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stealing-jasons-job · 4 years

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10 Questions Tag Game

Rules: Answer 10 15 questions, ask 10, and tag 10 people however many people your heart desires to answer them.

Tagged by the amazing @burninghoneyatdusk, @nakey-cats-take-bathsss, and @bookwormforalways, so you guys are getting 15 answers from me. 🥰

I apologize in advance for getting deep on main. lol

1. Do you believe in soulmates/true love?

I don’t believe in soulmates, but I do believe in true love.

Is there one person we’re fated to be with forever and ever? No, I don’t think so. As much as I love soulmate AUs and the idea of there being one person you know you’ll click with no matter what... I just don’t think it’s realistic.

Instead, I think that there are lots of people you’re compatible with. And some people get lucky and meet a person they are compatible with at a time when both of them are ready to commit and build a life together. When that happens, you’re building a relationship and partnership that I believe turns into true love over time.

2. What’s your happy place?

This is hard because I have a lot of happy places, but I think my number one happy place is my high school’s softball field. I’ve spent hundreds of hours on that field over my lifetime, and I miss it a lot now that I’m grown and moved away from home. Playing softball, being on the pitcher’s mound, was always where I just felt the most myself. I was 100% in my element, surrounded by some of my closest friends I’d known since I was 8 years old when we all played on the same tournament team. Worries about my body, all the bullshit with my dad, friend drama, boy drama, anxieties about the future... none of it could touch me when I was inside the fence of that field practicing or playing. 🥎

3. If you could befriend one fictional character (book/show/movie) who would it be and why?

Part of me wants to say Bellamy Blake because I would marry that man (sorry, Clarke). lol But I think realistically, I’m going to go with Olivia Pope because powerful friends are helpful and she’s a badass I’d like to have in my corner.

4. Song lyrics that apply to your current mental state/state of your life rn:

The song Lady Like by Ingrid Andress is my anthem rn. I relate to the entire song so much, but here’s the pre-chorus/chorus:

“Controversial, so outspoken

I've been told I'm not ladylike

But I'm a lady, like whoa

I could bring you to your knees and

Get you kicked out the Garden of Eden

Untamable, unframeable, Mona Lisa, oh

Kiss you like a whiskey fire

Turn around, leave your heart in a riot

Lipstick in a cigarette pack on the dash

I'm a lady like that

I'm a lady like that”

5. What’s something that helps you stay positive even when things get hard?

Writing. It’s my passion, and I love crafting stories. It’s a way to escape — create a new world for me to live in or insert myself into a world I wish I could visit. But it’s also a good way to give myself perspective. My stress about work is smaller when I’m writing about characters trying to prevent the apocalypse. The current shit show that is... well, the whole world, is something I feel I can make a positive impact in when I’m writing about characters fighting a government conspiracy.

6. What’s a memory you wish that you could go back in time to and relive?

This is so random, but one time in high school my group of friends did a big scavenger hunt. Each team made their own list of riddles for the other team to solve and then photograph within the city limits of our small town. After we got done, we went to our high school football field and broke into the press box to screw around with the PA system. Afterward, we just walked around for a while, laid down under the traffic light in the middle of the road (it was like 3 AM at this point on a backroad, so no cars). It was such a wholesome night. lol Just 7 teenagers screwing around and having fun — not a single care in the world. I was in that weird, flirty stage with one of my guy friends. I had a softball game against our school rival coming up that I was excited for. Life was simple. I’d go back and relive that night in a heartbeat.

7. If you could talk to your 13 year old self, what would you tell her/advice would you give her?

Being vulnerable isn’t the end of the world, and your worth is not conditional on your strength or usefulness.

**Potenital TW**

My dad was verbally and emotionally abusive my entire childhood (still is, I just am better equipped to handle it as an adult that doesn’t live in the same state). I grew up thinking that love was conditional and all vulnerabilities would be exploited for someone else’s gain. That any weakness shown would be used to hurt me. That makes it really hard for me to open up to people (for example, I would not be telling you guys this story if we were sitting in the same room rather than me typing it out on screen — and it’s still giving me anxiety to share), and it makes it really hard for me to form deep attachments and friendships since those typically hinge on sharing parts of yourself and being vulnerable with someone else.

Maybe it wouldn’t have helped, but maybe if I could go back and tell myself during those formidable years that none of that is true... who knows how things could be different, how I could be different.

Anyway, sorry about that sob story. Moving on.

8. What’s your favorite quote of all time? Why?

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” ― Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Because this logic can be applied to almost everything: Confidence isn’t the absence of insecurity, but rather the understanding that you have worth despite them. Goodness isn’t the absence of badness or darkness, but rather the conscious decision to reject those impulses to be better. Love isn’t to see an absence of flaws or irritation, but to respect and appreciate someone in part because of them.

Plus, Princess Diaries I and II remain two of my favorite movies, which is where I first heard this quote. 👑

9. What is the quality you value most in a friend?

Being genuine. As mentioned above, the trust and emotional intimacy issues are real with me. lol But if I know you are a genuine person who’s going to shoot me straight and be upfront about what you’re thinking, feeling, etc. then it’s easier for me to let you in. It may take time, but it’ll happen eventually.

10. If the pandemic magically ended today, how would you spend tomorrow?

On a plane. To somewhere with new people, crowded spaces, restaurants galore. Hong Kong, maybe. Or Tokyo. 🏙️

11. If you could go back in time and live in any era & location, and face no danger, where would you choose?

Vikings. God, I would have thrived in a Nordic society. Women’s rights were paramount, being strong and tough as a woman was celebrated, sword fighting and archery and rowing were important skills, they lived in cold places (I like winter), there’s a possibility I could have trained a dragon. Like, I’d miss some modern technology, but I’d live. lol

12. What heroine of a movie, book, tv show, story, or history do you relate to most?

Honestly? Clarke Griffin. Bossy + has zero chill + occasionally says somethign v sassy + afraid of being vulnerable + refusal to show any weakness + doesn’t talk about her feelings + in love with Bellamy Blake + rocks the black leather aesthetic + wants to save the world but makes questionable decisions to do so? ✅✅✅

13. Without saying who the person is, what is a question you wish you could ask someone but can’t?

What the actual fuck do you think are you doing?

