#also I'm really not saying any of this is intentional

[astralis-ortus]

form of affection

✱ boyfriend!bc x fem!reader

— everything feels... new.

w.count → 0.8k genre → fluff warning → chan and reader both referred to as baby, one use of 'my girl', reader on period :(, minor cussing here and there, not proofread!ㅠ a.n → honestly i don't know what to write atm (aside from the continuation for that one seungmin fic) but i still want to write something lighthearted so... this happens. welp. :] ⋆ if you're enjoying my stories, do send me a ko-fi ⋆ see masterlist

you messed up.

"fuck," you finally muttered under your breath, hand clutching your forehead in frustration. you know you shouldn't have ignored your gut feeling earlier this morning and followed through with the precautions anyway.

again you turned against the mirror, still bearing some hope that whatever you saw earlier was just your eyes playing tricks on you, but no—the damned red spot on your white dress is still there, mocking you through reflection of your boyfriend's bathroom mirror.

"baby?"

you jumped at the sudden knock on the bathroom door, feeling like your heart has suddenly fallen to your feet. fuck—how are you supposed to tell him?

"are you okay? do you need me to come in?"

"no!" you hurriedly replied, only later cursing at yourself for not maintaining your composure. making chris worried was definitely your intention after going missing to his bathroom for quite a period of time, and your reply definitely wasn't helping your resolute.

"are you sure?" chris' voice were laced with concern, and you could even picture the frown that's definitely present on his forehead. "can you crack the door open? just so i'm sure you're really okay."

"it's just—"

"baby," again, the image of your boyfriend's stern gaze immediately popped up in your mind. "please? just one sec. i need to make sure that you're alright."

it's not that you're worried chris would say anything about it—you're well aware of the kind of person your boyfriend of 4 months is, and you completely trust him. it's just that…

you're embarrassed.

the click of lock were soon followed by a soft creak, revealing chris' concerned eyes beyond the slight opening of the door. his relief was audible even to you, gaze softening when he saw the glimpse of your flushed face.

"okay," chris' lips formed a soft smile, as if trying to soothe you, "are you sure all is good? do you need any help?"

"…today."

"hm?" blinking in confusion, chris brought his face closer to you, "sorry, baby, i couldn't—"

"i got my period today," you quickly repeated, cheeks heating up as you heard your own confession, "and i didn't bring any feminine products with me since i wasn't supposed to have it for another week. i also might've stained your couch. i'm sorry."

chris turned quiet, and you could practically see thoughts flashing through his eyes—but you're not a mind reader, and the passing seconds made your heart grew heavy. is he embarrassed to hear that? is he going to send you home? is he going to get upset? should you have not—

"if i'm not mistaken… i think there should be some pads and maybe some disposable underwear under the sink, baby," the sound of chris' voice promptly ceased the vortex of worry growing in your head, your eyes again meeting chris' clear ones, "i bought it a while back for you but i don't remember if i placed it here or in my room. could you check?"

despite the confusion, your body had instinctively moved along chris' request. to your surprise, you do find the items your boyfriend had mentioned, tucked neatly in a small box of necessities. you chest bubbled up in gratitude and filled with warmth—you never expected chris to do this for you, and yet, he managed to come over and beyond any of your expectations.

"found it?"

nodding your head, you swallowed back the tears welling up in your eyes. gosh—period hormones! "yeah, just found them. thank you, baby."

a sigh of relief could be heard from the other side of the door, and you couldn't help but smile—if it wasn't clear before, then now you're determined to find a way to repay chris somehow. frankly, at times you still don't understand the lengths chris would willingly go for you, or if you even deserve to be at the receiving end of chris' gesture of affection at all. the chris you've gotten to know is so full of love, and you don't even know if you have the capacity to love him the way he cares about you.

but in the mean time,

you've decided to try and accept chris' form of affection for you.

"okay," you could hear the smile in chris' voice as he speaks, "i'll go grab a change of clothes for you while you settle down, yeah? oh, and you do know where the towel if you want to shower, right?"

"yeah, i know," you held back a giggle as you reappeared in chris' vision between the crack of the door, clutching the box close to your chest with a beaming smile, "thank you, baby. really. i really appreciate this."

and with a smile equaling to the warmth of a spring's sun, chris chuckled a reply,

"anything for my girl."

©️ astralisortus, 2024. | likes and reblogs are highly appreciated♡

[ariaste]

Hello, professional author here. I agree with mmmmooost of the above (certainly agree with the general idea that you should free your mind from worrying anxiously about the audience too much, DEFINITELY agree with practicing engaging with a piece of art on its own terms) but I have a couple philosophical quibbles to.... well, quibble about.

First of all, the black-and-white framing of the dichotomy of "pushing a product" (coded here as a Bad Thing, perhaps even a Contemptible Thing) versus "creating a work of art" (coded here as a Good Thing, perhaps even an Admirable Thing). For one thing, these two states aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. I think that what the above poster meant by the word "product" was probably "cheap corporate shit with nothing to say and no intention or care behind it except to make money", except.... There is this myth in our culture that artists shouldn't ever worry about money at all, that you should make art purely for the love of it, etc etc. This myth is the justification that those big corporations use to defend their decision to underpay creatives (e.g. writers, animators, voice actors, visual artists, etc etc etc etc). Like, the whole AI art thing that's happening right now is linked to the brutal devaluing of artistic labor. I'm a professional author; my work is my job, and my work is valuable and worthy of fair compensation. So I do want to gently push back against the implication that an artist can't or shouldn't ever think of their art as a product (and here I am using the word "product" in its more neutral sense of simply "a thing that can be sold for money"). If we as professional artists want to fight back against the corporate exploitation of art, we HAVE to start valuing our artistic work, understanding the ins and outs of the business, and defending both our right and the rights of our colleagues to earn a living from the job.

So let's rephrase "pushing a product" to a more neutral term, one that's actually used in the publishing industry: "Writing to a market".

Here is the thing that I want to point out for any aspiring authors... "Writing to a market" versus "writing for yourself" is not an either-or situation, but a SPECTRUM. There are many circumstances where you actually do NEED to consider the audience -- if you're writing children's picture books, for example, then I damn well hope you're writing for your audience, because your audience has very particular unique needs that have to be served. "Writing to a market" is also used for things like the romance genre (please note that this too is often WILDLY devalued and considered contemptible in our society, and that is 100% because of misogyny committed by people of all genders) -- a romance book has a structure to it the same way that a sonnet has a structure, and if it does not follow that structure, then it is simply not a sonnet, but some other kind of poem. Knowing those genre conventions is part of writing to a market. Even just saying "I'm going to write this book for all the 16 year old girls who, like me, really wanted the princess to slay the dragon" is writing to a market -- but it is ALSO sincere and genuine and authentic to you yourself.

Imagine an actor on stage. They MUST do some thinking about their audience -- where are they standing? Can they be seen, or are they hidden (either could be important)? Are they speaking loudly enough to be heard or are they making the audience strain to hear them (these too could be important, depending)? Are they getting the timing of this joke right so that the audience laughs? For a professional author, generally the baseline "thinking about the audience" things you do are: 1) age bracket and 2) genre. Like, where is your book going to be shelved in the bookstore so people can find it?

And that's how I know that Miyazaki in the above screenshot is... being a LITTLE hyperbolic. He doesn't NEVER consider the audience (I daresay that he knows that one category of his audience is "people who love animation", for example) -- he just doesn't let his ANXIETY about the audience rule his creative decision making. He does not let the audience and their expectations/demands become the tyrants of his art.

So it's a spectrum, not an either-or -- there are definitely people who are hard at one end of the spectrum or the other (on one hand, people who ARE producing soulless AI-generated corporate drivel, and on the other hand, people who are making the WEIRDEST art you have EVER seen, truly and aggressively pushing the limit of "can this be understood or related to by even one single other human being"), but there is an ocean of fuzzy grey shades in the center, and I for one did not realize that until I was knee-deep in it.

You don't have to Never Consider The Audience in order to be an artist. But I would recommend, at minimum, setting some healthy boundaries in your own head between yourself and the audience. Decide what they do and don't get to say to you. Decide what kind of treatment you will and won't put up with. Decide how much you're prepared to allow your work to be impacted by your imaginary worries about what someone else might think (What will your mother say if you paint that nude portrait? What will the internet say if you tell that story? What will some rando on twitter say if you post that photograph?).

Here is where I'm at on the Death of the Audience spectrum, at least for right now (this might change over time, but that's okay. I get to change my mind as much as I want). Put beneath a cut because it was starting to get a little long...

For me, writing a book is like inviting a few people over to my house for a nice home-cooked dinner. I'm going to make sure there is food enough to feed them; I'm going to make sure that it is nourishing and well-cooked to the best of my ability; I'm going to invite them into my home and welcome them to a seat on the couch and offer them a drink (tea? fancy little cocktail? can of soda? glass of water, with or without ice?). I'm going to communicate what's in each dish and have a variety of options, so that the people at my table can pick the things they like and avoid the things they dislike (or have allergies to, or that their doctor advised them to avoid, or that they're not eating for personal ethical reasons, etc etc).

