#Initiators of Our Lives

[cleverlyconfidential]

The "If Only" Trap

Teaching high school students, I see how quickly they want to grow up. They think that once they leave high school, their parents’ home, and all the rules, that’s when their life will start. That’s when it’ll all be ‘better.’ Watching this play out year after year, it struck me that high school students eager to graduate are not the only ones suffering from the disease of “if only.” So many of…

[thecleverconfidante]

The "If Only" Trap

Teaching high school students, I see how quickly they want to grow up. They think that once they leave high school, their parents’ home, and all the rules, that’s when their life will start. That’s when it’ll all be ‘better.’ Watching this play out year after year, it struck me that high school students eager to graduate are not the only ones suffering from the disease of “if only.” So many of…

[hailsatanacab]

A Persuasive Argument - dpxdc

"Great!" Danny says, clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention. The dinner table falls silent as everyone looks towards him. It's a full house today and, honestly, Danny's a little nervous. "I'm sure you're all wondering why I gathered you here today."

"It's dinnertime. In our house." Duke mutters, while doing a very bad job of concealing his yawn. He holds his fork poised over the braised beef, but, just like everyone else, still looks towards Danny before tucking in. It's intriguing enough to wait.

"Yeah, no one misses Alfie's dinner." Dick says, with a brilliant smile that Danny can't help but return.

"Precisely! What better time to talk to you all than when you're all actually here!"

"Wait, I thought you came round to work on our English essays?" Tim asks, blinking owlishly.

"I'm afraid I've lured you here under false pretences, Tim."

"This is where I live."

"I would still really appreciate help on that essay though, I mean, what the hell is Hamlet even about? I just don't get that old time-y language, like 'Hark! A ghost hath killed me!' - absolute rubbish, what does that even mean?"

"The ghost never kills anyone in Hamlet, he's there to tell Hamlet that he was murdered. Have you actually read it?"

"No, but it sounds like you have. Tim, I want this guy to help me with my essay instead. I know for a fact that you haven't read Hamlet, either."

"So? We don't need Jason, I've read the Sparknotes."

"Hi Jason, I'm Danny, pleasure to meet you, summarise Hamlet in three sentences or less."

"Am I auditioning to help you write your essays? I can't believe you’ve gone through your whole school life without reading it, it’s good!"

"Hamlet, along with a number of other classics, was banned in our house because it portrayed ghosts as intelligent and sympathetic beings rather than evil, animalistic beasts. I didn’t even get to see The Muppet's Christmas Carol until last year with Tim! It was surprisingly good, and I hate Christmas because everyone always argued and it sucked. But we're getting off topic. I—"

"No, no, please go back to that, because what the fu—"

"Boys, please." Bruce interrupts, looking to the world as if he wants to hang his head in his hands. "Danny, you were about to say something?"

"Oh, yeah, Mr. Wayne! Thanks!"

"Please, call me Bruce."

"Well, that very succinctly brings me to my point, because I'd actually really like to call you dad."

Nobody says a word. Nobody even blinks, all as shocked as the other, watching open-mouthed as Danny pulls his laptop out from beside his chair. Bruce can definitely feel a headache coming on.

"Before you say anything, I've prepared a 69 slide PowerPoint presentation on why you, Bruce Wayne, should adopt me, Danny Last-Name-Pending. Please save your questions, comments, and verdict until the end, thank you."

[seaglassdinosaur]

The way that Lenore Dove stayed with Haymitch, even when he tried to forget her. That the memory and his impression of her grew old and kept by his side.

Haymitch having realized that the love she felt for him and he her, stayed with him. It was worth keeping, and could never be stolen from him.

Lenore Dove’s impact on his life as someone bright and rebellious and encouraging, the joy she brought, and likewise with his family, none of that could be taken away.

That it is not the lives of those we love that must be held tight, but the love we share with them, the memories we hold precious, and the way they changed us.

[caeslxys]

Something I think is extremely interesting thematically when it comes to connecting what Downfall and the ideas it tackled to the overarching narrative of campaign three is that the things Downfall made a point to showcase of Aeor—Cassida, Hallis, the visual of an aeormaton proposing to her partner, the specific and intentional decision to shed light on a far from insignificant amount of the population being civilians or refugees—is that it plays in perfect parallel across from what is happening (and, really, has been happening) to the ruidusborn on Exandria in present.

Bear with me for a moment. Aeor is ultimately a city that was collectively punished for the decisions of its leadership. We could (and, judging by the amount of discourse around this particular topic already, probably will) argue about what the Gods’ motivation for all of this was—whether it be that they could not, in the end, bear to kill their siblings or that they were terrified at the prospect of mortality—for me it is a very healthy dose of both—but for this I am much more interested in the latter. They were scared. That, really, is the driving force behind both this arc and their role in c3 as a whole.

Why I point this out is: It is far more interesting to me, especially as we go back to Bells Hells this week, to dissect the Gods and their decisions not purely on sympathetic motivation alone but as beings in the highest seat of power in the highest social class in Exandria.

So, having established that the Gods (in relation to mortals) are more a higher social class than anything we could compare to our real life understanding of divinity and that Aeor was eviscerated largely because of their fear—what is the difference between those innocents in Aeor caught in the trappings of their autocratic government leadership and a divine war on the ground, and those of the ruidusborn being manipulated both by Ludinus and by the very thing that inspired such visceral fear in the Gods to start with. I would argue very little.

