#but it is ok!!! we will persevere as they say.. it would be so fun to have blank faced little cricket and

[cluepoke-archive]

Hmm I've been considering making puppets of calendertowns characters as a bit of a fun side project for myself ( I made a mock up for cricket out of rolled up paper balls and scrap fabric even!!)

[wosoragebaiter69]

a bit hot

barça fem x teen!reader

request: here

A/N: yesterday i was in shambles trying to write this.. i keep getting sickness i write about 💀food poisoning next 😃

TW: Vomit, passing out, illness

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It all started with a small headache, it was one you could tolerate, probably just a bit of exhaustion and would go away once drinking water. The thing was though, it didn’t go away.

It was hot in Barcelona, 37° C hot. Water intake for everyone was high, and you were being made to drink extra water by not only the physios, but also your Captains.

Honestly, you thought everyone was feeling like this if you’d been drinking the most and still feeling headachy. You persevere though determined to not let a bit of pain decide how the training goes.

But when ignored, problems only get worse.

It only takes half an hour for your overall health to decline, and obviously people notice. How couldn’t they when it looked like you couldn’t even think straight.

Which is true. You don’t recognise what’s happening until Alexia is pulling you away and inside the air-conditioned room.

“Dios Mío. What are we going to do with you.” Is the first thing she says, putting you in the direct line of 18° coolness blasting. It isn’t enough though.

You feel yourself growing tired, your head dropping every few seconds.

“Hey, hey. Stay awake for me yeah?” Your captain asks you. The only thing you are capable of doing is groaning before ultimately passing out, falling into her chest.

- - - - -

When you wake up again, you’re in a different room. A fan blowing on you and a UV line dripping into your skin. Alexia is also there, who has been joined by Marta and Mapi.

You feel sick to your stomach, shutting your eyes in hopes of holding anything inside back. Conceal don’t feel right? That’s what Elsa says.

You hear footsteps cautiously approach, you don’t have to open your eyes to know it’s Alexia.

“Nena?” She whispers quietly, placing her hand on your still slightly warm skin. You shake your head, trying to suppress any indicators that you were about to throw up. She knows better, Mapi knows better, Marta knows better.

The other captain throws Alexia a puke bag who holds it in front of your mouth.

“Come on, I know you don’t want to but please. You’ll feel better.” You give into her and into yourself. Retching into the bag, making all the girls in the room cringe at the sound.

Once you’ve pulled yourself together, Alexia closes the bag and disposes it in a bin in the corner.

“Are you going to throw up again soon or no?” She asks, sparing a glance at the other two.

“I should be fine, thanks Ale.” Your voice is hoarse and slightly cracks.

“Ok, good.” She leans against the table you’re on thinking about what to say next. Marta beats her to it.

“Why didn’t you speak up about how ill you were? We would’ve brought you in sooner.” You sigh.

“Well I thought we were all going through that! I had been drinking more water than you guys yet I’m still the one who is plugged into a machine?”

“You have to promise to tell us next time ok?” Alexia asks, you nod.

“Bebita, I have Ingrid ready in the car when you feel well enough. The doctor said you could take the UV out when you wake up” You smile at the thought of getting into your bed at home.

“Ok, thanks Mapi.” She pats your leg smiling.

“We’ll talk about this another day ok? Go home, get rest. You are not going to be training in conditions like these over the next few days. Some investigators are looking into why this has happened so they might want to talk to you at some point.” She finishes curiously.

“Well, sounds fun. I wanna go home now.” Mapi nods, helping you stay up and walking toward the car where Ingrid is already situated.

- - - - -

When you get home you’re exhausted, hungry and sweaty.

“Come on elskling, I’ll run you a bath while Mapi gets you some light food. Then you can sleep for however long you need. Is that ok?” Ingrid says, pushing you inside.

“Mkay, thanks Ingrid.” She kisses your temple placing the training bags she was holding in her room before going to the bathroom to start a cool bath.

“I won’t make you anything warm, do you want a salad?” A salad does sound good, and refreshing.

“Sounds good.” She leads you to the bench, the cool countertop doing wonders against your warm skin.

She gets the salad ready rather fast, it’s not that big, but definitely enough that you won’t go to sleep uncomfortable.

Soon after eating your food, Ingrid comes back.

“Bath is ready when you are.”

You nod, legs still shaky so the couple helps you to the bathroom sitting you down.

“You’ll be ok?” Ingrid asks feeling your forehead, still cringing slightly.

“Yeah, I will. Thank you both… this means so much to me.”

“Don’t worry bebita, it’s the least we can do.” Mapi says smiling.

They both take your silence as a que to leave the room so they do. The bath relaxes you, and takes away most of the uncomfortable feelings inside.

When you’re done, you change into shorts and an old shirt, walking out slowly to the living room where Ingrid is reading a book and Mapi is playing with Bagheera.

Ingrid notices you first.

“Do you want medicine? Then you can sleep.”

“Yes please.” She gets up, going to medical cabinet pulling two paracetamol out and handing them to you with a glass of water.

“Drink.” You do as told and you finally let the exhaustion of the day come up to you. Before you realise what’s happening, Mapi has lifted you up and is taking you to your room.

“If you need anything, we’ll be here. Promise.” She whispers, putting you to bed. You smile up at her before falling into a peaceful slumber.

—————————————————

thanks for all the love and support guys, i hope that i can post the other fic tonight so you get 2 in one day 😘

[sophaeros]

julian casablancas for mojo magazine, november 2024 / issue 372 (x x)

Rock'n'roll Confidential: Julian Casablancas

The Strokes/Voidz mainman talks entitlement, respect and Arctic Monkeys

3AM (Pacific Coast Time) is an atypical hour to schedule an interview. But here's Julian Casablancas, zooming from Los Angeles, where the singer, for so long synonymous with the grit and glamour of New York City, has lived since 2020. He's a busy man: as well as fronting long-running garage rock classicists The Strokes - whose sixth album The New Abnormal won a Grammy in 2020 - he's found a refuge of sorts in his experimental, '80s synths-enabled group The Voidz, whose new LP Like All Before You is imminent. Talking to MOJO, Casablancas remains in shadow, his eyes occasionally reflecting dim light. "I can be a vampire," he promises. "You want a real rock star, bro? But I can be flexible and go into family mode too…"

What are you doing up at 3am, talking to MOJO? It's about the only time I have free. The rest of the time, it's videos and working with managers, going to concerts, social things… so l go all the way around, to crazy night hours.

The new album starts with Overture and ends with Walk Off - is there a concept lurking within? I guess a little. Maybe subconsciously. It hopefully hits if you have taken mushrooms. I had just watched Gone With The Wind, and they used to have overtures at the beginning of movies, and then we end the album with a synthesizer version. But it is not a rock opera story. If anything, the concept was going to be a one-word album title. At first, it was Zeal, then Perseverance.

How do you switch mindsets between Voidz and Strokes songwriting? Voidz songs are where my mind has been pushing me, and where I want to go, and where I am. But the ability or capability or muscle memory of writing Strokes-sequel stuff is just always going to be there. When those songs appear, it makes more sense to put them in each category, but it's not always that clear. But there's more 'no-limits' with The Voidz.

You recently said, "My current solution is to tour with The Strokes and then use the money to record with The Voidz." How did that happen? Years of drama and betrayals and horseshit (laughs). Honestly, l am cool with most of the dudes, and now we're more mature. It's not what I set out to do, but it's a fun, cool day job that I feel blessed to have. But let's just say I was only in a band called Zog, and whatever I worked on 10 years ago in Zog, I would not be interested in any more, I'm only interested in what I'm working on now. It's just the nature of music and creativity, you know?

What did you set out to do with The Strokes? I just wanted to challenge boundaries, and to have an ambitious collective of respectful teammates. Is that The Voidz? For me, yes.

