. Anderson doesn’t let Connor go forward — it’s a habit. Civilians and other individuals need to be protected even by your own body.

And he draws sensible conclusions. At least Connor, who is much more aware of the internal affairs of robotic deviants, understands Hank perfectly. This also works the other way round, there is no misunderstanding. Mr. Anderson behaves correctly and reasonably during interrogation (which cannot be said about some other representatives of the DPD), and also shows attention to detail (for example, during the examination of an unnamed client at the Eden Club).

And what’s interesting is that the police are usually not blamed for some aggression. I say, some - within acceptable limits. We all understand that this is a job where you can’t talk, like at Queen Elizabeth’s reception. Mr. Anderson can be harsh, but not rude - and this harshness is never directed at those with whom Hank comes into contact at work. Unfriendly to Perkins during the first meeting in the tower? Is Perkins very friendly?

So we get to the point where Hank is working like a normal cop. What goes next? The accusation is that he drinks a lot. But this is only half true. He drinks a lot, no one denies it, and Mr. Anderson himself doesn’t deny it either. But he comes to work sober and collected. And that's okay. It is also normal that an officer may be called to work after hours. As well as the fact that this same officer, at the moment when he was pulled to work, can sleep, eat, wash, have sex, be drunk, fish two hundred miles from the city… That’s the job. And Mr. Anderson reacts to the call quite adequately: he realizes what is happening - and gets to the scene of the incident as quickly as possible. Seriously guys! In the Russian Roulette chapter, Connor arrives at Hank's house at 7:51 p.m., and at 8:17 p.m. both arrive at the Eden Club! Twenty-six minutes to get yourself in order and get to the right place! Even if this club is located in the next block, can you do this, my sweet prosecutors? Even if you’re not drunk, but just relaxing in the bath, for example?

With all this, we cannot help but notice that Mr. Anderson comes to work late, which causes a good-natured smile from his colleague. Obviously, there are disciplinary sanctions somewhere nearby, but this is compensated by the fact that Hank does not refuse overtime work. And it’s damn fine not to refuse overtime either! Because Hank does care, and he knows exactly what it's like to be an officer. And that guy who makes fun of Hank and his coming to work late is himself ready to go out at any day and hour? It is quite possible that he is.

And this brings us to the next part of my text.

Everyone should understand that Mr. Anderson is loved at work.

This is true because Hank’s own characterization directly states this. Yeah, he isn't loved by everyone but most people we interract with do love and respect him. And if we talk not about specific individuals, but in general, then there is no hostility towards Mr. Anderson. No one looks angrily/displeasedly at him. Doesn't badmouth him behind his back. Relations with the majority are at least equal.

I won’t draw any conclusions, this is what I wanted to say.

#dbh hank #dbh rk800 #hank anderson #detroit: become human #dbh connor #dbh #detroitbecomehuman #detroit become human #hank is the best man ever #hank is the best character ever #hank is the definition of perfection #I would add hankcon to the tags but the post isn't really about it

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elizaviento · 1 year

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Green on the Vine — Strawberry Wine (Part 2 of ?)

(Stardew Valley — Shane/Female Farmer/OC)

Notes: Not me drawing from personal experiences to write fiction. Nope. Not at all...

This chapter is rated SFW — 3379 words. Mentions of blood and injury.

(FYI: Additional chapters of Green on the Vine — Strawberry Wine can be found in the Stardew Valley Fic Masterpost link in my blog description. Or, you can click the #green on the vine strawberry wine tag in this post, within my blog, to access all additional chapters.)

****

Jas stuck out her bottom lip quite dramatically as Shane hastily tied the laces of his Joja Mart issued sneakers and put on the matching hat. She'd undoubtedly thought her plan was flawless when she'd snuck into his room in the middle of the night and unplugged his alarm clock from the wall outlet.

"You have school today, honey," Marnie spoke up from the kitchen. The clang of cast iron against steel signaled that she was preparing breakfast for the forlorn 8-year-old. "You can't skip it just because you want to do something else instead."

Shane sighed, deep and weary. He'd stayed later at the Stardrop than he'd intended the night before, brooding on Kristen's sullen demeanor at the loss of one of her hens and the shit way he'd responded to it. Hell, he hadn't done much at all other than confirm how a fox had breached the enclosure. The farmer never frequented the Saloon so early in the day, let alone during weekdays. She'd come there to see him specifically, and he'd given her as much comfort as a wet wool blanket.

"You can't squeeze blood from a stone."

That phrase, as infuriating as it was, looped between his ears in his therapist's baritone voice. Smooth and precise. Shane, in this instance, was the stone. He'd been the stone for as long as he could remember. Unyielding, unfeeling, unbreakable. So, how could he ever be a source of comfort for anyone ?

"We'll talk about what you did when I get home," he said to Jas as he passed her in the doorway of his bedroom. He wasn't mad. Not at her, at least. He was obviously failing somewhere if she felt the need to sabotage him just so he'd spend time with her.

Jas' brown eyes gazed up at him, large and wet, and she sniffled. The sight squeezed his heart uncomfortably, and he stooped to wrap her in a brief hug, her damp face pressing to his throat as she mumbled a soft apology. The squeeze on his heart tightened, and he dropped a kiss on top of her head as he stood and strode toward the kitchen.

"You can't stay for a quick bite?"

Marnie's disheveled hair framed her face in a way that he recalled from childhood when wild, messy, big curls were in style. Nostalgia slapped him unexpectedly, and his eyes softened at the sight of her bending over backward to ensure others were cared for.

"I have to run to get to Joja on time," he replied. "I'll be home for dinner today."

His aunt smiled and nodded, knowing that statement held more weight coming from him than anyone else.

The sultry summer air seemed to swallow him the second Shane stepped outside. The sun was just peeking over the dense layer of trees in Cindersap Forest, but he knew it would beat directly down on him as soon as he crossed the threshold into town. It would be a miracle if he wasn't soaked in sweat by the time he stumbled through the automatic sliding doors of Joja Mart.

Starting out at a quick walk, Shane checked his watch and groaned. He really would have to run.

On an average day, Shane meandered his way to work slowly, mentally preparing himself for mind-numbing monotony interspersed with Morris' nasally voice barking demands at him from the comfort of his tiny office. But that luxury of time was cut by nearly a quarter, and he forced his legs to start at a steady jog before pushing a bit harder. The inevitable burning in his lungs was made significantly worse by the oppressive humidity coating his throat, forcing him to cough and suck in ragged breaths like he'd been drowning in a vat of sludge.

The vibration and accompanying ringtone emitting from his cargo pocket initially posed a simple annoyance. He wondered who it could possibly be. Did he forget something at home? Was Jas hurt? Had Morris asked him to come in early today, and he forgot?

He wanted to ignore it, knowing answering would slow him down. But those foreboding questions nagged at him until he dropped to a brisk walk and pulled the device from his pocket.

"Hello?"

"Shane —"

A boulder formed in his gut and weighed him down. He slowed further and listened intently as the woman on the other end of the call coughed, peaking the speaker of his cheap smartphone until it crackled under the pressure. Something was wrong.

He hadn't meant for his voice to sound so harsh when he addressed her but the effort to make it seem like he wasn't completely winded from running a quarter of a mile made it difficult.

Eventually, he'd coaxed her into telling him precisely what had happened, and he cursed, the boulder in his gut rolling as if downhill, carving a hole through his insides for the seeds of unadulterated panic to sprout and take root. Without realizing it, he started sprinting harder and faster than before. His knees ached each time his soles made contact with the cobbled stone walkways of the town square. Harvey's clinic was in sight, though it wouldn't open to the public for at least another hour.

Shane wasn't sure what he'd said to the farmer after he'd gotten a limited scope of the situation. His body and mind went on auto-pilot, homing in on the clinic as every possible scenario played out in the back of his mind. Even the call he'd made to Morris seemed fuzzy and nondescript. He'd probably babbled something about an emergency and requested the day off. He was sure he'd hear about it the following day, nonetheless.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck …" he chanted as he pulled on the locked door of the clinic. Shane knew it would be so, but he yanked harder, recalling his tendency to anxiously flip a light switch over and over during a power outage.

"Shane — what are you doing? The clinic doesn't open until 9."

Lewis stood at the side of the building, under one of the oak trees, with a puzzled expression. Unexpected rage materialized at the center of Shane's chest, scorching his neck, cheeks, and the tips of his ears. It would be so easy to yell at the old man, to tell him to fuck off and mind his own business. But the last thing Shane needed was to start a screaming match in the middle of town with the Mayor. He was already regarded as the local lush alongside Pam, and any type of altercation this early would be construed as a drunken rant carried over from the night before.

Instead, Shane swiped a trembling hand down his face and sighed, gathering his wits enough to sound semi-coherent.

"It's an emergency," he said. He hadn't realized he was clenching his jaw until he spoke and the ache of its release shot straight to his temples. "Kriss is hurt."

Lewis' demeanor shifted on a dime from suspiciously cautious to concerned, and Shane silently congratulated himself for keeping his cool.

"What happened?" the old man asked, walking toward Shane with determination he'd never seen in his eyes.

"You really want me to stand here and waste time explaining? Either help me or don't," Shane spat.

It was becoming harder to keep his emotions under control. He hadn't a clue how bad Kristen's injury truly was. He reckoned that if she'd chopped her entire hand off, she'd play it off as a scratch.

"Alright, calm down," Lewis replied, furrowing his brow as he rooted around in the pocket of his shit-colored brown slacks.

The muffled jingle of keys sparked a memory that Shane had tried to bury quite unsuccessfully: Lazy giggles and the unfocused sight of cherry lipstick on the rim of a shot glass. The soft press of a slender yet strong body at his side, arm draped over his shoulder as he struggled to keep it upright. His own intoxication clouding his judgment, making it loose and accommodating. Tiny, glistening snowflakes clinging to black lashes and the chocolate brown beneath them boring a hole directly through the cavernous void he referred to as his soul…

"Harvey gave me a spare key for instances such as this," Lewis began, thrusting Shane back into reality with nauseating force. "Stay here, and I'll see if he's in his apartment upstairs."

❦❧🍓❦❧

Relaying the situation to Harvey was frustrating, but Shane stumbled his way through it enough to give the physician an idea of the supplies he'd need to bring. Shane appreciated Harvey's haste as he stuffed gauze, hooked needles, suturing thread, and tape into his medical bag.

"She didn't tell you how bad it was?" Harvey confirmed again as he walked toward a locked cabinet and removed a small bottle of pills and several liquid-filled vials. Next, he drew two syringes from a nearby drawer and placed them in the bag with the rest of the supplies.

"No," Shane replied, raking a hand through his hair.

"That's fine. I've packed extra of everything, just in case." Shouldering the medical bag, Harvey made his way toward the back of the clinic. A door Shane had never noticed before caught his eye just in time for the good doctor to swing it open and step outside. "We'll take my car and park at the bus stop. I want to be prepared in case I have to drive her to the Zuzu City hospital. Lewis, can you put the house call sign on the front door and lock it on your way out?"

The Mayor attempted to weakly protest — obviously intending to accompany the pair to the farm — but Harvey only supplied a quick "thanks" as he motioned for Shane to follow him outside.

"I know Lewis means well, but he'll just get in the way," Harvey explained as he unlocked the surprisingly old vehicle and slipped inside. Following his lead, Shane entered the passenger side and noted the car's worn leather interior.

Guess private practice in a small town isn't all it's cracked up to be , he thought as the engine roared to life and Harvey slowly pulled out into a cramped alley behind the clinic.

Shane couldn't recall ever having a proper conversation with Harvey in the entire three years he'd been in the Valley. Occasionally, the man would find Shane at the Saloon and remind him of his overdue physical that he would never attend. Once, Shane was assigned to sit at the same table as the physician at the Feast of the Winter Star. If they'd spoken then, it was so inconsequential that Shane had no memory of it. In fact, the only common thread between them was Kristen. As far as he knew, she'd come to know Harvey well and often referred to him as her friend. The thought put an indescribable weight on Shane's chest and made his breaths uncomfortably shallow.

"I wonder why she called you instead of me," Harvey mused aloud. Shane turned his head and focused on the man's old fashioned horned rimmed glasses and handlebar mustache. "Not that she shouldn't have called you," Harvey quickly added, realizing his statement could be misconstrued. "What I mean is —"

"Nah, I get it," Shane interrupted, not particularly keen on hearing Harvey's fumbling attempt to save face. "I dunno why she'd call the stock boy over the doctor."

It wasn't the first time he'd upset himself with words that had come out of his own mouth. The double meaning they held only served to sour his mood further.

The remainder of the ride was short and blessedly quiet. Shane allowed himself to zone out as the trees passed by one by one in a blur of brown and green. He wasn't sure what type of scene they'd come upon at Wynand farm, but he imagined a flock of hens free range in the tall grass outside of the enclosure and a pitiful farmer sitting on her porch with a blood-soaked towel wrapped around one hand.

❦❧🍓❦❧

"Oh dear…" Harvey said as they emerged on the farm from the footpath that led from the bus stop. A clear trail of blood caked into the dirt before them, leading from the chicken coop toward the farmhouse. The farmer was nowhere in sight, but the course continued up the porch steps and through the front door, which sat slightly ajar.

Shane's heart hammered the back of his ribs as adrenaline spiked and flooded his limbs. Hot, like the first sip of whiskey after a weak attempt at sobriety.

"That's a lot of blood," Harvey spoke again, stating the obvious. His steps hastened, but he was quickly overtaken by Shane, sprinting toward the farmhouse with none of the physical struggles he'd displayed on his earlier run toward Joja Mart.

When he reached the porch, his footfalls loudly stomped against the ancient wood, causing Kristen's cat to leap nearly a foot in the air from the rocking chair it had been snoozing on.

"Kriss…" He called to her timidly, one hand reaching toward the open door of the farmhouse. He was almost terrified of what he would find inside. Had she really chopped off a hand? Had she bled out and become a shriveled husk?

Harvey's footfalls were significantly softer in comparison as he joined Shane on the porch. Instead of hesitating, he pushed past Shane and entered the farmhouse with the confidence of someone who had been inside many times over — another detail for Shane to dwell on endlessly as he chased the bottom of several beer cans.