(I’d actually like to ask this to two people, and I bet all of you can guess the two people right away lololol)

14. In one sentence, what are you personally struggling with right now?

Figuring out where I fit into the world.

15. What’s a book/article/story that brought you joy/comfort/healing that you wish others would read?

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center.

It’s a beautiful book that taught me a lot about self-worth, throwing out your life playbook (because it never goes according to plan), and thriving where you’re planted rather than lamenting the fact that you aren’t in a different garden.

12/10 recommend! (Her other books are also amazing.)

My questions for you...

(Stealing some from others because they were good!)

1. What album/playlist do you listen to when you’re in need of some inspiration/motivation?

2. If money wasn’t an object, what would you want to do with your life?

3. What’s your happiest memory?

4. What’s something that helps you stay positive even when things get hard?

5. What’s a book/movie/tv show that you turn to when you’re feeling down and need comfort?

6. Do you believe in soulmates?

7. If you could be anywhere in the world tomorrow (pretending COVID-19 doesn’t exist), where would you be and why?

8. How do you define success?

9. What’s your favorite quote of all time, and why?

10. If there’s anyone in the world you could spend the day with (fictional, historical, someone you know, anyone at all), who would it be and why?

#tag games #it's a long one lol #about me #personal #changingthefairy-tale

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darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts · 5 years

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Enter the Kitsune - Prologue pt4

Warnings: Strong language

Masterlist

—

Prologue part 4

“I know. I’ve been expecting you.”

What the hell does that mean? I was led by the hand deep into the woods. The Ninja lowered his mask and turned to me allowing me to see his complete face.

“Do you recognize me now?”

“Oh my god, you’re the lab guy from the monument.” I couldn’t contain my shock as I took in the man before me. Apart from a change in attire, he didn’t seem altogether that much different.

“I’m actually a post-graduate physics student. But I’m glad you remember me. That makes things easier.” Sasuke seemed relieved that I recognised him. I meet you earlier today. I know I took a massive clout on the head since then but my memory isn’t that bad.

“You ended up back here too? This whole thing feels like a really weird sci-fi story… Are you a ninja? Actually, why are you a ninja?” Questions just tumbled out of me like water. I was face to face with someone who knew I wasn’t just telling tall tales of coming from the future. That feeling of acceptance had me babbling like an overly curious child asking a million questions at once.

“It’s easiest if I start from the beginning. My name is Sasuke. And just like you, I come from the present, or rather, the future.” He went on to explain what happened since our encounter. The whole thing made my already sore head throb as it tried to keep track of everything. Swaying on my feet a little I took a seat on a tree stump and looked up at him.

“So, when that lightning struck that monument it caused a warp in space and time around us and it dragged us both back in time?” I tried as logically as I could to walk through the step by step dummies guide to time travel my befuddled brain had compiled for me as it translated extreme science guy jargon. I can’t say I was a brilliant student in school. I mean I liked classes but I was always what they called an average student and clearly, this guy was not only in a different class to me but had slipped into a whole new realm.

“Yes. That is a very simplified and condensed version of my current theory. We entered the wormhole at the same time. However, I arrived four years prior to you. In that time, I’ve learned that this Sengoku period, or Japan’s civil war, is different than the one we’re familiar with.” Sasuke was happy enough that I had understood his lecture. Four years? No wonder he asked if I remembered him. To be completely honest I’m impressed he remembers me.

“I’ll have to take your word for that. I’m not familiar at all with Japanese history, it wasn’t something we were taught in school … probably the closest I might get are things I’ve seen in movies at some point. Although I know they aren’t accurate reference material.” I admitted my supreme lack of knowledge expecting to see Sasuke react in some way. The reaction doesn’t come if anything he just seems more sympathetic.

“Indeed. In that case, allow me to explain a little more.” Sasuke talked about how his situation upon arriving in the past was similar to my own. He had found himself near a fallen samurai in need of help. That samurai was Kenshin Uesugi. Thanks in large part to his quick thinking and knowledge of modern medicine Sasuke had managed to save Kenshin. A man who was supposed to have died on that date in that time. That meant that according to Sasuke the historical records did not match with the ones from our time. Nobunaga and Kenshin were both alive but that wasn’t all. Shingen (tall guy from the cliff) was supposed to have also been dead by this time too.

“The fact that he is also alive when he shouldn’t be raises some questions about exactly what is happening. Parallel timelines? Multiple dimensions in space and time? Did we change the past?” Grasping the gist of the conversation I ended up with my mind wandering thinking of possible answers. However unbelievable those answers might be.

“To a degree. I do think we’re in an alternate Sengoku period, not the one we know from our time. Following on from your idea it is possible that because of fluctuations in spacetime we’re in a divergent timeline – one in which history will take a different course.” Sasuke thankfully didn’t think that my mainstream grasp on time travel from late night movies on tv was ridiculous. Time travel, alt-histories, timelines… this really is like science fiction. “I said that I was a post-graduate physics student. My major is in theoretical astrophysics at Kyoto University. I specialize in wormholes and am studying them for their potential for time travel. I’d created a method for predicting the conditions and patterns by which a traversable wormhole would manifest. That’s why I was at the stone monument that day. I was trying to verify my method.” I listened to Sasuke only taking in about a third of what he was saying as I was struggling to keep up with him. Ok clearly being a little different is not something monopolised by people born in this era. “I’ve been searching for you here, expecting you to have travelled back in time as I did. I hadn’t considered the possibility that you would arrive four years later.”

“When I came here, I was kind of hoping this was all a dream. Everything that happened so far has been the stuff that movies are made out of but it’s too real to be a dream or a movie.” I said remembering my experiences so far. The smoke in my lungs, how it burnt my eyes. The heat of that fire and the chill in the air when I was outside. How it hurt when I pinched myself and my heart pounding in my chest after I ran. It was all too real to be a dream.

“I can see why you would think so. There is also another anomaly that I have noticed in this timeline.” Sasuke’s stoic expression seemed to have an intense look about it as he looked closer at me in the dark.

“Another?”

“Are you aware you are speaking perfect Japanese? Not just speaking it but obviously also understanding it. I Don’t suppose you could, before could you?”