The cliché about Strokes issues is that you were rich kids who weren't hungry enough. Any truth in that? Success affects people in different ways. I'd say there are some elements, probably from me as well, where you can be entitled… all kinds of bands have fallings outs and drama. It wasn't like, Oh, we don't need the money. I think it did take a lot of hunger to get there, but then after you've achieved something, when everyone is kissing each individual member's ass… OK, let's get back to work and do it again. It was like, Uh, no thanks. That's my assessment.

The Arctic Monkeys song Star Treatment starts out, "I just wanted to be one of The Strokes." What was your reaction? I thought, Be careful what you wish for. It was funny, and flattering. I have a lot of respect for Alex and those boys.

Tell us something you've never told an interviewer before. I've been trying to communicate with crows lately. I heard they have an intricate sonic language, but I haven't had any luck. It occurred to me that food would help, so I was trying to feed one M&M's earlier, but he wasn't having it. People can catch me making weird noises, trying to mimic the crow. I think the crows are more startled than the humans.

As told to Martin Aston

JULIAN, DOPE Five of Casablancas's crackers.

Brian Eno Burning Airlines Give You So Much More (ISLAND, 1974)

Benny Goodman Good-Bye (VICTOR, 1936)

Kate Bush Why Should I Love You? (EMI, 1993)

Max Richter Path 5 (Delta) (DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON, 2015)

BEAK> Secrets (INVADA, 2024)

[ilkkawhat]

I would like to hear you rant about Nick Stokes if you ever feel the desire to do it 👀

i’m not drunk and it probably would be more fun if i was (in fact I’m pretty hungover) but here we go lol

you know it’s funny i think this is the first time since 2006 i’m having trouble thinking about what to say about him. i know i’ve alluded to the thought of him even hurting me right now but he still seems to persist in my dreams, in ideas, and i have still been (attempting) writing him in difficult situations because he���s a character that has this unwavering optimism and spirit that’s just too easy to break though the pieces always find a way to get back together. and outside of his sheer hotness i think that’s what drew me to him—i wish i didn’t delete it but i once wrote this long thing about why grave danger is my favorite episode and it’s because outside of the buried alive trope (which this episode introduced me to at an impressionable age of 12? 13?) that episode made me fall in love with a man who was buried, eaten, driven mad to the point where he put a gun to his chin but he never pulled the trigger even though he got dangerously close to it, he would have waited until the last breath was going to leave his body before the full squeeze because he just has this quality about him with an insurmountable amount of strength and perseverance and while we don’t get a lot of aftermath what we do see is him sure, having some moments here and there where he’s still visibly suffering in that underground hell and his anger at it reveals itself in one of the best cases of the show, he still has this outlook that he’s alive. he lived. he survived and he’s not going to take it for granted. the choice of “i lived” by one republic as his swan song in the series sums it up i think as well as my personal favorite for him, “second chance” by shinedown. nick had every right to be depressed, full of rage, to give up and he doesn’t. do i think he does repress a lot of those feelings though and the pain he had buried in himself can tend to surface in small explosions of anger? oh hell yes and i mean we even saw him fall apart in season nine which i think was long overdue at that point which just as equally made me admire again that strength because i think it does take a lot of strength to show weakness and not just that nick is just such a down to earth and genuine guy that while yeah repression happens and it may take some digging to get him to open up and you have to be someone he trusts because if he doesn’t, he’s not going to let you see that vulnerability because the scars of his heart are so deep and so old and started at much too an early age—but he’ll reach out. he won’t ask for help but he’ll let you see what’s going on. but it’s okay he can handle it, he’ll say and while i’m definitely not as strong as he is i relate to his attitude on therapy tbh

but his suffering isn’t all that i love about him and doesn’t define who he is. who he is, is a passionate, empathetic man who breaks the jock-type mold you would initially think he’d fit into—even with his frat boy past and slight immaturity with his bets with warrick at the start and the ignorance that sometimes gets him into trouble, he grows and blossoms into that bearded badass at the end of the series, bent but not broken—which ok that goes back to The Suffering a bit 😅

[bxtonpxss]

SHIPPING INFO. answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog.

what’s your OTP for your muse(s)?

Neya & Thor are the only two applicable options here when it comes to things outside platonic/familial relationships. Opacho is 5 and Jack is also just a baby, but she's like best frienemies with Faolan. I know when you hear OTP its usually referring to romance but I'm super big on platonic relationships being OTPs!

That being said Neya x chemistry, she's not overly complex but Neya is a kind-hearted and deeply supportive type of character who despite often being in situations where she's in way over her head, is willing to persevere and overcome whatever obstacle that may be, especially when it involves people she cares about! If our characters build a relationship through our writing then I will never say no to it! This also applies to Thor! They have a good relationship built through us writing together and/or chatting about stuff via messages I'll never say no.

what are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?

Pretty much anything, except you know the obvious and universal no no's.

how large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?

Hoo boy ok. So, Neya, for her era (and the author even states this in the manga) at 16 she's considered an adult. On that alone I'd do 2 years younger and 4 years older cause I'm just trying to think of how it'd be from her time period. Now, this ONLY applies specifically for [main verse || itsuwaribito] when she's in her canon universe or some other feudal-era settings. I understand she's still 16 and other people don't vibe with that, I don't force anything on people (at least not intentionally, if you ever feel like I write something that makes you uncomfortable please tell me!) and romance is never my first or main priority, I like crushes/gradual friends to dating/lovers etc when writing anyway. This also obvi needs to be discussed first cause duh. Also, I'm fine with like 'x character looks 16/17 but is actually 100+ years old' (I’m an Inuyasha girly uwu, so we love a good demon/immortal s/o pairing).

For the verse where she's stuck in the future, [verse || under a rock] she is by modern-day laws legally underage. I'd go for 2 at most maybe 3 years older, 1 year younger. For the sub-main verse set at the end of the series with her running her village [verse || nanushi] she's canonically an adult there so I can deal with 10 years older or whatever and when it comes to the monsters/demons/immortal characters, so long as both parties are consenting adults it's cool!

Thor's a talking rodent. He's adult age and would be considered a young adult by human standards I suppose. So as long as the other creature is adult-aged it wouldn't matter to him. I can't put too much thought into this one, trying to make the math make sense is gonna hurt my brain, but obviously NO child-age creatures.

are you selective when shipping?

Can't really say, like excluding Coschu x Surgechu, which happened gradually through jubilantsparks and I's constant gushing about our chus via DMs I've never really shipped seriously with anyone else before so I can't really give an honest opinion about it *kanye shrug*

how far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW?

When they start undressing and getting real handsy, but none of that will ever be happening here so no need to worry!

Who are other muses you ship your muse with?

For Thor, specifically in his Lt. Surge Raichu verse (affectionately shortened to Surgechu) I shipped him with jubilantsparks' Fem!Pikachu OC Elysia who had a Cosplay Pikachu verse (affectionately shortened to Coschu). Coschu x Surgechu was fun and I miss them :') Also, Thor and Elysia in general were my favorite platonic OTP that could have easily become romantic cause they loved and cared for each other so much as best friends who could have just as easily become something more if they wanted to </3

NeRiya with Jade's Iriya . We've had many discussions about this enemies-to-friends/maybe more slow burn/redemption arc for Iriya. I cherish it deeply and Iriya deserved better than what he got in canon ; n ;

does one have to ask to ship with you?

Hmm, not really? I have a very chill and go-with-the-flow type of mindset when it comes to building relationships and shipping in general. The more our characters interact, get to know each other and the closer they become the better! If there's ever a certain aspect of their relationship you wanna discuss with me privately or plot, then just shoot me a message!

