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#i'm pretty sure they mostly get raised by educators

hellenhighwater · 3 months

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Hi Hell, I wanted to get your thoughts on something. My friend who has been vegetarian for close to 30 years is thinking about becoming vegan. His main reason is that the pain and suffering of an animal in the large majority of the animal product industry is not worth the enjoyment he gets from cheese, milk, etc. He hypothesizes that most people are not vegan due to lack of education about the industry’s methods, and because eating meat is so normalized. I mostly agree, but something about what he’s saying makes me feel bad. Maybe because I don’t see myself ever becoming vegan, due to how much I love certain foods, but I like to think of myself as an empathetic and moral person. So I think I just feel quite selfish.

He is a very analytical and logical thinker, and says he wants to find more anti-vegan arguments before deciding for sure, but can’t seem to find many. What do you (and your followers) think? I was thinking you aren’t vegan, but I don’t actually know.

This is very much not my lane, but if you want my two cents then for me it comes down to a few things.

One: there is a basic mass of food that any human needs to consume in order to stay alive. That can be plants, it can be animals, it can be animal byproducts. For the a significant proportion of commercially produced food, there is a negative impact. It's hard to quantify; in some cases it is certainly direct, quality of life issues for animals. In other cases it's more broad environmental impact from commercial farming, or quality of life for the human laborers involved in harvesting etc. It's hard to come up with any objective measurement for harm when comparing individual animal suffering vs human quality of life vs large scale environmental issues. There's plenty of information out there on some of the vegan diet staples and how increases in farming things like quinoa have enormously detrimental effects on their native communities, if that's something your friend is not already aware.

Two: There is a degree of this that is just...unavoidable. Things eating other things is the way living creatures survive, and on a systematic level there's not a ton we individually can do to change things--and on a practical level, there's only so much you can afford to spend on food, and organic, cruelty free stuff is more expensive. There is a level of privilege in being able to choose to spend your money in that way that is not always an option for everyone.

I'm not vegan. I'm not vegetarian. I care deeply about animals, and I'm aware of what commercial husbandry looks like--it's pretty terrible. I still eat meat. I try to do so as ethically as I reasonably can.

I don't have an issue with eating other animals. It's a part of nature. To me, I see the obligation more to do our best to try to get meat (or byproducts) that have been raised as well as we can manage. Free range eggs are pretty easy to come by, if you live in the country. Same with locally made cheeses and butters, even farm fresh milk--some places have self-serve milking that allows cows to roam in pastures and then be milked at will. Price and availability will vary by where you are, but it's more and more common; as more and more people start to care about how the people and animals involved in making our food are treated, better options become more available.

It also should be noted that the animals involved in farming are almost universally completely domesticated. There's no alternative for these animals and their progeny except for life in human care. These breeds require human aid for their own health and safety, because we have been breeding them for (in many cases) thousands of years to rely on us and to develop traits that will not aid them in the wild. If everyone decided, tomorrow, to become vegan, then these animals would need to remain in human care for however many thousands of generations it would take to breed them back to the ability to survive without us, or we would have to sterilize them en mass and terminate these breeds through lack of reproduction. It is not an option to just release these farm animals into the wild. Domesticated animals require human care. Some of them, like pigeons, have gone feral when we abandoned them, but they are not like their wild cousins, and it shows.

Because of the selective breeding involved in domestion, most of these animals are producing byproducts--eggs, milk, honey, wool, etc--in quantities that they do not need. While some species have been bred to do that to their own detriment, most heritage breeds are fully capable of producing more than they need of these things, and there can be true symbiosis between these animals and their human caretakers. Some of these things they need to have removed for their own health. It's an ancient bargain--we keep them safe, and warm, and healthy, and protected, and they give us that which they have in abundance. The problem isn't the animal product, it's how it's produced commercially.

So yeah--veganism is one option, but it is, in my opinion, a narrow scope at an issue that is far more nuanced. I think it's equally ethical to aim for a diet that focuses on local, ethical farming practices--for growing crops, for caring for meat animals, for beekeeping, for chickens and sheep and whatever else we need. We've spent longer than any of us will live making these animals part of our world--discarding them and what they can give us is not going to benefit them. We just have to learn how to treat them respectfully.

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pilfappreciator · 5 months

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ATTENTION TROLLS FANDOM!!

This is very important. Mostly to me but maybe you guys have been wondering this too idk but anyways:

How does troll reproduction work exactly?

Cuz I'm genuinely curious. I dont think anyone on the series production team has said anything and so far I've seen absolutely no one touch on this subject but as someone who's always had an interest in the habits of creatures (both fictional or otherwise), I kinda sorta maybe NEED to know this otherwise I'll never be able to sleep peacefully again

Full disclaimer that I'm specifically talking about the whole egg situation, I am NOT ASKING HOW THEY GET IT ON IF I WANTED THAT ANSWER I'D GO TO DEVIANT ART OR TWITTER OR WHATEVER LAWLESS PLATFORM GOD STEERS CLEAR OF. This discussion shall remain STRICTLY educational, thank you very much

But anywho. Let's dive in

So trolls come from eggs. This is basic knowledge. First instance of this phenomenon (as far as I know, I've only seen the movies) is from World Tour.

Egg pops out of Guy Diamond's hair, egg hatches and BOOM, (literal) baby. Now I understand that this whole sequence was probably just a gag and a way for DreamWorks to implement another (merchandisable) addition to the cast HOWEVER this sequence also raises a few questions

First off, as far as I know Guy Diamond has no partner (again: I haven't watched any of the spinoff shows). Either that or maybe the other troll was a sorta one-night-stand/no-longer-in-his-life kinda situation? Which is great either way cuz its shown he obviously cares for his son and we at Tumblr appreciate a loving single father no matter the circumstances, but if my former theory is correct than that would imply that trolls are capable of reproducing asexually. Like onions.

Now if that hypothesis is, as they call it, "cap" then that would mean that some sorta hanky panky has to go down before an egg comes into question. And if that's the case, does this mean that male trolls are traditionally the ones who carry the eggs?

But that can't be right, can it? Afterall, World Tour gave us yet ANOTHER egg scene later on in the movie

In Cooper's flashback, we clearly see Queen Essence being the one carrying the eggs meanwhile King Quincy is eggless. Now, as far as i see it, this could be explained either one of four ways:

1) Quincy was the one who actually produced the eggs and Essence is merely holding them for her husband (since her hair seems more fitting to be a makeshift nest compared to Quincy's)

2) Female trolls are the ones who produce the eggs. Guy Diamond is just a trans icon

3) Troll reproduction differs from genre to genre

4) There is a... *sighs* a/b/o type of dynamic among troll kind where certain trolls are capable of giving birth/siring children depending on a secondary gender

In regards to theory #3, this could also explain why Guy Diamond seems to reproduce and hatch an egg in such a short amount of time (like 5 seconds I'm pretty sure) as opposed to Queen Essence/King Quincy who's eggs presumably went a while longer before actually hatching.

Actually, speaking off eggs, are trolls the only species in their world that reproduce that way?

Because now that Band Together has officially been released, we now know for certain that it's possible for different species to crossbreed. Biggest example? Resident DILF Bruce and his giant muppet wife

(Credit to @captainunderkrupp )

When I saw these two... I swear...

And these two already have a shit ton of kids okay so like... either Brandi was the one giving birth or trollsona Daveed Digs was over here pumpin out eggs, which I mean-

DO YOU SEE HOW BIG THESE THINGS ARE COMPARED TO BRANCH AND POPPY?? Believe me I am PRAYING that Bruce gave himself some serious maternity/paternity leave because my guy is honestly a trooper

But yeah any thoughts? :))

#i made a whole nother tumblr account just to ask this question pls somebody gimme their thoughts PLS-#i want someone at dreamworks to make an educational encyclopedia about the different species of the Trolls Universe im not asking for much #Bruce and Brandi make me feel some sort way #i will not be specifeying what way #trolls #trolls band together #trolls world tour #poppy trolls #branch trolls #spruce trolls #bruce trolls #brandi trolls #guy diamond #tiny diamond #gueen essence #king quincy #but thats just a theory A TROLL THEORY #pilf post

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tanadrin · 3 months

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The Gish Gallop was a term coined I think on the 2000s internet for a rhetorical maneuver where to buttress an argument you provide a ton of low-quality evidence; that the evidence is bad means it should be easy to refute, but the very large volume means it will take much longer to explain why it's all wrong than it did to copy-paste a bunch of links, and to a certain kind of very naive onlooker, it looks like the galloper is winning--after all, the one interlocutor has presented a ton of evidence! The second interlocutor has to spend so much time bending over backwards to refute it! Surely the first guy is more knowledgeable and authoritative. You aren't going to look at all that evidence yourself, of course--who has the time?

But listening to Dan McClellan talk about the Gospel of John this morning, it occurs to me that I don't think this is disingenuous. Not entirely. I think this is just the style of argumentation a lot of Christians (of a particular religious flavor) are used to. And I'm not just talking about in non- or para-religious matters like evolution. This is how Christianity understands the Bible.

This week's Data over Dogma is about the theology of John, and why it is non-trinitarian (because the Trinity is a much later doctrine developed as a kind of political compromise, maintained only because it had state backing) and does not actually identify Jesus with God (the theological developments are more complicated here; but suffice it to say it was not at all a given that "authorized bearer of the divine name" and "actually God" were the same being in 1st century Hellenistic Judaism, and indeed the distinction between the two had developed in Jewish thought precisely to avoid the awkwardness of anthropomorphic figures proclaiming themselves God in some of the older sections of the Hebrew Bible).

The funny thing is, there are a ton of passages in John that get trotted out as proof texts that Jesus is God. There are very good reasons in the case of each one to doubt that that is actually the correct reading; but of course, if you don't know anything about Greek, all you have are modern translations produced under the assumption of the dogma of the Trinity--mostly for devotional readers of the Bible who would be outraged if the Trinity wasn't in the New Testament--and you have been raised in a cultural and/or educational milieu where it is simply a default assumption about the way the world works that the Trinity is a timeless concept that has been in the Bible from the beginning, it sure looks like one side is spinning up tendentious arguments based on silly semantics that have nothing to do with the religion you learned as a kid.

But this exegetical approach (really, eisegetical) is common to many topics in traditional Christian theology. There are a ton of passages from the Septuagint that the Gospels warp to be about Jesus, even though, in their original context, this doesn't make any sense; sometimes even they're based on obvious mistranslations, like having Jesus ride into Jerusalem on the back of two animals simultaneously because you don't understand appositives. And you can poke holes in any individual bit of this exegesis, but psychologically having a ton of low-quality evidence for a thing is a pretty effective bulwark against thinking critically about that evidence; for every individual argument you knock down, the person you are arguing against is probably thinking, "yeah, but what about all that other stuff," even if they can't actually name all that other stuff in the moment.

