#revised a bit

[awholelotofladybug]

Witch of the Catacombs AU

New AU Premise where Chloe goes full-on-villain

Somewhere deep in the catacombs: 

 Lila: A whole secret lair in the catacombs, and no one’s noticed? 

 Chloe: Oh, like you've never missed something that was right under your nose. *takes out a piece of paper* And I found this letter with my name on it. 

 Lila: What's it say? 

 Chloe: *reading* Dear Chloe, if you're reading this, it means you found my lair, and that idiot father of yours has banished you just like he did me. But don't worry. This lair is my gift to you. It should serve to bring about our revenge. Now, you are to use this lair ONLY for self-serving, nefarious purposes. I left you some potions, potion ingredients, some spellbooks, and my old familiar, Victor. Make sure you make Andre and anyone who sides with him writhe! Make him squirm like the fat worm that he is! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! And be sure to clean up after yourself. Nobody likes a Messy Mary. XOXOXO Grandpa. P.S. Tell your father I said "SUCK IT, ANDRE!!"

Lila: Your grandfather sounds like he was off his nut. Guess we better get out of here, right?

Chloe: *starts chuckling*

Lila: Oh no. Y-You’re not seriously considering...

Chloe: *has a deranged, insidious look in her* I’ve been going at this all wrong. Who wants to be some goodie-two-shoes superhero? And who cares if people like me or not? *presses a button to reveal a wall of potions, ingredients, and a spellbook* Everybody knows villains have more fun.

Lila: So... We’re gonna be witches?

Chloe: No. I’m going to be a witch. *has Victor perch on her shoulder.* But it’d be great of you stuck around.

Lila: Well, I guess it’s better to have you with as opposed to against me. Ah well, I’m in.

[bespangeled]

Buffy and the AR

I have read and heard a lot about how the journey of Buffy healing after the AR should be a main Buffy theme in early season 7 rather than focusing on Spike. I interpret this as

1) it’s a fuck-awful trope that we see too much of, and I completely agree.

2) The trope of woman going through hell to further a man’s arc is a horrific message  -  it excuses, romanticizes, and glorifies abusive behavior. A victim of assault will be damaged - and will need to recover - and that recovery is what the story has to concentrate on.

3) A real victim of an assault probably won’t be comfortable with his/her attacker alone out in the dark - or in a room with others during the day. An assault is horrific -  even if you fight  off your attacker and prevent him from raping you. To have someone you trust attack you is even worse. It would take some extreme circumstances to work through that and beyond.

Basically I agree with all three of these arguments as individual assertions.It’s when Doylist and Watsonian are combined that I have a problem.

2) Doylist - the writer - If I agree that in fiction there is only one way to handle a sexual assault, only one way a victim reacts, and only one way the story can be told then I am limiting my character’s reactions about all physical trauma - being beaten, being stabbed, being actually raped. They are also limited in deciding all interactions. Only one story can be told - and retold. As a writer, I don’t want that sort of restriction - it kills stories. That’s what tropes are - the same events  repeated without a real exploration beyond trope limits

Not every story should always show a victim reacting in a certain way - because that isn’t the reality. Representation is important - victims who don’t fit into this portrayal are being told they are reacting wrong. In reality there are many ways to deal and showing just one version does a disservice to victims - future and past. One of the hardest things to do is realize the that your life is not ruined, that survivors won’t always be broken, that survivors aren’t damaged beyond repair. That is a toxic message which this trope reinforces to survivors.. It leaves survivors stuck in the problem stage forever.

3) Watsonian - Inside the universe, Buffy is a super hero. She has no reason to fear the dark - she isn’t weak physically. She could remove any threat with a flick of her hand. Physical intimidation is not an issue.

Buffy is not a normal girl - because if she were should would be dead in this universe. On the day of the AR Buffy was shot and killed (she flat lined). Her close friend was murdered. Her little sister spent hours sitting in the same room with her adoptive mother’s dead body - all alone. Her best friend went on a homicidal and incredibly deadly rampage of torture an murder.. Any single one of those things would cause deep and lasting trauma to a normal girl.

I lost a friend to murder - it changed my life. But In this universe, trauma is the norm. It is the metaphor that forces the journey So, if Buffy is still obviously processing the sexual assault then she shouldt also be processing her own death, the  murder of a friend,  her sister’s trauma, and her best friend’s murder spree. Those can’t be regarded as being of lesser import to the assault. The AR can’t be on the same level or worse than being killed by the master, or murdering the love of her life.