Also, I never assume anything so if you're invested off the rip in wanting to pursue the ship beyond them being friends then once again just message me. I'm here to have fun and write with folks, so go for it I will most likely never say no lmao. Crushes on Neya or Thor are also 100% ok, even if it's one-sided I have no problems with it, you don't even gotta ask me for that.

how often do you like to ship?

I've only had two (2) actual ships during my entire time here on this site. I have a bad case of anxiety brain when it actually comes to shipping and I never wanna assume or push anyone into doing anything so it's rare I ever approach. I'll just sit and vibe and settle with my time in the friendzone while making up scenarios in my head like the dork I am.

are you multiship?

Ok, after getting some answers on what multishipping is from an RP standpoint, I want to say yes I am. I'd have no issues with having multiple ship partners. Every character interaction is like in their own separate universes so like I can't understand limiting myself as a single ship. This is subject to change but like I said, I barely have any shipping experience.

are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?

More-or-less! As stated above I don't really ask or approach first for ships soooo if it happens it happens. I'm down for shipping off of chemistry through a gradually built relationship!

what is your favorite ship in your current fandom?

ooh chile I'm in a bunch of fandoms lol so I'll just go with the fandoms for my muses specifically. For Pkmn it'll always be ShinHika/Paul x Dawn/ Ikarishipping. Pokeani can pry that dynamic from my cold dead hands.

I like all the potential pairings within Utsuho's group, but that'd be too much to list. Gin x Kin, Neya x Uzume, Neya x Hikae, Hikae x Iwashi.

For SK I was a sucker for Hao x Tamao back in the day. It still could've been cute if Takei didn't turn Tamao into Anna 2.0. I find her whole personality shift weird.

finally, how does one ship with you?

Just write with me! I don't care how many asks or threads we end up having. I cannot reiterate how much I adore relationship building in writing. We write enough threads together and our characters grow to like each other or something I'm 100% down to clown! Also, If you don't suffer from perpetual cold feet like me, just shoot me an IM and let's talk about it! Easy peasy, promise I don't bite!

Nabbed from: @gamenu initially, but I've been seeing other moots do it too! Tagging: @sillymuses, @lostusagis, @museguided, @despairforme, + anyone who sees this!

[thewatercolours]

PART ONE - Replaying King's Quest, Chapter Four (2016)

OK - no promises I'll persevere, but I'll test the waters and see if the timing is good to play this one through.

Graham's pajama top has a little crown embroidered on it like a company logo.

He's also still got the freckle on his left ear.

The mobile over the crib has Triumph (of course), something brown and blobbish (possibly a goblin in armour? Weird,) Princess Peach, maybe(?), and Hornswaggle (seriously? Even had this been a compassion run, that would be a strange, strange choice.)

I detect a bunch of parents of small children among the devs.

The lullaby is a sweet moment.

I love the guard banter here. All the jokes about how the guards look exactly alike are good fun, even if there are a couple of moments in this conversation that make me have to come to terms with the fact that yes, not every guard with those voices are Nos 1 & 2.

The way Larry always hangs onto Kyle's helmet feather - like, how much support does that actually give you, good sir? Or is it more like holding the reins?

I don't quite know how to comment on Manannan's arrival. They do a good job building tension, and I think it makes the confrontation in the bedroom that much more tense to see this wizard just unleashing power to kill first, so we know the stakes. But they also went for shock value in ways that didn't entirely work for me (see Larry.) But I'm too tired to talk intelligently about it and it's mainly been discussed by those more eloquent anyhow.

Good callback to "bucketheads" for any players who are still piecing together that it's Manny (on top of his leitmotif, the green colour, the voice, the hints at the end of the last chapter... yeah, if you need "bucketheads" to help you figure it out, you might need to wait for Graham to say, "Manny?" in the next scene.)

Neese has got her eyes closed as Graham reaches over to touch her hair, but she smiles slightly in her maybe sleep by now, maybe not.

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Now That's What I Call Music! 8 2001 R&B / Pop / Teen Pop / Alternative Rock / Pop-Punk / Post-Grunge

Welp, folks, it looks like we're nearing the end of the earliest days for this beloved flagship series that's known for constantly delivering reproductions of the day's biggest pop hits, but I still have a couple more of these albums in my queue to enjoyably sift through. And just like the other seven installments that precede this one, Now That's What I Call Music! 8 also makes for a pretty great trip down commercial radio memory lane as well 😍.

But before we dive right on into it, how about we have some nostalgic fun with the ad for this release first? See, If you had placed an order for Now 8 by credit card or with check-debit, you'd also receive a free limited edition collector's box that you could store all of your other Now CDs in too! Wow! How considerate! Thanks Now! 😎💖

But we actually start off on a few somber notes here... 😔

Now 8 was the first dispatch from the main series to be released after 9/11, and so, I feel like the inclusion of its final track, U2's "Walk On," which never even made it onto Billboard's Hot 100 chart, was done solely in order to try to console an American psyche that had been deeply wounded at that time. "Walk On" was released as a single in February of 2001, and was actually about the plight of Burmese peace activist Aung San Suu Kyi—who, years later, would despicably do nothing as Myanmar's head of state to address the genocide of Rohingya Muslims that her own military was perpetrating—but in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the song found itself resonating with a lot of Americans, serving a sudden and newfound purpose as an anthem of perseverance for them.

And that's pretty much undoubtedly why Now chose this song to close out the album. Had 9/11 not happened, this comp's last track would've probably been a song that had actually charted on the Hot 100. But because this album was slated to release in November of '01, the Now brass probably thought it best to end with a song that could acknowledge that then-current moment of anguish and turmoil, rather than awkwardly and tone-deafly just loading up their CD with fun pop hits from the summer that had just passed.

But less than three weeks before 9/11, R&B star Aaliyah had also tragically passed in a plane crash after filming the video for her beautifully soft and sensual, final single, "Rock the Boat" too. So Now not only included that song on this release, but they dedicated the whole album to Aaliyah's memory, and also donated part of the proceeds from the triple-platinum seller to her memorial fund as well.

And last with the sadness, rest in peace to the great Steve Harwell. I absolutely despised your band's cover of The Monkees' "I'm a Believer" when I first heard it (which appears on this album), but I still genuinely dug your work more than most are willing to admit, and really also loved the critique you had about the commodification of social movements in "Walkin' On the Sun," which is something that many people probably overlooked because they had nothing nice to say about your band that, unfortunately, became a Shrek meme. At the end of the day, Smash Mouth made a bunch of fun music, man 😞.

OK, on to the rest of this album...

So, the album cover for this release says it comes with 20 chart-topping hits, but in reality, only three of these were actually Hot 100 #1s. There's Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious," which, to go with their Survivor album's theme, intended to use the opening guitar stutter from "Eye of the Tiger"—by the band *Survivor*—but had to settle for Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen" instead; Usher's "U Got It Bad" ballad; and Joe's "Stutter," which isn't actually the most famous version of the song, but is the "Double Take Remix" instead, that was done by Allen "Allstar" Gordon Jr., and sampled both the iconic west coast alternative rap classic, "Passin' Me By," by The Pharcyde, as well as the song that that song itself sampled, Quincy Jones' "Summer in the City." And it also features now-canceled rapper Mystikal, which represents his third overall appearance in this series.

And speaking of remixes and samples, the famous Murder Inc. remix of J.Lo's "I'm Real," featuring Ja Rule, doesn't appear on here, but instead, it's her underappreciated and poppier original version that sounds nothing like the remix, and samples from classic Japanese electronic group Yellow Magic Orchestra's digi-chirping "Firecracker," which ends up naturally giving the tune a sweet 80s throwback kinda vibe.

Other songs worth mentioning are the brilliantly produced and super light and smooth Janet Jackson jam, "Someone to Call My Lover," which sampled from folk duo America's "Ventura Highway;" and a terrific tune that was actually originally released in 1998, but rose to US fame because of its inclusion in a 2001 Mitsubishi ad: "Start the Commotion," by UK duo The Wiseguys. That one's very much in that Fatboy Slim-helmed UK big beat vein; gotta love the blaring and swingin' sampled horns on it! 🤩

And there's a solid handful of other songs on this CD that I could devote some space to as well, but I think this post here is already long enough as it is.

