#and that situation might not be as dire or moral as some people seem to thjnk | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

violenteconomics · 3 days ago

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I am in dire need of more of that AU that The First years get The upperclassmen toxic traits,i realy want more of It,like;

A way to include octavinelle and scarabia,maybe like,3 First years(Ace,deuce,Jack) get some of azul's toxic traits,other Three(epel,ortho and sebek) get Jamil toxic traits and yuu get both

Second thing

More reactings please,i NEED The staff,ALL The dorms and even the relatives seeing The First years developing those toxic traits,the overblots+Trey and cater for deuce getting their toxic traits right back at their face i beg you🙏🙏

anything 4 u, baby.

(but for real, though, this is an AMAZING idea, love you so much for tilling the ground for my brainwormies, mwah mwah 😘)

(also, this might get REALLY long, so hang tight!)

it was just a seed at first — a tiny idea that stuck around despite the first-years not even realizing it was there. but as the poison from their actual housewardens starts to develop into something truly deadly, so does that seed. it shows up later... but it makes itself known nevertheless.

ace, deuce, and jack have all worked for azul at the mostro lounge at one point, and though it was a very brief moment in time, it was just long enough to worm its way into their heads.

it starts with ace trappola, who's already pretty slippery with his words. but working at the mostro lounge, taking subconscious note of all the underhanded deals azul is making, he starts to pick up new... skills, let's say.

it starts small, with ace starting to give out certain favors to his fellow freshmen to earn some money. if you give him ten thaumarks, he'll do one of your everyday chores for you — dusting your room, cleaning your bathroom, making dinner, what have you. if you give him fifteen thaumarks, he'll do your homework if you don't feel like doing it, or take class notes for you if you don't feel like showing up. if you give him forty, he'll help you with something less-than-moral and definitely against the rules (he did it once back at the atlantica memorial museum — he can do it again).

there's an obvious power imbalance in all of these scenarios, but ace effortlessly words in a way that makes it seem like it's a win-win situation, when in reality, it's more like a zero-sum game.

it gets to the point where ace builds a black-market sort of reputation, and all of the freshmen know that if you need something done, ace is the person to go to.

...but then, something shifts.

at some point, ace starts a black-mailing campaign for the people who paid for the forty-thaumark favor. if you don't want your secret — one that might get you expelled, suspended, or worse — getting out, then you can pay for ace's silence with a favor or more money.

the worst part is: there's no way out. if you try attacking ace, it'll seem like you assaulted him for no reason, since if you try to explain he was blackmailing you, you'll have to tell them what he was blackmailing you with, which you obviously can't do — or else what was even the point? the same rule applies if you try tattling on him to one of the teachers or the housewardens or anybody else. and ace is a better liar than most people will ever be in their lifetime, so it's a losing battle even if you do manage to get someone to take your side.

so if you want to cross the bridge, my sweet, you've got to pay the toll.

(it's not even about the money anymore, really. riddle's thirst for control and azul's desire for recognition have clashed inside of ace in the most violent way, and now, it's all about the power it gives him over other people. and after how powerless he's felt this entire school year, being thrown left and right by overblot after overblot with no say at all, this is a power trip he never wants to come back down from.)

but ace realizes he's making quite a few enemies with his little money-making strategy, and he needs someone to help him just in case someone does come up with a plan to wipe him out. i mean, just look at azul — even with all of the loopholes and leverages in the world, even he was taken down eventually without outside help. if he wants this to last as long as possible, he needs... incentive for people to listen to him.

his own jade and floyd.

his own red-and-black collar.

using his riddle rosehearts-born dominance, and taking advantage of deuce's trey-and-cater-born passiveness, ace convinces deuce spade — one of the strongest people he knows — to help him in his economic ventures.

and deuce, seeing this as a way for ace to vent some frustration and unwilling to be on the other end of ace's ire, hesitantly agrees.

he doesn't piece together that ace is acting suspiciously like azul, but he still recognizes his own role in this whole scheme. ace is running a business, right? and deuce has only ever worked in one business before. he remembers what jade and floyd were like back when he worked under them, and so he uses that experience to inform his new position.

deuce becomes known as ace's right-hand man. he'll hunt you down if you don't pay, and he's not afraid to use force to "compel" you to. there have been stories about cat beastmen getting thrown up into trees and being left there for hours. about students getting forks "accidentally" thrown at them in the cafeteria with such precision, it doesn't really feel like an accident. about a student with a spade on his face who can throw back any attack sent his way with just as much force.

and there's nothing you can do about it, because he's in service to someone who has made himself pretty powerful. ace's silver-tongue gets deuce out of any and all trouble he inevitably finds himself in — and is ace is so brutally honest, why wouldn't people believe him? so even if you try to do something to deuce, ace has his back no matter what — and he'll win almost every time.

you mess with deuce, you mess with ace, which is already bad enough. but if you fuck around with ace, you better be prepared to find out with deuce.

they're a pair — that's always been true. but never before has that fact been so threatening.

jack howl comes next. we all know how much jack despises octavinelle's business model. but, begrudgingly, he will admit there are a lot of things he can learn from octavinelle. and more knowledge is never bad. as long as he doesn't actually use it, it should be fine.

(jack is more dangerous than ace and deuce, in a way — his toxicity is insidious in a way it just couldn't ever be with them.)

with excellent hearing, eyesight, and memory, he silently keeps note of every bribe he hears being taken. every lie he knows is being told. every mistake that gets swept under the rug. it's not long before he starts actively looking for it. it's not long before jack's uncovered dirt on almost every freshmen in school. it reminds him a bit of his time working at the mostro lounge. but instead of memorizing orders from customers, he's memorizing all their dirty secrets.

it's to protect himself, jack reasons. after all, it was only his input that put a stop to leona and ruggie's plans back during the spelldrive exhibition. he's just... preparing for another disastrous event, that's all. it's just precaution. insurance.

if it's not, then he'll have to accept that leona's overblot bothered him more than he thought. that he was weak enough to let it.

(and jack can't face that yet.)

and if, once in a while, ace comes to him looking for a little bit of information, then well, that's just lending a friend some advice. nothing wrong with that.

epel, ortho, and sebek don't have any direct ties to jamil, but they are certainly... impressionable, aren't they?

sebek zigvolt is a bit dense, certainly, but even he can see how well jamil takes care of his master. and with a master that's as ditzy and forgetful and all-over-the-place as kalim, that can't be easy. even if they are merely humans, and their experiences can't even begin to compare when it comes to serving a fae prince, sebek reckons that he can learn a thing or two by observing them. so that's exactly what he does.

one day, when kalim spills food on the floor in a hilariously ridiculous move, sebek notices something few others ever would. jamil gives the tiniest twitch of annoyance — the same way silver, in all his stoicism, often does when sebek gets too loud — but then he's back to being perfectly dutiful and polite and says "i'll go get a napkin."

it's... admirable, honestly. sebek doesn't put it into practice right away, but it stays in his mind long after he first sees it.

and then, after malleus's overblot, sebek's emotions feel like they're on fire. after being stuck in a world where it took just the tiniest crack to shatter a perfect illusion, he's wary of nearly everything that disrupts his day. now every single slight against him, no matter how unintentional it may be, feels like a personal attack on his very life. but sebek can't show these ugly emotions so outwardly — that would be dishonorable behavior that could damage malleus's reputation. instead, he resorts to subtle methods that can't be easily traced back to him like putting in frogs in schoolbags and setting brooms on fire or replacing shampoo bottles with tar.

but his repressed feelings of anger start to build to the point where he's now feeling unprecedented resentment towards... well, almost everybody.

when sebek has very first negative thought about malleus in history class — "reckless bastard" — he instantly hates himself for it and throws up then and there because how dare he.

he tries to shut them out, but the more he does, the more these intrusive thoughts start to bombard him with their uncharacteristic cynicism.

he looks at lilia from across the breakfast table, and his first thought is: heartless liar.

he spots leona lying in the botanical garden and he thinks: brainless cretin.

he even sees jamil, walking through the halls, and his mind screams: manipulative bitch.

but sebek shoves it all down because he's in no position to say that. it gets to the point where he's walking around as a silent, unfeeling husk, because to be anything else would be like inviting his inner demons to visit him on the outside. he pushes his emotions down as far as they'll go, and that's just going to have to be enough to get him through the day.

ortho shroud begins to follow a similar principle. his idia-inspired pessimism has led ortho to see others as less like people and more like characters. it's easier to think of every school day as a dungeon in an rpg. it's easier to convince himself that the other students are taunting him because they're programmed to be that way than face the reality that they just don't like him.

but the problem with seeing life as a video game is that you start seeing others as just ways to complete your objectives. like npcs or maps.

and when it comes to using people, jamil viper is king. or, for ortho's purposes, the ultimate survival guide.

ortho shapes himself into a model night raven college student — kind, charming, and sweet for the teachers, but just mischievous and rude enough to still fit in with the students.

he goes to housewarden meetings with idia to "gain leadership experience", taking notes and hearing out of every single little idea he can get his hands on (these are the people who have not just survived, but thrived. they must be doing something right). one time, riddle even pats his head and praises him for his proactiveness.

his classmates adore him for always been willing to help and being so calm about even the worst outcomes.

ortho makes himself as available as possible to the rest of ignihyde, brushing off homework or studying to help them with whatever they need — fixing game consoles, wiring in controllers, checking the internet connection, et cetera.

eventually, everyone believes in him almost as fiercely as scarabia believed in jamil, once upon a time.

ortho doesn't like telling all of these lies, but it's necessary to protect himself. it's like grinding to earn coins until you have enough money to buy that special armor in the shopkeeper's store.

