#but at least there's some exploration of who they are and why they do what they do

[astralisarin]

THIS. Everything about THIS.

Ginny and Harry's entire relationship rides and dies on hormones. It's your typical high school relationship—which is not necessarily bad, but just that its not the ultimate love story that the HP canon wants us to believe. This is not to discredit her in any way; I love Ginny's character and what she has the potential to be, but we really don't see her get fleshed out in canon, her passions, desires, her trauma and bravery, etc. which directly translates to how we never see hinny get fleshed out as a proper relationship either. It's all so quick — so fast-paced — that we never see them be in a relationship, it's always one moment they are together and then the next they can't be (which again, can have the potential to be a great romance, but it is not — at least the way they are portrayed in canon material, they are not a great romance, they are just two teenagers who find eo attractive and got together like other teenagers are wont to do). For other reasons why they are not see: Everything else this post discusses. It's all so spot on. Hinny can be good, in some fics I've read. But in canon? No. I'd say there is much to be desired. Unlike with Hinny though, canon material actually makes me ship drarry. Again: See the above post.

I'm gonna derail and also point out the whole existing theory that suggests Harry's subconscious need of "recreating his family." Here, family, of course, referencing to his parents—and how it's a strange oedipal parallel of Ginny and Lily + Harry and James being physically similar, and both having a straight out of high school marriage. To look at this from Harry's POV, he is an orphan, severely traumatised, and in need of starting a new chapter. There is comfort in familiarity, and apprehension for change. Harry likes Ginny because she is familiar, and safe, and he likes her because she can give him something he has always craved—stability, security, a family. Not only his own, with his own kids, but a connection to the Weasleys who were his first introduction to the whole concept. I won't make much assumptions, but it is easy to see why Harry stays with Ginny despite there not being anything in canon that actually SHOWS he was ever interested in her or her life or her thoughts, feelings, goals, etc. He doesn't stay with her after the Horcrux hunting because he loves her. He stays because he needs stability and security and family after a whole YEAR of being deprived of just those things.

There is so much to think of, when we consider Hinny. Harry's motivation to stay with her, Ginny's initial hero worship towards him, and current feelings which make her stay with him. There is much scope for fics to explore their complex relationships. And THAT is exactly why I adore fics that show the gradual, inevitable, decline of Hinny. No hard feelings to the ship, but at least while reading drarry, or a fic with harry/any other character, to see the collapse of his current relationship introduces the prospect of change. This is scary, of course, but it opens the possibility of growth. For a traumatised Harry, growth is really important. It is the first step needed. It's honestly quite lovely to read fics where their writers take the time to truly explore what it means to break out of a too-comfortable-to-be-real relationship.

I keep thinking about the fact that hinny is kind of the opposite of drarry in the sense that Harry really shouldn't know that much about Draco but he does, while he should know a lot about Ginny but he doesn't.

Harry and Draco aren't friends and aren't even in the same House but Harry is so attuned to him that he remembers items Draco looked at in a shop more than 4 years previously, knows every detail of his appearance down to the exact shade of his eyes and skin, and can recognize him instantly just by the sound of his footsteps or a glimpse of him from far away. He also knows a lot about Draco's interests and beliefs and can usually tell his exact mood just by a look at his face.

Conversely, Harry and Ginny are in the same House and Harry has also spent every summer since second year living with her, plus holidays during 5th and 6th year. They also start dating in the end of sixth year. Despite this fact Harry has never even been in her room till 7th year and when he goes in, he shows no sign of recognition at the posters he sees there. You'd think, for example, that he would already know that she likes the Harpies and the Weird Sisters and thus think about how of course she has that in her room, or something. Who are her friends? Who knows? Certainly not Harry! What kind of wand does she have? Harry doesn't know. (Even though he does know both of these things about Draco). What does she want to do after graduating? How did she handle the trauma of what happened with Riddle in book 2? Does she have any insights from that that could be helpful? No idea. Harry's doesn't care and isn't interested in finding out.

Honestly, when he thinks of her it's mostly about her physical features. And even then, her eye color only gets mentioned once - in book 7, and we still don't get the specific shade. I'll buy that he feels lust for her. But love? Honestly I find myself once again thinking about the parallels between hinny and ron/lavender.

Consider:

Versus:

Kinda sounds like both the relationships being described are light on the talking side of things...

Also guess what the first thing Harry does after kissing Ginny, the alleged love of his life is? If you guessed "looks lovingly into her eyes" or "says something to her" you'd be wrong. Here's what goes down:

That's right guys, gals and nonbinary pals. He looks right over the top of Ginny's head (and isn't that a metaphor for their relationship right there - he's literally overlooking her to think about other stuff) to check in with Ron. His actual priority - the person whose opinion and regard he actually cares about.

[marymary-diva17]

Abandoned sully (2)

Many years had pass since you were left in the care of tupia and her family by your grandmother, after you were labeled as curse child. You had become a teenager right now and had gone threw you right of passage and had gotten your first hunt and your ikran. You haven't gone threw the dream hut yet as Tupia  and mo'at said you will have to wait a bit longer for that, you were even allowed to live on your own as well due to you become closer to starting you own life some day.Tupia and moat were good care takers of you but they also had helped from Tupia mate along with their daughter and son who help raised you. They were not the only ones who helped raise you, the girl who had been abandoned by her own blood and clan.

Y/n " ....." You had picked up English very easy from your grandmother as she will teach you and she had brought some of the human stuff for you, that she thought was a good idea. You had the spirt of an explore and adventure when you had come across some old destroyer helicopters left by the RDA. You had looked threw these helicopters and suds then well enough picking up one the evil deeds of the RDA, moat had told you they had done many years ago. 

Y/n " umm" you had soon risen out of bed and woke yourself up from the slumber you had fallen in last night, soon get out of bed and leaving your bedroom. 

Y/n " some fruit will be good in the morning" you soon sat down and starting eating the fruit still a bit sleepy but you were soon waking up from your sleepy state of mind. You soon got up from ground after getting down eating places the fruit seed on your pouch. 

Y/n " well it time to see what the greta mother has planned fr me today" You had grabbed your weapons being the only clan mambo with five finger was hard as you had to teach Yourself how to hold your weapon correct that was a comfortable way. The fiver fingers and toes wee someone you had inherited from your father Jake sully or the might tokru makot he was not that might for you, but that was coming to deal with later. 

Y/n " ...." You soon left home closing the curtain flap door behind you as you made you eat towards the center of the village. 

The kids " hey y/n" 

Y/n " hello young ones" you had walked past a group of kids and waved hello to them as you went on with you way, you had special rank in the clan after being called Tupia niece. 

Elder " off on another adventures today are you y/n" 

Y/n " yes ma'am and I always promised my aunt and the healer I will gather some herbs for them" 

Elder 2 " keep the spirt of yours young lady it will help you live a wonderful life" 

Y/n " thank you" you soon kept on your way towards where the ikran lived you were going to see your ikran, when you had gotten your ikran it was a shocking event that scared your aunt and grandmother.  You soon reached a clear area and soon made your ikran call as you were waiting for him to land and soon enough he had land, a few few feet from you. 

