#[ even if i'm not touching on specifics. ]

[liebrenado]

@saimatsu-week Day 5: Touch.

"Compassion makes people trust you. If you offer them your hand, they'll reach for it..."

[itswhatyougive]

Izzy, to Frenchie: It is not your place to tell me what does and does not make sense. It is your job to f-f--(choked sob) to follow my fucking orders....!

Frenchie: (holds his hand while he cries)

[taddymason]

So, on the subject of Arin looking for Jay because he thinks he has information on where his parents are, I don't know if it's just me, but EVEN if Jay was a good manager who pays attention to where they send people, he's just- the manager. He doesn't do the relocations in person and since everyone is unconscious they probably don't even have a record with people's names. And it's been years since the merge so imagine how many people his department has relocated during that time.

So it's impossible in any way for him to be important in knowing where Arin's parents are and I think it'll be more of Arin clinging to this piece of information that won't get him anywhere because it's very likely that they weren't even in the Admnistration in the first place.

[ofbardsandmen]

nothing ever excites me more than a spontaneous genshin, or more particularly, mondstadt discovery. i sat diluc upon the barbatos statue as a nice spot to go afk on without being interrupted by repetitive idle animations and voicelines (sorry diluc, this is nothing personal). my volume was turned up more than regularly by accident, and my in-game music was off despite how much i like the original game soundtrack. aNYHOW- i was about to go afk when i heard some strange noises that i didn't recall hearing in mondt before. it made me pause and turn my volume up even more. in the video above, it's kind of hard to discern the brief sounds over the noise of the wind up on the statue and in mondstadt in general, but when the wind dies down a little, you can distinctly hear voices of people, and what shocked me the most – neighs of horses. i have no clue whether it is just me discovering this only now, after 4 years of playing this godforsaken game and clearly not having paid enough attention to mondstadt's sfx before, but i still felt the need to share this terribly interesting tidbit in case there's other clueless mondstadt enthusiasts like me.

[charlesherbertlightoller]

If Madoka Magica was released in 2014-2017, you'd have tags like #pmmmcritical containing unhinged and opinionated discourse posts like: "Unfriendly fucking reminder to STOP fucking joking about He/ad/less Ma//mi because her death fucking TRAUMATIZED Mad//oka and Sa//yaka and you're a monster if you think a 15-year-old getting decapitated by a witch in front of her friends and giving them PTSD is funny", alongside various random posts rabidly hating on Kyubey or Madoka's little brother.

[magicalgirlmascot]

When/if Jaller's team gets into their Mahri arc, are they going to be on the swim team? 😁

HGLDFGHLKJFSLKDG

I'm not gonna lie my immediate reaction was "wait are high school swim teams actually a thing" because in my area they exist as like. non-school stuff like at the sports center or whatever but not at actual schools. I've never been to a high school with a pool but presumably they do exist somewhere

I think when the Mahri stuff hits, honestly they just become even weirder. They were already weird as Toa go with the glowing eyes and the lightning thing but now they have, like, gills? Some of them have scales? Kongu's been trying to grow out his beard and for some reason it's got a weird chitinous texture? Jaller has made friends with a crab? Wait, aren't those invasive here?

Meanwhile Nokama "I Am Coping Just Fine With My Werebeast Past" Metru is losing her fucking mind

[thedreadvampy]

the arc I have been on in my attempts to Casually Date this one person I think is hot are like:

oh sick I actually kind of smoothly danced with and then asked out someone at Pride

wait though they're my friend's friend is this actually a date or did we spend a day at a sauna platonically? felt like we were going to kiss but then we got homophobed by some random passing drunk men and they had to get their bus

well they want to see me again so it's probably a date right?

is it a date????

they're busy

I'm busy

they message me and say let's hang out on Monday. then message later saying fuck I have band practise we can hang out until like 7:30 though

that's a hang? that's a date? HOW GAY IS THIS????

anyway I just got home and unsurprisingly the answer is YEP and also GUESS WHO GOT A BIT OF KISSING 🤟

[hazel2468]

Every time I see an anti bitch and whine about how there isn't enough content for the ships they like, I remember how I was so on board with FinnRey back when the new Star Wars trilogy came out because I'm a sucker for friends to lovers.

