#also go read paved with good intentions and give it all of the love in the world bc it's. it's

[razzle-zazzle]

When you first played Pn2 were you drawn to Dion's character? Did you hate him at first? Really like some other character? Ect?

I've said this somewhere before but I haven't,,, actually,,,, played the games?? Like,,, at all???

Psychonauts falls into that category of fixations where I fall in love with the lore and characters and story without ever actually playing the game. I have watched playthroughs though!

Anyway. When I first got into my PN fixation, Raz was the main blorbo. Raz was the little guy my brain was latched onto, and thus the guy I sought out silly little fics about when I finished watching playthroughs of the first game and desired more content. And then it shifted to Raz & Dion siblinghood content, because Raz & Dion siblinghood fics like It's Been a Long Day and Paved With Good Intentions absolutely destroyed me and left me wanting more. And from there Dion simply,,, became the main blorbo. Stress Ball #1. The guy I would like to crumple like a receipt.

tl;dr Raz was the main blorbo at first but then it shifted to Dion.

[just-a-ghost00]

Mini PAC - Connection energy check

This reading is meant for you, whether you are enquiring about a romantic or a platonic connection, no matter the type of spiritual bond you share.

Images made by amariniaa_draws <3

Group 1 - Just the two of us

8 of cups, 7 of cups, Temperance, High Priestess, Queen of pentacles, Hierophant

You and this person may be in a separation or you are not as much in contact as you used to. I feel like for many of you we are talking about a romantic interest. You are feeling dissatisfied with the way things are going and you may be weighing your options, pondering whether you should give them a chance or move on once and for all. On their end, this person is doing their very best to hide the fact that they are already engaged. Either they have a partner that they are hiding from you or they are supposed to be with a specific person, as their family wished. I'm also picking up on the energy of someone being very dedicated to their work, so much so that they cannot see anything or anyone else. Religion / cultural differences may also be a factor here as to why this connection isn't progressing for now. This person does not show any sign of interest for you, though they may be attracted to you. I asked for a clarification to get further information about the High Priestess. I asked spirit "what are they hiding?". And you got the Hermit. So, this person may not be hiding another relationship but rather an engagement to an establishment or an institution. Again, I get religious or spiritual references here. This person may have vowed to remain single and chaste in order to get what they want from life. So it's not that they are not interested in you or that they do not care about you but rather that they made a promise that forbids them from interacting with you any further. Another thing I am picking up on is that they may not be in a very stable place emotionally and mentally. So it is hard for them to give room to their desires or feelings, if they have any. As for you, being left in silence and not knowing what is going on, you feel like this person is toying with you or that they have many options that they entertain. There may be several people interested into them but this person doesn't pay them any attention, for the same reasons as they do not pay you much attention either. So right now, the connection is at a status quo.

I asked spirit to give us clarification as to how they feel about you. We got the following cards : 8 of pentacles, knight of pentacles, 4 of cups. We have someone here that is very reserved and shy. All these cards are earth related cards. Which means there isn't much room for feelings. This person does not allow themselves to feel for fear of being hurt or disappointed. If anything, they view you as someone they wish to protect at all costs and work with. This person wants to be a pillar for you to count on. They want to be able to pave the way for you and keep you from harm. For some reason I took the 4 of cups card for the 4 of pentacles. So maybe this is an indication that this person is confused by you and feels wary of you because they think you are trying to trick them. If this person feels even just a little love for you, they wish to show you through their actions rather than their words. Because words may disappear but the consequences of their actions will remain. They may not know what you represent for them but they surely know they want to work hard to earn your trust and respect, to show you that you can trust them. They want to take their time getting to know you before jumping to conclusions.

Group 2 - Thriller

Cards : ace of swords, 6 of wands, The World, Strength, knight of cups, High Priestess

This is a very good energy group 2. The person on your mind has had an epiphany lmao They are realizing how important and precious you are to them. Their feelings and intentions are getting clearer as days go by. However, they are trying their best to keep it a secret for now. They deeply wish to communicate with you about what they've decided and found out. But they feel like now might not be the best time. They miss you dearly and would like to close the gap between you. On your end, you are also feeling very positively about this person. However you may doubt that the feelings are reciprocated. You do your best to hold on and hope for the best in this connection. In the meantime, as you don't wish to wait on this person, you are taking care of yourself and filling your own cup. You may isolate yourself and keep your doings away from this person's gaze to protect yourself. You also are trying to hide your feelings and pretend like nothing is happening. You don't want to show your vulnerable side to them for fear that they will take advantage of it. But this person only has good intentions and would never do anything to hurt you. At least not consciously.

I asked spirit what is the connecting energy between you and what can you hope for. And you got the Queen of wands, the 6 of wands again and the Queen of cups. I'm so happy for you group 2. You and your person are on the same wavelength and wish for the same outcome. Both of you want to see this connection work out. Both of you feel very lucky to have met the other. What you can hope for is a joyful and passionate connection, filled with chemistry, laughter, sweet moments of bliss and innocence. I don't know what more to say except for congratulations! I feel like many of you have waited for such a connection for years. Your time is now baby. So enjoy the ride. <3

[ellestra]

Even the Evil Witch loved her son

The moment I realised the song was just something Nicky made with the help of his mum (Agathe truly is the source of all Witch lore, isn't she?) it all started falling into place. I knew what was going to happen to that first witch who asked her about The Road because this is exactly what she was trying to do at the beginning. Just provoke the witches to blast her with their power so she could steal it.

The montage still helped to understand what Agatha knew and when she knew it. And since she knew The Witches Road was never real she also knew there was some very powerful magic involved when it actually appeared. Reality altering one. So of course she figured out who Billy was. It only took a while because when she last met him he wasn't real. But maybe that made him the realest to Agatha because he made himself real.

And of course that what makes Rio so aggravated. She is cycle of life and he is not part of it. Made of magic and never really born and can't truly die. And then he take William Kaplan's death away from her too. And one more kid too. Boys die sometimes and Death doesn't like when they also continue to live. But for Agatha this is exactly the kind of "fuck you" she wanted to give to Rio.

I love that the show didn't try to make Agatha a good person. This wasn't a redemption story. She hasn't changed. She doesn't care about other people. She kills other witches and doesn't even bother to remember normal people (neither Sharon Davis nor Tommy's names stick to her mind). She just has this one weak spot because she loved unconditionally and selflessly once. And Billy kind of fits into that hole. Even if she hates showing him that.

She resents him because he survived when Nicholas couldn't. Because he is just as his mother who defeated and bound her and actually has power to hurt her. And because her son was exact opposite - she didn't use any magic to make him and that's all that Billy was.

But she cares because Billy is everything Agatha wanted her son to be when he grew up. And because she sees herself in him. Someone who was cursed with power so great it ends up hurting those around him even when he doesn't mean it. Someone who was failed by his own mother because she didn't understand what she created. And just like her he doesn't give up. He fights to live when all the odds are stocked against him. Even if that means death.

I still am not sure what planting that dandelion seed was supposed to accomplish. Except for being a metaphor on Nicky's ephemeral life gone too soon. But I loved Rio telling her the truth Lillia understood - you can't escape death. It will always come, it's only a question of time. No matter if it's just a few short years or centuries. In the end Agatha understood it too and went to the other side. Where she no longer has to worry about Death following her. She has her rebirth as something new.

Agatha once offered Wanda to be her teacher but there was too many possible double crosses in that offer. And Wanda couldn't admit to herself she was a bad guy too. I loved that the season kept reminding us how horrific what she did to people of Westview was. Good intention is what read to hell is paved with.