So, another terrific nostalgia rush to be had in this trip all the way back to 2001. And I only have one more of these Now comps left in my queue, but I think I'm gonna save it for later.

Highlights:

Destiny's Child - "Bootylicious" 'N Sync - "Pop" Jennifer Lopez - "I'm Real" Joe feat. Mystikal - "Stutter (Double Take Remix)" Janet Jackson - "Someone to Call My Lover" Christina Milian - "AM to PM" Aaliyah - "Rock the Boat" Usher - "U Got It Bad" Gorillaz - "Clint Eastwood" The Wiseguys feat. Greg Nice - "Start the Commotion" Sum 41 - "Fat Lip" Blink-182 - "The Rock Show" Fuel - "Bad Day" U2 - "Walk On"

[beetle-ze-bub]

Ok, so this is my first post to tumblr, and I don't know if I'll ever make more. But fuck it, anything for jrwi.

Spoiler warning for all of bitb under the cut

Welcome to my Essay:

Why Everyone Lived in BITB

Ok, so the main theme of bitb – intentional or not – is friendship and love.

Kian first died because of his love for Becky, Rolan's parents loved him too much and smothered him, leading to his death, and to bug Rolan leaving, Kian's parents didn't love him enough, leaving him neglected, Rand's mom loves him, but struggles to understand him at times, and his father seems to not love him at all. Hell, the whole thing started, because Rand failed to show that he does love Rachel. The campaign is even started with the love our 3 main characters share. Because dnd – as fun as it is – could not have been the only reason they came back together. Whether that is a platonic or romantic love is something up to interpretation, but either way they all care deeply for one another. 

We also see all 3 struggling with their own guilt and self doubts about not showing enough love, or fear of not being loved – Rolan and his parents and him leaving Rand behind, Rand and Rachel, as well as him feeling as though he's a disappointment and will never achieve anything with his life, and Kian with the fear that should anyone find out he's not really a rockstar they won't like him anymore.

When the apocalypse starts, it doesn't seem to really go for strangers, it goes for people they all know and care about. Of course this is most likely just to make sure there's more drama, but regardless it doesn't matter, because it is what happened for this world.

As it goes on, we see our characters separate, and ironically, this is when it gets hardest for them. This is when Kian dies, this is when Rolan gets attacked, when Rand gets attacked. It is when they are alone, isolated, without those they care about. 

Yet when they come together it is when they persevere; it is when they find the most clues, when they seem to get the farthest. Even though Rand is scared that Rolan is a bug, he realizes this is still his friend, and has been for years. Not only that, but Rolan probably would've lost himself to his instincts had Rand not been there. He's terrified of what he is, and had he been alone, unable to fully recognize someone he cares about is there, and who he needs to help survive all this, he may have just gone back to being a soldier bug because of his panic, fear, and disgust at what he is.

Through finding himself he's able to locate the queen. Who is it? Rachel.

Now, I'll be entirely honest, Kian isn't able to do a whole lot during this, but I honestly think that had he not been there – had he not died again, to his sister! – Rand would not have been able to bring himself to kill the queen, because he wouldn't have snapped out of it (at least somewhat). He also helps reveal the queen is behind Rachel, and protects them somewhat by making the queen unable to see them.

When Rand started doubting, when his sister was about to turn him, it's Rolan who cuts off the wire like tendril stuck into his head. 

When the grenades won't be able to kill the queen, and Rolan has to make the choice to run away and live aware, or die a soldier for the chance of saving them, he doesn't leave. He jumps and sacrifices not only his life – possibly, but we'll get there in a second – but his sense of self as well to allow Rand to make the throw.

At the end we are given Rand hugging his sister, Rachel saying "you've changed." as a glitter like magic passes over the town. We are not told if this is Rand's brain providing him what he needs to see as he bleeds out from his wounds, we are not told what happens to the bugs, we are not told what happens to the people killed, turned into materials for the hive. We are given the choice to decide for ourselves what happened.

I think Rand survived, as that fits most with the 80s horror movie vibe. The final girl trying their best to move on. But supposedly, his friends did not.

And here's the thing, to me it makes the most sense that everyone is ok. Because what does Rand have at the end if Kian and Rolan are truly dead? Rat seemed to be his only other friend and he died long ago, we don't know if his parents are still alive, and Rachel – if truly ok – would be the only person he has left.

Which really doesn't fit the theme of love and friendship. Rand, just left alone, his mind broken and no one left to help him get better? He can't go to a therapist like Kian would suggest, who'd believe him? He'd be locked in an insane asylum. The chances of him getting a job is low as most places when hiring are somewhat discriminatory to those with mental illnesses, especially in the 80s. Everyone in town just thinks he's some scumbag stoner, and no way would he say he defeated the queen and ended the apocalypse – especially if it resulted in his 2 best friends' deaths.

If we were to follow the theme of friendship it would imply that both Rolan and Kian are ok. It's can also be inferred Kian is ok due to the fact he mentions his next song should be "Smoke with the Devil", a song we know he made – yes it could just be a fun easter egg, but it could also be a canonical thing he made – and we know he didn't make it before the events of the campaign, as he mentioned that he should make it while on the boat they took to go kill the queen. We also know that friendship itself is able to bring people back. Kian is literally revived, through the power of friendship. While Rand may not have used magic, it's not impossible to say Kian would still be revived again, through different means.

Following that logic, anyone who was turned into a bug/eaten by a bug is probably ok. Meaning Rolan would be alive. Whether he'd still be a bug is up for debate – though personally I like the idea of Rolan still being a bug (maybe because he wasn't really apart of the hivemind until right when the queen died, meaning he couldn't fully establish a link and thus wouldn't be back to human, and wouldn't be part of the hivemind (or maybe only partly); or it could be because he was one of the first killed, and now his human body is beyond saving) – but either way he'd be ok.

And even if that wasn't the case, if Kian is ok, Rolan would still be ok. Because if Kian isn't ok because the bug people got turned back, it would probably be because the people eaten/used for building materials were ok. which in that case, would mean the bugs either died – unlikely they would all just die immediately if the magic didn't get rid of them – or are still alive. If still alive, then they would probably be drifting listlessly without their queen, possibly no longer a hivemind, stuck without orders and probably slowly starving to death. 

Whether the bugs starve to death wouldn't fully matter, because regardless, Rolan would be ok. Again, probably not fully connected to the hivemind if there is still a connection, but he would be able to survive as a bug through human means – whether just wandering around in the wild or living in human society (would probably depend on if he's stuck in his instincts (also for the sake of a happy ending I'm guessing Rand and Kian would find him eventually)). He would be able to survive in ways other bugs couldn't because he's done so for years. and even if it might not be at the forefront of his mind and thoughts if he's stuck in his instincts, there would still be a part of his telling him he can do those thing – eat human food and not people, wear clothes, not go full bug – because we know the bugs remember the parts of their human lives. But not only does Rolan have his human life, he's also spent around half his life as a bug, living as a human, being human.

While yes there are other options for how bitb ended, and things I've probably overlooked or missed, or just forgot to add in my writing of this rant, I do think it's 100% possible for our boys in the bayou to all have survived, and get the happy ending they all deserve.

[ordinaryxtreme]

Blue Lock Thoughts(tm) Post

So I read Blue Lock up to the U-20 match and let me just say that having a lot of thoughts about it is an understatement. These are not Smart(tm) thoughts at all, just me screaming into the void. I'll mostly be talking abt third selection up to U-20 match so spoilers for up to ch 148!!

