#I'm sure there are a lot of differences in what people like/don't like in their own process and oooh I want to know so badly

[mxflowercheck]

Not sure i can consider myself exactly bilingual, i didn’t grow up in English speaking setting, i learned it as a second language. But than i was in boarding school for two years and well, firstly a lot of terminology about school life was from English. Secondly our boarding staff used English with us on a daily basis. This resulted in almost everyone in school speaking runglish (russian + English) + casually switching to English because why not

So! Things that i and my friends have done / still do / have witnessed

• Often switch to English to talk about heavy topics or feelings. It’s a second language for all of us, so it kinda puts some..distance from all the emotions

• On multiple occasions i caught us all writing messages, where we spell an english word in Cyrillic and then switch to English fully

• Generally we often write English words in Cyrillic for various reasons

• We don’t notice that we code switch. On multiple occasions i said a very common for me phrase and my mother was just starring at me until i understood that the phrase was in English and i needed to translate

• Forgetting a word in both languages NEVER GETS OLD. BELIEVE ME. But usually it’s not something complicated, no, i can remember how to write deoxyribonucleic acid in both languages but forget the word “early”

• two years ago i tried learning Spanish. When we were writing essays in English class i wrote “trabajador” meaning “hardworking”. I knew something was wrong with it but i didn’t know WHAT. I didn’t understand until my teacher pointed it out for me

• I personally do not analyse English abbreviations. Sometimes i forget it has A TRANSLATION. Or a full version. Once i said “wtf” in front of my boarding staff and well it took me three shocked stares and a “ Valery!” to realise it’s not just a phrase with “what the hell” meaning but a swearing.

• *tries to speak English but fails because it’s too early* *tries to speak Russian but fails because brain demands that this setting needs ENGLISH*

• My first sports club, where not only the coach counted, but also the kids - aikido. We counted in Japanese. i haven't practiced Aikido for about three or fours years, but every time i do sports, i count in Japanese to myself

• Grammar? Spelling? Vocabulary. Oh no, what IS confusing IS PUNCTUATION. ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE CODESWITCHING.

• at least one of my friends also spells difficult words while writing, but not with the correct pronunciation. we read them as if they're written in Cyrillic/pronounce every letter. It helps with not messing up the letter (for example when I write various i read it as ВЭРИОУС in my mind because I'm a) silly b) ADHD and often mess up the order of vowels when typing fast)

• OH ALSO - some of us (including me) don't have a stable accent. You watch Shelock - you''re British, you watch TikToks from a South American - you're South American. Or! Sometimes accents sticks to phrases and words :D. So it goes like

*speaking with one accent/neutral accent* *uses the Britishest accent in the world for ONE PHRASE* *continues normally*

• Dialects are the Death Of Us. My guy, i have NO fucking idea which pronunciation of "dance" is for UK and which is for America AND I LEARNED THAT WORD WHEN I WAS SIX!!!!

• interjections and sounds are ALSO confusing! You'd think we make similar sounds of surprise or joy or sadness. WE DON'T.

i keep adding things god help

anyway

• people can have different names for different languages! I don't consider my legal name (Lera) to be my deadname, i like it! but don't usually use it in English speaking spaces because...English doesn't have the sounds (it has similar sounds but still)...that are in my name...and it sounds VERY STRANGE

• same with pronouns btw! English doesn't gender verbs, adjectives, nouns, your way to point out gender is simple - pronouns. But in Russian words change depending on a gender ( he is clever - он умнЫЙ, she is clever - он�� умнАЯ). And the way words change for they/them pronouns doesn't sound right to me, so I don't use they/them for myself in Russian, only she/he! But i don't mind in English, because verbs, adjectives and etc don't change :)

im going to have a stroke

[buddhistmusings]

Why do you care so much?

I've been asked this question a few times in the past year - why I spend so much time thinking, reading, and reflecting on antisemitism, especially because I am not Jewish myself. There are a few reasons, really. One of them is that I think antisemitism is a hatred that spawns other hatreds, but even if it did not, it would still be worth studying, because the fact that it is a hatred at all is enough. The fact that antisemitism impacts Jewish people is enough of a reason to oppose it.

It's also because it's important to oppose because of the way it damages the thinking habits of people who believe it. I saw somebody say, "Jew-Hate makes you dumb," once. And though I think it was probably an off the cuff statement for them, it stuck with me, and I think they're right. In my religion, we say hatred is one of the three poisons - it can seriously harm your mental well-being in a way that deepens your suffering in all aspects of life. Often, hatred can also be spread like a contagion. It's something that destroys social harmony and causes severe social dysfunction. And right now, I think antisemitism is the most contagious of hatreds - I've seen people in my life fall off the cliff, I've been able to talk some back from it, and I've seen how so many people wander towards it without any idea that that's what they're doing.

Part of the problem is that antisemites consider themselves righteous in a way I think most racists don't. Often, you'll see "I'm not racist but" I almost never see that with antisemitism. They don't add that qualifier. They just say it. Most racists I know will make a tacit acknowledgment of the racist implications of what they're about to say - antisemitic people don't. They often even engage in anti-Jewish racism while invoking anti-racism.

I don't really know any Jewish people in real life, perhaps only two. But I don't need to know them to know that hating them is wrong. I think I also have a debt of gratitude to many people in the Jewish community because of the advances in Buddhist Studies made by Jewish people, which sounds strange - but it's true that many leading voices and researchers, both in academia and within Buddhism itself happen to be Jewish. I'm not sure why this is, but it's absolutely true. The most prolific translator of Pali into English that I can think of is Jewish. The most impactful Vipassana instructor in America I can think of is Jewish. The most impactful voice in Deity Yoga, for Tibetan Buddhism, is Jewish. People who are Jewish, for some reason, contributed probably more than ex-Christian Americans or atheists combined to the proliferation of Buddhism in the United States.

Buddhists and Jewish people are known to have a close relationship. There are a lot of different reasons for this that I would suggest, but none that add up to explain the amazing contributions to Buddhism made by American Jews.

I think another reason I have for being so interested in antisemitism as a non-Jew is the kind of... political disillusionment I've been experiencing? It's been a disturbing few years, and I haven't seen many people elaborate very well on this feeling of abandonment and horror, witnessing people who you thought shared your values become hateful and deeply violent in their beliefs. The only people I've seen consistently speak about it happen to be Jewish.

I think all of this has helped contribute to a feeling of closeness to Jewish people as a group, despite that I don't really know Jewish people in my real life, and only have one or two Jewish friends online. This year has been a horror show of watching people's minds become twisted - it's so scary in a way I can't quite capture with words right now.

I also sometimes have a back and forth with myself about when and if to mention I'm not Jewish when I talk about antisemitism, because I do think it's totally necessary to explain the perspective from which I speak, but to be honest it feels kind of icky to be like "I'm not Jewish, but antisemitism is bad", because antisemitism is bad whether or not the person saying so isn't Jewish, and I think it might be a negative for people to think "not being Jewish" is something which makes it any less valuable to be against antisemitism, and talk about how against it you are. It's very real that people who talk about antisemitism are perceived to be Jewish, and obviously, it's important not to lead people into thinking you're Jewish when you're not, but adding an "I'm not Jewish" qualifier to statements about antisemitism I worry might contribute to the perception that those against antisemitism are Jewish.

Antisemitism is such an insidious ideology. And it's everywhere. I see it daily in so many different spaces. It has the largest impact on Jewish people, but it also impacts non-Jewish people at times. I distinctly remember being mocked throughout school for "looking Jewish." I think about that Greek restaurant which was attacked because they were thought to be Jewish. Or that man in the Amsterdam violence who tried to help and was then accused of being Jewish himself. It's so deluded, violent, and manages to consume people's thoughts like a parasitic worm in their brain.

Anyways, I planned for this post to be more organized. Oops.

[shadyr4m]

REWATCHING SEASON 2 EPISODE 7 OF ARCANE

+ some of my highlights and notable moments that I enjoyed bc people can’t understand media anymore

This is mostly an infodump of stuff I can fit into a twitter thread/didn't rly want to make into a thread. I'm not great at words so I apologize in advance, I am sure there are many people much better at analysis than I.

