#Seeing the mood in my country- in the world- in my own self- this is the feeling they built them temples for

[o-daintyduck]

He's back

[sitp-recs]

HI Liv. I hope u are having a great day.

I was wondering if u have well written fics with not a lot of smut? I don't want T rated fics. I want M and E rated, but I'm not in the mood for reading A LOT of smut recently (I don't know why tbh). I really really need good fics in my life rn

and thank you so much

Hi anon! Sure thing, here are some M/E plot-oriented fics with less focus on the smut. I tried to include different lengths, hope these work for you:

Still Life (M, 3k)

Between the Power Lines by @tackytigerfic (M, 3k)

For Harry Potter, all roads eventually lead to Draco Malfoy. Or: this is not an AU! It's just Harry and Draco meeting by chance in an imported food shop in Connecticut and going on a road trip together. Featuring motels, cacti, Americana, and a hefty dose of pining.

Harmony (Left-Handed Melody Remix) by mindabbles (M, 6k)

He is the last person Draco was expecting, but then again, this is not a place Draco ever expected to be.

Clear As Mud by scoradh (M, 10k)

Set post-war and post-Harry's-conscience...

Two Zinnias and the Scent of Lemon by @the-starryknight (M, 16k)

The Ministry didn’t turn bad overnight. Harry didn’t suddenly turn rogue either. Between covert Legilimency links and Polyjuice disguises and running and running and running, Draco has forgotten what it is like to have a safe harbor that isn’t a person. If there’s an art to fighting back, then they’ll find it hand in hand.

Nice Things by aideomai (M, 22k)

The first thing that happened was Theodore Nott came back from France.

Open For Repairs by @drarrytrash (M, 35k)

After the war, Draco works at a tv repair shop and Harry breaks things. feat. sad boys in jumpers and more ABBA than is probably necessary

Turn From Stone by @harryromper (M, 45k)

Harry knows there’s nothing he can do to stop Hermione (war hero, historian, author of the reissued “Hogwarts: A History”) once she sets her mind to something. Even an extremely risky last-ditch effort to restore the ancient castle and lay its newest ghosts to rest. What he wasn’t counting on was her insistence that Draco Malfoy be part of the plan.

Here's The Pencil, Make It Work by ignatiustrout (M, 49k)

Harry thinks "Why is Malfoy working in a coffee shop in muggle London?" is a much simpler question than, "Are you going to accept that auror offer and, if you don't, what will you do?"

Take the Air by dysonrules (M, 51k)

Someone or something is attacking Muggles and leaving them for dead. Auror Harry Potter is assigned to the case, but with his usual partner unavailable, he is stuck with the most annoying Auror ever to walk the halls of the Ministry.

Timecode by Rasborealis (M, 73k)

Harry Potter has been dead for two years, and Draco would laugh in the face of anyone claiming differently. Well, anyone but Hermione Granger.

Among Ancient Pines by @graymatters (M, 74k)

A fic about challenging assumptions, discovering self-worth, the silver lining in failing to meet expectations, and finding friendship, love, and purpose in a small Alaskan town that’s steeped in magic.

What We Pretend We Can't See by gyzym (M, 131k)

Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought.

The Ordeal of Being Known by @lou-isfake (M, 146k)

When Auror Potter is anonymously cursed with silence by being forced to hide his own voice inside his mind, there's unfortunately only one person in the country with the qualifications to fix it: Certified and Licensed Healer Legilimens, Draco Malfoy, specialist in Mind Curses and Afflictions. It's obviously a terrible idea, a disaster waiting to happen, but Draco's never been able to back down from a challenge... especially from Potter.

The Secret Keeper by @the-fools-errand (M, 225k)

On Halloween 1981, Albus Dumbledore made a decision that would change the course of history, concealing Harry Potter’s survival at the hands of Lord Voldemort underneath a Fidelius Charm. But when Harry comes of age in the Muggle world, Dumbledore realises too late that the fate of the world may depend on a boy who has never held a wand.

[thatscarletflycatcher]

Not to write meta about my ocs instead of writing the story itself, but I have been dwelling a lot on Percival's relationship with Avensley Hall.

Avensley Hall is a lot like Hamley Hall from Wives and Daughters, 100+ years and two world wars later. Ancestral home of small land owners, time, and lack of resources for maintenance have left it in very poor condition.

A very young Percival, in his high moments of triumph, dreamed of becoming a very famous -and rich- architect, who could, in time, bring his family home to its former beauty and splendor, and so bring more comfort and joy to his parents' old age. The war, his time on the desert campaign and later on in Italy, the death of his parents and subsequent suicidal disregard for his own life ending in the operation that disabled him physically and mentally, would have been the perfect set up for a rousing tale of strength, self reliance and determination to go from rock bottom straight to the top... had Percival been the choleric, proud, driven type. But Percival was not that man. He had, however, many other virtues: he was patient, methodical, generous, dutiful, principled.

And so he went home, after demobilization, a broken old man to a broken old home, and it was very easy for him to fall into this melancholy mood of sympathetic decay with the house itself. He was now, like it or not, "The Squire", no longer "young Percival" but Mr. Avensley; he wrapped himself in his father's clothes -as much an act of sentimentality as a product of war rationing- and set out to fill his role as best he could, without guidance or experience. Life now, he thought then, was for him a mausoleum where he was both corpse and sexton, and so he decided he would be there keeping the rotting place until he was done rotting himself. After all, how was he, tied down as he was by family duty and the mobility complications brought by the loss of his leg, to ever develop professionally? And how would he dare think of marrying, of dragging a poor woman down into his pit, where every night was a Russian roulette of insomnia and vivid nightmares?

He would have noticed the touch of silliness in this way of going about if it wasn't that he was really ill in his mind, and very isolated, as his sister had married a diplomat and gone abroad, and dear old Mrs. Andrews was a terribly serious and reserved woman, little inclined to humor or displays of affection. People in the town pitied him, and he did not like pity that wasn't his own, so he withdrew as much as he could, which only had the effect of intensifying the general pity towards him. The old ladies of Avensley, who had known him since he was a baby, were not above romanticizing him as a sort of lonely prince in a tower, and often wishing between themselves that a sweet girl bride -which they meant in the Victorian sense of young, innocent and beautiful- could be found to cure all his ills and cheer him up. How much Percival understood of this wish -which was mercifully never verbalized in his presence-, and how much it influenced his decision to further isolate, I rather not clarify.

So it is interesting when Nadine goes to live at Avensley, that she does not notice or think at first of what Percival considered a heavy-handed sympathetic metaphor of ruin in the narrative of his life. Perhaps it was because proud young men putting on brave faces was not a novelty to Nadine the way an old country house that has seen better days was, or a little wounded vanity at his apparent complete indifference towards her, or that nothing seemed to be the matter with him other than he was perhaps a bit too thin and a tad too impregnable, but she was clearly more attracted by the house at first than his owner. But then Nadine was a determined woman and she would befriend the man, and once friendship was established she started to see the likeness, but in a very different way. Percival, obsessed with light and air (we must forgive him, he is an architect after all) can only see the limitations, the constriction, the annoyances of stone and mortar and earth; Nadine, as she lets her old romanticism unsour her restless energy, sees strength, safety and warmth that has suffered the storms and survived, not unscathed, but all the same survived them.