Chigiri and Kunigami

MY SHIP... The third selection truly made them so Spicy. They could've been the dynamic duo that perseveres together all the way through the selection, but they got separated and Kunigami didn't even make it PAST the third selection, at least, not in the normal way. I was upset at the reveal (I was very embarrassingly yelling to my friend in voice chat while reading) because I missed their banter. But now that I think about it, we now have the knight/hero rising up from the ashes to meet his princess again and I'm now so glad this was the outcome. As my friend so eloquently put it, it's super cool that Blue Lock isn't afraid to separate their duos. Which brings me to the next duo...

2. Reo and Nagi

Reo's separation from Nagi is honestly the best thing to happen to both of their characters. Reo didn't really interest me as a character until Nagi left him and he was all gunning for revenge. I thought they were going for some sort of villain arc with him, but what they did was SO much better. Yes, Reo was understandably bitter for some time, but he changed stances and saw it from a different point of view really quickly. We literally watched him go through the 5 stages of grief.

And then come back stronger after his acceptance. Even finding a crazy ability to call his own.

And he OWNS it too. That moment when Shidou made fun of him for being a copy-cat, he DOUBLED DOWN ON IT and taunted him for not even being able to beat a copy-cat. Now that's the ultimate power move.

My favorite favorite FAVORITE thing is... he is still a duo with Nagi. They still sync perfectly well. They still know each other the best. Reo turned his spite on its head and came back to Nagi at full force.

What can I say except NAGIREO REAL!!!!! OK next point.

3. Bachira & Isagi

Honestly, I kinda didn't expect Bachira and Isagi to develop almost like a parallel to Nagi and Reo. I love how Bachira is portrayed. He obviously has some mental disorder (I'm guessing ASD or adjacent) and the way it's portrayed as a monster which Bachira eventually hones into his own... At first he just wanted friends, he wanted people who play just like him, to accept him as he is and that was what Isagi was to him. But in the end having others accepting him wasn't enough. He had to accept HIMSELF, his monster. And because of that he came in SEVENTH after the third selection!!!

Honestly, it was one of the most satisfying character development moments.

And again, after that, his and Isagi's duo play just comes out stronger.

Just Dynamic Duo Things.

3. Barou and Rin

I put these two together because they feel like the ultimate sports trope subversion. It's almost BLASPHEMOUS how they essentially become the egotistical "villains" of the field.

I love Barou as a character too, he is SO GAP MOE. Who would've thought that he was a malewife that was obsessed with keeping things neat? I want to destroy his ass. Ahem.

Anyway, Rin. He literally went fucking BONKERS at the idea that he has a team behind him. HE WANTS IT ALL TO HIMSELF.

THIS SHIT WOULD LITERALLY NEVER FLY IN A NORMAL SPORTS STORY. Which brings me to my favorite thing about Blue Lock

4. It is simultaneously a love letter AND a blasphemy to the sports genre.

I had a Kuroko no Basket phase years ago and I KNOW a KnB inspired story when I see one. Of course there's references and concepts that Blue Lock obviously borrowed from KnB. I could easily list all of them like the concept of "Flow" that is totally not KnB's "zone", the copy guy, the "emperor style", Aryuu Juubei who is totally not a homage to Murasakibara... References and concepts are easy to insert into any story. The important part is the Utter Unhingedness. They took KnB's barely believable superpowers and high school drama and all these high stakes that are totally just made up in the characters heads... and turned it up to 11.

KnB was a level of "skirting the boundary of what's humanly possible" that is still acceptable. Yeah, people thought it was insane and were laughing about it, but it didn't really have "haters". It's still just regular sports. But Blue Lock said fuck that, they're going to be straight up CONTROVERSIAL. There's no point if it doesn't have passionate haters. This isn't sports as you know it. And I respect that so much honestly. (If you've been on anitwt recently, you'll know that fans of conventional sports stories DESPISE Blue Lock).

I think with the sports genre becoming this Big Thing(tm) and the market somewhat becoming saturated over the years, this kind of blasphemy is exactly what the genre needs right now.

Speaking of blasphemy...

5. Itoshi Sae vs. Itoshi Rin

I love the whole angel vs demon thing going on with them. I love Sae's beautiful perfection and Rin's feral animal-like approach

(short digression, as a STEM major nerd I fucking LOVE the numbers in the visualization of Sae's abilities. I'm betting that it's the golden ratio because you won't get a number more perfect anywhere else!!)

I love their entire silent sequence against each other. No dialogue, no SFX. They were silently communicating with their bodies and with their eyes the way only brothers could. In a way, this is brotherly bonding :D

I love that Rin, and the Blue Lock team, is painted as the "villains" of the sports scene. And they won against U-20, the "heroes". They changed sports forever.

6. The unseriousness of it all (my lovehate letter to Isagi Yoichi)

In the end this is a manga about SOCCER. The characters take it WAY too seriously because they're dumbasses who literally only have soccer in their brains. It's honestly hilarious at times. But damn, if I'm not invested in this unreal, unserious, BFFR shit!!! Every time Isagi realizes something that is common sense (like when he "discovered" that luck also plays a part in games) I die a little bit inside.

BOY YOU ARE STUPID AND DRAMATIC AND GAY AND I LOVE YOU. Blue Lock would not be the same if Isagi wasn't the protagonist. If you think about it, every insane visualization of everyone's abilities is how ISAGI sees their abilities. This shit we are seeing, all the puzzle pieces, the fire, the thunder... is all in Isagi's head. And once he gets out of the game, he's literally just an awkward high school boy.

I guess he can be cute sometimes.

8. (For now) I don't think Blue Lock will end the way Ego says it will. (A love letter to Ego)

Muneyuki Kaneshiro you did it again. If you haven't read his other work, Kamisama no Iutoori and Kamisama no Iutoori ni, please do so. Having read those, I'm half-convinced that he'll pull an Akashi on us and give Isagi a canon love interest by the end AHAHA.

Digression aside, Ego said that by the end, there will be 1 striker to stand above all 299 "corpses" as he so elegantly put it. But I honestly don't think that'd happen. I have no basis for this other than the fact that it would just feel WRONG to end it like that. They wanted the sport to evolve by "creating soccer from zero", playing different positions with the ego of a striker. Honestly, I wouldn't see the point in all that when there's only 1 striker to survive in the end, you feel me?

Ego may have only said that to rile the boys up. He's playing the role of the ultimate "villain" for the boys to conquer. Now that's a very questionable approach to coaching but it sure fucking works!!! I really really love it.

And he KNOWS his methods are questionable at best, enough to get him banned from the world of soccer forever. He didn't care about himself if it meant these boys will evolve and play the ultimate soccer.

He really knows how to cultivate the perfect little "villains". Sure, it involved literally isolating them from the outside world in what is the equivalent of Soccer Jail, but you gotta do what you gotta do! :D

Honestly my wishful thinking is they end up with 11 top Blue Lock players (maybe a few more for the bench) and they get to compete internationally or something. Go beyond the scope and scale of regular sports manga... But I guess I'll just have to see what happens next!

OK. Alright. I think I'm done now. If you read this all, thank you for coming to my TED Talk!!!!

[hanarchy]

was tagged by @bungeejumpings to do this and i called in sick to work today so here we goooo

list your top 10 biases and then answer the questions under the cut. try not to look at the questions before making the list

(now i apologize in advance, i dont know that much about most of these people it’s just vibes, i tried not to have more than one person from a group)

1. han jisung

2. lee know

3. momo

4. shuhua

5. solar

6. jooyeon

7. seulgi

8. key

9. kazuha

10. ningning

1. Between 7 and 5, who did you bias first?

oh solar for sure. i didnt really get rv for like a year after i started listening to kpop, but now theyre on track to be one of my most listened to artists 🙈

2. Between 2 and 6, who are you more attached to?

ok this one’s not hard. i am here for skz first always, i cant seem to get away from them. though i am very fond of my little xdinary guys too.

