#but many were not. and some were downright harmful to her character growth
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Yeah I am mad about how the authors treated their sweet angel Abeke actually.
Bad things that happened to Abeke:
Mom, only person to understand her, died pre-series
Dad and sister are emotionally abusive
Tricked by her enemies and roped onto the wrong side
Distrusted by the rest of the Four and believed to be a spy
Targeted by Meilin in particular
Kidnapped by obnoxious pre-teen boys
Gets frostbite
Gets concussed
Gets stabbed
Gets captured
Gets beaten up by Meilin
Lied to and betrayed by her dearest friend
Meanwhile dad DISOWNS her
Understandable depressive episode
Makes up with dad because he apparently decided he wanted to keep treating his daughter like shit
Mauled by cougars
Loses Uraza to arch-nemesis Zerif
Another extremely understandable depressive episode
Nicknamed "hollow-girl" which tells you a lot
Almost killed by Uraza on two separate occasions
Friend* killed by Uraza
Denied proper resolution with said friend
Doesn't get to kill arch-nemesis Zerif
Doesn't get to use her Rain Dancer powers a single time
Attacked by ants
Mid bond token
Can't even keep her cat
Justice for Abeke.
#jesus himself didn't suffer so much as abeke#reading this list back like what the fuck was going on#abeke has not done a single thing wrong in her life ever#yes some of these events were necessary and furthered her as a character#but many were not. and some were downright harmful to her character growth#are we ready to talk about how the black girl was the designated punching bag of the series? (stares directly into the camera)#(to drive my point home consider how she was the only one of the four to have to bleed in order to wake the bond token spirit. lol)#and what is she given to show for it!#nothing. shitty bio family. dead boyfriend. MID BOND TOKEN.#i'd be more satisfied with it all if she got her moment to kill zerif/the wyrm and be the hero and become even more revered and glorified#in the world's eyes#but nope#zerif was the hero in the end i guess (eye twitches)#there's such little payoff for the seven hells she went through it's kind of sickening#meilin's apology to her is incredibly brief. no scene of rollan or conor apologizing.#nothing at all from her family. in fact blatant confirmation that NOTHING has changed and she's still presumably being mistreated.#not a single moment alone with redeemed shane to talk about everything. not one.#abeke my forever favourite. my dearest beloved. the authors loved to hurt you but mark my words i will give you the happiest ending of all#you will be honoured in life and your name will be remembered long after the others' have faded into obscurity#people hundreds of years into the future will form a religion around you probably. and you will be worshipped as a goddess. as you deserve#text#original erdas#spirit animals#spirit animals books#spirit animals series#abeke
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I just read the Mechamaru short and also the other replies and well. And it just STRUCK me how Mechamaru is downright in the wrong in so many fucking ways.
Especially when you mentioned the guards. Those poor people who were guarding the Death Paintings and fingers. Mechamaru didn’t even give them a single consideration and probably even forgot they even existed, but they died horrible deaths because of Mechamaru colluding with Kenjaku.
Mechamaru accuses of Shiki having a perfect life - powerful, beautiful, perfect - and feels anger at her for the indifference when she looks at him, and yet, HE is worse than she is.
Ironically enough, despite her indifference and very much real and sincere want to resort to killing to solve her problems ALA she’s a cute little psychopath, Shiki is far more nicer to her subordinates and “people who don’t matter to the sorcerers”.
The guards. The assistants. The servants.
Because of how logical, abnormal and straightforward her way of thinking is, Shiki just… gets straight to the point. She treats her servants nicely because it’s basic decency to treat people who make everything work nicely. She makes sure her assistants are out of harm because duh, they are her assistants and can take care of other things, they don’t have to risk their lives fighting curses they cannot handle, she can handle that. Someone has committed a crime? Well easiest solution is to kill them but because of politics she will just immobilize them :/ Just let her break their limbs quickly, she had learnt from her mistake with Geto Suguru after all. They can be interrogated with only their mouth.
Anyways.
It’s just. Shiki doesn’t care about them the way she cares about Nanami or Satoru or Tsumiki or Megumi or Yuzuki.
Yet, she’s far, far more kinder to them than many other sorcerers who just see them as fodder.
Ironic. One of the most inhuman of sorcerers is kinder to them than those with human ego, isn’t it?
I think we're probably all in agreement that Mechamaru's plan in canon wasn't thought out very well. It sort of feels like he just finally, finally saw a chance to save himself, and went for it -to the point that he was tunnel-visioning quite a bit, either ignorant or uncaring or both regarding the casualties that such actions would have.
Shiki is largely uncaring about most people on the emotional level, but not the intellectual level. Which makes all the difference!
Mechamaru is indeed rather hypocritical in various ways when you look at things this way. Luckily, he's alive instead of dead in the Liyue AU, so now he gets to deal with the repercussions.
I haven't really made up my mind on details in the Liyue AU, although I think I'd like Mechamaru to have some character development in which he deals with the consequences of what his actions wrought.
In his own world, we have many civilian deaths, as well as the deaths of the warehouse guards. He also endangered his own classmates during the Goodwill event. He actively assisted and helped to hide Geto-Kenjaku and the man's faction from the jujutsu school.