“What? Err, no I… Seriously I’m speaking in another language?” Sasuke’s words suddenly hit me with something I had yet to realise. I was so wrapped up in everything else happening I hadn’t even noticed.

“You didn’t know?” His brown eyes widened slightly.

“Well no I didn’t. although I suppose that makes more sense than everyone from 15th-century Japan speaking perfect English. How could I be--?” My voice trailed off, swallowed up by the quiet stillness of the forest.

“It is only an idea and I would hesitate to provide a diagnosis as I am not trained in medicine but I think you might have developed a rare form of something like foreign language syndrome.” Sasuke spoke calmly as if he was recalling some distant memory.

“What is that?” I was curious. It was a bad habit that got me in far more trouble than I would like, but at the same time, it was never something I had been able to change since I was a child.

“Well, it is something that can occur after a trauma has taken place. You develop a shift in your accent to sound as if you are a native from a different country. There have been cases where the stored vocabulary banks of the mind have also been affected and people have been known to speak fluent alternative languages as a result. As I say the cases of such things are very rare phenomena, I wouldn’t be able to go into great detail on it other than to say I believe I read a medical journal at some point that said that patients with this could possibly return to normal after the trauma is healed and with the help of relearning their native language.” Sasuke’s gaze was looking through me, settled at a point that was both where I was and also where I wasn’t. He clearly had the ability to recall even vague information in detail.

“So, the bang on my head was bad enough to knock the English right out of me?”

“You seem to be very good at summarizing. But yes, that would be my working theory at the minute. I realise it’s a little unbelievable--.” Sasuke lowered his eyes a little as he spoke.

“But… Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” I don’t know why but sometimes my mind just makes random connections to things and I end up blurting out references and quotes to things that generally just leave others confused.

My friends in college took great delight in making up their own game where they would ask me quick-fire questions and see if I could answer them using only quotes and general trivia. That small memory had me cringing as I waited for the same look of confusion to appear on Sasuke’s face, but that never happened.

“Nice use of reference. I must admit I enjoy a good mystery novel from time to time myself.” Sasuke’s eyes seemed to brighten as he recognised the Sherlock Holmes quote. He not only understood that he liked it? “To get back on track if I may. With reference to your idea of this not being a dream, you could say that this is, in fact, a dream situation for me. I get to see and meet the famous men and women of the Sengoku with my own eyes.”

“Well, I’m glad one of us is enjoying themselves.” Looking at him it did seem to be true that he was actually in his element right now. I was confused and not very happy with my own situation but I was still happy enough that someone else was at least having fun.

“My parents were huge history buffs. I got my name from Sasuke Sarutobi, who was a legendary ninja that served Yukimura Sanada. Being a ninja of legend also meant he is fictional. So, I have assumed his “place” in time in order to avoid damaging the historical timeline further than necessary.” Sasuke almost appeared to be more animated as he elaborated. It was probably the most expressive I had seen him since I’d met him, even if his face still seemed to be devoid of movement.

“Did you pick up your job here as a ninja while you were waiting or were your parents ninjas as well as history fanatics?” I asked mirroring a little of his enthusiasm. When someone speaks so happily and passionately about something it's hard not to get wrapped up in the moment.

“I studied that here. It seemed useful to pick up a marketable vocation.” Sasuke said as he pushed his glasses back up securely on his nose. Ok well, a scientific history fanboy turned historical ninja is an interesting plot twist. Talk about thinking on your feet. I may have to take a leaf out of this guy’s book on fast adaption aiding survival. Sasuke indicated the path we had just taken to get here. “Right now, I’m employed with the men you saw earlier by the cliff. I would like you to come with me. I promise I’ll find a way to return us both to the present.” He offered me his hand waiting for a reply.

For the first time since arriving here, I found myself properly thinking about where I had come from. The job I had worked hard to gain experience and recognition in so I could get into the department I really wanted to be in. My small apartment that was a little rundown but I loved it all the same. Then there was all the people, the ones I worked with, family, friends that meet up with me once a month just to grab drinks and hang out.

My options in this situation are definitely limited. I had no doubt that I wanted to return, there was nothing for me here after all. If there really is a way to get back then my chances of doing so have to be increased by hanging out with the guy who can work out space-time stuff. Great now I have the theme for Doctor Who playing on a loop in my head… that is so not helpful right now. Ignoring my inner radio station that clearly took just as much of a bump as my skull did upon entry to the Sengoku. I was about to take his hand when our private moment was interrupted.

“Aerion! Where are you!? Come out!”

---

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scripttorture · 6 years

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So in case of all these child soldier/spy/assassin/superweapon scenarios, if one wants an effective fighter out of them, is it best for the villainous organization that usually is kidnapping all these kids to treat the children nicely? Even if it turns out the organization is actually terrible and does terrible things to people outside it, I'm afraid that if I write it it comes off as glorifying to child soldiers? "They are treated lovingly there~"

Is it easier for a “faux-loving cultist organization raised a child soldier” character to reintegrate into society if she was taken around 10, then escaped at 20/25, and has a sister she knows and loves from childhood and who supports her? Is it possible that she never fully integrates or integrates in a very long time period (decades) but can interact comfortably with a small group of (5-7) people she trusts? Does any of this change if her spouse in the cult abused her when she tried to leave?

There’s quite a lot to this one. (I also wrote out an answer assuming these were two parts of the same ask and it has belatedly occurred to me that they could be seperate asks. I’ve left the original answer as it stands and I hope that’s alright.)

When it comes to whether a piece of fiction handles a delicate topicpoorly- well I think that’s very subjective. I try not to tell people what towrite because I know an awful lot depends on the execution, on how it’s written.

I make exceptions for fictional scenarios that are both unrealistic and encourage real life torture.

I’ve also made a couple of case-by-case exceptions based on prettydetailed scenarios that had multiple, connected issues. I usually only say ‘no’to those if the asker comes across as unwilling to think about what they’reactually writing and the real people affected by the issues they’re planning totackle. I don’t get that impression from your ask at all.

I don’t personally like these sorts of child soldier stories very much.That doesn’t mean that they can’t bewell written or that they can’t be respectful, and I try to keep my personaltaste out of my answers as much as possible.