3. If you were to spend the day with either 3 or 1, who would you choose and what would you do?

well i mean i gotta be honest with u i don’t think i’d vibe super well with momo. i love her but we have just diametrically opposed vibes. so jisung, and we’d maybe go to a cafe and chat (i have the feeling he is the kind of young man who will meet me and immediately have a desire to tell me his life story, which happens to me often lol) and then we could go for a walk, pick up some food and plan to watch anime but end up on youtube. he can show me the random shit he watches and i can show him mine and we would both walk away with a random new interest in an almost extinct bug species or the events of a specific day during the fall of the roman republic.

4. What is your favorite physical feature about 9?

shes only 19 so like. don’t misinterpret this but. abs.

5. What is your favorite part of 6's personality?

IDK!!!! he just seems like a sweet boy? and his voice is sooooo amazing.

6. If you were to tell 8 anything you wanted, what would you tell them?

i would ask him to tell me all the gossip he knows. ok no.

mostly i’d tell him that he has made an incredible career, that his artistic vision is so clear and unique and that his perspective is so valuable in kpop and i admire his perseverance and the strength he gives his fans. (i dont know enough about him to be funny abt this so i went sincere)

7. Between 1 and 2, whose closet would you raid?

oh its jisung. he has more fun stuff. though they do share enough and are boring men enough for it not to matter that much.

8. What is a style that you want to see 3 try?

oh i really don’t know. i feel like she embodies that twice cute/sexy/elegant intersection sooo well, the only thing i’d want is to see her personality come through more in their creative concepts.

9. Between 5 and 4, who are you closer to in height?

i was gonna say mamamoo short as hell so probably shuhua but actually it seems she’s short too. so if its official (company mandated) height it’s solar, if it’s real height shuhua. of course that is assuming cube does not lie like rbw.

10. Between 10 and 9, whose music do you like the best?

thats rough too bc i dont listen to many songs from either group. just a few of each. i’m gonna say lesserafim.

[mcwexlerscigarette]

What is your top 10 characters Brba/Bcs universe and why ?

Kim Wexler - Her mommy issues + troubled childhood + her whole thing of ignoring her past and pushing forward while trying to make a good life for herself is something very relatable for me. Plus shes beautiful and gorgeous and insanely smart and charming and literally everything about her is amazing to me. She is literally everything!!!

Jimmy McGill - I mean how the hell can you not love him? Yes he's deeply flawed or whatever but hes got so many great qualities. I find it interesting how hes always running from his own self. Idk I just really fucking love him and everything about him like his entire personality and all his problems and whatnot. Also he's just a super fun guy to me soooo.

Skyler White - She went through so fucking much that she really really didn't deserve. She's very kind and loving and smart. She's just a very tough character I guess. And also super gorgeous and also I would NEVER start a meth empire without her permission!!! Also I would let her fuck whoever she wanted and then I would get on my knees and apologize to HER for not being enough.

Mike - He seems all rough and mean on the outside, and I guess he kinda is for the most part, but he's also a very loving and caring guy. The love he has for his son, and Stacey and Kaylee, and Nacho and Jesse and Gus is just very endearing.

Howard Hamlin - He was just a 43 year old child. A little newborn baby. Ok I don't know what to say about him because I'm running out of thoughts but..... I just really love his perseverance to get through his shitty life.

Nacho Varga - He was just so compelling, everything about him. His story is just so beautifully tragic I guess. He kept running from something he was never going to escape. He fought so so hard and lived such a torturous and painful life.....

Jesse Pinkman - He's just a very tortured guy who finally finds some peace in the end. I hope he's living it up in Alaska.

Walter White - Super cool how he went from a sympathetic hero all the way to a villain as time slowly passed. Hes so mean...and stuff lol

McWexler's Cigarette - I just really appreciated my time on the show. It was a great learning experience for me and I'll always be close friends with the Better Call Saul cast (we have dinner together every night and we drink tequila and chain smoke and give random civilians law advice because we are all besties forever)

Ken Wins -What can I say? The guy is a winner!

[birbfeeder2artisticboogaloo]

thousand autumns donghua, episode 9~

shen qiao is COUGHING UP BLOOD NOW OH MY GOD!!! FETCH A DOCTOR!! FETCH A PRIEST!! FETCH HIS CRAZY HUSBAND!! FETCH SOMEONE!!! wtf his cab is taking him out of the city, what terrible servi--OH NO IT'S BAI RONG D: bai rong: why are u asking about that old driver for, when there's a pretty lady in front of u??? 😘😘😘 shen qiao: ….i'm blind :( (also gay) OH NO SHE KILLED THE OLD MAN ;A; poor old man, rip lao wei, we never saw u but i assume u had friends or family who are missing u rn…. f in the chat for the tart's victim 😔 ahh she was hiding the sexy outfit under the plain one!! clever!! no one EVER expects the Double Outfit Gambit!! 👘👗 bai rong: come nowww yan wushi is so old and weird!!! i don't like ur boyfriend!! but i could be ur girlfriend!! i want to be ur girlfriend! hEY. HEYYYYY >:) shen qiao: pls stop touching me :( GIRL STOP THIS IS WEIRD THIS IS WEIRDDDDD ;A; oh SHIT GET EM SHEN QIAO!! THAT'S RIGHT!! DON'T LET HER BULLY U!!! everyone thinks they can take advantage of u bc ur a nice lad!! i hate it when ppl do that!! just bc he's nice doesn't mean u can hurt him! it doesn't mean u can mistreat him!! he may be KIND but he's not a fucking door mat!! >:V HE EVEN APOLOGISES TO HORSES FOR FUCK'S SAKE. HE'S SUCH A GOOD BOY ;A; shen qiao: *swoons* the old man arrives just in time to catch him again lmaooo shen qiao be looking at the sword of woe like it's a sword of WHOA D: yws: ur dying lol. why don't u be evil with me?? it'll be fun~ remember how ur pet hobo betrayed u??? didn't that suck?? aren't u tired of being nice?? don't u just want to go apeshit??? >:D SHEN QIAO JUST WANTS TO BE TRUE TO HIMSELF ;A; aww yissss more evil laughter :D ngl i really missed it, it never fails to make me laugh as well 🤣 AWW THEYRE BOTH HAPPY NOW!!!! OH MY GOD THEY'RE SO ADORABLE!!! THEY'RE BOTH JUST. SO HAPPY. I LOVE THEM. I LOVE THEM ;A; oh good he's got his stick back!! i was worried, since that twat broke it before!! poor shen qiao just can't catch a break smh 😔 maybe a broken arm, the way things are going for him 😔 THE MONK!!! i remember him!! is he going to say it?? IS HE GONNA SAY THE THING??? I'M WAITING FOR HIM TO SAY THE THINGGGG yws: i'm gonna go fetch what's his name, u go on ahead ok?? sq: wh-- yws: VIBE CHECK!!! *yeets shen qiao into the building* UH WHO IS WAIT YUWEN YOU???? IS THAT THE FUCKING EMPEROR WHAT THE FUCK I'M SO CONFUSED??? A GO DEADLOCK??? WHY ARE WHY ARE THERE SOLDIERMANS HERE??? ARE THEY MOVING?? IS THIS HOW EMPERORS PLAY GO?? BY MAKING SOLDIERS KILL EACH OTHER??? WTF???? well it's a good thing shen qiao can just. jump onto the life-sized game board. i. i sort of thought that would be cheating but. i guess not??? WTF HE WON HOW???? WHAT JUST???? WHAT JUST HAPPENED???? shen qiao beats the emperor and then politely compliments him like it was nothing. shen qiao who are u. shen qiao WHAT are u. shen qiao are u single OK WE'RE GETTING AN EXPLANATION THEN???? yeah no totally didn't understand at all :D i'm not even sure what go is called in chinese?? i think i heard.......qi?? something??? idk. also wHY ARE THERE SUCH COOL NAMES FOR GAME MANOEUVRES. WHAT IS HAPPENING emperor: lol ur good at board games, u want a job?? shen qiao, thinking: i'm in danger :) OH MY GODDD THE OLD MAN IS CALLING HIM ~A-QIAO~ IN FRONT OF THE FUCKING EMPEROR. IN FRONT OF EVERYONEEEE OH MY GOD uh-oh the monk made emperor angy. somebody better say emituofo for HIM now O_O seeing yan wushi acting polite is. EARTH SHATTERING. so strange. i'm…..shocked??? weird 👀

