July 6

• They memorize where every exit is in a room

• They check their phone repeatedly after sending a message, worried they said the wrong thing

• They freeze when asked a simple question, like they’re calculating the safest answer • They over-explain tiny mistakes before anyone reacts • They clean up messes that aren’t theirs without being asked • They listen for footsteps in hallways before relaxing • They downplay their own pain with humor or sarcasm

• They check locks more than once before bed • They leave shoes near the door, ready to leave quickly

• They wake up instantly at small sounds while others sleep through them

• They carry painkillers, snacks, or water everywhere “just in case.”

• They don’t like closed doors.

• They test people subtly to see if they'll leave

• They sit near walls or corners, rarely the center of a room.

• Loud noises don’t scare them anymore, they just go very still

• They apologize automatically, even when nothing went wrong

• Compliments make them visibly uncomfortable.

• They keep important things within arm’s reach at all times

• They watch people’s hands more than their faces

• They flinch at movements that aren’t threatening

• When someone raises their voice, they go quiet instead of arguing back • They assume blame first, even when it makes no sense • They’re surprised when someone keeps their promise • They brace themselves before asking a favor

Next up someone is going to claim that the Narnia series isn't kids books.

to be clear, I believe younger artists and minors can write good fics (not to say “fanfic must always be good” either because it is a hobby and I still believe that as long as it’s done with love and the artist’s joy, it is good) and I believe it’s good when younger artists and minors start making art at young ages.

that said, a lot of fanfics out there that you read and love are done by adults with kids, jobs and responsibilities. adults who have years, decades of practice under their belts. adults who don’t let life and responsibilities take away their joy in creating.

any worse than Hook’s actions during the lost year? (Decided to bring this old meta up; predates Darkness on the Edge of Town, so doesn’t include any of Rumple’s current evil, which is mostly torturing August.)

Antis will claim that they are “protecting children” but then call people who harm fictional children pedophiles. But as a victim of CSA myself, I find it super offensive and harmful when these antis throw around the word pedo to anyone and anything that mildly makes their fragile little brain uncomfortable.

No. People who fantasize fictional children are NOT pedophiles because for someone to be that, they have to have harmed real children. A real child that I used to be when I was assaulted.

So by calling everyone who harms fictional children a pedophile, you’re dismissing my trauma and experience by reducing it to ***fictional kids being harmed*** and you’re actually helping real pedophiles who harm real children like me get away with it easier because now people have associated the word with “dark fiction” instead of real life harm, thanks to you.

So it’s antis who ARE harming real children because they want to protect fictional ones. Fuck off.

I was a CSA victim, and I say “let dark ship enjoyers write whatever they want”. They’re not harming real kids like you do.

Not to mention, a lot of victims like me use dark fiction to help us cope with our trauma. So not only are antis helping actual pedophiles get away with harming real children easier, they’re also calling CSA victims pedophiles because we write about fictional things that make them uncomfortable (even though we never force anybody to read our shit).

Everyone writes the obvious red flags.

But let's talk about those sneaky quiet ones!

Here are some quick tips to foreshadow a villain character (without saying "they were the villain"):

• They’re the only one who never asks how something happened, only who’s responsible

• They agree with whoever they're talking to (inconsistent loyalty)

• They omit key details that later turn out to be important

• They remember details no one ever told them

• When the protagonist shares something personal, they respond thoughtfully (but with curiosity rather than empathy)

• They’re calm while everyone else is panicking

• They offer the perfect solution a little too quickly

• They watch people argue like it’s entertainment

• They always seem to know more than they should

• They comfort someone… while steering the conversation exactly where they want it

• They “forget” to mention information that would change a decision (selective honesty)

• They keep showing up right after something goes wrong

• They apologize beautifully. Almost rehearsed.

• Their eyes flick to doors, windows, or escape routes during tense conversations

• They ask questions that feel normal until you realize what information they’re collecting

• In emotional moments, they’re studying people’s reactions instead of participating

• They never openly disagree with the protagonist… but they never fully support them either

• They ask very specific questions about the protagonist’s weaknesses, plans, or resources

• They show unusual interest in security systems or secrets

• The protagonist occasionally gets the sense they’re being studied

• Sometimes their expression goes blank when they think no one is looking

• They look at the hero like they’re studying a puzzle piece

• They’re the only one who never seems surprised

• They smile during the wrong parts of the story

The best villain foreshadowing isn't screaming "I'M EVIL!!! MUAHAHAHA".

Nahh.

A good, subtle, foreshadowed villain? They whisper, "Something about me isn't right." But the reader won't know why until it's far too late.

Now go! Write your amazing villains.

So from then on whenever one of us called something problematic, he would make us talk it out until we could name the “bad” thing we were hinting at. In this particular class, 7/10 it was some type of oppression, and the remainder was like, “I’m uncomfortable because this is very new/confusing/pushing boundaries that made me feel safe.”

Once we stopped calling things “problematic” and stopping at that, class got way more interesting and... we all had to say, like, “that’s racist” or “that’s misogynistic” or “ew capitalism gross” out loud, which a lot of us had never done in a classroom before. Or we had to be like, “Uhhh... I’m not sure what’s so bad?” and confront our own beliefs and that was maybe even more useful.