"Kristen, it's Harvey," the doctor said, switching on a nearby lamp that sat just inside the door. Dull light flooded the farmhouse's living room, drenching it in pale yellow. A moan answered from the small kitchen to their left.

Slumped on the checkered tile floor sat the farmer, so deathly pale that the smattering of freckles that covered her nose and cheeks seemed to stand out like speckles on a fawn's backside. Her curly auburn hair hung limp around her face and shoulders, matted with blood and dirt. Smears of scarlet clung to almost every inch of her skin and stained her filthy overalls.

"What the fuck, Kriss…" Shane gasped as he cautiously approached. Her bloodshot eyes rolled upward to meet his as he stooped beside her and a weak smile played upon her lips.

Harvey edged between them, much to Shane's annoyance, and clicked on a pin light that he'd smoothly pulled from the breast pocket of his neat button-down shirt. The harsh beam of light pierced through the gloom of the kitchen and landed directly on the farmer's pupils.

"Can you hear me?"

"Wha — huh?" she replied, words slightly slurred. She blinked her eyes rapidly against the light assaulting them.

"What's your name?" Harvey's voice was stern and insistent.

"What?" she asked again, now squinting her eyes completely closed.

"What's happening? What's wrong with her?" Shane asked, pushing closer to Harvey's side. The urge to reach out, grab her arm and shake her violently was overwhelming.

"She's disoriented. She must have passed out and is having some trouble coming back around."

"My ears are ringing," Kristen whined, raising her uninjured hand to shove a finger inside one ear canal. Gently, Harvey pulled her hand away and tucked it at her side.

"She's still light headed," he supplied, clearly sensing Shane's anxiety as he edged in closer still. "And the rapid loss of blood is certainly not helping her disorientation. Fetch some water and a towel."

Shane hesitated for half a second, his eyes latched to the face of the only person in Pelican Town, outside of family, who treated him like a human being. The vacant expression she wore was distressing in a way he couldn't describe with words, even if he tried.

"Shane."

Harvey's voice now held an edge of authority that bristled Shane in the same manner as when Morris beckoned him like a minion. But Shane dutifully shook it off and did as he was told.

The two-bedroom farmhouse was easy enough to traverse, and Shane located a clean towel, filled the glass by her bedside at the tap in her tiny bathroom, and returned to the kitchen just in time to catch Harvey hauling Kristen from the floor, guiding her toward the small oak table and chair situated next to the cellar stairs.

"She only has white towels," he blurted, suddenly unsure as to why he even cared. Weeks later, his therapist would enlighten him on the fact that his brain was attempting to focus on something other than the elephant in the room. Deflection.

"Actually —" Harvey said as Shane placed the glass of water on the table, "— can you check to see if she has any juice? The sugar will help bring her around."

Shane knew instantly that she had jugs upon jugs of cranberry juice stacked in the cellar. She'd overestimated how many of the bitter fruit she'd planted the fall prior and spent the entirety of winter canning them for jelly, fermenting them for wine, and squashing them for juice. Soon, the farmer was sipping it from a mug, her eyes seeming to clear and focus as Harvey cleaned her wounded right hand with the supplies from his medical bag.

"Ow, fuck…" she hissed, jerking from Harvey's loose grip when a swab of alcohol made contact with her severed flesh. Harvey hardly reacted as he gently grasped her wrist and pulled it back toward him.

"This wound is worse than I expected," he said, leaning in a bit closer to inspect it now that the steady flow of blood had significantly slowed. "I can stitch it up now, but I want to refer you to a specialist in Zuzu. I wouldn't be surprised if you require surgery."

Shane stood like a statue in the far corner of the kitchen, arms crossed and unmoving. Kristen's mental facilities were shuffling back into place, and the color returned to her face, yet she appeared withdrawn. A dusting of pink tinted her cheeks, and she pointedly avoided eye contact with him and Harvey.

"That's fantastic," she replied with a dejected sigh. "A farmer with a bum hand isn't a recipe for disaster or anything."

Shane was well acquainted with the use of sarcasm as a mask, but the woeful quality of her tone struck him deep in the gut. The reality of her situation was sinking in, and Shane felt something creep up his spine. A sense of urgency that was entirely misplaced.

Harvey remained quiet as he dutifully cared for his patient. Shane couldn't tell if the doctor's lack of response was due to pity or awkwardness, but the silence sank like a lead balloon among the trio, nearly suffocating. Finally, Harvey spoke, warning the farmer that he'd inject a numbing agent into the wound before sewing the sutures. She screwed her eyes shut and nodded, obviously readying herself for further torture before her ordeal was concluded.

Shane's belly flip-flopped as he watched Harvey pull a syringe from the medical bag. He'd never had a weak stomach, having witnessed his fair share of injuries during his short gridball career in high school, but Kristen's anxiety seemed to fill the stuffy atmosphere of the kitchen like a miasma and seep into Shane's skin. Each gasp and twitch he witnessed filled him with oppressive unease, making him feel utterly useless.

"I'll be outside," he mumbled, already halfway there by the time he thought to vocalize his intentions. Once again, his mind grasped at anything else to occupy its thoughts other than the suffering of the only person he considered a friend. Fortunately, it didn't take long as he instinctively approached the chicken coop.

Sensing his presence, the hens within clucked and scratched insistently. Shane assumed that the farmer hadn't risked letting them loose to graze until she repaired the hole in the fence, so they were restless, pacing the straw-covered ground as they pecked at one another in frustration.

"Hey there, girls," he cooed, peering through a crack in the boards. "I'll let you out soon."

Approaching the half-patched hole, Shane found what was to keep him occupied until the dramatic scene in the farmhouse concluded. And so, he set to work.

*****

Just a heads up that updates will come weekly or bi-weekly. It just depends on how busy I am irl. <3

#stardew valley #stardew valley shane #sdv shane #sdv shane x farmer #fanfiction #green on the vine strawberry wine

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jacquelinemerritt · 1 year

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Dragon Ball Z: Abridged Episode 51 Review

Originally posted August 5th, 2016

The actual “Perfect Guy” is the one who does the most good.

It is this episode wherein Cell finally transforms into Perfect Cell, his ultimate form and a true force for our heroes to reckon with, and as such, the title of the episode “The ‘Perfect’ Guy” would seem to be referring to his transformation.

It’s not.

Cell is every bit as much of a despicable villain in this episode as he has been for the entire season, and his transformation changes nothing about his personality, as the “perfect” version of Cell introduces himself no differently than his imperfect self: with a rousing musical number. No, the titular “perfect guy” in this episode is Krillin, and the entire episode is devoted to exploring how genuinely good of a person he is, even compared to our other heroes.

This exploration wouldn’t work without the many points at which they’ve setup Krillin’s character for this moment of strength across the season, either. Tien and Bulma laugh off Krillin’s decision to risk everything to protect Android 18 as a desperate ploy to get laid, but it’s already been established that Krillin isn’t attracted to 18 for superficial reasons; he loves her confidence and personality, and even when prodded by Master Roshi to objectify her, he refuses. There’s even a sad irony to his efforts here given his relationship with Maron at the beginning of season 3, as his efforts to do the right thing end up similarly disastrous for him here as they did then.

The focus of the episode doesn’t rest on Krillin alone, though. 18 herself is given time to shine on her own as she affirms her commitment to Android 16 and uses her last moment to tell her “compadre” to watch out for Krillin, as she knows that he’ll need protection from a fully powered Cell.

Within the episode’s story of Krillin and 18, there is but only one real flaw, and that is the decision to have both times Krillin stands in between Cell and 18 be added to the “Krillin Owned” count, which goes directly against the empathy the story is trying to build for Krillin (in addition to being cold and unfunny). The empathy that the continuation of that gag costs us is not worth the value of keeping the gag “consistent.”

Perhaps most interesting about “The ‘Perfect’ Guy” is how stark the contrast between Krillin’s story is with the story of any of the other characters. Piccolo, Tien, and Bulma all sit on the lookout placing bets on which one of their allies are going to screw up first, with both Piccolo and Bulma betting on Krillin. Even Tien refuses to defend Krillin when he finds out that he decided to save Android 18, deriding his decision as one made to simply get some “cyber-sex.”

They distance themselves from their own friend in this moment, and while they are right to be concerned about the fate of the world, the purpose of Krillin’s story seems to be to remind us of the high importance of a single person as well.

Rating: 5/5

If you enjoyed this review, consider supporting me on Patreon.

Stray Observations

Vegeta’s story, on the other hand, seems to be contrasting the extreme selfishness of Vegeta with the selflessness of Krillin, as Vegeta risks the entire world just so that he can have a challenging fight, where Krillin risks the world to save someone who means something to him.

This episode also opens with a rewrite of “Giant Woman” from Steven Universe, one of my favorite shows, and Goku’s plea of fatherly understanding and pride seems comparable to both the value Krillin places on another person, and Vegeta’s first time experience of being proud of someone other than himself.

I’m thinking about moving away from including my favorite quotes down here unless they’re really exceptional. Mostly because jotting down clever lines while I’m watching breaks the experience in ways I’m not too fond of.

#dragon ball z abridged #dragon ball z #team four star #tfs #dbz #dbza #dbza ep51

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ariaarticles · 1 year

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Was LULULEMON Expanding Their Market a Smart Move?

A business that has had success promoting a way of life rather than a specific product is the yoga and athletic apparel maker “Lululemon Athletica”. The company's business strategy is built around advertising its Lululemon Athletica branded items as stepping stones to an active and fulfilling lifestyle. Lululemon has found success with this approach since it is able to charge an elevated rate for its goods.

Along with selling directly to clients online, Lululemon also distributes its goods through a network of stores it owns and manages. The firm had 521 locations as of January 31, 2021, with 315 of those in the United States, followed by 62 in Canada, 55 in China, 31 in Australia, and 16 in the United Kingdom.

The company sells apparel items that consumers may wear while participating in physical activities like yoga and jogging, such as pants, shirts, shorts, and jackets. This company also offers accessories like bags, socks, and yoga mats in addition to apparel. Also, the company's goods are mostly geared toward women who want to live a healthy lifestyle while juggling a hectic life, but it has broadened its market by including men and young people.

In fact, the business built its first store specifically for males in New York in late 2015. However, the business's model of only men's-only stores, which had two locations in New York and Toronto, were shut down in 2019. Therefore, this makes me curious if Lululemon made a smart choice by expanding their market so quickly. I wonder how long they will continue to sell items geared only towards the male demographic.

Based on recent research, there are many trends that can support Lululemon’s marketing decision to target these new markets. However, the most beneficial trend would be, “Control the scroll.” In my marketing judgment, this trend can be highly beneficial for the Lululemon brand if they know how to utilize it correctly. Lululemon Athletica has been around for over two decades. In recent announcements, Lululemon declared that their company would like to widen their target market to men and teen footwear consumers. The company is constantly seeking new ways to thrust itself forward, taking risks, assessing, and reevaluating. Lululemon has an overall strategy based on three prongs. They are as follows, “One... continuous development of innovative products. Two... allowing customers to access its product via various channels that all work together. Three... Define and enter new international markets.” With that being said, according to the TOP 10 GLOBAL CONSUMER TRENDS 2023 article by Euromonitor International, the trend “Control the scroll” can be supportive in regards to Lululemon accomplishing their three strategic goals.

In the graph presented below, it shows how consumers planned to change time spent on digital activities.

To Control the Scroll, businesses have an opportunity to refine digital experiences with efficient and integrated capabilities worldwide. If master, the Lululemon company will see high rewards and achieved goals. With this in mind, if Lululemon desires an efficient expansion with their current market, following trends such as “Control the Scroll” will have a huge impact. According to the Global Consumer article, it highlights the method to control the scroll effectively. It states, “Brands shouldn’t be a distraction. Instead, notifications need to be regulated, intentional and relevant. App or platform functionalities should add value and help consumers Control the Scroll. If your digital assets don’t match up, you risk losing potential conversions.”

#marketing #marketing strategy #marketing plan #business news #business strategy

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corkstate3 · 1 year

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Top Guidelines Of Handcrafted Corporate Leather Gifts

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#Corporate Leather Gifts #Leather Duffel Bags

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and-then-the-trash · 2 years

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How to get through haunted houses: a guide by me

(this list comes directly from the experiences of me and a couple friends at a theme park Halloweekend event yesterday)

Method A) Gay

This is only sort of a joke. One of the two friends I was with didn't want to join us for most of the haunted attractions we did, but for the one they did join in on they just acted increasingly gay throughout it to cope.

It was club-themed so our time in the "club" began with them screaming "OMG GUYS IT'S A GAY BAR!", which naturally led the three of us to start chanting "GAY BAR! GAY BAR!" for the first portion of the attraction. If you were one of the groups in front of or behind us, I'm so sorry.

In addition to this chanting my friends complimented the outfits of scarers and made sex jokes about some of what we saw. Mostly though, the one friend just acted more and more gay. Idek how to explain it so you'll have to imagine for yourself.

Method B) Stupidity

To say I'm stupid might be a bit harsh but I feel like it's somewhat justified here. A fun fact about me is that I'm completely oblivious and also have audio and visual processing issues. So I have a tendency to not fully notice or process my surroundings, which apparently comes in handy for these things.

One of the attractions was a haunted corn maze and I apparently walked past a few of the scary people and attractions without paying them any mind. The friend I was with wasn't so lucky, and screamed when a voice from the stalks whispered "corn" into their ear.

Another walkthrough-type thing that we did was pirate-themed and I was almost stabbed because of my own oblivion. Some scarers have fake weapons that they swing at people as they pass by, expecting them to duck out of the way. Unfortunately for one scarer, I'm dumb. I nearly walked straight into a sword that was pointed at me and the poor scarer who probably would have made anyone else scream had to pull it back into the shadows. About two seconds later I exclaimed, "Oh, there was a sword!", which earned me a slap on the back of the head from my friend, who had witnessed the whole ordeal as we walked side by side.

Conclusion:

This was my first time in these types of haunted attractions and I'm definitely up for trying more of them with my friends that enjoy such things. I may not have screamed or anything but a few people in the attractions did succeed in making me flinch or freeze up, and all in all I had a really fun time.