...or maybe it's more like those cheesy dress-up flash games ortho used to play all the time — fleshing out the perfect outfit and hairstyle and makeup that'll earn you the most points.

if people feel like they need him, he'll be able to breeze through school without any more problems. he's put the whole system on easy mode! it feels a bit like cheating, almost.

it is like a game, isn't it? it's fun.

(at some point, ortho forgets how to stop.)

as for epel... well, he knows that his sudden snappish behavior towards the other pomefiore students won't go unnoticed for too long. but this is one of his only ways of venting, so he needs it to go under the radar long enough for him to... to squeeze out all of this sudden venom that's built up in him.

epel's not oblivious. he knows how sebek and ortho have changed over the weeks, and he knows why. but epel can't pull off "repressed" like sebek, and neither can he suddenly turn into the best person ever like ortho. but they do have the right idea about taking inspiration from jamil, so epel can fall back on what there is left: gaslighting.

every time kalim blacked out, jamil blamed it on him being sick. every time someone thought kalim was being awfully uncharacteristic, jamil called it a "mood swing". every time someone asked jamil about why kalim was acting so weird, jamil claimed ignorance.

at least, that's what yuu tells epel.

and it's perfect.

so now, every time someone confronts epel about his overly critical behavior, he lies and says he's doing it for their own good. you need pressure to make a diamond, after all. and besides — vil won't settle for anything less than absolutely perfect.

("i'm just trying to catch your mistakes before he does. and i think you and i can both agree that i'm a lot nicer than he is about it.")

every time vil confronts epel about all of the complaints he's been hearing from the other students about how epel's been tearing down their ideas for outfits and hairstyles with no mercy, and disregarding all of their achievements as "not good enough" to be proud over, epel dons a confused face.

("vil, between studying for tests and the crazy physical regiment you have me do, i barely have time for myself. you honestly think i have the energy to criticize other people?")

epel even starts turning people against each other so they won't focus on him. epel subtly threatens to take away the upperclassmen's position in the hierarchy, which sets up the other underclassmen as a threat, and epel grouses to the underclassmen that the upperclassmen look down on them for not living up to pomefiore standards, under the guise of regular teenage bitching.

but all of this, combined with their self-entitlement, leads to a mini-war in pomefiore. but since this is, well, pomefiore, where being perfect and poised is the standard, the others make sure never make it obvious in front of vil or rook.

epel plays everybody like a fiddle, and ensures that none of it can be traced back to him. it's a good way to get out his frustration. and hey — it seems like everybody's upped their game along the way. vil seems pretty happy that everybody's improving in their efforts so greatly, practically overnight!

epel wakes up with a feeling of accomplishment everyday. for once, it seems he did something right.

now if only rook could stop looking so somber...

then we come to yuu, whose inner darkness has been left to fester all year. if people think they can treat them like a ragdoll, it's only fair they do the same.

there's a lot yuu doesn't have, but one thing they're really lacking is a bit of respect. that's what it means to be magicless in an arcane academy. you're at the bottom of the food chain.

and look at what a bit of self-interest can do for you! yuu studies in the library until late into the night, burning the metaphorical candle at both ends, learning everything they can about magic until they're more well-versed in it than most students in the school. yuu starts making potions that aren't nearly as good as azul's, but they're cheap and work well enough. they start making study guides for others with their new-found knowledge, even if they do bristle with the fact that a damned study guide is what caught them in azul's tentacles in the first place. they start learning anything and everything, clinging to whatever scraps of knowledge they can write down.

with this, they successfully make their case for why they should join ace and deuce's business. eventually, they're just as feared as they are among the other first-years.

but that's not enough for yuu. the power of fear is nice, but the power of controlling other people would be much more cathartic.

so that's what they do. while ace is more focused on monetary gain, yuu uses their mountains of blackmail to convince others to do whatever they want.

if crowley throws another ridiculous task at them, yuu simply hoists it off to somebody else to do. if ramshackle dorm needs a few repairs, it's only a matter of contacting a few people before a whole construction crew paid off by somebody else comes knocking at their door. and they'll do it, if they don't want to get kicked out of the school or have their reputation ruined.

but somehow, even with all of this, yuu sets themself up as the nicest out of their little trio. they're willing to let payments slide from time to time. they listen to their clients' problems. they take constructive criticism and always seem to improve in their potions and study guides based on feedback. and if you do do yuu a favor, they'll give you certain favors right back.

so even when yuu is a covetous, greedy, all-consuming shark, the students still think they're so very, very nice. because compared to ace and deuce, what else is there to think?

but this can only go on for so long. and yuu knows that.

one day, they get called to the headmage's office. yuu is already going through their contact list — a list that's quadrupled ever since they joined forces with ace and deuce — to see who'd be willing to do them a teensy little favor for them, but when they step through the door, they pause.

inside the office are all the housewardens, their vices, the teachers, and everybody else yuu has grown to know over the past year.

yuu narrows their eyes as riddle steps forward.

"yuu," riddle starts sternly, "from one housewarden to another, i believe we need to talk."

(i will address everyone's reactions in a reblog, because this is honestly getting really, really long, lol. but don't worry, the reactions are coming! 🥺)

(but i should mention that there is already a good reblog of the original post by @thenumberhuntress which addresses the upperclassmen's reactions that you can find here. go read it. it's peak.)

(once again, thank you for the great ask! this was fun to make!)

#anything 4 u baby #twisted wonderland #twst #twst first years #sebek zigvolt #jack howl #ace trappola #deuce spade #ortho shroud #epel felmier #twst yuu #the following are all just #(mentioned)#azul ashengrotto #jamil viper #a few others that appear so briefly it's not worth it to give them tags #generational trauma #i went a little off the rails with this one but i hope you enjoy it nevertheless lol #trying a new format

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canmom · 5 months ago

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re gaza fundraisers situation

i don't think most of these escape-from-gaza fundraisers going around are likely to be scams. there probably are some scammers who jumped on the situation opportunistically, but there's less convoluted ways to make a buck. similarly, i think the people who are going to the effort of trying to verify them fit the profile of people who stepped up to do a difficult and quite thankless task and got in over their heads. why are there so many fundraisers? well if i was stuck in a refugee camp during a genocide and i word got around that there was a website with generous strangers who might pay for me to leave, i would probably give it a shot. so would you, I suspect. "elaborate conspiracy by porn bot operators to scam tumblr users, setting up a spurious system of 'vetting' to justify their scam" doesn't seem particularly parsimonious as a conclusion to jump to (the porn bot operators are in general just using tumblr as a free hosting service for seo shit), but if you fixate on the idea that's what's going on, and feel like you're the smart one for not falling foot it, there's very little evidence that can't be framed as part of the conspiracy. so a few people i sorta know over in the rat sphere threw out this accusation and now it's a whole furore.

even beyond that, though, there's plenty about the situation that is, through no fault of these gazan refugees, plain fucked. just like with e.g. trans fundraisers, with a loosely finite amount that people are likely willing to spare, you get a game of who can write the best appeal to emotion. for example, if you can point to a middle class occupation you used to have to supplant the stereotype of a poor refugee, that's effective rhetoric and maybe your fundraiser will go further. this is ugly and it shouldn't work like that, but that's the shape of it.

thus, the refugees end up looking at a wall of potentially hostile strangers and trying everything strat they can think to persuade them to part with money, while the tumblr user side is being constantly presented stories of strangers in pain; some of them end up trying to purchase satisfaction of moral principle, relief from feelings of complicity, etc etc. there are some personal connections between the two, but for most, that's the extent of the interaction. unfortunately, where they're continually confronted with a lot of people in very similar situations of misery, people (without some personal stake or connection keeping them invested) are likely to start mentally grouping everyone into one abstract figure of 'palestinian refugee', tuning out, finding excuses to dismiss them, etc etc. so on the refugee side, it ends up a very finite-sum game. and scammers just make that worse by mixing in an extra element of 'FUD'.

and worse, even if everything works out, mostly this money is going straight into the pockets of Egyptian border guards who set the (essentially) bribe price for putting someone on the exit list. similar to when the cops lock someone up and you have to raise bail, they can set that price to whatever they think they can get away with. there is absolutely no reason why it should cost $10,000 a head to cross from one side of a wall to another, except that the circumstances of this genocide produce an opportunity to fleece refugees - and anyone who decides to help them.

but if my friends were in Gaza you can bet I'd ask anyone who'd listen to pay those guards off for me. and if they refused, it would fucking hurt - that's my friend, they could die. a life saved is a life saved.

in general we are much more likely to move for a friend we have a personal connection to, or even a stranger who we perceive as relatable, than a total stranger, no matter how dire that stranger's situation. on some level this really feels wrong like, to each according to their need, right? somehow though applying the cold calculus of lives saved per dollar feels utterly cracked. if you're not filthy rich, there isn't really a good course to follow, because it's just a bad situation.

this isn't advice. there are always more people in need than you are capable of helping - the situation in Sudan is very dire as well for example, I've made online friends with a young gay guy at another refugee camp over there, and there's not much I can do to get him and his friends out except hope that he has some luck with certain Canadian charities. but every city on earth has people ending up destitute, right outside your door. helping someone is always a gamble. ultimately the call of which person you choose to help is quite arbitrary. so re gaza, I'm personally sending a decent chunk of monthly money to unrwa and I donated to a few fundraisers, but ultimately I'm already giving nearly all of my disposable income away to specific friends who are currently depending on me, so... is that the 'right' allocation of resources? i don't know and just have to accept the decisions i made.

charity is not a relationship that brings out the best in people, in general - it is inherently unequal, and there is a sense of shame, anxiety and suspicion that surrounds the whole thing on both sides, and that tends to find escape somehow. nobody likes to feel like a mark, nobody likes to feel like a pity case, and even in situations of legitimate suffering, nobody likes the hard sell. but as long as the genocide continues (and it shows no sign of stopping), this will continue, people will need the help. i have no solution.