Y/n " hello Luno how are you doing boy. I brought you some breakfast" you had tossed some meat towards Luno and he had take it right awya as you pet him and check him for injuries. 

Y/n " good boy good boy the might son of Tokru makto ... at least you can celebrate your father but for me it not the same" Luno had nuzzled you making you laugh and smile and you soon pet him again as you get ready to leave home. You didn't have to speak with your Ikran or any otehr creatures here as it seemed like you had a special bond with them all, and that had started many questions for the clan as the elders, tupia, and your grandmother tried to find out what was so special about you. 

???? " heading off already that wild spirt of your keeps you going" you had looked to see Tupia walking over toward you, as you give her a big smile as she stood by you. 

Y/n " good morning Tupia " 

Tupia " my child you have a wild spirt that should be able to run free and have fun" 

Y/n "  Tupia tell me why the clan doesn't see me a curse like everyone else" 

Tupia " because when I held you in my arms and showed up to the clan, everyone along with your grandmother knew you are a child of great mother … we will never believe those false words about you my child”  

Y/n " yes but I will never be special for them" Tupia knew what you meant by that statement that day when your learned the truth it had broke you and you had hidden awya for days in your home worry everyone. 

Tupia " ma y/n they are fools to not see your greatest and now look where you are living your own life all the clan around here respect you, and when you talk they listen to you and obey you … you have been with my family for so long give become friends with my grandsons as well raise together, you are love and wanted here my child no one can deny that” 

Y/n " yes ma'am well I'm off I will be home late on tonight with the herbs and anything else I caught" 

Tupia " be safe out there my dear" you soon got on Luno back and soon took off from the village learning how other clan hated you over false stoires had broken you, and you soon learned to adapt to the situation. You had sene your brith home at times when you came to see mo'at and you did see your family having a good life and celebrating what was happing but when you were, younger you so baldy wanted to be with them and a family. Until you ver heard your parents speaking about you that had broken you heart you had love for them but soon they love had broken, when moat tried telling the kids about you she was shut down by Jake saying he will not talk about that child. 

Y/n " don't you just love the sun shining down on you Luno it warms you up after the cold morning breeze goes away" Luno had roared in repsone making you laugh the two of you soon landed on the ground, you soon started collect some herbs. 

Y/n " I shaped clean up I cant come home a mess" you son went towards a water fall and river and started cleaning off you soon looked at your reflection, your humans eye color had changed when you become 1 year old and merge with normal navi eye color. Making your eye color a rare and beautiful type that had bene one of many compliments you had been given by some boys. You would give get praised and compliment on your hair and skin, you are very beautiful by your clan eyes but it was unknown by anyone else eyes. 

Y/n "....." You had fallen asleep since you were baby there were moments when you had fallen alseep and the spirts of eywa will come and find you, they would look at you as you laid there peacefully. 

Y/n " huh" you had woken up when you felt something was off about your surrounds even luna could tell something was the matter as well. You had ran towards luna to classm him down and grab your arrow from him. 

Y/n " luno it okay head up now and I will call for help when I need an escape you know the plan" luna soon took off into the air leaving you alone as you soon climbed into a tree walking on the branch or swing from them and vines. You were very quiet when you are moving around you soon stopped moving when you reached the sound in a large clearing area as some navi from the forest and ocean, are resting their feet. There was something you seen before some of these navi were wearing human clothes and carrying human weapon but they ere with the Omaticaya, by the jewelry they were wearing. 

Y/n " i will study them but on move I will make a call to scare them away" you were hiding very well in the tree from above and it seem like the ones on the bottom didn't noticed you were there, when they moved you had followed them. 

Down below with Everyone else 

Jake " I don't think we are far away from the clan tonowiar" 

Tonowari " lets hop Jake I have a question has moat been this cold this ..." 

Jake " yes she had she will barley look at Neytiri and has stripped her of her rights of become a future tshaik giving it to kiri and tuk" 

Tonowari " it had to be done but soon your daughter can come home" 

Jake " I hope so I really hope so ... if you most know sometime I wonder what is she like right now is she happy and safe or mad and in danger" 

Tonowari " none of us know and if you most know even my elders have been judging me and my mate hard since that day, I  hope that some time they will understand what we had done was the right thing" Jake and to tonowari were lying to themselves about what they were saying, they were thinking everyone actions were right and that it will be good for everyone.

Tsu'tey " olo'eyutan I and the scouts have returned" 

Jake " brother welcome back have you any good new" 

Tsu'tey " no we still haven't found the village it seems like the clan had hidden well" 

Tonowari " we can't give up we need to find this village our people need help" 

Jake " don't worry for now we should return to our families" the group had soon return their their families and people to rest a bit more before either making camp for the night or keep walking. 

Tuk " daddy are we there yet" 

Jake " no Tuk baby I don't know yet we will send a group later on again" 

Lo'ak " I can't believe you ran away like that we should of keep on fighting" 

Neteyam " Lo'ak stop being a idiot" 

Lo'ak " what we didn't even tell all the tulkun yet so back off neteyam" 

Tsyeria " Lo'ak stop please the tulkun will come when the time right" 

Kiri " yes please stop fighting we are done with all the yelling and fighting from you and everyone else if making us go mad" 

Spider " I hope this new village allow i and the rest of the humans to stay" 

Kiri " they will allow you to stay and the rest as you all children of eywa and pandora"

Neytiri " mother please tell us where this village is as you know everything my daughter" 

Moat " as I was outvoted on this discussion like everything else my daughter my your husband our leader, I can't help us I'm lost as well" 

Neytiri " oh mother" 

Moat " Jake sully what with your sad look" 

Jake " nothing ... I was speaking and thinking about her" the group had become silent all the older kids minus Tuk kenw about you, as their parents told them about you.

Neytiri " we shouldn't speak of her right now we have made a promise and this day has already been hard on us" 

Tuk " well I'm going play can I please dad for a while" 

Jake " no Tuk you should stay close with the family" 

Tuk " yes dad"

Tsu'tey " you think by now someone would of spotted us and come asking questions" 

Jake " we don't know how they work Tsu'tey maybe they we're waiting for us to leave before they lend any help" soon a call had been made getting everyone attention as they were trying to understand if I was a creature or navi.

Lo'ak " what is that" they had heard the call again making the warriors lift up their weapon ready for a fight as they were trying to find out where the sound came from as they couldn't hear anything moving. The families were pushed behind the warriors to keep them safe from anything that could come down and hurt them or do something else worst fr them all. 

Jake " warriors get ready to shot anything that moves we have to keep the clan safe"

Kiri " grandmother no" 

Mo'at " mawey everyone mawey the one who watch us mean no harm" 

Jake " Mo'at stay with the group we need to keep you safe from the danger out there" 

Mo'at " for once you in life Jake sully keep your mouth shut" soon moat had made the same call that was given earlier shocking everyone she had made the call one more time.  everyone soon looked up to see a navi girl high up in the tree hanging by her legs holding a bow in her hand ready to shot oof an arrow, she soon was so high up one mistake and she could have a bad fall or worst. 

Y/n " ......" the girl soon let her legs go and started falling she was able to move her body fats enough and soon land on her feet quickly she even didn't even make a sound, when falling or landing.  Mo'at had let out a laugh and soon walked towards the girl but had been stoped by Jake. 