I want to start off by saying I am heavily invested in timebomb so this is very much going to be a ship analysis. If you're looking for someone unbiased i am very much not the person for that 😭

FIRST OFF:

The disc on the music box is adorable!!! It features au Powder (who I am going to refer to as just Powder for the duration of my analysis) and au Ekko

Compared to the normal Disc

This is very obviously because it takes place in a different universe, one without Vi or "Jinx".

The first scene starts off with AU Ekko writing in his notebook. (Cute mention is Powder's doodle in his notebook!!) Then we see flashes of the wild rune. This is when AU Ekko switches to canon Ekko.

Also one of my favorite silly images from this episode is this one.. Powder is being so adorable and Ekko is just scared out of his MIND. it's so silly.

In the Last drop, Powder asks Ekko. "What is up with you? You've been out of it all day?". One thing I noticed in my rewatch is that i think Powder is aware this Ekko isn't HER Ekko. This is just one instance of many that makes me think this.

This hideout seems so much more vibrant and loved, similar to Jinx's hideout after Isha. It's colorful. There are guard rails that I like to think was pushed by Vander. We can see Ekko's art scattered around. It just shows how much more support and family Powder has compared to Jinx, which i mention a lot.

Id also like to note Ekko being shocked au him went to powder for help. In his mind at this time he believes Jinx to be all that is left, no more Powder. Through out the episode we see that change.

Notice how Powder gets upset at Ekko in this scene. However, she doesn't react explosively like Jinx would've. She handled it in a way that shows she had support. She told him to leave instead. Again, the main difference between Powder and Jinx isn't only Vi but also the existence of multiple support systems that Jinx simply didn't have.

THIS FLASHBACK! Oh my god this flashback. The fact it happened after he upset Powder? I think it shows just how much he truly cares about Jinx/Powder. He remembers VIVIDLY the day that he thought he killed her. Jinx was his childhood best friend, and I don't think that kind of feeling ever truly goes away. He doesn't want to hurt any version of her, not even the alternate universe her. We see that showcased more later on. Also, random probably insane note. He is interrupted by small children playing, having fun. This isn't a coincidence, it shows he does miss the moments from when they were kids.

While talking with Heimerdinger, we see Ekko look at Powder multiple times. Watching her laugh and be expressive, he smiles. When she doesn't return it we see him get upset. Once more this brings me to my point that he doesn't want to hurt her. Considering he hasn't known this Powder very long you can see where I gather my point that he doesn't want to hurt her in GENERAL. Any version of her.

THIS SCENE!! He is such a bad liar it's adorable. This brings me to my earlier point, Powder knows what's up!! She suspects something 100%. He is talking about this dream her like it was real.

"You aren't the kind of person who helps other people with their projects. Your ideas change the world. I can't shake the feeling that that's who you're supposed to be."

Are you LISTENING TO THIS? He is obviously talking about Jinx. You can tell this by the first sentence because obviously Powder IS that kind of person. He's starting to see that Jinx is just a part of Powder, one that is unavoidable and that he unknowingly appreciates in a sense. Like two sides of one coin he can't see Powder without Jinx and that is good. I think it is here he realizes truly just how much he cares about Jinx.

This whole montage is beautiful but I want to zero in on two things. Powder's reaction to the notebook and how she looks at Ekko after. NOW THIS. This is the nail in the coffin for her. She knows that this is not her Ekko. She has fully gathered that he isn't from this universe.

Also heimerdinger totally knows how Ekko feels you cannot tell me otherwise. Pushing him to go to the party? yeah he knows what you are.

THIS WHOLE SCENE. I AM NOT ANALYZING THE WHOLE THING HERE BUT IT IS GORGEOUS. I saw someone talking about how it was animated on 4's to signify the way Ekko can only go back 4 seconds and I honestly shed a tear. THE SONG TOO? I encourage everyone to look at the lyrics because they're beautiful.

Okay now for my favorite part of this episode so much to dissect and i'm totally going to mansplain but yk..

"I used to dream the undercity could be like this" — That sets the tone for the whole conversation and just what world he is talking about. The canon one.

"But somewhere, I got consumed by all the ways it wasn't. I gave up on it. Gave up on YOU." — Heavy emphasis on this line. Once more he is talking about Jinx. He is talking about how he got so consumed by the way that Jinx wasn't good, and he gave up on her. Believed she was irredeemable. Powder showed him that Jinx is capable of love and happiness, it's just under that tough protective shell. The undercity in the metaphor is Jinx, from my interpretation.

"I promise i'll never forget this." — Now time for my insanity. He doesn't forget this. That's why he saves Jinx from ending her life in the first place. He remembers Powder and knows that with the right support Jinx doesn't have to be the way she is. It's not that she "needs to be fixed" she just needs to be LOVED, like Powder. He sees that now. He sees how in the au the love that everyone shares for one another shaped the undercity beautifully, and made everyone in it much healthier mentally despite going through hardships. That is beautiful. People with mental illness are not unlovable they just need more support, it can't be cured, or fixed just healed. Mental illness is always there it is how you DEAL with it that matters.

Nothing too major to talk about with the kiss. It's sweet I love it, but nothing too notable for me to say about it.

Finally, Ekko leaves the au. I have seen people say that this is a sacrifice, he could've had everything he wanted and he gave it up to save the people at home. But i take insanity to another level. I see this as him appreciating his home. He knows he can never truly love this Powder because she isn't the version he fell in love with. He learned to appreciate Jinx even through her flaws, and that while this world has everything he could want and more he can have that home too.

I am experiencing HEAVY timebomb brainrot if you can’t already tell. I was tired of people taking things in the complete wrong way with this episode, if anyone has different views pls tell me I love hearing how other people took certain scenes. there are a few scenes I love but I would’ve made this post way too long..

[copperbadge]

Sam, how on earth did you get permabanned from tinder and okcupid? That seems like such a random thing!

I'm still not entirely sure; I have a theory, and Tinder gave me an indication, but by policy they don't tell people why they've been banned. Which I can understand, if someone reported you for bad behavior they don't want you to know or suspect who.

For me it was very weird. I'd had accounts with both before but had deleted them so I needed to reregister. When I registered for Tinder they kept making me verify I was real in different ways, like some weird escalating scale of identity. At last they had me take a real specific picture, and then I got an email saying I could not prove I was real to their satisfaction, and that I was permabanned. I never even interacted with anyone on the app.

But there are plenty of apps, so I went to okcupid a few days later and while they didn't SAY Tinder tattled to them, they immediately denied and permabanned me when I put in my phone number. I can only suppose they talked. They're both owned by the same company, so it tracks.

Most dating apps are owned by one or two companies, they're just formulated differently for different tastes/wants. What's funny is that I'm on at least one other app owned by Match Group and that one, Hinge, is totally fine with me. So idk.

The post office also didn't believe my address was real for the first few years I tried to register for their postal Letters to Santa giving program. I still can't get delivery meals that don't go badly awry. It's enough to give a guy a complex, but honestly I never felt good or comfortable on those two apps anyway so it might be for my own good. Having been on different ones now, I genuinely think OKCupid is one of the more toxic apps in this sphere, purely because it markets itself so specifically to people looking for authenticity but doesn't really foster it. A lot of other apps at least don't pretend they aren't meat markets.

I've had to approach dating apps in general as hostile places, simply because the level of harm they inflict for someone with RSD is so high. I don't blame the other users, but the apps themselves are structured so that you can, for example, see all the people who didn't think you were date material, but have to pay to see people who thought you were. Being radically honest about who I am and what I want has been helpful because I expect a much higher rejection rate from that, so I'm braced for it, but it's still not fun. On the other hand, this is the first try where I've made meaningful connections that have resulted in real dates. Breakfast Date, who I met on Hinge, has been really hot and fun, and Museum Date, who I met on eHarmony, is an ongoing exercise in hilarity (sexy hilarity) so for the first time it's worth it. And I don't think that would have been the case on OKCupid.