But here's the other thing. The dinner guests don't get to decide what I'm putting on the table. I'm going to cook dishes that I like (because I'm the one having to cook them, and I'm the one living with the leftovers!). More than that, I'm going to cook dishes that I'm confident about -- by which I mean that I'm going to practice a brand-new recipe in private for a while, just in case it goes wrong, before I put it on the table for guests. Now, that said, if a very dear friend texted in advance of the dinner party, "Hey, could you make those garlicky mashed potatoes again? I LOVED them" then I might listen to them -- but then again, I might already have my own menu plan. (Sorry, friend! But the compliment is accepted with love and gratitude, as a compliment, rather than as a demand.) I'm always trying to expand my skills as a cook and exploring new recipes and techniques, but I'm going to do that on my schedule. Nobody gets to tell me when my pumpkin spice cream puff recipe has been perfected enough to be presentable -- that's between me and the kitchen gods. This ain't a restaurant, after all, it's my home!

If someone wanders in off the street to eat at my table, then they are welcome to all the hospitality of my house. But if they don't like the food or if I didn't make their favorite dish, I'm not going to let that ruin my day. They opted in when they crossed the threshold and came inside, and they can opt out just as easily if I'm not serving what they like. I am not the only source of food in the whole world, so they're not going to starve if I keep doing my thing and ticking off things from the list on my fridge and swearing under my breath because I forgot to season the green beans before I put them in the oven to roast and now I'll have to wing it with a savory sauce or something to put on them instead.

A VERY EXTENDED AND POSSIBLY CONFUSING METAPHOR but I hope you see the shape of what I'm getting at here. Again, this philosophy might change in the years to come. But for now, this is the amount of consideration that I give the audience. Your mileage may vary! :)

fuck an "intended audience" how about we normalize engaging with new and unfamiliar art pieces on their own terms

[sxcret-garden]

Ateez Reaction ღ Their s/o experiences verbal shutdowns

ღ Ateez all members x gn!reader ღ words: ~200 per member ღ genre & warnings: reaction, comfort, a hint of angst but everything turns out well ღ reader: no descriptions of reader’s anatomy, no pronouns used

a/n: I'm not 100% satisfied with how these turned out, but I wanted to post them anyway, in hopes they'll be a comfort to some^^

Hongjoong:

he’s a little confused to say the least when one day you decide to tell him about your verbal shutdowns

he’s never actually heard that there’s a term for this, neither has he considered this as something that simply happens to some people and isn’t something that can really be overcome

so after the initial shock he decides to just listen to what you have to say first of all, wanting you to explain it in as much detail as possible so he could understand

and you’re mostly telling him this so he won’t worry too much and know what’s going on when it inevitably happens in front of him for the first time

so when he asks about how to help you in such a situation, you’re caught off guard

he makes it clear that he really wants to support you, but since he’s never experienced this himself, he wouldn’t know how to do that intuitively

and when you stumble over your words trying to come up with an answer, he ends up chuckling at you being so flustered all of a sudden

“It’s okay, we can take this slow.” - he reassures you

once you’re calm and collected again, he listens intently, and in case you’re not actually sure what would help you the most during a verbal shutdown, he also offers to do some research with you and help you figure that out

Seonghwa:

listens very intently when you tell him about this, and also takes you very seriously

he’s curious to know everything about your verbal shutdowns and how to help you whenever you experience one, but he also doesn’t want to overwhelm you with questions

so after the initial conversation about it, he makes sure to do a lot of research, looking up other people’s experiences, tips, etc…

he wouldn’t forgive himself for accidentally saying or doing the wrong thing and making matters worse, so he’s very dedicated to learning whatever he can about this

and he will be so supportive, suggesting using communication cards, or some kind of signal only the two of you know about for when you lose the ability to speak temporarily

and once it does happen, he proves just how well he researched the whole topic, because he’s quick to understand what’s going on, and he doesn’t pressure you to speak in any way

instead he leads you somewhere where you can recollect yourself, and he gives you the space you need to feel comfortable and safe with him

Yunho:

gets so worried the first time you have a verbal shutdown in front of him

you were mid-conversation about a bit of a difficult topic, and suddenly you go completely quiet, so he immediately figures something must be wrong

“Y/N? Are you okay?” he calls out to you, but you can’t react, because you don’t even know whether you should nod or shake your head

he comes closer and carefully reaches out to you, resting his hand on your upper arm as he observes you closely with furrowed brows and helplessness reflecting in his eyes

“Did I say something wrong?” he throws another question at you, and this time you manage to shake your head

and thankfully he decides to just wait it out and stay right by your side for now, because after a few minutes of racing thoughts you finally succeed in conveying to him that you can’t talk right now

tells you it’s okay and that it’s enough if you just nod or shake your head, before offering you a hug which you gladly accept

once your speech has returned to you and you explain to him what exactly happened, he will listen intently and make sure to ask about how you want him to act if it happens again, so that he can properly help you through this

Yeosang:

he gets so worried the first time you have a verbal shutdown in front of him that he doesn’t know what to do

he tends to struggle with figuring out how to deal with unexpected situations like this too, and especially when it’s about seeing a person he cares about suffer while not knowing how to help, he just panics internally

manages to stay calm on the outside though, and once some time has passed he will definitely ask you about this, because this guy will literally be unable to relax until he knows how to deal with such a situation

and when you explain to him that sometimes you simply can’t speak no matter how hard you try, everything clicks in his head

“Oh my god… I thought I said something wrong and upset you…”

now that he knows what’s going on he’s relieved

and he’ll feel even more at ease when you tell him what you want him to do (or don’t want him to do) in a situation like this

but even if you haven’t fully figured out yet what helps, he’ll be more than happy to try anything you suggest

though he will still worry, but at least like this he won’t freeze up anymore and can actually support you!

San:

another one who’s worried sick when he first witnesses you in a verbal shutdown

a thousand thoughts are racing through his mind at once when you suddenly stop answering upon him asking you a bit of a sensitive question

he’ll immediately think it’s all his fault and that he has accidentally hurt you deeply, and seeing the guilt on his face is eating away at you, especially because you currently lack the ability to explain yourself

so you do the only thing that feels possible right now, and you shake your head vigorously as tears of helplessness well up in your eyes

and that’s when he decides that comforting you should be the top priority right now

so he offers you a hug, and when you accept it right away, he’s a little relieved

“It’s okay…” he whispers close to your ear, “You’re okay, I’m here.”

will sit you down somewhere comfortable, get you a glass of water, and stay by your side for however long it takes you to get out words again

and even if you haven’t spoken after a while, he’ll eventually figure it might help to also get you a pen and paper, in case writing down your thoughts is something that’s possible for you in that moment

Mingi:

he isn’t looking at you as you’re talking to each other, facing away from you and having most of his attention on his phone - or so you think

because when he brings up something that causes you to shut down and become unable to talk, it takes him mere seconds to realize something’s off

turns his head to find you staring at him, completely frozen up and struggling with all the words circulating in your head that just won’t come out

instead you begin tearing up because you hate that this had to happen now and at the same time you feel guilty about it

you watch as Mingi gets up slowly and approaches you

“Y/N…?” he quietly calls out to you, the worried expression on his face only causing you to feel worse

however, this guy isn’t stupid, and he’s seen this happen before

and although he didn’t understand what was going on the first time, he’s starting to get it now

“Can’t say it?” he assumes and you nod, still fighting your tears

“That’s okay… I’ll just stay here until you can.” 

stays beside you and eventually starts rambling about how he understands that sometimes words can be hard and it can happen

and just listening to his voice like this eventually helps you feel at ease, until eventually you manage to speak again, thanking him for being by your side

Wooyoung:

this guy here does not understand what a verbal shutdown means when you first explain it to him

“Huh? If you have something to say… just say it?”

he feels it's best to encourage you to get over whatever's stopping you so you could talk anyway - which is less than helpful to you, knowing it doesn't work like that

so when you lose your ability to speak when you're out with him and some friends upon him asking you just the wrong question, you get anxious about how he would react

however, as soon as he sees the panicked look on your face and realizes that you really can't say anything, even after he repeats his question, he begins to understand

excuses himself and you and then takes you away to a quiet place where you two can be alone

offers you a hug and when he sees you nod he holds you tight, not letting go of you until a quiet "thanks" slips from your lips

needless to be said, now that he's starting to get what's going on, he is very curious to know more about it, and how to best support you during a verbal shutdown

Jongho:

when you’re in the middle of an important conversation and you suddenly stop replying, his first reaction is confusion

he can feel himself getting frustrated with you, because you were talking about a topic he feels the pressing need to get answers to, but when your reaction to seeing the hint of anger on his face is to take a step back to get further away from him, it starts to dawn on him that your silence is probably not about him at all

calls out your name in an attempt to appease you, and when his expression softens, some of the tension leaves your shoulders

still, you can’t talk

so you stand there in silence for a while, with you unable to look at him, so what you don’t notice is that in his head he’s going through all the different ways to handle this situation, trying to figure out how to help you

in the end he simply pulls out his phone, opens the notes app, and holds it out to you

“Maybe you can type it out…?” he suggests, and when you realize that he’s not mad at you or disappointed, tears start welling up in your eyes

“Oh my…” 

offers you a hug with open arms, and when you close the distance between you to accept it and to bury your face in his chest, he makes sure to comfort you first and foremost as he pats your head and holds you close

[bird-inacage]

The Heart Killers EP2: Kant's Game of Deception

I'm acutely aware that with each episode, Kant's undercover mission gains momentum and the lie gets bigger and deeper, slowly ramping up the tension towards an eventual and inevitable apex. While Kant is still zeroed in on what will best aid him to get there, we're starting to see just how entangled this web will become.

