#'i can't tell if this is mean or not' it's incredibly mean-spirited and cruel and you are not only an asshole but also a fucking idiot <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[werewolf4vampire]

there's a new really terrible kind of person on the internet i've noticed lately who thinks it's totally okay to belittle someone's trauma if they're, like, kinda sorta annoying or whatever, and/or if it sounds like something that "shouldn't" cause trauma. like they legitimately think that they, as a complete and total stranger, can decide whether or not someone else is ~actually~ traumatized

recently someone i know - who did, in fact, grow up in a cult - tried to see a new therapist for EMDR. when they mentioned religious trauma during the first visit, she practically laughed in their face and told them it's ~just a buzzword~ and not actually a real thing (and that you can only get trauma from being raped, suffering severe physical abuse, or almost dying) so like. idk, maybe promoting the idea that people frequently exaggerate or just simply make up trauma (and supposedly for fucking clout of all things) actually has real world implications and doesn't make for a little funny haha tumblr post lmao

[queenofwands89]

Quiet Affections

Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x Pilot!reader

Summary: After her friends tease her about Jake having a crush on her, Y/N reflects on certain memories that make her question whether there might be some truth to their playful jabs.

Warnings: Teasing, pining, Jake being a sweetheart, Y/N being oblivious, insults aimed at Y/N, protective Jake, mention and description of injury, anxiety, doubts, fluff.

Notes: Happy Friday, everyone! We made it! 🎉 I just hit 2,500 likes on here and wanted to thank each and every one of you who liked, reblogged, or commented on my works. It means the world to me. I’m down bad for Jake, and need him badly so I wrote this. Enjoy byeeee

You find yourself deep in the heart of the Hard Deck, the familiar hum of chatter and clinking glasses forming a comforting backdrop. Rooster, Natasha, Javy, Bob, Reuben, and Mickey are clustered around the pool table, laughter spilling freely as they take turns making shots and throwing jabs. Jake had just excused himself to go to the restroom, but not before brushing a lingering hand against your shoulder and whispering something that made you smile. This action set off a chain reaction of teasing directed at you.

"Y/N, you know Hangman’s got a huge crush on you, right?" Rooster's mustache twitches with a sly smile as he lines up for his shot.

You laugh it off, waving a hand dismissively. "Oh please, Bradley. Jake? No way. He's just... nice."

Rooster and Natasha exchange glances before Natasha cocks an eyebrow at you. "Nice? Hangman is many things, but nice isn't the first word I'd use. Unless he’s talking to you," she remarks, tapping her cue stick against her palm.

Bob, always the quiet observer, chimes in. "He's got a point though, Y/N. I've seen how he looks at you."

You can't help but roll your eyes. "I'm just completely unaware of it," you say, sarcasm dripping from your voice. "You guys are ridiculous."

Mickey grins, his boyish charm lighting up his face. "Maybe, but can you really deny the way he's always got your back?" he asks, leaning casually against the pool table.

Your first instinct is to rebut, but as their words settle in, you start to think about some of the things Jake had done for you. Not just the grand gestures like saving your hide in aerial combat, but the small, everyday things. The way he'd always save you a seat, bring you coffee exactly how you like it, offer subtle words of encouragement when you doubted yourself.

Javy steps forward, his competitive spirit twinkling in his eyes. "You're telling me you haven't noticed how he always goes out of his way to make sure you're okay?"

Reuben, good-natured but always vigilant, nods in agreement. "Hangman's not exactly an altruistic guy, Y/N. But for you? He'd go to lengths he wouldn't for anyone else."

You crack a wry smile, determined to stay firm in your denial. "He's just protective. We're teammates."

Natasha had already joined in, her voice warm yet teasing. “Don’t sell yourself short, Y/N. It’s not just about being teammates. He genuinely cares.”

In the ensuing silence, you can't help but ponder on their words. Jake "Hangman" Seresin is charismatic and assertive, traits forged from his exceptional flying skills and competitive nature. But beneath that cocky exterior, there lies a heart incredibly loving and caring, willing to sacrifice anything for his loved ones. Slowly, you find yourself drifting into a vivid memory, reliving the countless cherished moments and experiences you've shared with Jake.

You recall that evening at the Hard Deck vividly. The bar was buzzing with the usual chatter and laughter, the hum of camaraderie filling the air. You were amidst your friends, enjoying the rare downtime when an unfamiliar voice cut through the noise—this stranger making an offhand but cruel remark about you. The comment was subtle, yet it stung deeply, rooting you in place with a mix of shock and mortification. Your cheeks burned under the weight of the ridicule, words lodged in your throat.

Before you could muster a response, you felt Jake's presence beside you, solid and reassuring. He stepped forward, placing himself between you and the offender. His usual easy going demeanor was replaced by a steely resolve, his eyes dark with anger. "Do us all a favor and think before you speak," he said, his voice steady but carrying an unmistakable edge.

The bar fell into an uneasy silence as Jake’s glare pinned the offender in place. "If you've got a problem with Y/N," he continued, his voice low and unwavering, "you’ll be dealing with me."

The tension hung in the air, thick and palpable. The offender, unable to match Jake's intensity, muttered an apology and slunk away, deflated. The moment passed, but the impact lingered. Jake remained there a moment longer, ensuring the threat had fully dissipated before turning back to you.

As he met your gaze, the hardness in his features softened, replaced by a gentle concern. He reached out, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. "You okay?" he asked, his voice filled with a tenderness reserved just for you.

You felt an overwhelming wave of gratitude, the initial embarrassment giving way to a profound sense of relief. Jake had stood up for you without a second thought, his protective instinct leaving no room for compromise. In that moment, you knew you were safe, not just physically but emotionally, knowing Jake had your back. His touch and the concern in his eyes reassured you even more, providing a solace that words alone could not.

.   ݁ ˖ ࣪ . ⋆ * .♡ *:･���.   ݁ ˖ ࣪ . ⋆ * .♡ *:･ﾟ.   ݁ ˖ ࣪ .

Then there was the night when you couldn’t sleep, tormented by insecurities that gnawed at the edges of your mind. It was long past midnight, and you found yourself seated on the deck of the aircraft carrier, trying to get some fresh air to clear your head before the mission. The vast expanse of the ocean and the cool night breeze did little to quiet the whirlwind of self-doubt swirling inside you.

The stars dotted the sky like tiny beacons, and the waves below gently lapped against the ship's hull, but none of it brought you peace. You wrapped your arms around yourself, tense and lost in thought, barely noticing the sound of footsteps approaching.

Jake emerged from the shadows, his silhouette becoming clearer in the soft glow of the ship's lights. He paused when he saw you, his brow furrowing with concern. He looked around, ensuring no one else was around, before walking over to you with determined but careful strides.

"Y/N, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice breaking the solitude with an edge of worry.

You hesitated, feeling foolish for bothering him. "I…I just can't stop thinking about everything that's been going wrong. I don't know if I'm cut out for this, Jake."

Jake's eyes softened, and he lowered himself to sit beside you on the cold metal deck. "Tell me more," he said gently, coaxing you to open up. His voice was so steady, so soothing, that you found yourself pouring out all your fears and anxieties—the relentless pressure, the fear of failure, the nagging feeling that you weren't good enough. With each word, you felt a weight lifting from your chest.

Jake listened without interrupting, his usual cocky demeanor replaced by an unwavering focus on you. His eyes never left your face, and his expression remained kind and attentive. "You know what I see when I look at you?" he said quietly once you had finished. "I see someone who's brave, who fights every day to be better, who cares deeply about others. You're stronger than you think, Y/N. Don't let those doubts control you."

His words felt like a balm to your soul, soothing the raw edges of your insecurities. When he reached out to brush a stray tear from your cheek, the warmth of his touch and the sincerity in his eyes melted away your remaining doubts, leaving you wrapped in a cocoon of reassurance. Sitting there on the deck, under the endless sky, you felt profoundly grateful for Jake's unwavering support and the strength he helped you find within yourself.

.   ݁ ˖ ࣪ . ⋆ * .♡ *:･ﾟ.   ݁ ˖ ࣪ . ⋆ * .♡ *:･ﾟ.   ݁ ˖ ࣪ .

You also remember the time when you injured your ankle during a training exercise. You had insisted on limping back to your quarters, trying to maintain your independence. But Jake wouldn't hear of it. He had scooped you up without a second thought, cradling you in his arms as if you weighed nothing. "I've got you," he murmured, his voice laced with an uncharacteristic gentleness. The entire trek back, he kept you engaged in light-hearted banter, ensuring your mind stayed off the pain.

.   ݁ ˖ ࣪ . ⋆ * .♡ *:･ﾟ.   ݁ ˖ ࣪ . ⋆ * .♡ *:･ﾟ.   ݁ ˖ ࣪ .

And how could you forget the morning he had brought you coffee? Not just any coffee, but a complex, personalized concoction—an oat milk latte with a shot of caramel, a pinch of cinnamon, and a dash of nutmeg, and no foam. You hadn’t even mentioned it to him before. "Thought you could use a pick-me-up," he had said nonchalantly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. But you knew the effort he had put into remembering such a detailed order, and it made your heart swell with an unfamiliar warmth.

These memories play in your mind like a cherished montage, each moment a testament to the man beneath the bravado. Jake "Hangman" Seresin wasn’t just the cocky pilot everyone else saw. He was a protector, a confidant, a friend who cared deeply for you, even if you had been too blind to see it before.

Returning back to the present moment amidst the lively ambiance of the Hard Deck, surrounded by the warmth of friends and laughter, you notice Jake returning from the restroom. As your eyes meet, his familiar smirk emerges, but this time there’s a tender softness in his gaze that you hadn’t noticed before—or perhaps, hadn't allowed yourself to see.