Jake " Mo'at do you know this child" 

Mo'at " yes I do I have know her since the day she was born I was there to help with the delivery of her into this world" 

Jake " Mo’at how do you know of this girl she could be fifteen or sixteen years old, and never been in our clan from what I can remember”

Y/n " grandmother is he really serious with his tone he is acting like he has power over me" the clan spoke the usual navi language everyone else spoke, but they also spoke the language in different dialects and threw sign language as well. So you were able to speak many languages since a very young age as everyone in the clan wanted to make sure you were feel welcomed. 

Mo'at " Tokru makto is special my granddaughter " when everyone else was listening to the conversation they were highly confessed about everything at was being spoken expect the elders, as they knew the language very well and were understand the exchange of words between granddaughter and grandmother. They were doing their best to hide their shocked expression as they now found out you were alive after all these years. 

Y/n " I can see that even now in person it hard to believe he my father" 

Neytiri " child my husband an adult has asked you to answer his questions do you disrespect a Olo'eyktans" that when you noticed tonowiar and ronal Mo'at had told you about them and she was not their begets fan at the moment. 

Y/n " is she serious as well both of them are acting high and might when he a leader who now in questioned and a women who had her rights of tshaik stripped from her title at the moment” 

Mo'at " yes even after these years they still haven’t  learned anything" 

Jake " what are you speaking first of all and child come here with our tshaik so we can talk, so we know we are not in danger of anything” 

Mo'at " Jake" 

Jake " no until we now she safe I won't allow you to take another step near her" you had sighed before you made your way towards, the clans and looked at their leaders. 

Y/n " hello Olo'eyktan tokru makto and Olo'eyktan tonowari" you had done the hand greeting that you had done many times, before in your life. The Jake sulky kids had walked closer to get a better look at you, that when the eldest sully child spotted something that got his whole attention. 

Neteyam " dad look at her hands and feet she have finger fingers and toes like you, kiri, loak, and the others" Jake soon reach for the girl hand roughly taking it and soon examine the girl hand, as neytiri looked at the girl as well. 

Y/n " let me go ... I said let me go now ... grandmother tell him to let my hand go he is hurt me" you were trying your best to hold your emotions as your ikran and other companions picked up on your emotions, very well and one wrong move could spell disaster for everyone else. 

Jake " grandmother" you soon freed your hand from Jake hold giving him a cold glare as he looked at you soon Neytiri had her hands on your shoulder looking at you in the eyes. 

Neytiri " my daughter you are alive and here the great mother had brought you back to us" neytiri had tried to hug you but you had taken a step back from her and just look at her and Jake. The sully kids smiled as they ere happy to see their sister even tuk was happy to have another big sister. 

Y/n " come with me right now and I will bring you to clan and jugdement will be given there" I will meet you over there I will give some time to gather you stuff and talk among each other, you soon walked away from them. You had called back luno and soon told him to follow in the sky but make sure he was not spotted by other navi or banshee as you wait to see what the rest of this meeting were, at the moment.The life you had made here will never be normal , after their arrival but your life has never been normal since the day you were born.

[the-golden-comet]

✨🌺 Author Ask Tag 🌺✨

Thank you so much for tagging me for this, @aalinaaaaaa ! I will also leave this +open for anyone else who wishes to answer (if they want) and may come across this on their feed 💛✨

I’ve espoused lots of juicy information from my two published works Peter Hart and Your Wish Is My Command, so now it’s time to focus a little more on my current WIP: In The Realm of Giants 🌺✨

1. What is the main lesson of your story? Why did you choose it?

Excellent question! There are a few lessons in ITROG that are highlighted throughout the book:

The lengths family will go to protect each other. A huge theme is family bonds, and how the love and support of the village reflects the Viking’s desire to protect their people.

Taking risks to develop characters and learn lessons. Some of those risks are learned the hard way…for instance, getting abducted by a giant because Tyr foolishly believed if he could get away with stealing once, he would smugly and spitefully do it again. However, if not for the risks and consequences of taking said risks, he would have never explored the area outside of his home and experience the adventure. Equally so, his father wouldn’t have been able to see his son shine on his own without feeling the need to always guard him.

Forgiveness. Not only for Stefan and Tyr or Tyr and Gustav, but also Stefan and Gustav. Learning to forgive mistakes of their ancestors, to see everyone’s different perspectives on the same conflicts, and to achieve mutual understandings.

All of these lessons are very comparable to everyone in one way or another, applied to a more high-fantasy scene to give a sense of excitement and relatability 💛✨

2. What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding?

Norse Mythology, especially centered around Jötunheimr and Yggdrasil. I also sprinkled in some Disney-esque family values and dynamics. ✨

3. What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness or help the reader grow as a person?

Tyrell’s objective changes throughout the novel. A consistent goal is for him to achieve independence in a way that still serves his viking clan—the people he loves. However, his goals take a sharp turn when he finds himself kidnapped by a giant, where his main objective becomes to survive and make it back home in one piece.

What I always want to achieve in my MCs is that there is no “flawless” character—everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and seeing their vulnerabilities helps make them a more relatable protagonist. Sometimes, it’s the flaw that makes a character unique and stand out, memorable, endearing, or something that a reader roots for the protag to overcome. The more those strengths and weaknesses are explored and utilized in a plot or conflict, the more developed a character is, and overcoming their own weaknesses is something that anyone can relate and cheer for.

4. How many chapters is your story going to have?

At least 69, as is my brand. The word count is estimated anywhere between 120k-155k words.

5. Is it fan fiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

Original Work! I posted a variety of fanfiction and Originals, and post the full stories to my Archive Of Our Own account always. I do optional/additional support by providing a digital copy on Amazon Kindle eBooks, but that is only if people want to support me further (I don’t have KoFi or Patreon, as my writing pace varies. It finishes when it finishes 💛)

6. When did you start writing?

I started writing fanfiction in 2009 back on old fanfiction.net. Original writing started in 2014 with the development of Peter Hart.

7. Do you have any words of encouragement for fellow writers of writeblr? What other writers do you follow?

It sounds cheesy, but it’s true: Follow your dreams. Write the book that YOU would want to read, and be your biggest writing fan. I go back to my own books all the time, and because I enjoyed writing them and took the time to develop them, it was just as enjoyable reading-reading them from a casual point of view, and not a technical one. Get your heart out there, because there’s only one of you—one unique brain with wonderful ideas waiting to be actualized. Learning by doing, and remembering what inspired and motivated us to write in the first place—don’t lose that sense of wonder 💫✨

I follow SO many writeblrs. I’m excited to see what the community all is doing, and everyone has their own unique flavor of writing that is creative, fascinating, and inspiring. To name just a few: @wyked-ao3 , @gioiaalbanoart , @jev-urisk , @tragedycoded , @clever-pennname , @illarian-rambling , @autism-purgatory , @deanwax , @mk-writes-stuff , @words-after-midnight , @justabigoldnerd , @pippinoftheshire , @avaseofpeonies , @alinacapellabooks , @kaylinalexanderbooks , @drchenquill , @theink-stainedfolk , @the-inkwell-variable , @indecentpause , @glasshouses-and-stones , @addicted2coke-theothercoke , @asassydork , @aalinaaaaaa , @zackprincebooks , @lychhiker-writes , @yourpenpaldee , @oliolioxenfreewrites , @nczaversnick , @mrbexwrites , @peach-the-gospel , @finickyfelix , @aurumni-writes , @paeliae-occasionally , @agirlandherquill , @fantasy-things-and-such , @castiels-favorite-dumbass , @honeybewrites , @thatuselesshuman , @thecoolerlucky , @authorcoledipalo , @48lexr , and @thecomfywriter . There are many, MANY more that you should go check out and follow! Lots of beautiful minds in creative spaces 💫✨

[lavenlady]

Can i request Orion pax (TFO) meeting a human who is extremely fluid in their language but is also a troll?