BEST FRIEND & ACCOMPLICE, BROTHER & SUPPORTER

What really hit home for me this week is that neither Style or Babe have any idea of what Kant's really up to. Style believes Kant is finally pursuing someone seriously, and is willing to wingman for his best friend. Unbeknownst to him, there's considerable risk with his involvement - risk that Kant has not explicitly mentioned. In addition to that, he's also unknowingly become an accomplice.

Babe also oversees Kant flirting with Bison in their courtyard, and innocently presumes his brother is trying to win over the heart of someone he likes, to no avail. Cue little bro's words of wisdom that come from a place of wishing his brother the best in his efforts.

It's a reminder that Bison may be the centre of this deception, but the ripple effect of Kant's mission extends far further. Others will unwittingly wind up in the mix if he is to pull this feat off. The question is what are the possible repercussions to those beyond just him alone?

WINNING BISON'S HEART

As Bison continues to keep himself just out of reach, Kant devises a scenario to earn brownie points - inspired by Babe's advice. He pays a friend to hit on Bison, who he wards off in a show of jealousy and protectiveness, hoping the gesture will prove his sincerity for Bison as a romantic prospect.

Kant's goal is to convince Bison to be his boyfriend, which would allow him the closeness he needs to dig for information. What complicates their interactions is that a mutual connection was established between the two before the mission even began. So this makes it even muddier to distinguish where Kant's lies begin and end, and will only continue to get blurrier as his feelings develop.

Paying for a plant is overtly calculated, whereas divulging things about himself is more ambiguous. This could be perceived as a manipulative tactic to garner Bison's compassion, by appearing upfront and open about himself. Or it could just be Kant's way of getting to know Bison on a personal level because he interests him. The lens in which we interpret his actions depend on if you believe he's acting solely in service of the mission or otherwise.

EARNING BISON'S TRUST

What Kant doesn't know is how enamoured Bison is by his attentions already. The boy is noticeably giddy whenever he thinks and talks about him. He wants to believe that Kant is just a harmless suitor with no other intentions but to date him.

Style inserts further affirmations about his best friend because he's also none the wiser and truly believes in what he is saying. This will only make Kant's intentions appear more favourable in Bison's eyes.

Bison is probably trained to sense danger, hammered in by Fadel's incessant scolding and years of indoctrination by his 'Mother'. But in this instance Bison's concerns lean towards that of any normal person. He's wavering over Kant's proposition because he's unsure if Kant's a player or not, and isn't fully convinced someone would want to be his boyfriend after such a casual fling. What he's not entertaining are any serious suspicions that Kant's a fraud or threat.

He feels sure enough about Kant's integrity (as a person, not a man) that he's willing to consider exposing himself, something that Fadel reacts to with incredulity. Bison seems to feel that if Kant has been honest with him, he would like to reciprocate and be honest about who he is in return. (Little does he know).

FADEL'S WARINESS BACKFIRES

There's no irony lost on the fact that Fadel is right on the nose with his suspicions. But his concerns are having the opposite effect. The more he warns Bison and urges him to tow the line, the more Bison will be compelled to defy and rebel against this restraint on his life, and the more he'll be drawn to Kant as a result.

Bison wants to defend Kant. Bison wants to be proven right that his brother is being overly paranoid and misguided to think in such a way. He wants confirmation that everything he's been told by Fadel and his Mother is simply untrue, and that there's more to live for.

Writing the above already makes my heart die a little inside, because the more Bison defends Kant, the more awful I feel about his impending reaction to finding out he was lied to.

You can keep tabs on bird-inacage’s BL meta directory for my other long-form posts around The Heart Killers, which I’ll be updating in real time as the show airs.

[youuuimeanmee]

I saw a comment where it says Ranma is goading Akane here, to distract her from letting go of his hands.

And I have some thoughts about it.

Tbh I don't think he's goading her here. He's just stupidly honest, because you can find some truths in his word.

Akane IS slow –slower than himself, at least. Ranma has seen this in their first spar.

It's a part of what makes her cute, but in a life-or-death situation (with the spin, the height, and the speed they're in) where a split second matters, he's worried she won't be able to react quick enough to make a safe landing.

He also knows how selfless she is, how she hates to be a burden, and how she'd help her friends in any way she can.

He's seen this when she helped him & accepted to be her friends' spare. That's one thing he likes/dislikes about her. He likes how caring she is, but he dislikes how she can be so reckless in the process.

In the battle against Ryoga, Akane was too focused on wanting to help him, she ignored the flying bandana that can slice her at any moment. When Akane accepted her friends' request to be their stand-in, he's worried she accepted it so quick without even asking, what sort of person Kodachi is –who's able to beat up girls to that extent. Again, Ranma knew how straightforward Akane's fighting style is, from their first spar. She's fair and honorable, and he loves that about her, but would she be able to handle Kodachi, whom he's seen won't even hesitate to torture helpless ordinary girls?

Anyway, back to the topic. Ranma can be brutally honest, he came off like a jerk, even though that is not his intention. The most stark example (and could be an (un)intentional parallel) is when he chosed Nabiki to save, instead of Akane.

They fell from the 2nd floor balcony, but it was just a normal fall; no crazy shenanigan, no immediate danger there. In condition like that, Ranma trusts Akane she'd be able to land safely (and she did! kinda). Meanwhile, Nabiki has 0 martial art experience, she doesn't know how to land safely. That's why he chosed to save Nabiki. Too bad he lacks the tack to say it in nicer way. He failed to convey how much he trust Akane's ability, he even insulted her unknowingly, so he came off as a dismissive, uncaring jerk.

Wanting to help a person is one thing, but endangering yourself in the process is another. For Ranma, having a good sentiment is not enough. It's also important to have a holistic understanding of your surrounding to calculate the best action to get optimal result. As much as the truth hurts, that's one of Akane's flaw; when she's panicked, blinded by her desire to help people, she can be near-sighted in the situation she's facing.

An example; Akane was too quick to jump off to save Ranma, forgetting the fact that she can't even swim. That was hella reckless of her. Ranma decided that the best action to finally end the battle quickly was to use his Cat-Fist, by using Shampoo. He was really mean when he say the harsh truth, though. Akane was able to read his mind, only after she snapped out of her emotion and see things objectively.

(tbh Ranma can be really impulsive he'd ignore his surroundings too; at times like that, Akane will be the one who keep him in check, and that's what makes their dynamic so good, but that's another story for later.)

On related topic, let's also talk about how MAPPA changes Ranma and Akane's fall.

In the manga, Ranma was focusing on the wall as their trajectory; that's why his split-second decision was to pull Akane away from the wall and let himself take the hit. He (or Rumiko) was forgetting the fact that with the speed they're in, the hard ice can also hurt Akane when they fall. MAPPA took Ranma's calculating ability a bit further. Not only did he pull Akane away from the wall, he also shielded her with his entire body to protect her from the hard ice rink.

What I'm trying to say, the way Ranma shielded Akane here is not purely out of instinct (of his love for Akane). Because, if it's pure instinct, he would be confused how his body moved that way; but he's not. He's fully aware of what he's doing. He knew the consequences, and he's willing to take it. He even demanded Akane to at least thank his effort, lol.

TLDR; Ranma said he can't leave a slowspoke like her alone to fend for herself, not just because he wants to goad her, but also because it's his honest feelings. Ranma loves Akane, he'd never let her be endangered, but he's also a calculative guy in the battle who can come off as a jerk with his brutally honest opinion. It also doesn't help that he's a teen boy who never learn how to be considerate when choosing his words, due to his upbringing with Genma. (Tbf, in an urgent matter, he's not in a position to be able to choose his words carefully either). He'd only let Akane help him & handle dangerous thing, ONLY after he calculates how much she's objectively able to handle the burden. In a world with whacky power scaling, that's one of the thing Ranma would do to protect Akane.

(just realized, my words kinda portray him as this cold insenstive guy, but isn't that part of why he's so prone to misunderstandings that makes akane wants to hit him? lol. that's also part of his learning process throughout the manga; to be a better person for akane.)

[alexas-fandom-and-random-blog]

More thoughts about Striker and Bitzo parallels and oppression:

For starters I saw the "Bombproof Vet after trial" scribble later cause others pointed in out

and holy shit it legit got me in the feels! So sweet!🥺 I'm so happy they show he loves his horse! I would go absolutely feral if they tried to give him the complete Stella treatment and make him irredeemable in every way. That would be so cartoonishly evil! Not to mention boring.😒

Anyways I get prompted to rant a bit cause I had to roll my eyes in some fandom takes I saw going "See! See! He sides with royals! He's a fake bitch and everything he said about Stolas was hypocritical"

Which some are in good fun🤭 but I'd like take it as serious character study for a moment and say ...honey no. Not like that.

Striker can totally be hypocritical about his stance with class issues without devalueing his beef against royals.