That this level of power is not something that can be wielded safely. Believing you have full control over it is the fastest way to lose it. And it so easy to justify to yourself that you only did what was necessary. That you didn't mean it. And it's OK. And then it's so hard to stop. Wanda almost didn't.

Billy already knows what it means to kill his own coven for a made up story. Just because he wanted it to be real so much. And maybe it is better to learn on other people's mistakes. Even if your teacher is the Evil Witch.

[iris-sistibly]

Since I'm rewatching Maria Clara at Ibarra on Netflix, at dahil may time ako for today's bidyow I'm just gonna give my two cents on this comment:

I think we can all agree that Maria Clara did NOT deserve to suffer the way she did, and yes she deserves to be happy with the only man she ever loved. But Maria Clara's story is the story of many women who were oppressed, and abused by priests during the Spanish era and sadly, this reality STILL exists even up to this day. And as much as I fucking hate to admit this, there are still many untold stories of women (even boys and young men) who were sexually abused by these disgusting hypocrites who call themselves instruments of God, and what's more painful is that the victims are silenced and the abusers get away with it because *coughs* ✨the Church protects them✨

Don't get me wrong, I was baptized and raised as a Catholic myself, but I refuse to ignore cases like these which thankfully in the modern times are being addressed and taken actions of, but I'm not sure how many of these mga sugo ng Diyos are actually punished for their crimes (*clears throat* Church is still quite influential af even in the 21st century 🙃).

Ibarra is a good man with good intentions for San Diego, yet he was framed and accused of being a heretic and filibuster by [again] these fugly Church peeps because they wanted the Filipinos to remain indios: uneducated and poor af. Juan Crisostomo Ibarra is the image of those people who only wanted to help their fellow Filipinos, yet are the ones who are being punished for the most nonsense reasons, and the very people who called themselves his friends and supporters are the same people who turned their backs on him because they were afraid of suffering the same fate as Crisostomo (and Don Rafael) .

In the show, I saw myself in Klay (except that I passed my Noli, El Fili and Rizal lessons 🤣) my only drive to read Noli and El Fili was to pass my Filipino subject. I did not have a full grasp of the lesson that Rizal was trying to teach. The moment I passed my subject, I was like "Oh good! Finally!" but I didn't take those learnings by heart. And I said the very same thing Klay said in the earlier episode, "What's the point of studying Noli and El Fili when I can't even apply it on the course I'm taking or my job when I graduate?" And I admit, history wasn't my favorite subject, I found it boring. I missed the whole point of what my teacher was teaching me.

I could go on and on about the characters of the novels and the show but to sum it all up, every character and events are the very images of every Filipino, their struggles, and the truth about what was really happening in our country. Rizal's Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo weren't the kind of novels you expect them to be, it is not a stereotypical love story, and it wasn't written to make the readers OR the audiences happy. These novels are here to teach the Klays like you and me not only about our history but also open our eyes to the reality of how this cancer of the society still exists and if we, the Filipino people don't do something to "cure" this, our country will NEVER progress.

As much as I wanted Ibarra and Maria to have a happily ever after they both deserve, I am glad that GMA 7 actually didn't stray away too much from its source materials, because now I understand why I had to learn those books. I understand now why Rizal was named national hero, his novels paved the way for the Filipinos to finally stand up and fight the oppressors.

However, as much as it pains me of how tragic Rizal's novels are, at least in the show, they got a happy ending. Just in a different timeline and universe but still, happily ever after.

[grillinghamsposts]

Alright, I’ve been obsessed with Good Omens for years now and I just finished season 2. I haven’t been on tumblr for years now but I’m back in fandom mode because I can’t stop thinking about this… so indulge me if you will

I understand why people are upset at Aziraphale, but let me tell you why you can still be mad, but have empathy for him. Moreover, why I don’t believe the coffee theory in the slightest.

I’ll start by saying, his decision was by no means out of left field. We have seen quite literally from the beginning, the fundamental difference between Aziraphale and Crowley. While United by their love of Earth, Aziraphale is lead by his sense of morality. He longs to do good in the world and believes that Heaven gives him the ability to do so. Crowley does not carry this same weight, rather, he understands moral ambiguity. Crowley embodies the true experience of humanity, the forbidden fruit.

One of the many beautiful things about Good Omens is its ability to make abundantly clear the hypocrisies of modern day Christianity. How silly it is to consider life to be so black and white, ineffable… if you will. But Aziraphale does not share this understanding, and this is repeatedly pointed out throughout the history of their relationship. One example from this season I’ll specifically reference when he alters Wee Morag’s body to be useless after Elspeth brings it to Darhymple. Crowley sees how Elspeth is clearly trying to survive, while Aziraphale can’t see past the initial interaction of her uncovering the first dead body. He can’t understand the things she does in order to survive because of his religious teachings. His character embodies the struggle of brainwashing that the Church relies upon in order to maintain its following. He has been instilled with the “fear of God” that believers so often refer back to, and told that by obeying orders and doing good deeds is enough to earn God’s favor. Questioning your faith is the worst possible thing you can do, and Aziraphale has been lead to believe this at his core for over 6000 years.

So when confronted by the Metatron, Aziraphale approaches the situation with the same level of earnest we have always witnessed, simply misguided. Crowley knows he is “far too pure of heart to be anybody’s bit on the side,” but also far too pure of heart to knowingly and purposefully hurt anyone. This is why the kiss they share is the moment of recognition. He knows he has hurt Crowley, but he doesn’t understand why. How could he, when he earnestly believes in his core he is doing the right thing? That’s all he’s ever done… right?

In my opinion, that’s why he still makes the decision to go to Heaven. While he loves Crowley, he earnestly believes that this is his chance to make a difference, and stop Armageddon once and for all.

As a final thought, something I had read elsewhere brought up the fact that Aziraphale did not bear witness to the files that Crowley did, and has no idea that Gabriel was brought down for the very thing that Aziraphale set out to do. It will simply be his lesson to learn the hard way, which is why that knowledge couldn’t obstruct him from making the decision to head upstairs the way he did.

Just my thoughts, because I can’t stop thinking about it. And as someone who’s been through it with religion as well, I feel as though Crowley and Aziraphale are two sides of a coin when it comes to Christianity. There are those who cling to their beliefs, defining themselves by their misguided but well intentioned convictions… attempting to make sense of the world around them. And, there are those who recognize the grey areas in life. There are those who break free from the fear tactics and restraints of modern day Christianity, and pave their own rules. And to me, the understanding of Aziraphale’s struggle is what makes the end of season 2 so utterly heart wrenching. To say that he was influenced by some magic or miracle in his coffee from Metatron, taking away his agency in that moment, detracts from the real story of the romance itself. The true hurdle that they have forever been facing has always come down to this, and was finally confronted with Aziraphale’s choice.

So yes, be upset with Aziraphale, but more importantly be upset with the system that brainwashes him (without magic fucking coffee) to believe that his good deeds are enough to shake a bureaucracy that fundamentally wants to destroy the things he loves.

[meggoreads]

Meg Thinks: Iron Flame

There's going to be spoilers in this post so please read at your own risk.

First of all, this book felt very Anime Filler Arc. I feel like we've been reading 2000 pages of setup between the first and second book.

Honestly, I think Book 1 and the first half of book 2 could have been one book as long as all the fluff from book 1 was taken out. Take out Jack Barlowe coming back and keep Varrish as the big bad (make him the secret Venin) and then keep the ending with everyone fleeing Basgiath with Book 2 starting with everyone in Aretia and go from there.

Because right now I am getting whiplash between all the back and forth between Aretia and Basgiath.