Here you are! Enjoy Anon!

✩ Easy! ✩ | Tfone Orion Pax x Troll!Human!Reader

☉ You don't really know what happened that got you there. You were in some kind of alien library and being a curious person you decide to explore

☉ You find a lot of cards, thanks to your observations you knew that you had to insert them into the table in the middle of the library

☉ It was quite hard for you to do so, but you managed. Your joy quickly disappeared as you realised that it is an alien library, with alien literature in alien language. With how much time you had for yourself, you decided to learn it

☉ After you were satisfied, you observed the local lifeforms - Cybertronians

☉ That is how you found out they didn't know anything about your species, that gave you room to say anything about humans, without anyone knowing it was total bullshit

☉ Orion Pax choose to visit the archives again, trying to find anything about the Matrix of Leadership, instead he found you

☉ You sizing the opportunity started to tell a lot of scrap about humans, it was beautiful when his face-plate shifted to form a grimace after hearing your words

☉ He was quite shocked that you somehow learned their language, you were quite fluent in it

☉ He decided to visit you from time to time, bringing you things that would bring you joy - at least according to your words about your species

☉ After the whole Sentinel fiasco he finds you again and introduces to his fellow Autobots, telling them about your planet

☉ You will never forget the type of faces they made, listening to Optimus rambling about your species, quite intrigued at the new information, but at the same time horrified

☉ You like to mess with them, feeding their processors with irrelevant things, finding it hilarious

" Ratchet, did you know that humans' claws and carbon helms still grow after death? "

" Primus! Why would you tell me that?! I didn't want to know that! "

□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□

( Hope you liked it! Anyway - Yes, our nails and hair do not in fact grow after death. )

(Master list)

( Request away! )

[red-takami]

HII NORTH ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ ) do you know a lot about manifestation/how to practice it? if so what has ur experience been with it? i have a follow up question but i dont want to sound like im interrogating you 😭 ill probably ask it after this question/in the comments of this question

Honestly I'm not good at it all that much 😭 besides shifting and actively experiencing a change, I almost never try any other methods of it because of how weird/complicated I make it on accident while trying.

In my personal experience, manifesting is like boomerang, you throw out your intention and you receive it back physically. It's sort of unpredictable, like sometimes you experience results immediately, or not for a long time. Sometimes it's not exactly what you envisioned, or maybe it's EXACTLY what you envisioned - but it's not what you needed in that instance yk?

I don't do it a lot, because unfortunately I get demotivated extremely easily. If I don't see results immediately then the doubts make it almost impossible to keep faith in my own intentions. Which is why whenever I shift, I make sure to have whatever I desire in mind so that way I don't need to go through all of this trouble for it.

When I was a younger kid, I would listen to subliminal messaging RELIGIOUSLY. Like every single day for at least a few hours at a time. I did this for probably around 3 years, starting when I first found out about subliminals and not stopping until I experienced something that had kinda made me realize the gravity of doing so like I did.

Nothing bad, at least not this first experience anyway. I remember back then, I was obsessed with werewolves specifically from twilight. It crossed my mind every single day so of course I was willing to jump into anything that could promise my own experience in such a life as a twilight werewolf 😭. I looked and explored all over the internet for different subliminals made by different sources and different affirmations, and no results at all. Eventually though, I just found I grew extremely patient with the results I was waiting for, I found that I genuinely just enjoyed the couple 3 or 4 main subliminals I had found enough to listen to them without the anticipation in my belly making it hard to be in the moment. Of course, back then I didn't realize this, nor did I realize what happened because of this newfound relaxation until one morning I woke up and the teeth in my mouth had all changed shape entirely. I looked in the mirror getting ready for school and vividly remember just standing there with my mouth open and frozen in my spot. My teeth were absolutely a different shape before this morning. I had fallen asleep that night to a subliminal and coincidentally, one of the affirmations were fangs and sharp k9's. This took the relaxation and turned it into slight intimidation. Made me realize that whatever I was doing, was working somehow. It was intimidating.

Second experience, years later in 2020 I had picked up subliminals once again after a year or two break from it, and instead of wolf subliminals - it was shifting subliminals. I won't name the account because honestly I can't remember but they're extremely problematic. I'm not the only bad experience with this account and their subliminals. I had fallen into the same routine, falling asleep to the subliminals daily, everything was fine enough at first that I didn't realize anything was wrong. Just chalked it up to my brain being an asshole.

Over time, and continuing to listen to those affirmations religiously, I started to experience some scary shit back to back, more than normal. Nightmares that weren't lucid but felt more vivid than reality, where the contents were nothing but darkness and pure malicious invasion of my mind and dream state. It was disgusting. I stopped after I realized what the reasoning for these things was, and eventually even heard the same exact stories from other shifters who used that accounts subliminals.

I don't use subliminals at all anymore, but only because I know I don't need them. However, if I did, I now know for a fact that this shit is serious, manifestation is real and you need to take caution with what you're trying to make your reality. This was my second time being shown this, and now my main form of manifesting is just shifting, so I'm sorry if that's not helpful. Feel free to ask anything else!!!

[faewrenbird]

Homicipher Theory

Mr. Hood: The Dishonored Samurai

Don’t turn your nose up yet, hear me out. Maybe it’s a stretch, maybe it makes sense, maybe it’s just a damn good (or delusional) headcanon, you decide.

Homicipher/Mr. Hood Route Spoilers Below!!!!

I established in an earlier theory that the “Ghost Apartments” is a pocket of the spirit realm on haunted grounds where a hospital and subway line were once located but destroyed in an earthquake, after which, an apartment building was built and then abandoned.

But I have a theory that the history of the haunted grounds goes even further back. Perhaps as far as Edo-era feudal Japan. Why? I’m inclined to believe that Mr. Crawling is from that era, but that’s a whole different theory I still need to mull over.

Suppose it’s true—that the cursed land that has accumulated hundreds of vengeful and lost spirits became haunted hundreds of years ago. Perhaps, it became cursed and haunted due to war in this time period. Whatever the case, operating under the premise that its history is this old, I want to take a look at helpful Mr. Hood.

Mr. Hood

He’s the first face we see after waking up in the spirit realm (not counting our startling run-in with Mr. Crawling). You could consider him our Toriel. He gives us the basics, enough info, or lack thereof, to begin our exploration. He tries to teach us some words: light, dark, sound, door, not, maybe “container” if we’re smart. We take this knowledge, leave him in the room behind us, and proceed to immediately get our hearts eaten by Mr. Gap.