In Liyue, an entire village was decimated by the four Special Grade cursed spirits that Shiki was fighting. Cursed spirits that she was only fighting because she'd been sent to search for Mechamaru.
Part of me wants to keep the transfigured monster-form a permanent state for Mechamaru. Actions have Consequences, and all that. It would also serve as an ever-present reminder that Mechamaru can't run from, in terms of what his shortsighted decisions cost him. There's also a fun parallel to hilichurls!
At the same time, there's another part of me that wants to make it so that Mechamaru can learn from the adepti. More specifically, learn to transform his shape from the illuminated beast adepti, whose original forms are animals but they themselves can take on a human form.
Because part of Mechamaru's growth in the Liyue AU would be coming to terms with what he did, but also trying to atone for it, too. To move past his mistakes, and become better.
... Anyways there are fun things to write either way, and I'd better stop here and get back to editing the next chapter for zenith of stars now haha.
#QA#zenith of stars au#liyue au#in the second case where mechamaru gets to turn human again#if he were a playable character in genshin-verse#i headcanon him with a catalyst weapon#and it basically just looks like a phone or a laptop#some high-tech device#as a nod to him controlling robots!#:D
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Why Gwen Hate Is Rooted In Misogyny And How The Premise Of Torchwood Is Often Ignored In Order To Hate On Her
Hello, hi. Jacklynn here again to talk your head off about something I feel is important to address when it comes to Torchwood and its fandom. Now, you’ve seen me post my defence of her and her actions [ not condoning, always remember this ] but, this is more on why the hate she receives is absolutely rooted in misogyny whether you want to believe it is or not, especially when talking about the portrayal and reception of women over the years in media [ and, frankly, in society ] as well as the fact that Torchwood’s very premise explains why Gwen should not be so vitriolically hated by the fans.
First, let’s talk about one reason she’s hated: her personality. Oh. This one is just blatant. I’ve seen her called both boring AND bitchy. The first one is obvious to address and that’s the bitchy one. Women who are seen as strong and independent are often labelled as bitchy, while men who act in the same manner are respected and good leaders. This is just simply based on the patriarchy we live in, a woman must be docile and and quiet and if she’s stands for something she believes in, suddenly she’s considered loud and angry and a bitch. How many times have we heard those words thrown at feminists for standing up for women? And boring? If a woman isn’t shown to be fun all the time and up for anything [ see the movie Yes, Man and Zooey’s character ] she’s considered boring. This isn’t just Gwen, this has always been the world women are forced to live in: either you’re a slut or you’re a prude, you’re a bitch or you’re just boring. Comments like that about Gwen’s personality are just downright rooted in the everyday sexism women face in society.
Second, the double standard within the Torchwood fandom when it comes to Gwen’s affair. Cheating on Rhys is the number one reason I always see for Gwen hate. And you know what? It’s absolutely valid to criticise her on how she treated Rhys. It was selfish and she made bad decisions. But, you know what’s never addressed? The fact that Owen knew exactly what he was doing when he was tempting Gwen away from Rhys, purposefully trying to get her to cheat on him. He was very open about the fact that he “tortures people in happy relationships” because he wants to. But, he’s given a free pass for his actions. Why? Had the roles been reversed and Owen’s character was a woman, and Gwen’s a man, Owen’s character would have been considered a ‘homewrecking slut’ who didn’t care about the fact that the man she went after was in a relationship and would have been labelled as such and would have been crucified by the fandom as Gwen was for cheating.
Why? Why is Owen excused for his actions? He was far from innocent. Yes, it is ultimately Gwen’s relationahip, but it takes two to tango. Owen should be disliked just as much for purposefully intending to cause harm to Rhys and not caring for a single moment about the consequences of his actions.
Jack is also given a free pass when it comes to the Gwack stuff. I never understood why people claim that Gwen ‘threw herself at Jack’ when almost every scene which implied Gwack, Jack is the one making moves. He’s the one who does the sexy gun lesson, he’s the one who corners her in the cells and does version two of ‘I came back for you,’ he’s the one sending longing glances at her as she’s kissing Rhys. And yes, these things are returned. But, once again Jack is given a free pass when he knows Gwen is in a relationship and yet does not have the decency to honour that either.
So are we seeing the pattern when it comes to the biggest reason Gwen is hated? The men are given free passes and loved while the woman is given all the blame. Each one made their choices and none of them were good. So why does the fandom only punish the woman?
Also, I would like to quickly address that she also gets hate for ‘getting in the way of Jack and Ianto’ which A. Is absolutely untrue, she never once tries to get Jack to choose her over Ianto, never acts like it’s a competition, is never once anything but sweet to Ianto. She is supportive of them and is never canonically attempting to get between them. B. Is pretty damn close to fetishism and blaming women for ‘getting in the way of your m/m ship’ needs to be re-examined.
Now, as I mentioned above, the premise of the show is often ignored in order to hate on Gwen. RTD has stated that Torchwood is about flawed and real human beings trying to save the world. They are not outright heroes, and they never claim to be. They are doing their best but they are all still human.
Human beings make mistakes. Human beings have emotional reactions that are irrational. Human beings do bad things for selfish reasons. Human beings can be inherently good people who made bad decisions and they can also be inherently bad people who do good things some times. Human beings are flawed and that’s the point of the show.