[suchawrathfullamb]

No, the flannel and the wolf cut don't make you look like Will Graham. I see a lot of people trying to emulate Will's style or hair but of course it doesn't satisfy them because they're not fully getting what they actually wanted, which is the Will VIBE. So here's a guide, for you, because I love you, and fashion and aesthetics and the codes of physical appearance.

How to Give Will Graham

(oh and do check out my vibe analysis where we go into the spiritual code of Will Graham using astrology and numerology).

Now, I'm sure you didn't aim to give "plaid and kaki" vibes, right? Maybe you did, in that case you can move along. But if not, you were aiming for Will by just copying his clothes, which would never work because he doesn't give plaid and kaki guy, he gives sexy confident motherfucker with a gun who isolates himself because he thinks he's too cool but also because he is a menace and has no patience for people.

In other, better lol, words, he has the codes of disinterested academia. I made that up. But it's accurate.

It's the code of intellectuality but without the academic flair of formality.

Sam Winchester has almost the exact same wardrobe yet the vibes are different (the character arc is the same, interestingly enough), Sam is softer and kinder, and Will is more fuck everybody get out of my sidewalk vibes.

So there's an arrogance to Will. He isn't interested in what most are, he thinks most things are boring. And he's also hiding his true self, which comes out a bit more in Season 2 when he have the Slut Fashion Transition, which is excellent. Translating that to his style, you have outfits that carry a bit of an edge, although concealed to avoid exposure, and lack of attention to detail. So Will would not care to choose patterns because that is too much detail, or belts, or too many layers. His mind is busy with other things, he cannot focus on styling details.

So you can evoke the vibe without copying his exact outfits. As long as it has the elements of a put together but simplistic academic "southern" style. Which is also known as rugged americana.

(post prison inspired)

(twitchy man, season one inspired)

[taiey]

a minor analysis of Manepear's manipulation (mane-ipulation)

A few thoughts to frame the discussion: Clownpierce has the mace; Clownpierce has not yet died. Clownpierce doesn't log on very often, and of everyone on the server Clownpierce is closest to Kaboodle.

With that in mind... 1hr 13min into 'A New Leaf..?', after a lot of open honest conversation about the war, morality, honour and Mane's potential as an interior decorator, Kaboodle brings up her constancy towards Clownpierce and Manepear starts telling her she should put herself first, because Clown doesn't.

He starts with the basic, obvious facts: Clown doesn't log on very often, he's never attacked Mane for her, he's never sacrificed himself for her like she has for him. Even... Woogie..? backs him up on all that.

Then she starts bringing up counter-examples and he pushes back, with subtle mis-framings like "it would have been easy for him to say I searched for Mapic on purpose so that I could get back for you" when, like, I saw that video and I bet you did too, he said that to Mapicc, and not to Kaboodle. Or brushing off that time he did fight Mane's team as if there's "10 people he knows he's not going to get targeted and if he gets a kill on Main and Flame that would be huge for him", when, uh, it's not that Mane has specific knowledge that the other group chat was considering jumping Clown for the mace earlier in the day, but I do feel that dynamic is sufficiently common knowledge.

I've actually had this thought before because I thought that he was, I was, I was confident that he was betraying me cuz I was thinking like "why would Clownpierce betray and and use everybody except for me? how does that make any sense? why would I be the only one?" and it doesn't make sense like nothing would make me special

Drawing parallels digs into her fears without him directly saying she's not special so as to elicit sympathy and not offense. (and pay no attention to the dissimilarities in their relationships to clown)

I think it was easy for him to defend you from Subz because he knows that he can kill Subz but if it was me in that situation I'm not so sure if he would he would have done the same thing

(y'know i didn't actually notice at the time that uh that's a very different line than his Subz Glazing to Zam&Mapicc)

Mane: did he leave my alliance or did I force him out? Kab: you did force him out Mane: he didn't have a choice not to choose you Kab: yeah that's a horrible... Mane: [crosstalk] he could have at least shot me a DM—wait! Oh my gosh! I just remembered

Things I did not notice on first listen: sorry, when could he have shot you a DM? When you turned on him?? No, no, that segue makes no sense. Mane absolutely did not "just remember". DMs only came into this because he wanted a segue into: his climactic reveal.

When I was looking for your base, I told him about my, my plan to find you using dogs, and he was telling me how to do it more efficiently.

So. Let's look at [the screenshots that i copied off someone else o7]

The first thing that stood out to me, as I was watching the stream, was this: Mane says "he was telling me how to do it more efficiently", and then he lets Kab stew in that for a bit, and then he sends her these screenshots. The framing is set up. But there is not one line in there that is Clown giving Mane advice on how to track her.

The nearest he gets to advice is "she knows when you do tho". Mane glosses that to Kab as "he was telling me exactly what not to do as well", but listen: look at it. The closest he gets to advice is: maybe don't track her. Maybe you shouldn't even try.

Mane asked "what should I say", he relates it like it's another example of advice, which looks like it could lead to advice, and then the screenshot cuts off. And... it's shorter than the first one. We know for an absolute fact that the height is not limited by, say, the height of the screen. It cuts off there because whatever comes after that does not back up the narrative Mane's selling her.

Laughing about her, saying she's scared: it's emotionally affecting, but it's not actionable information. It does not help Mane find Kab. All it does is give the feeling that Clown is on Mane's side.

After exiting the conversation Kaboodle grieves to chat about it; she starts off thinking of it as"actively telling Mane how to find me is, is..." but a few minutes later she's caught on to "if you look at the messages he's not actively selling me out"; she has prior history of coming back the next day going hang on...

Very interested to see how far she gets with it. That thing with the dogs was streamed live; I watched it. The memory of it tickled at my brain, so after today's ended I tracked it down, and found:

Clownpierce: Did he find the manepears? What? Kaboodle: So all the manepears teleported to me when they hit, when he hit them. Clown: [AWKWARD LAUGHTER] Kab, fearless: I'm thousands of blocks away, I'm really far away. Clownpierce: Maybe they... they sometimes do move in the direction they teleport to, maybe he knows the location. Maybe - maybe move around.

Clownpierce was DMing Manepear saying "ok good idea"—and then, on a call with Kaboodle, telling her Mane's tactic and what to do about it.

:)

(He doesn't maximally betray Mane, he doesn't tell her he knows Mane's doing that or tell her before it starts happening; there's a degree of trying to stay on both sides. But he isn't neutral, and he is ultimately, materially, on Kab's side.)

I, like Kaboodle, saw Manepear's "removing all netherite" video and really enjoyed it (the twists genuinely surprised me) but there was this doubt where—videos and not streams usually feel this way to me—I wasn't sure whether, to convince the server that he wasn't the guy on his friend's account, he had to actually convince them. I just knew that was a kind of story he wanted to tell, and hoped he'd try it on Lifesteal.

Now, though, I believe it. I've seen maybe two other fandom people even doubting this. I believe he did because I see he can. And oh my goodness I love it.

[thegirl20]

Please don't steal joy from people who are finding Starlight Express via tiktoks about lesbian Greaseball.

'well, actually starlight express isn't about lesbian trains' - Who cares?? Let me tell you, Starlight Express isn't about much of anything, so if people want it to be about lesbian trains, it's about lesbian trains.

'greaseball isn't good lgbtq+ representation' - She's one of the main characters in a musical written in the 80s by an old white conservative dude. She's not a good person train, but that's different from not being good representation. Let lesbian engines be bad! Let them pay oil trucks to sabotage races! Let them live!!

I can personally attest that you can go to the show and watch it almost entirely through the lesbian train lens. Sure, Greaseball and Dinah's relationship isn't the focus of the show, but there are lots of little moments, interactions and things going on for folks to look out for.

And as mentioned elsewhere, actors have a lot of scope as to which moments they play up, so you get different interpretations depending who is on.