And then when I went looking for content on them, 95% of what I saw included calling people who shipped Reylo Nazis and groomers and pedos and abusers and so I promptly decided not to make any FinnRey content because I was also a Reylo shipper and didn't need people who thought that kind of shit about me appreciating my art or writing. And I was scared to receive the same kind of treatment over a fucking fictional ship.

Like. THIS is why antis complain they see "no content". Because they drive away the majority of fandom creators with their bullshit because they are not, no matter how much they scream and insist that they are, the "normal" people here. They're an entitled, dangerous minority who seem insistent on bringing back the idea of through crimes and banning women from reading novels lest they be impressed upon and act out indecent things (or to put it more simply, they're fucking puritan bullies), and I and other creators certainly don't want to get involved in any of that.

You cannot demand content while simultaneously slandering everyone who makes content you personally don't like and then complain about how there isn't enough content. Either start being normal about people's ships (leave them alone, don't like don't read), or get used to the idea of making your own content.

[cluescorner]

Long Post about Savage Opress because I am Normal

Savage Opress, you are everything.

You are at your strongest when you are fighting to protect the people you love. You had to participate in a battle royale and subjected yourself to a fate worse than death in order to protect your brother. You were forced to kill the brother you fought so hard to protect, your last words to him as he begged for his life were 'You make (me) weak'.

You are Frankenstein's monster, a kinslayer. You just have to live with that. Your mistress isn't giving you a choice in the matter.

You were placed under the control of a cruel master/mistress twice in the span of like a week. You were forced to betray your master and (under your mistress's orders) you killed two jedi, making you an enemy of the two most powerful entities in the galaxy. You made these enemies against your own will. You were lightning spammed and abused to the point that you were able to break free of your mistress's control.

You are then attacked by these two random jedi you have never met. They seem intent on bringing you in. They stand besides each other and fight to protect each other. You are reminded of how you did the same for your own brother. You killed that brother.

You run to the only home you've ever known, the same home that treated you as lesser-than and transformed you into what you are now. Your home is destroyed, all of your sisters are dead. You are upset by this. They were the cause of your suffering, but they were still kin.

You are told that you have a remaining brother, one who can make you strong enough to protect yourself. You decide to travel across the galaxy to find him. You killed your last brother, you will do anything for this one.

You seem to create trouble everywhere you are now. You are now incapable of solving problems without violence, so violence is what you become. You become hatred. You had love once, but everything that you loved is dead. Except for your remaining brother. You do whatever you must to find him.

You find your brother. Your brother is delirious and half-dead, but he is your brother and you found him. You can fix this. Your brother sees you too, or at least he sometimes does. You are a reflection of him, of what he was meant to be. You are strong and powerful. Your brother is not anymore, but he will be soon.

Your mother, the same woman who took you and warped you into a monster (that is what everybody calls you now), fixes your brother. Your brother grabs your face and twists it, painfully examining your every pore. You don't begrudge him this. You have done the same to it. Your face isn't yours, but it is the only face you have.

Your brother screams for vengeance against Kenobi, he must have revenge. You must stand by your brother, he is all that is left. You embark on a quest of vengeance against a man you only briefly met.

You become everything your brother needs you to be. You are his protector, his sword, his second-in-command. You have love again and you will do anything to keep it this time.

Your brother is a terrible person. Your brother will massacre a village for the sake of getting Kenobi's attention. Your living brother is nothing like the one you killed. You aren't sure this is a good thing.

Your brother lures Kenobi to the village and you both capture him. Your mistress shows up and immediately sets about belittling you. You are the monster she and your mother created. You are not her thrall anymore, you can fight her now. You do exactly that.

Your mistress and Kenobi retreat, your brother chooses to bide his time. You will wait with him.