But who, or what, is Mr. Hood?

The only thing we learn about him from our brief introduction is that he’s a man of few words, mysterious, monotone, and he’s…literally just a guy in a hood. Oh, and he’s got a big fuck-off axe for seemingly no reason at all.

From what I’ve played of the game so far, it seems we’re unlikely to ever see him again unless some really bizarre and specific conditions are met.

If those conditions are met, we wind up being Alice-in-Wonderlanded into a miniature version of ourselves, and Mr Hood makes an unexpected appearance to help us try to find the magical potion to make us normal again.

During our adventure with him, we…don’t learn much. Kind of the ongoing theme of this game, actually. Get used to perpetually knowing nothing and being confused by what you do know.

We do learn a few key things, though.

First, man has a deft hand with an axe. In fact, he can flawlessly execute any ghost he deems to be a threat, without a moment’s hesitation, and with the badassery to act totally calm and say only “they’re dead” when you interrogate him about it.

Second, there’s nothing under the hood. After escaping a brutal entity, he sits with his hood pulled back, revealing nothingness. Unlike the Bride, though, he prefers to mask this feature. When we comment on his lack of a head, he quickly pulls the hood back up.

Third, he has a body. Although lacking a head, we know that there’s something solid under the cloak, because he hides us in it and we comment on the err…texture of his insides(?).

Fourth, he is some kind of executioner. This is perfectly apparent design-wise. Hooded and carrying a massive axe that he employs with perfect ease. Some speculation, but he seems to specifically serve the purpose of executioner in this land of ghosts. He’s very adept at detecting a threat and differentiating between good and evil (wish the same could be said for our himbo-brained Mr. Crawling, but I digress). In fact, while we're taking a nap, he evidently leaves to a different room to hunt and kill another ghost.

Fifth, he goes where he’s needed. He comes off as someone strictly bound by his duty. At least, this is what I infer rather than him being a wandering spirit in these halls. It’s why, when we’re reunited with Mr. Crawling and the others, Mr. Hood leaves us. We don’t need him anymore, and he can’t accept that we want him with us just because we like him. In fact, he tells us not to say things like that, or depending on your interpretation, that he has nothing to say to that, before he abandons us.

So, what does this all mean (apart from making him the sexiest and most mysterious hooded figure I’ve ever known cough)?

My theory is that, in life, Mr. Hood was a samurai who committed some great treason and thus endured the ritual of hara-kiri (seppuku) for his execution.

Hara-kiri was a form of ritualistic suicide where a samurai would take a blade and slice open his stomach, after which, an executioner would decapitate him. An honorable death was when the executioner left just a bit of the criminal’s neck during the slice, not quite severing it completely. A dishonorable death meant the whole head came off, which was embarrassing for the deceased samurai and his family.

If Mr. Hood was a samurai, his prowess with a weapon and calculating attitude towards fulfilling his duty and cutting down enemies makes a lot of sense.

If he was a dishonored samurai, then his reclusive manner and the shame of having no head also makes sense. Not that I think the ghosts retain memories of their life (Mr Gap excluded), but he could be carrying residual shame and dishonor from his death. He could be forever trapped trying to repent for his sins by executing evil, to make up for whatever treason he committed.

I think it’s further evidenced by our description of his insides. Slimy. It’s a grotesque thought, but if we’re being held against a gutted and sliced open stomach, this description makes sense, too.

Additionally, the shame and self-loathing would help explain why he rejects our confession of affection towards him. He’s not worthy of that affection, nor of companionship. He can’t even fathom our interest in him.

I personally am really obsessed with this concept and have adopted it as my headcanon because I think it makes it all the sweeter when he comes back to save us and decides to carry us for all eternity (which, btw, I squealed when I realized that we were no longer small when he picked us up with this objective in mind, so we’re spending our afterlife being bridal-style carried by this man). We are, after all, the first person to care for him since his humiliating death. The first person to like him. The first person to give him purpose beyond routine and mindless execution of dark spirits. We give him a new duty, something to protect and cherish.

And idc what you say, that’s goddamn romantic for this vaguely romantic horror game.

[wizzard890]

Hi Emily! Just a fair warning, this ask is gonna include eating disorder talk so feel free to skip over it and come back when you feel prepared to read it!

Anyways, I've seen on Twitter that you've gone vegetarian because of your objections to the meat industry and honestly, I agree, and I want to do that too, but I have a history of very disordered eating patterns (I've never been formally diagnosed with anything so I don't like to label myself with anything like that which is why I use that wording), and I'm scared that if I restrict myself like that it could lead to a spiral. I know you've struggled with eating disorders in the past, so was this something you faced too? I've thought about slowly transitioning to being a pescatarian before going vegetarian to get used to it, but a part of me is still scared. Do you have any words of advice? I hope you have a nice day and that things continue to go well for you and your wife!

This is a super thoughtful question, and one which also gave me a bit of concern when I went vegetarian. As someone who has dealt with eating disorders in the past, I really didn't want to Count Anything, or focus on things I was cutting out of my diet. But I've landed on an approach that works for me, and I think it'll help you too.

First of all, don't think of it as restricting anything. For me, vegetarianism is a moral choice, and that means I'm intentionally laying something aside, not punishing myself. This is for your ethics, it has nothing to do with your body or your self esteem.

Second, infuse what you're doing with a sense of exploration! I cooked and ate meat for many years, and going vegetarian was an opportunity to branch out into new flavors and foods I'd never really tried before. If you feel at a loss, get some new cookbooks to inspire you - I'm currently enjoying these ones. Disordered eating can make you fixate on lack; so don't let yourself lack. You're exchanging one type of food for another, an absolutely neutral act. Vegetables are really good for you and we all could probably stand to eat more of them anyway.

I think going pescatarian for a while is a great starting point, especially as you get your bearings with a new kind of cooking. Zero in on what kinds of vegetarian proteins sound the most enticing, and find a few starter recipes that look good; focus on those, so you have them in your back pocket if the rest is intimidating. Above all, we want to keep you fed.

You sound self-aware, and that's a good thing to be when embarking on a change like this. Remember why you're doing it, and be at least as kind to yourself as you would be to the humble cow that you're choosing not to eat.

[lullabyalikpoptarot]

Hi, I was going through your BTS readings and it seemed like Suga is kinda detached in love which surprised me since he’s a pisces lol.

I was wondering if you can do a reading on who in bts is more about connection or just physical pleasure when it comes to sex, and why maybe? Tysm!

Disclaimer: All alleged no facts. If you don’t like topics on sex, keep it moving. I go into certain taboo topics and I have no problem discussing sex. I don’t care how conservative you think your faves are. I discuss whatever I want on my page. It comes with being a public figure. How about not bubble wrapping grown ass men/women that you don’t know! And reality check, they don’t know you. And would not defend you if you ever needed it. k thanks. And if you read my readings, ya’ll know touching on this topic is the least of their problems. Okay, that out that way.

None of them are giving me anything about an emotional connection here.

Jin (5 of Cups/7 of Swords) This just confuses me. I see regrets, sadness, shame, some manipulation here. Not sure he enjoys this process, not going to lie. I am not sure where this energy is coming from.