As someone who came up through fandom when everything was about subtext and interpreting tiny moments, it's pretty much ideal for me and other people might be the same.

So, let people enjoy things, is what I'm saying. It takes nothing away from how you want to engage with the show. Block the lesbian Greaseball fans on tiktok or on here if you don't like them. But let people enjoy stuff.

[dianagpeppermintnightmare]

I'm not gonna disagree with the validity of some of these points, but I still feel the need to make some of my own.

So, "shonen", of course, is merely a demographic. It isn't a genre. When people outside of Japan use "shonen", they're often just using it as shorthand for what's an actual genre: battle manga. Shonen encompasses a great deal of genres, from sports manga, romance manga, slice of life manga, and gag manga, and even those can blend together. It still amuses me a bit that smaller slice of life gag series like Nichijou or Azumanga Daioh are both shonen and nobody seems to notice. Even a yuri manga like Bloom Into You is shonen, and was published in the same magazine as Azumanga Daioh.

It should also be noted that the vast majority of battle shonen that takes off outside Japan are the ones published by Weekly Shonen Jump, which has a particular brand and image. When people harp about alleged clichés in battle shonen (regardless of whether these clichés are actually that prevalent or if they're just going solely off Dragon Ball and Naruto), it's usually the tropes frequently utilized in these particular mangas. Which, to be honest, reflects a very narrow view? It's like simplifying American comic books to just Marvel. I'd also argue that some of them don't get enough credit for their female casts (I'd point to Gintama and Black Clover as good examples), but overall...well, splitting mangas by gendered demographics naturally leads to the aforementioned issues with female representation.

Dandadan is an example of a shonen that exists outside of the Weekly Shonen Jump bubble. It's published on Jump+, which has a looser guideline for what fits the image. It could never have been published in Weekly Shonen Jump. And I think that's a big reason why people are touting it as being this big shakeup, because it's from a different publication (still by Shueisha, sure) with more room for experimentation. There's still only a limited amount of Jump+ series that have been big hits, which is partly down to it being relatively newer. It could be a good sign for the future if Jump+ keeps having hits with this level of good writing and representation.

But seriously, don't limit yourselves with the shonen manga you read. There's still a couple with genuinely good female characters, some even protagonists! I'm gonna list a few for people to check out:

1. Undead Unluck. Great romance, great action, genuinely insane plot twists, very well-characterized female cast who all get moments to develop, and Fuuko Izumo is genuinely one of the best shonen protagonists out there. 10/10 character development. There's definitely some iffy stuff early on, but hey, same with Dandadan. And if you like romance, Undead Unluck does it VERY well.

2. Akane-banashi. So imagine a sports manga, except it's not about sports, it's about rakugo. That's this series. Incredibly engaging, Akane is a fun MC, and then you delve into deeper themes about the power of art and storytelling and you start crying.

3. Magilumiere Co. LTD. More proof that locking anime adaptations of good manga to Hulu and Prime is bullshit. A Jump+ series about magical girls as an actual business for responding to monster attacks, the main protagonist is a newbie to the world of adulting and job hunting before becoming part of a small magical girl startup. The only manga I've read where "privatizing the magic industry" is an actual plot point. And yes, there is commentary on aspects of capitalism and how valuing profit over people is bad.

And those are just the ones I'm reading. That's without going into Kindergarten Wars or Shy, both series with their own cult followings and female MC's. Or hell, Frieren got super popular, and some people don't seem to realize it's published in Weekly Shonen Sunday.

So, in short...yes, Dandadan bucks a lot of clichés associated with the most popular battle shonen, but it's still speaking from a limited point of view. There IS more variety out there, you just have to look. Don't just focus on the stuff that gets the big social media reactions from the anime adaptations, focus on the smaller cult hits too.

Ways I can think of that “DanDaDan” differs from other shonen series:

* Female MC is as important as male MC

* Canon romance gets consistent development through the series. I think that’s part of the reason why the MC ships with the rivals (Aira, Jiji) aren’t as popular with the fandom for once. The main ship is actually getting good development, so the fanbase doesn’t have to make up headcanons to fill in the space.

* Flips the found family trope on its head by having the main group despise new people whenever they show up and they even actively try to kick them out. The new people only end up staying because they keep lingering around to the point that the main group just gives up and lets them stay.

* The rivals aren’t emo or angst-ridden. Aira is a delusional tryhard popular girl while Jiji is a himbo drama queen. I’d even go as far to say that the MCs are the ones who are emo and angst-ridden.

* Supporting cast is more than just important, they become integral to the story. I’d say that the further you read into DanDaDan, the more it becomes an ensemble cast where everyone is a protagonist in their own right.

* World-building is all over the place, but in a good way. Most other shonen are pretty consistent with what kind of world their characters live in. MHA is superhero-based, Naruto is ninjas and magic, Bleach is spirits, and so on. DanDaDan feels like the author just throws whatever cool shit they can think of into the story. That’s actually the reason why I wrote in a different post that DanDaDan reminds me more of Marvel/DC than any other shonen series, it manages to capture the catch-all insanity of those comics.

* Doesn’t rely on hidden power-ups. The main characters either have to outsmart the villains or they have to train to get better with the powers they already have.

* The pervert comic relief guy is actually endearing for once. Not because of his pervert tendencies, but because he’s so oblivious to how socially inept he is that it’s kind of funny. This is gonna sound strange, but he sorta reminds me of Thor in Thor Ragnarok. Full of himself and oblivious to how dumb he can be. He’s Thor without the good looks lol.

* Flips the “nerdy outcast loser somehow gets a harem” trope. Instead of making Okarun cooler than how he actually is, the story emphasizes that the women who fall for Okarun are as weird as him. Momo is a weird outcast, Aira has main character syndrome, Vamola doesn’t understand how to human because she’s literally not one, Rin thought Okarun was a vampire (and wanted him to be).

* Flips the “elderly figure in charge of the teenagers” trope. I don’t really get motherly figure vibes from Seiko Ayase, I get more “cool wine aunt who is stuck with her niece” vibes. In fact, there was the arc where Okarun showed up to her in spirit mode to get her help with fighting off the alien invasion and Seiko’s response was, “Well, I’m not in the area and I have other shit to do, so you kids figure it out.”

* The series takes the piss out of the trope of mystical/magical items that the group acquired to get their powers. I mean…the main mystical MacGuffin in the series are Okarun’s balls.

* Okarun was about to go into an “I’m weak / I wish I was stronger / I want to get stronger for my friends” breakdown, but Turbo Granny told him to shut up and keep fighting.

* Not afraid to put the “cool girl” in as many funny situations as possible. Off the top of my head, the series built up Momo as this cool, tough girl who doesn’t take shit from anyone…then several chapters later, Okarun found out she got a job at a maid cafe.

(Feel free to add to the list!)

[marzipanandminutiae]

Do you have any advice on making a living working in historic preservation? I feel like every opportunity in the field (ex. Local historical societies) is volunteer work, which I do, but I also need money!

:)

:) :) :) :)

I am so sorry but you've hit upon the main employment problem with this field: it is wildly underpaid. Especially if you want to do something with museum content/collections/preservation rather than admin.

The issue is, this system (at least in the US, where I live) started out in the late 19th century being run by people who had a lot of free time and a LOT of money already. Married upper-class women, rich men- often gay, interestingly enough -with academic turns of mind, etc. They didn't need the money, so they built a structure designed to function that way. And for many years a lot of this work continued to be done by volunteers.

Except then people came along with the audacity to want to make a career out of it. Without enough generational wealth to not need payment! Oh no!

So now there are not enough full-time jobs in the field for people who want them, unfortunately. They're out there! But you might have a hell of a time getting into one.

I'd say to look for bigger orgs over small ones, or small orgs in big cities. We love a tiny house museum in the middle of nowhere, but they often have the smallest budgets in a world of small budgets. Also, consider starting out part-time and trying to work your way up (just make sure the org has full-time employees first). Making connections is paramount- I've only had part-time museum jobs so far, but I never got a single one just by applying online. You can, but it helps a lot to have someone say "hey, the Fancyman-Spinsteracademic-Wepromisewe'rereckoningwithslaverynow House is hiring; want me to put in a good word for you?"