But let's get into it.

Things I Liked:

Always always the dragons. Though I do feel like they are still set up as comic relief and plot devices rather than fleshed out characters. We didn't get nearly enough of Sgaeyl (and Andarna) in this book.

Jesinia & Imogen, whom I felt were better friends to Violet than her own squadmates. And also felt like more fleshed out characters.

Things I Didn't Like:

Violet & Xaden. God, their relationship was so annoying. Xaden, you should know which information you should be forthcoming with. Violet, people are allowed to be private even if you're in a relationship with them.

Someone also mentioned that the whole "ask me" schtick feels very weaponized incompetence and now I couldn't agree more.

The "intentions" signet. Congratulations, you're just really good at reading body language. They introduce mind-reading as some stairway to madness but of course give the MMC the Lite version instead of actually writing something interesting like descent into insanity (but I guess the venin plot will be doing this for us ???)

Still no real explanation for Violet's disability and it doesn't seem to really impact her day-to-day life outside of a few throwaway lines. I would just like to see the representation be representing. But maybe this will pave the way for other authors.

I don't think having both Sloane and Cat vehemently hate Violet was necessary in one book. Cat's whole "I don't love him, I just want the crown" was flimsy at best, & Sloane just all of a sudden does a complete 180 as soon as Cat is in the picture makes no sense.

Things I Need Clarity On:

Okay, what color is Andarna supposed to be? Is she purple? Is she all of them? I was hoping she would be silver to match Violet. It just didn't feel explained very well. (The last couple chapters in general seemed rushed)

Things To Be Improved:

I still feel like I know next to nothing about Rhiannon, Ridoc, & Sawyer. I don't feel their camaraderie. I actually can barely tell the difference between Ridoc and Sawyer.

Like I had said in my Fourth Wing post, when it was announced Iron Flame would be released so soon, I knew that this book would be unpolished and rushed and RY had no time to really deep dive into the criticisms of the first book to improve her craft. But kudos to her for producing that crack that makes you want to keep reading.

Will I continue to read the series? Probably. Do I think they'll get any better? Probably not. Do I still hope for a decent live action adaptation? Most definitely.

[lindira]

Oh, for Envy of course: #'s 3, 16, 17, 20, 21, 30, 40, and 66? I love seeing Envy facts ❤️

Oh, I'm glad you're enjoying my infodumps about Envy! I wasn't sure anyone was reading them. <3 And thanks for the ask!

3. What is your character’s moral alignment?

I'd say Envy falls just barely into Chaotic Good. He's not an altruist, but he generally doesn't want innocent people to get hurt. He has a definite dislike of authority and will protect people from abuses of power whenever he can. But Envy is also prone to flights of fancy and random whims, and may do things that aren't very morally sound if it sounds fun or funny. He mostly thinks "laws are laws only when the Fist are watching". So he strays into Chaotic Neutral territory pretty frequently.

16. Which of the companions does your Tav trust most? 

Envy trusts Wyll and Karlach the most, and they're the companions he likes the most outside of Astarion. He knows that they're always trying to do the right thing, and they're incredibly loyal.

17. Which of the companions does your Tav distrust most?

Probably Gale. Envy likes Gale, but his hunger for power is disquieting. He knows Gale wants to do good, but he also sees how power could corrupt Gale very easily. The road to the Hells was paved with good intentions.

20. If you’re romancing anyone, why did your Tav fall for them? And why did that character fall for your Tav?

Envy fell for Astarion because he's funny and smarter than he acts. Despite how Astarion gripes about compassionate acts, Envy sees that when kindness is shown to Astarion, Astarion gives it back. After the level of torture and misery that Cazador inflicts upon his spawn, a lesser man would have had any kindness stripped from him completely. That Astarion has the capacity for it at all is astounding to Envy. For all of Astarion's faults - of which there are many - Envy finds him to be fascinating and remarkable.

Before Envy, most of Astarion's smiles and laughter were performative or tinged with bitterness. But then Envy came along and made him really, truly smile and laugh for the first time in a great many years. Astarion fell for Envy because Envy was the first person to notice how deeply Astarion was hurting and to want to do something about it. Though Envy wasn't strong enough to kill Cazador at the time, he provided solace and comfort to Astarion. Envy fed Astarion and listened to him and felt outrage on his behalf. Envy didn't just offer platitudes - he did things to help. Small things, but important ones nonetheless. All of that was stunning and baffling and SO important to Astarion.

 21. If you’re romancing anyone, who fell first and who fell harder?

Envy fell first. A few months after they had met, he was already crazy about Astarion. As soon as Envy found out about what Astarion was going through, he felt so much admiration for how Astarion had survived that he couldn't help but love him.

Astarion was a case of "he fell in love slowly, then all at once". Astarion distrusted Envy's kindness at first, and then didn't want to get attached to anyone because of how Cazador had punished him in the past. But he eventually realized how deeply Envy cared for him, and that he was finally important enough to someone for them to give a damn about his situation. Envy reminded him of the good things life has to offer that Astarion had long since written off as unattainable for him. For Astarion, the very concept of happiness came into existence the day Envy entered his life. It might as well have not existed before then.

30. How does your Tav react when someone insults their friend/partner?

One should assume that Envy is ready to fucking wreck someone verbally at any time. He has lost many jobs because of this. Insults to his friends or to Astarion are worse than insults to himself, and he will tell off and insult the offending party right back. If the person refuses to apologize, Envy is ready to fight them physically, but would prefer making up a scheme to annoy them an equal amount (in Envy's eyes) to how bad the insult was. No one fucks with Astarion or his friends.

40. What is the biggest mistake your Tav ever made?

Envy underestimated Cazador. Astarion had warned him that Cazador was cruel and powerful. He had warned Envy that Cazador had a stranglehold on Astarion. But Envy thought he could trick Cazador and stay safe from him. He was wrong.

66. Does your Tav consider themselves a hero, villain, victim or something else?

Envy might boast about being a hero because he's a bit of an ass and likes showing off with a lot of bravado. But he doesn't actually think of himself as a hero. He doesn't consider himself a villain or a victim either. He really just thinks of himself as a person trying to get by in the world. People will put labels on him as they will, but that's not for him to worry about.

Questions taken from this Baldur's Gate 3 Tav Ask Game!

[corvatrix]

Nothing We Learn Is Useless | Scythe by Neal Shusterman

RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💡 REVIEW

Incredible, fascinating book. Lots of thoughts on empathy, compassion, personal growth, consequences, and what it means to be human when your mortality is no longer an issue. Parts of the book were a bit predictable, but it wasn’t so bad that it felt like lazy or cliché writing...it felt like good writing with consistent characterization and world building. 

The book ends on a cliffhanger, but the ending is also satisfying enough if you were to just read the one book by itself. I already own the next two books (hurray for box sets!) and I cannot wait to devour them.

Spoilers and predictions below. Please keep spoilers out of the comments!

 🗝️ THEMES

The pain of empathy

Humanity and the loss of innocence

Duty and honor vs. passion and desire

Emotional intelligence and vulnerability

Worthiness (and who decides worthiness & unworthiness)

📖 TROPES

Coming-of-age

Teenagers selected for special assignment (Chosen Ones)

Teen angst

Starcrossed lovers

Good guy wants to keep things as they are; bad guy wants systemic change

Political intrigue

Life-or-death stakes

📆 PREDICTIONS

Rowan & Citra are star-crossed and I’m sure the romance will grow, but there will absolutely be conflict; this will probably be the differences in their opinions on how to behave as scythes and what should be done about the more “progressive” members of the Scythedom

The Tonists are going to be a major plot point moving forward (possibly an uprising and a desire to return to mortality, or at least giving people the option to be mortal)

Curie & Faraday will fall in love again and end up gleaning each other

Goddard sympathizers will continue to push for limitless gleaning

Rowan will find Citra’s “old guard” ideals problematic and Citra will think Rowan is going too far gleaning Goddard sympathizers 

💬 QUOTES

“Scythes were no more supernatural than tax collectors in the grand scheme of things. They showed up, did their unpleasant business, and were gone.”