Suga (3 of Pentacles) Since it is pentacles, I am seeing for him it is more physical. Why does 3 keep popping up for him? When I post my tea session of them, you will understand what I mean there. He seems to like a collaborative effort. I don’t see him being the type to rush things either. 

Jhope (6 of Swords/The Lovers) I had no clue what the 6 of Swords means, maybe sex can be a means to deal with mental turmoil for him. I see him being a very passionate man, very attuned to the needs of his partner. 

RM (The Hierophant/4 of Pentacles) He seems pretty traditional, very self-controlled, conservative in a sense. He doesn’t give me much passionate energy here. I say it is more physical. He does not give me it is fun act he just does for the hell of it though. He seems very constrained, don’t think his sex drive is that high,

Jimin (2 of Pentacles) This is funny, because this card in this deck makes me think of Libra energy and he is a Libra. He brings that energy to sex, yes it is physical for him, an act two people do. He is fair and thinks both should play a role, so he isn’t dominant or submissive. 

V (The Tower/5 of Wands) Oh, he is a wild boy, very passionate, chaotic, there may need to be drama. He can be intense, messy. I can see it happening in the heat of the moment with him.

Jungkook (Page of Wands) To him it is passionate and physical, a fun act, he is curious, playful and willing to learn new things and likes to explore new things. He could be more on the submissive side.

[yuseirra]

So what was that whole idea about Kamiki's true nature?

Since I tend to like children quite a bit, there’s one point(out of many)in this manga that really bothers me. Around volume 14, there have been several mentions of Kamiki’s “true nature” and whatnot. For instance, in Aqua’s script, it’s mentioned that Ai broke up with him after realizing his true nature, and so on(it wasn't the case in reality).

But when I think about how the authors wrote this character, it doesn’t seem like he had an inherently bad nature. As the creators of the story and characters, they would know this better than anyone else. If anything, given his circumstances, he seems like someone with a remarkably good temperament. That’s why I couldn’t stop thinking about it when the manga was still ongoing—what exactly led to him being associated with such accusations? I was curious, it’s confusing. He was kind. And it doesn’t seem like he fits into the “kind people turning scary when they snap” category either, because even in those cases, there’s usually a limit to how far the outburst goes. It’s just really strange. How could someone like him lash out at Ai? He couldn’t even get angry in the first place. He missed the moments when he should’ve gotten angry, and even when he had reasons to, he didn’t. They built his character like that, I've been paying attention to how they did and I wouldn't be confused if things were different!

When I look at it, it doesn’t seem like the authors were trying to write him as fundamentally “evil.” If anything, they seemed to be portraying him as “empty,” and they might have been trying to explore that theme.

It’s true that the emptiness and lack of affection experienced by people who weren’t sufficiently loved during the early stages of their lives can be deeply painful and significantly influence their hearts. But if the story is saying that this emptiness and pain were the cause of him turning into a monster or leading to his downfall, then I find it incredibly disrespectful to people who endure such suffering. I don't think that was what the authors were going for, either. In my opinion, those factors alone don’t seem like sufficient reasons for someone with his personality and pain to commit such extreme acts. He wasn’t just an ordinarily “nice” person even; he seemed extraordinarily gentle by nature, at least from what I can tell.

If something external had happened to push him over the edge, then maybe it would make sense. That’s why I think he only changed after Ai’s death.

But in the story, aside from Ai, it feels like no one treats him as a human being. Was he really that terrible? From when? Why is he treated this way?

If this is meant to convey some kind of message, maybe I could understand it.

For instance: “Both deities of the entertainment industry were warped in their own ways because they weren’t treated as human—one was revered as a god, and the other was treated as a monster.” If that’s the point, I might get it. But was that really conveyed properly?

What frustrates me immensely is that Kamiki was consistently abused from at least the age of 10 or 11, throughout his adolescence, and yet none of the adults around him did anything to help—they just left him to suffer. Then, near the end, they react so half-heartedly towards him when he goes to meet some of them, while acting all meaningful and apologetic, as if they’re atoning for their sins toward Ai. But what about him? It seems like no one—not a single person—ever did anything for him except for Ai, no wonder he's so desperate about her, huh?

And really, what did he even actually do? How far did his crimes go? When he says at the end, “I didn’t do anything,” (they actually had him say that) I think that’s half true and half false. From my perspective, it seems like he awakened after Ai’s death and started using his divine powers, determined he would bring her back. If he were a deity, it would make sense for him to be able to guide people’s futures, twist their fates, and decide whether they live or die. That's something he's actually capable of doing, if he's that specific god of light who governs over the industry!! If he committed sins, he should face the consequences. But—

If the story had depicted this situation in a clearer sense, like what is actually going about him in the first place, then they could’ve drawn out discussions about how to respond to this character in a more engaging way.

However, this work portrays the character as inherently problematic, yet when you break it down, it leaves you scratching your head. Everything is ambiguous. So, was he always problematic to begin with, or what? The story also includes parts where the protagonists like Akane or Aqua outright suggest that he’s an issue. Is it just because they need to kill him?

If the story were portraying him as if he had that kind of disposition from the beginning, I wouldn’t have anything to say… I can make that out!! I studied psychology for goodness sake!! As I’ve kept mentioned before, however, this character’s transformation is closer to complete corruption or a total reversal of temperament. People don’t change this drastically on a normal level. It’s just too strange. If this were explored more thoroughly, it might be more convincing. No matter how much I think about it, the only explanation for why this character was written this way seems to be this, that he is really some god, and I think it’s likely correct.

I mean, he was abused since he was a child, but not a single adult at the time properly addressed it. And I don’t even think that alone would have turned him into a criminal. That’s not what caused it— he was holding up for so long, and then, after Ai died, the only person who treated him well was gone. From what I figure, that's like what's the only thing enough to break him THAT BAD. I think he ended up living a miserable existence just to try and do something for her, to dedicate himself to her.

But none of this is clear, and the story just keeps pushing the narrative that “he’s the problem,” “he’s a monster,” and “killing him will solve everything.” Somewhere along the way, this approach starts to feel unnecessarily cruel and upsetting. Am I reading this wrong? But that’s how it seems to be written.

Is it really okay to handle this sort of subject this way? It’s too harsh, both internally and externally. It feels like the character has never been properly addressed or explored.

Sure, he’s an adult now, he needs to take responsibilities. But he was just a kid when he suffered. So young at that. Is it really appropriate to discuss things like a teenager’s “true nature” or whatever? Sometimes you do see kids with genuinely dangerous and cruel tendencies, but he used to be the exact opposite of such a case. He did not display any aggression. Why frame things this way? The way this story handles this is just mean. For someone who endured abuse and kept smiling to get through it, that’s an extraordinary level of strength and character. For his case, it isn’t about “true nature”—it’s a product of his environment. And yet they don’t explore that? They should. The way the narrative directs readers is deeply unsettling. What were the adults even doing? That’s the real issue! That’s where the problem lies! Not addressing that and just concluding with his death feels so infuriating. What is this story even trying to do?!

And to add to that, while we talk about him at 10 or 11 years old, I don’t think he ever received proper love even before that.