I think a lot of good writing is about balancing different elementssuccessfully. What I’m getting from this ask is that you’re unsure how tobalance the idea that this character’s trainers were kind to her directly withthe fact that their overall actions are abusive.

That’s a good question.

A book I acquired recently compares it to grooming and I think that’s agood comparison. This sort of manipulation is selfish, exploitative and oftenhugely damaging to the victim.

But it works because in large part that’s not how the victim sees thesituation at the time.

It’s not ‘just’ kindness. It’s the fact that these people makethemselves the central (or even only) positive social contact in the victim’slife. One of the common abbreviations for this sort of process should help makeit a little clearer: ICURE- Isolate from their previous environment, Controlwhat they perceive, increase Uncertainty about previous beliefs/values, useRepetition to instil new beliefs/values, manipulate Emotions to weaken formervalues and strengthen new ones.

In your story the character is isolated from a pretty young age. At thatsort of age it is easier to convincesomeone their old family has rejected them, stopped looking for them, doesn’tlove them anymore. And once convinced of that the conditional ‘kindness’ of thecult becomes very attractive indeed.

I actually left my family and country at roughly the same age as yourcharacter (less dramatic than it sounds). It can really knock your world view and sense of self. Many of thechildren at the school I was in were in a similar position. Some reallystruggled. Some thrived.

I remember being extremely susceptible to new ideas and not beingparticularly critical. I was incredibly isolated and looking for something toconnect to- fortunately most of what I found was world mythology.

My point is that given the situation she’s been forced into I don’tthink it would be unreasonable for your character to bond with her captors,accept their beliefs and go along with their training in return for affection,a positive social circle and their conditional kindness.

The thing with a set up like this is that the kindness is conditional on her obedience.

Growing up like this she will have seen the social consequences ofdisobeying; isolation, censure, ridicule, bullying. She’ll have been taughtthat love is a reward for ‘good’ behaviour.

Since you have both the groupdoing awful things and the character leaving the group I don’t think younecessarily have to worry about glorifying child soldiers. It sounds to me asif you’ve given the whole scenario a fair bit of thought and that’s always agreat first step.

However if you want to add more from the character’s childhood then I’dsuggest showing a child who didn’t do as well as she did. Perhaps they clung tothe idea of their old family, or perhaps they just weren’t as good at doingwhat the organisation wanted.

Beating them or killing them would hinder this sort of organisation andrisk any ‘progress’ made with the other children. Instead you might see thingslike…forbidding the other children to talk to this child for several days,ritually humiliating them in front of the rest of the ‘class’. Or the sortof…group recrimination that’s sometimes used in China, with the ‘teacher’making the other children stand in a circle around the targeted child andencouraging them to take turns to tell the victim their ‘faults’.

That’s incredibly intimidating and emotional for adults. For a childwithout any outside emotional support I think it would be pretty damn terrible.I’d be incredibly surprised if a child that age and under that pressure didn’tburst into tears. You could use that to illustrate that these aren’t nicepeople and perhaps witnessing something like that could influence yourcharacter’s decision to leave later.

Some of the factors you’ve mentioned around her escaping wouldprobably help but others might not.

Having someone who does genuinelylove and support her would make a huge difference to her mental health andemotional wellbeing. That in turn would help her…..not necessarily‘re-integrate’ but re-adjust to life outside the group.

I don’t think her age when sheescapes would make much difference. It’s hard to tell and some people put morestock in ‘youth’ as a measure of how well people adapt than others.

I think the age she’s taken wouldmake a difference. Ten is more than old enough to remember her life before she was forced to become asoldier. That would almost certainly help.

But reintegrating into society is a tricky business. It requires…well itrequires society accepting a formerchild soldier back into society. They need to be able to socialise with peoplenormally, get jobs, access opportunities. They need to believe they have anhonest shot at happiness in ordinary mainstream society.

That’s often tricky in the real world because many ordinary people are naturally rather afraid of individualswho fought with the terrorists that were shooting at them yesterday. That’scompounded by the lack of education child soldiers receive; they often don’t know how to do anything beyondfight and if they can’t get a decent job or a chance to catch up on theschooling they missed then they’re oftentargeted by criminal gangs who want to make use of their ‘skills’. And lack ofchoice.

From her end I’d say she’s got a much better chance than many real lifechild soldiers: she has a good support network and society isn’t totally new toher.

But that’s really not the only factor at play. The environment she’strying to integrate into also matters a lot.

I’d say both the scenarios you suggest (never entirely re-integrating orre-integrating very gradually over decades) are possible. You might also wantto think about what integrating back into society means.

There are plenty of people who function perfectly well day-to-day intheir society but are arguably not ‘fully integrated’. People who don’t speakthe majority language for example. They arecut off from certain opportunities and social events, but that doesn’tnecessarily mean they aren’t leading happy lives.

Once again positive social circles are the key.

What does ‘fully integrated’ mean to you, your story and your character?She’s probably not going to berunning for political office within a year. On the other hand she might well beable to interact positively with a small group of friends, perform small-scaleinteractions like buying things from the shops and hold occasional jobs.

The situation you’re suggesting seems reasonable to me. I guess what I’msaying is does it matter to the story if your character still has ‘weird’ingrained behaviours decades later? If she’s not hurting anyone and managesmost everyday things do her mental health problems (or difficulty graspingmainstream culture) automatically mean she’s not fully integrated?

Because by that logic I’m notfully integrated into British society, and I do alright.

Consider what she needs to beable to do versus what’s considered ‘normal’ by the society around her. Andfocus on the first category to figure out what sort of help she’ll actuallyneed over time.

Having a small close friendship group sounds reasonable and realistic tome. Difficulty trusting and interacting with people would be common for someonecoming out of the extremely isolated environment she’s been in.

It would be important that she doesn’t feel judged by these people and,given the environment she’s come out of, it would probably be important to herthat they listen to and respect her opinions and desires, instead of trying toimpose their own on her. She might respond particularly negatively to thingsthat are supposed to be gentle hints or attempts to persuade her to change hermind.

Lastly- I thinking having someone (spouse or not) from the cult abuseher when she tries to leave is actually incredibly realistic and in keepingwith how these sorts of groups behave.

But yes, it probably would make things more difficult for her.