Ultimately it is this contrast of perspective on who Percival is and who he can be that is at the crux of his part in the main conflict of the story, and an understanding that his circumstances are as much an opportunity as they are a limitation to flourishing so essential to its resolution. Just because a set of circumstances contrary to what his aspirations and plans once were is more or less forced upon him, it doesn't mean that there is nothing he can do, that all hope is lost.

The first Avensley of Avensley Hall was unwittingly wise when, in trying to draw from the Gospel maxim, wrote the Avensley family motto to be ex vetera nova, from the old, the new.

[nohoperadio]

35: Aisle at the grocery store you never bother walking down? and/or 41: What's the oldest thing you own? and/or 38: What's the last filter you changed?

35: Aisle at the grocery store you never bother walking down?

I think the only aisle of (at least my current) main store I've literally never made a purchase from is the beers wines and spirits aisle. I don't never drink but my interest in it fell off dramatically over the course of my twenties, now my drinking is basically limited to when I'm at gigs and even then I don't always, it's just sometimes helpful for lowering my standards if I'm seeing a band I'm not sure whether I'll enjoy. But drinking as a means to socializing doesn't appeal to me these days, and just qua beverage nothing excites me either. (Probably an influence on my indifference is that I've seen a younger sibling basically destroy his life and arguably someone else's with the help of alcohol--it hasn't made me "against" the stuff per se but it does rather take away from the lustre. Uhh sorry to bring the mood down I'll keep it light from here on out!).

(I have an unopened bottle of rum in my home distilled by the fantasy author Ben Aaronovitch which my work gave me in acknowledgement of my being just generally swell, and I have no goddamned clue what to do with it. If I was smarter at cooking perhaps I'd think of something there. Maybe you have a suggestion??)

41: What's the oldest thing you own?

I don't have anything you'd call antique, but when I'm in a second-hand bookstore (which I'm not very often nowadays because when you work in a bookshop that kind of day trip is something of a busman's holiday) I'm very easily wooed by anything that looks old as balls, and if it's not so old as balls as to be an expensive "rare book" kind of item I will sometimes persuade myself that I should buy it, regardless of how objectively low the chances of me ever reading it are. I'm not sure which of these is actually the oldest, but maybe the poster child for this genre of unwise purchase is The Complete Self-Educator:

Which is an 800-page book designed to give autodidacts a well-rounded education, it has sections on all the major sciences as well as English, French, philosophy, "English" and "World" history and other stuff, divided into lessons with little tests after each one. Pretty fun to flick through, it's got illustrations too:

For some reason old books don't always list publication years inside, but there's a written inscription in this one saying it was gifted to an Edward I. Bryars of Bristol (From John Bull) on October 26th 1939. Which isn't mind-blowingly old but I can't think of anything older I have.

38: What's the last filter you changed?

See I don't even really know what this question is, and I'm not sure whether that's because I'm not American or because I'm just generally unworldly. What are all these filters I'm supposed to be changing! I can't remember ever interacting with a "filter". I'm googling about filters and there's stuff about water filters which I don't really know what that is but I'm sure I've never changed one, there's stuff about cars which I don't own a car and never will (I guess not being American plays a role in me getting to decide that), there's stuff about air conditioning but that isn't really a thing in this country (okay you guys win that one). I don't think filters are part of my lifestyle! I hope that's not too disappointing. Maybe I'm forgetting something super obvious idk.

[the-authoress-writes]

Family

(AKA some of my Tom “Iceman” Kazansky headcanons)

Warnings: Tom “Iceman” Kazansky’s father’s A+ parenting (not), mentions of cancer.

Author’s Note: This was instigated by @callsign-skydancer, after she sent me a very insightful message, and I just had to go with it, until, voilà, I churned this out in an hour and a half.

I’ve had these headcanons for a while now, but it’s because of Sky that I decided to get them down.

I’ll be using these in some later stories, so if you see some copy-pasting, you didn’t see anything, self-plagiarism doesn’t count, 😂.

I have no idea if this makes any sense, I wrote this in what I feel is a weird tense, but I have to get this out of my head, so I can finish “Wherever You Go”.

Enough of the Authoress talking, here we go!

Family has a great deal of meaning for Thomas Kazansky.

It affects and has affected him in more ways than one, and it continues to influence and shape him.

It was why he joined the Navy.

Most people assume that his father was Navy, because they hear higher-ranking officers whisper “He’s related to Kazansky” or things like that, but they’d be wrong.

His father was not Navy.

His father is Dr. Vasily Kazansky, a prominent Honolulu cardiologist, who detests all things military, who wanted nothing but for Tom to follow in his footsteps, demanding utmost academic excellence in preparation for medical school, creating a habit drilled into him that carried over into Tom’s service.

His grandfather, however, was Captain Sergei Kazansky, a highly decorated US Navy officer who served during World War II.

As a child, during visits to his Dedushka Sergei and Babusya Anya, young Thomas could be found in his grandfather’s arms, listening wide-eyed to Sergei’s stories of his time in the Navy.

It was Sergei Kazansky who instilled in Tom a love of country, and the desire to serve.

Tom’s decision to join the Navy and attend Annapolis was what drove a final wedge between Tom and his father, who detested the military for taking his father, Sergei, from him, in more ways than one, both physically, and emotionally, Sergei not knowing back then how to handle his trauma.

It was his grandfather who pinned the Lieutenant Junior Grade bars on his uniform, and Tom will never admit it, but he had tears in his eyes when Sergei embraced him and whispered in his ear, “Я так горжусь тобой, Томас,” words his own father never said to him.

It broke his heart when Sergei died of lung cancer three months before he was slated to attend TOPGUN.

But his memories and the lessons his Dedushka taught him would stay with him forever.

Most people would never assume that Tom “Iceman” Kazansky would have an artistic bone in his body, but they would be absolutely wrong.

One of Tom’s best kept secrets was that he is a very accomplished pianist.

He was taught by his mother, Yelena, how to play the piano, and music ran in her family, her own father, Oleg, having been a violinist with the USSR State Symphony Orchestra, before his defection to America.

Tom’s fondest memories of his mother are of afternoons spent with Yelena teaching him to play the piano, after dragging him from his homework, which enabled him to play Chopin at twelve, followed by the two of them listening to recordings of classical music, some of them featuring his grandfather Oleg’s playing, his father’s long hours at work enabling this time away from studying without censure.

One of his most prized possessions is a vinyl record which he inherited from his mother, of Shostakovich’s “Leningrad Symphony”, where his grandfather Oleg can be heard playing second chair violin.

In general, Tom’s favorite pieces to play are Chopin, but depending on his mood, what he plays varies.

When he’s at his most neurotic, Bach comes easier, the precision required to play those pieces giving his mind something to fixate on.

When he’s upset or angry, he hammers away at Scriabin, and some pieces of Rachmaninov, like “Prelude in G Minor (Op. 23 No. 5)” and “Prelude in C Sharp Minor (Op. 3 No. 2)” and Beethoven’s “Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor (Pathétique)”.

When he’s feeling a little drifty, he goes for Satie and Debussy, or “The Lark” by Glinka and Balakirev.

When he’s happy, Chopin’s “Heroic” polonaise is a must.

When he’s lonely, Chopin’s “Nocturne No. 20 in C Sharp Minor (Posthumous)” is a standby, because of how it reminds him there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.