Gwen was not written to be the antithesis to this. She was written as an outsider coming into this new world and quickly learning how it changes you and affects you and can even bring our your more human traits. She was simply brought in to bring a new perspective for the team, not because she’s better than them.
But, so often this premise of real human beings trying to save the world and do what they can is ignored in order to hate Gwen. She’s just as flawed as everyone else, she’s not more flawed or any worse than anyone else on the team. But, their flaws are either ignored or brushed off in order to love them.
Ianto is the fandom golden child. I get it. I adore him with my whole heart. But, he manipulated everyone on the team, emotionally manipulated Jack, used the team in order to do what he had to to save Lisa. He got innocent people killed. He’s been shown to resort to killing when it felt needed. He has a dark side and he is not without his own flaws. He betrayed Jack twice and then went behind his back again in Adrift. He is not perfect. He is good, but he is human and makes mistakes.
Owen is a self-proclaimed twat who spends the entirety of series one purposefully trying to get Gwen to cheat on her boyfriend, being an absolute dick to Tosh. Not to mention he full on date r**** two people in the first episode. He also betrays Jack and nearly ends the world trying to do what he thought was right. Owen makes mistakes. He does really fucked up shit, but that’s what Torchwood is isn’t it? He’s fucked up but he does what he can to save the world. We love him for his growth and don’t let his mistakes make him hated by the fandom.
Tosh isn’t perfect either. She invaded her teammates’ inner most private thoughts and brought an alien into Torchwood. Yes, she was manipulated into it, but she listened in on Gwen and Owen because she was jealous. Jealousy and pettiness are very much shown within Tosh’s character. From the comments she makes to Gwen about getting her feet under the table, to invading their privacy to her tension about Martha. Tosh made mistakes and she has some not very nice qualities to her personality. But, we love her because she’s Torchwood and she’s good and we can forgive her mistakes because she’s human.
Jack lived a conman’s life. He’s resorted to killing before asking questions, he’s physically tortured peopl. Jack refused to let his team know a single thing about him and kept them in the dark when the truth could have helped everyone. He abandoned them and for a long time was only using Torchwood as a way to wait for the Doctor to come back and he would leave. He makes decisions that other people wouldn’t, he tells Gwen to keep a hold of her life with Rhys but would have been the first in line to sleep with her had she asked him to. But, we love Jack because he is Jack Harkness and he cares and he does so much to save the world and takes so much weight on his shoulders. He is a flawed human being doing what he can to do good and we forgive him because we know he’s trying.
The other team members get the forgiveness of the premise of the show, and yet Gwen doesn’t. Why? She’s just as much part of the team and while she was written to be the protagonist and main character, the premise of the show still extends to her. So, why is she hated for falling under that same flawed human being saving the world umbrella that the rest of the team is protected by?
Anyway, I’m sure there’s more I could say on the matter. But, honestly what this boils down to is that I understand the other characters deserved more storylines and air time, what they gave Gwen wasn’t used well because the writers didn’t treat her well either.
But the constant need to tear Gwen down in order to love the other characters is absolutely unnecessary.
#Gwen Cooper#Torchwood#ianto jones#jack harkness#owen harper#toshiko sato#; I haven’t much left to say in the tags but there’s that
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Desires: Lucifer season 5 on Netflix
Created: August 21, 2020. Last Modified: August 22, 2020.
Preface: Alright my Lucis, here’s the sitch: it’s been a minute. Life got a bit chaotic I wasn’t able to start season five quite on time when it premiered on August 21st because I haven’t finished the great 2020 Lucifer rewatch. I’m nearly done however and should be able to jump into it either later today or tomorrow, which is why beforehand I want to — as I’ve traditionally done for a few seasons — create a desires list and keep a tally throughout the season to see how many are met. I am going to try to pace myself, not binge, and watch a single episode a day so don’t spoil me. Likewise I will tag my spoilers. Here we go... #21DaysofLucifer
Season 3 and 4 Roundout - Desires Fulfilled / Questions Answered
✔We’ve seen other demons “like Maze” and a bit of what havoc they can reek. Well sort of. To be quite frank, although it was cool to see them possess the recently deceased, it wasn’t as impending doom as I was expecting. They didn’t seem nearly as disciplined or intimidating as Mazikeen, even Dromos, more bored and desperate.
✔ We’ve seen a little more or the heavenly host in Remiel. Remi was cool, if a bit intense. Her character, and her affinity to Amenadiel was a nice foil to see how far his character has come in evolution. But again like Uriel was for Lucifer, she kind of became a driving force character device to push Amenadiel’s growth. So I wonder if we’ll get to see more of her or not.
✔ (s3) The backstory of Lucifer’s arrival in LA, finding LUX, and making a deal with Amenadiel.
✔ (s3) Cain finally went to hell, YES! Not that I didn’t like Marcus Pierce/Tom Welling, there were some great interactions there, but I just think he was a wishy-washy antagonist based on how he was written and I can’t wait to trade up for Michael.
✔ Maze finally had some happiness and attachment to this silly mortal coil and it slipped away! Why Eve why? I love Maze’s bonding with humans, Linda, Trixie, Chloe. But I love that after a Millennia of serving, and then watching Amenadiel and Linda be happy in a family unit, that she might actually make her own and my hopes were dashed.