“Miss me?” he jokes, sliding back into the chaos of pool cues and friendly banter.

You chuckle, shaking off the speculative thoughts. “Like a bad habit, Seresin.”

But later, as the night winds down and the camaraderie ebbs into a quieter hum, you catch yourself glancing his way more often. The teasing remarks of your friends aren’t so easily dismissed anymore. And as Jake catches your gaze across the room, you start to wonder if maybe, just maybe, they might be onto something.

Because sometimes, the most significant realizations are the ones that had been right in front of you all along, masked by the comfort of friendship and the chaos of duty.

You smile to yourself, feeling an inexplicable warmth. Maybe it was time to see what was beyond the camaraderie, to delve into the possibilities of what if. The thought lingers, like an unopened letter, waiting for the right moment.

For now, you return to the laughter and games, but with a new awareness, a curiosity that couldn’t be easily shaken. One thing was for sure—things were going to get interesting.

-

Text divider credits: @bunnysrph

[moonydustx]

Hi, I was wondering if you could do Zoro, Ace, Sabo, Luffy, Crocodile, Mihawk, Buggy (Cross guild), Whitebeard, Izou, and Charlotte Katakuri x Reader where They are in a Disney/ Fairy tale Story? (I've been watching Disney lately, and it's living in my Brain-Free.) Also a bonus: They break out in a song number.~

Hi Hi! I think this was the most complicated request I've ever received and to be honest, all my drafts didn't get anywhere that was interesting to read. So, in order not to be left without an answer, but also not to deliver something terrible, I decided to change the format a little (and I really hope you don't hate me for it)

--

Even though her father (grandfather in this version) is against all this, our little mermaid wants to find the surface world (again, pirate world) and see all the wonders that await him. You'll make different friends along the way and, above all, collect incredible things like a certain hat along the way.

Luffy

Our Beauty and the Beast story is a little more troubled here. Instead of a beast cursed by the witch, we just have an evil-looking and somewhat threatening man who still hasn't found a reason to let anyone get close to him. When the right person arrives, he will definitely become someone lovable - even if it involves some fights, wars and everything that can prevent anyone from interfering in the lives of the two of you.

Crocodile, Katakuri

Living the best life, without growing up, without responsibilities, just him and his people living happily in Neverland and disturbing the life of the pirate who passes by. Despite trying to bring our beloved Peter Pan to the real world, you would ultimately understand that Neverland is the place made for him to be free.

Buggy

I know, I know it's not exactly a fairy tale. But, our beloved Puss in Boots would be just as stubborn, adventurous and showy as this one. His sword would be the sharpest and most agile of all the kingdoms, apart from all the flame that only he has.

Mihawk

Bonus point: in a universe where Cross Guid is made up of enemies and we are in fairy tales/animations, Crocodile would be the wolf in the second film.

This one would be Sleeping Beauty, I don't think we even need to explain why. However, this sleeping beauty here chose to sleep for days straight after being in battle and when you tried to wake him up in a kind way - aka, the kiss of love - he hated it, after all, he was in the best part of sleep.

Zoro (and I'd include Buggy here too, I can see him grumbling about it).

The world was just a small view of the tower his mother trapped him in and of course, his mother knows better. Until he found himself being saved by someone fearless, brave (a bit of a scoundrel) who took him from his cruel mother's clutches and took him to explore the world - and that includes the nearest bakery.

Charlotte Katakuri, Sabo (I mean, his parents were pretty shitty)

He would definitely be Mufasa and he would make us suffer terribly with his loss, but he would have been a great father. (and you can't tell me that Ace wouldn't be the son with the chaotic and adventurous spirit also known as Simba)

Whitebeard

Bonus:

He would have to put up with you singing Let It Go in any situation, but he probably wouldn't get angry about it. Except when you were in a more intimate moment and you said that the cold wouldn't bother you anyway (and of course, he would create little ice drawings for you in the winter)

Aokiji

We also have Snow White: dreamy, kind, fearless too. Instead of seven dwarves, he has loyal companions. Some are more serious and angry, but ready to help our Snow White here and other cute and funny eaters.

Shanks (and yes Benn Beckman is our angry one in this one) ---

a/n: ok, I had more fun writing this than I thought I would

[hannigramislife]

what made/makes you fall in love with Akutagawa?

list as much reasons as you like!

asking out of curiosity. no pressure ask!

also please don't hold back anything if ever :DD

Hello friend!! Thank you for such a lovely ask!

Man, loving Akutagawa was such an experience– I imprinted on him as soon as I saw a video on tiktok, but that was like, a moment of interest only. I knew nothing about him other than his design was sick, so I had my eye on him before I gave Bsd another go.

Thing is, I had started Bsd like, three times, and every time I'd dropped it, because the first two episodes made me want to tear my hair out XD. I was not used to this kind of anime, to be honest; the tone and the characters threw me off. I gave it one last try because my friend swore up and down that Soukoku was like- an incredible ship. So I, like a good and intrigued friend, started it again, with great determination.

Akutagawa did me in instantly.

From the moment Kunikida showed his picture to Atsushi, I was like, "You have all my attention, I am listening, I am present, tell me more." And then he showed up, and like, introduced himself to his enemies?? With that soft voice of his?? Looking like the babiest baby to have ever babied??

I kept watching to see him again. And then, we got the scene where Akutagawa goes to meet Dazai in the dungeon, and boy, I already disliked Dazai 'cuz he was annoying, but once he did my boy like that?? I was like, "Well, I'm gonna love him then! Since you're a stupid asshole who can't see how great he is!"

And then it just– spiraled. I started liking him out of spite because I really disliked Dazai from the get-go, but the moments that I really started liking Akutagawa for real were small? When he apologized to Higuchi as soon as he woke up, when he admitted to himself that Atsushi had a point in "people need to be told they're worth something," when he told Kyouka he's happy for her, when Atsushi threw the fact that Dazai left him right at Akutagawa's face, but Akutagawa accepted it with grace, acknowledging the truth–

It takes an incredible amount of strength and bravery to be as honest with oneself and with others as Akutagawa is; he has a will of iron, an indomitable spirit that will shine even in the greatest dark. Where others would hesitate or run, Akutagawa will stand tall and fight, regardless of consequences, regardless of how difficult it is. And I don't mean just a physical fight– Akutagawa does not run when things get hard, it doesn't even occur to him as an option, he does not hide. He is 100% himself at any given moment, which is so admirable.

I don't understand how one can dislike Akutagawa; even as a villain, he is not cruel and he is not malicious. His life so far has greatly warped his view on things like death, and pain, and morality, turning him into violent man, but if Beast showed us anything, it is that just a tiny bit of kindness would have been enough for him to learn that there was value in living. He is blindly stumbling his way into a set of morals because no one took 5 minutes to straight up tell him there was more to life than survival. It took Beast Kenji all of one afternoon to teach Akutagawa that just because bad things happened didn't mean the good parts weren't just as important, if not more.

Akutagawa is such a special character to me, I hold him so dearly in my heart, because despite the amount of tragedy he has gone through, he blames no one and nothing, he rues no one and nothing, he has the dignity to accept everything that happens, and strives to grow in spite of life trying to beat him down and keep him there.

The only one who can beat Akutagawa Ryuunosuke is himself.

[thegeminisage]

star trek update time. last night we did ds9's "apocalypse rising" and voy's "false profits." sssssigh

apocalypse rising (ds9):

this one was...fine. i think it speaks highly about ds9's storytelling that i'm always really excited by the big action-y episodes in voyager and to some extent tng, but in ds9 they're just kind of boring, because the character and plot stuff is way meatier.

i did NOT like the klingon look on odo and obrien. 196 was way too late to be putting these men in what was all but blackface. HOW DID NO ONE NOTICE THE IRISH ACCENT? there are not any real klingons out here doing that. also, there are white klingons. there were white klingons in tos AND ds9. there's no excuse to be doing this

sisko looked great though. wow <3

i think worf got called a pussy again in this episode. can we please give it a rest

odo liking the bubbles in his drink :( odo discovering alcoholism :(

it WAS a fun twist that the shifter wasn't really gowron. i'm so glad too because i would have missed him and his huge fucking eyes so much

false profits:

episodes that nearly made me black out with rage!!!!

i do have one nice thing to say about this episode and it's that i did like the callback to some very obscure tng lore. that episode WAS the first time they ever mention the delta quadrant, there WAS a wormhole involved, and this was all long before the show voyager was a twinkle in paramount's eye, and i'm pleased when little stuff like that gets remembered. i bet there were trekkies on emssage boards in 1996 going Well Actually Why Don't We Remember Season 3 of TNG Why Can't They Get Back That Way and this did at least. answer the question

where to begin...oh, actually, the mostly-naked women with no lines. and it's like haha funny! jesus fucking christ. also haha funny! when they hit themselves or other people. so true! hilarious!

the co-opting of religion and these stupid fucks still go along with it. if you religion tells you to make labor slaves out of your family find a new one! it's like all the old people voting republican. they're coming for YOUR benefits you stupid fucks

even leslie jordan could not make the ferengi funny or appealing in any way. sorry leslie jordan

janeway like oh yeah if their gods were gone they'd be sad :( my ideals :( THIS IS TWO EPISODES IN A ROW. DO YOU HAVE IDEALS OR NOT. like, show some consistency! who is paying so much attention they remember season 3 lore from tng but not janeway's basic personality!!!!!!!

and how stupid also not to simply take them by force when, if this was happening in the alpha quadrant, janeway would make a few phone calls, starfleet would call ferenginar and be like "get your people or we will," and then they would have to leave. jesus christ

and then when neelix is actually making some progress he breaks immediately...come on. this was such a stupid problem with a hundred easy solutions

the icing on the cake though is that the ferengi ruined their chance of using the wormhole to get home...like obviously we know this episode isn't gonna be it, but in-universe it's incredibly frustrating, and demoralizing, and it feels like such a cruel thing to have happened for no reason when the rest of the episode is haha funny! there are a million ways you could have done this without it feeling so mean-spirited - in reality, a setback like this would weigh everyone down for days, if not weeks or months, but i'm sure it will never get mentioned again

anyway, horrible episode, i hated it

TONIGHT: ds9's "the ship," and also star war :/

[msfbgraves]

Here, she greatly respects Chozen and feels very warm affection for him, loves her beautiful girls... but she still prays for Daniel. 😭 😭 As someone whose favourite character is Chozen (and Daniel lmao) that hurts to read. Wish my man had ended up with someone who loves him the world over arghhhh. I feel sorry for Kumiko too. Daniel is still her great love, but Terry has taken first place in his heart. On the other hand, it never fails to crack me up just how obsessed Terry is with Daniel and how he simply MUST have him no matter what. I feel like in any universe, this is a given.