That’s why it’s so astonishing that when he met Ai, she said she wanted to live with him forever. It shows how much she genuinely liked him! Despite everything he had been through, he still managed to be that lovable to her. Both of them were so genuine toward each other. For that to happen, she must have been truly happy around him—she must have felt cared for. It's really hard for someone like that to endorse those kinds of feelings towards someone, she really loved that guy and he probably really deserved it at that point.

Looking at this character, even considering what he’s been through, his outward demeanor is still incredibly kind. It’s so rare for someone to stay that way despite everything.

The idea of this guy having a “noble soul” or “pure spirit”, "nobility" might connect to the Sarutahiko reference (since that god is described that way), but beyond that, this character’s natural disposition seems to have been one of the kindest in the entire story. He’s just been twisted by his experiences. I can believe he really was like that. Even Ai had a dark personality, yet he somehow endured without letting that show at least outwardly—even when he was just a kid, even younger than her!

He was genuinely a good person. For someone like that to end up this way? It’s because he lost Ai and couldn’t handle it. He had given all his affection to her. Maybe if there had been someone else in his life to help him, things could’ve been different, but no one besides Ai treated him well. The way the character was written really does suggest that’s the case.

The problem isn’t so much the framework or the plot but the way it’s executed. It’s so lacking in consideration. This kind of material is too heavy to leave in the realm of mystery-solving. Even so, if they wanted to depict his personality or actions as the problem, they should’ve written his personality differently and laid the groundwork with different foreshadowing.

They wanted to add mystery elements while still portraying him as kind, so there’s this constant mismatch. The result is that his character remains unclear. And they can’t fully commit to making him a villain because the character is tied to mythology—he’s clearly based on a god from myth, and that god was incredibly benevolent. Oh my gosh..why do this to a god known for being a loving husband?

Also—again—talking about the “true nature” of a 14–15-year-old? Sure, it’s not entirely out of the question, but isn’t still that going too far? No one talks about Airi’s true nature, so why his? What even is his “true nature”? Blaming a kid for this? For feeling hollow from having been neglected and unloved? Seriously… when adults start telling a child they’re “hopelessly empty” or whatever, I’m just sitting here clutching my head in frustration. He was just a middle schooler! What are you doing? And the adult doing the gaslighting? They’re not even a proper human being! Sure, adults like that exist in real life, but still!

The problem is that the story doesn’t dismiss it as nonsense—it actually builds that trait into his character. It doesn’t outright contradict it. I guess it’s not entirely wrong of them to point it out, but still… it’s so frustrating. These elements function as part of the plot and keep things intriguing, but it feels careless. The story doesn’t address the core issue, the problem of the adults having hurt a kid, and that makes it harmful. Anyway… Kamiki’s life was just awful. He could’ve turned out so much better. That’s what’s heartbreaking about him. And it’s not even entirely clear whether he didn’t turn out okay. His responsibility on this all is so ambiguous. What if he really didn't want to hurt anyone like he's said, but things turned out that way anyway—what are we supposed to do with that?

Well, considering what he thought about Ruby, I guess that’s not entirely the case(omg) but I think the whole "feeling Ai" might have actually had some sort of base from his standpoint. What if he knew doing that would work for certain but held back but didn’t kill her because she was his and Ai's child (he says that she's theirs) then felt “I should’ve tried something when I had the chance” in his dying breaths huh? Wouldn’t that be tragic? Messed up but I think that's what could have been what's going on! I could see that being possible. But still, what kind of nerve does he have… ugh… the audacity… How could he do that to his own daughter lol. At this point I think that's the writer's fault, not the character because it's so ridiculous. What even is this manga? I’m at a loss for words.

Honestly, I wish they hadn’t used such heavy themes. The manga can be entertaining but it’s too emotionally taxing. The author handles these serious topics in such a strange way, and it’s exhausting. I'd go as far to say it feels a bit irresponsible at times.

[glitter-stained]

I'm not saying making tentatodd sexy (as in like, a crossover between a mermaid and glossy black octopus-y tentacle porn monster) would have fixed Nightwing Brothers in Blood... but it would have made it much better

[xbuster]

Oh god, are we really entering the era of anime about fake Vtubers

[lovelyrotter]

yknow i love transmasc/tboy dirk always and forever but the way some ppl treat transmascness vs transfemmeness in HS's narrative........kinda sucks. like the whole thing about how being transfeminine is a literal transient experience and lets the character in question (any character) truly escape the oppression of HS's narrative-as-a-character which is patriarchal and toxic (lord english, hussie-the-character to an extent. i guess. idk ive seen a lotta ppl lump SI-hussie in w/ this), which is great and does hold weight as an analytical lens esp with how hussie irl is nonbinary. but where does this leave transmasc characters. why are we treating (headcanoned) transfemme HS characters like this and then tbh gleefully dooming (headcanoned) transmasc characters to eternal narrative suffering brought by LE and then mocking them for being ''gross tboys'' full of ''icky testorerone'' so its their fault theyre in this perpetual torment really? because they ''''chose to be a man''''? dunno man its starting to feel bad. especially since some bnf's who are really into this fan theory do actually kinda treat the general idea of transmasculinity like somthing to hold with tongs at arms length away from them. as if its alien or infectous or something and then get really mad when equally dysphoric transmascs do the same with feminity. why are we dooming dirk strider to eternal toxic-masculine suffering and what does that say about how we treat real life transmasc folks both in and outside of the fandom

[baronessblixen]

You know, I was wondering:

If canon stopped at Je Souhaite and CC wrote the Revival later (but excluded William-Jackson and the mytharc), I wonder how much more... I don't know, plausible? it would be?

The problem with the Revival-- or why I never got into it-- was that so many out-of-character moments had to happen (S9 mostly) in order to set it up; and it never seemed worth my effort to watch. But I have IWTB locked and loaded for later this month; and I began to wonder if the Revival would have made more sense if Mulder had become lost in his obsession/depression after Colonization didn't happen, period, sometime after Je Souhaite; and the two being torn apart because of his tendency to withdraw into himself. I always thought that, even though they'd lost their son canonically, it was a factor that bound he and Scully tighter together; and their will-they-won't-they post S9 never rang true to me. I do factor in the need for space especially if Mulder won't/can't listen (precedent being set in Syzygy and Never Again and One Son etc.); but the reasons given (or not) for each "breakup" weren't... dealt with very well.

And maybe it's just me but some conversations in the Revival would have made more sense? if Mulder and Scully had never had kids and were happy but their happiness was shattered here and there because of Mulder's obsessions and regrets and not because Scully gave it all up but still walked away from him twice. (Plus One I think? was the "what if you get married and have kids" convo, and wouldn't that have been an interesting twist if Jackson wasn't a part of their history?)

ANYWAY. Ramble aside, I'll probably have more thoughts after IWTB... which should be interesting because I'm skipping right over S9 (so that my brain keeps it firmly in the AU category.) And IF that goes well, I miiiiiiiiiiiiight? dip into the Revival episodes that have nothing to do with the mytharc or William? Maybe? (Maybe not. XDD)

Is there a will-they-won't-they situation with them? To me there isn't. It might seem that way because CC didn't come right out and showed them as a couple in IWTB cause he wanted the audience to be surprised or something. But their love and what they feel for each other and that they both wanted to be together (and were) was never in question for me. And there is a lot of what you say in IWTB. Mulder and his obsessions and how that might drive a wedge between him and Scully.