“It’s refreshing to be challenged. You have no idea how tedious it gets--the pandering, the obsequious flattery, the endless parade of sycophants. A slap in the face is bracing. It reminds me that I’m human.”

“We’re roughage. If we don’t cause a little intestinal distress, no one knows we’re there.”

“Good intentions pave many roads. Not all of them lead to hell.”

“Nothing we learn is useless.”

“Scythes wished to be seen as the many facets of light, not of darkness.”

“There are no accolades for the unworthy.”

“Motives can easily be beaten into weapons.”

“I live here not because of its extravagance, but because my presence here is the only way to preserve it.”

“It’s not about age, it’s about stagnation. Some people grow stagnant before they turn their first corner. For others it could take hundreds of years.”

“Learn how to show compassion in the face of tragedy. It was emotionally exhausting, but rewarding. It was preparing her to be a scythe.”

“The idea of irrevocable death without the controlled hand of a scythe was too much to bear for a world that had conquered mortality.”

“In a profession where conscience was a liability, who would want one?”

“I am legend. Yet every day I wish that I was not.”

“I think all young women are cursed with a streak of unrelenting foolishness, and all young men are cursed with a streak of absolute stupidity.”

“Although scythes may be the most powerful humans on Earth, they are also the most vulnerable.”

“There are times I feel I am fighting a losing battle against an old-fashioned apocalypse of the living dead.”

“He wanted to be a failure, because only by failing would he know that he held on to a shred of his humanity.”

“My greatest wish for humanity is not for peace or comfort or joy. It is that we all still die a little inside every time we witness the death of another. For only the pain of empathy will keep us human. There’s no version of God that can help us if we ever lose that.”

“Martyrs testify far more effectively than the living.”

“In our line of work we must hold on to every bit of honor we have.”

[yhwhrulz]

Morning and Evening with A.W. Tozer Devotional for July 7

Tozer in the Morning Living as Light in the World

Whether or not the Christian should separate himself from the world is not open to debate. The question has been settled for him by the Sacred Scriptures, an authority from which there can be no appeal. The New Testament is very plain: "They are not of the world," said our Lord, "even as I am not of the world." James wrote, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." John said, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Such teaching as this would appear to be plain enough, and there should be no doubt about what is intended. But we must never underestimate the ability of the human mind to get itself lost on a paved highway in broad daylight. Some well-intentioned souls have managed to get themselves confused about their re lation to the world and have sought to escape it by hiding from it. They read into the biblical command to separate from the world the idea of complete withdrawal from all human activities and seek peace of heart by cutting themselves off, as far as possible, from the great stream of human life and thought. And that is not good.

Tozer in the Evening The Sword of the Spirit

Undoubtedly God goes along with us as far as He can in this weak and one-sided treatment of the Holy Scriptures, but He cannot be pleased with this way of doing. Our Heavenly Father takes pleasure in seeing us develop and grow up spiritually. He does not want us to live entirely on a diet of sweet stuff. He gives us for our encouragement Isaiah 41, but He gives us also Matthew 23 and the book of Jude, and He expects us to read it all. The eighth chapter of Romans is one of the most elevating passages in the entire Bible, and its popularity is well deserved; but we need Second Peter as well, and we should not neglect to read it. When reading Paul's epistles, we should not stop with the doctrinal sections but should go on to read and ponder the bracing exhortations that follow. We should not stop with Romans 11; the rest of the epistle is also important, and if we would treat our souls fairly, we must give it the same attention we gave to the first ten chapters.

Briefly, the health of our souls requires that we take the whole Bible as it stands and let it do its work in us. We cannot afford to be selective with anything so important as the Word of God and our own eternal future.

Copyright Statement This material is considered in the public domain.

[hannahmationstudios]

3, 13, and 14, and also 21 for red rowan, please <3

Eee thank you Kate ;v; 💜💜 taking writer asks here!

3. What are some tropes or details that you think are very characteristic of your fics?

I can tell you immediately what tropes can be found repeated through my fics.

Some aspect of parenthood, present or future (wanting kids, pregnancy plots, or characters being parents already). That was easy to fit in with Red Rowan because Yennefer canonly wants children very much, so it made for a compelling narrative conflict and an interesting exploration of her character.

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions" - characters are forced to make choices and do things they would never otherwise see themselves doing because they hope it's leading towards a good ending they deserve. Combine that with the occasional fall from grace/"I gave up everything and in the end I still lost" and it's just. Chef's kiss.

"Retired badass" is another trope I love and will use whenever I have a chance. Yes, I lived through hell and retired... but now circumstances have forced me back into the fray, and I'm about to make it everyone's problem.

13. Are there any tropes you used to like but don’t anymore?

Hmm. Not exactly a trope, but I think I used to be a lot more into shipping than I am now. I think I'm about 50/50 with whether I even care about ships at all when I get into a media these days. I still enjoy them of course but they've drifted significantly from being my main focus of interest in creating for things I like.

14. Are there any tropes you would only read if written by a trusted friend or writer?

Ah, yeah, a few for sure. I'm not huge on a lot of more campy fanfic tropes (that's generous - I'm extremely picky about fanfic tropes) but I'd read them if I knew/trusted the writer and wanted to see what they did with them. There are also a few darker subjects where knowing/trusting the writer and their intentions more in-depth makes it easier (or even possible) to allow for unfettered immersion.

21. If you wrote a “missing scene” in Red Rowan, what would it be?

For Red Rowan? Aw man, there are so many things I'd love to write for that fic (including an entire sequel of sorts I was picking at at one time), though to be completely honest you wrote the most amazing interlude scene imaginable with Camellia (there needs to be more soft Eskel/Shani in this world, you have truly done the lord's work). If I had to think of any other scenes I might like to write...

Possibly something that better explores Lambert and Keira's outcome, where they are, and what's been going on with them. There's more going on behind the scenes with the two of them - both of them have deeper issues that they're willing to let on, but both are too stubborn to just come out and talk about them, even with how deeply in love they are and how much they trust each other over all other people. I didn't want to delve too deeply into their story in the actual fic because 1) it's Geralt's story, not Lambert's, and 2) Lambert gave exactly as many details as he was meant to give, and any more would unbalance the narrative.

But... I do love them, your honour. Maybe once the big overall story wraps they can have more content. As a treat.

[yhwhrulz777]

Morning and Evening with A.W. Tozer Devotional: July 7th

Tozer in the Morning Living as Light in the World

Whether or not the Christian should separate himself from the world is not open to debate. The question has been settled for him by the Sacred Scriptures, an authority from which there can be no appeal. The New Testament is very plain: "They are not of the world," said our Lord, "even as I am not of the world." James wrote, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." John said, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Such teaching as this would appear to be plain enough, and there should be no doubt about what is intended. But we must never underestimate the ability of the human mind to get itself lost on a paved highway in broad daylight. Some well-intentioned souls have managed to get themselves confused about their relation to the world and have sought to escape it by hiding from it. They read into the biblical command to separate from the world the idea of complete withdrawal from all human activities and seek peace of heart by cutting themselves off, as far as possible, from the great stream of human life and thought. And that is not good.