Things we got that we didn’t even know we wanted. SO GOOD:
Season 4 ep 8: Amenadiel bonding with Caleb and confronting community violence, police brutality, and systemic racism. It was a rough episode to be sure, but absolutely needed,
Chloe talking Lucifer down and out of a self-hatred spiral and his transformation into full-fledged devil and back again.
Lucifer playing Creep on repeat while missing the detective (even after insisting in a therapy session that “he’s not a teenager playing Adele on repeat) and Mr. Said Out B**** trying to rob Lucifer and gun point and ultimately get rich. What a fun twist.
The Dan and Maze Los X’s fight. They are wicked good at laying down the hurt on the criminal element and I was wondering when they’d pair up again after dispatching Warden Perry.
The devil in a bar fight! I mean, it’s only fair since the ladies had their brawl. I love how this fight sequence was filmed in bursts of slo-mo from various angles, involved everything from fists, to tasers, knives, bottles, and the infamous pool cue, and they picked the perfect song for pacing (Jake Bugg, Lightning Bolt, could listen to it all day on repeat.)
Time for all good demons to go home / Enough, you will bow down to your king. Go home! (aka appropriate use of Devilish intimidation face)
Amenadiel vs Remi
A Rocky montage with Lucifer and Amenadiel / Amenadiel’s face the first time Lucifer drives the Corvette
Lucifer at the roller derby
Chloe the YA fangirl
Maze teaching Trixie about knives, with each handle decorated in a different toy.
Amenadiel and Chloe catching up: your father is so proud of you. Like and angel BOSS!
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:
★ (s3) Amenadiel taking Charlotte home
★ Dan being comforted in his grief by Amenadiel
★ Amenadiel’s wrath and the brotherly duo tag team to lay the hurt on the drug dealer that got Charlie killed. It’s been a while since we’ve seen warrior angel ready to dispatch anyone in his way. And it was glorious!
★ (s3) Lucifer’s almost driving lesson with Trixie “Morningstar”
★ (s3) Maze torturing Lucifer by making him think he’s the Angel of San Bernadino
★ (s3) Amenadiel and Lina helping to dispose of Lucifer’s wings
★ Lucifer kicking Julian, Tiernan’s son, through a glass pane window
★ The goodbye kiss between Lucifer and Chloe
DIDN’T LIKE:
☒ (s3) Cain playing guitar and singing. What is he, a crime lord, a top cop, or an act that the improv club wouldn’t take?
☒ Eve. I liked Eve, but we mostly got to see one side of her around Lucifer, and a kind of floundering an confused side when she was with Maze. The side that I would have liked to see more of was the maternal side that came out when she briefly talked about Abel or was interrogated by Trixie. That made her more layered.
☒ Father Kinley. That dude is just meh.
☒ Dan’s broken heart and rebounding with Ella. Don’t get me wrong, its a good arc, but I don’t see it lasting
☒ (s3) Abel and Reese. Those were two side stories I could have done without, although they had great moments of humor. I quite enjoyed Reese’s character, and although I didn’t like Abel Lucifer’s stick-figure comic illustration of Cain fighting with him over a rock was quite enjoyable.
WHAT I TRULY DESIRE: SINFUL SEASON 5, my BURNING QUESTIONS, and SPECULATIONS
Obviously, don’t spoil anything for me, but if any of my desires end up coming true in any of the first eight episodes maybe drop me a hint in the comments...
A big time jump. We need to see the lasting impact of Lucifer’s absence. I know that time in hell works differently per that episode where Lucifer saved Chloe and almost got stuck in a loop, but we still need enough time to elapse that the impact is felt on the mortal side. Or, we need to see the passage of time through a series of events without Lucifer, like a montage of character development. At least a year or so, if for no other reason then Trixie is growing up and I actually want to see her take driving lessons with Lucifer.
Last season Maze gave baby Charlie a gift, something she’d wished she’d had growing up, and previously had alluded to the language of demons, her many siblings, and teased her mother, the mother of all demons. Will we finally get to meet Maze’s mom Lilith (or however they address her)? And, in spite of Mazikeen’s found family, she still has restlessness and abandonment issues. Will her mom finally finally bring her peace, or will clashing with her resolidify Maze’s purpose on earth?
A Decker/Mazikeen team-up or girls night out 2.0 would always be appreciated. At this point its probably 4.0 if you count the bar fight and the bachelorette party.
Will we see tougher, scarier demons, or are they just warmup to the really scary depths of hell?
Speaking of hell, more hell. Tons of hell. I want to know the minutia of all the mechanics. If Lucifer’s gotta be down there in self-imposed exile, he may as well show us around. Pour us a drink.
Will Lucifer see Cain in Hell? Not that I’m dying to see more of “sad Cain” but it would be interesting to see a more dark or desperate or cunning side to him at least now that he’s actually neck deep in torment. Or, alternatively, I’m hedging my bets that he could be a good candidate to light the fire under Lucifer’s *** to get of hell back to the earthly realm. Even in hell, I’m betting Cain would have a soft spot for Chloe, and if news reached Lucifer that Michael were trying to abscond with his life and with Chloe, it would give Cain and Lucifer one last bit of “A-Hole brothers” common ground to bond over. Like “Brothers, am I right? Go kick, get Chloe back, I’ll still have enough guilt to torture me with in a few thousand years when you get back,”
Will Lucifer fall into peril in hell of once again potentially getting distracted and stuck in a hell loop? Will his servants be satisfied with his return? Will Amenadiel bust him out.