But if you are someone that scares easily, consider joking around with friends while walking through haunted attractions to put everything in a more humorous light, or just to distract yourself. It also works to distract your friends so that they're more startled by the scarers. My friend screamed a few times because they had been too busy laughing at a comment I made to notice someone standing to the side, and they process things at a more average rate so they actually noticed when the person said something creepy or jumped out in front of them. But yeah, humor and stupidity can apparently go a long way.

TLDR:

To avoid being scared, make jokes and/or just be a chronic dumbass.

Happy Halloween!

#my life #just rah rah things #halloween #spooky season #halloweekend #theme park #haunted house #haunted attraction #dumbassery #visual processing issues #audio processing issues #adhd #neurodivergent #humor #funny #gay

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cirrusmeat8 · 2 years

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The Single Strategy To Use For dating

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It is truly trendy to meet various individuals who happen from various backgrounds than your own but have comparable interests and market values. So we additionally acquire to possess some conversations concerning things you can associate to or think regarding from your very own point of view and that is great. How was your experience along with that story being made, and to what level did it affect your work? Well, I believe it does determine our job on it. Countless matches experience the joys of finding a partnership on Dating.com. We've acquired a wealth of profile pages that show the potential tourist attraction for your upcoming enchanting meet. Browse our catalog and adhere to our hunt to discover a terrific partner. We'll let you recognize when it's your turn to happen to us and if you'd as if to sign-up for our bulletin to receive info regarding our brand-new monthly e-newsletter for more possibilities like datemaking and suit. While the results for satisfied couples are the exact same, their experience is frequently quite different. The results can at that point be contrasted to usual marital relationships, and they might even help understand the connection's past history. Delighted pairs come from a broad assortment of histories: married to one another, divorced, or separated from the various other participants of their relationship after being devoted. Married couples are most very likely to possess a family members residing apart, separated. Every love story influences us to keep on strengthening, which is why we adore to listen to from you. We get inspired through all styles of people to discuss how they experience the outdoors—to find out concerning the lives of regional companies, neighborhood volunteers, and of training program, our incredible neighborhood. Therefore, if you'd such as to share your affection for exterior interests along with us, our website will present you how outdoorsy you can be. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the 1st date, the initial kiss or the incredibly greatest headlines of an involvement, marriage or childbirth of a youngster. It will certainly take place in the extremely real world, after all“ and in real life, and we will certainlyn't know for a even though’ till when the world obtains serious. But I understand our genuine future is going to be a great deal brighter’ than merely the "things in one day" we imagined it.

#dating #date #relationship #divorce

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bankingmike · 2 years

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TymeBank Launches New Conversational Education Service to Support Customers During COVID-19

Johannesburg, South Africa, 02 June 2020

TymeBank announced that it has launched a new financial literacy educational service to help its EveryDay accountholders navigate their financial lives amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. The new service, powered by United States-headquartered Juntos Global’s Conversational Account Management (CAM) platform, engages TymeBank customers in interactive SMS messaging. Accountholders receive financial literacy tips, advice, and reminders, and are encouraged to ask questions and share their experiences for customized learning and support.

Within the first month of the program’s launch, more than 25 percent of accountholders offered the service had already engaged with it, sending an average of five text message replies during this time period. To date, customers have focused their learning on budgeting, saving, and access to credit in addition to learning more about TymeBank’s online and mobile banking capabilities to avoid non-essential in-person activities during South Africa’s COVID-19 response.

“Wow! What great advice,” said one responder. “I really like the way TymeBank communicates and also shares advice with its customers.” Another replied, “I feel confident that you are going to help me. Thank you very much. I trust you.”

In the face of the generational challenge posed by COVID-19, TymeBank remains committed to its mission to help South Africans achieve their full financial potential. To that end, TymeBank has made its SendMoney service 100% free for a specific period of time and maintained its market-leading interest rate on its GoalSave savings product despite reductions in interest rates by the Reserve Bank, which saw other banks reducing the rate at which their clients can save.

Juntos’ CAM platform further advances TymeBank’ financial inclusion goals by carrying thousands of simultaneous conversations with bank accountholders such as this recent example:

TymeBank: Welcome! To start, tell us about your current budgeting practice.

User: I dont know… because [this is] my first account of my life

TymeBank: Thanks! To help you create an effective budget that is easy to maintain, we'll send one

simple tip each week for you to try.

User: Ok thank you a lot and I appreciate that because it means a lot to me

“We’re here for our customers,” said Tauriq Keraan, CEO of TymeBank. “Our partnership with Juntos allows us to support our customers by providing educational tools that will improve their financial journeys, and therefore their lives. With the Juntos Conversational Account Management platform, we can personalize the way we deliver essential banking to our customers, at scale, to match this difficult moment. We’ve seen extraordinary engagement with the service so far and are excited to keep the conversations with our customers going.”

TymeBank is South Africa’s first digital bank, with over 1.75 million customers signed up since its launch in February 2019. Using just a cellphone and South African ID number, a customer can open an account and receive a personalized debit card in three minutes. Juntos’ CAM platform then engages TymeBank customers in ongoing, two-way messaging conversations that build trust and confidence in the account.

“In today’s COVID-19 environment, Conversational Account Management is giving banks the means to communicate directly with every customer in two-way conversations that are both personal and scalable,” said Juntos CEO Ben Knelman. “People need that support now more than ever. We’re thrilled to partner with TymeBank to bring that capability to its customers.”

About TymeBank

TymeBank is currently one of the world’s fastest-growing digital banks, with more than 4.3 million customers acquired since launching in February 2019. The bank is founded on simplicity, transparency and affordability and is designed to make digital banking accessible and affordable to all South Africans across the economic spectrum.

TymeBank is majority owned by Dr Patrice Motsepe’s African Rainbow Capital (‘ARC’). Recent investors include Tencent, internet and technology company based in China, and CDC Group, the UK’s development finance institution and impact investor. Other investors are UK based Apis Growth Fund II (‘Apis’), a fintech private equity fund based in the UK, JG Summit Holdings (JG Summit) a Philippines based conglomerate owned by the Gokongwei family, African Fig Tree (AFT), a ring-fenced vehicle established by the founders along with key individuals, and the Ethos AI Fund.

TymeBank is a member of the Tyme Group of companies with headquarters in Singapore. TymeBank and its sister company, Tyme, recently raised US$180 million, which is being deployed to enable growth both locally in South Africa and in the Philippines. TymeBank is currently one of the world’s fastest-growing digital banks, with more than 5 million customers acquired since launching in February 2019. The bank is founded on simplicity, transparency and affordability and is designed to make digital banking accessible and affordable to all South Africans across the economic spectrum.

TymeBank is a digital bank, that enables people to open a bank account onlineand provides low fee personal and business banking, internet banking, savings account, money transfer, medical aid, credit cardand Cell phone bankingproducts. In addition to offering market-leading interest rates, the bankalso provides customers with digital payment facilities for airtime, dataand prepaid electricity.

For more information visit www.TymeBank.co.za or visit a TymeBank kiosk in over 500 Pick n Pay and Boxer stores nationwide.

About Juntos Global

Financial Institutions around the world use the Juntos Conversational Account Management (CAM) platform to proactively engage their customers at scale. Juntos combines advanced technology with human intelligence to create engaging, one-to-one, long-term conversations with consumers in high-impact digital channels like WhatsApp, SMS, and Facebook Messenger. Banks across 4 continents have used Juntos to power Conversational Account Management with millions of customers in 26 languages, driving increased uptake and retention of financial products. The Juntos mission is to build enduring and trusted relationships between banks and their customers to make financial services simpler, warmer, and more successful. Learn more at https://juntosglobal.com.

#bank #banking #finance #companies #business

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bilbao-song · 3 years

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every once in awhile when i’m minding my own business and feeling otherwise good the memory of the one (1) time when i attempted to do therapy creeps back into my mind and i want to die of embarrassment all over again

#i wish i could just pluck that experience from the back of my mind and forget it ever happened #i also kind of expected to stop finding it so mortifying over time but that still hasn’t happened lmao #i’ll be like 98 years old and still freaking out over this #it was just so Bad for so many reasons and part of it was because like #idk i’m just not used to talking about things like that so it was VERY uncomfortable #plus honestly in hindsight the whole thing was conducted very poorly #idk i just felt kind of pressured to say more than i really wanted to and like #nobody ever told me how much time we had??? so the appointment was shorter than i expected #and instead of being like ‘okay we have like ten minutes left’ at some point i was just kind of abruptly cut off lol #AND in addition to all of this they made me rate my experience directly in front of the guy i talked to while he watched #which was soooo weird and uncomfortable #also i feel like the advice they gave me boiled down to like #‘hmmm well have you tried just. not caring about this? :/‘#like wow!!!!! what a novel concept!!!#perhaps the reason i am here in the first place isn’t this specific issue that i have given as an example #but rather the fact that i’m disproportionately bothered by things that obviously shouldn’t bother me!!!#god it was a mess #okay i have to stop writing a novel in the tags #nonsense rambling

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yurimother · 4 years

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LGBTQ Light Novel Review — I'm in Love with the Villainess

A stunningly profound, entertaining, and queer title that eclipses other isekai and Yuri series

There are few titles the general public seems to be as excited about as Inori and Hanagata's I'm in Love with the Villainess, as it has been sitting at or near the top of Amazon's LGBT Manga list for months and Twitter is consistently abuzz with the latest news on this isekai Yuri series. I was somewhat more skeptical, as I have had relatively poor experiences with isekai and fantasy Yuri. Still, my excitement went through the room, and I eagerly boarded the "hype train" upon the cover reveal for the third volume. Yuri families, where two women raise children together, are one of my greatest desires and something I rarely see portrayed in the genre. However, I still had mostly low expectations for the series going into the first volume. I looked forward to some light meandering comedy and typical boring trope-filled isekai shenanigans. However, I'm in Love with the Villainess more than exceeded my expectations. No, even this statement is far too moderate to describe how utterly stunned and blown away I was by Inori's creation. I'm in Love with the Villainess is completely shattering and easily one of the greatest light novels I have ever read. Thus, I have no choice to award a perfect 10/10 score, my first ever for a light novel.

After waking up in the world of her favorite otome game, Revolution, protagonist Rae is ecstatic to be faced to face with Claire Francois, the game's villainous rival. However, Rae never played Revolution for the thrill of romancing any of the three attractive young princes. She was always in love with Claire. She attends the academy and studies magic in the fantasy world alongside Claire, the princes, and various other supporting characters. Using her skills from the modern world and her encyclopedic knowledge of Revolution, Rae manipulates the situation to be close to Claire, becoming her maid, and garnering status and money along the way. As an inevitable conflict looms closer, Rea begins to enact plans to protect herself and Claire, many of which are not fully understood or explained until the finale fantastically reveals the reasons for her actions. There is a natural and steady pace to the narrative that awards readers’ predictions and attention to detail.

I'm in Love with the Villainess has some excellent supporting characters, all of whom have unique personalities, histories, and abilities, some of which are revealed by Rae's exposition and others naturally throughout the novel. However, the stars of the show are the central couple, Rae and Claire. Claire is an elite aristocrat and extremely bratty. She often sneers at commoners and makes her disdain of Rae very clear from early on. On paper, she sounds like the perfect villain and someone all readers would despise. However, Rae's utter devotion and infatuation with Claire is so sincere that we cannot help but be pulled in and adore Claire and all her tantrums. Rae is a delight herself, continually flirting and poking fun at Claire, which gets her verbally berated, much to her masochistic pleasure. However, she is also exceptionally cunning and intelligent, and some of the light novel's greatest joys are listening to her analyze a situation or watching one of her plans fall into place.

“Ah, I’m… Well, it doesn’t matter. I mean, it’s irrelevant to cuteness—because, Miss Claire, you are cute.” “Huh?!” She pulled away. It was perfect—such a pure reaction. “Miss Claire, you hate me, right?” “Of course!” “That’s fine. Please keep teasing me. I love it.”

The beginning of the book does not immediately clue one into its brilliance. Sure, Claire and Rea get some great one-liners as they bully each other, and the scenarios are authentic and fun, but it is nothing shattering. I was feeling pretty relaxed and having a lot of fun with the characters, their relationship, and the various slice-of-life style scenarios they encountered until one section, I remember the exact page, 81, as it stopped me dead in my tracks. I was flabbergasted and briefly frozen before shooting up out of bed, shouting expletives as I ran to my office to immediately record what I had just experienced. It all begins with the line, "Hey, Rae. Are you what they call gay?" What followed was one of the most thoughtful, condensed, informative, and nuanced discussions of gay and queer identity (both terms used in this scene) I have ever seen in Yuri. Everything from representation in media, the perceptions of and prejudices against gay people, and the role gender plays in romance for bisexual and gay people are analyzed. Its commentary is succinct yet so respectful and forthright that it could have only come from genuine experience, thus selling the book and its characters so much more.

"Queer people were still overwhelmingly closeted in this world, which was rife with prejudice and nurtured little understanding. As I noted, the queer people depicted in the story were either the sex fiends Claire imagined or the free-loving sort Lene had in mind. Diversity and acceptance were a long way off.”

Thus, Inori's writing's beauty exposed itself, and the book opened itself up to a delightful cycle. The narrative masterfully integrates isekai slice-of-life hijinks, like running a cross-dressing café or battling a giant slime with nuanced and challenging moments that dissect complicated topics. The latter mainly consists of a growing rift between the aristocracy and common people, mirroring real-world wealth gap issues, but the novel also touch on matters such as unequal prison sentencing and segregation. Every scene helped further the complexity of the characters and their relationships or else built onto the world of Revolution. Speaking of which, I'm in Love with the Villainess has some of the best worldbuilding ever seen in a light novel.

Initially, brief exposition establishes much of the world, which is adequate if not exciting. I will mark up to a casualty of the light novel's serialized nature, as it must present readers its setting immediately. However, Inori does not stop here. Through the narrative, new elements are established, such as a magic system and the kingdom's politics. Rea notes and describes how the world, while clearly based on medieval Europe, has many modern Japanese attributes, as Japanese game developers created it. Her pointing out the intersection of the two is fascinating. Furthermore, A great deal of time is spent establishing characters and organizations all have their own wants, agendas, and methods, many of which are not even directly involved with the story. Instead, they act as a background and help further contextualize others. For example, the Church publicly appears to lean towards supporting the commoners in their efforts for equality but has its own agenda of superseding the nobility. While they play little role in Rea and Claire’s adventure, they are one of numerous factors contributing to the unrest of the lower class. All these additions are interesting, and it never feels like the story or characters suffer for their inclusion, quite the opposite.