Tozer in the Evening The Sword of the Spirit

Undoubtedly God goes along with us as far as He can in this weak and one-sided treatment of the Holy Scriptures, but He cannot be pleased with this way of doing. Our Heavenly Father takes pleasure in seeing us develop and grow up spiritually. He does not want us to live entirely on a diet of sweet stuff. He gives us for our encouragement Isaiah 41, but He gives us also Matthew 23 and the book of Jude, and He expects us to read it all. The eighth chapter of Romans is one of the most elevating passages in the entire Bible, and its popularity is well deserved; but we need Second Peter as well, and we should not neglect to read it. When reading Paul's epistles, we should not stop with the doctrinal sections but should go on to read and ponder the bracing exhortations that follow. We should not stop with Romans 11; the rest of the epistle is also important, and if we would treat our souls fairly, we must give it the same attention we gave to the first ten chapters.

Briefly, the health of our souls requires that we take the whole Bible as it stands and let it do its work in us. We cannot afford to be selective with anything so important as the Word of God and our own eternal future.

Copyright Statement This material is considered in the public domain.

[marshmallowprotection]

I noticed you were having some trouble and asked for some advice earlier!

That being said, your goal to unlock Ray Route is to earn enough of Ray's Hearts to unlock the meter. Now, how do you get Ray hearts if there's not many chatrooms with Ray during the first 4 days of AS? Simple. You need to play along with what Ray told you at the start of your arrival to Mint Eye. View the RFA as characters in a video game, but, the more you play, really read your options and start to question Ray.

If he does something wrong, like the email he sent Saeyoung during those first few days, be willing to go, "But, Ray... that felt so real." It's not wrong to question Ray when it comes to his morality about those RFA members! Because, sincerely, he doesn't want to be doing what he's doing... but he has no choice in the matter. If you're afraid of the chance of clicking those options and getting V Hearts instead, you're free to go along with Ray 100%, but throwing in a few questions here and there doesn't hurt.

There are also instances where you should poke and press for any secret you can get your hands on. After all, you're supposed to believe what Ray told you. You're supposed to believe him even if you feel doubtful. You don't have to belittle the RFA but you do have to put yourself in a position where you slowly realize that they're actually real people after days of poking and pressing it all the right buttons. 

Did you know another misconception is that some people think you need to insult V at every turn, both in the casual days and during the Route itself?

Actually, it's important to give that man the benefit of the doubt. You don't have to cut them any slack because he does need some tough love. He needs to hear from you that he can't do things by himself and he needs to ask for help by telling the truth.

You don't have to be cruel to him, you have to be realistic. It can be hard to find a balance with this but my advice is to pay very close attention to what you're saying and how you say it. Don't read him to filth even though he might deserve it now and again, be forthcoming in saying that he needs to ask for help instead.

You need to give him the benefit of the doubt like I said. He is a character who is built on the foundation of saying the path paved to hell is made with good intentions. For you to survive, you have to have faith in him to do the right thing even if you know he might not continue on that path later. Frankly, agreeing with V will get you Ray and Saeyoung Hearts sometimes, especially during Ray Route itself.

If you don't want to get the bad ending that takes place on the 4th day, you need to make sure that you participate in enough chats to avoid not getting enough Hearts to pass the branch. Aim for 60% and above.

Okay, now for genuine advice on how to get the hearts you need. You need to get every chat room you can with Ray to secure enough of his hearts. You can receive them by playing along with his game throughout the route, but if you want to make sure without a doubt that you get on his path, you have to make sure you talk to him. Most of his chat rooms occur during the middle of the night, early in the day, or late in the evening. Fortunately, you can Google what chat rooms he's located in to know which ones you need to make up if you miss them. 

That being said, if you want to get on his good side, you don't have to lean into his obsessive tendencies. It's better to show him that he needs to lean away from obsession and accept reality. If you can manage to do that with a smile on your face, you might just help him realize that he's been doing things he shouldn't and that he needs to make a change so that he can do the right thing by you and himself. 

Your goal is to show him that reality is better than any fantasy. That's what he needs to break out of this mindset that this place has forced him into. The entire time he's been in this place, he's been looking for a reason to survive, and the only thing that's kept him going is your smile. 

But he has a preconceived idea of you and he needs to have that corrected. So, be kind to him, don't let him beat himself up, and show him what it feels like to have somebody believe in you so that he can learn how to believe in himself. Show interest in him. If the game gives you an option where you're allowed to choose him over the other characters, choose him.

I think this is everything I can tell you outside of handing you a walkthrough. Without knowing where you specifically have had trouble, all I can do is give you moral support and advice on how to get to where you need to be! I pray this helps. 

Show him he is wanted by somebody and it's not because anybody forced them to want him. 

I JUST

GOT THE BAD ENDING FOR DAYS 1-4.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 😭😭😭😭😭😭

like no ray I'm not doing this VERY SUSPICIOUS SOUNDING contract!!!!

I also had 50-60% completion almost every day so I'm pretty sure that was a factor too.. but I definitely got tons of ray hearts so it's very painful 😭😭 I'm gonna try something else and if it works I'll give another update!!

very painful though 🥲

[bythenineshards]

i think the reason which makes me angry about acotar & its fandom as a whole is the double standard that exists in the fanbase. rhysand sexually assaulted feyre? 'it's a dark romance so you should go read your vanilla stories & also he did it for her own good'. but when someone says 'well, if it's a dark romance, surely we can have a tamlin redemption arc 'cause he & rhys are the same 'cause he was also protecting feyre 'for her own good'', they'll come at you with pitchforks about how feyre needs someone who is 'feminist' to have a 'healthy relationship' with. like WHICH ONE IS IT??

i am in the hannibal, killing eve & interview with the vampire fandoms. i do like me some mutually toxic relationships that makes you look through characters psyches & pick apart motives & themes.

but acotar goes for this weird stance in its own morality that it doesn't make an ounce of sense. it would've made sense if feyre had left tamlin even if they had a healthy relationship to go join rhysand & then the story could've had a darker turn there. that could've been the basis of a dark romance. or feyre & tamlin's relationship being built on the same lines of toxicity & feyre betraying/hurting tamlin to join rhysand because she wants more power. & tamlin be an equal adversary for them (not antagonist). then the story be continued from there. give me moral ambiguity so that i don't know who to root for. these kinds of things happen in adult high fantasies all the time.

but sjm chooses to compare two equally bad (or 'morally gray', as the stans love to call it) characters and be like 'see, this one is better!!' but if someone points out that they're equally bad you have to watch them do all kinds of unnecessary mental gymnastics & say 'b-but it is a dark romance with dark themes & it's adult!! and rhysand is MORALLY GREY!!! if you can't handle it don't read it!' or the argument of 'it's fiction & they're fae!! you can't apply real world morals to it!!' like sure but where is the CONSISTENCY???

Hey Anon! I could've sworn I answered this. But apparently I didn't.

I can't stand the justifying of Rhys' deeds. Dark Romance books don't feel the need to do that. The guy doesn't need the justifications and hero framing. The books are thrown around as feminist or empowering. The point is that the relationship is a toxic dynamic. Maas has said in interviews that she writes healthy romances. She views this as a healthy relationship.

You know what's funny? The road to hell is paved with what? Good. Intentions. The best villains are people who meant well but had evil methods to achieve that goal. Rhys did x______ because it was for....? Doesn't matter, still did it. Thanos (in the movies) killed half the universe because it would create more resources for those left. Good intention. Horrible idea considering he had the power to create more resources.