He's an opportunist in core while taking pleasure by being nasty to his enemies and no shit his priorities would be in self-preservation.

He's not villainous just for shits and giggles though. It has to do about survival too. Being frustrated with unfair treatment doesn't make you a fighter for justice and a class hero and I have no clue why the fandom wanted to make that comparison so badly!

I like Striker's character that way I hope it remains as such and gets explored further 🙏 Makes him such an interesting foil to the narrative and to Blitzo.

And honestly speaking of, it's true that Blitzo's speech was better suited there for him at the moment to put his foot down while his life was in danger and stick to his stance and even his half cooked morals about lower class demons.

Which they are worthy of respect to have developed at this point, considering how selfish he himself has been in the past and how little access he's had to education, opportunities and society as a whole limiting his view of how everything really functions.

Still it's not like he started his company with noble intentions to save impkind. He wanted to rise above his limitations sure and was also frustrated by his status as in imp but growing into a spokesperson for them at the moment also happened to align with his own self preservation. He wasn't rallying anyone for an uprising or anything even if it is a naturally progressed spark in that direction and acceptance of that role might come later.

In the end the difference of between Striker's and Blitzo's approach is that Blitzo came to care about other people and be willing to be sacrificed for them while Striker is trying to uplift himself fist and foremost by any means necessary.

And that is good writing for character development! Even if the writing in general often fumbles and messes these core points by making some out of place jokes in between emotional moments making you question if the care Blitzo claims to have for his found family is legit.

But that's like a personal issue I have with the joke structure being hit and miss imo. Humor is subjective and the lot.🤷

That's all.

[halloween4life]

Sanders Sides Animal headcanons because I'm bored

I've been having a lot of thoughts about how Janus and Patton canonically have like, animal traits/feature. While Virgil and Remus only really have animals they're associated with as opposed to canon traits (as far as I'm aware/remember). And how Logan and Roman have no animal associations (again as far as I'm aware/remember). So I'm making headcanons for them organized from most to least 'canon' (in terms of the characters)

(also these are all with the intent of the sides being "humans with animal traits" as opposed to them like, animorphing)

Patton

Can jump the highest out of all the sides it's actually kinda scary

He can turn his legs into frog legs to jump even higher like my guy you do NOT need to be doing all that

He will eat bugs and he hates that fact about himself. One time while cooking dinner there was a fly in the room and he just, grabbed it and ate it without a second thought. He then proceeded to completely give up on life for the next 5 hours.

Virgil tried to bond with him over this and it only made things worse for both of them I think.

On a lighter note I think he makes ribbits and chirping sounds when he's happy or excited

but he will start croaking when he's in any kind of distress

He does have spots on his body, mostly on his back

Janus

I dont care what anyone says this I'm giving this man a rattlesnake tail

The tail isn't always visible like his scales, it's something he retract so he doesn't have to constantly deal with it. Honestly most of his traits that aren't his scales he can chose whether to present them or not

Definitely venomous but he doesn't really know why it does. (Logan was studying the sides' animal features and once he found out bout this, asked for a sample of his venom and proceeded to down it like a shot for research purposes. Neither of them had a good time that day)

Anyway his venom is basically an anesthetic, it will knock you out. (or in Logan's case make you horribly sick for the next 3 hours) (these headcanons were thought of before the latest incorrect quotes video I'm just that good)

Remus

He gives me blue ring octopus vibes

His body is definitely covered in ring patterns, generally they're kinda faded and look like old scares but he can make them more prominent and colorful

Also venomous, I think it would be a paralytic because something something sleep paralysis

Only has 6 tentacles 😔

His tentacles protrude from his back in basically the same way/places as Janus' arms

He can and will fit through any gap imaginable because no bones. He once forced his way through the gap under Virgil's door and he(Virgil) still has nightmares about it

he can regenerate his tentacles, this is often a result of his chopping them off for sushi jokes

Virgil

I feel like he's kinda a tarantula but I'm scared of spiders so I'm not very picky about the specifics

He also only has 6 spider legs (arms?)

They ALSO come out of his back in the same way as Remus and Janus' limbs

Can climb walls

CAN produce webs, but the come out of his fingers (sorry Remus), and they're a very light purple and kinda shimmery

He has sharp teeth, sorry I take no criticism

He does actually have fangs and chelicerae but he tries not to present those as much as it's definitely kinda freaky

Also willing to eat bugs 😔

oh oh oh he has stripes on his arms (horizontal)

HE HAS MULTIPLE EYES

Logan

He's definitely a bird

I know a lot of people make him either a crow or raven (which I totally understand), but I feel like he would be an owl, specifically a barn owl but that may just be the Mexican in me talking

Because of that, this man is dead silent when he moves, and has accidently given everyone heart attacks on multiple occasions

His wings are massive like you would not believe

I don't think he particularly cares for his wings much (i.e. grooming and preening), both because it's a really long and tedious process but also he kinda doesn't see the value in having animal traits, because of this he also doesn't really present his traits as much

He does grow feathers on different parts of his body, most notably on his chest/neck area, he's very self conscious about it

he can fully black out his eyes but it's not actually black it's just a really dark blue

Not really an animal traits hc, but Logan has absolutely gone to each of the sides like "I would like to study you 👁👁"

He does sometimes have very odd body language vecause of this, like he just kinda moves around weird (honestly just watch a video with a barn owl moving around and you'll see what I mean

OH he can turn his head around 270°, usually he uses this to scare the shit out of one of the sides if they are standing behind him

Roman

I'm gonna need yall to hear me out on this one but I feel like if Roman was gonna be associated with any animal it would be a deer

I'm specifically thinking a white tailed deer (not initially conceived as a Bambi reference)

He has bright red antlers and loooves presenting them once their freshly shed (fun fact deers shed their antlers)

That being said, he is actually super self conscious when he's shedding the velvet of his antlers (if you are squeamish about blood don't look it up) because it is 'gross and scary.' For a while Remus was the only one who knew about this.

He has a deer tail sorry I take no criticism

The fastest runner of the sides

he really enjoys just running around, like bro is actually the frolicer

He actually has a very faint darker patch of skin running up from the tip of his nose to his whole forehead (it sounds weird to explain in words but yall are just gonna have to trust me on this)

He has light spots on his back like how baby white tailed deer do

[bloomiii]

In the beginning of season 1, Mel is primarily opportunistic and self-interested; she is a morally neutral party, which is to say she is not going to pursue immoral actions but she is also not going to pursue moral actions Unless they benefit her. She does manipulate and "use" Jayce, but Jayce also "uses" Mel. It is a symbiotic relationship.

They both want hextech to work and Mel helps Jayce do that by getting him on the council (without consulting him, but with good intentions). Of course Jayce is NOT politically savvy like Mel and so this has mixed results. Which culminates in Jayce, completely on his own kicking Heimerdinger off the council (note he also orders the border shutdown on his own), frustrated with his lack of sensitivity regarding human mortality and using much of Mel's rhetoric that she has said to him about Heimerdinger (but doesn't necessarily believe 100%, all of which flies over Jayce's head). I do not believe she would have encouraged this and you see how she is shocked at his move, but realizes that this is partially her fault. And she supports him in it.

She is a mentor and sounding board, an important influence just as much as Viktor is. As Jayce is the main character of the Piltover plotline, they are two opposing influences in the beginning.

With Mel and Viktor being on two sides of the "weaponize hextech" debate. And Mel giving into the Noxian way of things at first.

Jayce: We would shatter any attempt at peace. Heimerdinger would never go for this. Mel: Heimerdinger's inaction is what brought us here. You said so yourself. The peace is already broken, Jayce. I'm only asking you to prepare to defend your people. If we're lucky, we'll never need to use it. The decision is yours.

But once the topic of invading the undercity and War comes up explicitly, Mel has shifted from being self-interested to being a voice of reason much like Heimerdinger and much more in line with Viktor.

Jayce: We've been talking about talking for weeks now. They're still cleaning the blood of the bridge. When do we say enough is enough? Mel: Jayce, you don't know war. I do. It must be our last resort. There may be a diplomatic solution.

After she says this, Jayce invades the shimmer factory, on the encouragement of Vi and wanting to stop the killing. But he ultimately realizes that Mel is right and pursues a diplomatic solution; Jayce, after killing the kid and truly realizing that war must be the "last resort," negotiates a deal with Silco, again all on his own.

(Unrelated, but I've always been a bit skeptical of how the show presents the "weaponize hextech" debate because Jayce and Vi's invasion and "weaponizing hextech" is what gives them the opportunity for peace. And as we see in season 1 and 2, Piltover has no way to counter the shimmer soldiers outside of hextech, which really begs the question why Zaun hasn't tried to invade Piltover before, at least enough to get independence. In s1, one council member even says something to the effect of "we couldn't invade because they have shimmer." Like it's weird that Zaun already has a deterrent that they could use to negotiate with Piltover but hasn't. Or that Piltover, realizing the power of shimmer, hasn't tried to seize control of it or stop production.)

Anyway, all of this culminates in the final scene where Jayce gets the council to vote on Zaun's independence with Mel and Viktor on either side of him, all of them aligned in trying for peace. But of course it's ultimately too late and a tragedy.