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gaysnorlax · 6 months ago

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the more i think about it, the more the dlc actually made me care MORE about miquella and malenia.

i had no feelings towards miquella except "ur sus as fuck" in the basegame, i thought malenia was cool as a boss but i didnt really care for her as a character. but the recontextualising of the dlc made me think they r pretty interesting. (big spoilers and thoughts under the cut)

if there is an item/dialogue that disproves me then i guess i am wrong, but from my interpretation miquella started with hopeful, uncomplicated motivations. but theres only so long you can keep that up in your not-erdtree before you realise your reach is only so much, and the good you do to these individuals is essentially Not Enough when you cant help everyone and your family is out there running a kingdom built on hatred. it makes sense for me to go from that to "i hate gods, i hate what they have done, but if this is the system in play then i will game the system". it even makes sense to me to abandon a sister who (imo) he loved dearly, because she is one person, and your new system will help Everyone. it makes sense in this mindset to manipulate and use her to go get your new consort, because once you have your new "perfect" world, there will be no need for manipulation- but youre not there yet, youre still living in the hateful world of your mother. it makes sense to abandon your soul-dead brother, because he is one person and in your new world, you can help everyone.

imo the consort stuff doesnt completely track with my theory, in that my theory is that radhan was chosen to give carian legitimacy and minimise outside threat to a world that you hope will no longer have to go to war. (ranni was "dead", and rykard is a Snake so. radahn is all there is lmfao, and even then its suspect whether radahn actually agreed), but the game seems to add a lot of personal feelings there which im not sure were always there. maybe miquella realised he had spurned everyone else who cared for him in his pursuit of a better world and held onto the only person he still had. idk. theres probably lore but i didnt catch every item or dialogue.

i do not think miquella is evil manipulative 100% no feelings scheming evil griffith, i think he had a dangerous set of tools (ability to completely charm people) and a dire situation that was not getting any better while he kept to the moral high road. i also have some thoughts that the st trina split happened as he started contemplating doing Bad Stuff, where she wanted to keep to their original morals.

anyway thats mY OPINION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i might be totally wrong, but this is just how the story and characters read to me

still dont care much about radahn tho lol x

#my posts #sote spoilers #shadow of the erdtree #sote #elden ring

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alchemicaladarna · 1 year ago

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Just to clarify, I am obviously talking about the characters and the QSMP as a story. I am simply an avid viewer that had too much coffee and time on their hands so I basically wrote an essay. What is it about? I have no idea. So, read it if you want, but beware that nothing at the end of this should make sense.

In my opinion, morally ambigious characters are interesting, but UNPREDICTABLE morally ambigious characters are even more fun to analyze because they take more risks and play more dangerous games. If a character was labeled as a "hero" and played on the "good" side they are guaranteed a safe spot within the group. Regardless of whether they kill or hurt others, they are on the good side because they are fighting against the corporation that is keeping them and their friends trapped in a place that is a nightmarish paradise. If they had done actions that worked against the islanders' favor, by, for example nearly getting everyone killed by explosives at a party they are justifiably labelled a villian. But what if a character played in the middle? What if they were neutral? What if they simply wanted to let things play out- sticking to the sidelines and only becoming involved when the situation benifits their entertainment?

So, pardon me for the long intro, but here's the gist folks: q!Foolish arrested q!Pac e q!Mike and unknowingly put them through loads of emotional trauma that I don't think they'll be recovering from any time soon, for fun. To a person with a normal moral compass, that's obviously fucked up.

"Friends don't send friends to prison."

In q!Foolish's perspective, he REALLY didn't think the consequences of his actions through, but he wouldn't have arrested q!Pac e q!Mike for no reason. Mr. Mustard is missing and the Federation told q!Foolish that q!Pac e q!Mike were responsible for his disappearance. At this point, I think enough time has passed that we the audience know q!Foolish is being manipulated by the Federation. Even Foolish himself knows he's being manipulated by them, yet he still partakes in this precarious game because it's simply more entertaining than just sitting on the good side and letting things play out.

Q!Foolish has never actively gone out of his way to hurt people on purpose. Does he lack some emotional maturity and the appropriate response to some situations? Yes he does; but he doesn't have malicious intentions. He's there to have fun. Where others see a dire situation- at the mercy of the inescapable claws of a malevolent corporate entity, q!Foolish sees fun and exciting opportunities. The others might not want to admit it, but aside from the tragedies and kidnappings that have occured on the island, this nightmarish paradise has provided the characters with more excitement and enjoyment, than what is worth.

But, not everyone understands q!Foolish's perspective, and that's good! That's ok! But what I'm perplexed about is their constant unjust treatment of him- the exclusion, threats, torture, many many pointless accusations disguised as interrogations, etc- simply because he did one task for the Federation. One task that affected the lives of two people, but in the end both parties communicated and forgave each other anyways. One task that required q!Foolish, and by extension, q!Jaiden to harmlessly investigate around q!Pac and q!Mike's base for a considerably long time before finding nothing that would incriminate the duo. Throughout q!Foolish's endeavour, working with the Federation cost him most of his friends' trust and gave him no benifits, but he still reluctantly chooses to carry out another task because it's entertaining. But like q!Foolish said to q!Cellbit the other day, he may be stupid, but he's certainly not an idiot, and he has limits. A lot of people, specifically q!Max don't seem to understand the concept of a neutral party. If you work for the Federation, you are a villain- and honestly, that's a fair assumption considering their reputation. But what about people like q!Jaiden? Q!Jaiden, one of the kindest people on the island, who is compassionate to everyone, even Cucurucho, who is always perceived as a malicious entity?

What exactly defines a villain in this story? In my opinion, everyone on the island has a skewed sense of morality. Everyone except Elquackity knew of his first assasination and simply watched as he lost his first life, then celebrated when he lost the other with no regards to the repurcussions of their actions or how Elq felt about all this. And while we can justify their actions because Elq hurt people before, and either brainwashed or replaced q!Quackity, how do we justify their treatment of q!Foolish even after he communicated honestly to q!Pac e q!Mike and done nothing to deserve their maltreatment of him. Maybe I'm a bit impatient, but at this point, q!Foolish's arrest, has had the same value and impact as q!Bad giving people the survey for the Federation; I'm even more willing to believe that q!Cellbit's accidental "employee of the month" investigations benifitted the Federation more than whatever measly and repititive tasks they're giving out to q!Foolish.

So, what warrants all this hate and injustice towards q!Foolish then if he's not harming anyone? Why is he the punching bag? Why is he the butt if the joke Every Single Time? What warranted all the cruel jokes and malicious beatings after the Nether event? Is it because they know he won't exact revenge upon them? Is it because, in their eyes, they only value him as a court jester and nothing more? Q!Foolish even said the Nether, an obsolete dimension of fire and brimstone, offered more compassion and comfort than a world where the sun shone and the air was less polluted because the inhabitants, his "friends" treated him with more malevolence than literal souless monsters from hell itself.

Think about q!Jaiden- a person whose compassion broke through Cucurucho's souless programming and gave it a home, a sense of safety, and relaxation. Jaiden works (and apparently worked???) with the Federation, yet she has more kindness within her than an entire group of people, on the "good" side, fighting against evil.

The truth is, there is no bad side among the islanders. The admins (meta) wrote the Federation (and codes?) as entities that the collective group should be against- a common enemy. But once you "ally" yourself with the Federation and do tasks for them does that make you the common enemy as well, or do you need to commit more heinious acts to be considered a villain?

And what about the islanders? At what point do the rest of the players begin to consider a character on the wrong side of things? At what point do they begin to abandon compassion in favor of searching for the truth? How far will they go in pursuit of the truth?

In my opinion, there are no villains in the story because everyone is capable of becoming an antagonist in one way or another. Basically, EVERYONE is morally ambiqious because they have all been antagonists to each other at some point in the tale, and as the story keeps unfolding, who knows what could happen? A character might say they are a good person, but as the story changes, so do their values, their morals, their limits. How thin can someone's patience be before it inevitably snaps?

#qsmp #qsmp analysis #qsmp character analysis #qsmp thoughts #qsmp foolish #qsmp jaiden #qsmp cucurucho #qsmp pac #qsmp mike #qsmp bbh #qsmp max #qsmp cellbit #me: writes an essay to justify the chaotic neutrality of Foolish's character Also me: realizes that by justifying chaotic neutrality #im completely missing the point of being chaotic and neutral #also also me: writes it anyway and confuses myself in the process

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beigetiger · 4 months ago

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My brain is fucking overanalyzing a two-page phone call scene in Resurrection so now I’m just gonna spill my thoughts, probably pretty skin-deep analysis but I’m doing it anyway

Needless to say, spoilers ahead

This entire scene does a really good job highlighting how unbelievably not normal Skulduggery and Valkyrie are about each other, even after five years apart.