You're right that there were so many other angles this could've gone to make it better. Personally I believe the best idea would've been to just have them grow apart. Cuz that happens and it wouldn't have taken Tamlin being abusive to do. Feyre could've fallen for Rhys knowing what he did was wrong. I'm sorry but there was no excuse or justification for working for Amarantha. Rhys should've been punished. However that would mean more work than comparing a retconned Tamlin to Rhys and made Feyre actually flawed.

Ugh... this series... so glad I'm not buying anymore of her books. You know, it's so weird how easily impressed I am with books that do the bare minimum effort to be decent after reading these.

[masquerain-with-a-mask]

Thoughts on Charlie in Underworld!

OK OK OK THANK YOU FOR ASKING THIS BECAUSE 500 LETTERS ON THE GOOGLE PLAY STORE ISN'T QUITE ENOUGH TO GIVE MY ENTIRE OPINION THIS IS GONNA BE VERY RAMBLY, SPOILERY AND PROBABLY PRETTY LONG SO I'M CONTINUING UNDER THE CUT

So first of all I gotta say that I played Underworld Office practically when it came out by finding it a little randomly. I absolutely fell in love with the game in pretty much all of it's aspects - be it the art, the characters or the story- , got obsessed with it for around a month, and then it went a little to the back. But what I can tell you is that I loved Charlie practically the second they were introduced because they're quite literally the kind of character I love the second they're shown to us so OBVIOUSLY when my friends told me that there was gonna be a sequel ABOUT CHARLIE I was hooked.

And now that the game came out, boy I was NOT disappointed.

First of all, the main cast is just as awesome as it was in Underworld Office. I love Eugene as much as I did in Underworld Office, maybe even more, I've always loved him, i'll always love him, he's my son (and one of highest kins but that's a story for another day). He's all grown up (which made me strangely proud of him) and yet still as much of a kind-hearted, self-sacrificing dumbass who just wants what's best for everyone as he was back in the first game, but you can see that he came such a long way from the nervous-wreck he still kinda was even at the end of underworld office and he has friends and I'm so proud of him and his chapter WRECKED ME like HOLY SHIT WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME WRITERS THIS POOR GUY ALREADY SUFFERED ENOUGH. He deserves so much better and he's still such a lovable character to me partly because he's a really expressive character. Like a part that really hurt me was the moment where he has his fight with Charlie, on the illustration you can read his emotions so clearly I love him so much his anger at the end of chapter 6 is so justified and i empathize with him so much this guy can just do no wrong zoieieizozorhrjrike.

Hayden - who happened to be a character I was quite indifferent to in underworld office (i liked him and thought he was a good character but it didn't run deeper than that) - brought so much sympathy out of me I was NOT expecting that. He's genuinely such a cute character he's just a kid who's doing his best and it was heartbreaking to see his reactions to learning his parents were going to have a new baby like you can sense his anguish (OR maybe it's me being way too invested in fictional characters IDK) and holy crap I melted inside when he asked for his brother to be named Charlie and absolutely died inside when I had to let him become an evil spirit to get an ending and he's also on one of my favorite illustrations of the game so THAT'S A PLUS IG

Boss. I am SO GLAD that Boss FINALLY got more depth than he used to have. I get that the entire point of the character is that we don't know lots of stuff about him but it feels great to have at least just a bit more informations about his story. Boss is the embodiment of the expression the road to hell is paved with good intentions. He wanted to protect himself but at the same time didn't want anyone to get hurt because of that and ended up causing more pain in the end because he handled all the situations with all the member of the office in a shitty way because no bestie hiding the truth from everyone and drowning in your own guilt isn't the right way to protect people. I love him and I dislike him at the same time he's my poor little meow meow.

River. I really liked her in Underworld Office. I still really like her. We FINALLY know what her death was and my god the circumstances of her death are awful and I wish she could have found peace instead of sulking in her own anger and hate she deserved so much better and yes much better means GO APESHIT YOU DESERVE IT. She's just such a fun character and didn't deserve the stuff that was thrown at her in her life.

Joan is great. I love Joan. You don't love Joan? Tbh I can understand why, but really her being kind of a stuck-up grandma is the strength of her character I think. Her story is heartbreaking like she didn't mean to kill Bill and I understand why she covered up the stuff but that doesn't make it right and Bill's anger is so justified but his actions are really not and kzjejdkzlsmmdld BOTH WATCHING HER EXILING HERSELF WITH BILL OR BECOMING AN EVIL SPIRIT HURT LIKE SHIT HELP.

Sean I actually don't have a lot to say about him except that we don't deserve him. He's so sweet and, much like Eugene, just wants what's best for everyone and tries to do his best to make the underworld better for everyone and we really don't deserve him my sweet son ily 😭

And now for Charlie. Charlie my absolute beloved. Like I said at the beginning, Charlie was my favorite character practically the second we were introduced to them in Underworld Office. Before Charlie in Underworld came out, when trying to theorize why Charlie was the way they were in Underworld Office, my theory was that Charlie was someone who died surrounded by indifference, and seems I was both right and wrong. Charlie lived among people's indifference of their situation. Their father was awful I don't think I need to explain why and their mom was just trying to survive and only did what she could do in her situation and Charlie just felt like they were ignored, them and their suffering and when Mike came into the picture, I like to think that Charlie wanted to have Mike as a friend, but they just never learned how to have a healthy relationship, be it friendship or anything else and because of that they just kept on telling themselves that they were pathetic for dwelling on their situation because Mike's was supposedly worse and i'm sure they blamed themselves so much for what they did to Mike and what happened to him and their mother after what he did to them both before and after their death and just. Their story made me tear up each time it came they never meant to hurt anyone they were just scared and while it doesn't make any of the things they did right it explains so much. And after losing their memory. My god the SNARK. THE CYNICISM. THE SARCASM. THE ANGER AND YET THE GUILT. JUST EVERYTHING. Charlie just has such a strong personality and is also a really expressive character and I absolutely love them for it. Basically even without knowing shit about themselves, the kid they're supposed to protect or the people they're supposed to work with Charlie knows one thing, they were a fucking menace and they're sure gonna be staying like that. And yet even while being a menace who's also really bad at communicating their feelings, Charlie understands other's feelings way better than they would probably care to admit. Like they say towards the end of the game, they're a shitty person who's done shitty things but that doesn't change the fact that in the few days they spent with the underworld office's workers they've come a long way from who they were as a ghost terrorizing people in the subway just to feel seen and not just because they didn't remember anything because they clearly feel guilty when they're about to turn entirely dark after remembering their past they just went through so much and didn't deserve any of it they just wanted to be left alone and my god I already loved charlie before but now I'm just like KQKDJEISOKZKRKRJ. AND I BARELY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE OF WHAT I WANTED TO SAY ABOUT CHARLIE BUT I JUST. CAN'T FIND THE WORDS TO DESCRIBE HOW DEEPLY I FEEL ABOUT THEM. I JUST LOVE THEM SM.

NOW IF YOU'RE STILL READING THIS I CAN MOVE ON.

I'm not gonna dwell too much on how much I love the art style of the game, or how I think the design are great, be it with the shapes, the colors, or the expressions of the characters who are always very expressive, which really makes it clear to guess what they're feeling even to a dumbass like me because I already made you read through my thoughts on the characters.