And it's not mendacious! This is the stuff of true belief; this is how you get breathless Christian commentators saying the Bible couldn't possibly be written by human hands, because it so perfectly predicted Jesus even in the Old Testament--and the evidence they point to is, to anyone not steeped in traditional Christian exegesis, and especially to Jews who have their own exegetical traditions, absolutely barmy. Like really pants-on-head crazy stuff. But of course even now it is still being processed, in many parts of the world, through a two thousand year old tradition trying to reconcile it all and to normalize it all, and--to bring it back to discussions of evolution on the internet in the 2000s--I can't help but think of all those people who talk about the experience of thinking evolution was so obviously nonsense, because all they were exposed to was the fundamentalist strawman of it. When they finally sat down and began to read about it on their own, from unbiased sources--often with the intent of criticizing it--they realized how distorted their understanding was, and how limited their supposed outside view.

(If there are general lessons to be wrung from this situation, I think it's simply "beware of echo chambers." Social consensus in a bubble can make bad arguments feel much stronger than they really are, especially if you are not exposed to the actual opposing view. Be on guard against mistaking "quantity of evidence" for "quality of argument," especially if you're not gonna evaluate that evidence yourself. Also all religious traditions are fundamentally eisegetical, because in order to keep holy writ relevant to the community its meaning has to be constantly renegotiated. So, uh. If you want high-quality exegesis, ask an academic, not a theologian.)

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user2772636 · 13 days

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Mr. Beauty and Brains

A chicken shop date

《~/♧\~》

An interview with a famous philosophy professor who gained fame from being one of the youngest in his field and being an attractive one, too. Is an interview for a first date too much?

~~~

Professor!Joseph Descamps x Interviewer!Reader

Warnings: None, just fluff

Yes, this is in direct reference to Amelia Dimoldenberg's Chicken Shop Date.

~~~

Joseph Descamps was just a normal philosophy professor. He taught at an English university, a bit far from home, but it pays well.

Emphasis on was.

When one of his students posts a video of him with the caption, "When your philosophy teacher is your age," he goes from living a normal life to worldwide news.

Everyone commented on his young age, yes, but they mostly comment on how good-looking he was. Back in France, he wasn't really considered good-looking. More so "mid-looking." He guesses it's him growing out his hair.

So, maybe, just maybe, when you were scrolling through your news feed and found the man in an article called "Young and beautiful: Philosophy professor gains fame," you thought to interview him.

It would benefit you and your fans. Your fans because they seem to be interested in the man, too, and you because your channel can grow. Plus, a date with beauty and brains? Who would turn that down?

So when you got in contact with him, asking for a date-interview, expecting him to say no, he surprisingly agreed.

There you were now in that chicken shop, ready for a date with the hot philosophy professor. What could go wrong?

《~/♧\~》

"I actually watch your videos." Joseph says casually, dipping his fries into some ketchup and nibbling it down. Though he teaches in London, his french accent is very audible.

"Really?" I ask in disbelief. I didn't know professors, especially pretty ones like him, watched videos like mine.

"Yeah. That's why I agreed." He chuckles, taking a sip of his drink. "I saw your text and didn't believe it. I was in the middle of my class, my students were taking an exam, and then suddenly, your name popped up. I literally stood up from my chair in shock. Ask one of thosw kids, they'll tell you."

I laugh at the situation, then act unsurprised. "Oh, yeah, well, I tend to give people that reaction. You know, Jude Bellingham quite literally passed out."

He laughs out loud, whipping his head back. When he regains composure, he asks a question that gets me weak in the knees, and I'm already sitting down.

"Yeah?"

Fuck, he sounded good. It's weird to think he's a teacher.

"Yeah."

"Well, anyone would if it's a date with you." I smile slightly, blush coating my cheeks.

"I know."

《~/♧\~》

"I heard you used to model." He chuckles, bringing a hand to the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I did. Just needed to pay for my own education." He tilts his head, smiling up at me. Why is he so cute?

"That's cool. I mean, you are pretty tall." I shrug, keeping my act up. He smiles at this even more.

"Why do you act like that?" He asks, voice low.

"Like what?" I act dumb, nibbling on my food.

"Like you hate me." I squint, looking to the side.

"Well, what if I do?" I raise my eyebrows in question.

"You don't." He's right. I don't.

"How are you so sure?" I clear my throat, the tension in the air thick.

"I just do." He leans back in his chair. "But that's alright. Turns me on."

"Yeah, I totally hate you." He laughs a breath, and I roll my eyes with a smile.

《~/♧\~》

"What's your type?" I ask, sipping on my drink.

"Um, probably smart girls. I like them smart." He nods, and I nod along.

"Well, not to brag or anything, but I competed in maths all throughout high school." I purse my lips, shrugging. He leans in with endearment.

"Did you really?" He seems so eager. I'm suddenly thankful for all of the late nights I stayed up during my school years.

"Yup. Nothing special." I take a bite of my chicken, and Joseph only stares with wide eyes and a half open mouth.

"That's... That's fucking hot." He leans back, wiping a hand on his face.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic." He chuckles briefly, leaning back in with his arms on the table.

"Oh God, marry me." It was my turn to laugh. When he doesn't laugh with me, my smile drops.

"Are you serious? Why?" I furrow my brows, genuinely confused. This beautiful and smart man in front of me wants to marry me?

"Cause I'm in love with you? I mean, I got a job early in my age, maybe I should get married early, too." He shrugs as if it were simple.

"In your dreams, Mr. Descamps." He licks his lips with a smile, and I almost melt.

"I was hoping for an "I do", but that works, too. I'll dream about you." Why does he have to talk like this. Damn the french.

《~/♧\~》

When I get reminded of the fact there's a camera crew neside us recording every single interaction, I secretly wish they hadn't captured the way his knees touched mine under the table, or how his fingers fiddled with the tips of mind when both our hands were on the table.

We were about to say goodbye, when-

"Can I get your number?" Joseph asks, towering over me with his hands in his pockets. I was gonna say yes a million times, then pull him in to make out with me, but that's a bit too much. Some teasing might work.

"What, you want another interview?" I ask, smiling a bit up at him.

"No. But I won't mind it. I just want you." I blush at this, my legs feeling jelly again, worse now that I'm stood up.

"Sure, whatever, I don't care." He hands me his phone, and I jot the number down, not failing to notice the name,"Mrs. Descamps" placed on the contact already. I don't stop it.

"I'll text, I promise." He purses his lips, looking at me with genuinity. I smile softly, kissing his cheek.

"I know you will." I get up on my tip toes to kiss his cheek.

《~/♧\~》

So, you may or may not be on the top most tweets on the internet, name next to Joseph's on the tag, "#MrDescampsCSD."

After the video was posted, people started shipping you. They gave you the ship name "J-Y/N." You wouldn't say it bothered you, because it doesn't.

And yes, the media caught you kissing his cheek. And yes, they think you're dating. But who's dumb enough to believe that?

"Chérie?" A voice calls out from your flat's corridor, followed by the door closing and keys dropping on the table.

"In here!" I shout from my place on the couch. I feel lips press on my temple.

"Half day today, I told you. I'm making lunch." Joseph Descamps says as he peeks at what you're reading.

"What's J-Y/N?" He squints his eyes at the screen, trying to read a bit more. I pull the phone from his sight, sitting up.

"Nothing you need to worry about, joli. Come here." I stand up, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. Always, after work, no matter what time he gets off, he'll receive a hug and more from me.

He sighs deeply, loosely wrapping his arms around my waist and inhaling my scent.

"I needed this."

"You always do." I kiss his hair, swaying absentmindedly.

Okay, you have to admit, it's pretty cool thinking that you were just interviewing him and now you live in the same place. He was only a professor before he met you. Now he's in love.

《~/♧\~》

This is so cutesy. Also made this bcs of lando. Like ik im late asf but atleast its smth 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

#joseph descamps #joseph descamps x reader #mixte1963 #fame au #professor #interview #chicken shop date #fluff #social media #fanfic #reader insert

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gendrie · 3 months

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curretly thinking how much Arya would have loved Arianne or Margaery, they would have really helped her be the person she wanted to be. Arya would have loved them so much and I'm sure if Arya had known them she would have wished they were her sister.

its a fun and interesting thing to consider on a lot of different levels (which i guess is why your ask inspired me to go off on some insane tangent)

margaery has quite a bit in common with arya: avid horseback riders, highly sociable, energetic, close with her brothers. its funny that sansa views one as her ideal sister while continuing to disparage her real sister's ghost as marg takes her on an active, outdoorsy date where they're hunting and riding (not unlike what arya wanted to do in sansa's 1st chapter) generally, arya was restricted from hunting type hobbies.......despite the fact it always been a common activity for highborn women.

which is a major flaw in grrm's early worldbuilding that marg and arianne (among MANY others) emphasize. in agot we get a glimpse into arya's upbringing and the expectation is an extremely narrow feminine ideal. sure, arya is given a lot of freedom to play but her (and sansa's) education is mostly left to an incompetent septa. they're clearly being molded for a mostly ornamental role and that is at odds with the rest of the text. ive complained about this before bc catelyn is not a vain character. she values practicality and duty. she was a teen bride and ran riverrun (+winterfell) from a young age. so why are her daughters being turned into dolls by an outsider? why werent practical skills prioritized?

for relevant context: in agot im fairly certain we get only one (1) adult northern born woman on page: maege mormont who is fierce, outspoken, and wields a weapon. (slightly ot note:) i hate the show as much as the next person but arya being a proficient archer from jump wasnt actually a half bad idea........precedent for that in canon too from rohanne webber to alysanne blackwood to ygritte. the wildlings are another notable example of northern women. so riddle me this: if 99% of the north's female characters break the feminine mold (lyanna, arya, wylla, the mormonts, the wildlings, meera, alys) why are they treated as the exception by the fandom? *syrio voice* i am wondering! (im not actually its bc tumblr dot com values the traditionally feminine ideal)

and i dont buy that its exclusively a north vs. south issue. when we meet the tyrell women we see that marg has been raised by olenna to be shrewd and capable. but catelyn is a deadbeat mother lol. neither arya or sansa think about her giving them guidance, advice, lessons, ect. arya was, apparently, just told to look pretty. catelyn's main memory of sansa is that she has nice hair. like.......ok. grrm is on record saying he regrets not developing the relationship between cat and her daughters, but unlike my next point this is something he never even tried to fix.

theres a real lack of female companions in general to start. now to grrms credit he clearly realized this oversight AND attempted to course correct with success imo. ie: arya's storyline in braavos features a lot of female characters (a trend i expect to only grow stronger in twow). as do most of the others.

arianne and her crew are an even more dramatic southron example. arya is treated like a freak for wanting basic autonomy; then we go to dorne and those girlies do whatever the hell they want for the most part: spears, studies, sex, ect. doran only draws the line at treason bc they were fucking up his own shit. but yeah needless to say arya wouldve flourished.

similarly, i love to think about arya being fostered on bear island or post series some of them joining arya's household. im genuinely desperate to see her interacting with the mormonts. i start shaking when i think about aly en route to braavos.

my point here is that i think the dynamic we're introduced to in winterfell, among the female characters, in agot looks very unusual in hindsight. and the worst part is that arya gets regarded by the fandom as a pariah who's only fate could be exile bc she doesnt meet an oppressive standard set by one annoying septa who made her feel bad about herself.