That said, I’m not sure it would change your overall timescale for herrecovery. You’ve set a reasonably cautious pace and that’s a very good thing. Once again having thesupport of her sister would make a huge difference.

I’m not particularly knowledge about the long term effects of spousalabuse so I’m going to leave it at that. Scripttraumasurvivors has some verygood pieces on spousal abuse and looking through their tags could help you dealwith that aspect specifically.

You mightfind this BBC article by a woman who was raised in a ‘cult’ useful. Obviouslyshe wasn’t trained as a soldier but she talks a little about the process ofleaving her community and trying to fit in to mainstream society. I think thatcould be useful for your story.

Child Soldiers International also has some resources about reintegratingchild soldiers into society. Keep in mind the differences between what you’rewriting and the cases they’re discussing though, some of what they describewill be due to a community that’s hugely aware of and fighting these armedgroups. That might not be the case in your story.

Thisis a guide developed specifically focusing on girls in the Congo.

WarChild has this very short primer that discusses some of the myths about childsoldiers, those related to ‘regaining childhood’ are relevant. They’ve also got a pretty goodlong form post about the impact of war on children generally.

Child soldiers are a topic I’m not quite as knowledgeable on as some ofthe other things I talk about. Given the volume of asks I get on the subjectI’m prioritising it as an area of research and I hope I can produce somerelevant Masterposts on the subject this year.

Generally though, I get the feeling you’re on the right track andapproaching the topic with thought and sensitivity.

I hope this helps. :)

Disclaimer

#tw child soldiers #child soldiers #coercion #manipulation #ICURE techniques #cults #leaving cults #tw spousal abuse #tw child abuse #Anonymous

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waveridden · 5 years

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FIC: fast talk

“Mayday, mayday, this is Officer Purpler on the Starship Iris, ID 27-Tango-53-08-Whiskey, mission priority 6, requesting immediate assistance. We had a catastrophic shuttle failure, I am the only survivor, requesting extraction.” (A Neoscum/TSCOSI AU, 2.3k)

A/N: This is an AU based on the truly incredible audio drama The Strange Case of Starship Iris. I tried to make it as accessible to non-listeners as I could, but all you really need to know is: it's in space, the humans got into a war with an alien species called the Dwarnians, and the reigning human republic isn't terribly nice.

AUcember || read on ao3 || title lyric

There are a lot of ways to die in space. Tech knows this. He spent a lot of time reading about them, when he first got assigned to Starship Iris. You can die from depressurization, or explosions, or other people shooting at you. You can die in the human-Dwarnian war, which is less likely now that the war is over and the Republic has been established, but you can never say never.

And, it turns out, you can die if you run out of fuel.

He flips the switch one more time, hoping for anyone, anything, who can pick up his distress signal. “Mayday, mayday, this is Officer Purpler on the Starship Iris, ID 27-Tango-53-08-Whiskey, mission priority 6, requesting immediate assistance. We had a catastrophic shuttle failure, I am the only survivor, requesting extraction.”

He swallows hard. Only survivor. He hadn’t really realized it until now, but he’s the only one left on this ship. Fuck. Fuck, fuck. “Requesting-” he coughs, and it hurts his throat, which is raw with all of the tears that he’s trying not to cry. He checked the fuel reserves already. They’re low. Dangerously low. And the only person answering him is the robot assistant that runs the ship’s internal functions, which is a pretty bad sign.

“Don’t panic,” he whispers. He thinks about his nana, about how she’s still back on Earth, unless something happened, which is a real and horrible possibility, but it’s not one that he really has the time to think about in depth. “Don’t panic, don’t panic, don’t panic, just run the transmission again-”

He’s run the transmission six times now. The seventh takes up fuel that would be going to keeping the ship habitable. But there’s not a lot of point in keeping the environmental systems online if nobody is coming to rescue him.

Tech takes a deep breath. “One more time,” he says. He doesn’t know a lot about the ship’s frequencies, or how any of that works, but he’s been flipping from the backup frequencies to the main channels and back. Maybe that’ll help. Maybe it’s just sapping out energy that he could be using to make the transmissions. “One more time. Mayday, mayday, this is-”

“Connection lost,” says the gratuitously pleasant AI voice.

Tech feels himself paling. “No, no, no-” he flips a couple of switches. He can’t lose a connection. Not when nobody connected with him in the goddamn first place. “No, come on, mayday, this is- fuck, this is Starship Iris, requesting- requesting immediate- fuck -”

“If you would like to make a call-”

“I’m trying to make a call!” Tech shouts, because there’s nobody left to hear him scream and that makes it easier to be as loud as he wants. “I’m trying, but the fucking Republic shot me into space without really training me first, and now I’m on a starship floating to my certain death, and I’m going to die alone in the far reaches of outer fucking space! So if you could do me a favor and just let me make one goddamn phone call -”

“Hey,” a voice says, sounding alarmed. More alarmed than the AI is capable of. “Hey, you’re connected, dude, calm down.”

Tech stumbles away from the communications panel instinctively. This can’t be real. “I’m connected?”

“Yeah, you’ve reached the crew of the Xanadu.”

“The… Xanadu? As in the smuggling ship?”

“Well,” the guy says, sounding uncomfortable. “We do other stuff too. But your frequency is coming through loud and clear, what’s going on?”

Tech runs through the mental math. The Xanadu is the closest thing they have to space pirates - not as bad as some of the jackasses out in deep space, but still a bunch of dangerous people. There’s no telling what they want with a Republic ship, or a Republic officer. But he’s going to die if he doesn’t get off the Iris.

“This is Officer Purpler from the Starship Iris.” He pauses. If he’s going to die, he’s not super interested in introducing himself like a Republic monkey. “My friends call me Tech Wizard. Or Tech.”

“You good with computers?”

“No, I’m just the only one who knows how to make the coffee maker work.”

The guy laughs at that, startled. “Well, hey, Tech. My name’s Z, and I am actually pretty good with computers. What’s your situation?”

“My whole crew went out to planet 7293 for a scouting mission.” He swallows. “Their, uh, their shuttle exploded just before docking back on the Iris. So my systems are pretty damaged. And I’m the only survivor.”