Cobra Kai is suprisingly much deeper about relationships than it has any right to be. What they actually set up with Daniel and his lingering obsession with Terry; Kumiko and her inability to move on (so incredibly cruel for them to do that!); Terry's lingering unfinished business with Daniel; Chozen not being able to get over himself enough to settle down either... wow that's a lot to unpack.

I'm so interested in the way that the show chose to make Terry such a lingering presence in Daniel's life from Daniel's first appearance onward. Daniel kind of married Terry even in canon. Amanda is freakishly similar to Terry in looks and character. To me, that tells me that there is something that binds them together even if it isn't a simple relationship. But there is also something that binds Daniel, Chozen and Kumiko together. I really do feel that there was something at least on Chozen's side, when it comes to Kumiko before Daniel came to the island. But going by the show they seem to have been in contact quite regularly for Kumiko to have Chozen's number and be in on a prank to bring Daniel and Chozen together. So why are Kumiko and Chozen not dating? They are both free and they seem close! Apparently Daniel stands between them, if he would never want that for either of them! I really think that in another timeline, either post Karate Kid canon, or even this AU, the three of them are a throuple, at least in spirit!

For instance: in the movieverse, If Daniel had returned to Okinawa and married Kumiko before the beginning of CK, he would have opened a dojo with Chozen and within 5 years they'd all be happily cohabitating and having amazing sex. Daniel having coaxed Mr. Miyagi back to Yukie. But he can't, right, because where does that leave Terry? In the alternative omegaverse timeline then, where Kumiko falls pregnant with Daniel's puppy, I can actually imagine Chozen saying: why can't I mate them both? I'll raise the pup! I'll have his pups, her pups, maybe she has his puppy again, idc! He's hot! And the Don and Sato going "Who do you think you are, the Emperor?" Daniel would be like "Fine, if that means I can have both my puppy and my wife, we'll make it work!" But there is Italian marriage politics at play, the Don's attachment to his youngest, plus the lingering threat of a certain Terry Silver...

In this, the Knights and Pawns universe, Chozen did feel some kind of way seeing Kumiko and Daniel together, and he hates Terry on sight. But he and his wife go back to their lives, have puppies and have the kind of love and friendship that gets built over decades of companionship. There's simply something destined about both damiko and silverusso, in my view, that cannot be prevented. I really would have hoped for Chozen and Kumiko to sincerely move on and find love on their own terms, but that is not canon, so it creeps into my fic too, always. Last but not least - Johnny Lawrence and John Kreese also have a place in each other's and Daniel's life in every universe.

It is what it is, Nonnie, I am so sorry.

[girlbob-boypants]

1 8 9 24 25 🔥🔥🔥🔥

ALRIIIIIGHT let's do this. You didn't specify what so I'll. find something after I copy in the questions and see what i'm dealing with

hm. uh. let's just do 14.

Oh thats a lot of ranting oh. Um. So my rants for this game always get heavier than I expect due to the nature of this game SO

Cw for discussions abuse, racism, and misogyny.

wow it's just like complaining about the DA fandom

1 - The character everyone gets wrong

Honestly? It's Emmy Sulk himself. (Disclaimer that I can only speak through my experiences with the English translation which is known for being either spot on or way off but afaik the main story is better about this)

But his is to the point where even the writing gets him wrong in his second expac imo. Like core parts of his original presentation were that 1. He really loves being dramatic and has a sense of humor and 2. Every aspect of him has been embittered by the loss of his people. His humor is fleeting and spiteful. His view of the world is downright spiteful. This is so important to understand. Emet was not always grouchy and mean, even if he was once serious. And it's no secret even in shadowbringers. He does things out of pity and compassion for the group cause we've amused him. He says this is boring and leaves when we're held hostage. He says he does not view mortals as real people yet his mind palace views us as children rather than the man made creatures of his time.

And people took this and turned it into "oh he's a secretly nice grouch. Teehee he's mister grumpy pants" and ew ran with that and completely fucking NUKED his character in favor of fanon. We didn't even need to see what he was like back when his people were alive but if we were going to, don't tell me that the complete destruction of his people only slightly tweaked his personality. And don't turn his sharp witted best friend into a twink who's only personality trait is "Emmy is actually a good guy I promise". And to have Emmy say he thinks his cause was better but we won so he's putting his faith in us feels so. "Yeah even after getting all his memories back and seeing us in action he still maintains that creating fascist nations with creatures he viewed as subhuman was a good idea but he's your friend now so he supports you."

Literally the worst character arc ever. Imagine taking the "this villain was once kind but lost their way and became cruel and hateful" trope and reversing it into a redemption arc where the entire redemption is "yeah he's always been exactly like this but in another life you were friends so it's okay you can't hate him for what he did to your world"

8 - Common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

Okay I wrote an entire rant about a character and then realized there's an even worse opinion i hate more so. I'm keeping it cause everything I said is so true but this one is even more important.

Okay so a known fact among 14 fans who can read is that the Xaela au ra are meant to be Mongolian coded. It's not subtle. However it's also incredibly mean spirited. And the worst fandom opinion is that the shitty ways a Japanese studio chose to mock Mongolian culture(s) are funny. There's tribes with beliefs that are, honestly, perfectly normal things clearly being played up for laughs and the fans just clap and jeer along???

Basically the fandom opinion is "SE were so funny for how they wrote the Xaela" when actually it was racism.

Anyone who thinks Thancred is a good father, show me the receipts. Seriously the guy is downright abusive at some points and even if his emotions about it all are fair, his actions aren't. He treats Minifilia just like all of her other captives have, all while projecting his feelings about the last person he failed to protect onto her. And while it makes for a good character arc, she never gets to call him out on it and he never talks to her about it. In fact, instead of talking to her, we get some random Manpain Deadwife dude who vents about his life despite literally not mattering to the plot. And this is somehow more influential to Thancred realizing he should be better than talking to Minifilia is. Even when Minifilia expresses guilt that her being alive means Thancred will never see the person he misses more.

And as touching as their scene is when he gives her a new name that's all her own after he almost died for her is. It's not admission or apology. Minifilia deserved to have him say sorry and to say he was terrified of losing her and almost pushed her away trying to keep her safe.

BUT UNFORTUNATELY HE SUCKS SHIT AS A FATHER AND IM ADOPTING HIS CHILD AND HITTING HIM WITH A DIVORCE (never married)

9 - Worst part of canon

Just like. All of Stormblood? Worst villains, worst coding, worst character development for half the cast. Zenos is literally the epitome of the colonizer nation he's the prince of but the writing goes "noooo he doesn't care about any of that he's just power hungry so there's no commentary!! Him using a Japanese weapon he obtained by murdering and pillaging isn't commentary. Him beating and experimenting on women from colonized nations isn't commentary cause he's not doing it with those motivations!!"

I've spoken a lot about how much I hate every part of this expac. It does nothing well and leads to one of the worst villains everyone obsesses over for being a little silly despite adding nothing to the story and just being a dps check and a voice box in a cardboard cutout.

24 - topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

Yotsuyu. Oh SE made one of their villains a Korean comfort woman? Quick, we better talk about how misogynistic this one character is for not killing all brothel owners everywhere even though those people still being alive means Yotsuyu never used the immense power she had as ruler to hunt them down. She had plenty of time to commit ethnic cleanses tho. Weird how that never gets brought up. Why do people criticize this game like it's a real world and the character are all acting of their own accord and not the product of real people from our world writing things?

25 - common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

ANYONE WHO WANTS ZENOS BACK NO THE FUCK YOU DONT STOP COMPLAINING THAT THE WRITERS FINALLY HAD A WOMAN ADDRESS HOW TERRIBLY HE TREATS EVERYONE WOMAN IN HIS CONTROL I SWEAR TO FUCK WHY DO SO MANY OF YOU THINK ZERO IS A MEAN BITCH FOR SAYING THE STALKER SERIAL KILLER WAS A BAD PERSON

[historicalasiandramas]

CLJ Recaps

There sure is a lot of body swapping and disguising people in this show!

Despite the fact that Danyin was a bitch to Orchid for petty jealous reasons, being rescued by her has made her think differently. Everyone else in Shuiyuntian is apparently convinced that Orchid was a spy all along. Changheng is pleased to hear that Danyin doesn't agree. She reluctantly admits that Orchid is kind enough to save her life despite past treatment.