#ask #i didnt realize i had so many thoughts on this lol #some contradiction is natural btw #but i think a lot of it is just a symptom of first book world building being less developed

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decks-writing-blog · 4 months

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Taming Houndeyes

Summary: Kleiner shows Eli and Alyx his tamed houndeye puppies.

[A/N] We were robbed of houndeye guard dogs so I wrote this. Also, big missed opportunity on how little Elisaac content there is with all the family fluff opportunities it brings with since Kleiner's her stepdad. Also, also, referring to Kleiner as Isaac, because that's most likely how he thinks of himself, felt weird. I'm sure I'll eventually get used to it though since if I want more content for this ship I have to do it myself so I will probably do more.

Having never owned a dog before Isaac couldn’t know for sure but if he had to make an educated hypothesis, he’d say training a houndeye was more difficult than even the most stubborn of dogs. It was certainly more difficult than taming Lamarr had been. Not impossible though, no matter what Barney said or how many times Eli said the same but in gentler words. Or how many times either them suggested he spend his time doing something important to help their budding resistance efforts. How Isaac had ended up becoming an important part of the team guiding those efforts, he still wasn’t sure, but he was helping.

Proper dogs were in rare supply these days. Not that houndeyes were particularly more plentiful but they were less conspicuous. Unsaddled by the precedent of humans using them as guard dogs, no one who didn’t know would easily suspect they were filling such a roll. … Mostly though Isaac just couldn’t bear to let the learning opportunities provided by having a small pack of houndeyes at his disposal go once he’d already acquired them. He was a scientist first and foremost after all. So he kept trying.

His efforts finally started to bear fruit once he successfully got a pair of them to mate. Turns out, like their Earthly namesakes, houndeyes gave birth to a live young and produced milk for them. Once weaned, getting them away from the pack for training was difficult but Isaac had long since discovered how to protect himself from the houndeyes’ shock waves and what foods could be used to distract them for a time. Once he had them alone, training still wasn’t easy but he did make good progress until finally…

“Eli,” he says as he burst into the room they’d decided would act as Eli’s lab and office. It still wasn’t much yet and they didn’t dare put too much into it until they were sure this place would be safe enough to allow them to stay for a while – unlike their last attempt at maintaining a safe base – and it was small but it was good enough for now.

Inside, Eli sat at his desk. Alyx sat in the other chair across from him. Between them were a strewn out mechanical parts that they both looked up from to turn towards Isaac instead. Considering how she’d responded to the robot Eli had finished building for her last year, that she’d affectionately named Dog, Alyx would likely enjoy this news too. And so before either of them could ask…

“Come with me. I have something to show you two.”

Alyx immediately hopped off her chair and rushed over to look up at him, excitement twinkling in her eyes. “What is it?” How much she took after Eli was endlessly heartening. How could humanity possibly be as doomed as it at times seemed when there were still young people like her so eager to learn everything there was to learn?

“Yes, Izzy, what is it?” Eli said as he stood much more slowly.

“Follow me.” Isaac turned and left, trusting them to follow. Which they did of course.

It took all of Isaac’s self control to hold in an explanation until the reached the young houndeyes’ kennel. Thankfully a short walk even with going at a slower pace to allow Eli to easily keep up. Alyx made a small, “Ooh,” sound as he opened the door and lead the way in. Normally she wasn’t allowed in here lest they hurt her but Isaac was pretty damn sure they were safe before deciding to do this. Eli, apparently trusting him, made no complaint as he stepped in next.

Once the door was shut, Isaac raised his fingers to his lips and let out a quick sharp whistle. Immediately the young eyehounds stopped what they were doing and rushed over. As trained, they stopped a foot or so away from him and sat, looking up at him, waiting for their treat. He obliged them of course, reaching into his lab coat’s pocket and tossing each on single small silver of meat. Luckily they liked rat meat best, the easiest animal to still come by.

“You really did it, huh? You tamed the beasts.” Eli said, putting his hands on his hips as they watched the houndeyes eat. “I suppose I never should’ve never doubted you.”

“No, you most certainly shouldn’t have. I forgive you though, it was difficult. And I still haven’t taught them to alert for Combine approaching but they can do simple tricks. So it’s only a matter of time before…”

“Can I pet one?” Alyx interrupted.

Isaac took a breath to say ‘yes’ but Eli interrupted him. “I’d prefer it if you didn’t. They’re not exactly domesticated even if they are tamed.”

“They’re Izzy’s pets though so he gets to decide.” She turned to look up at him, turning on her puppy dog eyes. “Please, Dr. Izzy, can I pet them? I will be good and gentle, I promise.”

The combination of that look and her calling him ‘Izzy’ – something she’d picked up from Eli and knew could be used to get him to do things – made it really hard to say ‘no’. Especially since Isaac hadn’t had a problem with the idea. But even if he was helping to raise her, did he have any right to call the shots on what she was allowed or not allowed to touch? He loved her but even he had to admit he wasn’t always the best at knowing what was safe for adults, let alone young children so… “How about you come in here to help me train them a few times to make sure they’re comfortable with your presence before you pet them?” He looked up at Eli for approval.

Alyx turned to look at him too. “Can I?”

Eli thought about it for several seconds before replying. “Sure but one of us has to keep a close eye on you whenever you’re in here with them, got it?”

“Got it!” And just like that it seems Isaac had a new houndeye training assistant. “Could we keep one as a pet once it’s all trained too?”

“Uh… let’s see how they’re training goes first, huh?” Eli said and was probably right with his caution as he often was. Isaac liked that idea though and would certainly be looking into having one ready to just hang out in the lab, as a pet and as another bonus line of protection should the Combine forces find their hideout. … Mostly, yes, as a pet though.

#half life #half life 2 #elisaac #isaac kleiner #eli vance #alyx vance #houndeyes

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phoenix-king-ozai · 8 days

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Also if Zhao did kill Zuko, Ozai would be pissed not just because he may in a twisted way care about him, but also because that'd mean all the effort and resources he put into him was wasted.

Seriously Ozai probably put a lot of resources into Zuko's education and training. He spent over a decade trying to raise an heir and if Zhao actually did get rid of Zuko, that would mean all of Ozai's work was for nothing and I imagine he'd be very pissed because of this even though he has Azula to fall back on.

Not to mention, kids are not cheap, not just financially but they take time and effort to raise, time that Ozai does not have. Ozai is middle-aged and while I think he could have another kid if he had to, it'd be a huge inconvenience for him. Zhao would've effectively set Ozai back by ten steps all for the sake of beefing with a teenager.

Children indeed are very expensive regarding money, time, and effort. However, Ozai is the Fire Lord and money and time aren't really an issue considering that Iroh probably had Lu Ten at Ozai's current age of 45 given that Iroh is probably 15 years older than Ozai with Lu Ten probably being at least 10 years older than Zuko.

I'm pretty sure that Ozai ALWAYS saw Azula as his rightful and true heiress due to her natural skills, talent, and genius. However, Ozai also ALWAYS had an emotional attachment towards his children including believe it or not Zuko as well. Ozai does care about his firstborn son despite not viewing him as WORTHY of the Fire Lord's title and its Burning Throne as Azula is.

Ozai's relationship with his children and brother is mostly focused on them conforming to the ideals of Fire Nation Royal Family and Fire Imperialistic Ideology. Azula in Ozai's mind just like himself are the Golden Standard regarding being a potential contender for Fire Lord and ruler of the Fire Nation. You must process a personality of ambitiousness, ruthlessness, aggressiveness, determination, and necessary disregard of morality especially regarding military decisions that impact the success of the Fire Nation's Manifest Destiny or rather Mandate of Agni that is glorious conquest & expansion in the nationalistic cause of their nation.

The fact that Iroh abandoned the seige of Ba Sing Se over the death of his son was a grave selfish and personal failure in Ozai's eyes. Countless soldiers as fodder died in battle and warfare. To break cohesion and abandon your duty of achieving absolute historical victory over their enemy is nonessential, nonsensical, and completely disregards the vision and sacrifices that have been made in the past by their Grandfather Sozin and Father Azulon as Fire Lords of the Fire Nation. This is also why Ozai had no issue with the sacrifice of the 41st Division due to the military situation and tactical gain from the costly victory. War is a walk through hellfire and some personal sacrifices are made that are burned to ashes. This is the concept that destroyed Iroh and Zuko doesn't understand yet Azula does. Azulon also does understand Ozai's mentality of the necessary sacrifices yet plays favorites and cares more about Iroh's personal suffering rather than his complete humiliating and disastrous failure to their family and nation's prestige, glory, and historical victory.

Ozai would be livid and furious that a uppity Commander recently made Admiral executed his son exjudicially without his father: the Fire Lord's approval and consent. Ozai probably would have Zhao tortured by Blood Pheonix and killed by immolation for the horrible and catastrophic failure of a Seige at the Northern Water Tribe that caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers in useless vain. 🔥🌋

youtube

#atla #avatar: tla #avatar: the last airbender #avatar: the legend of aang #sozin #azulon #iroh #ozai #zuko #azula #zhao #fire nation royal family #fire nation siblings #fire nation imperialism

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jynrso · 7 months

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exorcism

baldur's gate has taken over my life since it came out for the ps5 and now that i've finished my first playthrough (that took me 80ish hours), i couldn't get this scene out of my head!! this isn't a reader insert fic –– though i call my oc tav, this fic deals with her specific backstory. appearance wise, i tried to keep it vague, but her scars and tattoo play a role in it. i haven't played dnd though i tried to do some research about the sinner tattoo option –– i couldn't find anything about it so i decided to give it my own backstory (and if it does have a backstory/affliation, we can just pretend it doesn't!) adding on to that, i've done my best to keep things relatively vague since i'm not super well-educated on the lore i'm super nervous to write in a new fandom –– it's been a few years since i've written something outside of rogue one. regardless, i hope you enjoy! read it on ao3!

It’s the middle of the night when Astarion wakes from his trance, an empty spot next to him in his bedroll. Ever since Tav decided to share his tent (can’t get enough of him, cheeky little thing), he’s gotten used to her warmth at his side, so much so that it’s almost difficult to rest without her there.

(He’s gotten greedy –– he’d gone two hundred years without this sort of non-sexual intimacy and now he can barely last a few hours.)

He gets up slowly, keeping his footsteps light and quiet. It doesn’t feel like anything is wrong but he leaves his tent cautiously, just in case. It takes him a few seconds to find her but once he does, he frowns.

There she is, sitting by herself on the very outskirts of camp, just out of earshot of everyone else. It’s late enough that most of their other companions are asleep and yet here she is, hours after her watch shift, seemingly wide awake and hunched over one of her daggers. He’d thought –– well, he’d seen her sharpening her knives earlier that day. Surely they’re sharp enough?

The first of many alarm bells begins to ring in his head and he makes the decision to check on her, just in case. This, combined with her anxious, overly paranoid behavior over the past few days troubles him. If she just wants to be alone, he won’t push. But if there’s something truly wrong. . .he’s new to this whole “romantic relationship” thing but he’s pretty sure that means he should try and comfort her.

(He wants to comfort her. It’s an odd feeling, not one that he’s used to.)