Let Buffy be a super hero because some survivors need that. Let her not be more traumatized by an assault than everything else. Let us see what a recovered survivor looks like. Because that’s good - that serves a real purpose for some survivors.

Buffy handles Spike like someone who has moved on from that trauma as well as she has moved past  the other traumas. She isn’t intimidated - she sets boundaries, she chooses to hear him out - and she doesn’t rescue him!

Even after she learns about the soul she let’s him return to the basement of crazy - his trauma is not her problem. She lets him stay in the basement for 5 episodes, and doesn’t trust him for another 4. (more than a 3rd of the season). She reengages as she needs to. She finally decides to trust him once she is certain of him - which is when he takes her to the people he turned and asks her to stake him.

Buffy is a super hero because her world is not our world. Let her be a role model for recovery. People have different ways of recovering - they need different stories. Buffy’s story has purpose simply because some survivors need to see the goal line more than they need a proper victim trope however healthy it may seem.

[awholelotofladybug]

(Stammering Adrien) Kagami meet Sigurd the previous dragon miraculous holder

Sigurd: *looks at Wayhem* So, that is your betrothed? 

Kagami: *turns bright red* No! I mean, yes! I mean, we’re dating, but it’s a little early to be thinking about...

Sigurd: *sees Wayhem approaching and has an idea) Does the fact that he cannot walk not bother you?

Kagami: *immediately offended* Excuse you! Wayhem is a great guy! He’s sweet, soft-spoken, polite, and, in my own opinion, very handsome! His wheelchair does not define him! And shame on you for...

Wayhem: Babe?

Kagami: EEP! *turns around to see him, and blushes hard*

Wayhem: Who are you talking to?

Kagami: Uuuuh...

Wayhem: Did you really mean all that stuff you were saying about me?

Kagami: O-Of course I do. You’re great... Lambchop.

Wayhem: Aw, Thanks. You're great too... Turtledove. *wheels away*

Sigurd: *notices the pause* For a pair who care so deeply about each other, that didn’t seem too affectionate

Kagami: *groan* Okay, look, I do care for Wayhem. He’s a great guy, but lately, I feel like my relationship with him was rushed. I feel like we’d be better off as friends

Sigurd: Perhaps you should tell him.

Kagami: I will... *feels sick to her stomach*  But I’m really not looking forward to it...

Meanwhile

Ondine: You’re going to break up with her?! Wayhem, how could you?! She’s..

Wayhem: The first girlfriend I ever had, I know. But something feels wrong. It's like we’re forcing ourselves to be together. We’ve tried to make it work, but...

Ondine: No, no. I understand. I’ve had a relationship or two like that before I met Kim. You know it’s gonna hurt, right?

Wayhem: I know... *sigh* It already does

[awholelotofladybug]

The Writer and The Poet: A Stammering Adrien AU Moment

Based on this AU.

One day, in the art room, Marc and Chloe accidentally take each other's notebooks. Learning it's not his, Marc is quick to return it, feeling guilty.

Marc: SORRYSORRYSORRYSORRYSORRYSORRYSORRYSORRY!!!

Chloe: *realizes what's going on* YOU READ MY POEM DIARY! *foaming at the mouth with rage*

Marc: I'M SORRY! PLEASE HAVE MERCY AND KILL ME QUICKLY!!!

Chloe: *huffs and blushes* I'll let you live...this time.

Marc: Thanks...They're good, you know.

Chloe: Pardon?

Marc: Your poems. They're really good. You must really like this Luka person.

Chloe: *hides her blushing face* Stop iiiiiiiit!

Marc: Hey, it’s okay. A crush is a crush, and there’s no shame in it.

Chloe: Easy for you to say! If Luka ever found out, I’d die of shame!

Marc: *hugs her* I’ve been there, honey. I’ve been there.

Chloe:....*sniffle*…..Talk about it?

Marc: Let’s

*later that day*

Chloe: *getting her toenails painted by Marc* And, it’s just, every time I look at him, with his dumb soft hair, and his dumb dreamy eyes, and his dumb perfect face, my brain gets all….dumb. And when I try to talk to him, I just… blaurgh! 

Marc: Oh honey, we’ve all blaurghed at some point. 

Sabrina: *brushing Chloe’s hair* It’s a blaurghy kind of world.

[larmesd-ange]

Jane finds she can no longer predict her brother’s moods. He’s always treated her differently than he has others; that she knows, but now it seems that even she is not excused from the chopping block.

