#*not hating i just love to observe. The ecosystem

[greelin]

your post will only have like two hundred notes and then the roleplay blogs will somehow get ahold of it. and it’s all #: ̗̀➛ VISAGE. #ˏˋ°•*⁀➷is it so wrong to want to be 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓭? ;; musings. #「 ✦ HE WHO LAUGHS LAST LAUGHS THE LOUDEST // HOME DEPOT AU 🔨 ✦ 」 from there

[bestanimal]

Round 1 - Phylum Nematomorpha

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Nematomorpha is a phylum of animals that act as parasitoids of arthropods, so named for their superficial similarity to nematodes. They are commonly called Horsehair Worms, Hairsnakes, or Gordian Worms.

Most nematomorph species are 50 to 100 mm (2 to 3.9 in) long, but some can get up to 2 metres (6.7 ft) long! Adult nematomorphs can often be found in water or in damp areas. They have 2 distinct sexes, and the free-living, non-feeding adults can be found coiled into tight balls and knots while mating. They lay their eggs in water, for their larva to be eaten or burrow in through the skin of aquatic larvae and encyst. When the aquatic larvae (the paratenic host) is eaten by their primary host, the cyst hatches and they become a juvenile. The nematomorph lives inside their host, absorbing nutrients, growing, and molting for a few weeks to several months before leaving its host to mate. It often becomes several times longer than the length of its host. Some species cause their host to seek out water and drown itself, thus allowing the nematomorph to exit into its new watery habitat and begin the cycle anew.

Propaganda under the cut:

When I was a kid I saw a white horsehair worm in a puddle and got real close and noticed it was moving all on its own. I called my grandpa, who was a naturalist, over and told him it was some kind of creature, perhaps a new species! He said no it was just a hair in the water. I said no it’s moving on its own! He said no that’s just the current. I said but it’s a puddle there’s no current. He said I think your eyes are playing tricks on you.

Low and behold I went home and did some research and found out about nematomorphs and told him the next day that HAH I WAS RIGHT IT WAS A REAL LIVING CREATURE

Remember to stay observant. Little things live all around you if you look real close.

idk if that convinces you of anything but uh anyway

At least one species, Paragordius tricuspidatus is able to escape from not only their host after ingestion by a predator, but also from the digestive tract of the predator. If their host cricket is eaten by a fish or frog prematurely, they then wriggle out through predator’s mouth, gills, or nose. That’s some Animorphs bullshit right there.

Nematomorphs play an important roll in ecology. As many species infect grasshoppers and crickets and drive them into the water, they also provide a significant source of food for fish. Without nematomorphs, fish that depend on grasshoppers and crickets would likely turn to other invertebrates, possibly throwing riparian ecosystems out of balance.

Nematomorphs often have to wait a long time before being eaten by their primary host. One species, Paragordius varius, is able to withstand being frozen at up to -70°C (-94°F) for weeks. Then it thaws out in the Spring, still ready to infect its next host.

We know that some species cause their hosts to enter water and drown themselves. We don’t actually know how they do this.

I used to work at an animal shelter and one time as I was cleaning I accidentally sprayed a cricket with cleaner and a horsehair worm came out of it. I then picked it up and showed it to the vet team and they all gathered around to stare.

[lunarofthevalley]

As a child I was always perplexed by adults general distain for winter.

I wondered how they could hate waking up to a fresh coat of snow when it looked like a dusting of glitter,

And I would rise to defend winters beauty to them, but I was often met with a well known line, “You’ll understand when you’re older.”.

As I experience my 22nd winter my love and appreciation for it has not dwindled.

Winter has always been the season maintaining the ecosystem in my mind,

My thoughts are carried on cold breezes,

My memories are stored in icicles strewn about, some catching the light in the most breathtaking way, some threatening to impale an unsuspecting victim.

My dreams linger in an elusive fog that always seems to roll in at the strangest times.

My emotions are swept away in a river far too rough to freeze.

Even my visualization of death is intertwined with an aggrandized view of winter.

The image of just one day walking into snowy forest and not leaving,

A comfortable silence that would only be disturbed by the snow crunching under my feet,

The snow would fall in large flakes and stick on my sleeves where I could observe their short lived beauty.

Amidst the trees that have traded their leaves for drifts of snow, there would be the tallest evergreen trees I had ever seen.

I would be able to lay down on a fresh glittery coat of snow, close my eyes and slip into a permanent slumber.

It’s an image I cherish in my mind.

[itsadragonaesthetic]

Ok I would like to informally rant about my Opinions of the Jurassic Park novel.

Surface level stuff: Jurassic Park is not about "resurrecting dinos bad" and I'm tired of pretending it is. The entire park was automated. From the electric motor vehicles, the "tour guides", the entertainment, the care for the animals, even the genetic sequencing had little to no human supervision. I fucking HATE that scene in the movie where everyone is like "dinosaurs were CHOSEN for extinction and you're challenging god himself and you will now receive punishment! This is going to fuck up because resurrecting dinos bad!" that scene just wormed its way into the fucking public psyche and I refuse to contract your brain worms. The park was shit because there was no human workforce and they didn't have any specialists for literally anything. They never planned safety precautions or even asked if any of the plants are poisonous. If a normal ass zoo did what Jurassic Park did, it would probably fail just as gloriously. Not to mention Jurassic Park wasn't just a zoo! It was a fully integrated nature reserve with its own artificial ecosystem, a theme park, AND a resort! Ian Malcom thoroughly explains in the book what he ACTUALLY means by "chaos theory". It's not some weird magical math that makes dinosaurs eat people. It's an observation of the inherent unpredictability of the universe. You can do everything in your power to prevent a tiger from escaping its enclosure, but you should still plan for it to do so. Because anything can and does happen. Ian knew Jurassic Park would fail because the whole thing was a shitshow with WAY to many elements working together with literally no supervision or safety precaution.

Am I done there? Have I proven my point? Maybe, but I wanna go higher. I think the author's own vision for his themes are fucking stupid and isn't even the point of the book.

Because you see, Crichton's basic message for the audience was "genetic power bad" and he is WRONG. Let me explain.

First of all, the reason I know this was the original point of the book is because it's a horror book written in a time when people were beginning to become skeptical and maybe understandably afraid of the speed of scientific innovation. It opens with scary ideas that in the next decade, it will become normal for people to get genetic implants to smell like their favorite perfume and other such things. It then gives imaginary but frighteningly possible examples of what could be done with genetic power. Genetically engineered pets and air-borne rabies to name a few. The dinosaurs are scary of course, but the real horror comes from that gross feeling of a loss of identity and faith when you are presented with the idea of your traits and personality being edited like code in a computer.

However! This is not how I see it. I think Jurassic Park's ultimate downfall is capitalism. Every single thing that happens is because Hammond is trying to make a quick buck, and he is willing to completely disregard the chaotic nature of uh... nature, to achieve immeasurable wealth.

I love this book but in a selfish way that disregards the intentions of the author. Fuck capitalism and give me my fucking pet dinosaur (bird) and my gene-editing virus to get rid of my lactose intolerance.

[rinshiroufan]

The thing about Rin in Heaven's Feel is that nobody actually gives a single fucking shit about her.

It is deeply ironic; deeply ironic in a very contemptible manner. It is rather infuriating, for me personally—to see this rather complex and intricate character be so thoroughly underappreciated in any truly substantive fashion; to see people gloss over her brilliant and nuanced characterization in UBW; to see her—admittedly considerably less-written—HF incarnation reduced to a few easily digestable scenes, tragically overlooking the deeply imbedded nuance in the story; to see people fawn over an inferior iteration of the character at her peak—only to then not voice a single complaint when said iteration gets butchered beyond recognition.

The thing about Rin in Heaven's Feel is that nobody actually gives a single fucking shit about her.

The Heaven's Feel film trilogy adaptation by Tomonori Sudou is... not good. Not in the slightest. Explaining why it's all so bad would require a lengthy, thorough essay of its own; and frankly, I would rather this blog remain but a place for my venting my random frustrations about the discursive strictures fettering any proper analyses of Rin as a character—and above all, as a love interest—in the broader ecosystem of the FSN fanbase... admittedly so completely arbitrarily, but alas. But ultimately—it is quite revealing to observe what are the most common complaints that people about said adaptation after a careful perusing of online discussion of the films: the fact that the films did not give important side characters like Illya and Kirei their due. For such important characters, not enough time is devoted to fleshing them out as complex and nuanced conscious actors in the story.

Which is quite interesting since there is another exceedingly prominent character that receives an interesting and peculiar arc of her own.

Tohsaka Rin.

Rin's role in the story is reduced substantively and much of her characterization is actively butchered... yet none care.

Well—it's quite simple! If you are someone who adores Rin as a character and as a love interest for Shirou, then HF is really primarily a sideshow for you. The core of Rin as a character is to be found in UBW; thusly, her dedicated fanbase cares mostly about UBW. And UBW got an adaptation that most Rin fans utterly adore—for all complaints one may adduce against the 2014 show (most unfair and incorrect in my estimation), most people who like Rin agree that it at the very least did our girl justice. So what if HF didn't do her justice? We got to see Rin and her Emiya-kun in London!