Alternately, learn some hands-on preservation skill like carpentry or horology (working with mechanical clocks- PLEASE learn horology if you go this route; all the horologists are 80 and they keep dying) could be a way to get specific talents that historical site museums can't function without and will therefore pay for when the budget allows. In cities with lots of historical architecture that they actually care about preserving- so not NYC, apparently -there are often independent companies that specialize in different aspects thereof. Historical window repair, historical plastering, historical brickwork maintenance, etc. Trying to get hired by one of those is a way to go into preservation without working in museums. Private auction houses or antiques dealers can also be an option, if you're more into the Collections Objects side of things.

I don't mean to make it sound bleak. My eight-year career in museums has been entirely part-time collections/interpretation/admin jobs stitched together, and while I'm sick of the "underpaid and relying on my parents to pay for my insurance" aspect (yes, I freely admit it; I'm a lowkey continuation of the Can't Work In Museums If You Don't Have Family Financial Support tradition and very very lucky to be able to do what I do, and yet even I'M frustrated and tired and over it), it is deeply fulfilling work that I consider highly worthwhile and important. And there ARE avenues to make a decent living in it!

I just want to explain the phenomenon you're seeing and give you realistic expectations.

Best of luck!

[just-a-ghost00]

Mistery messages

I decided to let the cards speak and see what messages wanted to come through. I have no idea what the theme will be. We may get different themes for each group or similar ones, I don't know. Let's just dive in!

Group 1

Page of pentacles, 5 of pentacles, 4 of cups, King of swords, Magician, Queen of wands, back of the deck Queen of cups

To manifest your desired reality, you need to love yourself more. There are parts of you that you have been neglecting. You need to dive deeper to uncover them. Some of you have been feeling empty and frustrated for quite a while. Spirit is saying there is a reason why that you need to study carefully. Love will not come in the shape of a man/woman coming to save the day. It needs to be birthed in yourself and radiate through you. You do not need others to be happy. Your desired reality will come in when you embody the masculine and feminine equally. You may be missing a certain person and holding on to their energy. Your guides want to tell you that there is someone else meant for you. A person that will match your vibration and be on the same level as you, unlike this page of pentacles. This person will be naturally attracted to you as you step back into your power and embody that divine feminine energy. When your assertiveness and nurturing nature are brought back, then can this person come into your life.

You also got Ancestors, Soul Work, The Explorer and Nature as the back of the deck for your oracle cards.

In the near future, you will be called to do more inner work, potentially shadow work to heal past trauma that may have been passed down to you from generation to generation. You will need to look further back into your past to understand why you feel so disconnected from things and people, why maybe you struggle so much in relationships, especially romantically. You'll have to look at ancestral patterns that may have shaped your beliefs surrounding love. Also, you're asked to spend more time in nature or studying your own nature. As in trying to discern what is truly you and what was fed to you. It feels like you don't really know yourself that much and what your needs are when it comes to love. You need to reassess those needs in order to manifest a partner that matches your expectations of love. You may feel urged to travel, possibly back to your roots. So that could mean that you go back to your childhood home for some. Or that could be metaphorical.

Group 2

King of pentacles, Emperor, Hermit, White Numen, Ace of cups, Empress, back of the deck the World

You will gain clarity about a meaningful connection in your life. Potentially one involving an Earth sign. I was specifically picking up on Taurus and Virgo vibes. But we also have Aries being represented. More specifically, you may understand better how a certain father figure or masculine figure plays a role into this connection and impacts it. This figure we're talking about is quite controlling. I feel like despite the resistance that this figure creates, there will be forward movement in this connection. I'm getting a message of renewed feelings and wanting to create something tangible together. I'm getting a message of this person by passing other's opinion and trying to give this connection a chance, even though they're not sure where it will lead. If you were in a connection with a specific person that may have significant earth placements in their chart, I feel like this person is finally clear on their intentions towards you. After a period of separation they're finally ready to come towards you. Spirit is getting my attention on the Emperor / Empress combo. Saying that this person and you are finally seeing eye to eye and aligning with each other. With the world, I get the message that this person could be living at a distance from you and trying to physically get closer to you. Also they value this connection a lot. While being away from you, this person realized how much you meant to them and they're ready to express that love. They're coming out of silence. I also get the message that this person has been watching you from afar for quite a while. They've seen you grow and evolve but most importantly they've seen how you reacted to them taking their distances and it showed them that you could be trusted. Because you've been acting very mature and gave this person space, they were able to draw the conclusions they needed to make.

For your oracle cards, you got Ascension, Power, Underworld and Patience as the back of the deck.

Because of your patience and acceptance, this connection is able to take a step further. I feel like you and this person may want to keep your connection hidden from other people to protect it from external influences. This person also feels incredibly attracted to you and their desire for you is growing as we speak. I feel like they're guided by the universe to let go of the need to control every aspect of this connection and just surrender to how they feel. This person may have been through a spiritual awakening recently. I'm getting the message that they've received valuable information at night or through their dreams. This person feels tied to you in a way they can't explain. Now that they see clearly, this person feels in a position of control over the outcome of this connection. They are more optimistic than they were before and they've gained more courage because of that. Maybe now they're less intimidated by how they feel and feel more inclined to fight for this connection and talk about it around them, though people may not aprove of it. Again, I'm specifically picking up on the energy of a father trying to deter their son from dating the person they like. And the son finally deciding to stand up for themselves and tell their dad to mind their own business.

Group 3

Queen of swords, 5 of wands, 3 of sowrds rx, The Devil, 8 of cups, White numen back of the deck King of pentacles

I feel like the theme for this group is career and work related situations. Lately, you may feel like you're struggling a bit more than usual or that people are testing your patience and limits. You may feel like you constantly have to be on your guards and fight to be able to protect yourself from people's bad intentions, judgmental behaviors and nagging. I feel like maybe people around you have been talking behing your back and you may have heard of it. Spirit is wanting you to know that it's important that you don't give in to these people's energy. Don't fall in their trap and don't play their game. Be the bigger person and move on from these situations. Try not to hold any grudges because there are better times and opportunities coming your way. It is important that you keep your destination in mind and that you stay on track with your goals. You can do it. You have everything it takes. Spirit wants to let you know that you are being supported and that your maturity and stability will be the key to get you out of this tricky situation. Also, you may have a higher authority on your side, protecting you from these people's influence. This could be a boss, a mentor, a spirit guide, a family member or another cowerker that just cannot stand injustice and will speak up for you. This may sound paradoxical but spirit is asking you not to adress this situation with these people. If you did, it could make things worse. If they see that you don't react, they'll think their attitude just doesn't work with you and they'll eventually leave you alone. You have to keep your head up high and remain focused on yourself. These people cannot hinder you, they do not define you nor your worth. You are stronger and better than them. Do not give in to the temptation of taking your revenge. Just move on and keep working towards your desired reality.

For your oracle cards, you got Power, Transmute, Manifest and Higher Perspective as the back of the deck.

Spirit is letting you know that there is a purpose to this situation and these setbacks. There's a lesson to be learned here. Use this situation as fuel to make your dreams a reality. You have to transform that negative energy into gold. You got the power to elevate and reach greater heights than these people will ever get the chance to. You are asked to see the bigger picture and read beyond the surface of what is going on. Why do you think these people are acting this way? What does it say about them? You are devinely protected in this situation. You can call onto your spirit team for extra protection and guidance if you wish. Spirit is reassuring you on the fact that these minor setbacks will not influence your fate or prevent you from getting your manifestations. On the contrary, it may help you manifesting them quicker. Use this situation as an extra boost, try to see the positive in this experience and keep going. You got this sweetheart!