Your brother and you infiltrate a ship, finding a fortune of credits. You are happy with this, you have never seen this much money in your life. Your brother's only fortune is the downfall of Kenobi.

Your brother calls you apprentice, decides that is what your relationship is now. You don't see the need for dominance, you are brothers after all. Your brother disagrees and you will subject yourself to this for your brother's sake. You are a reflection of him, of all his past flaws. You are devoted to those you love and able to feel things other than vindictive glee or hatred. Your brother is not anymore, he might never be again.

You think your brother is incapable of love. You love him all the same.

You and your brother next run into Kenobi with another Jedi Master. You do not know her name nor anything about her. You kill her, goring her with your (far larger than they should be) horns and running her through with your lightsaber. Your master is not forcing your hand this time, you can finally choose to make an enemy of the Jedi. You would have been their enemy either way, but the false choice is comforting regardless.

You and your brother corner Kenobi. You think for a moment that you have gotten the upper-hand, then Kenobi cuts your arm off. Your body leaks green magic. Your mother's magic still holds power over you even after everything. You wish it didn't.

Your brother shoves Kenobi away from you and decides to retreat. You aren't sure if this is a sign of affection towards you or if this is a strategic move. Your brother speaks as if it's the latter. You see no reason to believe otherwise.

You manage to escape, but are left adrift in space. You are freezing and slowly running out of oxygen. Your home was warm and full of breatheable air. You are alone with only a brother who calls you 'apprentice' for company. Your home was filled with brothers who called you by your name or by 'brother'. You are alive. Your home and brothers are dead.

You next wake up in an unfamiliar place. You smash all the equipment around you. You are now incapable of solving problems without violence, so violence is what you have become. Your brother informs you that his plans have changed, and now you two will be working with Deathwatch. You have no idea what Deathwatch is or who your brother just made a deal with. You will follow him regardless.

You stand up and hit your head on the lamp above you. You were supposed to be shorter than you are now. Your body is wrong. You look in the mirror and you are not yourself. Your body isn't yours, but it is the only body you have.

Your brother takes over Mandalore. You watch as your brother marches Kenobi into the throne room and prepares to execute the Duchess of this planet.

Kenobi offers sympathy. Kenobi recognizes that your brother never had a choice in joining the dark side. Kenobi had gone to your village and seen what it is like for the nightbrothers. Kenobi, despite everything, is trying to be kind.

You hear your story in Kenobi's words. You never had a choice in any of this. You never stood a chance. Your body isn't yours, your mind has been warped and twisted into serving the goals of another. You only wanted to protect your brother.

Your brother kills the love of Kenobi's life. Your brother has stripped himself and you of any possible chance to take the olive branch Kenobi was extending. You ask if you should kill Kenobi now. You know that stewing in grief and guilt can be a terrible fate. Your brother decides to keep him imprisoned. Your brother is counting on the Kenobi stewing in his grief and guilt. Your brother wants to drag out his suffering for as long as possible.

Your brother is in charge for less than a rotation. Your brother panics and bows before a withered old man, calling him 'master'. Your brother lies and fawns to his master. Your brother's master does not care.

You have never met this man before. You have no reason to fight him. Your brother is terrified of him. Your brother grovels before nobody, but he bows before this man. You don't have to do this.

Your brother needs you. You draw your weapon.

You manage to get a hit in on your brother's master. You are one of very few in the galaxy who can say that. You are at your strongest when you are fighting to protect the people you love.

You are stabbed in both your hearts. Your efforts to protect your brother, your pain and suffering, your love and affection, you, Savage Opress, you don't matter. You didn't know it, but you were fighting the most powerful being in the galaxy.

You never had a choice. You never stood a chance.

You die thinking you were unworthy of your brother. Your brother never said or did anything to make you think otherwise. You die calling yourself apprentice, that is the relationship your brother wanted. Your brother holds your hand as you die, it is trembling. You aren't sure if it is from grief or hatred. You decide it must be the latter. Your brother is only capable of hatred.

You knew your brother was incapable of love. You loved him all the same.