I think of Cassida, doing what she genuinely thought was right and good and would save people, her son, and the object of her worship—and how that did not matter enough to any of them to spare her because of the fear they held at the very concept of mortality. I think of Liliana and Imogen, one of which we know begged for the gods to help her or send her a sign for years on years, and how every single one of their largest struggles could have been avoided had the gods loved them, their supposed children, as much as they feared what they could be. I think of how the thing that did save Imogen, in the end, was a woman who herself existed in direct defiance of the gods will. I think of that young boy, sixteen years old, that Laudna exalted on Ruidus.

I think it’s completely fair to judge Aeor’s overall society as deeply corrupt—it was!—but its leadership and police force are not a reflection of every one of its citizens. Similarly, it is fair to judge the Ruby Vanguard as corrupt—it is!—but its multiple heads of leadership and even the god-eater further are not a reflection of every one of its members.

Notably, and what I think the Hells will latch onto, this did not matter to the Gods. It did not matter that Cassida was trying to help. She was still too much of a risk. Will it matter, what Imogen does? Will it matter, if that young boy is in the blast radius when they decide to take no further chances?

I’ve seen a lot of people say that the Hells will side with the gods and I don’t think I agree. Especially as Imogen has been scolded and villainized over and over for daring to try and save her mother—who herself has been seen by some as an irredeemable evil in spite of her drive being the exact same—her family—but when it’s the Gods it’s justified? When it’s the Gods, it’s sympathetic? Too sympathetic to criticize further than “they’re family”?

I obviously do not think the Gods should die or be eaten or what have you, and I certainly don’t agree with Ludinus (though I find him much more compelling than just a variation of hubris wizard), but when talking about the Gods in Aeor and in present it isn’t really at all about their motivation or their family. It can’t be. Too many people, including our active protagonists, lives have been effected for it to be as cut and dry as “they’re family”. These are your children. They are your family, too.

[a2zillustration]

[beesinspades]

we're picking up our new kitty from the shelter this wednesday.... besides my dad already driving me crazy about introduction rules i'm so excited to welcome him home 🥹 i'm optimistic he and gaby will be besties....

[stupendousfoxtrash]

Found out that one of my loans (that is now in a consumer proposal) is allowed and going to report that I am not making payments to them for the entire ~5 years it takes to pay off my proposal. It has already tanked my credit score 100 points in the few months since they started doing that. So excited to see how low it can get! The guy at the loan place felt genuinely sorry and worried for me and told me to try not to let it affect my mental health! Landlords won’t even look at me because my credit is literally in the toilet! So uh. I’m drinking. Found this in the fridge to start with until my wine is cold enough to drink.

And then idk I guess I’m gonna figure out how to make ten thousand dollars really fast so I can pay this proposal off.

Oh also Donut Flord won a majority in Ontario election again, somehow. More than half of people didn’t vote. And a solid chunk that did don’t understand that provincial and federal politics are separate. So things are rad.

[glitchgeek]

i dunno the media but these dragons look sick 👍

YEAHHH, Cynder is the very best 💜🩷🖤

She's from the edgy, grim reboot trilogy of the Spyro games that was done in the mid-aughts. uhhhhhhh TL;DR synopsis in the tags it... it's long. i'm sorry but this series WAS my childhood

[castle-calypse]

yall today my bf stood up to his emotionally abusive father. he laid down boundaries and stuck to them and didn’t lose control of his anger when his dad tried to manipulate and gaslight him. he stayed calm and did it. 🥹🥹🥹

yall i am so proud of this man i could cry (i did actually). setting boundaries with a person like that is SO HARD but HE DID IT!!! HE DID IT GUYS!!!!

i just think a big win like this needs to be celebrated I AM SO PROUD OF HIM!!!!! HE DID IT!!!!!!

[thewhizzyhead]

in other news that I can't really talk about on the personal twt page because politics: I am now one of the founding members of the rebirth of an activist-student-journalist organization here where I live In the ph! and I love it! I just fucking hate the fact that the said rebirth all started because someone asked an ex-kinda-situationship to fucking talk to me about it after months of silence-

[hamiloki]

Got that "crying for an hour straight" rizz 👍🏻

[ghostzzy]

i'm so glad i don't feel the urge to have to political post on the blog anymore.

[raventhekittycat]

I know it's Ryousuke but I genuinely thought it was a woman there for a hot second

[meguwumibear]

TAG GAME: selfship character sheet

rules: fill out this meet my otp sheet for you and the fictional love of your life and then tag 5 friends!

i was tagged by @aimfor-theheart and am leaving open tags for anyone who wants to play because im not sure who has hasn't been tagged and selfishly want to see everyone's self ships !!

[hexesandroses]

"Yes, such has been my lot since childhood. Everyone read signs of non-existent evil traits in my features. But since they were expected to be there, they did make their appearance. Because I was reserved, they said I was sly, so I grew reticent. I was keenly aware of good and evil, but instead of being indulged I was insulted and so I became spiteful. I was sulky while other children were merry and talkative, but though I felt superior to them I was considered inferior. So I grew envious. I was ready to love the whole world, but no one understood me, and I learned to hate. My cheerless youth passed in conflict with myself and society, and fearing ridicule I buried my finest feelings deep in my heart, and there they died. I spoke the truth, but nobody believed me, so I began to practice duplicity. Having come to know society and its mainsprings, I became versed in the art of living and saw how others were happy without that proficiency, enjoying for free the favors I had so painfully striven for. It was then that despair was born in my heart--not the despair that is cured with a pistol, but a cold, impotent desperation, concealed under a polite exterior and a good-natured smile. I became a moral cripple; I had lost one half of my soul, for it had shriveled, dried up and died, and I had cut it off and cast it away, while the other half stirred and lived, adapted to serve every comer. No one noticed this, because no one suspected there had been another half."