As for the breakup in the revival, it just wasn't done well if you ask me. Like it's mentioned and then next episode, their dynamic is as it always was and you completely forget about it for the most part. There are a few mentions and in fact, there are a few great things in the revival.

The Plus One conversation - to me - was so misplaced in that episode. They were so beyond that point. It's a conversation they should have had in IWTB maybe. They were in their 50s (!) and talk about what "what if you meet someone and have a family". Sorry but that doesn't work for me.

The whole thing was clunky and just a way for CC to let Mulder and Scully have sex. Even without William/Jackson, that conversation happened too late for me. Cause it's never about what COULD have happened but what can still happen. And they're just too old for me for that at that point.

I think you can easily watch IWTB without having seen season 9. The only episodes you really need knowledge of to watch it are The Truth and maybe William.

I say give the revival a chance. You can always put it into AU category if you hate it :D

[icewindandboringhorror]

Recent game related things .. hrmm...

[llycaons]

sometimes I feel like I've overcorrected on the unhealthy relationships in media thing because there is so much nauseating bullshit out there that people present as aspirational, which is kind of a shame because a lot of the most interesting fictional relationships are absolute nightmares and it's a real gift to see them appreciated by people who understand the nuances and the appeal

[deathsmallcaps]

Replying to tags but then I ran out of room and I think i was if not cooking then at least microwaving

#dude when I was in 6th grade I read #the veldt #and at the time it disgusted and genuinely scared me because I was #just so surprised that people - children! - could be raised to be so heartless #idk if I read it for the first time as a 23 year old it would scare me so much #but goddamn

#I think we're both people who are *at least* good at literacy but we're both a little too STEMmy #to look at it the way some English teachers want us to? #like they want people to go from 'damn that's fucked up → what themes are the authors trying to explore here → what about the world #made them think of that and perhaps what are they trying to get us to consider and think about and perhaps change' #obviously not all writing is a fable with a moral at the end #but a lot of good writing has some sort of central belief that it wants the reader to consider

#(I struggle in creating that with my fiction ugh and I think a lot of booktok books do too and it bugs me that we have that connection)

#but anyway #I think you and I'd first reactions are like #’that's horrible → how can we prevent that specific problem from occurring again' #like take the lottery. my (and maybe your?) first reaction is like 'that's horrible → they should ban the lottery' #but the English teacher is going to want us to think 'oh gee okay so this is a commentary on traditions. why would this tradition be started #/necessary? does the lottery reflect the overall morals and sensibilities of the overall society (aka fond of the death penalty etc). #what sort of tradition might this mirror today? connecting to historical events and the fact that the person stoned and the author were #women. aka the gender commonly stoned for witchcraft in New England #do you think that's related?' etc etc etc wrapped in metaphors and shit. and tbh that's how I learned a lot of my religious and political #philosophy as well as history. I really like Thomas swift's 'a modest proposal' (satire) for that reason.

but that was NOT my initial #thought process for English class. I had to be heavily trained into thinking that way and often my first instinct is to not engage with the #metaphor an just go straight to the logic/sensible answer. blah blah blah. I really respect lit and history teachers as a profession but boy #do I not want to teach it because I would be so slack on writing the kinds of questions that would get the kids to engage with the meta. #once I got a piece I got it but it was a struggle every damn time. because I had to get over my feelings of well why didn't they just not #do that'

the biggest one I can think of is 'song of Solomon' by Toni Morrison. I think my senior AP English teacher wanted us to really #consider authors and characters of color (he was white but it was 2018-2019 aka Trump era) so he taught us othello and TM. othello is a #little easier to understand because iago is just being a little bitch about a Black foreigner getting a promotion and a hot wife and no longer being able to convince himself that he was better than Othello

But TM’s main character Milkman? Unlikeable, spoiled little shit who doesn’t give a damn that he’s the 1 percent of his marginalized community and he’s frittering his privileges away so hard that it literally induces suicidal and murderous tendencies into the people around him. Among other things.

It took me foreverrrrrr to engage with the text beyond GOD I HATE THIS GUY but once I was able to examine his psychology and the mean flip side of ‘if you want to fly, you have to get rid of earthly attachments’, which he does at the end of the story.

Was it a chore? Absolutely. But have I ever forgotten the story or the literary tools it gave me? No.

Maybe I’m just speaking for myself in this longass response - you and I usually talk animals and men not books 😅 - but yeah every English class is full of these annoying stories that are meant to rattle one’s brain and I REALLY avoid rattling lmao. Tbqh again I respect lot classes but I’m glad they’re over lmao

But anyways I listened to Levar Burton’s podcast ‘Levar Burton Reads’ from start to finish, and he once read (as a three parter) Toni Morrison’s Recitatif. It’s the story of two girls, one Black one white, who grew up around and with and against each other during the mid 1900s.

I didn’t know what the story was getting at, aside from the surface ideas of the American Civil Rights Movement and privilege and stuff. But LB usually asked questions or briefly mentioned the author’s main idea at the end. And when he did? HOLY FUCK.

If you ever decide to listen to it (I’ve never gotten my hands to a print copy so idk if they usually have some sort of author’s note at the end to ask the reader this question)(I love LB’s voice he’s a pleasure to listen to if you listen to Recitatif) please @ me and tell me if it also blew your mind and made you consider how you viewed the POV character of the story.

Because it blew my mind and made me really consider why I assumed things about the pov character. Im not going to say anything further because I feel like I’m spoiling the point but yeah.

Anyways again this could be just me but I’ve always had trouble moving on from the straight solution mindset. When I was 12 I was in a model UN and I was told to write a report about Togo and its healthcare issues. I took this to mean that I had to research the common issues there (such as unclean water and mosquito bite diseases) and then come up with solutions.

It was incredibly embarrassing to do all that and then hear every other group explain their countries healthcare issues and WHY (historically, monetarily, etc) their countries struggled with such things. And my ass went up there and talked about affordable mosquito deterrent changes to water sources and cheap water cleaning services.

I didn’t realize it then but like. It perfectly exemplified my lack of instinct to subtextually interact with instructions and prompts.

And the thing is. May the universe bless and boost the fucking lit teachers out there because my poor students are entering math class with lit skills 6 grades under where they should be and are genuinely unable to interact with straightforward STEM instructions. My college had every ed major take a ‘teaching literacy’ class and sure I passed but the thing is. I’m not really the person that’s supposed to catch these kids on that subject. I’m supposed to be a secondary math teacher. So a lot of the advice in that class simply wasn’t applicable and I wish it was!!! I’d be happy to help in that subject but also I WAS TRAINED TO BE A MATH TEACHER. AND MOST LITERACY AND LANGUAGE DIFFICULTY COURSES ARE NOT DESIGNED WITH STEM IN MIND. (Which is why I want to learn enough Spanish that I can teach kids learning English math as well because that’s an area that doesn’t get a lot of crossover and a lot of kids fall through).

Well this turned into a ramble goodnight lmao. I’d say this was a decently microwaved thought track lol