Mr. Said Out Bitch needs a role reprise. He’s been in every season opener 2-4, we’ve gotten to know his undergarments very well. Its high time we get to know his name and story. He’s put in the work!
Amenadiel should be running LUX in Lucifer's absence. We got a tease of that in previous seasons (remember when he asked what would Lucifer do?) its time for that to come to fruition. Plus, any excuse to put DB Woodside in a suit, just because he wears them so well. It would also be interesting if, after that tragedy he’s experienced, Amenadiel will start taking after Luci. Maybe not the punishing, not yet, but wanting to seek out evil and corruption. It has been teased since s1 “fall as I did.” Perhaps he’ll start developing a taste for his bother’s line of work whereas he found it repugnant in the early days
Dan and Maze or Dan and Ella pair up. Both Dan and Maze are due for some happiness.
An Azrael reboot, when need more of her. She’s the angel of Death for pity’s sake. I don’t know if the original actress is still available or if they would have to recast, or if the character concept by Netflix would even be the same, but I need Azrael to be capable of sweet and unassuming and on a coin flip downright menacing.
More of Lucifer as a godparent, bless! And maybe a cool montage of “cousin” Trixie and Lucifer co-babysitting Charlie please.
Whilst on the subject of Lucifer and parenting, and without putting Trixie too much into harm’s way, I need to see what “I would do anything to protect that little urchin” looks like. Trixstar ride or die.
Father Frank, come back! I need a cameo or recurrent role pleeeeease.
Trixie in every episode. This is non-negotiable, much like chocolate cake. Beatrice is an all-star. In fact, I’ve decided that when Dad/God finally does show up, Trixie needs to be the one to get to know him / introduce him first. She’s been captain on the celestial cheer squad for four seasons, she’s earned this.
Who's going to see through Michael's facade first? I mean, I know that trailer shows Maze torturing it out of him, but as far as intuition goes, I've got a 50/50 split between Trixie and Linda, with an honorable mention to Dan.
If Michael is Lucifer's twin, does he have the same angelic compulsion skill set? Or something different? And will it work on Chloe or is she universally immune?
A “be like Mike” pop-culture reference. ******Spoilers: ******* all the trailers have revealed Michael already, so they owe us this for letting the steam out.
As far as pop-culture, how many movie and TV references will we get from Lucifer and ensemble this year? I expect A-game, from sci-fi to 80s action, on par with the previous likes of Parent Trap, Star Wars, Home Alone, Kim Possible, and Rocky.
Will Amenadiel’s necklace make a reappearance, even after he put it around Caleb’s neck in the morgue? Heavenly artifacts have a way of causing trouble in this show.
Will what finally learn what, if any, significance there is to Lucifer’s ring? Again, as all my fictional writings will attest, I really kind of want it to be a stolen little trinket from him Dad.
Plot twist: will we get to see Hell and the silver city all in one season, or is that too devilishly good to ask? It would be intriguing if Lucifer fell from Heaven for rebelling and now some threat like, for example, the mother of demons would pose a threat to the gates such that Lucifer was called upon to defend them. Not expecting anything Endgame level with a host of Angels popping up like sorcerers...but it is food for the imagination.
Plot twist: will Michael, duplicitous twin that he is, be revealed as the reason that Lucifer does not lie and can’t stand liars? Will be get a Michael back story? Is he perhaps the true rebellious son? see: my original fan conjecture here.
Additional links to previous recaps, roundouts and wishlists:
Season 1: Best Moments // Season 2: Predictions, Desires, Roundout, Best Moments // Season 3: Speculations, Quick-shot summary
#21 days of Lucifer#Lucifer season 5#lucifer on netflix#Lucifer s5 desire#Lucifer Morningstar#trixie espinoza#Chloe Decker#amenadiel#trixtstar#deckerstar#lucifer s5
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A New Generation (Pt. 2)
Rating: Teen Fandom: 魔法使いの嫁 | Mahou Tsukai no Yome | The Ancient Magus Bride Relationships: Hatori Chise x Elias Ainsworth Characters: Elias Ainsworth, Hatori Chise, Chise Hatori, Silver Lady, Silkie, Ruth, Titania, Oberon, Shannon, Stella Barklem, Angelica Burley, David Burley, Althea Burley, Lindel | Lindenbaum, Merituuli Trigger Warnings: Pregnancy, Childbirth, Babies, Infants, Depression, Anxiety, Discrimination, Unplanned Pregnancy, Abandonment, References to Abuse, References to Abandonment, References to Child Murder Words: 8551
As Chise's pregnancy progresses, Elias is consumed with worry that his child will be rejected by both fae and humans, as he had been. Chise struggles with the fear that she might abandon or harm her own children, as her parents did.
When Elias returned home from London, he sat down with Chise and had a very long, solemn conversation with her about the pregnancy, and for the first time, they talked about a future that also involved their child. Or children, if Chise was correct in her belief that there were two.
He told her about going to speak with Lindel, Simon, and Angelica and what their advice had been. Like him, Chise found Angelica’s tale the most consoling. Knowing that the artificer had felt similar apprehension about procreating helped Chise feel less isolated.