“Darling, you’re looking positively maudlin sitting over here by yourself,” Astarion exclaims quietly, making his presence known so as not to startle her. He approaches Tav with his arms open wide, posture easy and light with his usual dramatics, but there’s a hint of concern underlying his words, just barely perceptible.

He perches next to her on the log she’s claimed on the outskirts of the camp, leaving a small gap of space between them. “What’s got you looking like you want to chop everyone up into little pieces, hmm?”

The last remnants of the campfire flicker over her profile as she turns her face slightly to the side, one of her eyebrows raising in response. But her focus remains mostly on the dagger in her hands, the repetitive drag of her blade against a whetstone filling the air for a few fraught seconds.

He’s just about to probe again when she finally speaks. “Just thinking about tomorrow,” she says. Her lips twist wryly, in a move that he doesn’t entirely believe to be genuine, when she adds, “I’ll admit, I’m eager to finally get my blades into Gortash.”

And if he hadn’t known her so well, he wouldn’t have been able to see the microexpressions that flit across her face: the way the corner of her mouth tightens ever so slightly, how her gaze briefly darkens with shadows. The other rogue is good at hiding but he is, too –– even better at noticing it in the people he. . . cares for.

“Oh, you always know just the right words to get me all riled up,” he replies smoothly, but he’s not going to let her get away with brushing off what’s clearly bothering her that easily. “But I don’t think that’s all that’s on your mind, is it?”

It never fails to surprise him that he actually does care. While his affection for her had started off as a manipulative attempt to make himself invaluable to her, over the past few weeks, his feelings for her have morphed into something real. And no matter how hard he’d tried to get her out of his mind, he just couldn’t.

His opinion of her had shifted after the tiefling party, when she’d offered her blood to him for the first time. Prior to that moment, when she’d woken up with his lips on her neck, she’d threatened to stake him should he try that on her or any of their companions ever again. But then ––

(“I trust you won’t take more than you need,” Tav says, untying the leather gorget from around her throat. It’s only half a threat –– Astarian can see the faith in her eyes (the faith in him!) and is momentarily floored by it.

He’d say something flirtatious if he could even think, but all thoughts fly out of his head the moment he sees the expanse of skin she’s just bared to him. His tongue darts out to lick his lips, eyes darkening at the possibility of feeding.

And then he sees her neck –– properly sees it. There’s a large scar covering the expanse of her throat, jagged and uneven, curling up toward her jawline. If he had to guess, someone had gotten behind her with either a dagger or garrote wire, and she’d fought back, if the messiness of it was anything to go by.

She’s a survivor. He’d known this already, having seen the scrappy and dirty way she fought, and this only confirmed his prior assumptions. Oh, but this makes her so much more ––

“If there’s not enough room, just bite somewhere else,” she mutters, her voice cutting through his internal musings. She looks away from him, jaw clenching, clearly misunderstanding the path his mind has gone down. Her eyes harden. “Maybe this is a mistake –– ”

He strides over to her, takes her chin gently, and nudges her face up to meet his gaze properly. “There is plenty of room,” he purrs, practically ravenous at the thought of sinking his teeth into her neck. But there’s a line he won’t cross, not with her. “If you’re. . .still willing?”

She searches his gaze for something he can’t quite identify but evidently finds what she’s looking for after a few beats. With a determined glint in her eyes, she tilts her chin back and exposes more of her throat to him. She warns him again, “Only a taste.”

As if he could ever be satisfied with only a taste of her.)

“I want to stab Gortash. That's all.” Her words are firm and decisive. The lightness from earlier has left her voice, eyes narrowing.

Astarion clicks his tongue in impatience, pushing further. This only confirms that there’s something he’s missing, a piece of the puzzle that he’s yet to put together. It’s more than this whole mess with the tadpoles and the Absolute –– he bets it’s more personal.

“Come now,” he tsks, “I hardly find it fair that you know all my deepest darkest secrets . . . and yet I barely know a thing about you.”

The other rogue levels him with a flat look, an edge entering her tone. To anyone else, her expression and the blade in her hands would leave them reeling –– but not him. “Neither one of us is the type to play fair .”

Humming in agreement, he takes a risk and moves closer to her, their arms and thighs brushing. She, like him, struggles with gentle touches like this; whereas she’s always looking for an opportune blade, he finds it difficult to remember that he’s more than what his body can provide someone else.

But once she’d told him that she didn’t want more than he could give, that she didn’t expect anything out of a simple caress or kiss, he couldn’t get enough of her, to touch her just because he could.

“Maybe not,” he acquiesces, tilting his head to the side. He swallows, then adds, not fully comfortable with what he’s saying but needing to nonetheless, “But. . . you were here, after that whole mess with Cazador,” he tells her quietly. “Now I’m here. And I –– I want to be here. For you, for whatever it is. You don’t have to tell me, but if you want to. . .I’m here.”

Tav’s gaze shifts from him and instead moves to a point in the distance. Even though she tries to hide it, he can see the tension in her expression, the rigidness of her muscles, and the strained pull of her mouth. She’s afraid, he realizes, on edge. Not of him, but of whatever secret she’s got locked away.

Finally, she sets her shoulders as if preparing for a fight and asks him a question he doesn’t expect. “Have I ever told you about the tattoo on my face?”

The tattoo in question is a single word right on her cheekbone and underneath her right eye: “sinner.” It had struck him odd when he’d first seen it; though facial tattoos are hardly uncommon in Baldur’s Gate, the lack of decoration and placement makes it seem more like a brand than an aesthetic choice.

Upon learning more about her past and how she’d been close to making a name for herself in the criminal underground before the nautiloid had picked her up, his suspicions had eased some. Sinner. A classic –– if not somewhat obvious –– choice for a woman who’d crafted a life built from illegal activity. Though he’d found it strange that someone working under the noses of the authorities would have such a defining, identifiable mark, he’d had bigger concerns than her aesthetic choices.

But the mention of it now, in this setting, leaves him feeling off-balanced, unsteady.

As she speaks, she angles her face slightly so he can examine it properly. Upon closer inspection, he notes the jagged and crooked lines, the uneven application of the ink. A third of it is partially obscured by faint scarring. It looks almost like someone (or perhaps, Tav herself, he realizes with a frightening clarity) had unsuccessfully tried to claw it off her face.

Astarion shifts, throat dry from his unpleasant realization. His words sound a bit forced when he answers her question, an attempt to put the two of them more at ease. “Well, love, I overheard you telling Wyll that you’d gotten it after you’d stolen your first piece of jewelry worth more than a thousand gold.” He taps his chin in thought, putting on a dramatic air to try and cut through the discomfort. “Then, of course, you told Gale you’d gotten caught stealing from the church in Rivington and lost a bet.”

She huffs out a small but amused breath. It’s barely noticeable, though he perks up upon hearing it anyway, a warm feeling spreading across his chest. He’s not good at this but at least he’s gotten one thing right.

Tav nudges him with her shoulder, muttering fondly, “You’re so nosy.”

Taking it as a compliment, he preens at her praise. “Really, though, darling, you must keep better track of your lies. Wouldn’t want your wires to get crossed, so to speak.”

She scoffs, shaking her head. “An amateur mistake. It’s just. . .” she jabs the blade of her dagger into the dirt in between her knees as she thinks. “They know it’s a lie, I’m sure, but it’s easier to make up stories. To. . .pretend that it didn’t happen like it did.”

The tension hangs in the air between them, interrupted only by the soft chirps of wildlife and the occasional snore of one of their companions. Tentatively, he reaches out and takes her hand, giving her time to pull away before he laces their fingers together. Small physical touches like this always help him so he figures. . . “If it’s too difficult to talk about –– believe me, I get it.”

“No, I –– ” she grits her teeth, jaw clenching. “I want to tell you –– I want you to know.”

At his side, his free hand flexes helplessly.

“I took a job a few years ago,” she starts finally, shifting her gaze so she’s once again staring at the ground. “It was with a team I’d worked with once or twice before and the specs of it. . .it was too easy. I should’ve known better but. . .” she trails off, lost in her head.

When the silence goes on, he prompts quietly, “But you did it anyway?”

“I did,” she exhales. “It was supposed to be my big break but we got caught. Fists burst in out of nowhere, rounded us up, and threw us into the prison under Wyrm’s Rock. Nothing unusual. But then –– and I still don’t understand why –– a group of them blindfolded me and took me out to a carriage. I thought it was a standard prisoner transport. It. . .” she laughs but it sounds wrong, sounds broken. “It wasn’t.”

Astarion’s never liked the Flaming Fists and their versions of justice but hearing this makes him want to destroy the whole organization singlehandedly, to rip apart each and every individual responsible for making her sound like this. He hates it, hates the way her voice wavers when he continues her story. And he’ll take his time, too, draw it out until they’re begging him for––

“They took me to this. . .I don’t even know what to call it,” she murmurs, cutting through his murderous thoughts. He shakes his head slightly, refocusing on her. “Soon as I got there, these people sat me down and told me. . .” her expression shifts into something more pained; in response, he squeezes her hand tighter, feeling hopeless.

He doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t know how to comfort her, how to properly care about her like the others might. The way she listens to every memory he tells her about Cazador seems effortless; she always knows the right thing to say and do. But here he sits, absolutely useless, unable to do anything but hold her fucking hand.

“It was some religious group. They told me that I had sinned but I could still be saved. That they would save me.” Perhaps unconsciously, she forgets her dagger on the ground next to her and reaches up to her cheek, covering the tattoo with her hands. Her nails dig into her skin, an exact match to the faint marks crossing it.

Without thinking, he reaches over and gently tugs her other hand from her face. She blinks, as if being released from a trance, and finally turns to look at him, eyes wide and uncertain. Shifting sideways on the log so his upper body faces her, he holds both of her hands with his own.

A bit frantically, he combs through his memories to try and remember how Tav pulls him out of his head. In the wake of a nightmare when all he can see and feel is Cazador, she’ll touch him gently and gather him to her chest, murmuring quiet stories into his ear as he struggles to maintain his sense of reality. It’s her that brings him back: her voice, her smell, her touch. Cazador has destroyed almost everything in his life but not this. He hasn’t touched her.

Maybe he can be that touchpoint for her, too. (Gods, he wants to be.)

“Stay with me, darling,” he says lowly, an undercurrent of urgency in his voice. “Don’t lose yourself in that beautiful head of yours. You’re here, with me.”

Her expression wavers but she forces herself into her usual neutrality, taking each emotion that slips through her mask and forcefully shoving it back down. For him, for his fucking sake. “I know,” she exhales shakily. “Just –– let me finish so we never have to talk about this again.”

After a beat of hesitation, he nods slowly. Who is he to judge her limitations, just because he’s uncertain? “I’m here,” he promises, voice serious. He surprises himself with how much he means it. “I’m listening.”

“It was just a different kind of prison,” she tells him quietly. “And I –– I was there for only two fucking years and then the nautiloid –– “ her voice hitches. “I didn’t, at first, but then –– I think they drugged us, all of us fucking sinners, and –– and then it was just easier to –– ”

The sound of her voice breaking combined with the look in her eyes. . .he’s never seen her cry, not even when she’d taken an arrow to her gut. It’s always stoic silence from her –– at first, he’d had to work to get her to even crack a smile at his quips. But the sight of her watery eyes (no tears, even after all this) snaps the fraying thread left of his restraint, especially when he knows firsthand what it feels like to lose all sense of your identity, to be treated like a spawn or a sinner instead of a person.