He’s proud to say he can play his dream piece from his early high school years, Liszt’s transcription of “La Campanella”, though he still thinks he can get it just a little bit faster.

His most recent dream pieces are Rachmaninov’s “Piano Concerto No. 2”, and Liszt’s “Rondo Fantastique (El Contrabandista)”.

It’s because of him that Bradley is as good a pianist as he is, having been the Baby Goose’s teacher on the instrument.

He wishes Bradley would show off the classical pieces he knows more than his rendition—great as it is—of “Great Balls of Fire”.

Family has shaped Thomas Kazansky for better and for worse—there are still days he can hear his father telling him an A- wasn’t going to get him into any half decent Ivy League, or that he had to try harder, that his best needed to be better, and those are the days he plays Bach, or Scriabin, Rachmaninov, and Beethoven—but it was also what made him who he was, what led him to what he loves doing, and what led him to the family he chose.

Taglist

@valmare

@callsign-skydancer

@permanentlyexhaustedpigeon88

@tadomikiku

If you’d like to join my taglist, just send me an ask!

[sadsoftserve]

Hope y'all like angst. Bonnie angst to be exact. 😋

She's my stinky little gal. I love her, even though I give her trauma. (Small fanfic below? Can I even call it that? It's more of a convo tbh. Tw, mentions of Self harm ig)

Bonnie was covered in scars, all from multiple events and reasons. Some came from the fights she had been in, some came from her past, but the most prevalent ones came from herself. It was a bad habit. One she had kept at bay forever; almost going on three years now, all broken by a razor.

It hurt. It always did, yet she found some sort of release from it. That release she was heavily ashamed of. She covered her arms with layers, making sure no one was able to see, and it usually played out in her favor. Sweet Jazz being cold year round made it easy. The annual heat wave did not.

"Bonnie. Take off the flannel." Ramsey said as her turned down the AC more. "You're probably burnin' up in that thing." He was right, she was sweating buckets, but she didn't want him of all people to see her scars, especially the recent ones.

"I'm fine." She replied as she tied up her hair. She was dead set on keeping them secret, her pride, and what little reputation she had left was at risk.

Ramsey sighed at his niece's stubborn attitude. "Fine, don't come to me when you're on her verge of passin' out. I will say I told you so." He sat on the couch next to her and placed his head on his hands. Taiga Country was a cold place, but that didn't mean heat waves didn't happen. And when they did everyone was in misery. He looked over to Bonnie who was in a heat induced misery as well. "Kid. I can see the heat waves emmitting from you. Take off the damn flannel before you sweat through it."

Bonnie sighed. "What if I don't want to?" She asked, trying to keep it on, but Ramseys professional manipulative nature knew what she was playing at, and he was going to beat her at her own game.

"What are you hiding?" He got really serious about that sentence. "Why don't you wanna take it off?" He asked. Ramsey wouldn't say it out loud, but Bonnie was his world, and he knew what she's been through. If she was going to these lengths to keep her arms covered, he could guess what was up.

"..." Bonnie stayed silent. "I'm sure you can figure it out, old man."

"Show me." He held out his hand, waiting for Bonnie to show him exactly how bad they were. She took off her flannel and gave him her arm. Most of the cuts above her elbow were old and had healed by now, but the ones below looked fresher. Some looked so recent that they were swelling around the cut. He had dealt with this before with her, but that was three years ago. "Why'd you relapse? You were three years clean, kid." He asked his voice soft and caring.

"Because.. I-" Bonnie shrugged. "It got hard again, they know... Everything." Bonnie's own face got softer and more solem.

"Who knows everything?" He asked.

"Everybody." She said. "It's, Destiny's little group of friends have been telling everyone about everything. Not just this." Bonnie admitted, as she took her arm back.

Ramsey sighed. "So that's the reason? You're only feeding into what they're speadin', kid." He put it simply. "And how'd she even find out about all that?"

Bonnie shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't tell anyone not even my closest friends."

"Damn." He said. "You shouldn't be worrying about stuff like that, Bonnie. You're fifteen. And I know you've had it hard most of your life, but you gotta let the past go. It's over with." He said, giving her the best advice he could. "You gotta look ahead, past all that. And that bitch of a teammate." He pat her on the back. "Listen. Please don't hide stuff like that from me, I know I'm an old conman, but I care about you."

Bonnie nodded. "Yeah. You are pretty old aren't you?"

"Yup. I'm older than the earth itself." He chuckled trying to lift the mood. "Are those cuts clean?" He asked, trying to make sure her cuts won't get infected.

Bonnie shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Well then, let's get that taken care of." He said.

[nabbit-unmasked]

Are you placekin, placelink, or placehearted?

Do you have a hearthome or hiraeth?

Are you objectum for places?

Do you want a free stimboard, moodboard, and/or self-care board for your special place?

Well, you've come to the right place! I'm going to start doing stimboards, moodboards, and self-care boards for other placekin and adjacents! It does not matter what kind place you are, or if you're controversial to the public eye or not. You're safe, supported, and valid with me on this roadtrip. ♡ -🇨🇫

(Below: an example of my own Moodboard!)

(See below for details!)

Details/FAQ:

(Please read before requesting!)

• What is a stimboard / moodboard / self-care board? How are they different from each other?

Stimboard: A grid of 9 images that contains a lot of GIFs. These usually contain special themes to help the viewer stim and have a mood boost!

Moodboard: A grid of 9 still images that usually contains something the viewer has an integral or emotional connection to.

Self-Care Board: For my purposes, this is a group of 4-9 images that provide comfort and/or advice for the viewer! It may include text, images, and GIFs.

• Does this cost any money?

Nope! It's free :)

• Can I reblog your boards?

Of course you can!

• What kinds of places will you make boards for?

Any! It doesn't matter if you're/it's fictional, spiritual, here in this world, or out of this world!

Even if you/it has a rough history or current/recent political situation, I will still make a board for you. Your existence and comfort is never taboo or controversial here.

However, do note that I will not include imagery of war, death, terrorism, genocide, or anything involving human injury in your board. I can include people, peaceful protests, and laws!

• Do you make boards of things other than places?

Currently, no. My boards are themed around places specifically.

However, you can include animals, objects, or whatever else you'd like in your board!

• I'm not placekin. Would you still be able to make me a board?

Of course! If you have a different identity, you're welcome to let me know what it is and what place(s) you would like on your board.

Even if you aren't alterhuman and just want a board of a certain place, I will still make it for you!

• I want to request a board. What kind of details should I include in my request?

Please make sure you specify what place you would like your board to showcase.

If you would like a board of a fictional place, please make sure to include the source it comes from, if you're able to.

If you created the place yourself, you are welcome to attach images of it in your ask!

Also, make sure to tell me exactly what you want on your board.

-Here are some things you may want to consider:

If you/the place has a flag and/or an outline, do you want pictures of them?

What about nature, wildlife, buildings, landmarks, and people?

If you/the place is a country, are there any specific cities, territories, regions, or notable features you would like? What about the capital(s)?

Are there any aesthetics you particularly like? What about items that could help you stim?

• I want a board made soley for a political message. Could I request one?

This is the only case where I will decline a request for a board.

I make boards to comfort people who identify as a place or have an integral connection to one, not for political messages or propaganda.