“The Bauer Kingdom had started a step behind other countries when it came to magical research. They dominated the surrounding countries in military strength, and this had made them complacent, leading them to underestimate the value of new magic technology until the best researchers had all been enticed to other countries. Even after the king came up with his magic-focused meritocratic policy, Bauer lagged behind.”

I can only make complaints by scraping the very bottom of the barrel. Hanagata's beautiful art is too infrequent to add much to the light novel, and many scenes crying for illustrations are left to the readers' imagination. However, Inori so wonderful writes the story that one hardly cares and can easily picture every moment with delight. Besides, the manga adaption will nullify this issue. Where I cannot complain at all is the spectacular translation by Jenn Yamazaki and Nibedita Sen, one of Seven Seas best (which is high praise considering the competition). Sure, I was slightly disappointed at first to see the adaptation left off honorifics, but the more I thought about the setting, the more sense it made. I am sure people much smarter than I gave the issue much more consideration, and I am happy with their decisions.

I'm in Love with the Villainess left me reeling with how pleasurable and powerful it was. The story and characters are such a joy, and I cannot wait to see Rea and Claire bully each other again in the next volume. Astounding worldbuilding and powerful, thought-provoking politics surround their antics and the high stakes plot. Every moment of their journey will enthrall readers as they squeal with glee at its hilarious set pieces or are shocked by its commentary of society's most significant challenges. Inori has created one of the most delightful, heartfelt, complex, profound, and genuinely queer light novel series ever. If you only read one thing I recommend this year, let it be I'm in Love with the Villainess.

Ratings: Story — 9 Characters — 10 Art — 5 LGBTQ — 10 Sexual Content — 2 Final — 10

Review copy provided by Seven Seas Entertainment

Purchase I’m in Love with the Villainess in digitally (9/23) and in print (11/10) today: https://amzn.to/32NEyG1

Supports creators by purchasing official releases.

#yuri #lgbt #lgbtq #reviews #lgbtq+#i favor the villainess #i'm in love with the villainess #girls love #gay #queer #light novel #manga #gl #politics #feminism

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infernallegaycy · 4 years

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Writing Psychotic Characters

Hi! I’ve seen a few of these writing things pop up recently (and in the past), but I haven’t seen any on psychotic characters—which, judging from the current state of portrayals of psychosis in media, is something I think many people* need. And as a psychotic person who complains about how badly psychosis tends to be represented in media, I thought I’d share a bit of information and suggestions!

A lot of this isn’t necessarily specifically writing advice but information about psychosis, how it presents, and how it affects daily life. This is partially purposeful—I feel that a large part of poor psychotic representation stems from a lack of understanding about psychosis, and while I’m not usually in an educating mood, context and understanding are crucial to posts like this. A lot of this also relates to writing psychosis in a modern-day setting, simply because that’s where bad psychotic representation tends to mostly occur (and it’s the only experience I’ve had, obviously), but please don’t shy away from applying this advice to psychotic characters in sci-fi/fantasy/historical fiction/etc. Psychosis is not a wholly modern phenomenon, nor would speculative fiction feel truly escapist without being able to see yourself reflected in it.

Please also note that I am not a medical professional nor an expert in psychology. I simply speak from my personal experiences, research, and what I’ve read of others’ experiences. I also do not speak for all psychotic people, and more than welcome any alternative perspectives to my own.

*These people, in all honesty, aren’t likely to be the ones willingly reading this. But there are people who are willing to learn, so here’s your opportunity.

(Warnings: Mentions of institutionalization/hospitalization, including forced institutionalization; ableism/saneism; and brief descriptions of delusions and hallucinations. Also, it’s a pretty long post!)

Up front, some terminology notes: “Unpsychotic” refers to people who are not psychotic. This includes other mentally ill and neurodivergent people. Please try to avoid terminology like “non-[identity],” as much of it is co-opted from “nonblack.”

Also, “psychotic” and “delusional” will not be, and should not be, used to refer to anything but respectively someone who experiences psychosis and someone who experiences delusions. Remove these words as insults and negative descriptors for anyone you dislike from your vocabulary.

In addition, I generally use adjectives rather than person-first language because that is the language I, and the seeming majority of other neurodivergent and mentally ill people, prefer. Others might describe themselves differently (as “people with psychosis,” for instance). Don’t assume either way—I’d generally suggest you say “psychotic person” first, and then correct yourself if the person in question prefers different terminology.

1) Psychosis is a symptom, not a disorder.

As a term, “psychosis” describes any number of symptoms that indicate a break with reality, such as delusions and hallucinations (I’ll go into more detail about this in a bit). It commonly occurs as part of several mental and neurological disorders, including but not limited to:

Schizophrenia

Schizophreniform disorder (same symptoms as schizophrenia, but for a shorter period of time than 6 months)

Schizoaffective disorder (combined symptoms of psychosis and a mood disorder, but not enough to completely fill the diagnostic criteria for either)

Bipolar disorder (typically as part of manic episodes, but it can also occur in unipolar depression and depressive episodes)

Personality disorders, including borderline personality disorder (for which transient paranoia under stress is part of the diagnostic criteria), paranoid personality disorder, and schizoid personality disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Dissociative disorders (though psychosis =/= dissociative identity disorder; if you want further information on the latter, which I do not have, please seek out another post!)

Psychosis can also occur with forms of epilepsy, sleep disorders, metabolic disorders, and autoimmune disorders. It tends to be a major part of neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. In addition, it can occur when not related to a chronic health condition; things like sleep deprivation and stress can induce temporary psychosis, as can drug use and medication.

This isn’t to say you necessarily need to define a disorder for a psychotic character, as some psychotic people (including myself) primarily just describe ourselves as “psychotic,” and some aren’t diagnosed with anything specific. However, if your psychotic character is a main/perspective character, I definitely recommend it. Chances are, someone with that disorder is reading/watching, and I’m sure they’d love to see a bit of direct representation. In general, you probably should at least have something in mind, because psychotic symptoms and severity/onset can differ greatly.

Some psychotic disorders’ diagnostic criteria explicitly exclude others (someone cannot be diagnosed with both schizophrenia and schizophreniform disorder at the same time, for instance, though the latter can develop into the former), but comorbidity is possible—and often common—among certain disorders and other neurological/mental conditions. Rates vary, so definitely research this, but in short, it is very much possible for psychotic people to have multiple disorders, including disorders that don’t include psychotic symptoms. (Personally speaking: I’m autistic, ADHD, and OCD in addition to being psychotic, and I’m physically disabled as well.)

I’m not here to do all the research for you—if you want to know more about specific psychotic disorders, then by all means, look them up! Go beyond Wikipedia and Mayo Clinic articles, too. Talk to people who have them. Seek out blogs and YouTube channels run by people with them. Read books about psychosis by psychotic people**. Pay attention to how we describe ourselves and our disorders.

And if you want to write characters with those disorders, especially if you’re writing from their perspectives, then please for the love of God, hire a sensitivity reader. For authenticity, I would recommend seeking out someone with the same disorder, not just anyone psychotic.

**If you want a fiction recommendation: I don’t actually know if the author is schizophrenic like the main character, but I really enjoyed and related to The Drowning Girl by Caitlín R. Kiernan. Content warnings include, but might not be limited to—it’s been a while since I read it—unreality, self-harm, suicide, abuse, and mentions of transphobia. I haven’t personally read any autobiographies/memoirs/essays yet, so I don’t have any to offer, and quite a few that came up through a cursory search seemed only to focus on being an inspiration to neurotypical people or were from a perspective other than that of the psychotic person in question. If anyone (preferably psychotic people) has any more recommendations, fiction or nonfiction, let me know!

2) Not every psychotic person has the same symptoms.

As mentioned, psychosis consists of symptoms that involve separation with reality, which can present as positive or negative symptoms. Every person’s experiences with these are different, but some generalizations can be made. I definitely recommend reading studies and articles (especially directly by psychotic people) describing experiences and presentation!

I’ll start with positive symptoms, which refer to the presence of symptoms unpsychotic people don’t have, and can include hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thoughts, speech, and behavior.

You probably know what hallucinations are (perceptions of sensory information that is not really present), but you might not know the specifics. Types of hallucinations include:

Auditory (which tend to be the most common, and are probably the form everyone is most familiar with, primarily as “hearing voices”)

Visual

Olfactory

Tactile/haptic

Gustatory (taste)

Somatic

Some types with regards to bodily sensations get a little muddled from here, but some forms of hallucinations you might not have heard of include thermic (hot/cold), hygric (fluids), kinesthetic (bodily movements), and visceral (inner organs).

(Note: Hypnagogic/hypnopompic hallucinations, which occur when falling asleep or waking up, are not related to psychosis and can occur in anyone.)

As mentioned, there are some forms of hallucinations that are more common, but that is not to say that everyone has the same hallucinations. A lot of us have auditory and/or visual hallucinations, but not everyone does. Some have tactile, olfactory, or gustatory hallucinations instead of or in addition to more common forms (hi! Auditory hallucinations are pretty rare for me, but I constantly feel bugs/spiders crawling on me). If you write a psychotic character that experiences hallucinations, then you should definitely do further research on these types and manifestations of them.

You’re likely also familiar with delusions (a belief that contradicts reality), though again, you might not know the specifics. Delusions can be classified as bizarre (implausible, not shared or understood by peers of the same culture) or non-bizarre (false, but technically possible). They can relate to one’s mood or not.

Some people only experience delusions and no other significant psychotic symptoms (this occurs in delusional disorder). Delusions differ between people and tend to be heavily influenced by environment, but there are some common themes, such as:

Persecution

Guilt, punishment, or sin

Mind reading

Thought insertion

Jealousy

Control

Reference (coincidences having meaning)

Grandeur

Certain types of delusions are more common in certain cultures/backgrounds or certain disorders. I can’t really go into details about specific delusions, because I try not to read many examples (for a reason I’m about to mention), but if you plan on writing a character who experiences delusions, I definitely recommend heavily researching delusions and how it feels to experience them.

I would like to note: I’m not sure how common it is, but I’ve noticed that I personally have a tendency to pick up delusions that I see other psychotic people talking about having. Just kind of, like, an “oh shit what if” feeling creeps up on me, and before I know it, that delusion has wormed its way into my life. Just in case you want some idea of how psychotic people can interact amongst ourselves!

Another quick note: Delusions, by definition, are untrue beliefs; this does not mean that anyone who has ever been delusional is inherently untrustworthy.

Disorganization of thoughts/speech and behavior is more self-explanatory. Problems with thinking and speaking tend to be one of the most common psychotic symptoms, sometimes considered even more so than delusions and hallucinations. There are a lot of ways thought processes can be disrupted, and I honestly think it would be kind of difficult to portray this if you haven’t experienced it, but some common manifestations are:

Derailment

Tangents (which you might notice me doing sometimes in this very post)

Getting distracted mid-sentence/thought

Incoherence/“word salad”

Thought blocking (sudden stops in thoughts/speech)

Repetition of words/phrases

Pressured speech (rapid, urgent speech)

Use of invented words

Poverty of speech/content of speech

(Note that thought/speech disturbances aren’t necessarily exclusive to psychotic disorders. They tend to be common in ADHD and autism as well, though symptoms can be more severe when they occur in, for example, schizophrenia.)

Behavioral abnormalities can include catatonia, which presents in a number of ways, such as mutism, echolalia, agitation, stupor, catalepsy, posturing, and more. Episodes of catatonia last for hours and sometimes longer, which usually requires hospitalization and/or medication. This tends to overlap heavily with symptoms of autism spectrum disorders, which can be comorbid with conditions like schizophrenia.

Negative symptoms, on the other hand, refer to the absence of certain experiences. It can include flat affect (lack of or limited emotional reactions), generally altered emotional responses, a decrease in speech, and low motivation. Most of these speak for themselves, and I’m not honestly sure how to describe them to someone who’s never experienced them in a way that isn’t very metaphorical and therefore kind of unhelpful. If any other psychotic people have suggestions, feel free to add on/message me!

Not every psychotic disorder involves or requires both positive and negative symptoms (to my knowledge, manic episodes of bipolar disorder mostly only include positive symptoms), but many psychotic people experience both. And, as expressed multiple times—and I really can’t stress it enough—every person’s experience with psychosis is different.

If you interview two psychotic people at random, chances are they aren’t going to have the same combination of symptoms. Chances are they won’t even have the same disorder. Therefore, if you write multiple psychotic characters, they shouldn’t be identical in terms of personality or psychosis.

There are also some qualities of psychotic disorders that may not necessarily be diagnostic criteria but are prominent in people with these conditions. These also vary between disorders, but cognitive impairments and similar traits are fairly common.

3) In a similar vein, daily experiences can vary greatly. Psychosis can be a major part of psychotic people’s lives, but it doesn’t always affect daily life.

For some people, psychosis occurs in episodes, not 24/7; you may have heard the term “psychotic break,” which tends to refer to a first episode of psychosis. This is especially true of disorders where psychotic symptoms occur under stress or during mood episodes.

For other people, psychosis is a near-constant. It can wax and wane, but it never completely goes away. These people might be more likely to invest in medication or long-term therapy and other treatment methods.

Psychosis’s impact on everyday life can also be affected by insight (how well the person can tell they’re having psychotic symptoms). There’s not a ton of accessible research—or research at all—into insight and how it affects psychotic people, and I’m not a big fan of describing people as having high/low insight because I think it has the potential to be used like functioning labels (which, for the record, are bad; plenty of other autistic people have written at length about this), but just something to keep in mind. It’s a sliding scale; at different points in time, the same person might have limited or significant awareness of their symptoms. Both greater and poorer insight have been linked to decreased quality of life, so neither one is really a positive.

Just something to be aware of: Yes, sometimes we do realize how “crazy” we seem. Yes, sometimes we don’t. No, it doesn’t really make things any better to know that what we’re seeing/thinking/etc isn’t real. No, people with low insight shouldn’t be blamed or mocked for this.