The story in itself is great. I don't really know what else to say. I love the idea of the workers deciding to unseal Charlie to keep Eugene safe. I LOVE EUGENE BEING AN ADULT I AM SO PROUD OF HIM. I am not exactly a fan of blackmail but y'know, I can understand why they would doubt Charlie. The fact that Charlie has amnesia is also a really great way to carry the scenario and to make them empathize with the other characters of the cast, be it by empathizing with them and validating their anger because they know what it feels like to feel alone, hurt or afraid and they know what it feels like to feel wronged or, like in Joan's case, by calling them out on their bullshit like others should have done to them. The fact that Boss has hidden the truth about how good and evil work to the others is great, and heartbreaking when you see the impact it has on both River and Eugene, who both trusted him, and i also think it's hilarious that Charlie ends up being the only level-headed person in the last chapter considering how they were in Underworld Office. Serves again to show how much they've grown during the game. SAME HERE I BARELY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE BECAUSE I JUST CAN'T FIND THE WORDS BUT THE SUBJECTS THE GAME BRINGS UP ARE REALLY WELL HANDLED I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW TO WORD IT ANY OTHER WAY.

Speaking of which, I can now talk about the relationships

First of all I'd like to say I absolutely adore Eugene and Charlie as a duo. They're legit a great duo and as a trio with Hayden they're just as great. Just Eugene's level-headedness, kindness and naivety mixed in with Charlie's free-spirit, hot-headed and desechanted self makes them work together really well, especially since Charlie, due to their lack of tie to any of the members of the team and pretty much hating Boss on sight, isn't being lowkey manipulated by Boss because they're too naive. Plus who doesn't love two absolute dumbasses working together?

I also love Charlie's and River's dynamic. River is absolutely unhinged and Charlie is not having a good time because of that, especially since they didn't exactly take well the fact that River doubted them because they used to be dark. I like them because, due to them being fundamentally shadows like River says, they're way more similar than meets the eye and while what makes Eugene and Charlie work together is the fact that they're opposites, what makes River and Charlie works is that they're similar. Also I really like the fact that we're given the choice to be somewhat thoughtful of River in Collapse.

The last relationship I can think of is the one between Charlie and Sean. Because while it may be a really background one, it's just very symbolic and I like the conversation they have in the sixth chapter.

OH AND THE ENDINGS. I LOVE THEM ALL BUT LIKE,,, THE ONLY CHARLIE IN UNDERWORLD ENDING IS MY FAVORITE I JUST. I JUST LOVE IT SO MUCH. LIKE YOU GO CHARLIE YOU GO EUGENE YOU GO MY CHILDREN YOU'RE DOING GREAT.

BUT ALSO THE SWAMP OF EVIL SPIRITS ENDING IS SO COOL I LOVE IT. I LOVE THE IDEA OF IT EVEN IF IT'S SO PAINFUL LIKE BASICALLY FROM WHAT I UNDERSTOOD EUGENE'S SPIRIT WAS DESTROYED LIKE WHY DO YOU SO THIS TO ME BUT ALSO.... I LOVE THE IDEA OF CHARLIE JUST HANGING AROUND BUT THE THOUGHT THAT CHARLIE IS JUST STUCK WITH GNAWING GUILT BUT THE MEMORY OF EUGENE JUST WON'T LET THEM TURN INTO A MONSTER IS HEART-WRENCHING LIKE CHARLIE I'M SO SORRY YOU DESERVE BETTER.

AND THE GOOD ENDING IS A GOOD ENDING SO OF COURSE I LIKE IT LIKE YOU GO CHILDREN KEEP BEING A BUNCH OF DUMBASSES BUT BE BETTER DUMBASSES THAN YOU COULD BE WITH BOSS AS YOUR BOSS.

I think I'm done here I can't think of anything else to say I absolutely adore this game if it wasn't obvious thanks for sending this to my inbox i really wanted to ramble about it

Tl;dr : i am in love with this game, its characters, its story and its relationships

[writingwithcolor]

What Does Our "Motivations” PSA Mean?

@luminalalumini said:

I've been on your blog a lot and it has a lot of really insightful information, but I notice a theme with some of your answers where you ask the writer reaching out what their 'motivation for making a character a certain [race/religion/ethnicity/nationality] is' and it's discouraging to see, because it seems like you're automatically assigning the writer some sort of ulterior motive that must be sniffed out and identified before the writer can get any tips or guidance for their question. Can't the 'motive' simply be having/wanting to have diversity in one's work? Must there be an 'ulterior motive'? I can understand that there's a lot of stigma and stereotypes and bad influence that might lead to someone trynna add marginalized groups into their stories for wrong reasons, but people that have those bad intentions certainly won't be asking for advice on how to write good representation in the first place. Idk its just been something that seemed really discouraging to me to reach out myself, knowing i'll automatically be assigned ulterior motives that i don't have and will probably have to justify why i want to add diversity to my story as if i'm comitting some sort of crime. I don't expect you guys to change your blog or respond to this or even care all that much, I'm probably just ranting into a void. I'm just curious if theres any reason to this that I haven't realized exists I suppose. I don't want y'all to take this the wrong way because I do actually love and enjoy your blog's advice in spite of my dumb griping. Cheers :))

We assume this is in reference to the following PSA:

PSA to all of our users - Motivation Matters: This lack of clarity w/r to intent has been a general issue with many recent questions. Please remember that if you don’t explain your motivations and what you intend to communicate to your audience with your plot choices, character attributes, world-building etc., we cannot effectively advise you beyond the information you provide. We Are Not Mind Readers. If, when drafting these questions, you realize you can’t explain your motivations, that is likely a hint that you need to think more on the rationales for your narrative decisions. My recommendation is to read our archives and articles on similar topics for inspiration while you think. I will be attaching this PSA to all asks with similar issues until the volume of such questions declines. 

We have answered this in three parts.

1. Of Paved Roads and Good Intentions

Allow me to give you a personal story, in solidarity towards your feelings:

When I began writing in South Asia as an outsider, specifically in the Kashmir and Lahore areas, I was doing it out of respect for the cultures I had grown up around. I did kathak dance, I grew up on immigrant-cooked North Indian food, my babysitters were Indian. I loved Mughal society, and every detail of learning about it just made me want more. The minute you told me fantasy could be outside of Europe, I hopped into the Mughal world with two feet. I was 13. I am now 28.

And had you asked me, as a teenager, what my motives were in giving my characters’ love interests blue or green eyes, one of them blond hair, my MC having red-tinted brown hair that was very emphasized, and a whole bunch of paler skinned people, I would have told you my motives were “to represent the diversity of the region.” 

I’m sure readers of the blog will spot the really, really toxic and colourist tropes present in my choices. If you’re new here, then the summary is: giving brown people “unique” coloured eyes and hair that lines up with Eurocentric beauty standards is an orientalist trope that needs to be interrogated in your writing. And favouring pale skinned people is colourist, full stop.

Did that make me a bad person with super sneaky ulterior motives who wanted to write bad representation? No.

It made me an ignorant kid from the mostly-white suburbs who grew up with media that said brown people had to “look unique” (read: look as European as possible) to be considered valuable.

And this is where it is important to remember that motives can be pure as you want, but you were still taught all of the terrible stuff that is present in society. Which means you’re going to perpetuate it unless you stop and actually question what is under your conscious motive, and work to unlearn it. Work that will never be complete.

I know it sounds scary and judgemental (and it’s one of the reasons we allow people to ask to be anonymous, for people who are afraid). Honestly, I would’ve reacted much the same as a younger writer, had you told me I was perpetuating bad things. I was trying to do good and my motives were pure, after all! But after a few years, I realized that I had fallen short, and I had a lot more to learn in order for my motives to match my impact. Part of our job at WWC is to attempt to close that gap.

We aren’t giving judgement, when we ask questions about why you want to do certain things. We are asking you to look at the structural underpinnings of your mind and question why those traits felt natural together, and, more specifically, why those traits felt natural to give to a protagonist or other major character.