However, If you are placekin and you'd like some sort of appropriate political element in your board, please just ask me! I will probably say yes.

• Ok, I've read all of the details, but I have one last question. How exactly do I request a board?

Just send me in an Ask! If you aren't sure how to do that, here are the steps:

1. Scroll to the very top of my page.

2. Click on the purple button that says "Hop in the CAR!"

3. Go ahead and ask away for a board!

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me!

- Your ride, the CAR 🇨🇫

[dojae-huh]

I'm going to write a sad and serious post, so if you are still in the mood to celebrate NY, please skip it and read later.

Doyoung looked happy during the end of year concert, so, touch wood, he wasn't too affected by the MC scandal. I hope he learnt how to withstand and wait out personal attacks by now. He has been an idol for a long time, and had many a trouble.

I was a bit surprised that only 3 people unsubscribed from me in the past days. Either few subscribers read me regularly, or I successfully weed out the weak ones (I have a high subscribe/unsubscribe rate).

I'm not very eloquent with my words. I often come off too harsh and don't deliver my point of view well. I'm coming back to the topic of online virtue-signalling, "do good" pressure, witch-hunting of idols as I need to clarify a few points.

On the first glance it might seem like I'm behaving like a fan who protects one's bias. Actually, I would defend any idol who is accused of things he/she didn't do/that weren't proven. My opposition is to the mob, to the cancelling culture, to the people who use nice pretext to be awful humans. Their power is strong, they crush not only celebreties, but grind in the mix other fans as well. And I want more people to learn how to withstand this type of bullying into complience with the mob's POV.

The masses are often wrong. And a minority often looks like it represents the opinion of the majority, when in reality media and socmed algorythms just favour loud confrontational people and people who earn being "spokepersons". You don't have to pick a side if you don't want to. You don't need and you actually can't have an opinion on every subject. You can and should hear out people you disagree with or who has bad sides to them (like being a homophobe). A person possessing a bad character or view still stays a source of information you can learn from.

You will be pressured by "well-meaning" people into action "for the cause". Not just pressured - bullied. You won't be given a chance to question the cause, its revelance to you, whether there is a point to it, will the associated campaign bring any positive change really. Swear words, accusations of lacking morale, empathy, threats of being cancelled would be thrown at you if you won't comply. So the task is to learn to see through the wall of trigger words and mass histeria, to be able to ask questions and think and decide for oneself.

I didn't follow the Korean fans vs Indonesian fans fanwar. I don't know the specifics. Still, I can comment on absurdity of (some) Indonesians cancelling a Korean idol over a fastfood brand boycott that has little to do with their country. Indoneasia has an ongoing conflict of their own. Papua wants to become independent and is not allowed to. Killing or rebels - check. Denial of self-identification - check. Indonesians from other islands, other ethnicities, coming to the land and using its resources, starting to live there - check (Indonesia populates Papua with other peoples deliberetely, selling of mining and logging rights to foreign companies is rampant). When I went to YT to look for a video on the conflict, I came across the fact that Indonesia has a migrant issue as well. Rohingya refugees, a muslim minority fleeing Myanmar.

It is the truth that athrocities and injustice happen all over the world at the same time. And not only man-made conflicts. Poverty, ilnesses, nature destruction. People suffer and die constantly. People following online mobs that get into a frenzie after media shines light on a particular issue and bully everyone to do the same are hypocritical. The world is big, people in one part of the world deserve peace and to be preoccupied with their mandane lives, celebrate, even if something bad happens in another part of the world.

When Russia-Ukrainian war started I followed it closely. I listened to commentators from both sides and I was watching the videos from the battleground with burnt corpses in tanks, Ukranian drones releasing explosives on the heads of Russian soldiers, child graves dug on playgrounds, leveled to the ground cities (before and after airial photos), as well as humanitarian and volunteer campaigns, etc. I also read comments and observed the wave of hate Russians were getting online from "well-meaning" people. I was stripped off of the ability to use credit cards abroad, ability to enter several European countries, and other issues. It was a very unstable time when everyting changed every day, I was afraid to be locked in Russia like Soviet people were locked in USSR (it's a real concern among Russians, a new iron wall). Back then I constantly switched between reading about the war and writing silly stuff here on this blog. I didn't write about the war not only because I wanted a space to escape to, but also because it was a local problem. Yes, huge, and affecting the whole world (oil, gas, vegetable oil, wheat, more refugees, the disraption of the "peace" in Europe, etc), but still a conflict people in Indonesia, Thailand, India, South America and so on had the right to avert their eyes from.

Right before New Year Russia (nothing sacred for Putin) sent rockets to several large Ukranian cities. You can see Ukranian k-pop cover groups filming dance covers for YT and think that everyrhing has calmed down, that it's only soldiers who fight on the perifery. Well, no. And Ukraine also sent rockets into a Russian town. On both sides civillians died in the buildings during explosions.

Instead of a NY conglaturation, a political oppositioner on YT I watch released a video with information about a couple of people that died. Turned statistics into stories about individual human beings. You can watch it here, it has English subs. The author asked to forgive him for not being in a celebratory mood, so many commented how they too couldn't celebrate the holiday.

The attack angered me, but I didn't dwell on it. I personally did congratulate all my friends with positive words. And I celebrated. War or not war. I want to live. I want my friends to be successful next year despite actually not knowing their onlook on the conflict (I was hesitant to discuss with some). I don't want Putin and his desire to stay in power to ruin more lives than he already has and will continue to do. Certainly not mine. I have my lane, nature conservation. It is as important as other "fields to do good". And to have any positive impact on the world, firstly I need to stay sane and happy myself. And my friends need to stay sane because they will outlive the dictator and be the part of people who will push for democracy.

To sum it up. Don't fall to the mob's pressure on the internet and don't be quick to judge people, cancel them. Don't delegate thinking and decision making to others. Form your own informed opinions. And don't waste your time on trivial things. Fanwars online don't help anything and anyone. It's action in real life that matters. Even if all you do is being kind to your family and people around you, you still do more good than justice-warriers.

Be kind in 2024.

[readbetween]

diane + voice: bold is for always/often, italic is for situational/sometimes.

ACCENT: “country”  /  “backwoods”  /  “sailor”  /  “upper  class”  /  “city  slicker”   /    foreign  speaker  /  refined  / situational — throughout diane's years at cheers, she begins picking up colloquialisms she hears in the bar. one emblem of her character development is how she will use a twenty-dollar word, and then follow it up with a phrase like "cut the crap" or "step up to the plate." (i love making lists of what else i can get away with using for her to connote this because it's a very positive influence from her time at cheers).