[crossdressingdeath]

Ah, I think what we're getting into here is the difference between Andrastianism and the Chantry. There were a lot of different Andrastian sects(? Cults? Not entirely sure what the right word is, but I'm gonna go with sects) when the Chantry was first founded; most of them aren't around anymore (at least some of them gone because of the Chantry and its habit of wiping out every other religious group it can, see the codex entry on the Daughters of Song for an example; that one's especially nasty since they were pacifists and the Chantry steamrolled over them anyway), but even in the games' time period there's still a couple, most notably Chantry Andrastianism and Tevinter Andrastianism. Orlais chose a very warlike sect to follow right from the start, which might just have been because that's how Orlesians are but it's still a thing to keep in mind: the sect the Chantry came out of was already one that glorified war above most other things. How convenient for an expansionist empire! The Chantry itself was absolutely created from that initial sect with propping Orlais up in mind, and it has stuck to that mandate pretty consistently throughout Thedas's history (even up to the occupation of Ferelden, the Orlesian king put in charge had a Chantry advisor; as far as I'm aware there was no significant Chantry presence among the rebels, at least not in any official capacity). It's also important to me to keep in mind that in the games there is a vague acknowledgement of how Andrastians don't necessarily follow the Chantry and many don't agree with it; Anders is a devout Andrastian, and he understandably despises the organization. Varric is Andrastian, and Cassandra comments he wouldn't be caught dead in a Chantry. Basically the Chantry as an institution and Andrastianism as a religion are not the same thing, the Chantry was created with a specific goal that Andrastianism did not share, and after a point they have to be discussed as separate entities.

I sort of agree with the "institutions are at their heart the people" thing? But also that only goes so far when we're talking about an institution that is fundamentally not in it to do good, or at least not for anyone who isn't already wealthy and in a position of power. I think the best example is Mother Giselle; she was working in Jader during a famine, and she demanded the Chantry step up and offer aid to the people who were starving. She's the epitome of someone determined to do good within the Chantry and fulfill their supposed mandate of charity. And... the Chantry refused to help. Just straight up refused to send aid no matter how many times she entreated them to help these desperate people. Eventually Mother Giselle fell back on a hunger strike, and that worked (although the Chantry insisted she feed herself and her fellow sisters first, which they merrily refused to do; I have issues with Mother Giselle but this is very good, gotta respect the determination). But the Chantry was so furious with her for "shaming" them and forcing their hand that by breaking that famine she ensured she would never be able to move any higher in the institution than she was already. Mother Giselle was fighting the Chantry the whole way and was punished for succeeding. That's kind of the running theme in the Chantry; there are a lot of genuinely good people who are genuinely determined to help! But outside of the individual level they consistently find themselves stymied and slapped down by the organization they serve, because the Chantry does not actually exist to help and does not actually want to. There comes a point where you can't take the intentions of people who join up as the true purpose of the institution, because the institution absolutely does not agree with those intentions and will do everything in its power to shut them down. (Also I mean there comes a point where it's like... hey if you people are in this to help people why aren't you quitting when it becomes clear the organization is going to demand you hurt people at every turn, Keran DA2 you will always be famous to me.)

FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT. Thank you Dorian for being the best once again and pointing out that hey maybe if the Chantry didn't treat their mages like shit and traumatize all of them they'd get possessed less often.

[evenyvn]

𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐄. — detective!alhaitham x troublemaker male!reader

chapter 02 ; nice to meet you

cw : lowercase intended.

previous. — masterlist — next ; original work

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃ [ UTC ] ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

　　　　after several hours of fruitless interrogation, (m/n) finally allowed to leave the police station, he stood up from his chair, stretching his cramped muscles with a hint of boredom on his face. in the office, several police officers were still busy with their work, their voices could be heard faintly.

(m/n) paused for a moment near the door, looking at the police station that always seemed busy and full of hustle and bustle. however, his eyes immediately fell on a man, namely alhaitham.

alhaitham was a rather striking figure, though he made no attempt to stand out. with his milky pale skin, silvery gray hair, and green eyes with a hint of sharp red, he was certainly different from most of the men in the precinct. alhaitham wore a dark suit that fit him well, and despite his simple appearance, there was something very elegant and mysterious about the way he carried himself.

not many people could hold their gaze at alhaitham without feeling a little bit of awe or curiosity. however, the detective himself seemed oblivious to (m/n) staring at him from afar.

(m/n) stared at him with growing curiosity. he recognized alhaitham as a detective who sometimes patrolled darker places and rarely talked to others. alhaitham was known for his extraordinary skills in solving cases, but he was also known as a very secretive person, even can be passed as arrogant, and always worked alone.

(m/n), who was used to dealing with local police and many more accessible people—felt something was different about alhaitham. the genius detective had an aura that made people feel as if they shouldn't approach him.

(m/n)'s eyes remained fixed on alhaitham, feeling an invisible attraction connecting him to the detective. he didn't know why, but something inside him made him very curious, maybe even a little fascinated. (m/n), who usually didn't care much about other people, felt an urge to approach alhaitham, something he had never felt before towards anyone in this police station.

with increasing curiosity, (m/n) finally step closer to alhaitham. even though he knew that he was often considered a local thug or troublemaker and was not accepted by many people, he felt that he needed to talk to alhaitham, even if only a little. maybe, he thought, alhaitham could give him something new.

however, his steps were still hesitant—he was not someone who usually paid attention to others so deeply. when (m/n) was a few steps away from alhaitham, the detective was still busy with the files at the reception desk, and did not notice his arrival.

(m/n) stood for a few seconds, looking at alhaitham from behind, waiting for the right moment to greet him. finally, after feeling sure enough that he would not be thrown out just like that, (m/n) spoke up.

"hey, detective... alhaitham, right?" (m/n)'s voice was a bit loud, trying to get attention.

alhaitham turned his head slowly, looking a little surprised that someone was facing him with such an attitude. however, his expression remained cold and unchanged, as if he wasn't bothered.

"yeah, what do you want?" alhaitham answered shortly, his voice calm but full of caution. (m/n) smiled slightly, feeling the tension in the air. "i just wanted to chat. i see you around here a lot, and... you seem different from most people in this police station."

alhaitham raised an eyebrow, showing a hint of indifference. "it's none of your business," he said, his voice as cold as ever. "i don't have time to talk to the likes of you."

hearing that, (m/n) felt a little offended, but he didn't back down. he felt, for some reason, that there was something he should know about alhaitham. (m/n) knew that he wasn't someone who could be easily pushed aside, so he decided to try again.

"you don't have to worry, i won't bother you. i'm just curious," (m/n) said, his voice softer and a little more serious. "you always look... alone. no one can get close to you, huh?"

alhaitham stared at him sharply, the green eyes that reminded (m/n) of emerald were now cold and calculating. "i don't need anyone else," he answered firmly, still in a low and indifference tone. "i prefer to work alone."

(m/n) snorted softly. he felt a little frustrated, but didn't give up. "okay, okay, i get it. but you have to admit it, you're also curious about me, right?" (m/n) teased a little, trying to lighten the mood.

alhaitham, who usually avoided confrontation or unnecessary conversations, started to feel a little annoyed. however, even though he tried to remain calm, his eyes gave away that he was struggling to not be affected.

"i'm not interested in someone like you," he replied firmly looking at the other man ridiculously, there was a slight stiffness in his voice that indicated that he couldn't quite contain (m/n)'s attention.

even though alhaitham's attitude was cold and rejecting, the (h/c) haired man still felt that there was something interesting in the detective. while alhaitham tried to keep his distance, (m/n) was even more determined to dig deeper into this mysterious man.

the two of them faced each other, although there was tension between them, but there was also a kind of connection that began to build-even though alhaitham didn't want it.

(m/n) didn't know if alhaitham would ever open up to him, but he felt that there was something much deeper hidden behind the cold and indifference figure of the detective.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

previous. — masterlist — next.

don't forget to support the original work (indonesian) here!

✦ likes, reblogs, and comments are highly appreciated ♡

[stychu-stych]

Okay so I gotta ask for clarification. The modern era: is it similar to ours??

If so, how does the Lamb maintains finances to keep them and Narinder afloat? Is there schooling similar to our systems? How old would they hypothetically be then?