And if you are someone who only cares about Rin inasmuch as she is Sakura's sister, and a foil to her in her own arc, with no appreciation of her in UBW—then you don't actually care about Rin. You don't understand her at all, and I hate you, and you should shut the fuck up about her.

The other thing about Rin in HF is that she's not some profoundly well-written character.

Her arc has no real meat—unless one, of course, takes into account how her arc in HF relates to her arc in UBW and how one analyzes Rin from a holistic perspective. But no-one does that... So we'll leave that for later. It all really boils down to "Rin don't like her sister... but then she DO!!!!" Brilliant. Riveting stuff. Perhaps one might cry out folly; it is a crime to be so reductionist with how the character is written. And that would be true to a certain extent—the way the story is executed certainly elevates a lot of the meagre, flaccid writing. But ultimately, Rin still basically just boils down a girl struggling between her humanity and her commitment to magecraft. Which is what Rin is—but without all of the richness, depth, nuance, flavour, brilliance that really takes that rather simple conflict and fleshes it out beyond what anyone could have imagined would be its potential... of UBW. The arc has no added complexity beyond Rin steeling herself for a whole route—before at the very changing her mind, suddenly. The effectiveness of the moment is greatly enhanced by the presentation: the way the CG is drawn; Kana Ueda's delivery; the music; the je ne sais quoi; etc. It's ultimately a testiment to how one may take a very simple story, and make it incredibly compelling and involving and wonderful...

But it is still, ultimately a very simple story.

And Rin in Heaven's Feel, viewed in isolation from her characterization in Unlimited Blade Works, is a very simple character.

Which is why no-one gives a shit about her.

Can anyone really think of a single person who considers HF Rin to be superior to UBW Rin that would consider Rin their favourite character? Or in their Top 3 FSN characters? Top 5 even? Anyone who wasn't already drawn to and fond of her character, who was ambivalent on her, but then were suddenly blown away—to the point she clawed her way all up to the top—simply because of that CG of Rin hugging Sakura?

No such person exists.

Why?

Because HF Rin is a mediocre character.

Past all the whiny melodrama and tearful theatrics—which are, admittedly, fairly effective—there is no substance.

Hence:

No-one gives a shit about Rin in HF.

There's only so much actual passion a character on the upper bounds of mediocrity just barely missing being actually good can actually inspire—which is why people usually praising her to high heavens (not entirely earnestly, mind you) are Sakura fans who only care about Rin and her feelings and her struggles and her own meaningful characterization inasmuch as she serves as a therapeuth for Sakura, and nothing else. Rin is good because she makes Sakura feel good—and isn't that wholesome!?!? But pierce the veil the veil of wholesomeness—and one finds but the empty void; Rin in HF is a lifeless husk. She is but a homunculus to serve as a means to assuage Sakura's guilt and make her happy.

Except—she isn't. While the HF Rin that exists in the popular consciousness is naught but a 6/10, the ACTUAL HF Rin is a shining 10. Rin in HF is an amazing character—it's just that people don't deserve her. And the HF films failed to capture that. Because Sudou is one of those aforementioned Sakura fans; and the way he treated he is arguably worse than the way he treated Kirei and Illya.

Here, it might be worthwhile for me to link a previous essay of mine. One that admittedly is exceedingly flawed and perhaps ought to be substantially rewritten, but one that I think nonetheless succeeds at conveying the core of Rin as a character—not just in HF, but the whole of FSN. But I shall attempt to within the bounds of this essay summarize key points in order to explain why the HF films just butchered her so thoroughly.

In essence; Rin is defined by her relationship with Shirou. Rin is Shirou's foil. The two are meant to be contrasted, for the many parallels and similarities are accompanied by complimentary contrasts; while both are held back by the legacies of their fathers and ultimately transcend them by making the same essential realization in UBW, the way they get there is substantially different—Shirou's being more... tumultuous. And in HF, the key difference between them is that Rin doesn't try to save Sakura, while Shirou does. Because it is impossible. And Rin doesn't do the impossible. Because unlike in UBW, where she is under the influence of her Shirou—her behaviour being contrasted not just to HF Shirou's, but to her own from the previous route—she has no-one to truly encourage her to embrace her human, idealistic side over her machine-like magus upbringing. Rin saves Shinji, despite his attempting to rape her; but she doesn't think of saving Sakura until the very end, when she can't kill her. Shirou is the personification of Rin's human idealism—just as Saber is Shirou's. Her desire to never quit; no matter what. Buried deep inside years of conditioning to act opposite to that.

It's why her high jump confession is the single greatest piece of characterization Rin receives in HF. It is the key to unlocking Rin as a character—not just in HF, but arguably in FSN as a whole. It is about who Rin is at her fundamental core.

And the HF films fucking ruin it.

How, exactly? Oh... let me count the ways.

Let us begin by analyzing the surrounding context of Rin's confession to Shirou in the VN, and then in HF. In the VN, Shirou has had sex with Sakura three times by then. The two of them are quite firmly in relationship territory; it is quite safe to say that, in fact, there's no chance whatsoever of Shirou's switching rails to court Rin instead. Rin and Shirou have spent an entire route interacting almost every single day with one another. The situation in the HGW has only gotten graver, with the Shadow having killed hundreds of people by then. When Rin gives Shirou what essentially amounts to an admission of her feelings for him, she is releasing pent up stress from the war, as well as seeking a resolution to her feelings... now that any chance of her being together with Shirou has essentially passed. It's a moment of vulnerability for Rin; it is important that it come during a period of high stress for the characters, stuck in the Emiya household as the world around them unravels and they have no means of achieving catharsis—especially given that Rin has interacted with Shirou enough, and has witnessed enough of his stubborn courage to save Sakura, for her to fall in love with him, while knowing there is no chance of her getting to consumate that love. Ironically, Shirou's unbridled displays of affection for Sakura charm Rin as well...

Now, essentially none of this holds true for the HF film trilogy. There are basically no scenes of Rin and Shirou interacting casually and bantering (read: flirting) with one another; the only time we ever see them interact is on the battlefield; Shirou and Sakura have not had any sex at all by that point; the confession itself occurs just after the Shadow kills Archer, as opposed to a prolonged and arduous period where the characters are left feeling helpless and powerless, completely come over with despair, their relationships with each other decaying ever and ever more. Simply put, the character has no actual reason to confess at all; Rin is a character who suppresses her emotions. Who was taught to see such human traits as a weakness that prevents one from becoming the truly amoral magus.

She also hasn't really been socialized like a normal person either—she feels awkward when trying to express her feelings, and her affection is clumsy. This really shows through in the way Rin behaves when she relays to Shirou her experience of the high jump; she's very clearly embarrassed. She is forcing herself to tell Shirou how she feels and she is clearly uncomfortable; constantly blushing, and with body language that conveys vulnerability. It's a moment that Rin takes very seriously—because Shirou isn't just a crush for her. He is the encapsulation of all that she pines for; he is her inspiration. That moment of his stubbornly refusing to back down meant a lot to her.

Not in HF2 of course! The worst film of the trilogy by far has her treat her single most precious memory as a fucking joke. Rin in the films is completely at ease when conveying the story to Shirou. She is upbeat and whimsy when retelling the events that are of concern; she has a smile all the way throughout her entire recollection. She even fucking chuckles as she's telling the story. And Shirou fucking laughs. He fucking laughs. In the VN, he is basically rendered speechless—he offers a few perfunctory observations of Rin and her emotional state to further articulate some of what Nasu probably felt could not be adequately conveyed through the dialogue, for the sake of the audience; but he does not offer any lengthy commentary on what Rin had said to him. He is so shocked by what he has heard that he really isn't capable of processing it. Because Rin Tohsaka just confessed to him. She obviously still means a lot to him, even in the routes where he doesn't fall in love with her; yet the film has him fucking laughing at the confession. And it only really helps to reinforce just how seriously Rin herself takes the conversation as well—not at fucking all. The film ironically takes Sakura's own biased perspective of the events in the VN at face value and adapts Rin as though she were an all-confident girl who keeps ignoring her suffering and desires—glossing over her own suffering, her own unique characterization, her own nuances, her own desires, her own dreams, her own conflicts, her own perspective.

And why? Why is the film adapted the way it is? Why is the high jump confession moved so much earlier in the story? What is its purpose in this heavily altered version of the story?

To lead to Sakura's stupid piece of shit sex scene.

That's it.

It's to allow a segue into a cheesy, superficial pandering piece of shitty fanservice—while also surgically removing any and all indication that Rin and Shirou like each other despite the latter's growing feelings for Sakura regardless of whether or not it negatively impacts the story; because Sakura's resentment of Rin's closeness and chemistry with Shirou is crucial to the escalation of the conflict between them. Because even putting aside the more nuanced aspects of her characterization, the films fail to coherently and successfully adapt even the most simplest of basics about her character either—Rin never acts cruel towards Sakura, she never belittles her, she never acts cold when interacting with her; it's the single most barebone adaptation that could've possibly been made. And frankly, the entire fight scene is fucking dogshit too, as is the hug between the sisters; it has none of the pathos and gravitas of the VN. The fact that there was no build up towards it scarcely helps it.