ELOQUENCE: educated  /  self-taught /  uneducated  /  doesn’t  use  conjunctions  /  shortens  words /  omits  entire  words  on  occasion  /  mixes  up  words  /  just  makes  up  their  own  words  /  archaic  english — oh, she's a playground for this. her diction's pretty posh at times. if you see me use archaic words for the narration which surrounds her dialogue, trust it's because i'm using them ironically or whimsically (hey, sometimes it just adds animation). with that, i try to keep from obfuscation. it's about finding a balance. without that balance in her dialogue as well (she doesn't EXCLUSIVELY use such words) it would inflate a characterization into parody. like s5 did. / dependent  on  mood  or  setting  /  doesn’t  use  contractions

TONE:  (this is hard!) loud  /  soft  /  room  volume  /  prepubescent /  high pitched /  low  pitched  / seductive  /  velvety  /  speech  impediment  /  abrasive  /  gruff /  shrill  /  booming  /  matter-of-fact - a tad but simultaneously rambling? wander-pondering her way through sentences? /  toneless  /  husky  /  gravelly  /  breathy  /  nasal  /  barking  /  chatty  /  condescending (lol)  /  musical  /  suave  /  world-weary  /  brash  / authoritative

HABITS:  refers  to  self  in  third  person  / incorporates  different  languages/terms/sayings / adapts  to  audience — this is to chameleon herself into a group to feel a sense of belonging, yet at other times, it's to set herself apart from a group. (diane, make up your mind! or just allow yourself to be all that you are.) / changes  pitch  around  animals  or  children /  shifts  tone  when  lying - she lies to herself more than she lies to other people.  /  gives  others  nicknames  /  uses  terms  of  respect  towards  others

OTHER BITS: 

 expanding on 'musical': i often struggle with my word variation for describing her musicality. i sometimes turn to metaphor/analogy to avoid redundancy because diane loves to swing around her voice. 'chimes'; 'singsong'; 'lilts' all make regular appearances in my writing. sometimes it's just unavoidable, and that's okay! :P again, it varies with what i'm writing.

focusing on diane's voice is vital to portraying her, imo, because of how expressive she is through it. so! expressive!

VOICE CLAIM REFERENCES:

the inimitable shelley long, who made these creative decisions for diane, and in turn, made diane. i'll link a video here once i decide on an example.

nabbed with love from my love @patsywalker because this was a perfect meme for a character like diane!

[snail-speed-6]

Is Hamlet's Behaviour Inexcusable?

Hamlet analysis again yay!!! This time focused on responsibility, accountability, and partially exploring the truthfulness of Hamlet's "antic disposition".

Hamlet is used as a medium to explore accountability and justification of actions. While Hamlet undoubtedly causes harm to many other characters throughout the play in his pursuit of revenge, his sanity is vague enough to encourage the audience to question for themselves whether Hamlet can truly be blamed for the harm he causes, or whether his insanity - a product of his situation - forces him to act in unpleasant and sinful ways.

Shakespeare writes Hamlet in a way that, through his deeply personal soliloquies and generous amount of lines, invites each viewer to personally judge his character and hopefully reflect on how far their own behaviour towards others can be seen as inexcusable, or not. Perhaps this was Shakespeare’s attempt to advance critical thinking and self reflection in his audience and in wider Jacobean and Elizabethan society, as during these eras plays were often used as a way to communicate moral lessons to the viewer.

But anyway, back to the prince himself; at the beginning of the play, Hamlet’s behaviour towards others is entirely excusable as he attempts to navigate a new world of grief in which no one seems to share, or understand, his emotions. Even before Hamlet embarks on his quest for revenge, the death of his father and remarriage of his mother drives him to suicidal ideation, wishing that his “flesh could melt and resolve itself into a dew”. There is very little violence or intentional bad behaviour towards others, as his melancholy mood is a product of his grief and is turned inward toward himself. Hamlet also laments that god has “fixed his canon 'gainst self slaughter”, displaying the proper Jacobsen Christian view of suicide as a sin and protraying Hamlet as a relatively moral character to the heavily Christian audience.

As the play continues, Hamlet repeatedly berates himself over his procrastination and calls himself a “rogue and peasant slave…unpregnant of my cause”. He seems to forget that his theory of the ghost being sent from hell could be true, and acts as though he has all the opportunity in the world to kill Claudius, but for someone in such a fragile state of mental health such as Hamlet, even day to day life might have been hard for him to wade through. And it is not only the ghost that haunts him; Hamlet has the weight of an impending war and the turmoil of Denmark behind him, and each action he takes to, or further from, his revenge could ripple throughout the country. Many criticise Hamlet's tendency to overanalyze and procrastinate his every action, but they seem to forget that Hamlet would understand one wrong move within the court could bring about chaos much worse than his own death; as we see with Fortinbras' conquest at the end of the play.

Audiences often fall into the trap of taking Hamlet’s word for truth, but from Hamlet we only see a self-critical view drenched in unrealistically high standards from a person dealing with probable depression in a time where the words ‘psychology’ and ‘mental health’ meant nothing. As Critic Ryan states, because ‘The time is out of joint’, there’s no way [Hamlet] could ‘set it right’ just by killing Claudius.” But this is the pressure that Hamlet puts upon himself anyway. In a modern setting, Hamlet as a character would probably receive much less blame for the events his procrastination causes, because the audience would recognise the extent to Hamlet’s troubles better than from watching the play through the unknowing lens of the 16th century. How can Hamlet’s actions be inexcusable, when he bears witness to his own father’s ghost (whom he is still in mourning for) and is commanded to kill his uncle, the king? Who wouldn’t flounder under the same pressure?

As the play continues, Hamlet’s actions become more and more questionable, leading to much controversy over the morality of his character and behaviour. His treatment of Ophelia is brutal, frightening, and deeply misogynistic. Although Claudius is one of the least trusted characters (for killing his own brother and marrying his sister-in-law) the audience may agree with him that Hamlet's words in this scene are not driven by madness, and even as an outburst of grief or anger it is severely misdirected; starting Ophelia’s journey to her own madness and eventually death. Additionally when he kills Polonius, Hamlet discards the old man as an “intruding fool”, expressing no guilt whatsoever for his actions, and seemingly having no cause for the murder other than the expectation he was being spied on by Claudius.

These scenes make it difficult to justify Hamlet’s excusability and are often the focal point of arguments criticising the prince. As the protagonist of a tragedy, he is genre-bound to play a role in his demise, and by acting as a tragic hero in these scenes his hamartia and descent from morality is highlighted. Hamlet may have suspected Polonius was working closely with Claudius, but Hamlet himself had already shown that speculation is not grounds for murder, and so this cannot be justified.

When Hamlet returns from England he seems excited to tell Horatio about his plot to kill Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, repeatedly asking Horatio to prompt him with “But wilt thou hear now how I did proceed?” and “Wilt thou know th’effect to what I wrote?” He appears proud and almost boasting, treating the affair like a game he has cleverly won. When Horatio summises “So Rosencrantz and Guildenstern go to’t”, Hamet is quick to justify their deaths and announce his lack of guilt for the murder of two which were once his good friends. Where Frued argues Hamlet thinks he could be “no better than the sinner [Claudius] whom he is to punish”, I believe instead he has literally become more like the ‘sinner’, as his recounting of Rosencratnz and Guildestnern’s upcoming demise sounds incredibly reminiscent of Claudius when he says “Till I know tis done, howe’er my haps, my joys were ne’er begun.” The excitement and joy of the deed draws the line between a product of situation, and an inexcusable action.

However, Hamlet’s supposed joy could be yet another sign of his disconnect with reality and how his “antic disposition” is no longer an act. Although Hamlet appears more sane and clear headed after his return, his constant theatrical allusions such as “they had begun the play” and “a prologue to my brains”, and a semantic field of imagery with “For the image of my cause I see the portraiture of his.” tell a different story. As Critic Woods suggests, Hamlet’s “way of understanding and dealing with his situation is pointedly theatrical”. His excitement could be a way to distance himself from the pain of reality: his treatment of this like a game is nothing more than a coping mechanism. Shakespeare himself enforces the game-like nature of the play by having it end in tragedy during what was masked as a friendly competition.