Calling Angelica and talking to her at length also did much to improve Chise’s disposition, not just about Chise’s ability to parent but also about the pregnancy itself. It didn’t cure her of her worries, but having someone to talk to who knew exactly what she was going through was a great comfort to her.
Finally managing to convince Elias to install a landline in the house had been a pretty recent accomplishment. He fought this "modern indulgence" for quite a long time, but when he finally understood that it meant she didn’t have to walk to town to use the public phone every other day, he was more open to the idea, especially since walking long distances was going to become rather difficult for her as time went on. The noise the device made was annoying, but seeing her smile when she answered it was enough to keep him from being too bothered by the sound.
The change in her mood greatly eased Elias’s mind. Watching Chise spiral into a deep, black pit of terror and depression was difficult for him to bear, especially given there was little he could on his own to improve it. As much as he wanted to help her, he had eventually come to understand that sometimes people could only find solace in others who’d had comparable experiences. This was just not his ken, so it was better left to those suited to the task.
He tried to quash his own fears for her sake, but she knew him too well to let him get away with keeping those thoughts to himself. At night, before they slept, she would talk to him; just talk, not expecting him to respond if he wasn’t in the mood to do so, and it helped him. Hearing the sudden shift in her voice from cold despair to tentative hope had done much to alleviate his woes. She encouraged him to be honest with her about what he felt, but didn’t push him to talk if he didn’t want to. More often than not, though, he would. They would lay bear their worries to each other and try to find the bright side. They were both still afraid, but they were facing that fear together.
And it helped.
Summer was in full swing, and Elias was twice as busy as normal now that Chise was limited as to what she could do. He didn’t grumble about it much; after all, he had done everything himself before she had come along. But they had become a well-coordinated, efficient team over the years and he had come to treasure her reserved, supportive assistance in all things, whether practical or magical. He rather missed working in tandem with her.
Though she was no longer allowed to do any of her normal seasonal chores beyond a little light weeding and watering, she would often sit in the garden with him as he worked and help whenever she could, not content with staying in bed all day like an invalid. Besides, having Chise within Elias’s sight and hearing was good for his heart and mind.
Ruth spent his time keeping a close, watchful eye on her, reporting any physical ills that Chise might keep to herself to Elias. As long as she was at rest, though, they were happy enough.
Late one night, he walked into their bedroom to prepare for sleep and found her naked in front of a mirror, standing to the side, looking down at her belly.
“What are you doing?” He asked curiously.
“Look at my stomach,” She said, her hands gently probing her lower abdomen. “It’s bigger. And it’s hard, too. Feel.”
Elias came close and laid his hand on her stomach. It was indeed hardened, as though she had swallowed a large stone, and there was a swelling between her hips; not big, but definitely noticeable.
And perhaps he imagined it, but he thought he felt a strange swirl of energy embedded there underneath the flesh and muscle, lodged deep in her body. No, two swirls. Perhaps Chise’s instinct was more credible than he first thought.
“Hmm,” He said. “Why is that?”
“Angelica says the uterus thickens and becomes more solid to protect the fetuses,” She said, reaching for a book on her nightstand. “It says so in this, too. Alice sent it to me. I told her about the babies, by the way, but I swore her to secrecy. I haven’t told Stella yet, but she’s busy at university and I didn’t want to bother her during finals.”
Elias bent to peer at the book. “What is it?”
She flipped through the rather large paperback volume. “It’s a book about pregnancy and birth. It’s actually pretty informative. So many things make sense now.”
“May I read it, then?” He asked. “There is much I still need to learn. I have a distinct dearth of knowledge about this particular subject and I feel compelled to rectify that.”
“Sure,” she said, handing it to him. “I’ve read up to the third trimester, so I won’t need it for a little while. I hope it helps.”
In some ways it did, and in others it didn’t. During gestation, he learned, the woman’s body produces excess blood to carry extra oxygen to the baby, which in turn causes the mother’s heart rate to accelerate for the duration of the pregnancy, which in turn causes her core temperature to rise. That explained that part, at least.
But other aspects of pregnancy and childbirth were, to put it mildly, horrifying. Things like nosebleeds, strange cravings, extreme mood swings, increased sex drive, swelling of the extremities, sudden hair growth or hair loss, violent fits of vomiting that lasted for months, soreness almost everywhere, food aversions, heighten sensitivity of smell, touch, and taste… the list of physical oddities was extensive. Bones would often be pushed out of the way and change position to compensate for the growing child, sometimes even fracturing or breaking in the process. And all of this was considered normal.
And those were just minor possible symptoms. The more severe ones were downright ghastly. There was no end of ways that it could go wrong, no end to the possible damage to the mother, no end to the ways the child could be born ill or malformed, and that was just for regular, non-magical children. There was no telling what kind of ailments could befall the child of two mages, especially if both parents were cursed.
And the descriptions of the birthing process itself, including the many, many things that could go awry, was nothing short of nauseating. Several times, he had to shut the book and put it aside for a while, appalled at what he learned. He hated to admit it, but sometimes knowledge for knowledge’s sake wasn’t always a good thing.