Even from the narrow perspective of the average moron who doesn't comprehend Rin in the slightest, the film still fails to capture of positives of their Rin, despite her being a dry, mediocre and ultimately shallow character.

Yet none complained; because they couldn't give less of a shit about Rin.

And thusly—Rin was reduced from an excellent, nuanced and thoroughly developed character, to naught but a prop that exists solely to make Sakura feel good. Rin has no existence, no characterization, no depth, outside of her being someone to stroke the ego of Sakura fans and their favourite character; a fucking comfort pillow.

And no-one cares—either because they are so deeply satisfied with the way Rin was handled in UBW, whether the route or the anime, (which, I honestly can't blame them) or they're fucking drooling morons who don't like her in the first place; if you don't like Rin in UBW, you don't like her at all. That's the simple truth of it all.

The thing about Rin in Heaven's Feel is that nobody actually gives a single fucking shit about her... except me.

I am tired like feeling I'm the only person who truly likes and appreciates this character.

I know it isn't true. I've spoken to plenty of people who have articulated and espoused many of the analyses I have written of the romance Rin has with Shirou, and how the way that Rin is written in HF helps add further depth to it retroactively. And yet... so much bullshit still pervades discussion of FSN online.

It really does pain me to see the way people discuss this wonderful, amazing character; to see her continually get reduced to being just Sakura's sister—while having the sheer audacity to believe and argue that UBW reduces Rin to just a "babysitter" for Shirou with nothing else truly defining her.

I am sick and fucking tired of seeing people talk about her the way they do.

I've come really to loathe and resent this moment. I really have.

It has completely distorted people's image of Rin. It has completely destroyed online discussion of Rin.

I've come to think that having her be the deuteragonist of FSN was not worth it at all; for all the sheer amount of depth she receives from being so, the amount of horrid takes that one is forced to sift through because of her arc in HF is too great a trade off for me. I sincerely think that shit takes about Rin online would have bee insanely more bareable had it not been for HF; had it only been people saying she received no development at all.

But you now what really fucking sickens me?

People who dare have the fucking GALL to express fucking "pity" for her.

"Oh I wish Nasu developed Rin a bit more in UBW she has no arc there!"

"I WANT to like Rin and she has great potential but it was squandered!"

"OOOH if Nasu does an FSN remake, he should rewrite UBW so Rin gets a whole lot more development there! It's an amazing opportunity!!!"

...just who the fuck are you to express pity for this character? You didn't even have enough respect for her to pay attention to a single one of her scenes in UBW or piece together how she works as a character. Nasu wrote an incredible nuanced arc for her and you didn't even have the basic decency to appreciate before thinking you have any fucking right to talk about how sad you feel for her because she got "shafted in her own route."

Go fuck yourself. Seriously, if you're reading this and you've any one of these opinions, I want you to know that I despise you and you should just shut the fuck up. Don't talk about Rin. Don't even fucking mention her. Don't look up art of her. Don't even fucking THINK about "handing it to her." You haven't got the fucking right. Your opinions are worth shit.

The thought of an FSN remake just makes my fucking stomach churn. The idea of Nasu rewriting UBW—which I quite honestly consider to be as close to perfection as a story can possibly get—feels me with terror and dread. I can only imagine how more fucking awful it would make discussion of Rin, UBW and her role in it and FSN as a whole. I can easily foresee; Nasu changing Rin's romance with Shirou to the point it's fucking unrecognizable. Just to pander to stupid motherfuckers who didn't like it in the first place. Adding a bunch of sappy, pukeworthy melodrama and lengthy monologues screaming the fucking themes and characterization in your face; as opposed to the subtle brilliance of UBW as it actually exists. Nasu is going to abandon people who actually liked Rin/Shirou and UBW for what is was... all to please people who never liked it, and never would have liked it in the first place. I am not sure I would be able to brave through all the braindead comments about how much fucking BETTER the remake's romance is than the original—all by people who liked that shitshow of romance in HF. And even worse? If Nasu does decide to leave UBW alone, then people are still going to be insanely insufferable. "Oh boo hoo, Nasu could've fixed the romance and Rin's character, but he didn't! Isn't that sad BOO HOO" Fuck off.

You know what I think? Rin shouldn't be in the fucking remake at all! Just remove her. Completely remove her from the story. Rin doesn't fucking exist. Replace her route with the Illya route. "But what happens to Archer?" I'm sure Nasu can think of something. Illya and Rin are actually quite similar; I'm certain some of the latter's functions in the story can be transplanted over to the former. But really—I don't care. The FSN fanbase does not deserve Rin. At all. They should not have the opportunity to even glance at her; clearly, she was too great for them to appreciate. I am sure some of the more vile pretend-fans lamenting her "getting shafted" will still sully her name by deigning to "pity" her; but at the very least this will be great way to spit in their fucking faces.

...

...

...

Frankly... there are some days where I wish Rin hadn't existed at all.

But I think there's a silver lining to all this.

Because I think seeing all this scum just completely misunderstand Rin has made me appreciate her romance with Shirou more—and how much he truly loves her.

Because anyone trying truly comprehend Rin in UBW and how the storytelling slowly unravels her nuances is relying almost wholly on storytelling conventions and tools which allows to deduce aspects of the characters by the very fact that we as an audience understand that we are experiencing a story; a story that has had many of its elements structured in a particular to produce a narrative that is compelling and involving. It is thus easier for us as viewers to realize things about the characters in a story than it is for others in a story to make the same realizations. It is easier for us to understand Rin, not only because we are allowed an objective birds eye view of the events, but also because Rin is actively being contrasted with Shirou. And taking Shirou's character traits into account allows us to make inferences about Rin. The two characters interplay with one another, and that allows us insight into both. There is also the fact that so much of what we know about Rin is revealed to us through Shirou, who in his dialogue and monologue describes so much of Rin's neuroses so amazingly well. As well as that we have a whole other route which further contextualizes Rin's behaviour. But Shirou himself of course exists within the confines of the narrative; he has no alternative set of events to compare how Rin behaves differently between both and why; and he has no narrator to point out to him Rin's flaws, her anxieties, her strengths and her inner conflict.

Shirou has no help over the course of the story. It's just him and Rin. He figures her all out... all on his own. Simply by being around—interacting with her, talking to her, fighting alongside her, observing her—he is able to peer deep into her heart and understand her even better than she does herself. He is able to achieve something people with far more information available to them were simply unable to do—and I think that that speaks as to just how much he just really loves her.

The FSN fanbase certainly doesn't deserve Rin, not at all; but Shirou most certainly does. I think that he's quite literally perfect for her.

And I wouldn't want it any other way.

I just love these two so damn much. Seeing them cute and happy together makes all the bullshit worthwhile in the end. I am so happy Fate/stay might exists. I am so happy the 2014 adaptation of UBW, which is what got me into Fate, exists. I never would have had the chance to be entranced by either of them.

They really are amazing, and deserve esch other.

[omegasmileyface]

he thinks being old makes him a genius and when he was young he thought being young made him a genius. he thinks hes the only person on earth with critical thinking skills, and whenever he comes up with a new theory he hasnt heard before, he assumes the reason he hasnt heard it is because no one else was creatove enough to think of it. it couldnt POSSIBLY be that experts have thought of it and disproven it— hes the first person to think of it, and since it makes sense and has potential, that means it MUST be true. and if HE discovered a truth before the experts did, that means theyre unqualified to be experts, and he's the only person whose ideas matter. did you know it was me who started feeding the birds? because corvids are my favorite. so i researched for weeks, and started investing in unsalted peanuts so i could throw them out on a regular basis. and when i would go off to school, he would "feed the birds for me". mom and i both told him to stop, because he wasnt making my hobby easier, he was taking it from me. this was now something i didnt get to do, because feeding the birds more often is bad for them and makes them dependent. "no, theyre birds, they wont get dependent," he would say, with the tone of someone letting a toddler know that of course the sun will still rise even if you dont go to sleep. and he kept feeding the birds. and when he cant find the exact brand of peanuts id been buying, he just goes for whatever other peanuts he can find— he doesnt care if theyre unsalted. because he never did that research. and now he feeds them every day and he loves the crows and he hates the ravens and the magpies and the bluejays, all some of my favorite animals, because theyre "greedy". he acts like he can tell the individuals apart (he cant) and he gives them names and watches their drama and gives me updates on "my" birds like i didnt stop feeding them years ago. i HAD to stop because he didnt, because he didnt listen. he NEVER listens. and when he thinks the bread is too old? not when its moldy, when he decided it's "too old" like he knows, like he buys the groceries, like he notices when new groceries need to be bought, like when he shops he gets what we asked for and not something vaguely, vaguely related but the wrong kind and four times the price? he gives it to the birds. he gives pieces of factory-made wheat bread to crows like a child feeding ducks without reading the sign. and ive told him its bad for them, the same way salted peanuts are, the same way overdependence is, the same way mowing is bad for the local ecosystem, the same way keeping his phone plugged in is bad for its battery, the same way ignoring research is bad for science. but he doesnt care, because its not, because if bread was bad for the my his crows that would mean he was wrong. and hes always right! hes right when hes a husband leaving his dishes in the wrong place every single day, when hes an experienced cook leaving the pot handle poking directly out into the room, when hes a weatherman saying climate change isnt real, when hes a proudly observant man breaking the smoke detector when he installs it, when hes an experienced trucker going 20 mph over the speed limit, when hes a compassionate and wise man saying russians are genetically predisposed to lying, when hes a genius saying the etymology of "meme" is "e-memo", and when hes a father telling his child whose real gender he doesnt even know that fear is a choice. daddy knows best.