Here is the climax of Hamlet’s madness; the death of his family, Laertes, and himself shown to the audience as a poorly ended game. Almost as if by watching and learning through Hamlet’s perspective the audience is drawn into his madness too.

Truly, a large part of Hamlet’s tragedy is how many critics and audiences still agree with the self-loathing Hamlet of Act 1, and fail to see how he is still the same character at the end of the play, only forced to act out the consequences of falling to other means of perceiving the word around him.

If you made it to the end, thanks for reading! Feel free to argue/debate anything I've said or add something I might've missed?

Any additions or contradictions/criticism is welcome!!

[girlactionfigure]

"Someone asked me once what my favourite place was to go on a holiday and I said Israel, but not just Israel, Israel at a specific time, Yom Hatzmaut.

My very first trip I was there with Standwithus and they did some pretty amazing stuff, organised me meeting some amazing people, but the most incredible thing for me by far was seeing how the mood changed from Yom Hazikaron to Yom Hatzmaut. It changed the way I saw the world, the way I see my own country and the way I see myself.

you see my entire life I have been dreaming of what it would be like to live in a country governed by indigenous people according to the laws and beliefs that we hold. not being a stranger in a strange land or wondering if I even belong. I always wondered if it was a pipe dream and if it was even possible.

In Israel I saw what it looks like, warts and all, I see how amazing it really is to have a country, and self determination and being there to celebrate it with them is actually kind of emotional for me. when I get down about how things are, I just remember that there is one place where indigenous people not only survived but thrived and provide an example for my people who are struggling but somehow beyond the odds are surviving and attempting to thrive.

anyway I am pretty stoked, I will get to see a lot of good friends, and people who matter to me, at a time that will remind me why I ever did advocacy at all."

RM Bellerose

[anxiouspotatorants]

Finally: since the rest of the world is allowed to vote this year, including the US (yes I have my qualms about this too) it’s time to ask ourselves who we think different Gilmore Girls characters would vote for... and if they would vote at all:

Lorelai: Much to Rory’s dismay, Lorelai probably votes for Poland. But her heart is set on Belgium, Austria, Albania and Armenia. And Sweden because hello Loreen. Lorelai has a big heart, okay?

Rory: She might throw a vote to Lithuania. Then she’ll also vote for Austria, Sweden, and Portugal because Paris forces her to.

Luke: Lorelai forces him to vote for Germany. He votes for Ukraine of his own volition. 

Lane: Lane votes for Germany, Finland, Spain, Austria and Czechia. Possibly Slovenia if she’s in the mood for conventional pop-rock in Slovene. But definitely Ukraine.

Paris: She’s voting for Portugal because of course. She’ll roast everything else but still vote for Belgium because the does melt her heart a little.

Jess: Lorelai’s convinced he would vote for Serbia but the gaming aesthetic just isn’t for him. And besides, Jess has no intention of voting. Until Rory explains what Croatia’s deal is this year. 

Dean: Dean does not vote for Eurovision at all. He did, however vote in Americavision. Probably for one of those mopey bearded guys with ballads, like Maine or Rhode Island.

Logan: Logan probably doesn’t vote at all unless Finn or Odette force him to. But he’s more likely to accidentally crash a Eurovision watch party when he feels like going out for drinks and just see what happens.

Sookie: Sookie definitely votes Belgium. Plus Italy and Czechia because she likes the songs.

Liz: Liz likes Albania. She’ll give that a vote. And Moldova because of the ren faire rave vibes.

TJ: He’s voting Australia. He likes that they got a car on stage. Also Moldova because ren faire rave vibes.

Miss Patty: Miss Patty votes Cyprus because she likes the guy. Plus Norway for the beat, Israel for the dancing and Finland for the exposed chest.

Babette: Shes voting France for the dramatic flare, Cyprus because she finds the guy pretty and sweet, and Slovenia because she thinks the boys look like they’re having a good time.

Taylor: If he gives in to fomo, Taylor votes for Switzerland.

Kirk: Kirk is going to try to vote for the intermission act. When that doesn’t work he votes Estonia because of the self-playing piano. And Croatia for the tractor-line.

Michel: Michel is for once throwing a vote to his home country of France, as well as Italy because hello Marco Mengoni. And Loreen because Loreen.

[annikasevenshots]

Star Trek Picard: Season 3 Episode 1 Reaction

Who's missed these from me. The screaming you all love to hate. Muah.

Beverly is so 🆒. I actually have no notes. Obsessed with Gates' hair it is On Fleek

Laris being the voice of reason and not being written out to make space for Bev? Very interesting.

Old communicator chirp noise my beloved

"No Starfleet" Picard: i know a guy 🥰 hello riker from starfleet who will contact seven from starfleet for help 😋

No one likes the phat ships 😢 Enterprise D it's okay honey we love you for who you are dummy thicc and all 🥺

RAFFI TIME RAFFI TIME RAFFI TIME

THERE'S MY GIRL

excuse me what did that orion slip in that plate to her i've watched this thrice and can't figure it out

NO??????????????????

"my girlfriend left me" NOOOOOOOOOOO??????????????

CALL ME A WEEWOOWEEWOO I AM MENTALLY UNSTABLE

GUYS NO PLEASE CMON I AM BEGGING

I DONT CARE IF SHES UNDERCOVER YOU CANT DO THIS TO MY GAY ASS HEART

GUYS PUT IT BACK I DONT LIKE THIS SHOW ANYMORE I DONT WANNA BE IN A UNIVERSE WHERE SEVENS LEFT RAFFI

I CANNOT DEAL WITH THIS I AM AT MY FUCKING LIMIT.

Ngl seeing the dramatic Titan ship pan just reminds me of the gratuitous Cerritos ship pans in LWD which never fails to make me cackle

Titan theme is so beautiful. I think it's fast approaching my favourite just behind Voyager

The way it intersects with the TNG theme? Chefs mf KISS. Hit me with that shit I want it all

Seven!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Commander Annika Hansen" SHAW COUNT YOUR FUCKING DAYS 🔪🔪🔪

I AM AT MY LIMIT I ACTUALLY CANNOT DEAL WITH THIS ANYMORE

Thanks! I hate it!

bby laforge 🥺 for to blorbo? me for blorbo? blorbo for me? for blorbo to????????