As such, the diagnostic process can vary greatly. Psychotic people aware of their symptoms or how their lives are being impacted may directly ask for a diagnosis or seek out information on their own. Other times, family or friends might notice symptoms and bring them up to a mental health professional, or someone might be forcibly institutionalized and diagnosed that way.

My professional diagnostic processes have been pretty boring: Over time, I just gradually brought up different diagnoses I thought might fit me to my therapist, whom I started seeing for anxiety (which I no longer strongly identify with, on account of my anxiety mostly stemming from me being autistic, OCD, and psychotic). I filled out checklists and talked about my symptoms. We moved on with the treatment processes I was already undergoing and incorporated more coping mechanisms and stuff like that into therapy sessions. Hardly the tearful scenes of denial you’re used to seeing or reading about.

Other people might have very different experiences, or very similar ones! It all depends! I generally don’t really like reading scenes of people being diagnosed (it’s just exposition and maybe some realization on the PoV character’s part, but it’s usually somewhat inaccurate in that regard), so you can probably steer away from that sort of thing, but you might find it useful to note how your character was identified somewhere? I don’t really have any strong opinions on this.

I’d also like to note: Everything I publicly speak about having, I’ve discussed in a professional therapy setting, just because of my personal complexes. However, I do fully support self-diagnosis. Bigotry and money are huge obstacles against getting professional diagnoses, and if someone identifies with a certain disorder and seeks out treatment mechanisms for it, there’s no real harm being done. If someone is genuinely struggling and they benefit from coping mechanisms intended for a disorder they might not have, then I think that’s better than if they shied away because they weren’t professionally diagnosed with it, and therefore didn’t get help they needed. With proper research, self-diagnosis is fully ethical and reasonable.

I do not want to debate this, and any attempts to force me into a discussion about professional versus self-diagnosis will be ignored.

Anyway! I can’t really identify any specific daily experiences with psychosis you might want to include, because as mentioned, everyone has different symptoms and ways they cope with them.

Some psychotic people might not experience symptoms outside of an episode, which can be brought on by any number of things; some might experience symptoms only under general stress; some might have consistent symptoms. The content of hallucinations and delusions can also shift over time.

Psychosis can also affect anyone—there are certain demographics certain disorders are more likely to occur in, but this could just as easily be due to biases in diagnostic criteria or professionals themselves as it could be due to an actual statistical correlation. If you want to figure out how a psychotic character behaves on a day-to-day basis, then you’re better off shaping who they are as a person beyond their psychosis first, then incorporating their psychosis into things.

(A note about this: I consider my psychosis a major part of me, and I firmly believe that I would be a very different person without it; that’s why I refer to myself as a “psychotic person” rather than “a person with psychosis.” However, there is a difference between that and unpsychotic people making psychotic characters’ only trait their psychosis.)

4) Treatment for psychosis differs from person to person. The same things don’t work for everyone.

Some people are on antipsychotics; others aren’t. Medication is a personal choice and not a necessity—no one should be judged either for being on medication or for not being on medication. There are many reasons behind either option. Please do not ask psychotic people about their medication/lack thereof unprompted.

If you want to depict a psychotic character on medication, then research different forms of antipsychotics and how they affect psychotic people. I’ve never been on medication and don’t really plan to be (though if I ever do, I’m definitely taking a note from Phasmophobia’s book and calling them “Sanity Pills.” Just to clarify, I don’t want unpsychotic people repeating this joke, but if you want some insight on how some of us regard our health…), so you’re better off looking elsewhere for this sort of information!

I’m not going to get into my personal opinions on institutionalization and the psychiatry industry in general now, but institutionalization is, while common, also not necessary, and many psychotic people—and mentally ill and neurodivergent people in general—have faced harm and trauma due to institutionalization. Again, I can’t offer direct personal experience, but I recommend steering clear of plotlines directly related to psychiatric hospitals.

I would also like to emphasis the word treatment. Psychosis has no cure. It is possible for psychosis to only last a single episode (whether because it’s only due to stress/another outside factor or because it is treated early), or for symptoms to be greatly reduced over time and with treatment, but for the most part, psychotic people are psychotic for life.

However, with proper support networks and coping skills, many psychotic people are able to lead (quote unquote) “normal” lives. What coping mechanisms work for what people differs, but some psychosis-specific coping mechanisms might be:

Taping webcams for delusions of persecution/surveillance (which is honestly also just something everyone should do with webcams that aren’t in use)

Covering/closing windows for similar reasons

Using phone cameras/audio recordings to distinguish visual and auditory hallucinations from reality (most of the time, a hallucination won’t show up on camera, though it’s possible for people to hallucinate something on a camera screen too)

Similarly, removing glasses/contact lenses to check a visual hallucination

Asking people you trust (because of stigma and delusions, this might not be a long list) to check for symptoms of an oncoming episode

Avoiding possible triggers for psychosis (for example, I don’t engage with horror media often because a lot of it -- both psychological horror and slasher-type things -- can trigger delusions and hallucinations)

I’d also like to mention that treatment isn’t a clean, one-way process; especially with certain disorders, it’s normal to go up and down over time. I’d honestly be really uncomfortable with a psychotic character whose symptoms don’t affect their life whatsoever. There are ways you can write how psychosis affects someone that are… weird, which I’ll touch on, but overall, I think it’s better to actually depict a psychotic person whose symptoms have a clear impact on their life (even if that impact is, say, they’re on medication that negates some of their symptoms).

Just to reiterate: I am not a medical professional and cannot offer real-life advice regarding treatment, especially medication. Please do not ask me too detailed questions regarding this.

5) There are a lot of stereotypes and stigma surrounding psychosis.

The way psychosis is perceived both by general society and the field of psychology has changed a lot over the years, but even now, it still remains highly stigmatized and misunderstood. Wall of text incoming, but it’s important stuff.

Typical media portrayal of psychosis tends to fall into specific categories: The scary, violent psychotic person, or the psychotic person who is so crazy you can’t help but laugh. There are other bad depictions, but these are generally the ways I see psychotic people regarded and represented the most, so I want to address them directly.

Let’s talk about psychosis in horror first. Psychosis is often stereotyped as making people aggressive and violent. You’ve all seen the “psychotic killer” trope and depictions of people who are made violent and evil by their psychosis, even if it’s not explicitly named as the case. You’ve all seen “psychotic” used as a negative adjective, used synonymously to murderous, evil, harmful, violent, manipulative, etc—maybe you’ve even used it that way in the past. There’s no denying that the way society regards psychotic people is overwhelmingly negative, and that leaks into media.

If you are considering giving a violent, irredeemable antagonist psychosis, consider this: Don’t. More or less every psychotic person hates this trope. It’s inaccurate and, needless to say, rooted in ableism.

There are racialized aspects to this as well. People of color, especially Black and Latine people, are already stereotyped as being aggressive, violent, and scary; there’s also a history of overdiagnosis (and often misdiagnosis) of schizophrenia in Black people, especially civil rights activists. White and white-passing people will only be singled out if someone notices us exhibiting psychotic symptoms, but Black and brown people are already under scrutiny. Be extra cautious about how you write psychotic characters of color.

I’m not saying you can never give a psychotic person, say, a temper; in some cases, it might even make sense. Spells of uncontrollable anger are part of the diagnostic criteria for BPD, for example, and irritability is a common trait of manic episodes. Some delusions and hallucinations can affect aggression (emphasis on can—it would be inaccurate to imply that this is always the case. Once again, each person has a different experience with their psychotic symptoms).

But when the only psychotic or psychotic-coded characters you write are angry and violent, even when the situation doesn’t call for it, then there’s a problem. When you want to write a schizophrenic character, but only in a situation where they’re going on a killing spree, there’s a problem.

Studies have shown that no substantial link exists between psychosis and violence. There is a small association, but I think it would be reasonable to say this is partially because of the stigma surrounding psychosis and various other overlapping factors; no violence or crime exists in a vacuum. In addition, though I can’t find any exact statistics on this, psychotic people are susceptible to being victims of violence (likely because of this very stereotype).

On this note, don’t use mental hospitals as a setting for horror, especially if you plan on depicting the mentally ill patients there as antagonistic and unhinged. As mentioned earlier, institutionalization is a huge trigger for many psychotic people. True, psychiatric hospitals have definitely served as a source of trauma and pain for many in the past, but mentally ill and neurodivergent people have been (and are) the victims in those situations.

Also, don’t do the “what if it was all a delusion” thing. I know this is most common in ~edgy~ theories about children’s series, but… yikes.

In the same vein that you should avoid depictions of psychotic people that are ripped straight from a bad horror movie, don’t push it too far into comedy either. You’ve heard “psych ward” jokes, you’ve seen “I put the hot in psychotic” jokes (a supposedly humorous instance of that psychotic as a negative descriptor thing), you’ve heard people say “I have anxiety/depression, but I’m not crazy!”

Even other mentally ill and neurodivergent people constantly throw us under the bus, as can be seen in that last one. We’re the butt of plenty of jokes—we see things that aren’t there, we talk to ourselves, we believe things that are just so wacky you can’t believe anyone would think that way. (Even when we don’t.)

If you have to write another character laughing at a psychotic character for their symptoms, then have it swiftly criticized in the text, and try not to imply the reader should find psychosis funny either. Treat psychotic characters’ symptoms with sympathy and understanding, not ridicule.

Psychotic people literally cannot help our delusions/hallucinations/other symptoms. If something we think/say seems “crazy” to you, chances are it does to us as well.

(We’re talking about portraying psychosis in fiction, but this applies to real-life treatment of psychotic people, too!)

Also, I’d like to note—all of this is about the way unpsychotic people view psychotic people. If you see a psychotic person laughing at themself or viewing their symptoms as scary, then that is not an invitation for you to laugh along or go beyond symptoms and think the person is scary for being psychotic. That’s the thing about gallows humor; you have to be the one on the gallows.

Moving on! In romance, there is often a presumption that love can cure psychosis. This is false. No matter how much you love (whether romantically or platonically) and want to help a psychotic person, that alone will not “heal” their psychosis. Please do not depict a psychotic person having to be cured to be happy or in love. It doesn’t work that way.

This doesn’t mean you should stray away from romance in general—I personally would definitely like to see more portrayals of psychotic people being loved and supported, especially in romantic relationships. I’d prefer it not be in spite of their psychosis, either; it would be weird if someone loved a person because of their psychosis, but I don’t think you can really love someone whom you disregard such a large part of either.

Point-blank: Psychotic people are worthy of love and affection, and I think this should show in media as well.

In relation to relationships, I’d also strongly advise steering away from writing family members and friends who see someone’s psychosis as harder on them than for the psychotic person, unless you want to explicitly disavow this behavior. Sure, it probably is difficult for other people to witness my psychotic symptoms. But it’s harder for me to have them.

I’m not sure if this is a widely-held belief, but some people also seem to think psychosis is less common than it is. Psychotic people are all around you, and if you read that as a threat or anything like that, you might need to do some self-evaluating. We exist, online and in person, and we can see and read and hear the things you say about us!

Specifically: By the NIMH’s statistics, roughly 3% of people (3 out of every 100) in the United States will experience psychosis at some point in their lives. Around 100,000 people experience their first episode a year.

This also means that it’s possible unpsychotic people reading this will end up developing a form of psychosis at some point in your life as well. Yes, even without a genetic basis; yes, even as a full-grown adult (see how common psychosis is in neurodegenerative disorders). Now this one is intended as a threat (/hj).

Also, you can’t always tell who is psychotic and who is not. I imagine there are a lot of people who wouldn’t know I’m psychotic without me explicitly saying so. Set aside any notions you might have of being able to identify psychotic people, because they will definitely influence how you might go into writing a psychotic character, and they will definitely end up pissing off a psychotic person in your life. Because… you probably know at least one!

People often regard psychosis as a worst-case scenario—which, again, is something that occurs even by people and in works that uplift mental health in general (something I’ve mentioned before is The Bright Sessions, in which a telepath is misdiagnosed as schizophrenic and has an “I’m not crazy!” outburst). I’ve talked about treatment already, but I just thought I’d say this: Psychosis is not a death sentence nor a “fate worse than death.” It may be difficult for unpsychotic people to understand and handle; it is harder to live with. But being psychotic is not an inherently bad thing, and psychotic people should not be expected to act like our lives are constantly awful and hopeless on account of stigma.

I think that’s all I have to say, so thank you so much for reading, especially if you’re not psychotic! I hope you’ve learned something from this, and once again, fellow psychotic people are more than welcome to add on more information if they’re willing.

#sparrow.txt #pseriouslypsychotic #actuallypsychotic #writeblr #writing advice #writing tips

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littlemisspascal · 3 years

Text

Death and an Angel part 13

Death!Din x Cupid F!Reader

Summary: Ahsoka takes Din on a journey through the past.

“You should know though, you might not like what you see.”

Din shakes his head, dismissing the warning. “What’s one more nightmare?”

Rating: T

Word Count: 5,958

Warnings: angst, swearing, character death (canonical, but with my own twist), made up planet name that is ridiculous, dialogue heavy, plot plot plot, backstory

Author Note: Good lord this is soooo late coming out. To anyone who sent me an encouraging message I am beyond grateful because I really needed the encouragement to finish this segment. I hope more than anything this segment gives more answers than it raises questions (although reading your theories is both awesome and entertaining so keep them coming too!)

Links to Part 1 and Part 12 and Part 14

Cross-posted on AO3.

Photo Inspiration:

“Who the fuck is Moff Gideon?”

Ahsoka looks at Din, her brow furrowed deeply. He’s seen the expression on her face enough times to recognize its meaning: this is the face she makes when she is about to reveal a message directly from the universe itself. As an Oracle, she is the only immortal who can glimpse details of the past, present, and future. She has a soft spot for mortals, sharing the few precious snippets the universe allows her to with them in the forms of riddles and vague prophecies that never fail to give Din a migraine with their crypticness when he hears them.

“Moff Gideon is a Seraph who grew discontent with his position amongst immortals,” she says at last.

“Is he the one responsible for keeping my soulmate from me?” he asks, voice as harsh and unforgiving as the environment surrounding them.

“He is responsible for many sins.”