[atoasttotheendoftheworld]

Things we do for love...

Like lots of people, I saw "Avatar: The Way of Water." Now, putting aside my personal opinion of J. Cameron's work (with the exception of Aliens) I had many issues, upon the end of the movie, with the movie itself. Definitely congratulations to the work of all those involved, undoubtedly there was plenty of effort and it certainly has to be acknowledged. However, the plot left me with tedium and bitterness. And, no, it's not about the end.

SPOILER!

What annoyed me most, in terms of the narrative itself, is that the story would (in my opinion) appear to be based on a variety of events that have happened in human history. Like the atrociously unfair actions of the Colonizers against Natives from different parts of the world (specifically I think Natives from the areas of current USA and New Zealand & Australia) as well as the War of Vietnam. A good setting, for sure, to have a narrative in which Humans are represented as Aliens, thus a reversal of the standard "aliens invade earth." Interesting. Except that then, throughout the film, the plot itself is just a slightly different copy of the first film, with the one major difference that the main characters have moved from forest to water and the bad guy isn't physically human anymore but has assumed the appearance of the Na'vi.

However, it all remained centered on the one-on-one fight between Jake Sully and Colonel Miles Quaritch. As in the first film. Only, while in the first film it did make sense and was more than all right for laying the groundwork of the narrative, in this second chapter it is (in my opinion) redundant.

The whole first part of the film has been completely ignored, that gory fire sequence that destroyed Pandora's ecosystem and threatened the lives of the Na'vi. Completely ignored the fact that the United States (yes, because I refuse to consider it a representation of the whole Earth) has established, without any logical connection other than that of the self-centered colonizer, that the Na'vi are the enemy to be put down and destroyed, to invade and subdue in order to steal the whole planet. Fully ignored also that, possibly, "earthlings" might be pushed by a sense of desperation for their own salvation, becoming selfishness of actions. It has been totally dismissed that it doesn't even matter whether Sully is here or not, the Pandora forest and the folk living there will still be in danger of death. It's not Sully that draws the war, it's the U.S. Military that brings it to Pandora; to all of Pandora, regardless of Sully.

Sully alone is uniquely able to understand (besides scientists genuinely interested in Pandora's biodiversity and ecosystem, thus peaceful observers and researchers) the humans' line of reasoning and their potential actions, as he was. He was a U.S. Military. Yet he isn't the reason for war, he isn't the one putting Pandora and its people in danger.

The film's narrative, though, seems to concentrate on that. On the one-on-one confrontation of Sully and Colonel Miles. Ignoring that it's just a battle, but there, someplace in all of Pandora, there is a whole war. War of which we no longer are informed, of which we no longer hear. That Sully himself doesn't appear to comprehend is there. It focused on personal struggle, on family, on a desire to protect it, and that's fine, it may be a metaphor to convey the will to stand up for all the Pandora folk and the peaceful life they live closely with nature and environment.

Nonetheless, I didn't find it well-structured and it annoyed me. For I could have enjoyed three hours of more elaborate metaphors about the triviality of evil and the differences between defensive aggression and dominative violence. Of storytelling about humans as invaders of a planet. Of many other potentially interesting things that, instead, are being ignored in favor of a philosophy about family and sea as metaphors of life and death, of hate and love. Nice, admissibly, yet a bit too mild for a second film.

That's all, I just wanted to say it. As I had this opinion about it and wished to get rid of it, since in daily life I can't engage in dialogue about the movie. (I doubt my cousin will follow it).

Ah…by the way. I firmly reject considering the humans portrayed in the film as a representation of all human beings. At most, they are representations of the U.S. Military system and the U.S. government. I don't see, on Pandora, military/scientific bases of other Nations. So, if I don't see and it's not hinted either with visuals (even hasty ones) or with a few hints in casual dialogues, I cannot assume that all humankind on earth knows what is going on on Pandora and agrees. Neither can I assume that other Nations are cooperating with the US. Therefore, for me, the humans portrayed in the film are U.S. military and that's all. Not the representation of "Earthlings." Although, ultimately, there could be a complex and long conversation about this as well.

[maokasa]

Crimes of the Future (2022)

I finally got to watching Cronenberg's newest production and expectedly, it stuns in visuals and storytelling. Crimes of the Future plays in the distant future, where humanity has enhanced life with technologies that visually remind of alien bodies and which directly interacts with our bodily functions. The body horror aspect he introduces is human evolution -- the body rapidly growing new organs. The introduction captures. A child, a shipwreck floating within close distance, plastic buckets. We are allowed to observe the boy chewing on the bucket; we are an observer just like his mother. And it culminates in filicide, the disdain towards her own child and the husband who gave it to her is all that hangs in the air. Then Cronenberg thrusts the viewer deep into his new world, following a performance artist duo for the rest of the film, we experience what has become of art and medicine. Between Saul Tenser, the man who grows organs at an abnormal rate and hates it, and his partner Caprice, who makes them into art as she removes them, the viewer observes.

Art is body. Art is evolution. Art is everything.

The absence of pain, the new growths inside the body, the changing human race is glorified. Cronenberg lets us into this world, shows the giant showrooms, the filled theatres for this new performance art: Surgery. Everyone loves viewing the artists cut into their partners, watch them tattoo the most intimate parts of the human body and watch flesh give way to metal. Pain has become a form of pleasure, "Surgery is the new sex". He cements this new life philosophy in the prolific duo we follow, we watch them lay together naked and let their tech, their art supplies, cut into them. Sure, we also get a sex scene, an oral service conducted on our lead's organs, but any Cronenberg viewer is used to these by now. The beauty of art being second to none juxtaposes the complete abandonment of medicine. The set design splits the worlds apart, the filled, extravagant art environments distanced from the empty, run-down organ registration offices. And its discomforting. The mold on the walls urges the viewer to leave the scene, to return to the performance art, instead of staying in these horrible rooms. I'm not here to give a full recap, rather, my critique serves me. My deep wish to appreciate this movie in all its beauty stilled through the written word. Cronenberg's newest movie plays on the theme of mortality. How humanity will survive when rid of their pain system, and the adaptation that our flesh tries to push onto us. They're self-inflicted evolutionary traits: the world's ecosystem is gone, the viewer is never given a shred of nature outside of the opening. In Cronenbergian fashion, we view simply the intersection of machinery and flesh. What our own need to further technology has done to our psyche, our biology, our very beings. How should the human body adapt? The evolutionists answer: new digestion. Plastic, available en masse, finally bio-degradable by those who caused its massive spread in the first place. Returning the trash to the trasher. We are left to wonder if humanity will survive. Are we still human if our bodies evolve with unrecognizable organs, alien flesh inside us? Can we survive if these evolutions, this lack of pain, awakens the desire for self-destruction? How far will we go? The new sex, the new pleasure of complete self-mutilation will end up killing our species before the new evolved humanity can replace the old. And we aren't the only one who is faced with this existential problem. Struggling throughout the entire movie with his own mortality, with his own body and with where in the world he will ever belong, our protagonist Saul Tenser eventually has to accept the new world. With a beautifully choreographed scene, that records his most intimate, his reluctant acceptance, on camera Saul Tenser eats a bar of plastic. Fed to him by his partner, who has long given herself to the evolutionist minds, he cries. Sitting on the machinery made to serve him, he cries. Fed the material made to last, he cries. Because the world that kills him, the body that has undergone thousands of removal surgeries, will stay with him forever. And we are left with more questions than we have answered. Provocative, thought-provoking and supplemented with the sensual camera work of Douglas Koch, Cronenberg creates this beautifully horrific piece of cinema once again. And what am I, if not a man who loves his work? Though I have been severely disappointed by the man himself not acting in this, he has always been a great addition to his own cast.

[transparentdestinypizza]

4 Dirty Little Secrets About the la canada florist Industry

™The seventh sequence of fact TV prove Big Brother opened to a record television audience of 8.1 million on 18 May and placed 14 contestants in the goldfish bowl ecosystem for 13 weeks, the longest stint ever.

Here are four of the seven women folk folk courageous enough, or stupid sufficient, to move underneath televised scrutiny and feature their beyond dredged up in the gutter press for the next three and a 0.5 months.