I still have blond, blue-eyed characters with sandy coloured skin. I still have green-eyed characters. Because teenage me was right, that is part of the region. But by interrogating my motive, I was able to devalue those traits within the narrative, and I stopped making those traits shorthand for “this is the person you should root for.” 

It opened up room for me to be messier with my characters of colour, even the ones who my teenage self would have deemed “extra special.” Because the European-associated traits (pale hair, not-brown-eyes) stopped being special. After years of questioning, they started lining up with my motive of just being part of the diversity of the region.

Motive is important, both in the conscious and the subconscious. It’s not a judgement and it’s not assumed to be evil. It’s simply assumed to be unquestioned, so we ask that you question it and really examine your own biases.

~Mod Lesya

2. Motivations Aren't Always "Ulterior"

You can have a positive motivation or a neutral one or a negative one. Just wanting to have diversity only means your characters aren't all white and straight and cis and able-bodied -- it doesn't explain why you decided to make this specific character specifically bi and specifically Jewish (it me). Yes, sometimes it might be completely random! But it also might be "well, my crush is Costa Rican, so I gave the love interest the same background", or "I set it in X City where the predominant marginalized ethnicity is Y, so they are Y". Neither of these count as ulterior motives. But let's say for a second that you did accidentally catch yourself doing an "ulterior." Isn't that the point of the blog, to help you find those spots and clean them up?

Try thinking of it as “finding things that need adjusting” rather than “things that are bad” and it might get less scary to realize that we all do them, subconsciously. Representation that could use some work is often the product of subconscious bias, not deliberate misrepresentation, so there's every possibility that someone who wants to improve and do better didn't do it perfectly the first time. 

--Shira

3. Dress-Making as a Metaphor

I want to echo Lesya’s sentiments here but also provide a more logistical perspective. If you check the rubber stamp guide here and the “Motivation matters” PSA above, you’ll notice that concerns with respect to asker motivation are for the purposes of providing the most relevant answer possible.

It is a lot like if someone walks into a dressmaker’s shop and asks for a blue dress/ suit (Back when getting custom-made clothes was more of a thing) . The seamstress/ tailor is likely to ask a wide variety of questions:

What material do you want the outfit to be made of?

Where do you plan to wear it?

What do you want to highlight?

How do you want to feel when you wear it?

Let’s say our theoretical customer is in England during the 1920s. A tartan walking dress/ flannel suit for the winter is not the same as a periwinkle, beaded, organza ensemble/ navy pinstripe for formal dress in the summer. When we ask for motivations, we are often asking for exactly that: the specific reasons for your inquiry so we may pinpoint the most pertinent information.

The consistent problem for many of the askers who receive the PSA is they haven’t even done the level of research necessary to know what they want to ask of us. It would be like if our English customer in the 1920s responded, “IDK, some kind of blue thing.” Even worse,  WWC doesn’t have the luxury of the back-and-forth between a dressmaker and their clientele. If our asker doesn’t communicate all the information they need in mind at the time of submission, we can only say, “Well, I’m not sure if this is right, but here’s something. I hope it works, but if you had told us more, we could have done a more thorough job.”

Answering questions without context is hard, and asking for motivations, by which I mean the narratives, themes, character arcs and other literary devices that you are looking to incorporate, is the best way for us to help you, while also helping you to determine if your understanding of the problem will benefit from outside input. Because these asks are published with the goal of helping individuals with similar questions, the PSA also serves to prompt other users.

I note that asking questions is a skill, and we all start by asking the most basic questions (Not stupid questions, because to quote a dear professor, “There are no stupid questions.”). Unfortunately, WWC is not suited for the most basic questions. To this effect, we have a very helpful FAQ and archive as a starting point. Once you have used our website to answer the more basic questions, you are more ready to approach writing with diversity and decide when we can actually be of service. This is why we are so adamant that people read the FAQ. Yes, it helps us, but it also is there to save you time and spare you the ambiguity of not even knowing where to start.

The anxiety in your ask conveys to me a fear of being judged for asking questions. That fear is not something we can help you with, other than to wholeheartedly reassure you that we do not spend our unpaid, free time answering these questions in order to assume motives we can’t confirm or sit in judgment of our users who, as you say, are just trying to do better.

Yes, I am often frustrated when an asker’s question makes it clear they haven’t read the FAQ or archives. I’ve also been upset when uncivil commenters have indicated that my efforts and contributions are not worth their consideration. However, even the most tactless question has never made me think, “Ooh this person is such a naughty racist. Let me laugh at them for being a naughty racist. Let me shame them for being a naughty racist. Mwahaha.”

What kind of sad person has time for that?*

Racism is structural. It takes time to unlearn, especially if you’re in an environment that doesn’t facilitate that process to begin with. Our first priority is to help while also preserving our own boundaries and well-being. Though I am well aware of the levels of toxic gas-lighting and virtue signaling that can be found in various corners of online writing communities in the name of “progressivism*”, WWC is not that kind of space. This space is for discussions held in good faith: for us to understand each other better, rather than for one of us to “win” and another to “lose.”

Just as we have good faith that you are doing your best, we ask that you have faith that we are trying to do our best by you and the BIPOC communities we represent.

- Marika.

*If you are in any writing or social media circles that feed these anxieties or demonstrate these behaviors, I advise you to curtail your time with them and focus on your own growth. You will find, over time, that it is easier to think clearly when you are worrying less about trying to appease people who set the bar of approval so high just for the enjoyment of watching you jump. “Internet hygiene”, as I like to call it, begins with you and the boundaries you set with those you interact with online.

[yasmindifference]

Hi! If you're still doing the fake title thing, what do you think of

What we call "reason to live" is also an excellent "reason to die"

I thought I wasn't gonna answer any more of these (I got so many! I appreciate y'all's enthusiasm but it got overwhelming, I'm sorry), but I am on the good drugs and just read this amazing fic about the Joker dying so:

This would be a fic about first Tim falling desperately in love with Jason. Just stupid, helpless, totally overwhelming love....which is a problem because Jason still doesn't like him. They're past the point of violence, but Jason pretty much constantly gives him the cold shoulder and makes it clear he doesn't want to be anywhere near Tim.

And that's a really painful contrast to everything that made Tim fall in love with him: seeing how gentle he is with victims, how fiercely he protects people in his territory, how crazy smart and competent he is....after all that, the way Jason totally shuts down around him hurts.

So Tim is determined to win him over--not even necessarily to loving him, just to being able to tolerate his presence! And after extensive thought + research, he determines the absolute best way to do this is to kill the Joker.

And then I don't know if I want this to be cracky or really dark so two potential ways that goes:

The cracky version, Tim just fucking goes for it. Kills the Joker, decapitates the Joker, presents the Joker's severed head to Jason like the world's most messed up courting gift. Jason is shocked and awed and yeah, Tim's his new favorite person. Grudge, shmudge. They get together in very short order and live happily and messed up-ily ever after ♡♡

The dark version, Tim is Tim, he's not just going to off the Joker in the middle of the street. Instead, he sets up an elaborate plan in which Joker is manipulated into actions that corner Tim into having "no choice" but to kill him, thereby letting Tim do the thing WITHOUT having to face severe consequences from the other bats. That part proceeds as planned, but it inspires Tim--it's so easy to do, to pull a Rogue's strings until they're no longer a threat! So he does it again, and again, and again, and you know how the road to hell is paved in good intentions. So Tim just crosses line after line until he's a criminal mastermind taking over all of Gotham "for its own good" and Jason is his enforcer/consort