Also, side question, what would be their favourite seasons? Considering how things have changed clothing wise

- from an extremely frozen Canadian

Oooo I really like questions about the cult 🔥 I can yap about how cults work, what're they methods of gaining new followers, how they can manipulate people and how I imagine Lamb's cult based on the knowledge I have

I just want to warn you that there's pretty late for me and I'm so tired, and my english might not englishing even more than usual

So the world is similar to ours, the main difference is that the magic is real. And about the finances- basically it works like any other cult. Some of the cult members still have "normal" jobs and they donate some % of their paychecks to the cult's savings, some of the members sell products made by the community, some money come from the new members that are convinced that they don't need it anymore. And some of the savings come from crusades times

The community has it's own schooling system of course (classic for cults JSBSJSH indoctrinated at very young age already). The kids learn about basic knowledge but there's also a lot of propaganda in it

About the age - so Lamb: they are over 300 or 350 yo (in modern times where all the bishops are mortals already). Narinder is an old, grumpy man, with focus on that "old" part. Few thousand years for sure. He probably doesn't know how old he is either.

Fav seasons: I think Narinder can handle summer pretty well, sun is nice, being warm is nice, typical cat JSSJHSSJ Lamb prefer spring more

[atheneum-of-you]

This is a repost with added information! The previous post has been deleted in favor of this one. Huge thank you to @theic-manic for reminding me ♡

I recently conducted a poll on what topic people would like an in-depth post/guide on and creating prayers was very largely requested! So today I'll be going step by step on the significance of prayer, how to construct one yourself, how to construct an "offering prayer", and some basic questions surrounding them.

As always, I'm just a single resource, and everything I say comes from my own personal research. Always make sure to do your own when possible!

Buckle up, cause this is a long one!

The Significance of Prayer to the Gods

When we think of prayer, oftentimes, the first thought is Abrahamic religion (Christianity, Catholicism, etc). We're taught that prayer is done to give thanks to the Lord, and to make our requests known.

While this is true to the gods of the hellenic Pantheon, there are some key differences. The biggest being tone and desire. Unlike what we're taught with the Abrahamic faith, the gods don't particularly favor "prayer." This is because prayer to the hellenic gods are typically crafted as petitions, requests for something, and the gods typically don't care for requests without offerings. This directly opposes the usual Abrahamic prayer, which typically is both request and praise simultaneously at all times. However, with the hellenic gods, prayer is typically just request FOLLOWED by offering. That's not to say a prayer can not become an offering, but the working of it is a bit different, and I'll go into detail about that later.

For now, we'll be separating the two as we learn how to construct our prayers.

Constructing a Prayer of Petition

Posture

One of the most important starts to a prayer should be establishing how you pray. If praying to Olympian gods, you'll want to pray standing with your hands upright, facing the sky.

If praying to the chthonic, your prayers should be whispered, with your hands and head down.

If praying to the einalic, your arms should be outstretched towards the sea. If you're not near the sea (as many people aren't), cult images of the deity also suffice!

That said, this applies mostly to the ablebodied. While standing for the Olympic gods during orayer is standard, if this isn't possible for you, then sitting and kneeling are just as fine.

Tone

One of the most important things about a prayer is the consistency of our tone. Naturally, we approach with respect, and that respect should be consistent throughout the entire prayer.

That said, your level of formality should be consistent throughout your prayer. If you start informal, the prayer should remain informal all throughout. The same is held for formal prayers.

When we craft our prayers, they require 3 main components. Invocation, our kharis, and our petition.

Invocation

Naturally, fhe first step to creating a prayer would be to invoke our gods. This is how we get that god's attention, and request their attention. This will always start with the god's name, and for our example prayer, I'll use be using Hermes.

However, there's a lot more to a god than just their name. An invocation should be recognition of that god, and tell them that you know who they are and their significance/importance. For this, you can use epithets, their domains, and even their residences and parentage. Epithets have different meanings, so make sure if you're using one, it should pertain to the reasons for your prayer. For example, if I wanted to ask Hermes for a little extra luck, I might invoke using his luck bringer epithet, Eriounês. Or perhaps I wanted to ask him to deliver a message to a passed loved one, then I would invoke Hermes Trikephalos of the crossroads. So an example invocation could go something like:

"O hear me please Hermes Trikephalos of Arcadia, Herald of the crossroads, son of Zeus."

With this, we've invoked Hermes and informed him of who we are and our placement. We can finally move forward with our petition.

Kharis and Justification

The next step in constructing a prayer is to remind the god who you are, and your relationship with them. This can simply be your name, or your title amongst them (if you have one), or even just direct reference to your status with them (servant, follower, worshipper, devotee, etc). That said, this should also follow the tone of the prayer.

If you were to address Hermes as a worshipper, you'd probably say something such as "I, [name], your follower and worshipper, approach humbly and with grace." Once again, this can be completely tailored to you, and you can change things how you deem more appropriate.

Additionally, reminding the deity of things you've done in their name/provided as offering reminds them of the relationship you've established together. Let's say we've set up an altar for Hermes. We can add that to our prayer!

So altogether, our prayer sounds like:

"O hear me please Hermes Trikephalos of Arcadia, Herald of the crossroads, son of Zeus. I, [name], your follower and worshipper, approach humbly and with grace at the altar I've set in your name."

With this, we've invoked Hermes and informed him of who we are and our placement. We can finally move forward with our petition.

Petition

With what we have, we can now give our petition. Our petition is our request to that god. Naturally, this can be asking for assistance with something, but it can also be asking them to accept an offering or simply asking for their presence to chat, say good morning/night, etc.

I can't really give much guidance on how to craft a petition, because each one is unique and personal to the one praying. However, I can give examples!

If I were to stick to the epithet of Diaktoros, my petition would more than likely involve a message to a passed loved one.

"I ask that you deliver this message to [insert loved one's name]. [Message to be delivered]."

This is, of course, just a basic example but you can tailor this to your needs and desires.

Vow

The vow is incredibly important in prayer, and is a promise of offering or sacrifice to that god for listening to your prayers. Vows can be anything pleasing to the god (ensure it's something your god would enjoy receiving), and you'll want to clearly state the intention of providing it if you're not already. Hermes enjoys coins, so we'll use that as our vow. So perhaps we would say something to the affect of:

"I offer a piety of gold and silver coins for your mercy and kidness."

You dont need to immediately follow up a prayer with an offering, however offerings should absolutely follow answered prayers without fail as this is your vow.

Ensure that your vow is POSITIVE. A promise to give. Negative vows such as "if you help me do x I won't do y ever again!" are unfavorable to the gods. They gain nothing from that, and it's not done for the god but rather yourself.

Prayers as Offerings

As stated before, prayers are not inherently offerings to the gods, moreso, they are requests. But can they be offerings? Well sure! However, our approach to them needs to be different.

Whereas our previous prayers were for requests, prayers for offerings should not contain requests but rather be appealing and aesthetic to the god.

A good example would be dedications of praise to that god. Once again, we'll invoke our god as we did previously. A dedication can start however you want and involve whatever praise you'd like! We'll use Dionysus for this example.

Dedication prayers will require some extra knowledge of your god than simply making requests, as we will be praising achievements of theirs. You can praise several achievements, or focus on a single one! For this example we'll praise several. So our example dedication can go as follows:

"Praise be to Lord Dionysus Eleuthereus, the almighty liberator, twice-born son of Zeus and Seleme!

Praise be to the generous wine giver, traveler of lands far and wide as his almighty vines spread!

Praise be the Bacchus, may we stomp our feet in joy and hail his mighty name! Father of kings!

We praise the mad one, slayer of the fool Damascus who denied our Lord's sacred gift!"

With this dedication, we've done several things. Invoked Dionysus with his epithet and parentage, praised his travels, glorified his lineage/children, praised his slaying of Damascus, and called attention to several iterations of him (the Bacchus and the mad one).