“I don’t have time for your vague answers,” he growls, hands twisting into fists. “You tell me not to kill this Seraph, then in the next breath claim he’s a threat. I am not a mortal who will be entertained by riddles, Ahsoka. You summoned me here to talk, so start talking. Tell me what you know.”

The Oracle’s mouth purses into a thin line. Nearly a full minute passes before she speaks again. When she does, the calmness is no longer natural, but forced. “Telling you what I know would be impossible.”

“Ahsoka—”

“But,” she pitches her voice higher than his protest while narrowing her eyes disapprovingly, “I am capable of showing you. You should know though, you might not like what you see.”

Din shakes his head, dismissing the warning. “What’s one more nightmare?”

She reaches forward, pressing her index and middle fingers to the center of his visor. If not for his helmet, she’d be touching the space directly between his eyes and instinct tells him the positioning isn’t random.

“We’ll start at the beginning,” she says, but her voice has changed from its usual cadence. It is ancient and youthful, a harsh scream and a hushed whisper all at once.

Din has only the slightest of seconds to process this in addition to the way her facial markings start to glow and her eyes flash white before he finds himself standing in the midst of a crisis.

There is mass hysteria every direction he turns. People screaming in terror, pushing each other and tripping over those who have fallen in their haste to flee an unseen threat; whole buildings are crumbling, sending flaming debris and shards of glass raining down upon the streets as smoke billows into the sky. The edges of his field of view are blurred, like he’s looking at everything through someone’s glasses, and it creates an ache behind his eyeballs. Fuck, is this what it’s like for Ahsoka when she experiences visions?

‘You remember the Fall of Mandalore, don’t you, Death?’ Ahsoka’s voice resonates from deep inside his brain, as if she’s fused her consciousness with his.

His jaw tightens when he says, “Of course.”

‘Oh, look. There you are.’

Sure enough, when Din looks forward he sees himself moving swiftly through the crowd, unaffected by the chaos as he stoops to reap the soul of a woman who’s had her skull caved in by the stampede of frantic civilians. He wonders how many others can say they’ve had an out-of-body-experience such as what he’s dealing with right now: reliving a traumatic event all over again while observing himself the same way a stranger would from a distance.

“Why are you showing me this?”

‘Because it’s important,’ Ahsoka answers, and the image of her frowning face enters his mind unbiddenly. ‘The universe has a plethora of endings imagined for every civilization, but it is the individual choices of the community that act as stepping stones bringing them closer to a specific fate.’

“Mandalore was always meant to fall apart. It was just a matter of how, not when,” he surmises, voice devoid of emotion. His words are punctuated by another fiery blast from a nearby complex, followed by an ear-piercing wall of a terrified child.

‘Precisely. But the same cannot be said for an individual’s lifespan. There are consequences if someone perishes before their time has come. You should know that better than anyone.’ There is a hint of accusation thinly veiled in her tone that has his body tensing reflexively.

His location shifts, shapes and colors mixing together without warning before another scene gradually comes into focus. It’s a large chamber with sparse furnishings, but its beauty is tarnished by the copious amounts of glass littering the room as every single one of the ornately designed windows have been shattered from the force of the explosions outside. Din knows before he even lays eyes on the throne he’s inside the royal palace because he first sees the familiar face of his most trusted reaper standing next to a blond-haired woman. Both women have such strikingly similar facial features nobody who sees them side by side can have any doubt they are related.

Whereas Bo-Katan dons gray-and-blue armor with a jetpack strapped to her back and two blaster pistols holstered at her sides, her sister, Satine, wears a garnet colored dress with a gold belt wrapped around her slender waist. In this moment, the sisters differ from each other as much as night and day; one a military leader, the other a pacifistic duchess.

“You need someone here to protect you. We don’t know who or what we’re dealing with and it isn’t safe for you to be alone,” Bo-Katan argues, crossing her arms over her chest as if to intimidate her sister into submitting.

“Our people are scared and defenseless, Bo. They need your protection during this crisis more than I currently do,” Satine says, voice soft but firm in a way only those deeply involved in politics can master.

Bo-Katan glances out the broken windows at the burning city, stubborn loyalty to protect her sister warring with her duty to protect her people. “Then at least send a message to Obi-Wan to come here.”

Satine shakes her head. “Bo—”

“I know things are strained between you two right now—”

“That’s a glaring understatement.”

“—but he’s one of our best and most loyal guards. He’s proven more than a dozen times he’ll fight anyone who’s a threat to you.”

“I don’t need the reminder of what he’s done for me.”

Bo-Katan places a hand on the blonde’s shoulder and squeezes it when she says, “He’s the only one other than myself I trust to protect you if you were to encounter danger.”

“Just because I’m committed to peace does not mean I am incapable of looking after myself.” Satine reaches behind herself to detach a weapon that had been clipped to the back of her belt. She clicks a button on its hilt, emitting a white blade shining brightly like a beacon amongst the dark clouds of smoke tainting the air.

Din’s breath catches in his throat. “Is that…?”

‘The Lightsaber of Mandalore,’ Ahsoka confirms. ‘Made by the Armorer herself.’

The Armorer is deeply respected by both mortals and immortals alike. As the goddess of metalworking and blacksmiths, there is nothing she cannot forge and infuse with grand powers. However, she is exceedingly cautious about choosing who is a recipient of her creations.

Din is one such recipient, having been given his armor of pure beskar when the Armorer realized how dangerous his touch was to mortals. He remains eternally grateful for the gift not only because it prohibits unwanted physical contact, but also because it is invulnerable to damage or rust like other types of armor. Ahsoka’s dual sabers were also made in the Armorer’s forge, specifically designed for the Oracle’s grip alone and meant to protect her during her journeys throughout the galaxy, but in contrast to the white blade of the Lightsaber, the blades of Ahsoka’s weapons matched the same blue coloring as the stripes on her lekku and montrals.

According to the legends Din’s heard, the Armorer created the Lightsaber for the first ruler of Mandalore because she was impressed with their culture and strong military, and it was passed on to each new heir to the throne over the centuries. When wielded in battle, the Lightsaber made the user invincible against enemy attacks as it siphoned off energy from the souls of those it sliced through.

Throughout the long history of Mandalore, Satine was distinguished as the only ruler to avoid warfare as she sincerely believed negotiations and treaties could solve any problem quicker than bloodshed.

As such, Din isn’t surprised when Bo-Katan raises a judgmental eyebrow. “Did you forget who you’re talking to? I know you wouldn’t use the Lightsaber even to cut a piece of fruit.”

Satine sighs through her nose, sheathing the weapon once more. “Fine. I’ll contact Obi the second you’re gone.”

“You better.” Bo-Katan leans forward, pressing her forehead against her sister’s. A gesture of affection within their culture. “I’ll see you soon.”

And then she’s gone, flying out the nearby window and diving straight into the fray. As a mortal and as a reaper, the redhead is fearless in the face of danger. Some might consider the behavior reckless, but Din’s always been impressed by her dogged tenacity to achieve victory no matter the difficulty of her mission.

Din looks back at Satine. Now that she is alone in the room, she is able to freely express her distress at the unfolding situation, looking as if she’s aged ten years within the blink of an eye. She fiddles with the comlink around her wrist, seeming hesitant to call this Obi-Wan fellow like she agreed to.

‘They haven’t realized it, but they’re soulmates, ’ Ahsoka murmurs, low and melancholic. Hearing it makes Din’s chest constrict with unease. ‘They fought recently and parted ways upset with each other. Unfortunately, she dies before they can resolve their miscommunication.’

The next sequence of events play out startlingly quick, as if Ahsoka has chosen to suddenly jump forward in time. His eyes struggle to absorb the fleeting details—the doors to the throne room being blown open; a Seraph in black armor emerging from the smoke; his voice is unique, velvety and thorny at the same time, as he addresses the duchess by her full name Satine Kryze; Satine attempting to stall as she subtly taps at her comlink, only for the tactic to fail as the foe teleports closer, eliminating the space between them.

“You have something I want,” he tells her, seizing hold of her throat. “You may think you have some idea of what you have in your possession, but you do not.”

One of Satine’s hands claws at his face, attempting to gouge out his eyeballs with her nails, while the other reaches for the Lightsaber. Her fingertips brush against its metal hilt just as he throws her to the floor. The impact knocks the breath out of her lungs, eliciting a strangled gasp, and shards of glass dig into her exposed skin, dotting the pale flesh with beads of blood.

Gideon—Din doesn’t need Ahsoka’s input to know this, for who else could the Seraph be but him?—places the heel of his boot over Satine’s neck. He doesn’t apply pressure yet, but the action in itself has the duchess squirming with panic, hitting at his leg futilely. There is a red light on the comlink flashing insistently, indicating someone on the other end is speaking but they’ve been muted.

“Give me the asset I seek.”

Through clenched teeth, Satine wheezes, “It belongs to Mandalore.”

“I thought you might say that,” Gideon replies, feigning disappointment. “However, in case you haven’t noticed Duchess,” he gestures towards the windows, “Mandalore is dead. My accomplices have made sure of that.”

“You’re a coward for hiding behind others. You don’t deserve the Lightsaber.”

There is a sudden change in the atmosphere, air turning impossibly frigid and crisp.

“I deserve it more than anyone,” Gideon says, angry enough he is trembling. The Seraph’s stance shifts, and although Din has witnessed every type of brutal death imaginable, he flinches at the sound of Satine’s neck snapping beneath his heel.

Gideon rolls her lifeless body over and rips the Lightsaber off her belt, a satisfied smirk on his face. He disappears as quickly as he arrived, reward in hand, and an eerie silence envelops the room. It’s almost as if the palace itself is stunned by the loss of its ruler, struggling to make sense of the merciless act of violence.

Time skips forward again, showing a young bearded-man dressed in military armor clutching at Satine’s body, pressing his forehead against hers as he weeps. Over and over he keeps murmuring apologies for not being quicker, for failing to be there when she needed him, for never saying he loved her.

“How do you know Satine and Obi-Wan are soulmates if they never matched?” Din asks, feeling like he’s intruding on a private moment despite not actually being there.

He thinks of a similarly phrased question he’d asked his angel on their way to Sorgan what feels like entire lifetimes ago: how will I know it’s my soulmate? Her eloquent response remains embedded deep in his memory, safely stored away along with every other moment they’ve spent together. Longing twists like a knife in his side as he allows himself a second of weakness to look at the soulmate marking on his palm.

‘I saw the life they were going to share,’ Ahsoka tells him. ‘Satine Kryze was not meant to die here. She and Obi-Wan should have both survived the Fall of Mandalore, settling down happily with each other elsewhere in the galaxy. Gideon’s greed altered their destinies.’

The palace fades away to reveal a much older Obi-Wan, gray-haired and wrinkled. He’s in Mos Eisley; Din recognizes the crowded spaceport instantly having taken his ship there for repairs numerous times over the years.

‘The universe puts a lot of effort into making sure soulmates match with each other at a very precise moment. Even if the match is rejected, the individuals still had an important impact on each other’s lives. Timing is the most important factor for a soulmate pairing, and if it’s off then the universe will attempt to fix it.’

Obi-Wan stops to help a woman who’s accidentally dropped her shopping bag, contents spilling out onto the sandy ground. She thanks him as he offers her a polite smile, both of their attentions on each other’s faces and not their hands. More specifically: their marked hands. There is the barest brush of their fingertips as they reach for the same item before an invisible blast of energy erupts from their touch, splitting them apart and sending every person and thing surrounding them flying in all directions.

The shock on Obi-Wan’s face matches Din’s own beneath his helmet. He remembers his angel telling him after the failed match with Omera what happened on Sorgan wasn’t the first time an event like that occurred, but she hadn’t been privy to the details. Her superior had told her she wasn’t high enough ranking which Din had thought sounded like a load of bantha shit at the time.

“Ahsoka, what is the meaning of this?” Din asks the questions quietly, but there’s an audible coating of frustration that he knows she won’t miss. “Satine’s dead.”

‘You didn’t reap her soul,’ Ahsoka says. It’s said as a gentle reminder, but it nevertheless has Din feeling like the ground has disappeared beneath his feet as realization dawns.

“I...didn’t.”

A quiet sigh echoes through his head. ‘I forgot how ignorant you can be. You can’t reap a mortal soul that transforms into a new entity.’

“She’s a Cupid,” Din murmurs. Either that or a reaper, but he knows each of his reapers like the back of his hand and Satine isn’t nor has she ever been one. He shakes his head, thinking of Obi-Wan finding Satine’s body in the throne room. “That doesn’t make any sense. Obi-Wan clearly loved her.”

‘Rejection can sometimes stem from a misunderstanding. Satine’s last living encounter with Obi-Wan was him saying so long as he was part of the royal guard they had no future together. She perceived this as him denying he cared about her, not knowing he had made plans to retire in order to ask for her hand.’

In front of Din, Obi-Wan rubs at his soulmate marking while staring at the mess around him, lines of unease and confusion creasing his forehead.

‘You asked, what is the meaning of this moment?’ Ahsoka continues. ‘It’s one of the universe’s attempts to reconnect Obi-Wan and Satine so they experience their matching as they were intended to.’

“But they’re of different statuses,” he points out needlessly. “She’ll outlive him.”

‘Yes, but the matching of soulmates not only influences the lives of the pair, but the lives of other people as well in ways both obvious and invisible. Think of it as a ripple effect.’

“Did the universe’s attempt work?” Din wonders. “Were they ever reunited?”

‘When Satine awoke as a Cupid, it was a surprise to both her and Gideon. Rather than kill her a second time, the Seraph chose to inflict a worse fate. She became the first of her kind to have her memories erased. However, he’d never previously used his ability on another immortal before, resulting in him nearly wiping her entire mind clean. The universe is capable of many miracles, big and small, but every attempt of reuniting the pair failed. It remains the universe’s most profound regret which is ultimately the reason why the universe brought you to Trinomliaxeros without your armor so that history wouldn’t repeat itself.’

There is a strange, heavy feeling that suddenly inflates within the confines of Din’s chest like a balloon. It’s different from the rampant anger he can still detect simmering beneath the skin of his human façade. He tries to shake it off, focusing on his breathing and the desert heat emanating from the twin suns overhead, only to slowly realize that what he’s feeling is fear.