You don't know that you might have been the only thing your brother cared about besides his vengeance. You don't know that when you are unconcious he calls you by your name, he calls you brother. You don't know that he nearly killed the Death Watch soldiers, but stopped when they threatened you. You couldn't know. Your brother never told you.

You don't know that he uses his grief as fuel for his duel with Sidious. You don't know that he switches his ire away from Kenobi and decides that his former master is a more pressing target of his hatred You don't know that he spends the rest of his days trying to find a new apprentice to fill the hole you left and that it never works. You will never know. You are dead.

You died realizing you were nothing like your brother. You never were. Your body shrinks down, you finally look like yourself again. You can't be happy about this. You can't take relief in the fact that all the magic which ruined your life has been dispelled. You can't feel anything. You are dead.

You are right. You are nothing like Darth Maul. Your brother is motivated by hatred, you are motivated by love. Your brother will die having found peace, you died having found nothing but pain and grief and yet more pain.

You are my favorite magical girl and you have suffered so much more than Jesus.

[fictionadventurer]

March is turning out to be the month where my monthly reading list is, by far, leading me to the best books. Just winner after winner. Books that I not only enjoy, but recognize as quality literature.

Part of this is because I stacked the list with Great Christian Writers I already know I like and who have large bodies of work to choose new books from, but for every book I happen to choose from these authors to be this good is pretty astounding.

And that's not even getting into how exploring the reading list leads me down rabbit holes that also lead me to great books. Like, I picked up my unread children's poetry anthology in the vague hope that there was a Chesterton poem inside that I could use to cheat on that list item. There wasn't one, but I dove into those poems and I've read 2/3 of the book now, and that led me to pick up some Christina Rossetti.

I feel so literary and I'm loving it.

[sysig]

Wander-ful! (Patreon)

[iniziare]

I'm going to finish this Guili reply tonight, and start on the others (I need to make a certain Hydro dragon sad), but I got asked about something that I have an unpopular opinion about (what else is new, though), so this has taken my focus. I'm going to get cancelled one day, I know that I will. But I don't even have these for 'funsies', it's literally critical thought, and research instead of diving in with feelings head first.

Guiping. The massive topic that touches on a lot. I'm not even opposed to it at its core, but, but, but, it's all dependent on a plethora of things (and most touches on the topic of women). In essence, I firmly believe that if you're endeared to Ping and Guizhong, you need to acknowledge the emotional journey of Cloud Retainer in connection to Guizhong because that is really overlooked constantly in comparison. But I think if one does that, then you're also inherently forcing Guizhong's character to revolve primarily around others, which is not what she is about. So while it's fun to go 'it's an F/F ship' to 'empower women', how kind are you to ship it if you then discredit two women in the process one way or another? I don't condemn the ship, but it's so complicated. Any way, more on that in this answer.

[ofbardsandmen]

greetings fellow genshin enthusiasts and fanatics!! once again, i'm generously presenting and offering my most beloved mondstadt character spotify playlists, free of charge and yours to consume, if you will.

[rubenesque-as-fuck]

So frustrating that I spent most of my 20's alone and not getting laid and now my 30's are almost half over and the situation still has not improved 😩

[ct-hardcase]

because twitter's seen it already, I feel the need to share that keeve made a habit of resting her hand on terec's shoulder when either needed support

(IDs in alt)

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

this rewatch of sdmi has been wild because once you start taking the talking animals and their place in the worldbuilding seriously it's just like oh wow this is some real final fantasy plot huh. what do you mean the resident discriminated-against beastfolk are not only descended from ancient otherworldly beings masquerading as gods, and not only driven insane even more effectively than non-beastfolk by a curse because of their heritage, and not only serve as apocalyptically powerful vessels for those otherworldly beings, but are easy to read as having been created specifically because they're more powerful vessels than normal animals, and then abandoned to their own devices (being enslaved) for thousands of years until the next time their creators pop into this reality and want a convenient corporeal form to snatch. which game in the series is this