Nikki GRAHAME

Age: 24. From: Middlesex. Occupation: Model / Dancer / Perfume Promo woman in Harrods.

Nikki is single and needs her expertise on Big Brother to get her observed through wealthy and prominent men. Her dream and ambition in lifestyles is to marry a prosperous guy, ideally a Premiership footballer, who could shower her with credit playing cards. She wish to marry him, yet then have affairs the same as on Footballers’ Wives. She has a phobia of someone reducing her hair devoid of her understanding and waking up included in cellulite and also hates public transport, calling buses peasant wagons.

Bonnie HOLT

Age: 20. From: Leicestershire. Occupation: Part time care employee.

Bonnie is single and works with worker's who've Downs Syndrome. She is presently banned from running in any factories within Loughborough. When asked why she wished to move on Big Brother, she talked about it would be every other journey on her checklist and just to get in would be an fulfillment. She could additionally use her tv stint as an excuse to paste her hands up at her ex-friends as it is going to particularly wind them up. Amusingly, Bonnie has an older brother which is called Clyde.

Lisa HUO

Age: 27. From: Manchester. Occupation: Unemployed.

Lisa is single, changed into born in Shanghai and moved to the United Kingdom with her mothers and fathers when she was two years old. She is an upholsterer via trade and her laddish occupation has given her the nickname Boy Bod by using her company. When asked why she needed a stint within the Big Brother apartment she answered: for the cost and getting out of labor for a fantastic few weeks, and I know Ill entertain all and sundry in there and possibly find a little love with any individual. Lisa admires Jennifer Lopez for her achievement and says if she might modification one thing approximately herself she want a bigger arse.

Lea WALKER

Age: 35. From: Nottingham. Occupation: Model & Pigmentation Artist

Lea is unmarried and is the primary mum to take place on Big Brother. She has spent over 35,000 on plastic surgical treatment and has the most important breast implants within the UK at a whopping 30M. She admits she has been celibate for a 12 months in view that simply the seedy guys are considering her. When asked why she flowers monrovia desired to look on Big Brother she spoke back: for the check and repute a dead ringer for the others. Lea describes her strangest and such a lot scary process as the time she turned into painted nude at the same time as standing in the front of over 3,000 bikers.

[gojo-kisser-9000]

LMAO I’m going to prompt you to keep going because I have a ton of thoughts about those islands all the time. I actually don’t consider Hawai’i a state because of the illegal annexation. It doesn’t make a lick of sense you can’t go back there. A lot of that information you’re missing online is there in person if you can ask the right people or go to the right places (libraries, colleges, zoos, places with physical media etc). Though I focused more on ecology because that’s what I was seeking.

Another thing that radicalized me was being made to analyze a technical report of the Ka Loko dam that broke on Kauai for my degree. In summary: Farm used a dam. Farm gets bought up by a rich white idiot. Idiot refuses to maintain the dam, gets called out by multiple engineers, pays money to silence them, and then the dam breaks from climate change related storms. 7 people die as a result.

You can see that kind of carelessness towards the islands there from non-natives and how infrastructure enroaches on it. Everything is for tourists and making money first with conservation second. They tell you to not feed the feral cats because they’re killing all the native birds and seals but tourists do anyways because no one stops them. It’s difficult to cull or ban the import of cats because colonizers insist they shouldn’t be removed despite their clear incompatibilty with the ecosystem.

Visiting will probably give you weird complicated feelings, but if you can ever go I think you should go to O’ahu. My favorite thing I experienced there (pre-pandemic and pre-fires) was the tourist-hostile protections for the endangered albatross on the northern point. I went to go see them myself as a bird enthusiast and for my degree. The road to their nesting site is gated to non-residents. It spans several miles of very rocky and uneven road that would deter most people. After an hour of walking you get there and bam! There are the birds. Completely unafraid of humans. Staring at you fully offended you dare encroach on their space. Their nesting site borders a beach made entirely of coral skeletons. And there’s a jut of smooth black volcanic rock the monk seals like to sunbathe on.

Back to JJK! Lmao.

Gege’s show don’t tell combined with show and tell later really throws people for loops. People are failing to observe the text on its merits because of their biases. To quote a very important visual novel, Umineko, “Without love, it cannot be seen.” This refers to how if you hate someone all their actions will be seen as bad an evil no matter what. Even objectively good things associated with the person will be twisted into a negative light. If you approach their actions with love, it’s easier to see their intent rather than the impression used to justify your hatred of them.

…JJK has a lot of fans that lack that love. Every writing decision will always be bad because the story is bad no matter what.

Though I never considered using fanfic to bloster media literacy. I’m so very worried impressionable people will do harm to themselves or others so I put warnings and clarifications in the notes. I do ask for a lot of feedback to see where I’m missing my points.

Naturally this conversation is also a pleasure for me. I’ve been avoiding the fanbase for a hot minute because Yikes.

Main reason I Can’t go back is due to how much it costs, and alas, I’m poor.

If I ever get the chance, I’d go. I want to truly learn more about the culture I didn’t get to experience much of while growing up. I want to know the Real history of Hawai’i, not the things on the internet to make its history more palatable for tourists.

If I am ever able to go, I’ll write about my experiences on the blog. :))

Onto JJK,

If you read something, and continue to read it, despite hating it. Theres not a point of reading it. Because in your head, you won’t accept anything the story conveys. You just think it’s bad writing with no plot, or message trying to be told.

Gonna plug my JJK fic real quick… I wanna get your opinions on it. It isn’t finished yet, currently working on the third arc before I release another chapter. Just ignore how the fic link is to the last “chapter” (it’s a chapter dedicated to author’s notes)

If you’re comfortable with it, tell me your honest thoughts of what you think I’m trying to capture within it. And then I’ll explain what I’m going for.

If you ever come off of anon, I’d love to be mutuals! You seem really cool!!

[elysynn]

Today's events have me waxing a little philosophical about parallels between the world of IT and human nature in general.

I'm an IT professional, and when things break, everyone wants to know why. They want to know who/what to blame. It's natural, it's an expected and not unrealistic response.

However.

In many, many cases the answer is not simple. It's often nuanced and a combination of several things than any one individual fault. And what I've observed is that no one wants to hear about the nuance. When in reality that nuance is the key to fixing the problem going forward.

Take today's issue for example. Between two products, Windows and CrowdStrike, there was a fatal interaction. It's not exclusively a Microsoft fault, nor is it exclusively CrowdStrike's failure. Today is a symptom of a culture of homogeneity within IT ecosystems and the vulnerabilities that result. It is a symptom of a culture that demands ever-faster evolution of product - and not just from a consumer, gimme-more, gimme-better perspective. It's also (but not only - because, nuance) about the insane pace of trying to keep ahead of the latest hacks, exploits and vulnerabilities to interconnected systems that increasingly keep the modern world turning.

Especially as cloud technologies continue to consolidate infrastructure management, we can expect to see more instances of seemingly innocuous, standard practices having an outsized influence on our day-to-day lives. Unless people start to appreciate the nuance.

There's a saying that perception is reality. And I honestly hate that outlook. Because the perception right now is that "The Internet is Broken" or "Microsoft is ruining lives again". Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of things to be annoyed with MS about - Windows 11 taskbar, anyone?? But simply handwaving blame at Microsoft or CrowdStrike is not only oversimplifying the problem, it's obfuscating the issues at hand.

The problem with this is that it doesn't lead to the actual change that's necessary to prevent these sorts of things from happening in the future. There will be a change in some process - or set of processes - somewhere that will prevent this specific scenario from happening again. But everyone will be back to shocked pikachu when the next bizarre, unanticipated interaction of programs brings down another sector of the computing world.

Ultimately, this is about recognizing that there often is no simple solution, easy fix or single person to blame - and that applies to more than just the world of technology. We as humans love simplicity: binary options, clean categories, bottom-lining of problems and solutions. But things rarely, if ever align to how we'd prefer them to be and I think that leads to a lot of aggravation, misunderstanding of response and also unwarranted fear.

Signed - An IT professional who is weary of being blamed for something that is absolutely not my product, my team, my system's fault but is in the unfortunate position of having a highly visible and critical system that's impacted by [Issue of the Day].

Microsoft systems update fucked up multiple computers worldwide... It's a good day to be a hater.

[water-gaw]

About Neil’s supposed obliviousness in canon: I think it’s absolutely right that Neil’s observational skills don’t equip him to recognise affection. Beyond that, though, Neil is actively invested in not recognising Andrew’s feelings. There’s a parallel in his attitude to Exy here. Look at how good he is at convincing himself that playing in Millport and Palmetto is a justifiable risk, rather than a total liability. He can only do it by not quite letting himself look at what he’s doing, and he does it because he needs it so desperately. 

It’s the same with Andrew. By TKM, Neil’s all in, but his feelings don’t manifest as sexual attraction until Andrew clues him in that that’s a possibility (this feels like quite painfully accurate demi rep. Just at me next time). But the possibility of pursuing anything with Andrew absolutely hinges on Andrew not caring. So Neil has a very real investment in believing Andrew when he says he hates Neil. Neil’s feelings don’t matter (can’t be heartbroken if you’re dead *taps two fingers to forehead*). It’s hard to resist that kind of investment, especially if questioning what you’re told would cost you something you’re desperate to have. 