yws: anyway here are my evil plans. u should stay and help bc ppl will keep trying to kill u without my protection >:) sq: no thanks :) if i just let u shelter me, isn't that the same as being sheltered by mt xuandu?? i'll head out on my own :) yws, thinking: ppl keep treating him badly, but he just perseveres!! it makes me want to……HURT HIM MORE >:) wtf yan wushi u are a strange man. u are a weirdo. pls don't step on shen qiao. he's wearing white the stains will never come out yan wushi PLS lmao yan wushi trying to tempt shen qiao into going to dongkang with him is hilarious, i love the bg music as well!! it's so whimsical~ WELL WELL WHO MIGHT THIS BE??? idk him YET but he's??? kinda hot??? ngl i have a Type and it's. embarrassingly obvious smh rip birb….😔 also: the monk did NOT say emituofo. heartbreaking 😔

[spiritsoulandbody]

#DailyDevotion Don't Have A Wicked Unbelieving Heart

#DailyDevotion Don't Have A Wicked Unbelieving Heart Heb. 3 12See to it, fellow Christians, that none of you has a wicked, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13Yes, encourage one another every day, as long as you can say today, to keep sin from deceiving anyone of you with its pleasure and hardening your heart to the truth. 14We share in Christ if we only keep our first confidence unshaken to the end. It's a bit of a jarring admonition here. To be brothers here is to be Christian. Yet, some who were once brothers are no more. Instead of keeping their faith and heart pure, they developed a wicked and unbelieving heart that turned from the living God. So we are to see to it, to take care, to watch out for ourselves. Our hearts can be fickle. Our sinful flesh, the world and the devil are always there trying to tempt us into sin. Though the greater temptation is to reject Jesus outright because of persecution. The other more sinister and sneaky thing is the cares of this world may seek priority in our lives. Jesus tells us in His Sermon on the Mount not to worry about having the things of the world but to seek the Kingdom of God first, and these things will be added to us. We are called to gather together, yes worship together (a warning later brought up again in chapter 10). When we gather together we are to encourage one another as long as we can say today. Today is all we ever have. Twelve step groups talk about taking it one day at a time. They gather regularly to encourage one another. They got this from Christianity. If unbelieving (and not all are unbelieving in the Living God) can gather regularly to encourage one another, how much more should the children of God do so. In this gathering together we should confess our sins. Keeping sins a secret from one another gives power to our sin to take over us and to deceive us into thinking what we are doing is ok. When we confess our sins we can hear the words of forgiveness of Jesus from our fellow Christians. Hearing this Gospel gives us power over our sins, keeps them from overcoming us and keeps them from deceiving us, lest we slip away. Let's face it, many sins are fun. The give us pleasure. As we note in Gen. 3, "6When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good to eat, a delight to look at, and what anyone would want in order to get wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. Then she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it." Now some in the faith have departed it because they did not want to lose their loved ones. It could be a child, a neice or nephew, a parent, but they come out with a sinful behavior and instead of condemning the behavior we turn from God's Word and give approval to it "in the name of love." A love that is not from God, who is Love. It is a love that loves the creature more than the Creator. You don't have to hate the person and treat them horribly to love God. You should call them to repentance. That is true love that has its origin in God. But many harden their hearts to the truth to love humans more than God. Verse 14 is a call for perseverance. What does it mean to share in Christ? It is to be joined to Him in who He is, what He is according to His human nature, and what He possesses. Mostly it is to share in His life, His love, His grace, His mercy, His kindness and His forgiveness. It is to share in His name. (Ex. 34:6) Heavenly Father, continually give us Your Holy Spirit and the fellowship of all the saints so we may not be deceived by the pleasure and desires of sin but to remain faithful to Christ Jesus our LORD and confess with Him and You what You have spoken to us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

[deviant-nomad]

Things we can learn from crushes on fictional characters

"... a safe form of love. In most cases, people crush on fictional characters when they’re not yet ready for a real-life relationship. And that’s totally fine. ... a way for you to experience all the fun of having a crush without any of the pain. It gives you someone to love and someone to look forward to seeing. It gives you someone to fantasize about. But when you do find you’re ready for a real relationship, you’ll probably have to stop crushing on these characters—at least, you’ll have to stop crushing on them exclusively. And you’ll have to find someone in the real world to love. I know how scary it can be to put your heart out there and risk getting it broken. But if you don’t ever try, you’ll never get to experience the beauty of true love either.

... a form of escape....from reality. This can be healthy or unhealthy depending on the intensity of the crush. ... You may tend to do this if you don’t have many friends or if you don’t feel others understand or appreciate you. This may also be tempting if you don’t feel attractive to others or if you don’t feel any real person would ever reciprocate your love. With a fictional character, your heart is always safe. But if you choose to reserve your love for these characters, you’re also choosing to live a life in hiding. It may be true that you don’t fit in easily with others because of your unique qualities. ... But this doesn’t mean no one will reciprocate your feelings. It just means it might take a little longer for you to find someone who appreciates all you have to offer. If you genuinely desire to have a partner, I believe there’s someone out there for you. But if you never give real people a chance, you’ll never find them. Don’t ever believe the lie that you’re unlovable. And don’t use crushes on fictional characters to avoid life. Just find your unique way to engage with the real world—at your own pace, though, and when you’re ready. As you do this, you’ll come to see that you have plenty of lovable qualities. And when you reveal them, you give others the chance to see that, too.

The character you like may have qualities you’re looking for in a real-life partner. The thing about fictional characters is, since their screen time is so limited, certain [traits] will always be emphasized more than others. This means that you’ll tend to be drawn to the characters, not as complete beings, but for these highlighted traits. You should keep these things in mind when searching for a real-life partner. Even if the character you like is a not-so-good person, their qualities can still give you insight into what you value in others—things like perseverance, strength, and ingenuity. But if you’re drawn to more negative traits, it might be because you have an unhealthy idea of what qualities are worthwhile in a partner. If that’s the case, you may want to do some soul-searching to find out why you’re drawn to those traits and what makes you think they’re ok for a potential partner to have. It may be that you have low self-esteem or self-worth, which makes you think it’s ok and even desirable for your partner to demean, degrade, or disrespect others. After all, if you don’t appreciate your true value, it won’t bother you when someone devalues someone else. It’s important to do this sort of introspection before you enter a relationship with a real person. And if you need professional help working through these issues, don’t hesitate to seek it.

The character you like may have qualities you wish you had. ... because you consciously or unconsciously wish you were more like them. Maybe the character you like is confident while you feel sorely lacking in confidence. ... Or maybe the character has a way of always finding the right solution to a problem. Maybe this means you should work on your [confidence and] problem-solving abilities.

Crushing on a fictional character says that, on some level, you crave love. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be investing emotions into this crush. You would just admire the character when you see them and maybe find them attractive, but then move on. Since you’re not moving on, you’re clearly desiring something beyond a distraction. One thing [to] remember is, a crush on a fictional character is not a fictional crush. The character may not be real but your feelings are. So, don’t ignore what they’re telling you. Even if you’re not ready for a real relationship now, don’t be afraid to take a chance on one when the time comes. (And, yes, if your feelings are strong, you’ll have to let go of your love for this character before you can fully open your heart to someone new.)