(I feel like a huge part of the "who should be blamed for hextech" debate is people not wanting to acknowledge that Heimerdinger has always been right, even if he has never been able to say it in a way humans, and Jayce, Viktor and Mel could understand. He was right that hextech could be dangerous, that it needed much more time and safeguards, that it shouldn't just be given to the masses the moment it could be like all three (Jayce, Viktor and Mel) hoped. But it's not as obvious because of their desire to improve lives sooner than later. And because of the audience investment in hoping it can save Viktor. They were all wrong in this and Heimerdinger was right. I mean imagine someone discovering electricity, and a few years later making cars and planes. That's what they did with hextech.)

So, in s2, when Jayce is having that flashback, I think it's him reflecting on everything and Everyone with a new cynicism. And forgetting how they truly thought that hextech could be a force for good. And with this new cynicism, he doubts Mel's actions regarding everything, especially hextech. He questions Mel on whether she knew about her powers and on why she didn't save the council with her powers. He wants to share some of the blame for what he has seen. And he does, I think, realize he is being unfair when he says he is being an "idiot" and an "ass." And later in the council meeting, when he says "this isn't a fair request" to ask people to defend the hexgates when they did not have a hand in causing this crisis.

I interpret their "breakup" less about him choosing Viktor over Mel, but as him choosing to face the consequences of his actions to the end. And knowing that he will likely die as a result. When Viktor tells him to leave in the astral plane, he says "we finish this together." That is Jayce understanding his own part in all of this.

TLDR: While Mel did manipulate and "use" Jayce, Jayce also "used" her and the benefits he got from her influence. And his most dramatic actions, good and bad (kicking Heimerdinger off the council, invading the shimmer factory, negotiating a peace with Silco), are wholly his own.

Analysis: Why Jayce broke up with Mel in Arcane 2.08

Since the finale episodes of Arcane dropped this morning, I've been going back and re-watching some of my favorite scenes, and I was struck by Jayce breaking up with Mel.

First of all, yeah, he clearly does break up with her, though I missed how formally he does so on my first watch-through. He does it in the Council chamber, just before Viktor attacks. But since they get interrupted, he finishes breaking up with her (after checking in with her) on the balcony later.

But what really struck me about the breakup wasn't in those scenes, but actually back in 2.07, when Jayce is alone in cavern in the darkest timeline. I definitely didn't catch on the first viewing that this is where he chose to break up with her.

In the background, you can hear Jayce in the depths of his despair and solitude starts going over in his mind all the steps that led him to where he is.

Here are some of the quotes he hears:

"I never asked for this!" - Himself to Viktor, trying to justify his actions up to that point just before Viktor leaves him.

"This research is everything, my whole life," a quote from one of his first conversations with Viktor but, more importantly, it establishes Jayce's entire raison d'etre up to that point. Hextech research was his life.

"He was my mentor, Mel, and I betrayed him," obviously is Jayce discussing the coup d'etat against Heimerdinger he orchestrated to save Viktor, but it was with Mel's assistance and urging.

"You must destroy it. It corrupts. Consumes." A quote from Heimerdinger, warning against Hextech. Which must feel especially prescient now that Jayce is stuff in the evil bombed-out future where Hextech destroyed the world.

"I was trying to create magic." Jayce to the Council to defend his Hextech research and save himself from banishment, but, he only mentioned magic at Mel's goading, which I would guess he's beginning to recognize now for what it was in retrospect.

"It's your time now, Jayce." Mel, part of her goading of Jayce into advancing Hextech research and his political career.

"Perhaps it's time for the era of magic." Mel's words on the night she saw Hextech for the first time, after helping Jayce and Viktor break into Heimerdinger's lab.

"You must destroy it." Heimerdinger about the Hexcore, again, probably feeling pretty prescient right now with Jayce literally in the pit of despair in a the evil Hextech future.

Finally, while looking out over the fire while clearly going nearly insane from the isolation, Jayce begins to hallucinate seeing Mel. But then, her image in the fire gives way to Viktor's.

The decision has been made there. It's not just Jayce reflecting on his two closest loved ones (as I thought the first time), rather, it is the moment Jayce makes his decision: he is picking Viktor over Mel. He has decided that the reason he is here in this terrible place is because of Mel, not Viktor. He is choosing his partner, going back to what they had before she became involved in their life. His new course is set.

Now, I want to preface the next part by saying I love Mel, she's a fascinating character, and though I ship Jayvik I also ship/shipped MelJayVik, so this isn't coming from a place of bias. I'm just analyzing the material when I say these flashbacks were Jayce rearranging the narrative in his head and realizing Mel's been manipulating and goading him in his pursuit of Hextech.

Given where he is when this is happening: starving, freezing, in pain, alone for weeks if not months in a stone box, slowly going insane, surrounded by the burnt corpses of people destroyed by Hextech, I'd say... yeah. His need for someone to blame is pretty understandable. He even starts whispering, "No!" in a panic at the memories in response to what she says in his mind.

So when we get to the Council chamber in the main timeline in 2.08, I'd argue that Jayce is spoiling for a fight. He's had months of agony to decide things are over with Mel and that he's angry at her. He wants to blame her for what happened to Viktor, for what happened to him, and he's in pain and he wants to lash out. The relationship is definitely over.

But then Mel is in pain too. And Viktor shows up, with his own autonomy, showing that they all had their shitty parts to play in this drama.

The attack by Viktor adds another element, Jayce was probably also mourning that he had to shoot Viktor at that point, another thing that was painful and made him want to lash out and blame others for this horrible place he's in emotionally and the horrific place he's been in physically until recently.

It's only after Viktor's attack though that Jayce realizes that this situation is complex, it's not all Mel's fault. It would be easier to just pin all the blame on Mel and make Jayce and Viktor her victims, but Viktor shows to him that he has his own agency and Jayce needs to be clear-eyed going forward about who he is saving, because it's not "Mel's victim". Viktor is his own person.

Jayce also remembers some of the care he once had for Mel when he catches her before she falls (in a tender moment I mistook for a full reconciliation between them the first time but no, it's just him remembering he cares for her wellbeing). Jayce can't trust her anymore, after realizing just how adept she was at manipulating him without his realizing, but he does still care for her as a person. And he's cooled off enough to address the pain she is clearly carrying.

(I admit, I do love this moment of him calling himself an ass, because I adore Jayce but it's a lovely beat of self awareness and really shows his growth as a person that he can say this to someone that just hours before he was squaring up to fight against and blame for all his misfortunes.)

But anyway, the moments you really see that it's over between Mel and Jayce:

When he doesn't explain to her what happened to him. That's not for her to know anymore. He's decided that they're not together or intimate anymore. And he's probably still hurting from realizing how she's used what he told her in the past to encourage/manipulate him to her own ends and therefore wary of sharing. This is also a reason for the breakup: he can't share the immense pain he's been in because he can't trust her anymore, and he knows it. It's over.

In the scene on the balcony when he turns away from her instead of towards her before offering his advice. Jayce is very touchy-feely, he always offers physical comfort to his loved ones. But there, he deliberately turns away instead of taking her in his arms and comforting her. Again: it's over between them. But he still respects her. So he reminds her of how indomitable she is, along with offering the slight backhanded compliment born of his distrust for her: she's never the passenger, she is always the one in control. He knows, because he's realized she used to control him.

I've mentioned in other meta that this season deals in a lot of comeuppance for events in S1, and this is arguably Mel's. She'll be ok, she's got magical sun powers and she's the head of a powerful house now. But she doesn't get to keep Jayce in her life as her lover anymore after what she did, because she did manipulate him, even if she had good intentions mixed with the self-interested ones.

The trust is simply gone now. But he cares for her and wishes her well, so, I'd argue they parted on as good of terms as could be done.

[damnfandomproblems]

https://www.tumblr.com/damnfandomproblems/768609563277688832/fandom-problem-6564-im-sorry-but-i-can-never?source=share

I'm pretty sure most people who use puriteens are using it in a serious but tongue in cheek capacity, what's wrong with that? Also WHY is brat in there? Was that intentional, or are you just really really young, and/or have no interaction with people over uh, 20? Because everyone I know outside of fandom knows what the word brat is, it's a common word. It might be regional, but it's FAR from something that originated online.

Posting as a response to a previous problem.

A few additional anon responses: (Previously posted on their own, but I realized we had a lot of them so I decided to edit them all into one response to save space.)

Anon:

This smells like tone policing

Anon:

Brat is literally "a child, typically a badly behaved one". I don't know what you expect! Do you expect people to spell that entire definition out to refer to children who behave badly, instead of just using a word as it's meant to be used? You do know language is a shorthand to express complex ideas, right?

Anon:

Lol. No. I didn't listen to my great grandmother use the word "brat" to describe spoiled children (seriously, have you not ever heard the phrase "spoiled brat"?), AND my mother use the word, AND myself use the word as someone in their 30s, just for someone who doesn't even know the first two things about the word to claim that using it means someone is chronically online or "immature". Usually it's quite the opposite. So much unearned confidence in this ask, when you're just patently wrong.

Anon:

You can pry "brat" from my cold, dead, hands, you uncultured swine.