Added to that, you have Andrew’s mirrored investment in refusing to accept that he cares about Neil. If he recognises that, he’s breaking his deal with Aaron, and since keeping his promises is the core of his sense of self? Yeah, he’s not looking too closely at that either. He wants Neil to believe him. He wants to believe himself. This is a whole delicately balanced ecosystem of people lying to themselves and I love it so much. 

[punkpandapatrixk]

⚖️Regulating Hatred—Timeless Tarot Guidance for 🐞🐍⛲🐝ALL SIGNS

With the elements/signs of the zodiac, you can freely use your Sun, Moon, Rising/Ascendant, or even your Stellium (❗️)

[Back to Masterlist]

If you think about the state of this world, you will see that this whole ecosystem we call the Human World is extremely inconducive for planting the seeds of Love and Light. Take a look—don’t you see?

Looking more and more at America’s the entire world’s social justice warriors (both young and old) who are constantly on the hunt for reasons to exercise their anger—in which case, the anger is really rooting elsewhere, too—you've got to wonder where all of that anger really comes from.

Oh, and the media? The mass media loves NOTHING more than propagating an attitude of anger, of the phoniest kind—as if being angry about injustice makes people holier, nobler, whatever.

You’ve got to ponder the world's penchant for anger, but this reading has got nothing to do with that LMAO

‘You will continue to suffer if you have an emotional reaction to everything that is said to you. True power is sitting back and observing everything with logic. If words control you that means everyone else can control you. Breathe and allow things to pass.’ – not sure who said this but it prolly wasn’t Bruce Lee

☆♪°・.Additional intro☆♪°・.

Punk Astro Guidance is a timeless☘️ reading, but I’ve derived the energy of the Full Pink Moon in Libra we had in April. Thus the theme: regulating hatred/anger/bitterness/etc. As you know, Libra energy speaks of ~balance and harmony~⚖️

Regulating Hatred for 🐞Fire Signs

🐏Aries – 6 of Cups

Believe it or not—but I do hope you believe this in spite of everything—you’re someone who has a very pure heart. Even if you struggle with anger issues; even if you struggle with general meanness; even if you often have angry outbursts. There’s something exquisitely childlike about you and you light up with a genuine beam of smile at the littlest things.

Btw, being childlike and childish are two very different qualities, alright? I just think that when your inner child feels it hasn’t received enough attention, or appreciation, this beautiful childlikeness turns angrily childish and this is when you come into trouble in your interpersonal relationships. Subconsciously, you’re screaming: where’s the damn equal give and take?!

Aries peeps HATE inequality, of all kinds; even the trivial kinds. But, this is mainly caused by your having given too much. Aries peeps are world renowned for being opinionated, selfish and stubborn, but others often forget to mention how generous Aries people are with their time, energy, friendship, attention, and general affection.

But that’s the deal: if you give too much of yourself, and receive zero appreciation, you become bitter. Some try to suppress this and that’s bad. Some turn to angry outbursts and that’s also bad. The key to regulating this disappointment? Empowered selfishness LMAO Keep to yourself and share only with your small circle of Soul Fam!

🦁Leo – 4 of Cups Rx

Boredom. Stagnation kills your spirit and that perceived state of defeat drives you mad. Quite literally. Sometimes, just to stir things up—to find some merriment—you could start up flames of drama. Hmm… if you succumb to such a drive, you could end up becoming permanently toxic. And nobody likes a toxic company. And when nobody wants to be your company, you start another cycle of boredom *shiver*

Do you think it’s possible to entertain yourself without other people’s company? If you meditate on this and be honest with yourself, you may find the idea quite unnerving, but hey, you do know it isn’t impossible. You’re talented and have many hobbies, so if you devoted yourself to certain very meaningful hobbies, I think you could escape your tendency for escapism.

Why is this important for helping you regulate anger? Because you’ve never even tried to deal with the roots of whatever is upsetting you deeply. You suppress, and ignore, and try to forget, but the wound is there regardless—bleeding ever so slowly and painfully but you’re consciously stupidly numbing yourself. You go out chugging down vodka and laugh and have one night stands (I’m just painting a picture), how is that working out for your sanity? How is that helping your emotional intelligence? Spiritual enlightenment?

Learn to face reality for what it is and how you can win even when dealt bad cards. Don’t be wasting so much of your creative power—which is the exact same thing as sexual power—for fleeting endeavours, meaningless pleasure. When a Leo-dominant individual stands as a loser within society—because they never develop themselves correctly—they become the world’s biggest phoney. Their anger/bitterness/inferiority complex/hatred/whatever is the ugliest, most pathetic and manipulative shit known to mankind. -Hope I'm not angering you!-

🎠Sagittarius – 2 of Swords Rx

Your reason for anger is usually the inability to compromise with other people. You’re smart, insightful, opinionated; and courageous enough to stand your ground. But living in society we need a bit of charm. Sometimes we want to hold back from showing our absolute disagreement—even disgust—just to keep the peace. This isn’t necessarily cowardice or phoney—this is just about being polite in most cases.

You need to also realise that our behaviours reflect back to us. If you’re often aggressive with your opinions/ideas (or too much as people would say), wouldn’t it be natural to also receive aggressive disagreement from other people? People can see you have little regards for their feelings, so they will turn that back on you. And then, if you are self-unaware, you conclude that people are being mean with you.

Balance, my dear. Balance your opinions so you see clearly. Learn to embrace ideas and stories—people have got their first-hand experiences that shape their own perceptions, as well as priorities in life. You can’t be endeavouring to cancel other people’s ways of life, aight? Be humble, no matter how smart and unique you think you are.

On another note, don’t be a coward either. There are Sags who are aggressively courageous to a point of being toxic, but the Sags who suppress their fresh opinions all the time are also poisoning their own soul. Again, balance. Be courageous and speak your mind, but don’t be a dick about standing your ground. You seriously take this world as a battleground, dear?

Oracle Healing for Fire Signs🔻❤️

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Regulating Hatred for 🐍Earth Signs

🐂Taurus – 8 of Swords Rx

I wonder if you’re aware of this already… but… On top of the idea of how unchangeable a Taurus is, do you realise that your unwillingness to view situations/problems in a different way has often hindered your ambitions? This may not always involve work though.

Sometimes, in your personal relationships, your stubbornness burns bridges. You do know that failed relationships time and time again can impede your life’s overall success, right? Whatever that important success may be to you personally, I think you know this intuitively.

Negative vibes around you get worse when you feel victimised, no matter how mildly. You feel like you’re the one who’s been wronged even though the problem was just that you were flat-out refusing to understand the other person’s perspective.

Sometimes, when somebody else has an idea that differs from your list of priorities, you get offended, like literally you feel like your entire self-concept is being threatened. You’re the one being silly in this situation because it’s all illusory at best. You’re creating a mental prison of your own making. If you could only learn to be more flexible—at least in thought—you’d see that no one’s really trying to attack you.

🧘🏻‍♀️Virgo – Queen of Cups Rx

-The tarot couldn’t have been more stereotypical!!🤣-

When a Virgo turns bitchy, it’s literally because she’s tired of having cared for everyone else but receives nothing in return. Like, the people you’re trying to help are so hopeless that you stress out about the fact you’ve not managed to save them, so to speak. Literally, you’re not getting emotional satisfaction from any of such endeavour. People disappoint you with their lack of wit.

And then, when you’re super bogged down, you go chugging down an entire bucket of ice cream, or whipped cream, or whatever else type of unhealthy emotional comfort endeavour. And then you feel bad for having lost control. And then you ruminate and get hard on yourself. And then, you realise that it was other people’s foolishness that caused you to lose your balance. And then you get upset all over again from the start😅

Virgo peeps, if we’re being positive here, actually have a very hard time dealing with negative thoughts and emotions. Virgo peeps like to be good—whatever good means—and kind and helpful and they wish the world were more altruistic overall.

So to bear a lot of hatred/anger/bitterness inside literally kills them every day. So this becomes a vicious cycle of blame game and self-pity all thrown into one big pool of misery. And when this continues… Virgos become the world’s biggest fuckups—yup, we’ve all heard that. Men are more prone to this downfall because women are generally smarter😎

🐐Capricorn – 10 of Cups Rx

Do you deny, that you’re denying yourself the spiritual satisfaction of Love? I think the typical Capricorns are afraid to admit they crave intimacy beyond the physical. But that looks and sounds so far-fetched they brush it off and busy themselves with only the physical and material aspects of Life.

I think in some cases, being born Capricorn entails growing up in a home environment that’s less than ideally warm. Perhaps the adults you grew up with were such professionals and you saw that growing up; so warmth, emotional communication, vulnerable expression… these are foreign to you.