Final Thoughts

Everything you’re drawn to or admire—everything that interests you or captivates you—all of it says something about you. The fictional characters you crush on reveal the qualities you value in people in general and in romantic partners more specifically.

... the fact that you’re even crushing on these characters says you have a desire to experience reciprocal love. If you’re not ready for it yet, that’s ok. Just don’t let fear keep you from ever taking a chance on love in the real world."

[kendylouwhoo]

I feel like a dirty rag that's becoming clean. Someone is squeezing me until I almost can't breath. So I remind myself to breath and relax my body... this stuff coming out it doesn't want to stay. Everything else is transmuted and we're on our way. I've been running a marathon for so long, so very fucking long, perseverance is the name. I'm learning how to turn struggle into a game. Life taps me on the sholder and tells me to have fun. How? I say, go take a run? Move your body in ways that feel good. Dance, sing, be silly a ton. How do I do this I don't understand. Slipping and slidding all over the sand. Slamming my face into the ground, it's like that dream I've had throughout my life, run and fly all around. I know I can do it. Why won't it work? Just have to keep stepping to it. Whisper in my ear, pssst. Learn how to twerk. Shake that body move those hips. Remember the games in your mind are only truth in what you want them to be. Remember where your desire meets with the Divine is where you become free. Brain feels inflamed. I wake up feeling sick. Kids scream and my nervous system is firing like a prick. Money scares, energy drain, foods almost gone. You know this my love, it's always darkest before the dawn. You're already in the dawn of your butterfly being born, these last few steps are just taking out the thorns. Like a green juice fast or any kind of detox, your body is getting rid of what's no longer you. All these feelings from the past like revisiting my whole life, things coming out that haven't seen the light. Reminding myself again and again, your doing amazing my love you already know you will win. So I say thank you for coming up, im so grateful to see you, come with me and transmute, or be on your way. Remembering how fucking good it feels to cry, have you done it today? No? Well it's time to go dance. Say goodbye to those things this is the last glance. Heart is opening yet building a web, because inside a container I feel more free. Not a box that keeps me a certain way more like a web that sways with the breeze, let's in what it wants but protects from the stuff that doesn't serve the bees. Weaving a web from all the strands of my life, I'm falling so deeply in love all the strands and strife. Where I used to run, the habit is transforming to lean in. Where I used to hide I now say, peek a boo, I love you! Where I used to look the other way, I now look deeper, what whats that I see? I'm learning more and more how to be sturdy when it's steeper. I love you, I'm proud of you, I repete every day, words that took me so long just to be able to say. It's magical and wonderful to watch the denial melting away. How often I've though and see others do too, think when they step into something new, something transformed, something great, that all their problems will just melt away. Ok for real be honest with yourself, that's not even what you want now, otherwise you would have probably reincarnated on some green pasture as a cow. We don't know what we want because we don't know what there is to see we don't know what it means to fully step into me. But I do know this, there's a threshold point. Where I go from surviving to thriving and that's where I'm about to be. How do I know? Because I already feel it inside me.

[sarah-aliterarylife]

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Breaking up is hard to do, or so the song goes. I’ve never been very good at letting go of things that no longer make me happy, or things that never made me happy in the first place. I remained in a job that did immense damage to my mental health for 8 years, when I really should have left after 5. I stayed with a man I did not love for over 3 years. I have restricted my diet, and exercised to the point that I injured myself, because I thought that being slimmer would make me happy. As humans, we’re conditioned to stick things out, keep trying, persevere, even if that serves no other purpose than to make us unhappy. The same applies to the books in my life. The amount of times I’ve started a book and found it dull, uninspiring, or just downright awful, but couldn’t bring myself to put it down and read something else instead, amazes me. Why do we do this to ourselves? Are we so afraid of failure, or the sense of disappointment that comes with accepting that something just isn’t for us? Perhaps I commit to things too easily.

Once I’m in, I’m in, and I find it very difficult to remove myself emotionally. No matter how bad a book is or how little I connect to the narrative, a part of me has to see it through to the end. Perhaps I’m subconsciously hoping that it will get better, or that the ending will blow me away. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green is one such example of this. I am aware that the concept of a “bad” book is a very subjective one, and that John Green has millions of fans around the world who probably think that An Abundance of Katherines is a masterpiece. That’s ok, but I am not one of them. I thought it was dreadful. I chose An Abundance of Katherines because I had enjoyed two of John Green’s other novels, The Fault In Our Stars and Paper Towns (more on those in future instalments). It’s a novel that is aimed at a young adult audience. Yes, I hear you ask, why is a woman who is most certainly not a young adult reading books meant for teenagers? What did she expect? The truth is that there are some marvellous young adult novels whose reach extends far beyond their target audience. I think I hoped that this book would be the same. The novel tells the story of a teenage prodigy called Colin Singleton, whom you could say has a “type”. His “type” in this instance is girls named Katherine. Colin has dated 19 of them, to be exact. And every time he dates a girl called Katherine, she breaks up with him. Over 297 pages, Colin and his Judge-Judy loving best friend Hassan take a road trip (minus any Katherines) and attempt to solve The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability – Colin’s words, not mine. They also try to avoid a bloodthirsty feral hog, and avenge everyone who has ever been dumped. Some hijinks involving a dead Austrian archduke and a moral about reinventing oneself ensue. Reviews of An Abundance of Katherines were largely positive. The Guardian describes it as “brilliant, quirky and fantastically nerdy”. I do not agree with this. Don’t get me wrong, I love a quirky narrative and fun characters who are somewhat left of centre, like Colin and his friend Hassan. But I found Colin to be a whiny, irritating sap. As a main character and a leading man, he is awful. No self respecting teenage girl (let alone 19 of them!) would ever date him. The constant use of anagrams drove me mad. The made-up words (fug? Jewfro?) got on my nerves. The Katherines themselves were unlikeable.

Most importantly, huge swaths of the novel were incredibly boring. I kept waiting for an interesting plot twist, or for one of the characters to do something unexpected, but nothing happened. The narrative proceeded exactly as I suspected it would. It was dreadfully dull in parts. I found it so mind-numbingly dull that I actually found excuses not to read it – I did our laundry, I cleared out the wardrobes, I baked a cake, I even went walking on Cannock Chase alone (!) as I was so desperate to have something else to do. I also wasn’t certain as a reader who the book was aimed at. The book contains many obscure references and footnotes that I suspected a young adult audience would not understand. If I had read it when I was a teenager, I don’t think I would have understood half of those references. Perhaps John Green is aware that, due to the success of his other novels, his audience has widened to include adults as well? And yet, I stuck with An Abundance of Katherines all the way to the end. Why did I do this? Perhaps I identified with Colin. I have been told in the past that I too have a “type” - the difference between me and Colin being that I haven’t dated 19 of them! The simplest and most likely answer is, I hate not to finish a book. I enjoy the sense of achievement that comes with completing a novel and starting afresh with a new one, like a new chapter in my life. For me not to finish a book, it must be truly terrible or (and this is very important) it must have the ability to send me to sleep on more than one occasion. Admittedly I came pretty close with An Abundance of Katherines, but it was summertime, the nights were long, the weather was warm, and it was only 297 pages long. I think a part of me must have thought, what the hell? Let’s finish it and move onto something else. Quickly. I have the greatest respect for John Green as a young adult novelist. I thoroughly enjoyed my previous forays into his work, and the fact that he has played such a key role in getting young adults interested in reading, and covers sensitive subjects such as mental health and terminal cancer so effectively, is to be celebrated. But this book really wasn’t my cup of tea. Perhaps next time I will share with you a list of the books I couldn’t finish! (It will be quite short)