Even more shocking is that Danyin willingly volunteers to help rescue Orchid. This involves magic to make her look like Changheng, so he can go to Cangyan Sea. Yunzhong has apparently put his brother under house arrest because expressing feelings is wrong & bad so disguising himself as Danyin will help him slip away.

I've noticed this before, but the Silent Moon Palace has really interesting cultural references. The windows remind me of mosques. Face veils have apparently been worn since the Han Dynasty. Unlike the fairy realm, black complimented by a jewel tone seems to be the dominant palette for palace staff here.

Orchid is worried that food here won't be good, but instead it ends up looking more delicious than the food she's used to. It's also plated like a Michelin restaurant: with a thousand tiny plates and portions.

Orchid declares that she will no longer be a cruel ruler, thus ruining Moon Supreme's reputation.

Orchid then basically says, "No wonder your brother doesn't like you," which is SUCH a funny thing to say. DFQC only scoffs and says, "I'm the Moon Supreme that everyone fears. I don't need anyone to like me." SURE JAN!

The mention of his brother upsets DFQC and he reminds Orchid that he's the one most likely to see through the body swap. JUST LIKE I SAID BEFORE!

Back at Fountain Palace, Danyin is having a great time pretending to be Changheng. Lookit her smile!

Her fun is short-lived because Lord Liyuan shows up for a surprise visit! I literally yelled while watching Danyin talk to her father with Changheng's face because it was SO FUNNY. She accidentally calls him "dad" but then quickly recovers and praises herself.

The real reason Liyuan is there is to discuss how bad things will likely get now that DFQC has been resurrected. Danyin still defends Orchid, but finds it strange that she doesn't belong to any of the 8 immortals. And then she makes a hypothesis that literally made me gasp.

To immediately come to that conclusion means that Danyin is actually incredibly smart! How exactly was the Xilan Tribe wiped out? It's probably related to why Orchid doesn't have any memories in this reincarnation.

Liyuan immediately shoots down the idea. He knows Xiyun's mother and grandmother and has seen plenty of Xilan holy grass before. He apparently carefully examined Orchid's spirit on the day of the ceremony but found her true form to be strange.

Orchid's true form must have been locked away for a reason. I wonder if her parents saw the future where Orchid suffers due to falling in love with DFQC and did it to protect her?

But also the fact that literally no one in Shuiyuntian knew that Orchid wasn't a flower spirit means that she is extremely powerful. I'M SO READY TO UNLOCK THIS VERSION OF HER!

While Orchid learns about Cangyan Sea history in the bath, Danyin is discovered by Rong Hao. Oh no, looks like his plans are in danger of falling apart! And so is the body swap plot.

Idk why Silent Moon Palace has windows where you can peep at people bathing, but a servant caught "Orchid" being scrubbed while blindfolded and reports to Xunfeng. She says that they're always with each other and even share chopsticks and dishes.

Xunfeng calls bullshit. DFQC is apparently someone who doesn't like touching dishes left by others. Sorry, can't relate! Despite being born and raised in the U.S., I'm still Filipino and I'm used to sharing food with my family.

The servant goes on to say that DFQC thanked her, which is the most telling thing. Orchid is kind to everyone regardless of who they are, but DFQC only acknowledges the strong. Why would he pay any attention to a maid? "It's like he's a different person." That sets the wheels off in XF's head!

To test if it's really his brother XF challenges DFQC to a duel. DFQC tries to help get out of it but XF will not tolerate his interruption in Orchid's body.

According to Moon Tribe tradition, DFQC can neither refuse the duel nor have outsiders watch. Before DFQC!Orchid is banished from the throne room, he mouths "Shang Que" in hopes that Orchid catches on. Luckily she does and orders SQ to duel in her stead.

Xunfeng mentions a technique that's translated as "Black Slash", so I assume it's a sword move. He then makes it seem like he's challenging SQ by saying, "I wonder if you're powerful enough to break it."

It turns out this is a piece of information that only DFQC would have known and he failed the test.

This screenshot is like the physical manifestation of the phrase "it dawned on him". Xunfeng turns directly into the sunlight to make this declaration.

He also gives the most glorious side eye this ep and I'm so here for it. He explains to the servant that when they were children, XF begged his brother every day to teach him the Black Slash. DFQC said he would when XF grew up, but killed their father before that happened.

Go off and reveal your tragic backstory to some rando, king! XD

Plan Kill DFQC is still in motion and in true villain tradition everyone shows up to the Dark Pine Forest in the middle of the night, wearing their best fits. Rong Hao does a test of his concentrated evil, killing one of Xunfeng's guards instantly with it.

Says the guy plotting to kill his own brother to the guy who is willing to literally tear the world apart to bring his master back.

The long-awaited storm has finally arrived and Orchid & DFQC go to the same forest where Xunfeng & co did their plotting. Immediately after they leave, Changheng shows up in Silent Moon Palace. And our main duo runs into Rong Hao and Die Yi in the most villain coded scene I've seen in my life.

There's lightning in the background and Rong Hao smirks. He knows exactly what's up, even though Orchid is still pretending to be the Moon Supreme. He unleashes the concentrated evil spirit and DFQC moves in front of Orchid to block the attack. Probably counting on the hellfire to activate and protect them both.

Instead, we see white magic block the attack and Rong Hao steps back. He immediately recognizes Changheng's magic before the man himself appears. Orchid forgets herself as soon as she sees him.

Unfortunately, he's affected by the concentrated evil. When you've watched dramas as long as I have, you develop a sense of when someone is gonna cough up blood. This was the time. Orchid goes from :D to D: real quick.

In the background, you hear Orchid's cries becoming frantic and Rong Hao's shock can be seen through his mask as he breathes heavily.

DFQC finally releases his grip on Orchid and lets her run to CH. But not before tossing an item infused with a teleportation spell. Orchid collides with the open portal and immediately disappears.

Die Yi is adamant about killing Changheng but obviously, RH refuses. He says that CH has already been infected and it's more important to find Orchid.

He asks if she's OK and if she was harassed, but DFQC just stares at him and doesn't reply. My dude READ THE ROOM! The girl in front of you is silently glaring and you're reaching out to touch her face? Did no one teach this man body language???

My dwarf rabbit looks exactly like this before he tries to rip my fingers off. Anyway, can't wait for DFQC to have to pretend to be Orchid and fuck it up!

[luminary-sunflower]

Journal, 12/8/2023 (cw grief, climate change, animal abuse, child abuse, religion)

I can barely remember any gifts I got except for a few - my 13th birthday, for example, I got Hunger Games in an accidentally large print. It was how I realized I actually had astigmatism because it made me start reading again (much easier). I also remember really liking Webkinz and Littlest Pet Shops. Isn't it weird? How so much of our childhood is defined by our toy franchises but when you're an adult you don't even remember the toys you needed so badly? Actually, I still like Littlest Pet Shops and collecting stuffed animals. I follow some on Tumblr. But I feel like there's a big gap there where it actually wasn't all that important. 

When I think of times I remember most vividly and fondly, it's incredibly boring. I mean that in a good way. I miss sitting on the porch with crackers and a pull tab of tuna, sharing with the stray kitten I had named Billy Joe from Green Day. Before he destroyed it in a fit of rage for BJ using the plot as a litterbox, planting the tomatoes with him was a bittersweet memory. I wonder if he ever regrets how good of a child I could have been if he was safe enough to be around. If you walked towards the cows in the summer after a long rain, you'd have to be careful not to step on any tiny baby toads (the size of fingerprints) hiding in the grass. It makes me upset to think about all the dragonflies, cardinals, salamanders that are dying off. 

I guess it is the animals I remember most. You can still go outside but it feels lonely. When I wanted to end my life, I would sit outside and see all of these animals living and just living for the sake of living, because they hadn't forgotten life was good. How we're killing ourselves. Pesticides and pavement are terrorism. You can only take so much you know. Before you want to go back home. And you know where home is. And you know it looks different now. And yes you'll find joy away from it because you have to, because you don't have a choice. I'd like to think if heaven is being outside without ever being cold or thirsty. 

I would love a job like that. Just the gardener, the tender. Taking care of all of the Earth and the lonely, curious spirits within it. A little less than an angel is all I'd have to be. No one thinks of animals when they read "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares". But I see clips of videos of people rescuing deer from their antlers tangled in fences and that's what reminds me. 

Wouldn't that be such a thing to do? To be an angel and disguise yourself as an animal to ask for mercy? God already did that as a human being. 

What are we doing? Why are we so cruel, not even cruel, but just apathetic? I am not alone in remembering the family and love of wildlife. Even those who say they want to protect animals in the highest think of humans so bitterly. We aren't supposed to be this way. It isn't hard to understand. That's why it hurts. That's why it all hurts. If we believed this is how it ought to be, then no one would be sad over it. We're sad because part of us knows better. We are killing ourselves just as much. There isn't going to be a time when climate change and mass extinction doesn't end the lives of human beings. We're not going to live happy, productive lives without our family. I can't tell you how empty it feels to sit outside to eat without a bird nearby asking for crumbs. I still think of the bee who took my tea as a friend.

I'm not supposed to have an alarm clock. It's supposed to be a Kentucky warbler. 

Do you think people are afraid to believe in God because it means they have to accept the things they've done to creation? As not meaningless, as the horror it is, the horror humanity is capable of against it? To each other? Nihilism would be so easy, wouldn't it? You don't have to mourn a thing. You don't have to accept responsibility... It meant nothing. I think every human dying means the world. It means we failed the world we had. 

You know for the longest time I hated Jesus. Because I was jealous. Honestly. I can say that now. I like to say it, maybe I crave humiliation. 

Let's take everything at word and there was a man who suffered as much, but it was for a good cause. Was my suffering meaningful? What did I sacrifice for? At least Jesus had "good damage" as Diane from Bojack Horseman would say.