In some cases, it was even impressed upon you that showing such qualities is a sign of weakness. You’re Capricorn—of course you don’t want to be weak. You can’t afford to be weak—success doesn’t come knocking at a weakling’s door. So you toughen up and you pretend like you don’t cry inside thinking how much you crave to be loved. Intimately and genuinely and gently loved by someone.

If there’s anything else to be said, please understand:

there’s nothing you could ever try/there’s nothing you could ever have/that would satisfy the hunger inside/if you’re afraid of who you are

— T by 88rising, Hikaru Utada and Warren Hue (Utada is a Capricorn Sun LMAO)

Oracle Healing for Earth Signs🔻💚

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Regulating Hatred for ⛲Air Signs

👯Gemini – 6 of Pentacles Rx

First of all, a typical Gemini peep, I think, is the type of person who’s super generous with their company. This Punk Astro Tidbit, [The Kind of Magic Each Zodiac Sign Carries🧚🏻‍♀️ Pt.1], may expand on that for your reading pleasure.

So essentially, you often give a lot of yourself because you can’t leave alone a friend who’s in need of some kind of emotional support. But when it’s your turn to need the same level of dedication, your friends aren’t able to see what you’re needing. Nobody can be there for you the way you’ve been there for them. Sometimes, this hurts your feelings a lot.

But let me enlighten you a bit here: the thing is, you have this vibe about you that makes you appear happy and mentally strong all the time. This is Gemini’s badassery but at the same time, curse—if you have other natal placements that make you very soft and sensitive. It’s almost like, other people can’t see through the fogs of your confidence and self-assurance.

After all, you’re the one who always has something positive/uplifting to say when they’re down; how can they top that? Anyway, if you could learn to see your true power in society and be even more confident in yourself, I’m sure you’ll be able to come to terms with that. Maybe it’s okay to rely on just one or two friends who truly get you. But it takes time to find someone happier, positiver, dedicateder and confidenter than you.

⚖️Libra – 9 of Cups Rx

-Just like what Virgo gets, Libra’s tarot is also…😅-

Your biggest struggle as a Libra-dominant person is selfishness—the good kind of self-centredness. This isn’t saying you’re never selfish in any way, but you find it so hard to maintain any goals without thinking about whether or not your endeavours would benefit other people. You’re societal like that. Communal. People-pleasing… to your detriment. Sometimes.

The Libras who resonate with this, may have found themselves being taken advantage of by other people multiple times—especially in terms of financial support. Or even if not precisely taken advantage of, something within yourself urges you to continually provide for others to a point of detriment. Even if not financial detriment (if you’re very well-off), at least emotionally, somehow you feel like you’re not getting anything in return.

Every Libra individual resonating with this will have their own reasons behind this pattern. If this pattern bothers you, if you feel that it’s caused you to bear negative/unpleasant emotions, if you think you want things to change… there’s a need for a deep-dive to begin your Healing.

You’re not wrong for being generous. Not wrong for harbouring unpleasant emotions. But if something is bothering you and you want to create healthy boundaries for the maintenance of your wellbeing, you must start with analysing your crazy. The more you understand your reasoning behind this pattern, the more power you have to break it. The more power you have to stand your ground, the less angry you become about… various things.

🏺Aquarius – 3 of Pentacles Rx

You could have a difficult time being patient with people. Sometimes, you’re annoyed that people are slow to learn. What if I told you you’re projecting your annoyance at yourself? Because you can tend to be slow to act as well. Well, when you’re being ultra-indecisive.

You don’t much like this distortion in your energetic field, so when you see this manifested in other people, you think the problem lies outward when it’s inward. Aquarius peeps are usually gentle and polite, but those who are skilled in the arts of sarcasm can be the most unlikeable individual in a group setting. Then you feel either ostracised or misunderstood when it’s really your lacking wit and charm.

If it interests you, maybe it’s not such a bad idea to learn to cope with people’s lack of intellect, in a manner of speaking. Being Aquarius-dominant means you’re really smart and chances are you even have high IQ. But EQ is a whole of another story with Aquariuses—depends on other placement you have in your natal chart.

Although unique and pioneering, Aquarius is dubbed the zodiac’s humanitarian for a reason. You’re meant to work with humans and humans come with a plethora of flaws LMAO Robotic Aquariuses need to develop patience for human complexity!

Oracle Healing for Air Signs🔻💙

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Regulating Hatred for 🐝Water Signs

🦀Cancer – 8 of Cups

Have you ever heard that Cancers are so easy to hurt but they hide this fact with aggressive fervour? Soft on the inside, tough on the outside; precisely a crab. Due to your sensitivity, you’re easily disappointed with people and this drives you towards wanting to leave behind unfulfilling situations, environments, people. Seems dandy at a glance.

And we’ve all heard the importance of leaving behind toxic situations or even family members for the sake of our mental health. But with Cancers…although you may be physically distant, your problem is your emotional attachment. To some extent, even spiritual attachment. This causes a lot of mental noise in the background and leaves you feeling unpeaceful for a very long time.

Actually, it’s not totally wrong to leave behind situations that are causing us so much heartache. But eh… being Cancer, I know when you burn bridges you tend to have started that with fights or a general sense of hurting each other. This becomes your lifelong regret. You need renewal of spirit, honestly.

And if it’s possible to ask for forgiveness, don’t be shy, as long as you know talking with the person won’t cause you harm. You don’t even need to reconcile, you know, especially if you know the other person isn’t good for your growth. But just, for the sake of clearing the air or something like that to bring peace back into your psyche. Some people can do this just aetherically. Choose whichever suits your situation.

🦂Scorpio – Ace of Cups Rx

If only you were more honest with yourself, you’d admit how much you care LOL As cold and calculating Scorpio can get, it’s still a Water sign—of course you care. The friendship/affection of a Scorpio is probably the most expensive because it’s damn hard-won and when it’s lost there’s no getting it back.

You’re not a bad person, even if sometimes you feel that way about yourself. The way you feel lacking as a person; the way you hurt another when you’re upset; the way you fantasise revenge scenarios… Oh well, you’re just dark. Dark doesn’t mean bad. You’re just chaotic dark. Unless you take great pleasure in hurting another… you may need therapy, friend.

No shame in it. Self-therapy is also a thing. Like reading this kind of thing is also part self-therapy. Aren’t you trying to analyse your crazy? Btw, did you know some people say Scorpio is the zodiac’s biggest empath? I think I can see how. But you must also know some empaths could turn to become dark empaths. It’s a thing, you can YouTube that.

But all in all, you just kinda need to bathe in the sun every now and then. You’re comfortable with the dark and that could lead you to ruminating dark thoughts for a long time and then suddenly your entire reality is wrapped up in nothing but darkness. You’re not a bad person nor are you lacking; you’re just too detached when you’re upset, and rude when angry, and hurtful when fighting, and… you need therapy, okay?😅

🎏Pisces - 4 of Wands

Seems like you’ve been on the search for a Home. Probably a tribe or squad, or even a place (city, province, country) with whom/which you can feel a spiritual sense of belonging. Where is my place in the world? Who am I even?

Pisces-dominant peeps could have this dizzying desire for a place, but it feels like no place on Earth is your place. Your sense of reality is also sometimes blurry like you’re not even here or something. Of course, for being so connected to the entire Cosmos, this is… unfortunately normal.

Pisces energy is actually one of the most confusing energies out here in the Human world and the duality is brutal. On the one hand Pisces can be so empathetic but when the individual has gone through enough heartache, they are capable of becoming the next Hitler—at least they fantasise about it heheh. The ones who don’t fantasise about it? Escapism is their answer.

Try not to close off yourself too much, no matter how much you’ve been hurt. The more you isolate yourself from the world, the more magnified your sadness becomes. That doesn’t lead anywhere pretty with Pisces energy. But… you need to be smart about who and what you spend your energy on😉It takes time, but everybody can heal, regenerate, and start anew~

Oracle Healing for Water Signs🔻💛

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[azuraskys]

WOOO REQUESTS FORMALLY OPEN!!!! i would like to ask about urbosa, link and revali with an S/O thats suuuuper into bugs. studying, pinning, collecting, whole shebang. tysm <3

Hello! It's me, Azura Mobile.

I really love unique requests like this! You guys have no idea. I also love the art of pinning bugs, especially beetles and butterflies, along with dragonflies. There's just something so ~aesthetic~ about pinned bugs! Haha.

Anywho, I'll get on with the headcanons!

With an S/O who loves everything bugs

Urbosa

Urbosa is honestly very indifferent to bugs. She's not freaked out by them, but she's also not very fond of them, either. She just sees them as any other creature, going about their lives in the ecosystem.

However, the Gerudo Desert is home to a lot of very fascinating critters. Here, beetles, crickets, spiders, and- of course- scorpions call the sands their home, hiding beneath the ground to avoid the hot sun.

If her S/O wanted to go looking for a specific specimen to capture and take back, she would ask her assistants/servants in the palace if they know anything about it. She would also direct her S/O to any entomology encyclopedias within the palace library, offering to read it for them if they couldn't read the Gerudo language.

Anytime her S/O wanted to go out and explore to look for bugs, she'd make sure they were joined by guards and assistants to carry any supplies, as well as provide shade from the sun.