First off, the book never actually says who started the phone call, and the dialogue is vague enough that you can’t really guess. I actually really agree with this choice, because making it clear which person called the other could have made the weird dynamic going on in this book seem much more one-sided, as opposed to the mutual obsessiveness shown in this scene. The chapter shows nothing of the beforehand of the call (how Valkyrie got to the hospital, etc) and shows nothing of it afterwards, ending the chapter when the conversation seems to reach its natural conclusion and Valkyrie hangs up.

There’s also barely any description of the setting that Valkyrie is in. Valkyrie basically spends one or two sentences describing the clinic and stating that she’s in an empty room, and then that’s it. It doesn’t go into any sort of detail into where in the clinic she is or why she’s there, so the viewers have to guess. The scene also barely shows Valkyrie’s inner thoughts, so the scene is mostly just the dialogue between the two characters, which adds a feeling of objectivity and also makes the scene feel more closed-in, which is probably a good representation of what Valkyrie was feeling at the moment (due to the shock factor of abruptly losing someone and then talking to weird version of them a few hours later).

In fact, Valkyrie’s inner dialogue is mostly just used at the very start, where she mentally notes his voice. This on top of only starting off using pronouns instead of their names shows a repeated familiarity between the characters that immediately tells us who’s perspective we’re looking at, no names necessary. Showcasing the familiarity between the characters is also important to do here because they’ve recently been apart for five years and it’s reassuring to the audience to know that they’re still freakishly close.

Also, Valkyrie being so desperate to hear Skulduggery talk that she’s willing to sit there and listen to him talk about how he’s going to literally murder her. There is so much going on there, from Valkyrie’s current shitty mental state (it’s already shown in the book that she puts up with a lot of bullshit, this just adds to it) to her borderline denial that anything is wrong with her partner (like how in the next chapter she just repeats to herself that Skulduggery is fine and everything will be alright).

Skulduggery, of course, is calling her out by claiming that some part of her does understand the direness of the situation at hand, even if she doesn’t want to. He also does it in an almost taunting “there is nothing wrong with me, I’m not trying to fight this corruption at all way”, which MIGHT be true at that moment, or might be a bare-faced lie that he’s trying to make Valkyrie convinced of in order to also convince himself. After all, he does later manage to fight off Smoke’s corruption TWICE, and you cannot convince me that some part of him wasn’t trying to beforehand.

Adding to my previous point about the familiarity between the characters, Skulduggery is quite willingly (and gleefully) open to Valkyrie about his emotional state, how he’s coming to his current moral conclusions, how it feels from his perspective, and so on. While he’s definitely more generally emotionally open when he’s corrupted, he never quite goes into the same detail about it with other people as he happily gives to Valkyrie, which is a trend across the books (and again, reinforces to the audience that these two are still close).

He also acts incredibly exhilarated at Valkyrie’s knowledge of how his mind and motives work (as shown by “do you think I’m gonna kill your family”), since it shows him (as well as the audience) that Valkyrie still knows him really, really, well. It also adds a sort of serial killer vibe to the dynamic that makes it more interesting to consume for the readers.

And not really related to the scene, but the transitions between chapters in this book (including this particular chapter) are really smooth and make for some very funny moments, such as subtly calling the in-series stand-in for Trump an idiot, or talking about “the most beautiful woman in the world” only for the next chapter to immediately cut to talking about China. Also, the repeated chapter transitions between Sebastian and Omen were REALLY subtle foreshadowing for the twist in Until the End, which really shows how much Landry planned out phase 2 before writing it.

There are more words in here than there are in the actual chapter.

#this is about TWO PAGES of dialogue people #this series is drugs for my brain #I am once again skulduggeryposting #skulduggery pleasant #if anyone has thoughts please share them #I’m insane I think

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primal-savagery · 1 year ago

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Get to know my Tav!

Velvela Dyre || She/Her || 422 || Seldarine Drow || Circle of the Moon Druid/Battle Master Fighter/Cleric of Eilistraee

Tagged by @kelandrin! Thank you so, so much! 💞 Saw this format popping up and was eager to fill it out now that I have a day off!

Not sure who has or hasn't been tagged and I'm still learning names, but for now I would like to tag Vel's shareholder, @bonusactionrage, and anyone else who sees and would like to participate! ^^

What is your Tav’s…

favorite weapon: Quarterstaff + Shield.

style of combat: Up close and personal, whenever applicable. Though she may not be as much of a tank as some of her companions, her menstrual rage drive to lead and protect simply will not allow her to fight her battles at a distance. Luckily, she can be a heavy hitter, and a tough target to dent.

most prized possession: Honestly? It's probably that adamantine shield she made at Grymforge. She's never felt more invincible than in the moments immediately after that fight, but she comes reasonably close every time she blocks a blow with that shield.

deepest desire: Freedom. True freedom. Not the watered down, domesticated kind she learned to tolerate over the last two decades.

guilty pleasure: My first reaction to seeing this phrase was skinny dipping, so I guess it's that now. Also occasionally partaking in whatever illicit substances she may have picked up in a blind looting frenzy.

best-kept secret: Vel is not well versed in surface dweller history despite her age; thus, she had no idea who Jaheira and Minsc were in the beginning and felt rather stupid since everyone else seemed to. She learned what she needed to by listening to the others talk.

greatest strength: She slips easily into a leadership role and isn't intimidated when she has to take control of a situation. In fact, she's quite comfortable being in charge.

fatal flaw: ...But, perhaps a little too comfortable. She can be outright domineering, and it takes very little for her to develop something of a superiority complex when she finds herself in the company of those she considers to be less experienced. Has outright told fellow members of the Wormskulls that she's the best chance they have and cringed at her own behavior a few days later.

favorite smell: Warm pine forest. She just doesn't enjoy having to stand out in the heat to smell it. So her second favorite is wet and cold pine forest.

favorite spell or cantrip: Primal Savagery. It isn't healthy at all, but sometimes it turns her constant frown upside down when she can bite someone and watch their skin partially corrode away. (No, she's not a Durge. She's just like this.)

pet peeve: When the sun is constantly in her eyes. The entire existence of daytime, really. She likes to stand behind anyone taller than her and use them as a portable awning.

bad habit: Picks her teeth literally whenever she wants to. As someone who used to have to carry herself with an immense amount of poise and thinly veiled contempt for everyone around her, she understands why people might find it gross. She simply doesn't care. It can very quickly turn from gross to outright disturbing after she's just bitten someone.

hidden talent: She can play the violin, which I don't think anyone ever really expects from her. It just seems a bit...Artsy, for someone who spends half of their time in dire wolf form.

leisure activity: Napping in the middle of the day.

favorite drink: Mermaid Whiskey. Though she's lived in the remote wilderness for the last 20 years, it seems it's done nothing to humble her more refined palate.

comfort food: Cinnamon rolls. The messier and more difficult to eat, the better.

favorite person: My friend @bonusactionrage has a character named Buckle, who Vel knows as a very specific combination of closest friend, adoptive son, moral compass, and parole officer.

favored display of affection (platonic and/or romantic): Cuddling; especially the kind when someone is laying their full body weight on her and resting their head against her chest. Or vice versa.

fondest childhood memory: ...Sometimes she would have vivid daydreams about being an only child.

#baldur's gate 3 #fem tav #drow tav #dnd oc: velvela dyre #drow druid/fighter/cleric

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dotthings · 2 years ago

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Gotham Knights 1x07 "Bad to Be Good"

Thank you to the writers, Allegre Rodriguez & Michelle Furtney-Goodman.

Loved this ep overall. Also bless this series for how it films Misha Collins. Who is himself a work of art.

Following on that theme from the past few eps, Cullen's concern about saving the painting from the black market, where it would wind up hidden from public eyes, is very community-minded of him. He also genuinely cares about the role of art. Steph also takes this up, as we're told they talked about "the importance of art." But also during their coffee and art talk, found a link to their immediate interests and needs.

Harper wonders why she or the Knights should care about works of communal value. She only gets interested when Steph tells them the paintings were all owned by Alan Wayne, which is a link to the Court of Owls. Harper needs a specific and immediate purpose link that involves self-preservation or protecting people she's close to before she cares. Cullen and Steph see a bigger picture but are also motivated by the specific interest and needs, they do both.

Carrie and Duela are a really fun chaos duo, opposites conspiring together and bickering the whole time. Carrie's judging-you-both faces at Eunice and Duela, the epic eye-rolls, Carrie regretting all her life choices, Carrie's thinking FML how did I wind up in this mess. And then Duela eye-rolling over Carrie. Comedy gold. The beginnings of that friendship was unexpected. They're demonstrating different points on the morality and ethics scale. This show has a lot of moral relativism. "Potato, tomato, little bird." Carrie was morally right, but wrong in this situation, Duela isn't ethical, but Duela's antics allowed them to save Detective Green's family.

Eunice stabbing Duela's hand with the ballerina from her music box was very hard core.

Turner seems like he's emerging as more of a leader in this ep. He's also using the bat-toys. Following his dad's legacy, but in his own way, not trying to be Batman.

I immensely enjoy how Misha plays every scene in this like the lead in a classic Hollywood noir or suspense thriller. He's got some great Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart vibes going on. That shot of the cordless phone ringing, looming ridiculously large in foreground, is also vintage Hollywood, Hitchcock kind of style. Misha has the range, the gravitas, and the camera adores him. And Harvey's a whole meal of a character here (on top of being an absolute snack), one of the few decent Gotham leaders, a regular guy in over his head, wondering if he's going mad, trying to solve the mystery, plagued by his inner demons, while being a good person, but shadows over his shoulder.