“Shit,” Z says. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah.” Tech sits on the floor - well, doesn’t sit so much as his knees give out and his whole body weight goes crashing down to the floor. He’s so tired, all of a sudden. Maybe there’s something about - about oxygen levels and blood and stress. Some logical explanation. Mostly, he thinks he’s just fucking tired. “You’re the only one who’s answering any of my distress calls.”

“Desperate enough to trust a pirate, Officer Purpler?”

“Look, man, I just don’t wanna die alone.”

Z goes quiet at that. “Who says that dying is your only option?”

Tech lets out a laugh. It’s a little miserable and a little hollow, but who can fucking blame him? “You got something else in mind?”

“Actually,” Z says slowly, “I might.”

On the record, according to every doctor who has ever seen him, Squirt Purpler is a human man. A human man who has to see specific doctors because of a diagnosis he received as a child, but still just a regular guy. He passed all the space physicals. He’s fit for duty. He’s just a normal guy, with a very specialized health condition.

The thing that people don’t know is what, exactly, dermocrinal phagiosis is.

It’s a code, one that Tech learned when he was about five years old. It is a way of saying that wherever you go, you need to look for people who will help you. You need to find a specific doctor. It is a way of saying that one of his parents was a Dwarnian, and specialists who treat dermocrinal phagiosis are really just people who won’t kill him for being a freak of nature.

Even in the Republic, there are a couple of specialists who know about half-Dwarnians like him. They found people who could do his physicals without announcing to the world that he’s actually half-alien, who would keep him safe. He’s one of the lucky ones: he looks mostly human, except for the blotches of shiny purple skin up and down his torso, his back, his arms. He can wear long sleeves and be pretty safe. He can keep himself safe.

(Tech was four years old when his parents died. Not in the war, long before the war, but because people thought… well, thought that it was unnatural. Tech’s lucky that he made it out of that alive. Tech’s lucky that his grandmother taught him to keep quiet about his “diagnosis.” Tech’s lucky for a lot of reasons.)

He doesn’t think to be afraid about what type of people the Xanadu crew are until he’s hurtling through space towards them in a jury-rigged cryogenic freezer. He doesn’t wonder if they’re dangerous until he realizes, through all of Z’s advice and jokes, he hasn’t actually said anything about himself. He doesn’t wonder if they’re going to kill him until it’s too late to turn back.

Besides, he figures as his eyes slip shut, if they kill him, at least that means he survived a little while longer than anyone expected.

There’s a woman bent over him when he wakes up.

“Hi,” Tech says, even though he feels like there’s cotton in his mouth, ears, and brain. His nana would kill him if he weren’t polite.

“Hello,” the woman answers solemnly. She’s very short, but her hair is long enough that it’s swinging in Tech’s face. “My name is Pox. Zenith says that you came from a Republic starship.”

“Mhm.”

“He also said you’re probably cold.”

“Mhm,” Tech says. His best shot, as Z had explained it, was to repurpose one of the freezers that they use for biological samples to put himself into something simulating cryo-sleep. He’d used that as an escape pod and jettisoned out, and then hoped that the math was right and his trajectory would match the Xanadu’s. It looks like it had, more or less, if he’s here. “‘M Tech.”

“He mentioned that too.” Pox reaches behind her and comes up with a massive fleece blanket, ridiculously fluffy and huge, to put over him. “You’re going to have a rough couple of days, I’m afraid. We’ve hooked you up with our medical center as best we could, but-”

“But y’r pir’tes,” Tech slurs out. Talking is hard. Side effects of bad cryo-sleep, probably.

Pox smiles, looking a little sad. “But we’re pirates,” she agrees. “Pirates who saved you, but we don’t have the best resources.”

“Thank you,” Tech says. He’s already falling back asleep, even though he has more questions, even though he just spent a few days literally frozen in space. God, he survived being frozen in space. That’ll be something to put on his resume.

Pox smooths his hair back out of his face, and for a weird, vivid second, Tech feels like crying. “You’re welcome,” she says. She starts to say something else, but Tech is mostly asleep, so he doesn’t really bother listening.

The next few times he wakes up are pretty similar. He meets Z, briefly, and Pox tells him a little bit about what the Xanadu does. Tech spends a lot of time sleeping, which both Pox and Z assure him is perfectly normal.

The fifth time he wakes up, he meets the ship’s captain, just for a second. Captain Rambo, he says, but as soon as Tech tries to call him that he says, “Just call me Dak.”

“Dak,” Tech repeats. “Captain Dak?”

Dak screws his whole face up in disgust. “What kinda outfit is the regime running these days? Just Dak, unless you’re mad at me, and then you can do what Max does and call me Captain Rambo.”

“Max,” Tech repeats. “I haven’t met Max.”

Dak’s face shutters off in an instant. “That-”

“He should,” Pox says suddenly.

Dak gives her a wary look. It’s strange to see on him; Tech gets the impression that he’s not wary very often. “You sure that’s a good idea?”

“I’ve done medical examinations on him,” Pox says, and Tech’s heart stops. Shit. Shit. “He’s got, ah- what’s the official term? Dermo… demo… demolition…”

“Dermocrinal phagiosis,” Tech says, over the sound of his heart pounding. “And it’s a pretty serious condition, so-”

Pox frowns. “Are you sure it’s not demolition derby?”

“Pox,” Dak says patiently. “Demolition derby is that thing Lil Marco hosts that we try and fuck up when we’re not busy. Dermocrinal phagiosis is that thing Max talks about.”

“Are you sure?”

“You think I don’t listen to my sister’s kid?”

“Who’s Max?” Tech says, but he’s already fading back into sleep, he can feel it. “It- is Max- does Max have-”

“Shhhh.” Pox reaches out and grabs his hand, and Dak immediately grabs both of their joined hands. It’s kind of nice, actually. “We’ll talk about it later. Your body needs rest.”

“M’brain’s tired of resting,” Tech murmurs.

Dak squeezes their joined hands. “Don’t worry about it, the bed’s all yours.”

Tech tries to smile back, but he can’t quite make the muscles work right. He ends up falling back asleep like that.

The sixth time Tech wakes up, there’s a Dwarnian there.