Anon:

“Brat” has been used for hundreds of years as one reply pointed out. Second and longest point of all, people who are calling minors “brats,” “puriteens,” and “snot goblins,” are referring to minors invading spaces not meant for them. Friendly reminder that there was a case of a minor who was 14 on a Discord server with other minors and the moderator was an adult. You know where this is going. The adult was grooming all of those minors, showing NSFW artwork of Cookie Run characters to the minors saying that the artists and people who like certain artwork and ships are “pedophiles” and that the adult running the Discord server is “one of the good adults.” That minor was bullying a classmate over Cookie Run ships, which is how the mother found out what was going on. Not only that. The minor had a Twitter and interacted with NSFW artwork. There have also been scenarios on Twitter where minors butt into conversations about sexual content. A minor was interacting with the Azur Lane Twitter account, which is a lewd gacha game filled with anime tiddies that can be comedically large. That minor claimed that one of the (at the time) latest cards of one of the game’s characters was “fetishizing their culture.” It’s a game about battleships and aircrafts as anime waifus. There are minors that invade adult spaces and then throw a fit that they’re getting kicked out. Some obnoxious minors will fling the word “pedophile” around at any adult that tells them to get lost. I saw a 15 year old go, “I bet your pedo ass got off to that.” “That” being the adult telling the minor to stop having conversations about sexual content out in the open on social media like Twitter and to stay out of adult spaces. There are also minors who unironically regurgitate the same puritan sentiments extremist “Christians,” 90’s soccer moms, and old white guys that tried to blame GTA for gun related crimes. That is where the “puriteen” (as corny as the term sounds and looks) comes from. It’s the same puritan mentality, but being performed by younger people. To end this off on a hot take, minors should not be on social media. Because there are creeps that lurk on social media and adults who groom children into an anti mentality and antis are the equivalent of a cult. I felt chills seeing minors on TikTok saying, “I’m scared that I will become a predator for still having a crush on a character who will still be underage by the time I become an adult.” Some of the comments under that TikTok video were also thinking about seeking therapy related to that statement. If you still think people who get mad at minors who invade adult spaces are the problem even after I provide these real scenarios of minors getting involved in spaces they’re not supposed to, then idk what to tell you. Sorry that this ended up being hella long, it just annoys me to see someone invalidate adults in fandom that keeps minors out of adult spaces and labeled them as “the actual problem.”

Anon:

I think it might be you who needs to get off the internet for a while and maybe open a dictionary?

[shizuu-chann]

Playing Veilguard a second time, I'm realizing how often the "Devouring Storm" is mentioned and I'm dying to know what's going to happen. Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain mention (during one of the eavesdropping scenes in the Crossroads) that their dreams since escaping imprisonment have been grey and shadowed or something (I can't remember exactly what they say, but they're both perplexed and at least mildly concerned--at least until Elgar'nan waves his verbal hand and dismisses it while saying, "The future is intangible, only the past and present matter" or whatever).

Even Anaris wants to gain corporeal form again to escape the impending "storm" (not sure how that would have worked out for him, but again, whatever). Cyrian tells us Anaris is scared of something but he doesn't know what! Plus, learning more about what the qunari were running from before settling Par Vollen and the tablet mentioning said Devouring Storm. What did they want with the Inquisition last game with the War Table missions? Then there's the secret ending, of course, and I just really hope we actually get a game in the future that tells the story!

What about Those Across the Sea is powerful enough to force the kossith to splice some of their own with dragons to gain fire breath? What are they, that they had the Imperium scared a millennium ago when they still worshipped the Old Gods and were arguing during construction of the Archon's Palace whether or not it should be offensive or defensive? They made an entire floating fortress that shoots magic lasers to defend against Those Across the Sea.

What boggles my mind even more is everyone in Thedas just...forgot about them? I'm not completely sure about that, but I don't recall any mention of Those Across the Sea (in-game) prior to Inquisition. My guess would be that it was intentional on the part of TAtS. If it's true that they've had a hand in all these major events in Thedas, then it wouldn't surprise me they have the power/influence/reach to erase themselves from records and the like (likely with agents) to keep people from being aware of their existence or machinations. Was them causing these events in Thedas a way to keep Thedas distracted while they made plans for...whatever it is they're doing? Invasion, at least. Was it that calculated? Can they even be that calculated?

It could also just be that they want to destabilize the region for to enact their plan. They did a great a job, if that's the case. A Blight; a war between mages and Templars; Solas possibly being aware of this impending "storm" after waking and dreaming, like Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain, and acting too rashly (as he is wont to do), giving his orb to Corypheus to expedite the process of regaining his powers, and tearing a massive hole in the sky that tore smaller holes that spit out angry spirits all over Southern Thedas; and now with Solas trying to tear down the Veil, perhaps, again, in reaction to this revelation that Something™ is coming, further destabilizing Thedas incidentally by releasing two power-mad ancient elven-spirit mages hell bent on blighting the world to reclaim their past glory.

Did TAtS anticipate that, too? Or were these two tyrants escaping unforeseen? Did they foresee someone stopping them, which is why they seemingly encourage Rook? Is foresight something they have? They seems to anticipate everything Rook does, at least in regard to the first two "circles" you find that unlock those cryptic codex entries. I just have so many questions and no answers.

I need to know who they are, what they are, and what they even want enough that they've had their suspicious little fingers(?) in, apparently, every major event in Thedas for the past several decades at least. And HOW have they had their fingers in them? Is their goal sinister? If so, do they KNOW it's sinister? I mean, the first circle-orb-thing you find, the voice says something like, "They interrupt. As predicted. As hoped. Learn. Adapt. Triumph." The second, "You return. We are content." and when you ask who they are, they reply, "Not now. Not yet. We will show you. Soon." Iirc, they seem surprised when you find the third, but I haven't found that one again yet so I can't remember off the top of my head. Their plans are a mystery, but seem sinister from what info is given to us, but then why do they want us to triumph? Unless the two Clowns escaping wasn't part of their plan and they want them dealt with, too, so their own goals won't be hampered. I DON'T KNOW UUUGGGHHH. I just love it~

[anamericangirl]

"Abortion as a concept is different than murder as it is regarded in the law. To say “God didn’t HAVE to address it” is ridiculous because abortion was incredibly common place..."

Abortion as a concept is not different than murder as it's regarded in the Bible, and that's what we're discussing here. And you haven't given any real explanation about why you think it's so different. You're the one claiming God didn't address it. I'm claiming he did address it by making it clear he values the unborn as people and explicitly commands us not to murder. That addresses abortion. You are saying "no he has to make a special announcement about abortion or I'm going to assume this specific kind of murder isn't included in that law" and that is a problem with the way you are reading the bible.

You need to do a better job at explaining why abortion isn't included in that rule. Do unto others as you would have them to do to you does apply to kidnapping, but do unto others as you would have them do unto you isn't a law established by God.

God saw some acts towards others as bad enough to need severe consequences on earth. And actions that directly cause harm to other people fall into this category. So yes kidnapping is included in the concept of treating others how you want to be treated and it's a severe enough violation of God's code of conduct that it needed a punishment. Just like murder, which is what abortion is. To claim God's law about not murdering people doesn't apply to abortion you have to make a solid argument that that would show God doesn't consider unborn babies people and you haven't done that. You've tried but have failed so in making a convincing argument because most of your points have a foundation in complete misunderstanding of biblical texts.

God doesn’t say “thow shall not drown your kids or shoot them in the head”, but a living breathing independent child is established as a person, and so to kill them would be murder.

Show me in the bible where God says a two year old is a living, breathing independent child. You believe that to be true, but show me where it states it in the bible.

Because it kind of seems like you're using your own beliefs about personhood to determine what the Bible is saying and not what the Bible itself says.

A fetus is not a person independent of its mother. If the mother dies, the fetus dies. Murder is applied to individual people, not parasites, cancer cells, sperm cells, eggs, or fetuses. A murder is the unlawful killing of a person, fetuses have not even begun to be people."

Ahhhh and now we see what your claims are really founded in. You made a claim about what the Bible says about abortion and the unborn but you are not paying attention to what the bible says about the unborn because you have decided, not based on the bible, that the unborn aren't people. You have gone into the discussion with that belief already and because you didn't see the Bible say "you're wrong the unborn are people" you are just holding onto that scientifically illiterate idea even though the bible clearly personifies the unborn more than once.

Show me where the Bible says the law against murdering people only applies to "individual" people because I think you made that part up.

I agree murder doesn't apply to beings that aren't people but fetuses are people. They are acknowledged as such in the bible and we know that from a scientific standpoint so really, what's going on here is you don't need the Bible to tell you abortion is bad, you need to understand the biology of fetal development so that you can understand the unborn are living people from the moment of conception. Then you would understand abortion, which is the intentional killing of that person, is murder and would further understand that when God commanded us not to commit murder he was even talking about pre-born babies.

When exactly, do you think fetuses begin to be people and thus no longer ok to murder?

"God also knew the sons of Egypt before they were formed in the womb. God knows every single soul before they are even conceived, this doesn’t speak anything to whether or not a fetus is a person. God is simply saying he knows all things and all people before people were even a thing. God knew every stillborn baby and every person who was never born...."