Lauren Stamile does a great job playing Rebecca March. Her role here is the femme fatale of classic Hollywood. Vulnerable, sincere, yet a touch dangerous. Doesn't mean Rebecca is lying. But anyone who's watched some of those old films knows there could be some plot twists. I wonder where this arc is going to lead.

Steph tending to Harper's wound outside the warehouse and in the end scenes. Their cute flirting. The little smiles. After Harper saved Steph from mobster bullets, Steph taking care of Harper's bullet wound. Enemies to reluctant allies to sorta kinda friends to lovers? Yes please.

Cressida going to Harvey for help...might be sincere. It's looking like all of Gotham is in deadly peril, so much so that Cressida's fear for the fate of millions is overcoming her fear for herself. If the Court's bigger picture plans are a lot more dire than just controlling Gotham financially and socially. Something has scared her badly. Or it's another ploy.

That's one of the fun things about this series, there's a lot of layers, and secrets inside secrets and things not being what they seem.

#Harvey Dent #Misha Collins #Gotham Knights #Gotham Knights CW #GK meta #GK spoilers

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mxshifter · 8 months ago

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Hawkeye and the Hick 🏹

"The new laws of the land are as follows: run, hide, and survive. And that's exactly what I intend to do."

Clemence Xalbadora was stranded in Atlanta. One of the epicenters of the apocalypse. At every turn, they're met with disease ridden, undead creatures attempting to tear them to shreds. From then on, they only wanted one thing — to survive.

In the beginning of the end, they met a man named Glenn Rhee on a rooftop. Little did they know, this was the start of a journey. A journey that entailed meeting a group of survivors on the outskirts of the city. In the group, unbeknownst to either one, there was a man that would change Clem's life forever. Daryl Dixon.

disclaimer(s):

i am a shifter - this is mostly based on my TWD DR

this first chapter is before daryl and the mc meet and gives context to their relationship with glenn and how they ended up meeting daryl

no smut(yet)

this fanfic is also on wattpad under the same title and the same username as on here (mxshifter)

pairing: Daryl Dixon x Original Character

words: 1.7k

chapter 01

I don’t know how it really happened. The end of the world I mean. Maybe some cannibalistic virus infiltrated the populous’ bloodstream or some secret government experiment caused mutation. All of that doesn’t matter now — the world as we knew it was gone. The new laws of the land are as follows: run, hide, and survive. And that’s exactly what I intend to do. As of right now, I’m stuck in my downtown Atlanta apartment with a .357 Magnum strapped to my waist and a hunting rifle strapped to my back. Oh, and I’m completely surrounded by those.. thingys.

I need to get out. Out of Atlanta. Maybe the countryside or even the outskirts of the city would be better than here. I need to check the area. I drudge up the stairs to the roof of my apartment complex, trusty gun in hand. Loudly, I bang on the door leading to the roof to make sure none of the things are there. Silence.

Cautiously, I open the door and swiftly close it behind me. After surveying the roof, I walk to the edge of the roof and look down at the once people-infested streets of Atlanta. Well, now they’re invested with humanoid not-people things. Densely infested. Fuck me.

My locked gaze on the death sentence that lingered menacingly below was broken by the sound of a shout. My head shoots up to find the source of the distancing noise while my hand is steady on the holster of my gun. Sporadically, I look around trying to find the source of the noise. A man only a few rooftops away from me. I watch as the man is waving his hands back and forth above his head in an attempt to get my attention. Clearly, it worked.

“Hey!”, the unknown man hollers. I wave back, not verbally responding in any way that might alert any things to my location. “The name’s Glennnnn!”, the man yells. Instinctively, I put my finger to my lips and shush the man, deciding that it wouldn’t be the smartest idea to entertain this conversation or even scream across for that matter. I mean, we are in a dire situation with death waiting for us below. I could just leave this man but what type of person would that make me? Against my better judgment, I asked, “Do you need any help?”. Glenn looks at me and is nodding his head vigorously. Shit, here’s a moral conundrum. Do I help Glenn or try to fight alone through a stampede of crazy junkies? The former seems like a better option.

“Can you, somehow, make your way over?”, Glenn inquires. I try to map the safest path to the man. I grab a discarded ladder from the roof of my building and place it sturdily in between buildings. Slowly, I make my way across the makeshift bridge. I get to the roof of another building safely and try the same maneuver. The ladder doesn’t reach the next building at all. Shit.

“It doesn’t reach,” I say, mumbling curses under my breath. These two buildings are connected and it’s simple enough to find where they meet. “Can you meet me downstairs?”, I ask. Glenn looks concerned but just nods in response. We both walk towards the doors to the buildings before venturing in. I bang on the door. Silence. Then, I hear the faintest gurgle. Sounds like one, doesn’t seem like much work, especially with the help of the ladder as a melee weapon. I take a deep breath, turn the knob of the door, and venture into the unknown perils that await my arrival.

I quickly descend the stairs to be met with one of those things at the end of the hallway. It starts limping towards me and I slam it into the floor with the ladder. It tries to grab at my feet so I stomp on its head. I take a deep breath. These things looked too human; adequate enough doppelgängers to actually make you not want to hurt them. But they are far from human. I continue my path toward Glenn’s building, praying for a map to greet me. Unfortunately, I’m only met with things wearing dead people’s faces and abusing their bodies. Until I see him.

I’ve never been happier to see a real person than at this moment. He motions for me to follow him and he starts jogging to a secluded sector of the connected buildings. “Hi. I’m Glenn Rhee.”, he says while sticking his hand out for me to shake. Pleasantries and manners in the midst of the apocalypse? I look him up and down before shaking his hand. “Yeah, you said that up on the roof.”, I say. Glenn looks at me puzzled and opens his mouth as if to say something. Maybe it wasn’t anything important as he just said, “Okay, where do we go from here?”.

“We need to get back to my apartment as soon as possible. Once we’re there, we can load up on food and water to take with us when we leave the city-”, I state before Glenn interrupts, “Wait, wait, wait.. we have to go back to your building to get supplies? How exactly are we supposed to get there?”

“Well, we just have to cross the connector and use the stairs to make it to my floor.”, I say while beckoning him in a forward direction. Quietly and armed, we make our way up the stairs and to my floor. Click Click Click. Shit.. something is jamming the door shut. I keep ramming my shoulder against the door in an attempt to relieve it of whatever is keeping it stuck. Doom Doom Doom. I fell through the door after the last push, causing the random pieces of furniture to fall and catch me in a hurtful embrace. “Are you alright?”, Glenn asks while helping me up. I nod and dust myself off. Suddenly, I smell a rotten stench permeating my nostrils. Then, I start to hear their groans and growls coming closer and closer to us.

“Glenn…we need to go. Right the fuck now.”, I say slowly. He and I ran up the stairs towards the roof, leaving the mini-hoard behind and subsequently blocking the roof door behind us. What do we do? What can we do? “Holy shit, holy shit, this is not good, this is not good”, he mutters to himself. My eye caught the short ladder that was set down earlier. It was too short to fully cross but it was either taking a leap of faith or getting ripped to shreds by them. “Look, we need to go now. I’ll cross and make sure it was sturdy enough for you”, I say, “Trust me”. He kneels, holding the ladder in place. Here goes nothing.

I take a step up the ladder and cautiously cross over. I turn around to see Glenn apprehensively staring at the ladder and what lay below it. “Glenn! Come on, you have nothing to worry about.”, I holler in an attempt to fight off his nerves. Glenn shakes his hands and seems to be mentally preparing himself to cross. We start hearing groans and guttural noises coming closer and closer to the rooftop. I scream, “Move! Now or never!”. After what seems like forever, Glenn slowly starts to cross over until he grabs my hand and pulls himself over the ledge. I motion for him to follow me to the door. Quietly, I open the door and we start walking down the stairs until we get to the nearest apartment.

Once we got inside, we both were breathing heavily. We were tired of running, screaming, and fearing for our lives but this was only the beginning. We cleared the apartment for any of the monsters, searched around, and found some rations. A couple of water bottles and some canned food, not much but good enough. Afterward, we sat down on the couch. The silence was grating — there was nothing but silence during a time like this. “I’m just realizing that I never told you my name.”, I say as a way to break the uncomfortable silence, “Clemence. Clemence Xalbadora. Clem for short is fine too”. Glenn turns his head towards me and smiles, “Nice name, Clem”. Silence filled the room once again until he looked at me and said, “So… what brings you to Atlanta? I’m only assuming because your accent is so different from what I’m used to hearing”. I look at him, deciding if I should be offended or answer his question and choosing the latter. I sigh, “My brother. See, I’m originally from New York but he moved all the way down here. He’s been going through a lot and needed his little sibling to support him. I wonder where he is right now or if he’s okay..” I start to tear up thinking about him and quickly wipe away my eyes. Glenn hesitantly moves over and gently wraps his arm around me, holding me in a warm hug. “Hey, hey, hey.. don’t worry. You’ll find him.”, he reassures. I nod and look up at him.