He blinks a few times, but it doesn’t get any less clear. There’s a Dwarnian talking to Z, their heads bent towards each other. Except - Tech blinks again, just to be sure - this isn’t a normal Dwarnian. He hasn’t seen that many - he’s only seen his mom in pictures, and only met a few in person - but this one doesn’t look right. The purple of their skin is a little subdued, and their hair looks like human hair, not the weird fuzz that Dwarnians have. And they’re too short.

“Tech,” Pox says loudly. Loudly enough that Tech jumps, because he hadn’t realized she was in the room. But she’s perched on the other side of his bed, watching him. When he looks at her, she gives him an extremely significant look. “This is Max. Our navigator.”

Tech turns back to Max and Z. Z looks wary, but Max… doesn’t. Max is watching Tech with a level of careful scrutiny.

“Hi,” Tech says. “I, uh, I used to work for the Republic.”

“Yeah,” Max says. “I’ve heard.”

Tech nods. “I don’t think I want to anymore.”

“We haven’t even talked to you about this yet!” Pox’s hand settles on his shoulder. “Z, look, we converted him already!”

“Pox,” Z says. “He-”

“It’s okay,” Tech says. He can’t look away from Max. There aren’t enough human-Dwarnian babies for there to be an extensive body of research - and Tech has looked, pretty desperately, for that research - but there’s enough that he knows that there’s a lot of variation in phenotypes. He’s one of the luckier ones, maybe: he looks like he’s human. Max looks more like a Dwarnian, sure, but only to someone who’s never actually seen a Dwarnian before. And Max is looking at Tech like he understands. “I know we haven’t talked about it. But I’m tired of being somewhere that- that-”

“That’d take you and not me,” Max says, with a stunning amount of understanding. He sounds younger than Tech expected. “I get that.”

“Cool,” Tech says. “I think I’m going to pass out now. Nothing personal, it’s just-”

Pox claps a hand over his mouth. “Sleep,” she says, not like a threat. Like she’s worried.

Tech closes his eyes and lets himself sleep.

#neoscum #neoscum fic #aucember18 #waveridden.fic #i have no explanation here other than: i wanted this so i wrote it #and isn't that the greatest explanation of them all #anyways uhhhhhhhh starship iris real good y'all