He reaches out and gathers her into his arms.

Her hands curl in the front of his shirt as she shakes. Astarion clutches her to his chest, arms banded around her back as she buries herself in him, getting impossibly close. She’s done this for him so many times that it feels like second nature to comfort her in the same way, to let her take shelter in him for as long as she needs.

A soft, wounded noise leaves the back of his throat involuntarily. He tucks his face into her hair, closes his eyes to stop the wave of sadness that threatens to overcome him. “Say the word,” he tells her fiercely, his words hissing out in an angry breath. “Say the word and I’ll burn their entire fucking organization down. ”

She doesn’t even need to say it. Already, his mind churns with possibilities of how he can sneak out one night and find it on his own, to round everyone up who’d ever hurt her but leave their fates to her justice.

Against his shirt, she lets out a muffled, wet laugh. When she pulls back, he doesn’t let her go far, resting his forehead against hers and cupping her face between his hands. Her eyes flutter closed when he brushes against her tattoo with his thumb, rubbing back and forth in a soothing motion.

“It’s harder than I thought, being back in the city,” she confesses. “I keep thinking that someone’s just going to grab me and take me back. That they’ll. . .” she shakes her head, unable to speak the words.

How she’s been acting lately slowly begins to make sense. Her jumpiness, her eagerness to take more than her fair share of watches. With the way they’re closing in on the Absolute, it’s not difficult to draw parallels between that cult and whatever group had taken her captive all those years ago.

“I won’t let them take you,” he vows to her, pulling away slightly to better see her expression. At her look of slight disbelief, he cuts her off before she can interrupt, “And if they somehow do . . .well, I’ll just have no choice but to come after you.”

The corners of Tav’s mouth curve up into a smile. Astarion presses a kiss to her forehead, smoothing away stray strands of hair before pulling away, but he doesn’t go far. “And don’t you think for a minute that I’m alone in thinking this way. If something happens to you? I may be the first –– and let’s face it, the most dashing –– but all of them,” he gestures to their sleeping companions a few feet away. “They’re not going to be far behind.”

When Tav had told him that she would be at his side to take down Cazador, he hadn’t believed her, not at first. And when the others in their merry band of misfits had joined her –– joined him ––

“It’s strange having friends, isn’t it?” she wonders quietly, tucking herself in his side.

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he swallows once, then nods. He doesn’t need to say anything; she knows almost as well as him that this is the first time in more than two hundred years that he’s had people he can rely on.

The two of them sit there for a few minutes, staring into the dying embers of the fire and listening to the sounds of the world around them. His brain spins with the weight of everything he’s just learned about the woman in his arms, a tight feeling balled up in the middle of his chest.

Astarion is accustomed to wanting. But this? Caring about someone else, enough that he’s willing to burn down the world for them? That is a new feeling. . . but not an unwanted one.

He turns his head to look down at her. Tav’s eyes are closed, her breathing having evened out just by being in his presence alone. She’s not asleep, though she’s much calmer than she had been before. A little longer, then he’ll get her up and back to her bedroll. But for now, he marvels at the trust she’s placed in him to let her walls down and let him in. She sees him –– and now, for the first time, he sees her properly, too.

It’s not love, not yet. It may be in the future, once they’ve both healed a little more. But for now, it’s enough.

#baldur's gate 3 fanfiction #bg3 fanfic #astarion fanfic #bg3 fic #astarian/oc #astarion romance #oc: tav #my writing

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abybweisse · 7 months

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I'm wondering if Vincent, Rachael, and Madame Red told/shared every story, or every real facts of wisdom of what they knew with Our Ciel and Real Ciel before they died. Do you suppose that Aunt Francis is doing the same?

Imparting wisdom?

I'm pretty sure they didn't, because our earl seems clueless about a lot of things that happened when his father was earl and watchdog. And Madam Red wasn't in Vincent's inner circle, because she wasn't shown in that pic with the evil nobles, and she didn't even know who Undertaker was before our earl investigated the Jack the Ripper case.

Beyond trying to prepare Lizzie to be the watchdog's wife, I don't think Francis/Frances is saying much of anything about what happened back then. And I don't know how much she knew either, anyway. She knew Vincent was watchdog, but her concerns had more to do with training the kids certain skills, like sword fighting, so his heir would be ready for the eventuality of replacing him... and her daughter would be ready to step up as the new watchdog's wife.

This makes me wonder what Francis/Frances thinks about many of her brother's decisions, including choosing Rachel as his wife. She might have previously argued with him about choosing a wife who would not be able to fend for herself, let alone defend him, in an altercation. I suppose he thought Rachel's personality and intelligence would be enough... and his sister didn't agree... which we see in how she raises Lizzie. Because she raises Lizzie to be the way she thinks the queen's watchdog's wife should be, and that's quite different from Rachel. Both can be girlish when the occasion calls for it. But Lizzie is intelligent but mild-mannered and physically deadly, whereas Rachel has a sharp and naughty wit but is physically frail. 🤔

Though Rachel definitely used her wits to deal with the twins, and they seem to have picked some of that up from her, I don't think she gave them much actual information about being watchdog and earl. She seems to have mostly emphasized the tradition and honor of inheriting the title and role.

The twins were being eased into the role one would eventually need to fill, when they desperately needed the nitty-gritty details as soon as possible. It's just that Vincent and Rachel were removed from their roles sooner than either of them had expected, right? Otherwise, they would have better prepared their sons... right?!?

I suspect everyone who had pertinent knowledge about the watchdog role just... thought they had more time to impart knowledge than they ended up with. Like another five years or so? It's like no one really wanted to tell these kids how dangerous their lives would be or how they would have to do all sorts of underhanded activities to bring others to some form of justice. There was a "let them be kids as long as possible" attitude surrounding them. When they needed to learn all the tools of their future trade. And when they needed to know all the dark secrets.

And the people who could have helped since then, like Tanaka, Chlaus, Undertaker, and Diedrich. Why aren't they telling our earl everything they know as soon as they see that our earl has returned to the manor and staked his claim? Simply because our earl is earl and watchdog now... and not asking? Do they assume someone else already told him?

Actually, it makes me wonder if real Ciel was getting an entirely different education whenever our earl wasn't at the same lesson....

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raid3r-r4bbit · 7 months

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THE OC LONG LIST THAT MADE ME WANT TO CRY THINGIE!!!!!

@fuzzydreamin this was so much worse than i anticipated. IM TAGGING NOBODY BECAUSE I HAD TO GO OUTSIDE AND SIT ON MY PORCH FOR 15 WHOLE MINUTES AFTER MY COMPUTER CRASHED AND I LOST THE WHOLE THING :D!!!!!)

HOWDY! AS of posting, I'm on my way to the airport and going to be traveling to wasteland weekend, and while my posting's already been a little erratic in the last few days its about to do that again lol. I might have time to do some stuff while hanging out at the airport and while in air, not sure about actually at the air bnb and shit, but whatever. so no promises, no guarantees, treat it like a Wishlist, drop an ask or two (fr idc) and i might draw something. I will even make memes. OK Das it for announcements

(Lmao i typed this whole thing up and then my computer fucking crashed, saving none of it, so take two ig.

Fair warning, I make more drug references than probably needed in this, and made a fun little list at the end for you all. There's def a bunch of spelling errors, sorry I dont have the time to fix it all. I've also jumbled details about all of them together because of overlap, so if you really want to know you have to read the whole goddamn thing) Ok have fun reading.

JOLT ✧˖°. PERSONAL $ Financial: wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty ✚ Medical: fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / non-applicable ✪ Class/Caste: upper / middle / working / unsure / other ✔ Education: qualified / unqualified / studying / other ✖ Criminal Record: yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed crimes, but not caught yet / yes, but charges were dismissed ( The four of them aren't nessiciarily impoverished, or living in poverty, but it's hard to expand when you're either living in a small city or traveling in a small trailer, life isn't the worst, nobody's strugling to make ends meet (not that anyones charging them rent, though.) but at the same time, they arent living in some kind of mansion. Jolt mostly manages money in the group, and all together they do pretty well.

Jolt is muscular, but he tends to over do it with training and fighting, occasionally skipping meals, definitly fit though. there isn't much of a caste system within the story, you've either got someplace to stay or you dont.

Jolt, like the rest of them, hasnt had a "proper formal education", but he's the most well written of the group, able to read and write in both spanish and english, as well as being fluent in both. His mathmatical skills are enough to get by with, simple maths. He's also read a lot of history books in his free time, so he knows a suprising amount of US history, not that most of it matters anymore.

Most of the time, the crimes he's commited have been done in places where it doesnt really matter- around other raiders, killing people in arena style fights, ect. He's not got the stickiest hands, but he's swiped a few things in his life. Over all, he's intimidating and skilled enough to swipe stuff without gettign caught.)

✧˖°. FAMILY ◒ Children: had a child or children / has no children / wants children ◑ Relationship with Family: close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased/?????? ◔ Affiliation: orphaned / abandoned / adopted / found family / disowned / raised by birth parent(s) / not applicable (Jolt is worried about the idea of raising children in the wasteland without a solid comunity or stable way of life, and he's also concerned about his own addiction and behavior affecting them, but he enjoy the idea of being a parent and raising kids.

Before everythign happened, his family was a very close unit, definitly closer to his mother than his father, though. His father rough around the edges, but overall a good man. His mother wanted to make sure her kids were intelligent and capable, and enjoyed passing on information from her life, and her family, history, to them. His siblings and him were also quite close, often depeneding on him when his mother passed away.

Jolt's mother died when he was around 14-15, and his father passed away a few weeks before he turned 19, after which he left his siblings. Over time he eventually found himself tangled with a few people and groups but never really found a home until he was tangled with Bux, Keres, and Rikki. The four of them make up a somewhat weird but very close family.)

✧˖°. TRAITS + TENDENCIES ♦ extroverted / introverted / in-between ♦ disorganized / organized / in-between ♦ close-minded / open-minded / in-between ♦ calm / anxious / in-between ♦ disagreeable / agreeable / in-between ♦ cautious / reckless / in-between / highly contextual ♦ patient / impatient / in-between ♦ outspoken / reserved / in-between ♦ leader / follower / in-between ♦ empathetic / vicious bastard / in-between ♦ optimistic / pessimistic / in-between ♦ traditional / modern / in-between ♦ hard-working / lazy / in-between ♦ cultured / uncultured / in-between / unknown ♦ loyal / disloyal / unknown / highly contextual ♦ faithful / unfaithful / unknown ((yea im not explaining all of that))

✧˖°. BELIEFS ★ Faith: monotheist / polytheist / atheist / agnostic ☆ Belief in Ghosts or Spirits: yes / no / don't know / don’t care / in a matter of speaking ✮ Belief in an Afterlife: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care / in a manner of speaking ✯ Belief in Reincarnation: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care / in a manner of speaking ❃ Belief in Aliens: yes / no / don’t know / don't care ✧ Religious: orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious ❀ Philosophical: yes / no / highly contextual ((spoilers?) Jolt's belief's are similar to Kere's somewhat pagan in nature, but also a bit alternative. One of his major beliefs is that most people are inherently evil, and people who claim they aren't are often far worse.)