I have to believe that despite all I've suffered I have an opportunity to use it for good. To waste it on pity or ending my life would be selfish. It was just an example maybe. We can give it meaning too. We have that right, don't we? Because if we take it at its word: "to the extent that you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to Me" that would mean Jesus already suffered what I did. And that sounds a bit silly, but let's explore how everyone hates themselves! It's natural. Treat yourself as you would... a good friend...

Why would my mom's ex husband poison Jesus' beloved kittens? But he did. And that's the only answer I have. But he did.

I have nothing to be jealous of. It was already done, at the same time. 

That makes it easier for me to conceptualize just how cruel those things were. To beat a dead horse, a dead man, a dead God. To harm a child. You were already forgiven for it. Why must you make it worse? Why must you bury the hole deeper? Can you not appreciate the grace you've been given? The opportunity to have a family...to have me. To have me as your child with all I know now I have to offer my loved ones. I could have been loved by you. But you wasted it because you... Did. You wasted it because you did. I will never know why.

Did it go something like this, though, I wonder:

I have plenty of towels so I will spill as much as I want. 

I have plenty of thread so I will tear as much as I want.

And to that I would respond: “A blazing fire makes flame and brightness out of everything that is thrown into it.” 

And 

You didn't not expect for the tools you put your faith in to be used to heal you. You're the one who has to live with what you've done. I've hurt people. And I've hurt the ones I loved most. I know forgiveness the worst pain. I can only beg for it now. I am the one who has to live with what I've not done.

I'll never see BJ the kitty again. I am so happy I have met him. I'll never see my pappy again. I am so happy he took care of me when his son couldn't. That was all I needed to get where I needed to be. And I have to have faith in that.

[aimmyarrowshigh]

Hey so this is really random, but I've seen you talk about bookmarks in fan fiction, and what to not put on them. I was just wondering if there are any other etiquette rules when public bookmarking? Eg if someone is tagging an NSFW ask with thirst/appreciation, if there's any sort of personal tag that can be annoying for an author to read, if there are other things authors would prefer not to know.

Disclaimer: I can only speak for myself, this is only my personal opinion, other people have different preferences and boundaries, etc.

I think the most basic rule of responding to fanfiction and fanart across the board -- whether it's comments, bookmarks, Tumblr posts, or Tweets -- is that you should never respond in a way that you wouldn't want someone to respond to you, you should always err on the side of being TOO earnest and kind, and you need to remember that you and the writer do not know each other (unless it's someone you do know).

The problem with commenting or bookmarking or tweeting about how [X] fic is a 7/10 is, A, that metric means nothing -- there is no rubric for what it takes to be a good fic, and even if there were, your taste (editorial you) is not subjective -- and B, it's fucking rude. People are sharing their fic, or their fanart, with you because they love a thing you also love and they are communicating with you about that love. Grading them on their love is cruel.

Grading fics, whether on the A/B/C/D/F scale or the 1-10 scale or whatever, is never, ever actually providing feedback. It's just being mean for the sake of being mean. It also suggests that you view fandom and fanfiction as a hierarchy or a competition and not as a community, which is against the whole spirit of the thing.

And even if you (editorial you, not you you-you) are one of the people who looks at my first "guideline" and says, "But I would want people to be honest about my fic's Quality, and it's weak sauce not to be able to take criticism," then here's the thing: "7/10" is not criticism. It tells the author absolutely nothing about your actual response to their work, it just says "this was mediocre, bye." Like... okay? What about it? And why do I care what you think? What are your qualifications to grade my writing?? And do you understand that fanfiction is written, 99.9% of the time, without significant editing or drafting and is pretty much never totally polished?? Because it seems like you don't know that and therefore, again, why should I care what you think??? Rude!

I have genuinely never seen anyone respond to a fic with so-called constructive criticism and actually be saying anything worthwhile about writing craft. Editing is actually incredibly difficult and that's why it is a full-time, highly skilled career that takes a lot of dedication and education to do in a meaningful way. It's also something that happens BEFORE a work is finalized.

For fanfiction, if it's posted, it's finalized. Going in with suggestions, unless they are VERY SPECIFICALLY ASKED FOR IN AN AUTHOR'S NOTE, is both pointless -- the story/chapter is done -- and most of the time, frankly just... not helpful, because most people don't know how to respond critically to a work without confusing "literary criticism" with "being critical" and "editorial comments" with either "personal preferences" or, way worse, "prescriptivist grammar policing."

(And that's FINE! Most people don't NEED that skill! I'm not saying that it's a bad thing or that anyone shouldn't be allowed to have preferences or suggestions or whatever for the fic that they read, and I'm not bashing people who don't have that skill. It's a niche skill. I can't do long division. That's not even niche.)

IF you ABSOLUTELY MUST give unasked-for critique, then the ONLY thing that you should be concerned with doing is providing actionable feedback that is concerned with the text as it actually exists, not with what you wish it had done or think it should have done or are pretending that it did. But you know what's way better than leaving unasked-for critique that is 100% guaranteed just to bum someone out and ruin their day, and possibly their whole experience in your fandom?

Just find another fic to read and let whatever you didn't like in the first fic roll off your back like water off a duck.

And if you TRULY CANNOT DO THAT, YOU MUST let the writer know that you don't think their pacing was good, or whatever --

You wouldn't walk up to a stranger on the street and say that you didn't like their shirt. You COULD tell your best friend that. If you really want to have an impact on someone's writing and you ABSOLUTELY MUST tell them how to change it to better suit your personal taste, then put on your big-person pants and message them privately about how you love their shoelaces and make a friend. And then, eventually, they will probably ASK for your thoughts on their writing. Because that's what writers do to their friends. But no one ever wants to make friends with, or consider the opinion of, a stranger who just ran up and was rude out of nowhere.

And if you read a fic and you REALLY HATE IT and you CANNOT CONTAIN YOUR HATRED and you HAVE TO LET SOMEONE KNOW HOW MUCH YOU HATED IT -- my pal, my buddy, that is what private conversations are for. That is not the author's business. That is not Twitter's business. That is not Tumblr's business. That is your Salt Friend Susan's business, and you can shit-talk that fic in private to Salty Susan as much as you want. I'm not saying you cannot have fun being salty about fics you hate. I'm saying you absolutely should never do that in any place that the author could conceivably see it.

Like, I have dunked on "reylo fics" as a thing on my blog, but even at my MOST unhinged anti-reylo, I have never publicly shit-talked any specific fic, author, or fan. Because that's just fucking cruel and there is NO purpose to it besides making someone feel bad. And if you are SO INCENSED that you MUST MAKE THE AUTHOR FEEL BAD then not to be glib but you need to close AO3 for an hour and slowly drink a glass of cold water, because no, you do not need to make an author feel bad. There is never a reason to do that.*

*I'm not talking about troll fics that are intentionally tagged incorrectly or that are intentionally racist/transphobic/antisemitic/anti-Black/etc. The only rule for responding to THOSE fics is "block and report, do not personally engage the troll, protect your own self."

And then the flip side: when you're responding kindly and excitedly and squeeing and AFLSLGSKGLSGLSGDSGL; about a fic, the main thing to remember is that you and the author do not know each other (unless you do) and that they can't read your tone over the internet. If you're not sure how your message comes across, make it nicer and kinder, and then send it. Err on the side of being TOO earnest and kind. That's always better than thinking you're sending a squee comment and accidentally ruining someone's day anyway.

Example: a few months ago someone commented on one of my fics, "This is the stupidest thing I've ever read!" And I was like... okay? Did you have to tell me that? I don't need to know that you're saving it to laugh at or something? Fucking rude??? And I think I wrote back, "Fucking rude???" and they wrote back and were like "OMG no I meant that I loved it and laughed so hard!!!" and it was like... just... say that then? I don't know you, I don't know your language patterns, and there's no way to infer tone from a written comment. "This is the stupidest thing I've ever read" does NOT read like "I loved this." Just say "I loved this."

And in terms of responding specifically to smut and thirst asks... idk. *MY* opinion is that I never want anything more detailed than like, "that was Not Gross and I enjoyed it," but I'm also a giant prude and almost never write smut anymore, so my opinion is very different than someone who runs a thirst-ficlet blog, probably. But I feel like the general stance of, "if you wouldn't say it to a stranger on the street, don't say it to a stranger on the internet" is a fair rule of thumb.

I don't want to know that some random person in the movie theater has a boner any more than I want to know that someone wanked to a smut scene. That's not my business.

But again, my opinion is likely to be very different from someone who runs a thirst blog and is intentionally TRYING to elicit physical reactions. But still. One of the worst comments I've ever gotten was like ten years ago someone said that they thought of a scene I'd written while they fucked their husband and I'm like, scarred. I don't know them. I don't know their husband. I didn't write it "for" that. I... ablsa;hdb;lsn;l;

So all in all, tl;dr, remember that writers are people, they're strangers, and they're doing fandom to participate in a community about a thing that they love, not necessarily to get better at writing and DEFINITELY not to get told by random strangers that they didn't love something correctly.

[cocoartistwrites]

what are your favorite t swift lyrics to date? “just between us did the love affair maim you too” recently has me on the verge of tears just thinking about it so yeah ….

I have honestly no idea how long you expect this to be lol I've been waiting my whole life to answer this and now there's too many, so here are a few stand-outs that are by no means the only best ones or my only faves.

I'm ignoring all the bridges because I think Swiftian Bridges are their own category. I'm also just gonna do post 1989 otherwise this will be too long.