Additionally, this dedication gives the energy of being loud and high energy, things that are appealing to Dionysus. If we were to give praise to Apollo, we might favor a dedication more poetic with a more lyrical scheme. Or for Ares something far more militant and powerful, similar to a battle cry.

These dedications can also be accompanied by other offerings and given to the god during or after. Additionally, these dedications can be as long or short as you please! Just be sure to keep your god in mind while crafting them.

Take time to really learned your god, so thay you can offer dedications and praise to them in earnest!

Common Questions

Will my gods be angry if I pray informally?

I wouldn't say angry, no. That said, every god has a preference. Certain gods simply prefer more formal prayers, but in the end, it all comes down to your personal relationship with your god. If you have a more formal relationship, they would expect a more formal prayer. The same goes for informal.

Do my prayers NEED to be followed up with an offering?

Nope, although it's good practice. That said, if your prayer is answered, an offering of thanks is essential to maintaining good Kharis with your god.

Can the Orphic/Homeric Hymns be used as prayers?

That really depends, but the short answer is yes. I personally don't consider them prayers as the Hymns are moreso dedications, but its entirely up to how you view them.

Are prayers made by other people less valued than prayers I make myself?

Not at all! Prayers are prayers.

My prayer wasn't answered! Does my god hate me?

Nope! There could be a multitude of reasons why your prayer isn't answered, and truly, it all boils down to the will of that god. We have no way of knowing their will or what they think, so if your prayers go unanswered, try not to take it to heart.

This is my first time praying to a god and we have no kharis yet, can I still pray to them?

Yes! All relationships start somewhere~

I hope this was helpful for you all, and I truly hope it inspires more people to write their own prayers and dedications. Feel free to ask for any clarifications at all, and safe travels, friends ♡

[m-jelly]

Hey Jelly! I hope you're doing well. It's been forever since I had the chance to request for you and I finally have the time for a request. So if you're up for writing and taking requests, I hope you'll be able to do it. If not, I understand.

What if Levi and Medical Squad Leader! Reader (Who had been temp. benched due to them breaking their leg shortly before Levi joined) met after Levi became a Captian after she had been cleared for squad work again and hit it off when he saw her working on one of his squad members?

It doesn't have to be smut, I just find this idea sososososososooo cute. Like Squad Leader Sunshine and Captian cantankerous.

<3 kenko panda

Heart issues

Levi x fem! reader

Canon world, romance, falling in love, Levi being cute.

Levi landed on the wall, feeling slight exhaustion digging its nails into him. The Titans had been cleared, and now it was time to clean up and see the fallout. Being a Captain was hard, and he had a lot of responsibilities now. He was going to do anything possible to protect his people.

He noticed one of his squad members was hurt, which sent a wave of guilt through him. He didn't think he did enough to protect them. He began moving closer but stopped when he saw the most beautiful woman start jogging over to his squad member.

Levi gulped hard as he took you in. He was sure he'd met everyone in the scouts, but he'd never seen you, he was sure he'd remember you. It then clicked for him, you must have been the medical squad leader who was on leave due to a broken leg.

He gripped his chest right over his chest as his heart raced. He watched as you moved, as you smiled and as you cared so nicely for his squad member. He clenched up tightly when you noticed him and began to make your way over to him.

You smiled sweetly at Levi. "Captain Levi, right?"

He nodded. "Mm."

You tilted your head. "Are you okay? You look a bit flushed and your pupils are blown."

"I-I." He shivered when you touched his neck. "Tch, fuck."

"Your heart is racing. Do you need medical attention?"

He looked away from you. "Damn brat. My heart won't stop racing. Fix it."

You pulled back a bit. "I'll try."

He grabbed your hand. "Don't stop touching me." He stared at you and blushed hard. "S-Sorry." He released your hand. "Tch, shit."

You placed your hand on his chest. "Captain, when did your heart start racing like this?"

He huffed a bit. "When I looked at you. Tch, it's your fault brat I'm this way."

Your heart skipped a beat. "W-Wait, are you saying I'm making your heart race?"

"Yes!"

You rubbed his chest. "I think I know what's wrong with you."

He relaxed a bit. "You do? What the hell is it?"

"I think you have a crush on me."

He felt a rush of different emotions and thoughts. "Hmm. I need to fix this."

You pulled back from him. "I can keep my distance maybe?"

He shook his head. "No, that won't do. The only way to fix it is for us to go on many dates." He leaned closer and kissed your cheek. "Mm, I liked that..." He flinched a bit. "I will write you a letter."

You touched your cheek and watched Levi run off. You giggled a bit. "So cute."

Tag list under the cut

@ladycheesington @levisbrat25 @nyxiieluna @li-anne @galactict3a @youre-ackermine @thebobaprincess @2moth-anon2 @cypidity @nbinairyn @bts-spnlvr12 @darkstarlight82 @emilyyyy-08 @levistealeaf @pelicanpizza @hideandgopeep @notgoodforlife @demonic-bird @searriously @anti-cupid @abiatackerman

[limeade-l3sbian]

Im sure you have noticed many radfems talk of how men will use their spouse/partner as basically a second mother, having her do all the chores, the emotional labour, the organisation, etc. And I agree with this take.

But can we talk about how a lot of women, especially trad adjacent ones, also see their male partner as almost a parental figure. The amount of times i’ve seen women use different versions of “I just want a man that can think for me” is too many to count at this point. And it’s common. It’s seen in so much romance media, where the man takes control of everything, all the big decisions. It’s become a whole trope in heterosexual romance books and stories, of a rich man with control issues who sweeps some woman off her feet and makes it so she basically just disappears in his embrace.

This is gonna sound super harsh, but please know it isn’t meant as a critique of them as much as something i’ve noticed. I really do believe a lot of women who crave old school gender roles are very lazy, “useless”(to themselves) people who don’t want to amount to anything in life. The idea of struggle and hardship, heck, even just working TOWARDS something, it scares them so much they would rather be shapeless blobs controlled by someone else. That’s why they fetishize that traditional life style for women. Obviously WE know the women of that time and current time too in those types of homes aren’t just sitting around all day doing nothing, but I really do think a lot of women use it as an escapism fantasy from life.

The way a lot of them describe their sexual fantasies is similar, it’s always what is done to them, like they aren’t actually active participants, like they don’t actually have to make any choices.

I think the reason a lot of men crave a parental figure partner vs the reason a lot of women crave one is very different but they seem to be extremely common nonetheless. And with women I also know it’s a very complex issue of both society telling us our worth, the fact that women nowadays even as the more educated demographic STILL do more housework and emotional labour in relationships, capitalism being horrifyingly exhausting to live under, I could go on. But the point is, I think certain women crave a life of no consequences so that whole “i’m just a girl” and “he thinks for me, he makes the choices” mentality thats unfortunately had a huge uptick in popularity in recent years, I do think it’s women craving a parental figure as a partner. Not to say it’s anything linked to incest, i’m not trying to make freudian connections here, but I think the role of a parent is to take responsibility for the child and they crave that floating consequence free existence of a child.

I dunno, is what I’m saying completely deranged? Let me know.

Anon, I'm gonna try to be respectful and hold your hand when I say this... YOU'RE RIGHT! Thought I was gonna get condescending on your ass, huh? 😎🤪

Firstly, don't undercut your words with "I dunno." You made a completely logical point and casually explained yourself so eloquently I wouldn't be surprised if English wasn't your first language.

Secondly! I have seen this too! This weird, "take care of me" emphasis from both sides of the camp. Is it laziness? I wouldn't cast that aside for a second. But I think it's also this strange reaction to the present world. At least in the U.S., the economy is shit and people kind of already know that shit is just going to be hard, no matter what. And as humans, we have a weird tendency to swing the pendulum completely to the left or the right. So our reaction to very real, economic hardship that requires frequent "grinding" is to desire a complete release of the wheel, and to have someone else handle the hard stuff.

For some reason, according to social media, you either need to be grindset girl boss or a trad trophy wife which is...yeah. But I don't doubt your point being more of a reason for this. It's bizarre, and you're not crazy.