Within his memory he can recall just one other distinct moment in his existence where he felt this spine-chilling emotion, and that moment was experienced on Trinomliaxeros.

“What did you just say?” His voice sounds shaky even to his own ears, but he can’t find any energy within himself to care.

A long stretch of silence fills his head; it’s the fragile kind, too, preventing him from snapping at Ahsoka to answer lest she become angry at him and yank him out the vision entirely.

‘Twice the timing of a soulmate match has been disturbed. The first pair affected was Obi-Wan and Satine. And the second pair was...’

“Ahsoka,” he says when she hesitates to continue, but any additional words he can think of saying catch in the back of his throat.

‘The second pair was you and your angel.’ Another pause of silence, shorter but no less meaningful. ‘Only fifty years ago, she wasn’t an angel.’

This is what Din remembers from Trinomliaxeros: feeling a pull so forceful, impatient and unanticipated it drags him across the galaxy in his civilian clothes, arriving to find the planet engulfed in smoke, unable to see his hand in front of his face, even without his gloves on. Finding skeletal remains burnt to blackened crisps with the souls inside shaking and traumatized, practically leaping into his outstretched hand, knowing either the afterlife or damnation would be better destinations than lingering there even a second longer. Explosions in the distance, bursts of flames as intense and hot as the sun, greedily consuming everything in their radius.

Out of the smoke and darkness, a survivor. A girl, covered in soot and sweat, colliding with his chest. The dead are calling out to him, pleading for him to reap them, to save them. Their voices swirl around his head, clawing at his brain and pounding against his skull. Shoving the girl aside, one foot in front of the other, letting his powers guide him to the next soul. Her voice cuts across the distance, a plasma bolt striking him in the back. We’re soulmates, she says.

His breath stills in his lungs. Fear spreads like a virus through his bloodstream, slipping beneath his defenses, turning him into a stranger within his own body. The declaration is a lie, an impossibility, a delusion. He has no match, hands unmarked, flesh poisonous and lethal. His words, too, are weapons themselves. Sharp, ruthless, desiring to wound her as she’s wounded him. You could never be my soulmate.

And then he’d left her.

This is what Din remembers. But, he thinks, squeezing his eyes shut so tightly it hurts, I’ve remembered everything all wrong.

Phantom hands gently press against the sides of his helmet, offering comfort without caring about the dried blood. He keeps his eyes shut, knowing it’s just a manifestation crafted by Ahsoka in his head. ‘Don’t blame yourself. This was the only viable outcome the universe could produce to ensure the bad timing would be remedied in the future,’ she says, but it does little to lessen the weight on his chest. ‘Your rejection saved her life. It granted you both a second chance of a first meeting.’

“How did—” Din struggles to string words together, to fucking breathe. “She—She knew. What we were. How…?”

The Oracle puts him out of his misery. ‘She found out the way all soulmates do: through touch.’

Din’s eyes fly open at that, and he has to blink a few times to bring everything into focus because there’s him and his angel right in front of him, frozen mid-collision. She’s grasping the sleeves of his coat to keep her balance, the palm of her marked hand touching his wrist. He stares at the point of contact for a moment, then barks out a laugh, hysterical and strangled sounding.

“That’s not possible.”

‘Soulmates can’t kill each other. She’s always been meant to withstand your touch.’

Din swallows thickly, staring at his angel’s face. He hates the question forming on his tongue, but it will haunt him the rest of his life if he doesn’t ask it. “In your visions, when I meet her at the right time, what happens?”

'You’re different by then, less broody and more accepting of the notion you could be loved. You have a soulmate marking,’ Ahsoka tells him. ‘You fall for her hard, even before your hands brush. You love her throughout the entirety of her lifetime.’

“And...when she dies?” The words taste like blood in his mouth.

‘Don’t torture yourself, Death. That timeline doesn’t exist anymore.’

For one brief, fleeting second Din is actually grateful Gideon altered their destinies. However, in the next, he’s trying not to let the fear gnawing at the back of his mind increase as it belatedly occurs to him that the universe is not as infallible as he’s always believed it was.

He wishes he could see Ahsoka, if only so he could glare at her directly. “Everything you’ve shown me has only further convinced me Gideon deserves death. Why have you asked me to promise not to kill him?”

'Do you remember what happens after this moment on Trinomliaxeros?’

Din frowns at the change of subject. “I continued to reap souls.”

'Yes. And then?’

He huffs a frustrated breath through his nose. This is Ahsoka, he thinks, at her most annoying. But, as much he loathes admitting it, this is also the most helpfully transparent she’s ever been. Today may be the only time she trusts him enough to share her visions. He owes it to her to be as open as she’s being with him.

That being said, he’s still wary of the memories he’s kept in the distant, shadowy corners of his mind being pulled into the spotlight. “Tell me we’re not gonna talk about the kid.”

‘We talked about the universe’s biggest regret. It’s only fair we talk about yours too.’ Ahsoka has found the crack in his armor he’s tried so long to conceal, peeling it open without remorse.

She doesn’t spare him time to argue. All he does is blink and he’s looking at his past self locked in a staring contest with a little green-skinned child who is propped up inside a floating, orb-shaped pram.

Of all the buildings and homes on the planet, only its temple had remained untouched by the destruction. Din didn’t know if it had been the structure’s own holy foundation keeping it standing or if it was the personal choice of the mastermind behind the attack, but he’d been drawn to it regardless, finding souls there to reap whose hosts had differed from other victims in that their throats had been slit. The walls of the temple were adorned with intricate murals depicting immortal figures and religious events of ancient history, but before he could observe the artwork closer, a quiet coo had stopped him in his tracks.

When he opened the pram, he hadn’t anticipated finding a baby of all creatures. When their eyes connected, every background noise abruptly ceased. Even the voices of the dead fell silent. Rather than rouse his suspicions, Din had felt only a sense of peace he usually only experienced in the midst of hyperspace travel where the stars were his voiceless companions.

An unspoken conversation transpired between the two of them, one Din still can’t translate into words all these years later, but it concluded with him knowing he would take the child with him.

Din had reached for him unthinkingly, the child lifting his arms up in eagerness to be held, but self-awareness kicked in right before contact and Din retracted his hands away so fast it startled the child into crying, brown eyes filling with tears. Panicked, he surveyed the room, looking for something to put an end to the wailing, before looking down at his own coat, experiencing a lightbulb moment.

“Alright, kid, it’s okay. You’re okay.” Watching his past self shrug off the coat, Din remembers it had been his favorite of his civilian clothes, well worth the cost for its soft fabric and length. He managed to successfully swaddle the child, ensuring his arms were safely tucked away to prevent him endangering his life, and Din exhaled a quiet breath of relief when the tears dried up almost immediately.

However, the ensuing silence wasn’t as peaceful as the previous one. Both past and present Din turn at the sound of distant shuffling echoing off the temple walls from another room.

“Ignore it,” Din tells his past self. “Just take the kid and leave.”

But his plea goes unheard and the past remains unchanged. Ahsoka is silent inside his head, either because she knows he won’t accept any more comforting words or because she thinks he’s undeserving of them for choosing to leave the child behind in his pram, closing it when he starts to whine again, so Din can go investigate the noise.

Din exhales a quiet breath, fingers twitching restlessly at his sides as he watches himself stalk through the temple halls, checking each room he comes across. It’s strange, seeing himself from this perspective. The distanced viewpoint allows Din to glimpse new details he hadn’t been capable of noticing back then.

Such as the reappearance of a familiar Seraph emerging from the shadows to stab him in the back.

Here’s one of the perks about being Death: he can’t be killed. That fact doesn’t mean there haven’t been attempts though. As Death, people sometimes look at his armor as a challenge. Like if they can fire a shot or throw a knife at just the right angle, it’ll wound him and allow them to live longer. Simply put, all those people are idiots.

When he looks like a regular, unintimidating civilian, he’s also been involved in violent predicaments where someone’s attempted to mug him or where he’s tried to save someone else from a similarly sticky situation.

Armor or no armor though, he’s always walked away from these encounters completely unscathed.

Well. With the sole exception of Trinomliaxeros where he was mostly unscathed.

It wasn’t the first time Din had been stabbed before. Usually knife wounds felt like a mild pinch. More irritating than painful, similar to a splinter stuck in one’s thumb. Once the weapon was removed, the damage healed within seconds, leaving behind no scar or proof he was ever attacked.

Usually, is the keyword to note here.

Ahsoka freezes time right when the blade of the Lightsaber is driven straight through the center of Din’s body, bone and flesh as easy to slice through as melted butter. His agonized expression—eyes screwed shut and lips open in a silent scream—would be comical if Din didn’t remember the exact emotions he was feeling in that moment.

Instead of a pinch, it’d felt as if thousands of invisible hands were pulling and scratching at him, attempting to strip apart his human exterior layer by layer—peeling off skin, scraping away muscle and bone marrow, seeking to reach the core of himself where his powers resided.

‘Looks like it hurts,’ Ahsoka says. The return of her naturally calm and neutral tone of voice seems almost cruel given the frozen, graphic display.

Din again wishes he could glare at her. “Is this funny to you?”

‘The transformation of the Lightsaber into the Darksaber is anything but funny.’

Lost in recollection, he failed to notice until now how the blade of the Lightsaber has changed in color from white to black. It’s the same inky hue that absorbs the brown in his eyes, that had dyed his veins during the execution of Hess.

‘The Armorer specifically instructed the Lightsaber only be used against enemies. As a neutral entity, you are, by definition, no one’s ally or adversary. By stabbing you, the saber became corrupted. It is a consequence Gideon still has yet to fully realize the monumental repercussions of.’

Time resumes, Din’s past self collapsing onto the floor, pressing a hand to the throbbing hole in his chest, attention too consumed by the franticness of his powers struggling to repair the trauma to notice Gideon lingering behind him. The Seraph’s stunned look of shock lasts barely ten seconds, morphing into one of deep contemplation as his gaze flicked between the weapon and Din, before he vanished.

When Din recovered enough to stand, he teleported back to the child’s location at once. He needs to get the little guy as far away from here as possible, somewhere peaceful and safe. His planning came to an abrupt halt upon finding the pram open and empty, his coat shredded and scattered about the floor in pieces.

“Gideon took him.” It isn’t a question.

‘Yes,’ she confirms. ‘The child was the intended target of this siege.’

“Why?”

‘He’s...very special.’ There is something about how her voice hitches when she says ‘special’ that has Din’s instincts prickling with alertness, but he holds his tongue. ‘Gideon considers him a tool he can take advantage of.’

The ugly, tight mass of anger swells inside of him and presses against his lungs, resulting in a low growl slipping out of his mouth. He curses his own ineptitude. If he’d paid more attention, hadn’t allowed himself to be wounded, he could have subdued Gideon and spared both his angel and the child from being captured.

“I warned you once upon a time, there would be consequences if you released your darkness,” Ahsoka says, her voice no longer emitting from inside his head. The vision fades back into reality the same sudden, jarring way one wakes up from dreaming. It takes all of Din’s self-restraint not to perform a full-body shake. “Your control is slipping as your rage increases. It’s making you not think clearly which is exactly what Gideon wants. That is the reason I am asking you to promise you will not kill him.”

Put like that, Din no longer thinks her request sounds quite so outlandish, even though he does still remain in the dark as to what consequences exactly will unfold. Ahsoka has remained stubbornly tight-lipped about the topic from their very first encounter, claiming the universe is adamant she can only share the details with one other person and it isn’t him.

“He deserves to die for all he’s done,” Din says quietly, but he’s self-aware to know his resistance is beginning to crumble.

“Between you and me, I think so, too,” she admits in the same low tone. Her ocean eyes are dark and stormy, reflecting her internal turmoil. “But rules are made for a reason and we would be fools to carelessly overlook the consequences of breaking them.”

The accusatory note from earlier has returned with a vengeance. He’s not surprised—of course the universe would utilize the Oracle to express its disapproval—but aggravation still thrums through his veins.

“Hess played a hand in my soulmate’s fate. He called her a whore.” Din’s upper lip twitches with the urge to snarl. “I don’t regret what I did to him.”

Ahsoka sighs. “I was afraid you’d say that. When you swore your creed, you promised the universe you’d only reap a soul when their host’s time has reached its destined end. By killing Hess, you not only broke a sacred rule, you also broke your creed.”

Din recoils, feeling like he’s been stabbed with the Lightsaber all over again.

“...What?” The anger is gone, extinguished by the weight of the revelation. Confusion and wariness are quick to fill the void. “What does that mean?”

She looks away then, but not quick enough to hide her troubled expression. “I...don’t know.”

He blinks, mind scrambling to understand the implications. “Isn’t that your purpose? To know everything?”

“For the very first time, the future’s unclear to me,” she murmurs, eyes briefly turning cloudy as if she’s trying to take a peek at the potential timelines right then and there. She shakes her head a beat later, frowning. “There are many choices left to be made, each one capable of influencing the fate of the galaxy. It is not possible at this time for me to predict our upcoming reality, let alone your consequences. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Din says, because it’s the truth and he doesn’t like seeing her crestfallen expression. Fuck, he might actually consider her a friend after all.

Whatever happens, he thinks to himself, it can’t be any worse to deal with than being separated from his soulmate. If he can survive this, he can survive anything.

“The last promise I made was broken.” He bites back a wince at the memory of his angel’s pinky promise. “But if making another one is the only way you’ll take me to my soulmate, then you have my word. I won’t kill him.”

A ghost of a smile pulls at her lips before she grabs hold of one of his vambraces. “Take me to your ship. I will guide you to her location.”

“You don’t trust me to go alone?” he asks, unsure whether to be amused or indignant.

“No,” Ahsoka replies bluntly.

Din huffs. “Fine.”

“I may not be able to see much at the moment, but I know it’s never wise to turn down support. You’re going to need us.”

“Us?”

“It’s Bo-Katan’s choice to make, but you and I both know she’s never been one to back down from a fight. Especially once she learns Gideon is her sister’s murderer.”