Once the first physical changes had begun, time seemed to speed up. Chise’s body changed rapidly, her stomach growing larger every day to carry the new life safely. She seemed especially breakable these days, and Elias couldn’t help being even more protective than he had been before.
For years before he had bought Chise, nothing had changed. Things went on as they always had, and it was as comfortable as it was dull. Then, once he met her, things changed, but it was a slow change. Even though things happened that never had before, it came at a pace he could understand and absorb.
Now, everything was new and happening too fast for him to process, and he was trying his best to keep up. He did not adapt well to change.
One afternoon in late July, while Chise was having her afternoon nap, Elias awoke her with a touch to her cheek.
“I’m sorry to wake you, Little Bird,” He said softly. “But there is a guest downstairs who has come a long way to see you. Are you feeling up to greeting them?”
She smiled. “Sure.”
Downstairs, she saw a tallish, pale man standing in their sitting room in modern clothes, looking around the room curiously. His blonde hair was separated into two bunches and hung over his shoulders. The the pupils of his bright blue eyes were slits, like that of a wild predator.
“Lindel!” Chise exclaimed in surprise.
When he saw her enter the room, a wide smile split his face. “It’s good to see you, my daughter,” He said, his arms open toward her.
She rushed forward to give him a hug. “What are you doing here? The dragons--”
“Can survive me being gone for an hour or two. Besides, Merituuli is to inform me right away if anything should happen while I’m here. I haven’t heard from you in a while and I wanted to check on you.” He held her at arms length and looked at her belly. “You’re coming along rather quickly, aren’t you? I sense very strong life essences brewing in there. Your offspring will be incredibly powerful mages. I can’t wait to meet my grandchildren; you must bring them to the aerie once they’ve been born.”
“More than one?” Chise asked.
“Oh, yes,” Lindel replied. “Two separate, distinct energies, hale and healthy, growing well.”
“Ha,” Chise said quietly. “I knew it.”
“Now,” He took her hand and hooked it around his arm. “Why don’t you give me a tour and tell me all about your preparations for the little ones? I’ve never actually been to Thorn’s home, you know. The ungrateful brat has never so much as extended an invitation.”
Elias sniffed slightly and sat in his chair, picking up a book he must have been reading before Lindel arrived.
“Of course,” She said, turning. Silver was looking in shyly from the kitchen, where Ruth was having a snack. “This is Silver Lady. She’s a neighbor who runs the house and looks after us. She’s been a big help to me.”
Lindel bowed. “A pleasure.”
Maybe it was Chise’s imagination, but she could have sworn Silver blushed.
“Good to see you again, Ruth,” Lindel said pleasantly. “Keeping a sharp eye on our favorite girl, are you?”
“Of course,” Ruth said. “She’s been getting plenty of rest, but she’s not eating as much as I’d prefer.”
Chise sighed heavily. “Elias’s fussing is bad enough, but having a fae nanny breathing down my neck all day is really irritating.”
Lindel laughed softly. “I would imagine so.”
Chise showed him her old room upstairs with Ruth trailing behind, where Silver had surprised her one day by converting it into a nursery. Silver, at least, seemed very excited about the new additions to the family and was going to extraordinary lengths to make sure the house was ready for their arrival.
The brand-new cupboards were stacked with blankets and swaddling and dressing gowns and cloth diapers, all handmade by Silver. There were double changing tables and bassinets, set side by side, and even a rocking chair next to the window. Chise had no idea where all the new furniture had even come from. Silver had used neutral colors to decorate the room: a mix of light and dark browns and soft purples and blues. The walls had been painted with a mural of wildflowers and trees, and the floor was plush grass-green carpet, as though the room was outside in a meadow. It was beautiful. Chise had cried and hugged Silver for quite a while when Silver presented it to her.
Ah, mood swings.
Elias had not been prepared for these emotional outbursts and, quite frankly, neither had Chise. She’d go from really happy to really sad to really annoyed all in the span of a few minutes. It was rather dizzying for the both of them. Ruth tried to warn Elias when they were coming, but he couldn’t always tell, so they were often blindsided by a sudden explosion of emotion that even Chise didn’t always understand. He supposed there was some comfort to be found in the fact that she was just as confused as he was.
Chise showed Lindel Elias’s study, and her workroom beyond where she practiced her spellcraft, and then decided to take a break in the garden. Lindel sat with Chise, talking animatedly about the baby dragons and happily eating Silver’s sandwiches and cakes. It was probably a nice change from stew. He even coaxed a song from Chise, one he had taught her in Icelandic about a hungry raven that slept beneath rock rifts. She had missed singing with him.
The sound of their voices raised in song brought Elias out to join them. He hadn’t heard her sing in some time and was pleased to hear it. She only sang when she was in a good mood. The resonance of their voices made the trees stand straighter, the flowers bloom brighter, and the sunlight shine gently upon them without being overpowering. When Lindel and Chise worked together, everything they touched was magic. Elias couldn’t help but be a little jealous of that.
The visit was a splendid one that did much to brighten Chise’s spirit. Before long, Lindel felt the aerie calling his heart home and left Chise with a hug and well-wishes. He even shook Elias’s hand.
Lindel snapped and sparked and was gone in a flurry of snow and cinders. Chise was sorry to see him go. She really felt as though Lindel was a surrogate father. When he called her his daughter, there had been weight to it. He genuinely meant it.