When Urbosa joins her S/O on their search for bugs and any fascinating specimens, she would ask them all kinds of questions about the creatures they'd spot. The way they just explode into facts and thoughts makes her feel so happy.

Urbosa would definitely provide her S/O with their own little study/lab for pinning and observing bugs. Her personal favorite would be the ant farm, if they had one. She finds their ability to dig such intricate spaces pretty amazing!

Her favorite bug fact that her S/O told her was that dragonflies have up to a 95% kill rate when hunting prey, due to their extreme aerial predatory abilities!

Would totally buy her S/O a gorgeous dragonfly hairpin made of emeralds. It looks like an Electric Darner!

She totally has a ton of pinned bugs in frames hanging up in her room. People ask about them, and she just says "Amazing, aren't they? S/O put these together for me. I'm so proud of them."

Link

Link would most likely join his S/O in their fascination. He likes to observe pretty much anything, so if his S/O called him over to look at this one super cool beetle, he'd be stoked.

In fact, he actually likes collecting bugs himself! Although... It's more for elixirs. Either way, if he ever caught a bug to use in an elixir, he'd totally let his S/O check out first. Link would also always go to his S/O if he needed help finding a particular creature to use. After all, they're practically a walking directory!

I think Link would like ladybugs. Sure, he finds stag beetles super cool, but ladybugs remind him of his S/O. They're unique, just like them!

He'd want to try pinning bugs with his S/O. His first try would probably be catastrophically bad, but hey! That one wing is in a super good position!

Since Link is super agile and fast, you can depend on him to catch anything! If his S/O was having a hard time getting a bug into a jar, he'd become determined to get it for them.

Link would join his S/O in the castle library while they studied all the bug encyclopedias. He'd fall asleep, but he still enjoyed it.

His S/O wants to go to a specific part of Hyrule to look for this one super cool bug they can't get normally? Adventure!

Link doesn't have arachnophobia! So he likes to hold spiders in his hands while his S/O absolutely studies the hell out of it. "Stay still and let's see if it makes a web in your hand- oh! It is! Look at that, Link!!"

His S/O should expect a lot of gifts. And by gifts I mean this bug he has in his hand, right now.

Revali

I'm so sorry, but at first, Revali hates bugs. Loathes them. But, he loves his S/O too much to be vocal about it, most of the time.

Of course he'd find his S/O's fascination endearing, but the subject matter; he just can't understand why anyone would like those- okay, that inchworm is pretty cute.

He would start to be indifferent towards bugs the more his S/O told him about them. "You mean to tell me there are over 300,000 species of beetle? That's... That's fascinating."

One time, when he was with the other Champions on a mission, he casually pointed out a very specific bug that landed on Link and said "S/O told me about these," with a big sense of pride.

I think there would be a time where Revali asks Zelda if he could take back some entomology books from the castle library (because their library is the most extensive!) for his S/O, just for a bit. I think she would find that very endearing.

For some reason, I feel like Revali would like moths! Specifically the very fluffy ones. If his S/O ever came across one and pinned it for him, he wouldn't mind keeping it at all!

He actually finds the art/science of pinning bugs to be very interesting and delicate work. Revali would like hearing all the tips and tricks from his S/O, even if he didn't really plan on doing it himself.

I think Revali would also like fireflies. A jar of fireflies, just sitting on a table in their home at night while his S/O studied them, would make him feel warm inside.

Revali would gift his S/O a gorgeous leather bound journal so they can write down all of their findings. It would have a string bookmark, with a charm of their favorite bug, complete with decorative feathers.

[spiritualdirections]

Let People Enjoy This Essay

I came across this essay from a couple months ago, and found myself provoked by what it says about detachment. Detachment is, in the Catholic spiritual tradition, a requirement before the discernment of spirits. You can't discern your vocation, you can't discern what God wants you to do in general, unless you are detached from the outcome. Your emotions and desires get in the way of your thinking, and God governs us through our spiritual faculties (mind and will), not through our emotions and passions. This is classic spirituality.

The author, in reflecting on our cultural inability to criticize art--especially when that art is an object of fandom--comes around to this traditional Catholic position. His observation, that the sort of detachment required to think about reality in its complexity, is unpopular, explains part of the reason why traditional Catholic spirituality is so unpopular, even among Catholics.

The whole essay is worth reading, but I especially wanted to call attention to his observation about detachment, and the surrounding context of that quote.

"The reason that somebody feels as if one negative Loki recap or Legend of Zelda review [somewhere on the internet] is the equivalent of a rude, derisive person sitting next to them on the couch is because it sort of is. Nothing primes them for this kind of [critical] conversation or teaches them to expect it. As a different online reaction line goes: they just came here to have a good time, and they’re feeling a little attacked right now. The person who wants to have different sorts of conversations around art is forced into an interloper position by default, and even the position of being the token grump isn’t open to most of them.

"But as I said, the issue isn’t negativity per se, which has its place in the fandom ecosystem. The issue is how to talk about things you love (or hate) impersonally. What is lost in fandom is ultimately detachment. Detachment can coexist with love, hatred, and indifference. But it’s never an especially attractive quality, and when people are encouraged to identify themselves with their interests and consumption habits, it’s also a very hard one to maintain."

[anadorablekiwi]

Ooo sure!

Are you named after anyone?

Nope, my mama just likes the name and thinks its pretty 🥰😂 i think my middle name was after a friend of hers though! (Also mainly because she likes the name lol)

When was the last time you cried?

I have the WORST memory but probably within the last week?

Do you have kids?

Nope, but thats my goal someday!!

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Irl definitely, my siblings and i feed off each others’ sarcasm lol. Online not so much

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Uhhhhh… I… don’t? 😅 i have absolutely no idea lol. Maybe hair or face in general, but definitely not eye color. I dont make eye contact much and I’m either super observant or not at all

What’s your eye color?

Hazel! Specifically, light-ish brown and a sort of pale olive/army green, with brown specks and a gray outline

Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings hands down. I dont do scary lol

Special talents?

I can sing fairly well, pretty good at music/sightreading/etc, dogs love me (most animals do, but dogs in general), and I’ve had very close interactions with hummingbirds a few times!!

Place of birth?

One town over from where i live now, in an apartment (intentionally; my mom grew up watching both her parents help with natural/home births so we were all born at home)

What are your hobbies?

Video games mainly, but also drawing, writing, and crochet occasionally

Pets?

My family has three dogs, three cats, and three chickens/hens

Sports you’ve played?

Nope 😂 I’m very much not athletic and hate competitiveness when it gets intense. Ruins the fun for me. If its a low key friendly game tho, i enjoy baseball, kickball, and volleyball

Height?

A little taller than 5’2”

Favorite school subject?

Does choir count? 🤣 otherwise, science, but specifically geology and the animals/ecosystem/nature part of biology (think nature documentaries lol)

Dream job?

Housewife. I want to be a mom, and have all my time free to dedicate towards raising my children. I also kinda like cleaning/tidying and i love baking. (Since i cant guarantee that though I’m majoring to be a choir teacher. I just hope i never have to go into the field 😅)

No pressure tags (sorry if you’ve been tagged already): @telemna-hyelle @cloud-anon @i-am-1142 @ anyone who wants to!

Blank for easier use:

Are you named after anyone? || When was the last time you cried? || Do you have kids? || Do you use sarcasm a lot? || What’s the first thing you notice about people? || What’s your eye color? || Scary movies or happy endings? || Special talents? || Place of birth? || What are your hobbies? || Pets? || Sports you’ve played? || Height? || Favorite school subject? || Dream job?

The other post was getting a bit long, so I decided to start a new one. Thanks for the tag @kenopsiatoast!

Are you named after anyone?

My great-grandmother!

When was the last time you cried?

Not counting eyes watering, a week or two ago

Do you have kids?

Nope, but I hope to someday!

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Not online much since I know it’s easily misinterpreted, but irl? yeah hehe

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Their faces generally, especially hair color for some reason.

What’s your eye color?

Brown, with darker brown flecks in weird places, with a ring of green in the middle. Sectoral heterochromia!

Scary movies or happy endings?

Well I’ve never actually watched a “scary” movie (I’m assuming the ghost and mr. chicken doesn’t count) so happy endings.

Special talents?

I have really good luck when I go beach combing, I’ve been told I have a nice singing voice, and animals tend to like me :)

Place of birth?

The town where I still live today, in a hospital that no longer exists.

What are your hobbies?

Writing, drawing/doodling, music of various sorts, and archery, but I haven’t been able to pursue it much.

Pets?

My family has seven cats and one rooster XD

Sports you’ve played?

Homeschooled, I never did any sports aside from a PE class I took once

Height?

5’4-ish, a teeny bit taller.

Fave school subject?

Economics, creation science (it counts as a school subject shush)

Dream job?

Probably working at a zoo or wildlife center sort of thing.

No pressure tagging @telemna-hyelle @mythicalartisttm @only-lonely-stars @celestialshogunate @smilesrobotlover and @ anyone else who’d like to join :)