Picard telling Seven she'd make a great captain? My heart cannot handle this shit i'm out

Seriously guys i have to do next week with heart medication i was not made to handle this shit

"Should we tell Engineering we're going at lizard space warp 9.99"

At least the show is self aware that Picard is a bit of a fossil ngl, i respect that

Shaw eating blue meat 🤢 sir tf is THAT

Does shaw season his meat with blue raspberry kool aid. Quickly

I wish shaw a very ✨die✨ ❤️

Hate how Shaw treats Seven but tbh i respect a captain that can stand up to picard and riker. Like he's not wrong they can't just abuse their power that's long gone anyway

Also sorry Picard but you have got to stop bringing your own wine as gifts not everybody wants that shit

seven being 👁️👄👁️ during the meal is a mood because same

Love how Riker and picard just barrel ahead without waiting for or checking on Seven. Especially after how awful Shaw was to her. Way to use your friends guys well done gentlemen

"Good morning, sweet girl" raffi you are killing me

How does she look so good

Raffi having her vape horgl with her on the La Sirena is somewhat bittersweet

Headcanon that there are snakeleaf vines in her room. You are not allowed to disagree ❤️

jesus christ worf mysterious handler why the fuck would you pull up that personnel file 😭

RAFFAELA MUSIKER SHARES MY BIRTHDAY??????????? YALL BE FR I CANNOT DEAL WITH THIS ANYMORE

GOODBYE I AM ASCENDING

WHAT

WHAT LITERALLY

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

SCREAMING CRYING

i. raffi. same birthday. no. oh my god. oh my god.

oh, raffi... :(

How tf is Seven around on the bridge more than the captain. They're making her the not-captain captain of the titan and for what

Seven saying what i've always wanted to say like why yes i too would like to airlock picard for his audacity

Riker: grants permission to speak freely

Seven: speaks freely

Riker: no not like that >:(

Shaw being a snork mimimimi king was not on my picard s3 bingo but you know what. Mood.

Brain is too scrambled to take in the rest but

Oh my god

Loved the music

Welcome back my space moms

Oh my god this season is killing me already

In conclusion i'm delirious because they dropped the episode at 12am after i tried to watch streams of it twice on the world's shittiest wifi whilst travelling across the country. Happy premiere day.

[escapedartgeek]

REPOST & LIST 6 SONGS THAT INSPIRE YOU TO WRITE YOUR MUSE .

Running Away - Roy Ayers

Hope You're Doing Better - Mndsgn

Always just a matter of communication No hesitation Always holding onto something that's gone You never owned, and was never gonna be yours Always bearin' the world on your shoulders You never had to and you never had to Give so much, just enough

Dreams - Baby Storme

They ask me "Where have you been?" And I wanna say but They won't understand That I have Been In my dreams

Indica La Roux - Duckwrth ft Milo Smith

Then you can see the world from my eyes Like if the sun could kiss your skin You'd feel the fire turning red See your purple hair through ultraviolet lens Break it down, funny how it brings peace to me

Where is my My Mind - Tkay Maidza (Pixies Cover)

With your feet on the air and your head on the ground Try this trick and spin it, yeah Your head will collapse If there's nothing in it And you'll ask yourself

Where is my mind?

Rough Ryder - the Hygrades

& 6 QUOTES THAT INSPIRE YOU TO WRITE YOUR MUSE.

Sometimes in life we can’t grasp the boundary between reality and unreality. That boundary always seems to be shifting. As if the border between countries shifts from one day to the next depending on their mood. We need to pay close attention to that movement otherwise we won’t know which side we’re on.

Haruki Murakami, Killing Commendatore

Everyone had stories they told themselves to get through the days.

Lisa Ko, The Leavers

“All artists are constantly looking for something and they don't always know what.”

Jacob Lawrence

"It's not till she's outside that she realizes what she was looking for in there. What she's been looking for all these years. What she realizes now she no longer needs. Permission."

Tochi Onyebuchi, Riot Baby

"Art is not mere entertainment or decoration, it has meaning, and we both want and need to fathom that meaning."

Toni Morrison, The Source of Self-Regard

"Discovering what you don’t want is just as important as finding out what you do."

Elaine Welteroth, More Than Enough

tagged by : @imsobrooklyn

tagging: you

[blacklister214]

The Little Mermaid: Mixed Review

I finally got around to seeing the Little Mermaid today and I must say my reaction was mixed. Overall all it was enjoyable and some of the updates were great but others were a bit perplexing. Let’s dive in! Yes, pun intended. 

Pros

1) Ariel’s mirror trick. Small change, but makes Ariel slightly more clever than lucking into catching Flounder on one side of the anchor, yanking him back and immediately giggling about near their death experience.

2) Eric’s updates. Eric from the original was cute, but the new movie gave him more depth. He saves dolphins! He’s trying to end isolationist policy and help his country through trade. He is an avid explorer and collector. He’s getting sick of the rules of his society. 

3) Eric get his own SONG which was great! The song itself was only fine, but that he got one was top notch. 

4) Halle’s voice, particularly in Part of Your World was amazing!

5) Ariel’s sisters. It’s nice we got to see her interact with them. I also liked that they have their own seas that they each manage.

6) Gorgeous CGI. I thought Under the Sea in particular looked fantastic, despite my other issues with the scene. The final battle with Ursula also was cool. The Mermaid bodies were STUNNING!

7) Ariel experiencing moments of doubt and nearly backing out the contract. Makes her seem smarter than the original Ariel.

8) Ariel’s Relationship with Eric. Because of the Eric updates they seem to actually more in common that both being pretty, pro-animals royalty and Florence nightingale syndrome. They also got more time together.

9)  Grimsley’s updates. A Grimsley who is aware of Eric mood shifts, breaking rules to see him happy, and uncool with his sudden engagement to Vanessa is a Grimsley I love and respect.

10) Blood magic versus signing a contract closes the “Why doesn’t she just write it down?” loophole. Clearly merpeople have linguistical magic speaking, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to writing. 

11) Consequence song. Having Ariel reflect that surrendering her voice maybe hadn’t been so smart was nice. Go self-reflection!

12) Ariel getting to her travel checklist: Fire and dancing in particular.

13) Eric’s ability to understand sea creatures is consistent. Very clever way to have him learn Ariel’s name. 

14)  Update to Kiss the Girl about asking if you are not sure someone wants to kiss you. Consent is so so nice! 

15) Scuttle Butt song. I thought it was fun, and definitely the most memorable of the new stuff. 

16) Cutting the Sebastian vs crazy chef scene. Can’t say I missed that.

17) Ariel being the one to break the necklace. As long as it isn’t messing with the story, I’m all for empowering the heroine.

18) Ariel’s electrocution. They are electric eels after all, and seems like a nice touch of cruelty. 

19) Casting. Loved everyone. Scuttle, Ursula, Grimsley, and Vanessa in particular killed it. 

Cons

1) Eric is adopted and it goes NO WHERE. I don’t know why it was thrown in there, except to explain how a white boy is a prince in a tropical island nation. If you are going to do colorblind casting, then DO it. It’s a fantasy country. It can be however diverse you want it to be! 

2) Ariel knowing the ship was used for war and the words “feet” “fire” and “mirror” but not having visited the surface before. Scuttle doesn’t know shit so where did she pick up those vocab words?

3) Scuttle intro. Scuttle is a seagull and she should not be having underwater conversations. Also she eats a fish right in front Ariel and Flounder. Since we don’t ever address what mermaids eat, make a big deal about humans eating fish, and are inconsistent about intelligent vs unintelligent ocean creatures we really should not being eating fish in front of the talking fish. 

4) Siren song is real. They changed lyrics to make consent be a thing and then implied Ariel has vocally hypnotized Eric. Sebastian said she did it to “save his life,” but he seemed to be breathing before. He looked like he was slowly re-gaining consciousness. We saw no wound closing and her lyrics weren’t about healing a la Tangled. If the thing Ursula does is a different use of sirens voice they should have clarified that better.