1. the whole of peace but specifically:

And you know that I'd swing with you for the fences Sit with you in the trenches Give you my wild, give you a child

2. you already picked one of my fave All Too Well 10 lyrics but I can't overlook this (and also ofc the punchline)

You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath

3. all of Majorie, which is one of her greatest-ever songs, and always makes me cry:

Never be so kind / You forget to be clever Never be so clever / You forget to be kind

4. The story this one single fucking line tells in august:

I remember thinkin' I had you

5. mad woman is again filled with incredible writing but this always grabs me:

And you'll poke that bear 'til her claws come out And you find something to wrap your noose around

6. LWYMMD gets slated and I don't know why, she really threw herself all in to the campy villain bit look at this fucking writing:

But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time I've got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined I check it once, then I check it twice, oh!

7. is this the saddest lyric in Swift's canon? maybe. fuck you scott bruschetta.

I didn't have it in myself to go with grace 'Cause when I'd fight, you used to tell me I was brave

8. cruel summer is <3 but this line is especially clever:

I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you

9. there's enough spilled ink on the glorious storytelling of TLGAD so I'll just say the switch from she to I? flawless.

I had a marvelous time ruining everything

10. No one has ever captured the fragility of the start of new love this well. The contrast of cool/delicate in terms of vernacular and literary language is *chef's kiss*

Is it cool that I said all that? Is it too soon to do this yet? 'Cause I know that it's delicate

11. seven makes me go absolutely feral as I too feel girls are robbed of something as they grow

Please picture me in the weeds Before I learned civility I used to scream ferociously Any time I wanted

12. the way she writes about finding shelter in love on reputation, an album that is just so Dear to me but especially call it what you want:

And I know I make the same mistakes every time Bridges burn, I never learn At least I did one thing right

13. idk just fucking love this one from willow. like we have all these ideas and goals about what our lives will be then we fall in love with someone and realise we have to take them into it and everything might change, and that's ok (in contrast to the wave of you can have it all feminism)

Wreck my plans, that's my man

14. the noise i made when i first heard this:

They told me all of my cages were mental So I got wasted like all my potential

15. this is so evocative and the delivery is unreal:

And I was catching my breath Barefoot in the wildest winter Catching my death

16. remember when she wrote this and called the damn song happiness:

But now I'm right down in it, all the years I've given Is just shit we're dividin' up Showed you all of my hiding spots I was dancing when the music stopped And in the disbelief, I can't face reinvention

17. every single second of ivy but specifically,

I'd meet you where the spirit meets the bones

18. I could write a phd about the archer, but I won't. I'll just say that when Taylor said:

I wake in the night, I pace like a ghost The room is on fire, invisible smoke And all of my heroes die all alone Help me hold on to you

I lost my fucking mind. [XR name one hero who was happy from TSOA, and every writer and artists anxiety that they'll have to choose between art and happiness in love]

19. the fact that she wrote a song about cunnilingus already makes false god incredible but the way she wrote it as

religion's in your lips / the altar is my hips

ma'am,,,,

20. cardigan is lyrically fantastic around the central image of the cardigan itself, which I think distracts from knife cuts like:

Leavin' like a father Running like water And when you are young, they assume you know nothing

[side note there are very few father refs in Swift songs - see also 'a careless man's careful daughter']

21. turning her own Americana (remember those 4th of July parties) back on herself here, iconic Trump call out, etc.

American stories burning before me I'm feeling helpless, the damsels are depressed Boys will be boys then, where are the wise men? Darling, I'm scared

22. leaving you on number 22 with this absolute soul-destroyer from nothing new

Will you still want me when I'm nothing new?

[zodiactalks]

Love Life with Capricorn Woman & 5 Brutal Truths

Loving a Capricorn woman can be a bit like running a marathon, particularly if dating them is your end goal.

It'll take a lot of effort and perseverance, as Capricorn women aren't known for jumping blindly into relationships, but once you've reached your goal, you'll be able to look at the road traveled with pride.

Like a marathon, dating a Capricorn woman isn't something you should do unprepared, so we've compiled a short list of brutally honest truths that you need to know before going after a Capricorn woman.

Let's get started!

#1. They're workaholics

Capricorn women love working.

Oh, they might not love their jobs, but the act of working? Of having a goal, an objective, and a deadline? They can't get enough of it.

They like to challenge themselves, improve themselves, and excel at what they do, which makes them very hard workers, even if they're not in love with their job.

Capricorns also value economic stability and are always on the lookout for opportunities that will help them secure their future and their loved ones; Thus, Capricorn women tend to dedicate a lot of time to their jobs.

When other signs are resting, Capricorn women are working. When they're on vacations, they're looking for ways to improve once they get back to work. Their minds never stop working, and because of this, they're rarely idle and unproductive.

This eagerness to work can be a fantastic thing, but it can also be negative; it mostly depends on how much time you expect your partner to spend with you.

If you're the kind of person who wishes their partner to be with them all day long, then dating a Capricorn woman might be a problematic affair. If, on the other hand, you're just as dedicated to your profession and don't mind spending time away from your partner, your relationship will flourish.

#2. They think everything is a challenge.

Capricorn women are unbelievably competitive, to the point that they'll turn anything into a competition, even if they're just competing against themselves.

You need to be careful about what you tell them, or at least how you voice your comments, or else, she'll take it as a challenge and go to hell and back to prove that it can be done.

A "looks too hard" or "I don' think you can do it," will be met with a smirk and your Capricorn partner doing precisely that. An innocent suggestion to play a videogame or a board game will transform into a competition for all.

This isn't necessarily a negative. Competing with a Capricorn woman can be an incredibly fun thing to do, you just need to make sure you're ready for some competition because she will try to beat you.

You may introduce her to your favorite hobby just to make her feel included, and before you realize it, she'll be trying to one-up you even if it upsets you.

It can be annoying, but keep in mind that there's a good chance she's not doing it to upset you; Capricorn women love competitions, and if you've shown her something she can compete in, and she beats you in it, you only have yourself to blame.

#3. They're way too blunt sometimes.

Have you heard of brutal honesty? That's Capricorn women in a nutshell.

These goal-oriented go-getters are always looking for the most effective, straight-to-the-point, way of communicating themselves, and in their rush to get results; they often forego to consider small things like diplomacy or other peoples feelings.

They'll share what they're thinking with little to no regard to how they'll come off, and they'll be honest even in situations where honesty isn't the best policy.

Capricorn women are, generally, lousy liars and very bad at manipulation. Too straightforward and sincere to let things such as dignity or manners keep them from expressing themselves.

It's not that they're mean-spirited or cruel, though they might come off as that. It's that often they don't realize that what they say can be mis-constructed and will end up saying something insulting without meaning to.

A good way of dealing with this particular characteristic is tolet the Capricorn woman in your life know when she messes up so that she's aware that her words didn't come out as she intended them.

#4. They have super high standards.

Though their intense personalities might make them come off like a fire symbol, Capricorn is actually an earth-symbol. That means Capricorn women seek out stability and consistency in everything they do.

Because of this, they have some of the highest standards in the entire Zodiac.

It's not that they hold unrealistic expectations or that they take their pickiness to an irrational level. It's that they have a long and well-detained plan covering all the things they want in life and for their future, and one of those items is a particular partner.

When looking for a romantic partner, Capricorn women will look for someone who will fit the life they've already planned. If given a choice between a supermodel who will lead them into an unpredictable and adventurous life, and a regular man who will help them achieve the lifestyle they want, they'll go for the latter almost every time.

Capricorns like adventures, sure, but adventures are fun little things to have now and then, not something you dedicate your entire life to, unless that's always been part of the plan.

In a way, it's less that Capricorn women have high standards, but rather that they have a very specific criteria.

They don't want the best of the best when it comes to partners, they want those who can complement their lifestyle and goals, and they will be absolutely inflexible in this sense.

Capricorns won't give up on their goals just because it's hard to achieve them, and likewise, they'd rather be on their own that be with the wrong person.

#5. They commit with everything they've got.

Let's recapitulate.

Here you have a woman with a very clear life plan, who's honest with herself about what she wants, and who isn't afraid to work to achieve her goals.

Here you have a woman who will pursue her long-term happiness even if it means sacrificing the short-term one, someone who already knows who they want to be, and has dutifully planned how their ideal partner can complement their ideal life.

Of course Capricorn women are some of the most committed in the entire Zodiac.

When they find a relationship they genuinely want to be part of, with someone they sincerely want to be with, they'll move mountains to keep them, and they won't let anything get in their way, including themselves.

This intense approach to relationships can scare some people, particularly those used to Capricorn's somewhat aloof personality, but if you're ready for the switch that will flip the moment she decides you're the one for her, then you're ready for anything.

Being with a Capricorn woman can be an incredible, life-affirming experience; you just need to be prepared for it, though rest assured, once you have her love and attention, it will be smooth sailing from thereon.

[eventidespirits]

Adam Allistair Freemont

Aliases: Edwin Lockhart, William Silva, Francis LaRue, Everett Brighton, James Fenwick

Apparent Age: "29"

Birthday: August 11th, 1897

Death Day: December 19th, 1926

Species: Vampire (Siren Bloodline)/Bloodbound Spirit

Gender: Cis Man

Pronouns: he/him

Sexuality: Primarily Heterosexual

Occupation: Photographer

Residence: Santa Marta, California; Morgan Kendrick's Psychic Realm

Universe: Primarily original lore but also Vampire the Masquerade where he's a Camarilla Toreador who defected to the Sabbat.

Appearance:

Height: 6'0

Build: Tall and lanky with angular shoulders and long limbs. He has a trim, lightly muscled physique with long delicate fingers and soft hands.