You....you kinda missed the point here. Yes, this is an example of god knowing all things and knowing all people before they come into existence but if we put on our thinking caps here, what are the implications of this verse? Why is God using the verbiage here that he is using? Why did he say "before I formed you in the womb, I knew you"? He didn't use that terminology by accident. It was very intentional. God is saying he knew that person before they even existed but what did he choose to use as the beginning point of that person's existence to make that statement? The formation in the womb. He doesn't say, "before you born, I knew you" or "before you became a person, I knew you" he says "before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." He is referring to the being that was in the womb as the person he is speaking to at that moment. God is conflating this person and the fetus he was in the womb as one and the same and to ignore that and act like it's irrelevant and really means nothing is a flaw with you and your reading of scripture.

"Again, what is being said? This passage is surely about God’s power, but it doesn’t say anything that is at all specific or exclusive to the fetus. The Christian belief is that God knows all, knows us, knows who and what we are."

Again, I refer you to the my response in the paragraph above. I am not using these to say God says fetuses are in the Bible, but these are clear cases of personifying them. Speaking of children in the womb in the same way he speaks of people outside the womb. That's not an irrelevant trend and again, ignoring it doesn't make it irrelevant. Even though this is not explicitly stating "fetuses are people" it does more to show that God sees them as people than it does to show he doesn't.

"When it describes movement in the womb of Elizabeth and second because this is a reference to people who are not ordinary, not usual, not as the rest of us. This is a poetic illustration of the link between Jesus and John, a scriptural ballad telling of what is of the eternal, the humanizing of salvation. It’s not a guide to female reproduction."

Can you back up that speculation in any way whatsoever as to show that's actually what the scripture was doing and not a literal interpretation as implied by the context?

Also, no one is claiming it's a guide to female reproduction. The bible is not a guide to female reproduction, it is the story of who God is. What this is though, is an illustration of the humanity of the child in the womb and that God views them as people, which is what we are discussing. To brush it off as "not a guide to female reproduction" is you strawmanning the reason it was brought up.

"God makes the distinction between people, completed humans, and fetus’ when he says that the punishment for causing a woman to miscarry is a fine. That’s also something you blatantly misrepresented. “Further harm” was in reference to the woman, the mother who is a person. An eye for an eye, a life for a life, if the mother suffers harm, if the woman is to miscarry the punishment is a fine...."

I blatantly misrepresenting nothing. That's what the text says. You say further harm was in reference to the woman but that's how you interpreted the text, that's not what it says.

The verse says if any harm follows, it doesn't specify who that harm must happen to so you saying it's just in reference to the woman isn't true. It's logical to assume that it's reference harm to the woman and her child.

Also, again, the bible says if the woman gives birth prematurely and you are saying it says if you cause a woman to miscarry it's just a fine. But miscarrying and premature birth are not the same. That is blatant misrepresentation.

You keep using the word miscarry and that is not the word used here so be careful of accusing me of twisting it around while you yourself are guilty of doing exactly that at this very moment.

You are just assuming it's all in reference to the woman and I understand that's what you want it to be in reference to but your assumptions are unsupported by the text.

But also, why do you keep using Jewish religious texts when talking about the Christian Bible? The christian bible is translated differently than those texts so it is a severe logically fallacy for you to make a claim about what you think it makes sense for Christians to believe based on what you think the Bible says and then use Jewish religious texts, that differ from the Christian bible and aren't the texts christians adhere to, in attempts to back that claim up. I'm not arguing Jewish texts with you here. I was under the impression we were discussing the christian bible.

I'm not going to argue this anymore because really we could go back and forth forever and we're really just going in circles with the same arguments but I will respond to the addition you added to this reblog.

While I think all of that information interesting I find it completely irrelevant to the topic at hand which is does the bible condemn abortion, meaning, to my understanding, does God condemn abortion?

So what the people of the time believed or all the different ideas of the beginning of life don't really matter in answer to that question.

Your idea that the bible doesn't condemn abortion only works if you will not acknowlodge the reality that abortion is murder and that the bible doesn't need to make that specification for it to be true. God clearly spoke of children in the womb in the same way he spoke about people outside the womb and obviously considers that the point when a whole, unique human being comes into existence and I strongly reject your attempts at refuting that and found them all utterly unconvincing.

The bible does condemn abortion because it condemns murder and those are the same thing whether you admit it or not. Abortion is the intentional, unjustified killing of one human being by another. The bible never said murder only applied to human beings at a certain point of independence. That's an extra qualifier you made up.

So you can reject the claim that abortion is murder and you can say the bible doesn't say abortion is wrong because you're right, it doesn't specifically address abortion so on a semantic level, you are right, but just on a semantic level. If you understand the Bible as a whole book, and you understand the verbiage used by God and the reasons he used the words he did, and you understand the teachings of God and you acknowledge that God clearly values the lives of the unborn then it is clearly understood that abortion is an act condemned by God. You failed to debunk the idea that God doesn't see the unborn as people and doesn't consider killing them to be murder.

The only way you can win the debate is by keeping it strictly on a semantic level, which explains why you are working hard to keep it on that level.

So you can reject the fact that abortion is seen as murder by God, but to claim there is no biblical basis for that belief is absurd.

most frustrating thing I’ve learned recently as i continue to read the bible

yeah so the bible literally never, at any point condemns abortion. Jesus never condemned abortion. In fact :) the bible actually provides instructions on how to properly have one. seriously. Look into it. Christianity takes its ethical base from Judaism, and Judaism says that you're not a person with a soul until you draw your first breath.

so :)

hahaha :) there’s literally no reason :) why Christians want to deny women and afab people healthcare :) besides the obvious, to control our bodies.

like :) there’s literally no reason :))

guys 🙏 absolutely NO scripture. :) condemning abortion even once. :)))))))

i’m about to lose my fucking MIND.

[ourlittleuluru]

I've been waiting the whole day for this, now I gotta yap about the new Tender Moment! (۶〒▽〒)۶

Can I just say I LOVE THE STORY CONTAINED?!

There's so much small details and references... also like the footstep sfx, MC was walking and then you can hear the footsteps quicken into a short run... 😭❤

AND THEN THERE'S THE BGM AGAIN...! AT THE END! I CANTTTTTT

Spoilers for those who haven't listened to it so... into the read more it goes!

First off, just their classic domesticity at play. Xavier casually calling MC asking when they'll be home 🥺

And then... this?! The staff just automatically assumes them to be taking it back together and instead of asking if they want their stuff to be separate or put together...

Staff be like, they look close. Probably a couple. Let's just ask if they want it in the same bag. AND XAVIER WITHOUT SKIPPING A BEAT SAID SURE! LIKE! Meanwhile MC was just being all ???? 😭😂

Xavier has no doubts. Nothing to ponder. Everything about it felt natural to him. Their things being together.

Mr good-with-kids Xavier at it again uwu

and the way MC calls Xavier a youngster 😂

And then this parttttt

It's not transcribed but the ad was basically something about 21 days to form a new habit and promoting this vitamin drink. (Funky Fuel....? now with more electrolytes???? 😭)

And this was when Xavier repeated that line about 21 days to form a new habit. Makes me wonder... did this card happen before 21 Days Memory then? (It feels like it) And then he brought it up again during the events of the 21 Days Memory. Afterall, Xavier does like to pick up on things and bring it up again later, be it books or anything else. (But also yes! a 21 Days memory reference ToT)

The later section when MC was talking about some habits that Xavier has, Xavier has reasons for those and it's all related to MC... Like 🥺

MC is so integrated into his life by this point, every little thing relates to MC. Except for the rubbing on the corner of a book page and the one about where he starts eating the bread from. That was just him unconsciously doing it.

And MC naming the little astronaut Xavier too 😭😭😭😭 because it reminds MC of him...! ahhhh

Then comes this whole section that is just obviously outright referencing Xavier himself. I can't even... I don't even know where to begin?????!

The way the astronaut is trying to return to his planet, being in the shop window for a month and Xavier says that he looks like he's lost

Him pulling this line...?!

But of course MC puts a little spin to answer his question.

And Xavier doing this little action... It's like he's reassuring himself in a sense. What he's doing, he's doing it for MC and he will keep going (even if it runs him into the ground... Now I'm remembering the ending line from WorldUnderneath and .... இ௰இ )

Anyways, MC just remembering this memory and grinning. UGH CUTE! SO CUTE 😩

And then MC just started running towards Xavier after noticing him...! you can hear it in the sound effects! Like MC was excited to see him. They're just so in love

And of course Xavier and his classic excuses. Love that he admits that it was a bad excuse this time though! 🤣 Does this count as character development too? That he doesn't feel the need to really hide much of his intention to just want to meet MC and continue their little habit of buying bread and walking back home together at that intersection.

(Also in CN Xavier also said an extra "Let's just pretend what I said just now was wrong. Let me try again" in the previous line about it）

SO. DANG. CUTE. PLEASE! 💗_(´ཀ`」 ∠)_

AND THE DEVS!!!!?!?!?! HELLOOOOO???!!!!!