5) Half-Assing Eric’s country and the Mermaid Society Situation. Eric is dismissive, but the sailors are in the know about the coral moon and the power of the siren song. Both real things. The queen is aware of “Sea Gods.” Some supernatural force seemingly causing the shipwrecks. Was it Triton? He seems upset about the reef damage, which is odd if he is causing the wrecks. Was is Ursula? It is just bad luck? Who killed Ariel’s mother?

6) Under the Sea with no chorus of fish singing just doesn’t sound as good. Nobody is doing anything Sebastian is talking about. Dolphins aren’t “the fish in the see is happy and off through the waves they roll.” Dolphins are mammals and they eat the not so happy fish. Weird to show them during that line.   

7) Ariel’s not acting “in love” in front of her sisters, prompting the Triton’s convo with Sebastian.  

8) Skulls littering Ursula’s cave. Hard to see how Ariel is remotely fooled by the “I’m just misunderstood” routine when she enters swimming over hundred of mermaid skeletons. Also Ursula is literally playing with a skull during her song.

9) Half-Assing Ursula’s backstory. You can’t just throw out there that she is Ariel’s aunt and not follow up. Especially since they are different species. 

10) Ariel doesn’t reference losing her home, her family or her best friend Flounder in Poor Unfortunate Souls. What’s up with that?

11) The whole “forget the kiss” line in the contract. The reason Triton can’t override the contract is that it is magically binding. Ursula shouldn’t be able to change the terms. Also it seems to keep wiping her memory which is a weird thing to have built in when the sea witch didn’t know Flounder and Sebastian were there. To make it worse, I don’t see the point. Would Ariel have been a bad person if she wanted Eric to kiss her so she could stay human? Not to me, especially considering he is part of the reason she wants to stay human.  

12) Ursula monologues and talks to her tentacles like she is Doc Oc, but not to her eels. Where’s the relationship? She needs to FREAK OUT about her babies. That needs some set-up.

13) Inconsistent treatment of Ariel being able to hear her friends in the “Kiss the Girl” scene. Sebastian’s goes “Ariel doesn’t want us to interfere so we will use nature noises!” and then sings in front of her and she doesn’t care.

14) Eric’s Mom going from “GROSS SEA CREATURE!” to “WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!“ quickly and seemingly without reason. 

15) The mermaid court being nowhere when Ariel is missing. The king of all the merpeople sends out his other six daughters and that’s it. 

16) Triton doesn’t make a contract to free Ariel, he just hands over the superweapon to the already powerful lunatic with no guarantees on his daughter’s safety. Hercules negotiated better. 

17) The final showdown. Where are Ariel’s sisters? Having them there would have created enough of a distraction for Ariel AND Eric to be the awesome tag-team power couple and together stop Ursula. We need something for Trident to respect him for other than his throwing a spear and witnessing Ariel being awesome.  

18) Triton being murdered then resurrected rather than transformed in a lowly sea barnacle. If mermaids can be resurrected why didn’t they do that with the mother?  

19) Final Scene. Getting married after the three days and on land of all places. Wrong on multiple levels. No modern princess should be marrying after three days. Just have them go off on a diplomatic/trade missions and dad and everyone shows up to say good bye/indicate a societal alliance. Also how rude to have a wedding where the bride’s family can’t attend. Just no. Finally having them also pop up closer to the shore than Ariel, literally in boats and nobody but Ariel is reacting. How did they ALL sneak by her? 

[realthoughtsreal]

Unstable

I struggled with my depression and suic!dal ideation, and actual PLANNING OF MY DEATH for 90% of 2022. I wrote notes, recorded videos and audios for my loved ones. I did the research; I knew exactly what would kill me and how much of it I’d need. This was every week. I was struggling like never before, with suic!dal ideation and self-harm urges.

I only started to get better during and after Christmas. I was hit by very strong, overwhelming, and confusing feelings; because I had not expected to live to see Christmas, nevermind New Year’s. I spent a large part of the 24th and 25th sobbing, bawling, wailing like I haven’t in a while, feeling inexplicably overwhelmed. For the first time in my life, I felt grateful for being alive. I actually was feeling good. I felt grateful for getting to see my family and spend time with them.

And my good mood lasted for a while. My bad thoughts disappeared entirely, until February 7th, when my dad accidentally triggered me, after I was already starting to feel increasingly anxious and vulnerable. The 7th I actually put the blade to my skin and pressed; I was seized by the urge and sudden desperate need to do something, anything to release the pressure in my chest, my pain.

It was a wakeup call. I’m saddened, disappointed, but not surprised. It seemed too good to be true, for my depression and problems to suddenly just disappear entirely, like a Christmas miracle.

Dad spoke truth, harsh, cruel truth. And what bothered me the most, was that I knew it to be true. Disgustingly so.

And he did it without understanding me. It’s not his fault, but it hit hard.

Waves of self-hate and disgust hit me instantly and I closed off. The currents took me and I was helpless. I cried in my room, quietly. Put the blade to my skin and perhaps for the first time actually put pressure to my skin with the intent to cut for real. I barely caught myself and immediately threw away the blade, and curled into a ball, forcing myself to look away from it.

I felt horrible, all over again. The urges to self-har have been awful, but so far I’ve held myself back and found alternatives to actual cutting.

That day I felt like a storm broiled and simmered inside my chest. I was furious, hurt and sad. I considered seriously going for a run in the morning (something I’ve never done before because I’m scared of going out on my own so early and dressed in sport clothes) and disappearing for a few hours to give him a scare. (I was too tired though, couldn’t wake up early to actually do it. Shame).

I was still pretty quiet the day after and barely spoke a word. Dad didn’t poke, or approach the subject. I was still so mad and hurt, and to top it, I had to go to night classes on my own.

Going to night classes on my own scares the fuck out of me because I was born as a female. And I’ll never be safe. It’s just fact. To make matters worse, the area I gotta walk by on my own late at night to get to the bus is NOTORIOUSLY DANGEROUS, people have gotten killed, harrassed, assaulted, etc.

To my fury and discomfort, dad has expressed 0 understanding or sympathy towards my anxiety and concerns when it comes to going outside on my own. Then again, he’s a man nearing his 60s who has never been assaulted in his whole life. He’ll never understand what it is to fear for your life, your dignity, your everything everytime you step out if your safe space. He doesn’t, and will NEVER TRULY understand, what it is to live in one of the countries with highest r4pe rates in the WOrLD. All women I know, all my friends, have horrific stories to tell and have suffered terrible experiences of assault or abuse or harrassment or r4pe by men. Dad can be such an idiot when it comes to this, and it infuriates that he can be so clueless and insensitive sometimes.

These last 2 weeks I’ve been hit by a strong feeling that I need to talk to someone about this. My problems. The depression, the suicide, the self-harm urges. All of it. It’s like the words are flooding my lungs and trying to choke me. Yet everytime there seens to be a chance for me to open up, I close up. A vice tightens around ny throat and I cannot speak. I cannot bring myself to say it to anybody.

For some reason, it feels… almost humiliating. Denigrating. Shameful. To speak of this. Of how deeply I fell. And I’m afraid of being brushed off, not taken seriously. That’d hurt me worse. I’m scared of more pain. I cannot tell anyone.

But I know I must. I need to go to therapy for real. But I don’t want dad to waste money on it. Isn’t it just a temporary fix anyways? It’ll come back. It always does.

I don’t want dad to waste money on a useless cause, when he could spend that money in a house.

I need help.