He looked at me with a sense of care and compassion that seemed foreign to me. It was nice to have someone concerned for me when I had already made it up in my mind that sympathy was a thing of the past. In this new world, there were beings that searched for anything warm and feeling to rip into shreds. “Thanks, Glenn.”, I say. Glenn nods and stands up, “It’s late. We need to rest up if we’re going to try and leave Atlanta. We both make our way around the house looking for somewhere comfortable to sleep and a bed in a big room and another in a small room with pink walls. A child’s room. Glenn’s face suddenly becomes pale, “I’m gonna sleep on the couch, you take the bed in the big room, okay? I just… just can’t sleep in a room that a child used to sleep in, a child that could’ve been eaten alive without fully knowing what hit them. It’s just wrong..”. We get comfortable in the bed and on the couch respectively, waiting for daylight to come and signal the promise of tomorrow.

#daryl dixon #rick grimes #the walking dead #oc #fanfic

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dr-veritas-ratio · 10 months ago

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Dear Dr Ratio, do you have any advice how to stop worrying constantly about every little thing? How do I stop second guessing myself and my decisions? Please advise.

Dear Anonymous person full of doubt,

There is no stopping second-guessing, as it is human nature to doubt and question everything, starting with the self.

However, you seem to think that doubting yourself is a negative trait of yours, and I would like to strongly disagree with you there.

Doubt makes you more aware of your own weaknesses. It makes you think, and act smarter too. Doubt is both something that can crush your morale, and save a life in the most dire of situations. It is a versatile component of your life that will always be there, but that ought to be recognized for what it is: a precious tool for your own growth and for any important decision you might need to take in the future.

As for when it comes to past choices of yours, it might just be your mind expressing regrets; as well as trying to reassure yourself. You will think of many scenarios differing from the choices you made, but in the end, there is nothing you can change in an event that is already past and behind you. What you can do is make peace with the choices you took, and act upon them so as not to get any more regrets. Or at least, try to.

Sure, you might also be a bit anxious and worry a lot, but this is once again only a natural occurrence - just like doubting yourself. Some people do tend to be more weak-minded and prone to panic, but second-guessing makes way for growth.

It helps in improving yourself, and try to live your life in better accordance with what you really wish.

You might feel down at times while contemplating your own actions or words, but that is also on you to work on your confidence and gain enough trust in yourself to be proud of these choices. And, in the case you would fail to do so, finding outlets for you to get reassurance - be it hobbies, things you enjoy, or people you like and can talk with.

I am not sure my words will be of much help, but I do hope they will at least reassure you in a certain way.

Feel more confident, and enjoy every choice that made you the person you are today.

~Dr Veritas Ratio.

#veritas ratio #dr ratio #hsr dr ratio #honkai star rail

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lirotationside · 21 days ago

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You know a piece of media is good when it lingers in your head and provokes all kinds of intrusive thoughts LOL. Yes I am talking about Mouthwashing

Just some scattered thoughts. Spoilers. Go play the game. Highly recommend.

I love Jimmy. He is such a well-crafted character—a refreshingly complex villain who breaks away from the tired "I will destroy the world, muahaha" stereotype. His motivations and actions are layered with psychological depth, making him as fascinating as he is unsettling. The nuance in his writing elevates him beyond the usual archetype, making him feel raw and real.

On the other hand, Anya is a character I find more frustrating. While I understand and sympathize with her situation, her choices—especially her final act—leave me frustrated. Anya is portrayed as kind, caring, and intelligent, especially in how she handles Jimmy. But her decision to overdose on painkillers rather than face her situation head-on feels misaligned with her strength. I feel her final choice robbed her of the chance to alter the tragic course of events involving Daisuke and Swansea.

At this point of game, no one knew it was Jimmy who crashed the ship, so no one has a reason to antagonize Jimmy, except Anya. With grudge and the stress of situation, she has ample opportunity to retaliate, for selfish reasons maybe, for outlet of anger, for revenge, for all the wrong reasons but will gave the rest the crew a better ending. But she didn't.

From what I gathered, Anya’s overdose seems to have been a last resort when she couldn’t access the gun in the case near her. It suggests she did consider taking control of the situation but ultimately succumbed to despair. If I were in her place, I’d have chosen a different path: appeal to Swansea, leave Daisuke out of harm’s way, and kill Jimmy. This could have led to a bittersweet yet "acceptable" ending where Anya and Swansea save Daisuke by placing him in cryosleep. Anya’s innate kindness and inability to harm—even in such a dire moment—makes her an intriguing character but also frustratingly passive in the face of tragedy.

Which really made me reflect...do people really just kill themselves when backed to a corner? Does not anger burn brighter than sorrow?

Of course, considering Jimmy is an unreliable narrator, the Anya we get to know throughout the narrative might not be how she really is. Maybe she wasn't dealing with Jimmy with the play of psychology, maybe she is meant to be a weak person, the perfect victim to gain sympathy.

(I saw content where Curly, or Swansea, or even Daisuke came to Anya's rescue. I mean, come on...depend on the good men to save poor little woman from bad man? Why can't Anya go out in a fit of rage?)

I really don't understand where Jimmy's superiority over Anya came from. As a member of the medical staff, she would not be on the same paygrade as him(usually higher or at least equal). They are not climbing the same ladder.

While many people seem to relate to Daisuke for his youthful optimism, I find myself identifying more with Curly and Swansea. Their experiences and moral struggles resonate deeply, making them compelling representations of resilience and flawed humanity.

Curly: prone to cronyism, value personal relationship more than moral. I tend to do that.

Swansea. That damn monologue is soooo good. He is my favorite character. Ok, rambled too long. need to organize my thoughts on these two.

#random thoughts

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rosalindthe2nd · 1 month ago

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NUMBER ONE!!

I would love to be the kind of edgy off the wall thinker who brings a random knight out of left field at this point, but I’m not and it’s Arthur himself. How could it not be, considering the following?

- I love him.

- Did I mention I now picture him (in the early days of his reign) as a young Bradley James? That helps, if I’m honest.

- “However mild he seems at home, nor cares For triumph in our mimic wars, the jousts - For if his own knight cast him down, he laughs Saying, his knights are better men than he - Yet in this heathen war the fire of God Fills him. I never saw his like: there lives no greater leader.” Full of courage and leadership and generosity. 10/10.

- Best fashion sense “…to his crown the golden dragon clung/ And down his robe the dragon writhed in gold” (and sitting on this chair covered in dragons of woodwork).

- Literally still calls Lancelot “my Lancelot, my friend, Our mightiest” at the end of The Holy Grail even though everyone knows about the whole Guinevere situation by this point.

- Demonstrates really responsible Kingship, knowing that he was not free to swear the vow because “the King must guard That which he rules, and is but as the hind To whom a space of land is given to plow.”

- Criticised as a fool because he thinks he can make honey from hornet combs and men from beasts, but actually he has done so, for a while, and also what does it mean to be great if it’s not to strive for what seems unattainable to lesser people? (I get that there is a huge problem if you idolise people and the general public is too invested in them, so that any slip or sin of theirs brings down the morale and the morals of the whole community which is clearly what happens here. But still! I cannot blame Arthur for believing that people could be better than they are and ultimately even if it failed, it’s so important that he did that.)

- Accused of being “Eunuch-hearted” but actually “weigh’d thy (Guinevere’s) heart with one Too wholly true to dream untruth in thee” and v quickly forgives her and hopes to be reunited in the afterlife.

- He never mocks, For mockery is the fume of little hearts.

- He is a bit too perfect in the idylls honestly (which I understand is partly because Tennyson wanted to compare him to dead Prince Albert to please Queen Victoria?) and suffers a little bit from Galahaditis in that regard. But ultimately I think we can see him as both “highest and most human too” (Guinevere eventually realises this and says those words, having previously said “who can gaze upon the sun in Heaven?… who loves me must have a touch of earth”).

- Bit rich on his deathbed to accuse Bedivere of “like a girl Valuing the giddy pleasure of the eyes” when literally all the men in this book value women purely for their beauty! It might be that he means girls as opposed to older and wiser women though I guess.

- So gracious about dying and his reign ending: in the end he dies with faith “God fulfils himself in many ways, Lest one good custom should corrupt the world.”

- Or does he die? Weird way to die, being sailed off with on a barge with three mysterious ladies. Nice to think he’s out there somewhere and might re-emerge at some point if things get dire enough.

Congratulations, my liege.

Over and out on Idylls of the King. I’m tackling Mallory’s Morte d’Arthur next, so to you other knights, there is everything to play for in round two!

#alfred lord tennyson #idylls of the king #knights of the league table #knights of the round table #king arthur #once and future king

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waters-and-the-wilde · 2 years ago

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tags by @kyliebyelie

YEAH IT'S ALSO ABOUT THE HOPE

HI UR SO RIGHT AND IM GONNA PIGGYBACK OFF THIS

honestly Buddy's line about his enduring moral core just keeps coming back and grabbing me by the throat because it's like that's IT that's HIM the fact that every time it's about that reckless and unflinching integrity without hesitation, and both that and the hope are sorta twin facets of each other. like fundamentally. he's still manages to be someone who wants to trust others and to be trusted and is still capable of those things and still chooses them even when his experiences could have fucked that over completely.