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starboysinspace · 7 years

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Klance Recs #1

Homesick at Space Camp by K0bot (PG, 54k, WIP) Summary: Lance's insistence on maintaining his rivalry with Keith is hurting his performance, and Shiro's had enough. Keith and Lance are forced to talk it out, and Lance becomes certain of one thing: He's gonna be the best friend Keith's ever had in his LIFE. Naturally, he's in for much more than he bargained for. [Fake Marriage, WIP] time out of mind by aknightley (PG, 27k) Summary: Keith and Lance wake up married. In the future. He lays there a moment, processing the faint throbbing in his head, a strange bitter taste like lemons in his mouth. When he opens his eyes, the room spins wildly into a kaleidoscope of colors, so he closes them again, breathing in and out until he feels less like he might throw up. He suddenly registers a warm weight over his waist, and lifts his head to see a brown arm thrown over him. It looks startlingly familiar, but different, bigger than he remembers, more toned. Keith turns all the way around and comes face to face with Lance sleepily blinking his own eyes open. [Time Travel, Fake Marriage] Heatwaves on Autopilot by WhatTheBodyGraspsNot (NC-17, 56k) Summary: Keith and Lance unknowingly inhale an alien aphrodisiac during a simple resource retrieval mission. But unlike the common aphrodisiac, this particular one reactivates under certain unknown conditions, later leaving them craving in situations that don't necessarily present them with many options. Keith tries to work through it, concerned with the sudden lack of control of his body, until he realizes the same thing is happening to Lance. So...great. How are they supposed to deal with this, keep it a secret, AND tend to the thousands of other responsibilities that come with defending the universe? (Together, of course.) [Heat Cycles/Sex Pollen] Today, anew by MemeKonVLD (MemeKonYA) (R, 5.9k) Summary: “Lance.” Lance’s eyebrows furrow in concern for a second before his whole face goes gentle and open. “Hey buddy, everything okay?” Keith nods. Then shakes his head, then opens his mouth to let out a noisy sob before he’s hugging the air out of Lance, grip vise tight. Lance hugs him back. That’s one of the great things about him— he doesn’t— he doesn’t need explanations for things like this. He doesn’t make Keith jump through hoops, the way other people might— he’s just— he just knows what Keith needs in times like this. No façades, no posturing. (Or: the one where Keith is trapped in a time loop. A time loop from hell.) [Time Loop, Temporary Character Death] A Commutual Contract by SKayLanphear (R, 24k, WIP) Summary: After a terrifying experience during which Lance, seemingly, dies, Keith is haunted by horrible nightmares of holding his comrade in his arms while he took his final breath. To the point where he can't sleep unless he knows for absolute certain that Lance is alive. And while the attention is surprising, Lance doesn't really have a problem with Keith checking up on him. Or the fact that Keith only seems totally comforted when he can cuddle Lance close and hear his heart beat. After all, there's nothing wrong with two bros cuddling. It doesn't MEAN anything. Or, at least, that's what Lance keeps telling himself. [Bed Sharing, WIP] How To Train Your Galra by magisterpavus (NC-17, 68k, Series) Summary: “Shiro, I fucked up,” Keith blurted, wringing his hands. Shiro paused mid-punch, shooting him a quizzical look. “What? What happened?” “I think,” Keith whispered, “I think I accidentally roofied Lance. With my dick.” [Galra!Keith, A/B/O Dynamics] Fake It Til You Make It by nikkiRA (R, 26k) Summary: “No, it’s not that –” Keith tries to backtrack. “We just – we –” he isn’t sure what he’s going to say, he just knows he has to say something before he and Lance are forced to have sex with some weird alien species, while also keeping the weird alien king happy enough to create an alliance with them. But not for the first time and not for the last, Lance pulls through. Of course, this time pulling through almost gives Keith a heart attack, because Lance slips his fingers through Keith’s so that they’re holding hands. “What Keith here means to say,” Lance says, and although his voice is steady, he is gripping Keith’s fingers so tightly it’s painful. “Is that we can’t mate with your people, although we, um, appreciate the offer, because, well. We already are. M-mated, I mean. With, you know. Each other.” [Fake Marriage] Nightmares by Trashness (PG, 14k) Summary: Lance's nightmares are getting out of control. It's effecting his and the team's performance, but he's at a loss for how to fix this. Apparently sleeping next to a warm body helps. [Bed Sharing, Mutual Pining] Accidental Bonding by Newbiemans2015 (NR, 2.9k) Summary: Whilst trapped on an alien planet Keith and Lance accidentally get married, and now how to deal with the consequences. [Accidental Marriage] All things infinite by MemeKonVLD (MemeKonYA) (R, 7k) Summary: “I didn’t know Lance was...” “Bi?” Hunk supplied. “Ready to jump anyone sentient and willing?” Pidge offered. “Yeah, let’s go with bi,” Hunk says. (Or: the one where Lance is a Bisexual Intergalactic Flirt, and Keith discovers he has feelings about this.) [Pining!Keith] like honey by manamune (NC-17, 4.3k) Summary: Keith wants to lose control. Lance has always liked helping people. [BDSM] Fireside by molsat (NC-17, 4.9k) Summary: It’s not the compliments that make Lance’s palms sweaty, his heart thunder wildly against his ribcage, and his face swell with impossible heat: it’s the way Keith has to be such a giant dick about it. [Praise Kink] Making the Most of the Night by saezutte (NC-17, 15k) Summary: Having sex with Keith in order to secure an alliance with an alien species wasn't how Lance expected to lose his virginity, but it wasn't the worst way for it to go. (Until afterwards, of course, when it all goes wrong and Keith won't speak to him. Not that Lance has any idea why. Or why it bothers him so much.) hot singles in your area by rire (NC-17, 15k, WIP) Summary: “So she gave you a fake number?” “Yeah.” “And it turned out to be the number of a sex line?” “Yep.” “And then you decided jerking off was the best solution for your heartbreak?” “I guess you could put it that way.” “... And now you’re in love with a phone sex operator.” [College AU, WIP] Rivals-With-Benefits by lissa_molloy (NC-17, 26k, WIP) Summary: Lance and Keith have been sneaking around for a while now, not yet to the point where they can get over their rivalry but well beyond acknowledging how attracted they are to one another. A collection of vaguely-related oneshots in a fuckbuddies AU for Klance. I'll add tags as I go. [Friends/Rivals with Benefits] Blueprints by UnderTheSilentStars (R, 39k, WIP) Summary: "While soulmarks themselves were common, it was rare for someone to have anything other than the name of their other half...and Lance had a red paw print." [Soulmate AU] so why don't we fall by aknightley (NC-17, 4k) Summary: Five times Lance used a pet name for Keith, and one time Keith used one for Lance. Keith has no basis for having a relationship with someone, so he's trying to follow Lance's lead. Down the Rabbit Hole by TheQueen (PG, 41k, WIP) Summary: It starts when he wakes up. Breathing hard and scrambling against the soft bedding and heavy comforter until he falls flat against the wood floor hard enough to take his breath away. Time travel might not be the worst thing Lance has ever dealt with. But it sure does feel like it. [Time Travel, Canon Divergence, WIP] 30 Rules to Marriage by delictor (R, 38k, WIP) Summary: Lance was only trying to argue with Keith, not marry him. And even if the marriage only really counted on the one planet, he couldn't help but let it take over his every thought slowly. Especially with him constantly thinking of the 30 rules of marriage his parents had taught him as a kid and trying to apply them to him and Keith. His logic? The 30 rules could apply to even just a friendship... Or: Lance and Keith accidentally get married and it's not actually as bad as they thought it would be. [Accidental Marriage, WIP] Diplomatic Difficulties by TemenCMoth (PG, 10k, WIP) Summary: Allura sat with her head in her hands. Coran balked. Hunk was frozen, new goo concoction slowly leveling out on the floor. Shiro looked stricken, hand in a white-knuckle grip on the back of a chair. The only sound in the room was the little clack-clack of Pidge's keyboard. The room was filled with tension thick enough to be cut with a bayard, a silence so loud none of them noticed Rover hovering behind Keith. They sure noticed when he started playing the Wedding March. [Accidental Marriage] heat of your skin by sodappend (NC-17, 2k) Summary: Keith is in heat and Lance is the last person he wants to see. So of course it's Lance that walks through his door. [A/B/O Dynamics] Skin by MemeKonVLD (MemeKonYA) (R, 3.2k) Summary: He’s aware of Lance talking to him, but he’s still too asleep to try to decipher whatever it is he’s blabbering about. He only starts paying attention when one of Lance’s hands goes to the drawstring of his pajama pants. “Whoa, what are you doing?” He asks, slapping Lance’s hand away, cheeks warm. “You,” Lance starts, pointing at him (and Keith notices that for all he’s made fun of him for the last forever for them, he’s wearing his fingerless gloves), “are not screwing up my skin care routine, man.” (AKA: the one where Keith and Lance switch bodies.) [Body Swap] I'll be your... whatever it's called by MoonStar1220 (NC-17, 3.7k) Summary: After a particularly rough and frightening fight with enemy Galra Lance decides he's had enough of Keith's behavior and vows to fix it. [Galra!Keith, A/B/O Dynamics] Alpha-nd a way to you by opalfire (NC-17, 3k) Summary: Lance honestly had no clue what was going on anymore. He had scented Keith, as though he were his mate. Lance flushed. The other alpha must think he was insane by now. “I-I’m sorry - fuck - I mean,” Lance stuttered. Keith just stared at him, the flush on his face getting redder. “I know we’re both alphas, shit I’m so-“Lance started. “We’re both what now?” Keith’s eyes widened before narrowing as he stared at Lance. “Oh my god, you don’t know.” otherwise known as Lance gets possessive and scents Keith without knowing he's an omega till he hits heat [Omegaverse, A/B/O Dynamics] Alive With the Glory of Love by lemoninagin (NC-17, 4.8k) Summary: “Hurry,” Lance urges with a gasp, clutching harder at the stands with both hands poised on them for support now, palms slick with sweat, “They’re going to find us like this if we don’t hurry, oh my God.” A deep chuckle tickles over his ear, almost rivaling the pounding of blood in them. “Let them.” [Public Sex]

#voltron #klance #vld #keith kogane #lance mcclain #voltron legendary defender #fic recs #klance recs

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