The moment it was MC saying this line, Celestial Serenade plays! OIIIIII!! D':< SURE I DON'T NEED MY HEART

The way that BGM plays as this little astronaut that was seemingly lonely, was not alone anymore, with flowers (that I'm sure represents MC)... RUDE! It's good! Well played! But still, rude! >:'3

And MC just also, without any hesitation or question, resonates with Xavier 🥺🥺🥺🥺

Also this though 🤣 Sorry MC, our astronaut, while I don't think he was hit by an asteroid; he was definitely sucked into a black hole... a deepspace tunnel specifically. And he definitely lost his way. BUT. He found it again 😭💕💕💕💕

Okay... one last thing. Again, just me being curious about the localization 👀

For the line in EN "It's wonderful that I can light up your world"

Maybe I'm just not native enough to the Mainlands to catch the nuance behind the CN line? But that line in CN, MC never ever mentioned specficially who the subject is. Feel like I really might be missing something here. Gonna need an expert for this 😂

Oh, but the line "Not expecting me to do that, ...", in CN it was more of "Not expecting me to bring this up, ..." or "Not expecting me to say that, ..."

I just find the EN line a bit awkward when MC didn't do anything. All MC did was say "Wonderful" right before this

Aight, time for me to end this here and go to bed. I probably missed out something... or missed out saying something... but am sleepy c': I'll see if there's any other add-ons tmr.

Loosing blood is no fun and I'm super sleepy thanks to that ~(>_<。)＼

Ah... wait... one last thought...

CAN Y'ALL BOTH JUST ADOPT THE LIL ASTRONAUT AND FLOWERS??? 😭 may just the whole window display! It sounds so adorable and it'll fit into their home or something...! Well, I mean, I would for sure.

[kartoonatic]

I'm a huge "themes" guy in stories and one thing I appreciate about Spin of Fate is how it positions all of it's main characters to explore different philosophies within activism.

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT:

Aranel, mostly in the first half but throughout the story, is an idealist with a rigid perspective on what is just, moral, and good. For him actions are easy to judge and circumstances are an abstract thought that he tacks on to his considerations after the fact. Morality is a zero sum game to him, and he fears being on the losing side of this game so much that he tortures himself with every "sinful" thing he's made to do. He's literally obsessed with moral purity and believes the widespread adoption of those exact ideals is a blanket good for all of humanity without accounting for the vastly differing life experiences of his fellow human beings. Most of the book is him deconstructing this ideology, and he comes a long way in developing a richer understanding of how circumstances influence a person's behavior. He becomes more empathetic, more willing to sacrifice his own privileges in order to elevate others, but he doesn't get all the way there. Taking the ending into consideration, I'd argue he still has a ways to go. He hasn't really deconstructed this "zero sum game" philosophy in regards to rights and wrongs, and he hasn't learned that he doesn't know the people of Malin as well as a person from Malin.

Aina is a radical idealist, she sees a system that has made her to suffer along with everyone she holds dear for literally eternity. Not only did Toranic Law condem her at birth to a life of pain, poverty, violence, and disease, but she can't even effectively defend herself with channeling due to circumstances beyond her control. This system is literally responsible for all of her hardships. She harbors no affection for Toranic Law no matter how absolute it is. Even when it seemingly starts to work in her favor, when her spin reverses, she still views it as an unfair injustice and resents it to the very end.

Meizan is a staunch realist concerned only with his material reality. He believes Toranic Law to be unjust and cruel like Aina, but harbors no resentment towards it, and has no desire to tear it down because it's imposible to him. He literally tells Aina that hating Toranic Law is a waste of time since they have to live under it anyways. He is first and foremost concerned with his clan, his people. A lot of time in his perspective is spent on how he processes the situation in front of him. He's motivated to understand his surroundings and the people in his vicinity but only as much as he needs to to keep himself and his people safe. He spends the least amount of time speaking on his ideology or telling people what they ought to do.

All of the characters are manipulated by the existing politics of their world, but it's Aranel and Aina who have their passion and convictions turned on them the most. Aina's main goal is always reuniting with her mother but she believes in the Balancer's mission the most of all three leads. Aranel begins the book with an unwavering loyalty to the Preservation but makes a hard flip towards Balancer loyalty. Both parties take advantage of these characters by weaponizing their strong held beliefs, especially in what they believe is moral and just, to radicalize them in their favor.

Aina tends to let her ideas guide her in a very literal sense. The idea of her mother, the idea of the life they could have together, and the idea of revenge cloud her analytical mind and get her into dangerous situations. That idea of a good future with her mother is so powerful to her that it literally drives her back into hell. Aranel suffers from a lack of lived experience, and even after all his time in Malin still cannot conceptualize the reality of things like war, disease, and lifelong suffering. It's why he sides with Zenyra in the end, because he cannot understand the weight of his actions, what putting people through war really means. Meizan, being only concerned with what he's directly experiencing, is the least prone to manipulation in terms of ideals. He's not moved by any cause except that of Kanjallen. But while he's more stable in this regard he's harder to move to action, and harder to trust. He makes it explicitly clear that when it comes down to it, his people come first and no other relationships or ideals are that important to him. It leaves his values kind of up in the air, and as the end of the book illustrates he has no idea what he believes is best, so he goes back to the clan. He consistently struggles to envision a better outcome for him or his people, and i think that's a greater flaw than people give credit for. Especially since we know better things are possible. Will his lack of vision hold him back from a life free of violence, the one he's already convinced he'll never know?

My guy, who's to say but I need this second book expeditiously. Post-haste.

[lgbtlunaverse]

While rereading mdzs I am once again shocked by how talked about the "you were the only mistake he ever made" line from Lan Xichen to Wei Wuxian is and how heated it gets some people because honestly... I don't think he actually even believes that.

Stay with me. Look at the actual line. (I Included 2 translations for comparison's sake)

Firstly, yes he is mad at Wei Wuxian in this scene. But his biggest moment of anger was actually before this. By this point he's realized that Wei Wuxian forgot what happened after nightless city (and therefore ISN'T stringing along his baby brother on purpose) so he has in fact calmed down a bit.

Secondly, notice that he starts by talking about how his uncle felt. This is not Lan Xichen making a value statement about what he thinks. When he says Lan Wangji was proper and righteous he is talking about him being a model lan, he's talking about their family and clan's perspective of Wangji. Indeed, in their eyes, Wei Wuxian is the only time Lan Wangji was ever not the textbook perfect Lan.

Thirdly, what is Lan Xichen trying to say here? What is he mad at Wei Wuxian for? It's that he doesn't know Lan Wangji is in love with him. His anger is eased by realizing Wei Wuxian doesn't remember the very blatant confessions lwj made in the cave after nightless city, or Lan Wangji fighting his own clan elders for Wei Wuxian, and so had no way of knowing the whipmarks on Lan Wangji's back were related to him. But he is still mad, he still thinks Wei Wuxian should have been able to figure it out. So what does he highlight?

The fact that the only thing Lan Wangji, perfect model-Lan righteous Lan Wangji, ever defies his clan for is Wei Wuxian.

And Wei Wuxian has seen him do this! Even if he doesn't remember this one instance. Because Lan Wangji has been doing that the whole story through. Wei Wuxian has watched Lan Wangji blatantly stand against the entire cultivation world for him, and here Lan Xichen is highlighting just how unusual that is, how much Wei Wuxian must mean to Lan Wangji that he's willing to do that. The important part of the sentence here is not "mistake" it's "only."

Lan Xichen here isn't trying to say that he disapproves of Wei Wuxian, or telling him to stay away from his brother. Remember, the thing that made him mad in the first place was Wei Wuxian saying that he and Lan Wangji slept in seperate rooms. He thought they were together! He's mad because they're not!

At no point does Lan Xichen say he individually considers Lan Wangji's feelings for Wei Wuxian a mistake. If he ever did, it's clear he accepted them regardless long ago. Mistake or not, what he wants is for his little brother to be happy.

[dxxtruction]

Do you think - all speculation here but let's indulge a bit anyway - do you think, from Armand's perspective when he's in all likelihood just heard Daniel voice his complaints and beg to be turned into a replacement for all Louis' lost, that that could be a part of his choice to then come in when Louis' on his neck? That a part of him was thinking... even if Louis is angry in the moment... that Louis would inevitably do it? (He could, at least?)

He kept him alive all this time. He'd shared with him things he never shares. It's morning and he'd still kept his attention. He's special, Armand knows without needing to hear it out of Louis' mouth.

And like, from his perspective does he see this replacement as the last thing Louis needs? Considering how well filling a void by making another vampire had turned out for him the first time. How he'd been filling a seemingly un-fillable void as it is. How he's unstable, and not in the right mind to be taking on such a responsibility. How it's a bad idea doomed to fail, only a more disastrous mess to clean up in the end if he doesn't stop this now. Or, maybe let's say he's only at all concerned with himself, Armand has many selfish reasons to want Louis to move on. So, he at least finds Daniel, the potential of Daniel, to be a threat because of what he'd be replacing - leading to Daniel as this wedge between something that was already splitting hairs as it was. Maybe it's a bit of both, and either way, whether it's a success or not Daniel poses something Armand can't handle.

Anyway it'll be interesting to see how, or if, they bridge the initial feelings towards Daniel on Armand's part with the Daniel we have now. Cause there's a lot of questions there. There's a strange sense of fondness towards him? At least this is something I'm seeing in their interactions so far.

[brown-little-robin]

you restore my faith in humanity. idk you're just so genuine and unobstructed from being yourself and loving everything around you. every time i think the world sucks i think about Robin From Tumblr and i'm like Hm maybe it isn't all bad

AW THANKS <33333 I TRY