'it is always incredibly stupid of me, but for all the pains it's caused, it's also brought my greatest joys' like!!!! HE'S FULL OF LOVE IN A BIG MEAN WORLD AND HE'S BEING SO BRAVE ABOUT IT

probably wasn't all that controversial to begin with considering how much this has gotten around by now, it just kinda seemed like once the whole Betrayev speculation thing cooled off, there was a lot of the whole 'pathetic wet disaster king of emotional repression' thing going around. which i get wasn't coming out of nowhere, but it seemed like a bit much for a narrative going 'okay have some Hidden Depths, your cool competent suave master thief Has Anxiety and is being Put Into Situations where his usual coping mechanisms are backfiring on him. of course he doesn't Have It All Together because Literally Nobody Does, not even the Coolest Person You Know (Buddy Aurinko) has It All Together. also hey did you like how we made him look suspicious so we could hit you with the way his overdeveloped sense of integrity got him into this mess? how was that, huh?'

and The Thing about him for me is like. Slip's line about how a person can't just tell you who they are because there's too much to string together into something tidy. and that was what made the 'emotionally repressed disaster hiding under a cultivated mask' take feel unsatisfying. bc both those facets of him are a bit true but not enough to actually sum him up, and are ultimately outweighed by the fact that his capacity for love and hope and trust and the courage to try for those things are literally irrepressible

also it's 2 in the goddamn morning but i'm gnawing on another corner of this wall and i think it's pretty well illustrated by the juxtaposition to Diamond, bc of the part where she talks about thinking it through and weighing out the consequences. like. she frames her perspective of her choices in that situation as realizing that she and Juno were getting caught up in a capital-R Romantic fantasy about Truth and Justice that wasn't going to hold up, and clocked the implications that it would have for their lives, and wasn't prepared to see it through. in its own context it was a measured decision made by a generally smart, thoughtful, capable person who also had ideals she wanted to live up to, made in a pause away from the action. and it was the kind of ultimately self-serving rationalization that perfectly hinged emotionally stable people make all the time to preserve their situation. (also while i'm here and we're talking about hope, there's an element of cynicism to it, of saying 'this won't really matter, so I might as well not.') it's understandable which is also what makes it easy to justify and reinforce (and god knows if you're an overcautious overthinker it's a tough thing to unfuck, too, especially when it can be the right call in its own time and place). in the narrative context I think it's the flawed human commonality of it that shows the opposite choice admirable and a precious quality in someone else, that sets up what we like about Juno and Nureyev and what they like about each other

it's close to being just a Doing The Right Thing Is Hard kind of moral but i feel like it's more Doing The Right Thing Can Make You Look Kinda Batshit To Outsiders bc the consequences are dire whether you fully understand the implications of them or not (like the whole thing with Juno eating the pill. yeah getting into that situation Was Dumb but like. what the hell else was he going to do once he was in it.)

and also I love the fact that this show has a go at the various forms of getting caught up in the fantasy of Doing The Right Thing but doesn't let that negate the inherent power of Doing What You Can In The Moment, Not Always Wisely But With Resolution And Commitment

anyway my longstanding and probably most controversial peter nureyev opinion is that he is actually pretty well-adjusted and emotionally mature (like not just Despite The Horrors but certainly all the more impressive considering, you know, The Horrors) and in light of the finale i am revising that to holy shit he's been running on hope and dedication and gay theatrics for twenty years he can have a fuckign messy room if he wants it's a goddamn miracle he's made it this far

#if you enjoy: me sitting on the counter eating nutella out of the jar at 3am #congration it is now 3am #i have no idea if this is coherent anymore and i will probably have more things to say when i wake up but that's enough nutella #i need to go the fuck to sleep #the penumbra podcast #peter nureyev #juno steel

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punkascas · 3 years ago

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CWBB PROJECT COMING SOON!

Title: In This Our Liberty Writer: @punkascas Artists: @mock-speed, @nottonyharrison, & The Reverend Noah Fence III, Esq. Rating: Explicit Word Count: 95,000 Pairing(s): Codywan (brief Cody/Other, past Obi-Wan/Satine) Major Warning(s)/Tags: Graphic Depictions of Violence; Canon Divergence; Cody & the Clones; Slow Burn; Politics; Ethics; Angst with a Happy Ending; A Wondrous Journey Through Bureaucracy Posting Date: Tuesday, 29 March 2022

Summary:

Then, one day, just like that, the war sputters to a halt.

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine of the Republic and Count Dooku of the Confederation of Independent Systems are found mysteriously dead. But the galaxy remains in turmoil, battle-scarred and divided. Both the Republic and the Separatists struggle for stability and the path to an uneasy peace. The Jedi Order, decimated and despised for their role in the war, seek to turn inward to find healing. And the clones, military property, recalled and stranded high above Coruscant in cramped decommissioned Star Destroyers, await orders and a life-or-death decision from the Senate.

Just what exactly is their purpose now without a war to fight?

Or: The one where Cody figures out mutiny, politics, road trips, change management, bias, society, online learning, humanity, family, childhood, recovery, the galaxy, himself, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Roughly in that order.

[credit: promo graphic by @mock-speed and @punkascas]

---

Neyo leaned back in the booth, shoulders slack as if in parade rest. Any natborn might think Neyo looked amenable; another clone knew better. "So what can I do for you, Marshal Commander?"

Finally, here was the heart of it. Cody pressed his heels to the floor but tried to keep his hands loose. Obi-Wan had said once that Cody felt like a mountain in the Force: unmovable. He tried to be like that now, rooted to the core of the planet, untouchable by wind or rain.

"Episodes of in-fighting are increasing." It felt best to treat this as though it were only another report. "The downtime is killing morale. There are no orders to give. Quarters are tight. We're triple and even quadruple hot-bunking just to give everyone a rack. Meanwhile, the Senate is focused on Chancellor elections and is ignoring the three million trained and restless soldiers bored aboard highly powered Star Destroyers. Sitting in orbit above the Republic's capital and most-populated planet. And that this could be seen as an untenable risk for Republic citizens and politicians seeking re-election."

Cody took a deep breath. At some point, his fingers had clenched into fists. Neyo understood command; Neyo would see how dire the situation was. He had to.

"Something will break soon."

Neyo barely seemed to blink. He seemed like a clone who could stare into the heart of an explosion and not flinch. But even he took a moment to respond. "You think we're at risk for renegade squads deciding to break the ceasefire on their own?"

Yes, Cody wanted to say. And no. Worse. Something far worse.

"You think they'll disband us," Neyo said, not a question.

All clones were genetically identical. Neyo's face should have been the same face Cody saw in the mirror. But he couldn't read Neyo at this moment. His instincts had fled him. He wasn't a mountain; he was a crumbling landslide, full of terror and powerless to stop it.

"We're not people. We're just clones," Cody whispered. He stared at his hands on the table, gloveless and bared. They were made up of tiny scars from the sharp edges of damaged plates and plasma burns from jammed cartridges and human skin that sometimes felt less real than his blacks and armour. "War is expensive. Why would they pour more money into keeping us fed? Housed? As soon as the election concludes, maybe even before that — continuing to fund us could be seen as throwing good credits after bad."

At the top of his vision, he saw Neyo stiffen. "We belong to the Republic. Were created to serve the Republic."

"And we did. And now — what are we for?"

#codywan #commander cody #obi-wan kenobi #the clone wars #codywan fic #codywan art #tcw #tcw fanfic #tcw art #obi-wan and cody #cwbb #cwbb 2021 #$$writing #kat writes things #kat arts things

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levihantrash · 3 years ago

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Hi! Got a prompt for you if you're interested (feel free to write a drabble, a one-shot, or a multi-chap): Levihan, "One more chance." Open to interpretation. Thanks, and good luck! :)

okay so i decided to combine this prompt together with my headcanon for that levihan ring merch for a canon setting one-shot!

One More Chance

"What do you think of rings?" Hange asks Levi out of the blue, in the little room that could suffice as an office for his unofficial position as second in command.

"Why?" Levi knows that Hauge doesn't ask questions out of the blue without motives.

They could be random, absurd, silly, but there was always a reason behind their questions.

Hange plants one elbow on the table, bent forward in anticipation for Levi's answer. His eyes catch the glint of Hange's bolo tie as it swung back and forth.

Jewellery? Vanity aside, Hange knows better than Levi how expensive it is to obtain warm clothing and food, much less a bunch of shiny rocks. They spent days mulling over the Survey Corps’ budget, where to allocate resources, how to seek funding, and to keep expenses humane but tight.

“Why?” He repeats, unsure as to whether to sneak in a crass joke as Hange’s eyes were shining—in a different tone compared to the bright-eyedness that showed whenever they made a new discovery. It was, what was it? Nostalgia? Levi is certain that Hange had never, of ten years being by their side, even hinted at a desire for a ring, for whatever reason they might yearn for the object.

Hange knows Levi is perturbed—suspicious, even. They know that such an ambiguously-worded question, simple as it was, will not warrant a straightforward answer from Levi. He is far too observant to not think of Hange’s line of questioning as uncharacteristic from the usual. The usual Hange will elaborate; they will give details. Perhaps this is a ring made from a special sort of metal to go undetected from metal sensors to sneak past the enemy and pass on valuable information etched in code on the inside, for example. Whatever reason that prompted Hange to take a sudden interest in rings wasn’t for battle, or for moral good, which frankly, is more embarrassing for them.

“Do you keep those patches with you?” Hange changes the topic. Levi blinks, then turns to the drawer and pulls the handle. The open drawer speaks for itself; filled with rows and rows of haphazardly torn patches of the Survey Corp’s uniform, the emblem of the wings of freedom.

“You keep it here, huh…” Hange muses, touching one patch tenderly, feeling the crusted blood stain at the tip of their finger.

“Do you remember who each patch belongs to?”