Eye Color: Luminous Yellow/Gold with slitted cat-like pupils and a darker, amber band around the edges.

Hair Color/Texture: Black, 1b hair texture. Just long enough for the ends to brush against his shoulders. Partially brushed back and parted to the right but a significant amount of his hair ends up falling into his face.

Face: Angular with a square jaw and high cheekbones. He has a mostly straight nose with a slight convex curve to the bridge. He has deep set eyes with heavy lids and dark circles and usually looks somewhat sleepy but in a strangely sensual way. Defined lips that are usually curved into a sadistic little smirk. He's quite attractive but in a way that feels vaguely dangerous or even predatory.

Distinguishing Characteristics: Adam has bright golden eyes with slitted cat-like pupils. He also has a rather large, jagged scar on his back, located between his shoulder blades. I'd include his *other* distinguishing characteristic but that's kinda NSFW ;)

Posture/Body Language: Confident, even arrogant, chin up, shoulders back but not in a way that looks particularly stiff. His body language is generally relaxed and easy, bringing to mind a big cat at rest -- there's always something about the way he moves that implies a predatory nature laying beneath his cool, collected surface. Adam walks with clear purpose and long, smooth strides and always knows how to make an entrance.

Voice: Soft and smooth with a deep timbre and confident inflection. Adam's voice is somewhat like poisoned honey or arsenic laced velvet -- smooth and sweet but with something slightly off.

Clothing Style: Adam prefers dark colors -- burgundy, blood red, black, charcoal, rich deep browns and the ocassional pop of gold or cream or a white dress shirt. He wears primarily expensive, tailored button downs made from things like silk, velvet or very high thread count cotton with the sleeves rolled up and the top three (or four) buttons undone. Sometimes with brocade, floral or striped patterns. If it's cooler out, he'll wear a black blazer or something similar. When it comes to pants, it's almost entirely black or charcoal tailored pants or pitch black jeans. He usually wears very few accessories -- a nice watch, a belt, a silver and garnet ring and a pendant on a thin silver or gold chain. Generally wearing pointed toe oxfords or other dress shoes. When it comes to outerwear, Adam generally prefers things like wool coats and the ocassional leather jacket (always real leather, too) (to get a better idea, check out his [Pinterest Board]

Skills

Social: Manipulation, Lying, Gaslighting, Flirting, Proper Etiquette, Public Speaking, Blame Shifting, Negging, Seduction

Physical: knife combat, some hand to hand combat, basic combat training (circa 1914), long range firearms/sniping, Ballroom Dancing, Fencing, Horseback riding, the carnal arts

Talents: Photography, Drawing, Poetry, Lying, Being an Asshole, Manipulation, Painting, Seduction, Sex

Knowledges: Fluent in French & Italian, Masters in Psychology (circa 1926), Photo Development (wet plate, autochrome, modern methods), some basic knowledge of financial law and property law

Hobbies: Photography, writing, breaking pretty girls, avoiding his deep-seated psychological issues, general hedonism

Special: Emotional Influence, Telepathy, Emotional Transference, Enhanced Stamina, Enhanced Strength, "Immortality", Enhanced Senses (esp sight), minor regeneration, sweet blood, emotional radar/supernatural empathy, hypnosis/mind control

Psyche

Strengths: Charismatic, quick-thinking, clever, good at understanding the thought processes of others, empathetic, deeply romantic, treats service workers well, dedicated, generally calm, high emotional intelligence, has critical thinking skills, polite*, can be incredibly sweet, adaptable, pays a lot of attention to his partners in bed, passionate, artistic, creative, protective

Weaknesses: selfish, self-absorbed, arrogant, manipulative, almost completley lacks compassion, disdain for basically everyone around him, dishonest, has a horrible temper, needs constant attention and praise, has a massive inferiority/superiority complex, overconfident, easily susceptible to flattery, deep-seated intimacy issues, can't stand being wrong, terrified of vulnerability, paranoid, detached from his own emotions/denies his own humanity, callous, sadistic, can be incredibly rude, actually a bit of a coward, condescending, possessive, jealous and generally kind of a dick.

Fears: genuine intimacy, abandonment/loneliness,true death, being buried alive

Goals: To finally create the perfect art piece (i.e., break someone in just the right way -- he's not even sure what this MEANS, he's just sure he'll "know" when he finally does it), to just enjoy his immortality.

Personality: On the surface, Adam seems likable enough -- at least, at first. He's incredibly charming and thoughtful, often anticipating people's wants before they're even able to articulate them, witty, intelligent and seemingly very polite...

But beneath that surface lurks a spoiled rich kid who learned early on in life that having money, being good looking and charming meant he could get away with almost anything. Adam is self-absorbed and arrogant and almost everything he does is a carefully crafted performance intended to get people on his side and manipulate them into doing what he wants.

Beneath even that, which he desperately tries to ignore, is a little boy who was spoiled by his mother and entirely ignored by his (largely absent) father -- a young man who was traumatized by being forced to fight in WWI and who is full of deep-seated fears and insecurities.

To make up for this, Adam is often sadistic towards the people around him -- but in that way where it's difficult to tell that he's actually being cruel until one looks back at the conversation.

He has difficulty genuinely connecting to others because of those insecurities and instead uses his powers as a Siren to make the people around him love and adore him-- no matter how badly he treats them.

Life

Best Memory: Being gifted his first camera, meeting his Maker.

Worst Memory: Somewhere between when he almost died during WWI and his actual death...

Biggest Achievement: Getting his Masters

Prized Possession: Silver and Garnet ring gifted to him by his Maker, his first camera, his black 2020 Ferrari Portofino (with the red leather interior), (he also has an engraved custom sniper rifle but a friend picked the model and shit for me and I cannot remember what it is for the life of me)

Favorite Color: Red, Gold

Favorite Food:

-Mortal Food: Partial to anything rich and flavorful, prefers food that's not pointlessly ostentatious (nothing coated in gold leaf, that's absurd), dry red wines, Italian Cream Cake, Eggs Benedict, Crepes Suzette

-Blood: Blood taken in the heat of the throes of passion from someone that's truly and deeply in love with and obsessed with him...

Favorite Scents: Blood, Gasoline, Cloves, Cinnamon, Resin, YSL Nuit, roses, vanilla, rain, the sharp smell of a cloudless winter night

Favorite Songs: Winter, 1st Movement - Vivaldi, Raindrops - Chopin, La Vie En Rose - Edith Piaf

Can't Leave Home Without: At least one knife somewhere on his person.

Birthplace: San Francisco, California

Childhood: Adam is the only child out of six in his family to survive to adulthood with four older siblings who had either in infancy, had been stillborn or died of tuberculosis when Adam was still too young to remember them. He had one younger sibling, a sister named Mary who was killed in an accident at the age of 6 when Adam was 8 years old. His parents were already a little bit older by the time he was born and his father was the owner of an incredibly lucrative railroad line and had profited greatly from the Gold Rush as well as owning multiple properties in San Francisco and neighboring Santa Marta...

Due to the loss of her other children, Adam's mother doted on him -- giving into his every whim, supplying him with the best education she could and basically just spoiling the ever loving fuck out of him. His father, on the other hand, was always busy with work and when he was home, had nothing but criticism for Adam who desperately tried to gain his approval to no avail.

Adolescence: Adam developed a passion for photography as a teenager and discovered that being good-looking, clever and rich meant he could get away with A LOT more than most people and also meant that he rarely heard "no" and accepted it as an answer even less often (though he rarely resorted to force to get his way, relying instead on bribery, flattery, blackmail and implied threats). All of this gave him quite an interest in psychology and he intended to become a clinical psychologist. During his adolescence, Adam would have a great many girlfriends and despite being a selfish and manipulative little shit, was actually not the world's worst boyfriend and no hint of the violent temper and genuine sadism he'd develop after being Changed.

Adulthood: Adam's education would be interrupted by the outbreak of WWI,which if asked he will describe as "incredibly distasteful and personally inconvenient." He was a skilled marksman and sniper but was otherwise unremarkable -- much to his father's disdain. After nearly dying in one of the trenches of France after taking a grievous bayonet wound in the last few months of the war, Adam would be sent back from the frontlines and would shortly begin work on continuing his education...

However -- despite the fact that he would complete all seven years necessary to get his degree, Adam's interest in becoming an actual psychologist wouldn't ever come to fruition. In 1925, he would meet Amelia Madeleine Smith -- an unbelievably beautiful and charming socialite from Santa Marta who would see Adam's potential as a source of money and influence for the Nightingale Court of Northern California. She would spend the next year carefully grooming him to become her protege -- manipulating him much in the same way he would later manipulate the women he dates as a vampire -- using emotional transference, mind control and mundane manipulation to cause him to fall madly in love with her... In December of 1925, Amelia would finally perform the ritual of transformation on him and bring Adam over into the world of the Supernatural.

Unfortunately for Adam, his Change would take nearly two weeks to complete -- two weeks spent in absolute agony beyond anything he'd experienced before. Amelia, believing the most important first step for a newly born vampire is to break their bonds to humanity would kidnap his mother during this change and leave her for him to kill upon waking. Adam would remain with Amelia (who used her bond as Adam's maker to control most of his actions and her abilities as a Siren to continue to influence his emotions) until 1980 when she was killed by a member of the Bram Park Wolf Pack in Santa Marta, leaving Adam behind. During this period, Adam would end up being "taken in" by a bonded pair of Stryza -- Camille Belikova and Lucy DeSantos and would act as their primary draw for new playthings.