✧˖°. SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION ❤ Sexuality: heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual ❥ Sex: sex-repulsed / sex neutral / sex favourable / naive and clueless ♥ Romance: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favourable / naive and clueless / romance suspicious ❣ Sexually: adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious ⚧ Potential Sexual Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all ⚧ Potential Romantic Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all (Jolt is demi Romantic and Pansexual, He doesnt really have a prefrence sexually, but romantically he isnt really insterested in dating women, (on top of not already being interested in dating.) He's previously been promiscuis, having hooks up and one night stands but mostly as a result of need or drunken mistakes. He's pretty tied to keres, however.)

✧˖°. ABILITIES ☠ Combat Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ≡ Literacy Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ✍ Artistic Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ✂ Technical Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none (Jolt has pretty extensive training and combat experience, and is likely not someone you want to pick a fight with, he does loose advantage in ranged combat, not being skilled with guns, and not being very fast and flexible, but he's pretty much gaurenteed to at least break limbs (at least ) in hand to hand combat.

There a few things he forgets how to spell, and occasionally forgets words in english/spanish, but nothing outside the normal relm of someone who's bilingul. He's decently literate though, and enjoys reading and writting.

Jolt paints fequently and paints things like aniamls and plants to catolauge them, writing down information as he learns about them, either for saftey, hunting, or foraging, sometimes even receipes. He's not super skilled at it, and struggles to draw people, but it's still a hobby of his.

He's skilled with things like cooking, construction, and he's pretty good at taking care of weapons/ maintaining them. he's not great with machinery, things like cars and what not, he is decent at wiring though, and can hot wire cars in case of emergency. )

✧˖°. HABITS ☕ Drinking Alcohol: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / alcoholic / former borderline alcoholic turned sober ☁ Smoking: tried it / trying to quit / quit / never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / chain-smoker ✿ Recreational Drugs: tried some / never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / addict ✌ Medicinal Drugs: never / no longer needs medication / some medication needed / frequently / to excess ☻ Unhealthy Food: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / binge eater $ Splurge Spending: never / sometimes / frequently / shopaholic ♣ Gambling: never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / compulsive gambler (Jolt isnt an alcholic in the same what your mom isnt an alcholic but drinks 2-3 glasses of wine every night, except it's whiskey or burbon. He doenst really drink to get drunk, maybe a little bit buzzed, tipsy at most, but over all just enjoys the warmth from alcohol.

Jolt smokes pretty regularly, often smelling like it too. Nicotine is one of the only things that helps his hands from trembling, but also makes it worse in the long run.

He's got pretty hardcore psycho addiction. while using he's either highly aggressive and manic, but often is subject to bad trips becoming emotional and mostly inconsolable. He also uses day tripper and marijuana, but less recreational and more medicinal, using them to manage his psycho addiction and mental health issues.

stimpacks, med x, rad away, rad x for all of them, jolt also uses buffout but like a pre-workout/training situation, often only taking half a dose. He also uses Calmex but as directed.

Jolt dies most of the cooking, cooking a lot of mexican and native dishes (or as close as he can get) so mostly things fluctiate from extremely healthy to very deep fried. He really enjoys spicy food more then sweet food, and his favorite foods are often served over rice, or fried. Some of his favorites are Pemmican (my mom made this a lot as a kid and its like a larabar with meat. highly reccomend), Tamales, and menudo (personally, i hate tripe, it makes me want to crawl in a hole and die, but my mom loves and says its very good for you.)

He's pretty stingy with money, budgeting everything, drugs, drinks, cigarettes, food, everything is included. Every so often he'll splurge on new spices or food, paint suplies, or on something as a surprise for Keres (which is usually new herbs or candles.) He also enjoys buying and trying unique cuts of food or veggies or meats he's never tried before.

as for gambling:

gambled once, and vowed to never do it again. He does do betted fights, but he's rarely lost a fight, picking his opponents carefully.)

KERES (im switchin up the placement bite my ass i dont care) ✧˖°. PERSONAL $ Financial: wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty ✚ Medical: fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / non-applicable ✪ Class/Caste: upper / middle / working / unsure / other ✔ Education: qualified / unqualified / studying / other ✖ Criminal Record: yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed crimes, but not caught yet / yes, but charges were dismissed (Keres is a little chubby, but not really over weight, just kinda thicc, but over all they are healthy.

Keres has proably had the best education of the group, learning both "traditional" subjects and also more alternative once (natrual medicines, and other things)

Surprisingly, Keres isnt really into the whole stealing things thing, and will pretty much only use violence as a means to protect themselves or their friends.)

✧˖°. FAMILY ◒ Children: had a child or children / has no children / wants children ◑ Relationship with Family: close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased ◔ Affiliation: orphaned / abandoned / adopted / found family / disowned / raised by birth parent(s) / not applicable (Keres isn't sure if they want kids, or can even have them. Keres is intersex, and with their specific condition it isnt impossible, just highly unlikely. As for wanting kids, keres hasn't really been around enough children to know if that's what they want, basically raising Rikki and taking care of Bux pretty much fufills that need for them.

Keres had a close but strained relationship with their family, their parents being strict, but not rough or hateful. They chose to leave after taking in Rikki, seeing that their family wasnt really capable of feeding more people. Keres has five other siblings, none of which they're particularly close with. Over all like the rest of the group, its mostly a found family type situation.)

✧˖°. BELIEFS ★ Faith: monotheist / polytheist / atheist / agnostic ☆ Belief in Ghosts or Spirits: yes / no / don't know / don’t care / in a matter of speaking ✮ Belief in an Afterlife: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care / in a manner of speaking ✯ Belief in Reincarnation: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care / in a manner of speaking ❃ Belief in Aliens: yes / no / don’t know / don't care ✧ Religious: orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious ❀ Philosophical: yes / no / highly contextual (again, very pagan like, but keres holds more beliefs than Jolt, believing things like almost anything pre war, with some exceptions (mostly the trailer and shoes if needed, other vehicles, and some simple things like abandoned tins, jars ,mugs ect.) are inherently evil and useless, and that items that are prewar are not to be used.

They spend a lot of time meditating, or crafting spells for the others, things like talismans and pocket spells.

Their over all belief is a bit similar to traditional Native American beliefs, celtic and/or norse paganism, and a few other things that have, like everything else in the wasteland, evolved or changed over time.)

✧˖°. SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION ❤ Sexuality: heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual/Other ❥ Sex: sex-repulsed / sex neutral / sex favourable / naive and clueless ♥ Romance: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favourable / naive and clueless / romance suspicious ❣ Sexually: adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious ⚧ Potential Sexual Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all ⚧ Potential Romantic Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

(Keres is androsexual, preferring men/masculine individuals.)

Keres is mostly blind, having severe cataracts in both eyes. they could read previously, and with some aid still can. Jolt and Rikki often sit down and rewrite books using extra pressure so that keres can read the indents (like braille but none of them know it.) have several books they can use. Other wise, they are literate. they also know some spanish, not enough to be considered fluent, but enough to hold private conversations with Jolt right in fron to rikki and Bux.

Keres isnt the most technically skilled, they can sew decently well, can crochet and knit at alarming speed for someone with little to no vision, and again, despite being blind, makes a decent medic.)

✧˖°. HABITS ☕ Drinking Alcohol: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / alcoholic / former borderline alcoholic turned sober ☁ Smoking: tried it / trying to quit / quit / never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / chain-smoker ✿ Recreational Drugs: tried some / never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / addict ✌ Medicinal Drugs: never / no longer needs medication / some medication needed / frequently / to excess ☻ Unhealthy Food: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / binge eater $ Splurge Spending: never / sometimes / frequently / shopaholic ♣ Gambling: never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / compulsive gambler (Keres drinks occasionally with the others, but otherwise rarely drinks. they enjoy the taste of alcohol, but they dont enjoy the feeling of being drunk, or getting disoriented. On occasion, they may get a little tipsy, provided someone is there to help them get back home.

They enjoy the smell of cigarette smoke on other people, but not the taste of inhaling smoke. they've smoked before, but never really enjoyed it.

Keres smokes a lot of weed, but also has a decently high tolerance to it, rarely actually getting high. They dont have a lot of anxiety but they seem to be a bit inattentive without it. They also use Jet, a lot, it helps again from being disassociated, or over stimulated, using it to regulate themselves.

Most medicinal medicines keres uses are once they've made themselves, and are usually tinctures, teas or topical ointments. Keres loves anything Jolt cooks, being unable to cook themselves, rikki being unable to handle spices very well and Bux incinerating everything he "cooks". His style of cooking is nearly identical to their families' and Jolt's curiosity for trying new receipies is exciting to keres, as it mean flavor and textural variety. They enjoy savory and bitter foods, and also fermented dishes. Keres doesn't really have any particularly favorite dishes, but anything with seafood, jerky, or fried is likely to be enjoyed. All that being said, they won't eat anythign pre-war. Probably for the best.

Keres is not allowed to buy things. They will spend all their money on candles or yarn.

Keres has never had in interest in gambling, but is inexplicably good at dominoes.)

RIKKI ✧˖°. PERSONAL $ Financial: wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty ✚ Medical: fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / non-applicable ✪ Class/Caste: upper / middle / working / unsure / other ✔ Education: qualified / unqualified / studying / other ✖ Criminal Record: yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed crimes, but not caught yet / yes, but charges were dismissed (Rikki in on the underweight side of things, being incredibly thin. her anxiety makes it oftenndifficult to eat of keep food down. She's had no education, and Keres and Jolt have attempted to teach her how to read and write, with very little success. Jolt often sits down with her, making little work sheets for her. She picked up math pretty quickly however, and enjoys doing the various math problems the pair have her work out. Rikki is a little bit of a kelpto, and her small size and bubbly personality make it easy for her to get away with taking things, caught or not.)

✧˖°. FAMILY

◒ Children: had a child or children / has no children / wants children ◑ Relationship with Family: close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased/unknown ◔ Affiliation: orphaned / abandoned / adopted / found family / disowned / raised by birth parent(s) / not applicable (Rikki is scared at the thought of having children. It's not that she doesnt enjoy children, it's just the idea of the entire proccess is traumatic for her.

Rikki doesn't know if she has siblings, She thinks she has a brother or a cousin. She knows she has a father, but she knows very little about him. the relationship between them is nonexsistent.)

✧˖°. BELIEFS ★ Faith: monotheist / polytheist / atheist / agnostic ☆ Belief in Ghosts or Spirits: yes / no / don't know / don’t care / in a matter of speaking ✮ Belief in an Afterlife: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care / in a manner of speaking ✯ Belief in Reincarnation: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care / in a manner of speaking ❃ Belief in Aliens: yes / no / don’t know / don't care ✧ Religious: orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious ❀ Philosophical: yes / no / highly contextual (Rikki doesnt hold an particular beliefs, but enjoys watching/listeing to Keres and Jolt talk about things, and occasioanlly participates, enjoying having her palms read, or using tarot cards with keres, or listening to jolt ramble about nature while they forage together.)