Normally, John will come back and mellow out at the sight of her. But today, his expression is unreadable, so the poor girl has no idea what to make of his mood. She’s sitting in his bed as he stands looking out the window, the view of which overlooks the city he does not protect. 

“Have you been sitting there in bed all day?” comes the harsh quip that cuts through the silence.

It renders her speechless. 

“...tsk. Cat got your tongue?” 

Her mouth moves but no words come out. He’s staring straight at her now, those blue eyes of his cold and hard.

“Mm. That’s alright. It’s not like you’ve got much to do in your endless amounts of free time…”

He approaches, and she squeezes the plush samoyed beside her harder.

Jane has never liked the “supe-suit” her brothers wears. It smells weird, and it’s not even what he looks like underneath.

Carefully moving his cape, the blond sits himself down on the bed with a wide smile that doesn’t hold any real affection. The girl's used to a more tender version of her brother, but she’s not sure it even exists anymore.

(Well, at least until it does, and these days, she’s not sure when.)

“Look at you, sweetheart. All comfy and cozy under the blankets. Do you really like my bed that much? Maybe we don’t need to get one for you after all.”

Of course, they could just let her use Ryan’s old one, but no. That’s Ryan’s.

“What’s the matter, honey? Your heart’s racing.”

A hand reaches out to cup her cheek. The glove smells like metal. She tries not to think about whether he has different pairs, lest the thought prompts a sudden movement out of disgust.

“Talk to me, baby…” 

Jane closes her coffee-colored eyes, feeling the caress on her cheek that’s too sweet for her brother’s bizarre behavior. The bed then suddenly dips, and now John’s hand is on her back, gently pushing her forward.

The girl's eyes pop open because she has no idea what the hell her brother’s doing to the point she’s now trembling as she feels his breath against her neck. It trails somewhere over her shoulder and above her chest.

He’s sniffing her, she realizes. 

He pulls away with a look of disdain mixed with slight surprise.

“…P-U. When’s the last time you changed out of these clothes, baby girl?”

When’s the last time you’ve had a single normal thought, she wonders in response. Thank god her brother couldn’t read minds.

“There’s even dirt on your chin…” John muses, losing the glove so as to swipe his tongue over his thumb and attempt removing said stain. 

It’s when Jane allows herself to let go of the breath she didn’t realize she'd been holding, dodging his finger with a squicked-out expression and moving away completely when John tries again.

“Stop that,” he hisses. His eyes remain their shade of ocean blue, but she can feel the heat behind them.

It’s how the girl finds herself being manhandled out of bed, to the adjointed bathroom, and into the tub. She’s naked before she can even process the fact, left sitting huddled up with her knees to her chest and crying as her brother nonchalantly washes her.

“Shhh, it’s okay…” he cooes, seeming to think her favorite scented soap and shampoo make the situation any better than it is. 

Because it’s not okay, and for her, things probably never will be.

[goorduard]

bigfoot, hellhound, jersey devil, cappa, mermaid :)

Ask Meme

Bigfoot : Do you believe in yourself? I wish I could say wholeheartedly. But, sometimes, when I’m down on my luck, when everyone has lost faith, and the whole world seems to be fighting me, I can still trust that I am there to believe in me.

Hellhound : What do you expect to happen after you die?I would like to become a ghost? I think it would be really fun to poke about, causing tiny inconveniences, whispering poetry to aspiring authors, writing cryptic advice on mirrors and windows. Although, I’m sure I’d eventually settle down to an attic, an old house. Somewhere to float and drift through the rain that falls through the dilapidated roof, to chatter with the birds in the woodwork.

Jersey Devil : What are your least favourite sounds?Crying. The cold, choking crying that comes after you cry and you cry and you feel like you can’t cry anymore. But the tears keep coming, don’t they? It’s a sound that can’t be helped.

Kappa : Do you have strong Morals?I’d like to say I do. But when facing the right situation, all things can flex and bend.

Mermaid : How do you define beauty?You know, have you ever met someone with strength, no, cleverness about them? It's like spotting a fox. You see them, and they have just this absolute way of holding themselves. They have the world ahead of them, and they know how to wield it. And big eyebrows are pretty fantastic. ’,;)

Thank you! What a cool prompt!

[genuineinkblots]

Someone coming into your life is a big thing because his whole life comes with him

but losing someone is something bigger because as he leaves, he takes his whole life with him together with a part of you.

[c0ldshoulders]

Woo, two exams tomorrow, can't wait.