Levi shakes his head, not defending the lack of differentiation between the patches. To him, each patch is louder than a name attached to it. A fellow soldier whose heart he carried on within him.

“If I die, Levi, will you bring back my patch?”

“Don’t ask stupid questions.” Levi is quick to retort, sounding mildly irritated that Hange brought up the possibility of death.

“We all die someday.”

“We should think about how to stay alive,” Levi says firmly. “And what does any of this have to do with rings?”

Hange laughs, patting Levi on the shoulder affectionately. “You won’t let that go, huh?”

“It seems important,” Levi says, disgruntled. “You’re not usually so hesitant.”

“It’s not.” Hange waves their hands defensively, straightening up to avoid Levi’s gaze.

“What’s that in your pocket? Your hand keeps touching it.” Levi is sharp as ever, Hange thinks, itching to back out and tend to more important commander duties.

“Maybe next time! I have to go!” Hange brisk-walks out of the office, leaving Levi in the dust. He has the immediate urge to follow them, to grab their arm and ask what’s wrong, to force some kind of coherent understanding to this muddled conversation. Yet, he continues sitting on the chair, wondering if their mutual awkwardness had swept past them in the form of a lost opportunity. The patches flutter a little in the wind, as though asking him, what are you so afraid of?

He closes the drawer and sinks back onto the creaky, wooden chair, waiting for Hange to come back.

The next time he sees them again is when he’s so battered that his back trembles at the prospect of sitting on another hard surface. The series of negotiations, arguments, plans, fly past him in a whirlwind of decisions led by Hange. He occasionally spots the bulge in their side pocket, but his head is spinning with a million of other more dire worries to figure out what the hell is this unresolved mystery from months ago.

One night, as Hange tends to the bandages around his head, traces the stiches on his face, and mumbles quiet nothings about how they’re glad he’s alive, he finally lifts a shaky hand to point at the bulging pocket.

“Are you going to tell me what’s in that?”

“Nothing that will help us stop this mess,” Hange says, sweeping some of the fringe off his forehead to wipe the sweat underneath.

“But it’s important to you,” he states. Hange nods slowly.

“And you want to show it to me.” He tries, unaccustomed to the presumptuousness of his claim. But there is little time. If there was ever time before, now they were running on thin, cracked lines of time, teetering over the edge.

Hange sighs, and stuffs a reluctant hand into their pocket to bring out a small box.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t use the Scouts’ funds.”

“The Survey Corps doesn’t exist anymore,” Levi reminds them, to distract his mind from speculating endlessly about what’s in the box. He wants to sit up. Physically straining himself feels unwise, so he settles with tilting his head to get a clearer view of both Hange and the box.

Hange carefully holds his shoulders to sit him up, leaning him against them.

“I got rings for us.”

“Huh?”

The box is opened, and inside were two shining rings in silver and gold. Purple embellishment on the gold and green on silver. Not to mention it was heart-shaped rings. Levi feels his cheeks getting warmer by the second by its blatant implications, and is thankful that the bandages literally covered half his face.

“I know, I told them not to make it heart-shaped but you know when Reeves knew it was for you he said I had to make it obvious, whatever that meant,” Hange says quickly, snapping the box shut so as to save themselves from having to confront what was glaring at them.

“It’s not practical for fighting,” Levi murmurs, reaching out to take the box from Hange.

“Dedicate your hearts… wasn’t that what Erwin said?” Hange, always the one to inject light humour in tense situations, decides it will be alright to quote Erwin’s war cry in what is essentially a confession.

“Right.” Levi opens the box, looking expectantly at Hange.

“What?”

“Rings are for wearing, right?”

“You said they weren’t practical!”

“We’re not fighting now.”

Running their hands through their hair, Hange looks rather sheepish. “It’s a bit selfish but I just want to be remembered. As more than a patch.”

Levi frowns, bandages crinkling. “You think I’ll forget you?”

“I don’t know.”

“I won’t forget you. Ring or no ring.”

Upon hearing the seriousness of Levi’s voice, the light-heartedness returns to Hange, as they cheekily present the ring to them.

“Well then, will you dedicate your heart to me, shitty Captain?”

“Whatever, Four-eyes.” He says it as flippantly as he can, yet handles the ring like sudden movement will break it.

“Hah! I wonder what the kids will say about the rings…” Hange stretches out and lays beside Levi, admiring the ring on their hand amidst the backdrop of night stars. He takes their hand and weaves his fingers through it, placing their interlocked hands on his chest.

After the plane takes off, Levi’s eyes are trained on the floor. The plane rattles, swerves, and gains momentum. Everyone around him is emotional—rightly so, because their leader had said a fleeting goodbye before leaping to their death. He holds one hand in the other, feeling the cold metal on his finger. Rings don’t leave the smell of Hange’s skin when they lie their head on his shoulder after a long day. Rings don’t capture the sound of Hange’s laugh when they make friendly banter with their juniors, or when Levi makes the occasional, dry joke that only they pick up on. Rings don’t emulate the dialogue of their late-night discussions in his office, the tea that he makes and that they drink from the same cup—to save the time needed for washing, according to Hange. He doesn’t protest.

Still, the ring is all he has left. The one chance Hange had, they entrusted in him this ring. They could translate Levi’s words into more palpable versions for other people, but they could not for the life of them come up with words to express their more vulnerable feelings. For Hange, the ring was another chance to cement what remained unspoken: I hope you remember me. I’m here with you.

The last chance Levi had, he placed a fist on their heart.

“Dedicate your heart.” The ring flashes in the sunlight, making Hange blink back tears.

Now, he clutches one hand in the other.

“See you, Hange.” The ring stares back, patiently. He closes his eyes, bringing the thin, metal sentiment to his lips.

“Keep watching us.”

thank you for the prompt @djmarinizelablog !! ^_^

#aot #levihan #rings #levi ackerman #hange zoe #levi x hange #fanfiction #my writing #hanji zoe #shingeki no kyojin #prompt #how many times can i use these same three lines from chapter 132 #yes i admit merch has inspired my writing what can i say #tbh a heart shaped ring irl sounds hard to wear XD

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mbti-notes · 3 years ago

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I'm an ENTP with an ISFJ friend whose life seems to revolve around her cats. Though she'd like to travel, she fears being gone longer than a day and tends to her cats at least every 4 hours. My concern is she's missing out on potentially fun experiences without giving 'em a chance and may regret it some day. What is your opinion on some who seem to overcommit to their pets?

"Over-" is relative in this case, isn't it? I generally don't judge how people choose to live. We each have the capacity to decide what is good for us, what makes us happy, or how to live a fulfilling life. ENTP and ISFJ are opposites, which means their way of looking at life is often opposing. Type theory teaches us that it's important to honor legitimate differences between people, rather than assuming or expecting people to be like you, value the same things as you, or want the things you want to the same degree.

That said, if you genuinely feel as though someone is in trouble or harming themselves in some way, then it is your duty as a friend to offer them help, support, or aid as needed. In this case, "harm" is difficult to define because the two of you may not perceive harm in the same way. For instance, what seems to you to be quite dire (e.g. a closed-off life), perhaps is only a minor nuisance or something quite easily dismissed by her... because her values are different from yours. Everyone has things that they'd like to do "one day", but dominant Ne makes you take these ideas much more seriously than someone with inferior Ne.

To be an effective friend or helper, you can't just use your own perspective to approach the situation. You have to take the other person's perspective fully into account: respect their right to be who they are, understand where their choices are coming from, and work with rather than against their better nature.

I'll use your case as an example: The fact of the matter is she deeply loves her pets. Look around you, lots of people deeply love their pets and even treat them as family, which speaks to the human capacity for love. Is love not a good thing? Whether you agree or disagree with it, no amount of "they should/shouldn't" moralizing at them is going to change the fact that they deeply love their pets.

Your question seems to indicate that your first instinct is to try to change the fact, e.g., by arguing her out of her love for her cats. You're going to harm her by doing that, because you'll be challenging and disrupting her deepest values. Fs are nothing and nowhere without their values, so you would be pushing her to do a huge disservice to herself. Is that really "helpful"? Not to mention the possibility that trying to mount an unsolicited philosophical challenge to her values might make you come off like an arrogant know-it-all who presumes to tell people how to live (something ENTPs commonly get accused of). Most importantly, if you were to choose this route, she would be no closer to resolving the inner conflict between her need for love and her need for adventure.

To be human is to have inner conflict, to have difficulty deciding between competing desires. This is why people prioritize and make difficult trade-offs. You can't have everything you want, so you have to go after the things you really want and learn to let go of the things you want less. To some people, love/devotion is much more important than fun/adventure. It is quite unrealistic to tell people to want something more/less, as though one can simply change one's preferences at the magical snap of a finger. Instead, you should be helping them resolve the conflict between competing interests in a way that doesn't force them to compromise or lose too much in the process, i.e., to make the best trade-off possible. In order to help ISFJs effectively, contribute your Ti in a strategic and realistic way, as opposed to a destructive and pie-in-the-sky way.

I can't tell you whether there's any trade-off that will be acceptable to her. I know that plenty of people have pets and still manage to travel. Perhaps they leave their pets at a pet hotel, with a friend, a family member, or a pet sitter, etc. Perhaps they travel with their pets. ISFJs are practical people, so what they really want is a practical solution. Without a feasible solution, they stick with the status quo.

#entp #entp relationships #helping #needs #communication #problem solving #relationships #ask

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