✧˖°. SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION ❤ Sexuality: heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual ❥ Sex: sex-repulsed / sex neutral / sex favourable / naive and clueless ♥ Romance: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favourable / naive and clueless / romance suspicious ❣ Sexually: adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious ⚧ Potential Sexual Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all ⚧ Potential Romantic Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all (Rikki is Aceflux, she fluctates through various states, but over all reamains asexual, and is sexually replused. She isnt oppsed to the idea of being romantic with someone, but is often to anxious to persue a relationship.)

Rikki is surprisngly good at math, but also not very great at reading.

She can maybe draw some stick figures, but enjoys doodling with Bux.

Rikki is great at sewing, and also extremely talented at maintaining and fixing guns, and other mechanical weapons.)

✧˖°. HABITS ☕ Drinking Alcohol: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / alcoholic / former borderline alcoholic turned sober ☁ Smoking: tried it / trying to quit / quit / never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / chain-smoker ✿ Recreational Drugs: tried some / never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / addict ✌ Medicinal Drugs: never / no longer needs medication / some medication needed / frequently / to excess ☻ Unhealthy Food: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / binge eater $ Splurge Spending: never / sometimes / frequently / shopaholic ♣ Gambling: never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / compulsive gambler (Over all, most subsance use on her end is pretty casual, rikki basically enjoying her freinds being around her and partaking a little bit here and there, or enjoying a drink on a nice after noon. She's the "designated driver" who cant actually drive.

Rikki is a very picky eater, typically subsiding off of simple sandwiches, or soups that are made specifically because of her squeamish nature to texturally adventurous foods, and she cant handle spicy foods to save her life.

Rikki likes to buy herself nice things sometimes, occasionally going overboard and buying mostly uselss trinkets.

She's a pretty decent gambler, and most of her money is made gambling people who clearly aren't great at what they're trying to do.)

BUX

✧˖°. PERSONAL $ Financial: wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty ✚ Medical: fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / non-applicable ✪ Class/Caste: upper / middle / working / unsure / other ✔ Education: qualified / unqualified / studying / other ✖ Criminal Record: yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed crimes, but not caught yet / yes, but charges were dismissed (Other than the excessive drug use and munchies, Bux's pretty active, and stays pretty thin. He's got a good bit of muscle, and he sometimes has a little chub, but he's definitley not as fit as he could be.

He was in school for a bit before his parents divorced, he father then pulling him out of school to work on the farm. Bux has probably the stickiest fingers of the group, he could steal an entire cart of stuff and not only would you not see him do it, youd have no idea where any of it went. )

✧˖°. FAMILY

◒ Children: had a child or children / has no children / wants children ◑ Relationship with Family: close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased ◔ Affiliation: orphaned / abandoned / adopted / found family / disowned / raised by birth parent(s) / not applicable (He's not keen on the idea of having kids. he'd rather avoid them entierly.

He's got a complex relationship with most family members. He doesnt resent his mother, but he's upset with her for not taking him with her when she and walter divorced. Then she married Perry. Perry's great, super nice, and seems like he actually enjoy's Bux's enjoyment of machines and tattoos. But he still had two kids with his mom and didnt think to invite him over even once.

His two sisters adore him, having an older brother who got in trouble for sneeking out and hanging out with a bunch of raiders seems cool to them. He however, does not want to spend time with them. He doesnt hate them, but he feels a twang of envy and sometimes guilt everytime he sees them.)

✧˖°. BELIEFS ★ Faith: monotheist / polytheist / atheist / agnostic ☆ Belief in Ghosts or Spirits: yes / no / don't know / don’t care / in a matter of speaking ✮ Belief in an Afterlife: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care / in a manner of speaking ✯ Belief in Reincarnation: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care / in a manner of speaking ❃ Belief in Aliens: yes / no / don’t know / don't care ✧ Religious: orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious ❀ Philosophical: yes / no / highly contextual (jesus himself could decend from heaven and bless this boy personally and he still wouldnt believe, but he swears up an down he's seen mothman.)

✧˖°. ABILITIES ☠ Combat Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ≡ Literacy Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ✍ Artistic Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ✂ Technical Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none (Bux is not well trained in combat (despite Jolt's attempts.) but is still pretty skilled. Mostly melee, and using his terain to his benefit, prefering to ambush or corner people.

Bux can read, just not well or quickly; on top of needing to focus to read, he has no ability to focus, so he often seems illierate, but he's just a little stupid. He (and Rikki) only speak english, so hearing jolt constant swearing in spanish, or jolt and keres talking "serect older adult stuff" right in front of them is frustrating. Rikki's tried to pick up spanish, but picking it up from two affulent people (who aren't trying to teaching you) is harder then it looks (sounds?); Bux on the other hand, has chosen to ignore it.

Jolt is normally the one considered the artist of the group, and sure, when it comes to drawing plants and animals, he's better than Bux, but when drawing people Bux is usually better. Bux likes making more abstract desgins, anyways. He's maybe not the best with paint and paper, but he can tattoo something else.

On a technically level (on all levels except physical) Bux is pretty impressive. with machines, anyways. He seems to speak to the hardware, and know where it goes. software is a little trickier for him, which isnt saying much cause you could probably hand him a peice of technology he's never seen or heard of and be able to fix it after about five minutes of inspecting. ✧˖°. HABITS ☕ Drinking Alcohol: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / alcoholic / former borderline alcoholic turned sober ☁ Smoking: tried it / trying to quit / quit / never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / chain-smoker ✿ Recreational Drugs: tried some / never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / addict ✌ Medicinal Drugs: never / no longer needs medication / some medication needed / frequently / to excess ☻ Unhealthy Food: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / binge eater $ Splurge Spending: never / sometimes / frequently / shopaholic ♣ Gambling: never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / compulsive gambler (When it comes to drinking, smoking, and drugs, Bux makes the others look like they only rarely or barely use. He's so constantly high or drunk that the few times Jolt has seen him sober he's been genuinely worried. If he's able to come down from it all gracefully, he hits a major low pretty easily. Often mopey, quiet, avoidant, and typically irratable. If not, He's more likely to have a shakey, screaming meltdown. Keres and Rikki cant handle the meltdowns, and Jolt is freaked out by the mellow (even if his highs can be annoying) so the group does not prevent him from indulging in his habits. He'll pretty much drink whatever, smoke whatever, but in general, Jet is his drug of choice. Jet, weed, and maybe a little calmex (generously spared by Jolt at the request of Keres when they travel.) other than the occaisonally calmex, he's taking mostly uppers.

Bux enjoys a good bit of Jolt's cooking, but he's not a fan of the more 'explorative' dishes, and isn't quite accustomed to other culture's foods, so he can be rather picky. He however, will devour anything prewar, very happily. His favorite are the yum yum deviled eggs. Jolt has attempted to make him fresh, homemade, non irradiated, likely moldy, and properly seasoned deviled eggs, but Bux still prefers the stuff out of the box. He does think Jolt's pork n' beans is better, though.

While not quite as bad as Keres, Bux is also not allowed to spend his own money. He gets an allowance though. He enjoys gambling, too, so that adds on to the "List of Reasons Why." posted on the fridge by Jolt. He mostly spends on drugs or food, but will also spend on tattoo and pericing supplies, or bust it all gambling. He likes dice games, and betting games. He's not great at it. )

(fun fact about the various drugs of fallout; they're inspired by real world drugs/medications, and when writing stories you can apply the real world affects and repercussions :D I've seen a few different interpretations, but here are mine personally (having worked in (and currently working for) various biomedical pharmaceutical distributions or management companies, and while not being a doctor, I know more than the average person about these drugs. (I've mostly included the ones that are important story wise.) Psycho: Methamphetamine Jet: Jenkem (I've seen some people say its an amphetamine, and i think the effects of jet are pretty similar canonically, but it's definetly jekem.) Med-x: Morphine Buffout: roids. Calmex: Ketamine. Daddy-o: Xanax or adderall. (Or something similar.) Day Tripper: LSD or shrooms but bottled for your conveinence. (some people say that day tripper is weed, going off the effects it could be, but i'd rather just have my characters smoking weed. )

#fallout #fallout raider #fallout oc #RR OC STUFF #HV comic stuff #oc jolt #oc keres #oc rikki #oc bux

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mister-eames · 9 months

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1/? ok so i can't really remember exactly what i put in the first message but i did say that i was gonna miss your 30daysofinception posts because they're so fun & i love seeing your opinion on things! so because of that i thought i'd ask you more headcanon questions!1. Thoughts on Arthur's background? Was he poor? Orphaned? Only child? Nice family? & what city is he from!! I love the idea of Arthur actually having a strong accent & learning to hide it but NOT because he's ashamed of where he

comes from but more to separate arthur BD (Before Dreamshare) from Arthur AD (After Dreamshare)

LOVE this ask nonnie. I am also going to miss the @inception30daychallenge! The mods over there are amazing and make it such a fun event!!!

Okay, so, Arthur to me, is a born and bred New Yorker. Strong accent, NY Mets lovin', bears a big attitude to hide a big heart kinda guy.

I think he grew up with very little money. Was a precocious child. Raised by a single mother in NYC in public housing, and was an only child. I think he had to look after his mother a lot growing up, she wasn't well and he was often left alone to care for and entertain himself. He cared for his mom very deeply - when she was 'on' and well she was the best mother in the world, they had the best adventures, and when she was 'off', well, he still loved her, even when she couldn't get out of bed.

One time they lived in an apartment next to grumpy old lady. She would scold him often because of his bad manners (running, raising his voice in the hall, cursing etc) but she would always give him advice as if he were an adult. She was old school and didn't suffer fools, kind of like the surly grandma he never had. Maybe he'd go over there some afternoons after school and try and read the book from her bookshelves, dropping by unannounced. It was only a year or two before they moved again but he remembers those years better than most.

Oof I have to stop there, I could write a 20k fic on childhood Arthur.

Not to say that I don't love every iteration of Arthur's family/history I've read, I love all of them!!! I'm just obsessed with this clean-cut but clearly rough-around-the-edges Arthur we see in the movie, and the idea that he cultivated, or grew into this more refined image coming from a different world entirely. Arthur looks and mostly sounds educated, cultured, etc, but he has some cracks he either doesn't care to conceal, or can't help. I'm pretty sure in the movie he's the only one who actually swears at anyone directly 'hey, asshole', like it had fell out of his mouth every other day.

He's a gentle man. In the movie we see he is so, so gentle with those he thinks need it!! He has a little damsel in distress complex and he's worked on it! But how that gentleness had to overcome so much anger and grief is what makes my brain stand at attention.

#inception #arthur inception #oooof sorry nonnie this is probably more than you bargained for #but i could talk about arthur ALL DAY #i love all headcanons of him #big family small family orphan estranged whatever #i just love arthur #i am normal about him i promise

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agirlgonerogue · 9 months

Text

Same but different

*CW: mention of eating disorder*

“You’re losing too much weight,” he said with a look of barely disguised horror.