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hellreads · 3 years

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Chapters: 3/4 Fandom: 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS, K-pop Rating: Explicit Warnings: Rape/Non-Con Relationships: Kim Taehyung | V/Reader Characters: Kim Taehyung | V, Reader, Yandere!Kim Taehyung, Yandere Taehyung - Character Additional Tags: kpopyandere, Smut, Yandere Bangtan Boys, Daddy Kink, Spanking, Drunk Sex, Somnophilia, Twins, Obsession, Yandere Bangtan Boys | BTS, Yandere BTS, Stalking, Photography, Reader-Insert, Emotional Manipulation, Abortion mention, pregnancy mention, unhealthy relationship, bts smut, Taehyung smut, kim taehyung smut, Yandere, Yandere Smut, Oral Sex, Non-Consensual Spanking, Non-Consensual Oral Sex, Emotional Infidelity, Dom Kim Taehyung | V, Dom/sub, Love Triangles, Infidelity, Established Relationship, Victim Blaming, yn has low self-esteem, obsessive taehyung, Stalker Taehyung, Missionary Position, Woman on Top

Summary:

Your relationship with your boyfriend hasn't been going well lately. His twin, Kim Taehyung, decides to take advantage of this.

“I know this is wrong of me and I know you probably think of me as some kind of crazy bitch who keeps fucking with you, but I’m telling you now. This is what I want.”

and yes you are a crazy one MC, if you’ve been reading this series since day one you’d know our girl here is in a very uncomfortable and unfortunate situation trying to save her long-term relationship with her boyfriend Minho while having the devil incarnate Taehyung around her testing her loyalty and resolve through and through.

[ SPOILERS AHEAD ]

I don’t think I wrote something for chapter two but that part of the story was crucial for you to see the side of Minho, the side that MC failed to see/acknowledge because she was blindly in love with him, as mentioned before he was master manipulator he knows how to play his cards well in order for people around him to bend to his will and give him what he wants and that was proven when MC decided to make things right by talking to him, ask him what’s going on and prove that what Taehyung told her wasn’t true, that he wasn’t cheating on her and I honestly believe he wouldn’t do that, it’s just Tae shamelessly feeding the two poisonous thoughts so they’d end up separating so he could pursue MC because he always knew that they’re the ones meant to be together. she was made for him as he was made for her.

so long story short Minho spilled the truth and told her he knew everything about the abortion and asked her a lot of whys? actually i’d do the same if I was him, even if she’s not ready it’s just right to let your partner know that you’re having a child together, then you make a decision and let them know that this is what you want to do, what you think is best for you, hiding things like this only feed minds with unpleasant thoughts which made it very easy for Taehyung to plant seeds of doubt by telling the kid might not be Minho’s that’s why she didn’t have the heart to tell him of her plans. but surprise surprise if you thought it was such a sweet moment that the lovers reconciled I viewed it as Minho using the opportunity to pin her down and clip her wings, I truly pity her for not having the voice to tell what she truly feels because Minho was comfortable, they’ve been together for so long it only made sense that they marry eventually even if it wasn’t what she wanted, it was so painful to watch her slowly die on the inside, but also frustrating to know that she was also falling for the wrong guy.

she wanted Taehyung probably because he was similar but also different from his twin, he gave her the attention she wanted, he made her feel things she can’t remember getting from her lover, things were wild when they all got together under one roof, everything escalated quickly and the next thing that happened Minho and MC got engaged and it only put more sinister thoughts in Taehyung’s head he didn’t act out immediately but he had plans, MC added fuel to the fire by wanting to know directly from Tae whether he had feelings for her and then everything just went downhill and he was gone the next day (scenario was wild because MC what are you doing honey?? you okay? please stop playing with fire).

if you’ll re-read from the start you’ll know that MC here is equally manipulative in a way because of what she’s done to Taehyung, sigh everyone’s just wicked in a sense so here they are MC and Minho back together and planning their wedding and Taehyung found someone new to plaster his broken heart, poor new girl for being dragged into this mess, Tae exactly knew how to push MC’s buttons, time may seem like it wasn’t on his side but it only proved him that his patience even though it was testing him was what he needed and true enough it brought MC to his studio way too many times and waiting for her to go away made her yearn for him more and then they meet again and here goes our MC falling into another trap by Taehyung, she really needs someone to guide her jghaksjdgdfhgkd I was kinda happy that she’s finally being true to herself and accepting it’s Taehyung she wants and she will get him no matter what even if it means breaking Minho and Yumi’s hearts, but just when you thought everything would go smoothly MC wandered around and saw the photos that proved she’s been stalked and put two and two together that Taehyung’s feeling were true but also creepy and she needed to get away from him before all hell breaks lose, but unfortunately for her she ran out of time and who know what’ll happen next, idk if she’ll be kept hidden somewhere or if Taehyung would go to Minho and ruin MC then they’ll be together idk there are so many possible scenarios in my head rn but all I know is MC is regretting everything at the moment and if she could go back she would probably never ask for Minho’s number when he saved her.

ahhhh MC you poor child, I hope you learned from this experience and if you ever manage to run away and save yourself don’t look back. | 🍒🍒🍒🍒🍒

#a:kpopyandere #t:snapped #m:kth #g:angst #g:dark #g:infidelity #g:smut #g:taboo #series #ao3 #🍒💣#k:daddy #k:spanking #k:marking #k:pos #k:deg #tw:non-con #read all warnings before proceeding

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nyctolovian · 3 years

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Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Mikotoba Yuujin/Sherlock Holmes | Herlock Sholmes, Mikotoba Yuujin & Sherlock Holmes | Herlock Sholmes, why isn't there a platonic tag for them.... Additional Tags: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Canonical Character Death, Grief/Mourning, Pre-Canon, Regret, Guilt, Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort

Summary: Y'know, just dudes accidentally being dads.

Yuujin apparently didn't have to worry about knocking the door at 1am because he didn’t even have to wait for more than 2 seconds before the door swung open to an already chattering man. Sholmes had a frown on his face as he talked animatedly, "... checked with me! It is incredibly late. There had better be a proper reason why you would require me to open the door for you at this time. What would you do had I been asleep? You most definitely have your key with you so I don't see why you couldn't just…" He trailed off as his eyes travelled downwards to the bundle in Yuujin's arms.

A small pudgy hand stuck out from the folds of the towels. Sholmes' gaze travelled quickly from Yuujin's arms, to his face, to the large medical bag on the floor and to his hands before sighing. "Hm… I see." Wasting no time at all, he stepped aside for the exhausted Japanese man and closed the door without a single fuss.

Yuujin supposed that was the good thing about Sholmes, you didn't need to explain too much to him. And Yuujin couldn't be more grateful for this trait of his tonight; he was in no mood for explaining anything.

Cradling the infant, he sat down on his bed, which creaked under his weight. The baby made a noise as she gazed up at him with wide eyes. For a second, the blue in her eyes shifted to a familiar brown he hadn’t seen in ages, and Yuujin felt a pang in his chest. He tore his eyes away from the child and said, "I- Well, I believe it's, um, her meal time. Herlock, could you make something for her?"

Sholmes followed Yuujin's gaze to the large bag he came in with. "Where did you get it from?"

"The… The mother had it prepared at her home. And I simply… took it."

Sholmes froze mid-bend to look at Yuujin quizzically. "But that would mean…" He caught himself and shook his head.

Yuujin didn't know what conclusion Sholmes had drawn from that but knowing him, it was probably scarily close to the truth.

“It pains me to admit, my friend,” Sholmes said, holding up the bottle and the bag of baby food, “but it seems even my brilliance may have its limits when it comes to the art of making infant food without instruction.”

“Ah,” Yuujin said as he gently placed the child on the bed. “Right. Of course.” After making sure she was nicely settled, he got up with a sigh. God, how much of an old man he was behaving right now, especially when there was an eighteen-year-old around him daily as a direct comparison. He gestured for Sholmes to join him as he prepared the food, describing the process as they went along.

As he shook the bottle, Sholmes asked, “You are teaching me all this because you intend to leave her in my care, don’t you?”

Yuujin flinched. “I… Well…”

To be asked so directly… but that always was the way with Sholmes, was it not?

After taking in a deep breath, Yuujin admitted, “Truthfully, yes. I presume that Jigoku and I might be deported soon and I can’t take this child with me… I am supposed to only care for her temporarily but…” Yuujin had no idea what Genshin had meant. What on earth did he mean when he said, ‘if something should happen to me’? None of it made sense… God, his head hurt.

He shook his head, trying to clear it, trying to focus. “Hopefully, it will not come to it but I have to prepare for the worst. I can’t put this child’s future on vague hopes.”

Sholmes looked back at the infant lying on the mattress and Yuujin recognised the flicker of apprehension in his eyes. His heart squeezed with guilt.

“I’m sorry. This is a lot to ask of you. You’re the first person I thought of but I know I… I am being incredibly selfish." He shook his head. "Please do forget it, Sholmes. I shall look for alternatives. You needn't worry yourself with this."

Before Yuujin could say another word, however, the child on the bed began to wail. He snapped into action, rushing to the child. Gently, he cradled her again and rocked her. “Are you hungry? Don’t worry. We have food,” he cooed. He gestured for the bottle and Sholmes handed it to him.

Carefully, he cocked the bottle to the infant and pressed the nipple to her lips. The crying slowed quickly and the child began to suck at the nipple. She was suckling with such ferocity that Yuujin couldn’t help but laugh at the adorable little face she was making. This baby girl was going to grow up strong, he could already tell.

He thought of the baby—ah, no… she must be 6 years old by now; no longer the baby he had left in Japan… Thinking about it made him so very tired and guilty. That made it a total of two children.

Two children whose mothers he could only watch lose their lives to childbirth, unable to do anything as he cried for hours after. Two children who would grow up without fathers because one was killed by the Professor, and the other spent every day on the brink of complete and utter resignation before he was whisked away to a foreign land. Two children he was leaving in the care of others again, because he was incapable. Two children who were supposed to be his responsibility, placed under his care, yet he had abandoned—was going to abandon—them.

What a useless man he was. He failed at being a caretaker of these children. He was meant to be a father but now it felt like a title he didn't deserve—

“Can I try?” Sholmes broke Yuujin's train of thought, voice quieter than usual.

“Ah, of course.” Yuujin shuffled closer to Sholmes, who took the bottle. The infant’s eyes widened and her lips trembled as the nipple slipped out of her mouth for a second. But Sholmes returned the bottle to the infant, who resumed her suckling with what seemed almost like increased fervour.

“Do not worry,” Sholmes said. “I’m not taking it away from you. You need not react with such sadness and worry!”

“She’s just an infant,” Yuujin chided lightly. “She wouldn’t know otherwise.”

“That's right…” Sholmes said. “Your experience of the world is not even 24 hours! There is very much for you to learn, isn't there?”

Yuujin nodded, but his chest was welling up with worry. Not even 24 hours in the world and, already, her life was looking so… bleak. What on earth was Genshin even going to do?

No, Yuujin would wait. Genshin looked like he had a plan. Surely, he was needlessly worrying.

But the next day, Yuujin heard nothing about Genshin other than the news that he had been executed. So he waited for whatever arrangements Genshin might have gotten to pull through. But days stretched to weeks before, as Yuujin had predicted, the exchange was called off officially and all Japanese students were to be deported. And Yuujin was certain that there was no more hope left.

"It's a bit sad that you still haven't got a name, isn't it?" Sholmes said, lifting the baby up. "After all this while."

The baby let out a joyful noise.

"Actually… I've been calling her little Iris for a while. I-In my head," Yuujin admitted. It hadn't felt right for the baby to be completely nameless. But it hadn't felt right to actually name her either.

"Little Iris?"

"Yes, Iris. Um… named after my… wife, Ayame. But in English," Yuujin said sheepishly. It felt silly now, but two weeks ago, as he held the child and whispered to her gently, he wondered if giving the baby the name of his dead wife might mean she'd be watching over her too. Perhaps she'd protect the child from any more tragedy and harm. Like some sort of protection charm.

Yuujin hoped it wasn’t too selfish, asking his wife to watch over two children like this.

"Iris…" Sholmes repeated. He turned to the child with a smile. "Your Papa has given you a good name, hasn't he?"

Yuujin felt his ears grow hot.

"I'm not her Papa, Sholmes," Yuujin said in a mix of exasperation and fondness, shaking his head. "I thought that much was obvious."

“You worry so much over her, you’re practically her Papa. Don’t pretend like you don’t peer into her cot almost every hour just to smile at her,” Sholmes said.

Yuujin sputtered in mortification, but he had no leg to stand on in this argument.

"Besides, as far as I'm concerned, we're Iris' fathers now," he said. "I'll be taking care of her from now on after all."

Jaw dropping, Yuujin stuttered, "You'll be… what? No, there's no need to do that. I'll search for someone else before I leave. You don't need to do this."

"It's quite alright, my friend!" Sholmes said. "I, the great detective, am clearly a natural at many things including taking care of infants. You can leave Iris in my very attentive and gentle care!"

"But that is simply too much to ask of you.” Yuujin’s heart felt heavy, dripping with guilt and distress. “I’ll try—"

"Nonsense!" Sholmes huffed. "Nothing is too much to ask of me. While I was frankly quite worried at first, time has proven that I have quite a knack for taking care of children. It will be fine."

"No, it's not right to burden you with this. I shall look for alternatives—"

"Surely, you won't be so cruel as to separate us!" Sholmes interrupted. "We get on so well after all. Like a house on fire, wouldn't you agree?" He lifted Iris to eye-level, and she gurgled excitedly.

Yuujin pursed his lips. He sure hoped this was just one of those strange English turn of phrases, rather than something literal. He had been the unfortunate witness to how "on fire" Sholmes could turn a house before.

Noticing the worry still etched upon Yuujin's face, Sholmes said in a more sombre tone, "Truthfully, that night, I was honoured to be the first person you've consulted about this. It spoke volumes of the faith you have in me. And now, I truly do wish to care for Iris… A part of me also thinks that it would be rather nice if… when you come back, you could come home to me and Iris both. And I know how much you’d worry about her back in Japan." He smiled softly at Yuujin. "What do you say, my dear partner?"

“I…” Yuujin gazed at Iris, his eyes burning with the threat of tears again. “Thank you so much, Sholmes."

#dai gyatuken saiban #dgs #the great ace attorney #tgaa #ace attorney #homumiko #angst #hurt/comfort #sorta #fanfic #herlock sholmes #sherlock holmes #yujin mikotoba #mikotoba yuujin #my writing

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