⟢ "Don't you dare stand there and pretend you didn't know exactly what you were doing."

⟢ "I built my entire world around you. You didn't even notice it crumbling."

⟢ "Say it again. Say it to my face this time."

⟢ "I'm not angry. I'm just so, so tired of being disappointed by you."

⟢ "We don't have to do this right now. We never have to do this again."

⟢ "You remember everything except the things that actually mattered."

⟢ "I keep waiting for you to be the person I fell in love with. I think I need to stop waiting."

⟢ "Don't tell me to calm down. I have every right to be exactly this."

⟢ "I defended you. Every single time. I stood there and defended you."

⟢ "You want me to forgive you? Give me one reason I should."

⟢ "I can't look at you right now without seeing everything you took from me."

⟢ "There are things you said to me that I will carry for the rest of my life. That's on you."

⟢ "You didn't save me. Stop telling people you saved me."

⟢ "I'm not the villain in your story just because I stopped letting you write mine."

⟢ "Do you hear yourself? Do you ever actually listen to the words coming out of your mouth?"

⟢ "I grieved you while you were still standing right in front of me."

⟢ "You always know exactly what to say to make it worse. That's a talent, truly."

⟢ "I don't want an apology. I want you to understand what you did."

⟢ "You left and I still made excuses for you. What does that say about me."

⟢ "Just because you're hurting doesn't give you the right to make everyone else bleed."

⟢ "I trusted you with the parts of me I never show anyone. And you used them."

⟢ "There's a version of us I still think about. It just doesn't have you in it."

⟢ "You don't get to be the one who comforts me right now. Not after this."

⟢ "I'm not broken. Stop looking at me like I'm something you need to fix."

⟢ "All I ever asked was for you to stay. That's all. And you couldn't even give me that."

⟢ "Don't call it a misunderstanding. You knew. You always knew."

⟢ "I watched you choose everything else and tell yourself it wasn't a choice."

⟢ "Maybe I should've said nothing. I spent years saying nothing and look where that got us."

⟢ "You can leave whenever you want. The door works just fine, as you know."

⟢ "I'm not the same person who would've let you speak to me like that. Adjust accordingly."

⟢ "She needed you and you weren't there. I needed you and you weren't there. Do you see a pattern?"

⟢ "I don't hate you. Hating you would mean you still matter."

⟢ "Go ahead. Walk away. You've had enough practice."

⟢ "I'm not doing this to punish you. I'm doing this because I finally stopped punishing myself."

⟢ "You want credit for the bare minimum. Congratulations. You existed. Here's a medal."

⟢ "I have loved you past the point of reason. Past the point of dignity. Don't make me regret it more than I already do."

⟢ "There were a hundred moments where you could've told me the truth. You chose none of them."

⟢ "I keep having this dream where we're fine. And then I wake up."

⟢ "You were the one person who was supposed to understand. And you didn't even try."

⟢ "I will never let you make me feel small again. I want you to know that."

⟢ "Don't follow me. And don't pretend it's because you care."

⟢ "She's my sister. Whatever you did to get here, you leave her out of it."

⟢ "I forgave you the first time because I loved you. The second time because I was scared. There won't be a third."

⟢ "Some people are wounds. I didn't know that about you until it was too late."

⟢ "You broke something in me. I'm not sure you deserve to know what it was."

⟢ "Say you're sorry like you mean it or don't say it at all."

⟢ "I kept every letter. Every one. I don't know why I'm telling you that."

⟢ "This is the last time I let you close enough to do this."

⟢"You think I don't know? I've known for months. I just kept waiting to see if you'd tell me yourself."

⟢ "I don't even want an explanation anymore. I want you to sit with what you did."

⟢ "I miss who I was before I let you convince me I was too much."

⟢ "You talked about forever like it was nothing. I guess it was."

⟢ "I don't need you to fight my battles. I need you to stop causing them."

⟢ "Please don't tell me this is for the best. You don't get to narrate this for me."

⟢ "We could've been something good. You decided we weren't going to be."

⟢ "She cried and you laughed it off. I need you to understand why that was unforgivable."

⟢ "Put the blame wherever you need to. We both know the truth."

⟢ "You think this is a fight. I think this is a funeral."

⟢ "You have no idea how hard I've worked to become someone you can't hurt."

⟢ "I used to think if I loved you harder it would be enough. It was never the problem."

⟢ "You don't get to call it grief if you're the one who caused it."

⟢ "I would've given you the world. I think that's exactly why you left."

⟢ "I'm exhausted by the version of me that still hopes for better from you."

⟢ "All those promises. You said them like you meant them. Did you ever mean any of them?"

⟢ "She was my best friend before she was anything to you. Remember that."

⟢ "I used to think you were the one person who would never lie to me. Live and learn."

⟢ "You don't get to come back here with that face and expect me to fall apart again."

⟢ "I am so tired of loving people who can only love themselves."

⟢ "I'm not scared of you anymore. I need you to know that's not a threat, it's a goodbye."

⟢ "You wanted a version of me that doesn't exist. I nearly destroyed myself trying to become her."