Weight was a trigger for him. His daughter struggled to manage an eating disorder and it haunted him more than any other crisis in his family. We went to university together but she was a few years younger than me and similarly anxious, rebellious and naïve.

I was raised to be attractive to men like Fred and imagine that she was too. I'm pretty enough to be praised for it; well educated, but nonthreatening; Impressive, but consumable. I gave him a lot, and expected little in return beyond what he paid me each month.

He felt in control because he was.

Like a lot of clients, that demand for control led to a desire for submission. Fred wanted to be spanked, pissed on, and otherwise debauched. He wore skimpy lingerie and asked me to fuck him in the ass. The bigger the dildo, the better. He didn’t enjoy pain but sought out humiliation, loss of control and imposed discomfort. His primary reason for submitting was to absolve himself of his desires.

He was conservative in all things but his pleasure.

We spent a lot of time online looking for partners. His fantasies included swapping, gang bangs and glory holes. He loved to be fucked by transwomen but worked to have their rights stripped away. He was an exhibitionist who frequently paid me to set up platonic dates for him with other women. On those nights, I sat a table or two away and watched his dates so that we could debrief after fucking later that night. Sometimes he paid my friends to watch with me.

I’m not so sure about the ethics of what we did. The sex we had together was mostly consensual, but those women I watched at the bar with him had never agreed to participate in his kink. At the time, I didn’t feel as though I had much of a choice, but I did. My livelihood may be tied to men and their desires, but my ethics are not. I should have done better. Been better.

It was easy to have fun with Fred. He had money and he loved to spend it. It didn’t take long for me to get caught up in the performance that I put on for him. I love my husband deeply, I always have and suspect that I always will, but I can’t deny that I wondered, on more than one occasion, what it would be like to succumb to the fantasy. I know now that I was nearly as lonely as Fred during those years. That the reality is much different than the fantasy, but the delusion is alluring.

During the affair, I didn’t think much about Fred’s daughter. As far as I was concerned, we didn’t have much in common and giving her space in my mind would have cost me money. Instead, I told myself that we couldn't be more different, that his life with me was separate from his life at home. Of course it wasn’t, but to do the work, it had to be.

The most important lesson every sex worker who offers an emotional connection learns, whether they’re hooking, dancing, selling "content", or humiliating men for money, is how to compartmentalize. She had to be different from me, and in many ways she was, because I was riding dick to pay rent while she was riding horses.

#prose #women writers #writing community #creative writing #marriage #personal blog #writers on tumblr #spoiled girlfriend #spoiled gf #writeblr

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cityandking · 9 months

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35, 51 and 64 for Branwen and Rue?

ty! // 100 warm up questions

35. Why is your character’s lowest stat their lowest (the in-character reason, not “because there’s no reason for a wizard to have 16 strength, duh”)?

BRANWEN — bran's lowest stat is strength, sitting at a flat 10. she's put her time and effort into being quick and clever more than strong or sturdy, and it's served her well enough so far. work smarter not harder etc. RUE — rue's lowest stat is her 8 intelligence. she was raised mostly by ghosts while hopping between skyships and sky ports and simply never had much of a chance (or need) for any sort of formal education. what she lacks in book smarts she makes up for in street smarts (16 WIS) and also being just horribly charming (20 CHA). Petrika is also a big help, probably.

51. Is your character the most swayed by ethos, pathos, or logos?

BRANWEN — logos. bran is pretty analytically-minded and was raised on a diet of logistics, and at the end of the day she works best with having all the facts. (whether or not the facts will sway her in the direction the argument wants is a little more up in the air, but it's definitely the best way to get through to her) RUE — pathos. she's largely driven by her emotional reaction to things, and while she has the wisdom to temper her gut impulses (most of the time), playing to her emotions is the best way to convince her of something (Petrika playing the "I'd just feel better if you [x] because I'm worried" will usually do the trick.)

64. What is your character’s opinion on killing others?

BRANWEN — well she'd definitely prefer not to? like generally speaking. but also she's a pirate so sometimes it's unavoidable. she was way more freaked out about it when she first got to Squall's End, but living in Pirate CitVille Central kind of desensitized her over the years. (I think she also understood that her family's legacy/working with the Empress involved a lot more bloodshed than she'd anticipated, and part of coming to terms with that was also desensitizing.) she makes a point to pirate and plunder with as little civilian casualty as she can (plus how are stories supposed to spread if she's always killing people) but sometimes a fight is a fight to the death and she's not going down easy. I don't think she thinks about it too hard. (I think she actively makes an effort not to think about it too hard.) RUE — rue's take on death is pretty chill, mostly because of the aforementioned being raised by ghosts thing and also because she grew up in a world menaced by sky pirates. everyone dies, but it's not like death is the end, y'know? most of her friends are dead! she's obviously not going out of her way to kill folks, but if she's got to knife a guy, she's gotta knife a guy. doesn't mean she can't respect his life or apologize to him afterwards. (the party's foray into the pirate monarchy for sure involved the most death and killing than she's ever had to deal with at once, but she's got her ghost family for the therapy sessions afterwards)

#my GOD i love rue. freaky little death rogue girl #these were fun #rue #branwen #memery

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proofofburden · 1 year

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Not to be a cringelib, but I think saying you're optimistic about America is winning rhetoric

I know why a certain kind of progressive side-eyes this---it's me, I'm a certain kind of progressive. Having to worry that pointing out garbage problems with America will make squishy centrists feel bad and vote for the opposition party is painful! Getting anything addressed in this country means telling hard truths and getting people to internalize that, actually, it's bad the leading cause of death for kids is firearms and that is pretty much the exact opposite of living in a country where responsible gun ownership is the norm. And once you convince people of the problem, implementing policy, and through our rickety system of conservative chokepoints, is pretty demoralizing. Oh, and if you want to stop talking about guns for a bit, we can talk about the growing risk of a trans genocide---no I'm not being hyperbolic, why are you accusing me of hyperbole?

Like, we're on the same page that there's a lot to be pessimistic about here!

But!

I think this kind of dour "consciousness raising" or "getting woke" can be a vice in and of itself, even aside from its effectiveness. There is definitely a kind of leftist whose idea of praxis is wallowing in how bad America is while ignoring any realistic appraisal of the US and insisting that the only way forward is their specific panacea or everyone dies. This is badfor your mental health. The fact that it's mostly good for the posdcaster-doomer complex and online posturing means that the upside for people harmed by the issues being discussed has been---its actually hard to find an example of this kind of cynical semi-engagement masking as education moving people to any kind of positive change.

Biden benefits from a low bar here: Any kind of progress is good. And if there were a viable primary challenger who could progress us faster, I might welcome the risks, but he's a successful first term president with a proven electoral track record against his presumed opponent. I think pragmatism here means I take the modest Ws from his first two years in office and give him another shot and consider it a good outcome where America improves. 2028 won't have an incumbent in the primary and I intend to nudge the party left again because I am optimistic that we can bend the arc of history towards justice.

And I talk to normies about politics sometimes and I'd much rather needle them with, "America has some of the best promises about justice on Earth...but it doesn't really seem like we're upholding them when the police can get away with shooting people because they were scared. I'm not allowed to get scared at work and kill a teenager, why are they?" "ACAB, defund, fuck the police!" feels good, but it makes normies feel sad, makes the police into the sympathetic party, and doesn't change very many minds. I'm not saying my way is magically successful, but the thing about squishy centrists is that if you know where to push, they squish into a useful shape.

This is a long-winded way to say I think having Biden saying he believes in America while proposing substantial policy seems like a qualified progressive win and a good strategy. You don't have to love it---I sure don't---but stop drinking the Haterade and focus your attention on any Congressional or state primaries you might be able to move the party left with, there's plenty of work to be done

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theconstitutionisgayculture · 1 year

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I'm going to specify my reasonings for why I think 18 should continue to be the legal age of becoming an adult anonymously cause I have a fandom blog and I choose to remain a closet conservative to keep the peace. Anyway, at 18 we're given access to pretty much everything aside from alcohol and renting a car, and perhaps a few other things. We can live on our own, vote, buy cigarettes, get a loan, apply for credit cards, etc. I would even be okay with lowering the legal drinking age to 18. I think the biggest thing we need to do better, though, as a society, is preparing teens for adult life, helping them to develop skills that are required in adulthood. I know it's a big thing right now for people to bring up the fact that our brains aren't completely mature until we reach 25, but I don't see how we could realistically change the legal age of an adult. What exactly would that look like? Would they have to live at home with their parents until they reach that age? What kinds of jobs would they be allowed to have? Would they be allowed to go to college or would we add more years of high school education?

Anyway, at 18 we're given access to pretty much everything aside from alcohol and renting a car, and perhaps a few other things.

That's literally my point though. If 18 year olds can't be trusted with being a full adult, why do we let them become partial adults? Why can someone vote and serve in the military, but not buy alcohol? And it's even worse these days when adolescence has been extended so far into people's 20s. In a perfect world, the legal age of adulthood, or at least to vote, would be at least 26. But 21 is a decent compromise. It recognizes that 18 year olds are still not ready to take on adult responsibilities, but it sets a reasonable age of adulthood that's already used for other things like buying alcohol.

Would they have to live at home with their parents until they reach that age?

Yes. And considering the growing trend of people living with their parents well into their 20s anyway, this is gonna happen no matter what the legal age of adulthood is.

What kinds of jobs would they be allowed to have?

The same jobs we let under 18s have now. Which are mostly the same jobs 21 year olds fresh out of college with useless degrees get anyway.

Would they be allowed to go to college or would we add more years of high school education?

Of course they'd be allowed to go to college. In most colleges, you need to be 17, which is already a year younger than the national age of adulthood. But even that isn't absolute, since kids who skip grades and homeschooled students can be accepted earlier. What colleges look for are SAT or ACT test scores, along with racial and gender demographics because they're just like that. Age isn't really considered.

The use of "we" when you're talking about 18 year olds makes me think you're either that age, or very close, so I'm sure that's a large part of the reason why you're against raising the age of adulthood. And trust me, I get it. If I was under 21 and people started talking about raising the legal age I'd be pissed too. I thought 18 was too old, since I was smart enough at 16 to know things adults didn't seem to get. I had my opinions and I knew they were right.

And then I got older and realized I was wrong about at least half of what I thought were rock solid facts. I didn't have the life experience, or the fully mature brain, to handle life the way an adult needs to. And most people my age didn't either. And that was in the early 2000s. These days it's so much worse. The amount of young people who think they know everything but actually know nothing is disturbingly high, especially considering how easy it is to access information these days.

As for how to implement it? You just do it. Maybe a grace period gets put in place. Say, anyone 18-20 when the law gets passed is grandfathered into legal adulthood, but for everyone else it's now 21. There will be an adjustment period, definitely. But that's what happens when you change anything, and if that's enough to halt change then we might as well just accept everything as it is and never try to improve anything. And I know how much that'll suck too, because when I was going through school I was always in the first year they were implementing new state standards and tests and a lot of teachers didn't know how to teach to those standards yet, so I was always getting stuck in the experimental year. And it was shitty. But I got through it, and so can kids now.

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