Recent: Adam met Morgan Kendrick at the Velvet Box goth club in Santa Marta when Morgan was twenty two years old and would sweep her off her feet, intending to make her into his "masterpiece"... Three years into this relationship, Adam would finally Change Morgan, which would break the initial control he had over her and result in her, in a fit of rage, completely draining him and through a magical fluke, causing his spirit to become bonded/fused with her blood...

Recently, Adam's presence has disappeared from Morgan's psyche due to the machinations of Miss Belikova and her wife -- though it appears that the two of them are still inextricably linked in a way beyond the usual bond between Maker and Fledgling.

Relationships

Family: Lawrence Freemont (Father; Deceased), Anne Freemont (Mother; Deceased), Mary Freemont (Sister; Deceased)

Lovers: Amelia Smith (Maker; Deceased), Morgan Kendrick (Fledgling, Ex, Soulbond), Many other unnamed girls.

Friends: Camille Belikova, Lucille DeSantos, Jonathan Andreason

Enemies: Morgan Kendrick, the Bram Park Wolfpack

Acquaintances: Miranda Cortez (Queen of the Nightingale Court of Santa Marta)

Income: Moderately Wealthy

Vehicles: 2020 Ferrari Portofino

Residences: Penthouse Apartment in Vista Rosa, a small Victorian row house in Val Del Mar and a 1br/1ba apartment in Park Verde (all located in Santa Marta)

[spirit-of-vengeance]

1 year anniversary explaination

I can't believe it's already been one year since I made this Tumblr. Like where tf did the time go?? I was so reluctant about making this blog; would my muse interest anyone? I have no computer/coding talent for the aesthetic and themes, will that steer away people because they think I'm lazy to do it? This thread stuff is truly a chaos, would I be able to do it?

But I'm glad I made this step. I've made tons of new friends, the fandom was incredibly welcoming, helpful 💖 During this year, Cindy's final design, purpose, history and powers finally formed fully; I've been creating her for more than four years and I feel she reached the point where I can't evolve her more but I can make more AUs and alternative endings. This made me to write the full story of how she got her powers, why and what is it exactly and what it does. So without further AN, here's the story of the Fire:

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕻𝖍𝖔𝖊𝖓𝖎𝖝

The Phoenix is the Force, the eternal fire, the purest form of energy bursting free when the Universe was created. For billions of years It roamed free, creating, destroying, reshaping; every heat, fire, energy came from and tied to the Phoenix. Since It brought both death and life, It broke into two sides, Light and Dark, both Angel and Devil; the polar opposites coexisted in a fusion, they couldn't be separated or dominated by the other.

Ĺ̵̥̔a̷̳͕̗͈̣̤̼̦͓͎̾̄̐̅̓v̴̦͇̮̗͓̮̘̲̞̩͌̐͐̽̈́̕͝ȃ̷̻͉͍̝͛̔̈͌̇͛͜͝r̵̻͙̹̬͇̼̺͕͛͐͒̓̄͂͋̀̀͝ͅ

An infant with red eyes was born when the first black hole swallowed a supergiant star. He was found and looked after by powerful mages of advanced civilizations but no matter how they tried to influence him, his powers, his aura darkened each day, pure evil seemed to radiate out of his core. In his teen years he experimented with the primal emotion: fear; creating the inky, soulless monsters, the fearlings. Lavar was banished from that galaxy when he brutally slaughtered seven people to test the potential of his creations. Not long after, he returned, letting the fearlings loose, devouring the planets, consuming every living being. The thirst was awakened and since then, he's roaming the Universe in search of prey. He has a sort of humanlike appearance, though he can change any part of his, expect his red eyes. When he's fully ready to shred a planet, he morphs into his true form:

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕱𝖎𝖗𝖊'𝖘 𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖕𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖊

Lavar was the embodiment of evil, all of that intense power was contained in himself, part of it in his creations. The Fire had been battling with Lavar and his slaughter for millennias and searching for hosts able to wield it's insane power. The ones before Cindy all succumbed to it, no one was able to handle the extreme duality of it. If someone was sinister enough to unleash Destruction, the Creation didn't approve the chosen one. If they were a pure guardian angel controlling Creation, Destruction tore them apart. After all, the two extremes couldn't be separated or shut off completely. Like the Fire, Lavar has been trying to find hosts for the fearlings as 'allies' and some sort of sick defense: tying himself to them by corruption, therefore if he dies, so do the possessed ones.

𝕳𝖔𝖜 𝕮𝖎𝖓𝖉𝖞 𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖕𝖎𝖈𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖊

Cindy was created by the Moon in 1987 as the Spirit of Vengeance and Artistic Freedom, as part of the last line of defense if Lavar attacks. She had fought with him once, she could make him halt, but she would've died if she didn't accept Fire's offer to merge together with her to save her life. Due to her death but most importantly her mother's death, Cindy's psyche split into two extrmes, she's both capable of gentle nuturing, pure love and gruesome murder without regret. She can hold together the two wildly different sides of hers without much difficulty, therefore a perfect host for the Force's duality. For a few years, she had felt its presence coursing through her veins but then, it was impossible to tell apart; Cindy had became the Force itself, mostly because her will is almost never differs from the Phoenix's. She is Creation and Destruction, Life and Death, Light and Dark, Peace and War, a sacred being yet eternal damnation, one of the youngest yet oldest forces; Cindy is the Fire.

𝕻𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖗𝖘, 𝖆𝖇𝖎𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖎𝖊𝖘

🔥 Draw power, control Earth's lava and the Sun without much difficulty

🔥 Her fire is cosmic, meaning she can burn underwater and in the space.

🔥 Her existence is not tied to the Moon anymore, Cindy will live as long as one star is burning in the Universe

🔥 Feel and control every existing heat, explosion, fire, magma, whenever it's a candle of a giant star. So far, she hasn't let her mind stretch too far to feel everything, she fears she would be unable to return into her human form.

🔥 She cannot be possessed by fearlings thanks to her pure light, either she destroys them if they get inside her or they tear her apart

🔥 Creating stars, even galaxies

2 𝖉𝖎𝖋𝖋𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖘

The two forms stand for the Fire's Dark and Light side, Cindy tends to use the Demon side more, when doing her job or when she's in physical or emotional pain she morphs into Destruction to prevent even more serious injuries. In this state she's like a cruel, intelligent predator only caring for survival and causing pain, violence. Her appearance changes: sharp black claws, fangs hanging from her lips, blood red slit pupils. Sometimes, she also chooses to speak in the language of the ancient demons of darkness.

The changes of her Light side are quite angelic: glowing golden skin, phoenix wings stretching wide, orange/white fire hair and eyes. In this form Cindy heals, creates and relax by letting herself burn.

𝕬𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖒𝖆𝖙𝖍

Lavar still has to be killed and now Cindy is ready to face him, she will protect Earth and any other planet from him. If she succeeds, she's most likely to give in the stars' calling to return among them. She wants to test, to feel her limits what she can't do here, the planet is too fragile for her to experiment with this amount of power. Cindy almost died protecting it, she's doesn't want to accidentally cause harm to it. She will follow the whispers of the stars and find her true home.

[swiftiesister13]

@taylorswift is an incredible songwriter and the don't think she has never gotten enough credit for it until Miss Americana came out. I'm going to keep celebrating her amazingly intricate and emotional lyrics here:

"You call me up again just to break me like a promise, so casually cruel in the name of behind honest, I'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying here." -All Too Well

I MEAN CAN YOU PICTURE IT?!? THIS IS STORYTELLING AT IT'S FINEST! He thought he was doing the right thing by breaking up and being honest, but it's a cruel and terrible feeling right to the heart. I can also visually picture someone lying broken on the floor and feeling like a crumpled up piece of paper. 💔

"I look through the windows of this love, Even though we boarded them up, Chandelier still flickering here, 'Cause I can't pretend it's okay when it's not." -Death By A Thousand Cuts

This ENTIRE SONG is lyrically genius but this part really gets me. Love has ended and it feels like a thousand cuts but also the chandelier is representative of Taylor's spirit barely holding on after such a loss. Can you relate to that? I CAN! 🙋‍♀️

"Barefoot in the kitchen, sacred new beginnings, that became my religion, listen." - Cornelia Street

Once again lyrics creating a visual story. You feel so attached to someone new that you worship them as if they are a religion themselves. 🙌🏻

"That night we could quite forget, when we decided to move the furniture so we could dance, baby like we stood a chance, two paper airplanes flying." - Out of the Woods

This is picture being spontaneous and so on love with someone you are floating around like a paper airplane or dancing. Yet, having that doubt that the relationship probably won't survive. 🌲

"It never occurred to you that I can't say hello to you, and risk another goodbye." - I Almost Do

Imagine being so scared of being hurt that you cannot even say hello to someone. You fear the heartbreak that could come by diving in. SO POWERFUL 😭

"You held your pride like you should have held me." - The Story of Us

GIRL WENT ALL IN! This lyric speaks frustration over someone caring more about themselves than the relationship 😰

"But I took your matches before fire could catch me, so don't look now, I'm shining like fireworks over your sad empty town." - Dear John

Instead of letting the fire of a bad ex consume her, Taylor took back her happiness and independence. She didn't let it drag her down! 🎆

"He smiles, it's like the radio." - Stay Beautiful

THE IMAGE THIS CREATES! 🔥 Words are powerful, painful and life changing. We stan.

"I take a step back, Let you go. I told you I’m not bulletproof; Now you know." - Tell Me Why

This is a "Hey remember when I said this would hurt and you didn't listen?" moment. I'm human and I can get hurt and feel pain too. I'm not invincible.

These are just a few of Taylor's incredible lyrics that I wanted to highlight. Can we all agree that her songwriting and lyric talent NEEDS to be celebrated more?! ❤️ @taylornation @letsgetthesetaylorlove