Chise made to go inside, but Elias took her by the hand to stop her, looking off into the woods.
“I believe we may have further visitors,” He said, taking his veil and flinging it over his face. He pointed to the treeline.
There, almost invisible under the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees, stood a fae woman of indescribable beauty. Her black hair trailed behind her and brushed the ground as she walked, and her skin was as smooth as the petals of a lily. Her eyes, the colors of which shifted as though iridescent, were locked on Chise from where she stood motionless in the shadow. How long she had been there, no one could say, but her attention was on Chise and nothing else.
“Lady Titania,” Chise breathed.
As though summoned, Titania stepped out of the shelter of trees and began to walk toward them. Spriggan stepped out of her shadow, the gold rings adorning his staff jingling as he walked. He looked as surly as ever.
“My dear, sweet robin,” Titania said, holding her arms out to Chise and she stepped forward. “Oh! Isn’t it so wonderful!”
“I assume the little folk have informed you of Chise’s condition,” Elias said.
“Oh,yes, my child. I can’t tell you how pleased I am! Oberon is beside himself.” She glanced back to the forest’s edge. Chise and Elias followed her gaze to see Oberon running to and fro, giggling like a child and throwing flowers into the air. Chise laughed softly and shook her head.
Titania returned her attention to Chise and touched her hand to Chise’s belly. “Look how far along you are! I must say, though, I am terribly put out that you hid it from us for so long.”
“I’m sorry,” Chise said. “I… it’s been… difficult.”
Titania took her face in her hands. “Poor child,” She said. “Do not despair. This is a blessing. What a wondrous gift it is to be mortal. The fae do not breed well with each other and as such, our children are rare. That’s why there are so many old tales among mortals about halflings, though such things are far less likely in this millenia.” Her gaze brushed across Elias’s tall form briefly. “I suppose it’s how your race proliferates so effectively. You’re like rabbits, in that way.” She giggled.
“Oh, what a wonderful turn of fate!” Oberon crooned gleefully, skipping around the group of them. “I can’t wait to see the new little mages. Is there any chance at all they’ll be blonde? Oh, nevermind, they’ll be adorable either way!”
“Titania,” Elias started, ignoring Oberon as he pranced around them, laying a flower crown on Chise’s head. “You have the gift of foresight. Can you…” He paused, clutching the fabric of his shirt over his chest, as though in pain. “Is there any way to tell… that is to say…” He stumbled to a stop.
“Elias,” Titania said kindly. “Ask your question plainly, and I shall answer as best as I can.”
Elias sighed. “The children… our children… will they be… like me? Half-creatures, hated and shunned for the sin of merely being alive in a world where they do not belong?”
Chise’s heart bled for him. It must have quite a blow to his pride to ask that question. She knew he’d never admit it to anyone, not even her, but the constant reminder that he was neither one or the other was something that caused him perpetual grief. The idea that he was terrified his own children would share this fate made Chise’s heart ache. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it consolingly.
“Oh, Thorn,” Titania said sadly. “I see branches; roads that split and diverge like serpents in the sea of potentiality. I see many possibilities, though some are more likely than others. I cannot give you a solid answer because the paths are still many and multiplying. I cannot tell you for certain what will be.” She laid a hand on his chest and smiled. “But would you like to know what I feel?”
He nodded, apprehensive.
“I feel love and joy,” She said. “I hear laughter echoing within the walls of this dwelling. Your children will have fragments of their father residing in them, as all children do, but they will have the protection and favor of all who love them. And there will be many who love them. They are blessed by the Queen of the Fae herself, and my blessing is no paltry trinket.”
“Titania, I…” Elias said, unable to continue.
Oberon slid over to his wife and winked at her, a wide smile on his face. He then turned to Elias.
“Do not fret, thorn child,” He said. “However tainted your lineage may be, you are still one of us, and your bride is beloved by our kind. Your children, then, will be doubly revered by all fae. You have no cause to worry.”
“Thank you. That is… very comforting,” He replied, though his tone said to Chise that he was still rather troubled.
Chise endured another few minutes of Titania and Oberon’s doting before they decided to depart. She felt rather relieved when they left. They could be a lot to handle all at once.
That night, lying in bed with Elias, the question he had asked the Faerie Queen revolved over and over in her mind.
“Elias?” She asked softly, trying not to wake Ruth. “Are you still awake?”
She couldn’t see his pupils, but he did answer. “Yes.”
She lay her hand on the back of his neck and stroked it. “Are you really worried about how the children will turn out?”
Elias sighed. “It does not matter to me what they will look like,” He said somberly. “But it will matter to humans. Experience has taught me well that mankind does not adapt quickly to things that are strange or unusual.” He turned his head to look at her. “The fae will not care about their appearance, either, but they will see them as my children, spawn of the halfling failure. That alone may be enough to draw the ire of the fae against them, despite what Titania and Oberon said. Those two have never failed in their kindness to me, but it is borne out of pity, not respect, and the rest of the fae are not so magnanimous. Some are indifferent to me, but most, like the Spriggan, are openly hostile. I do not wish for my children to suffer because of who their father is.”
“Oh, Elias,” Chise said, holding him close. “I wish I could--Oh!” Chise sat up abruptly, pulling the covers down and placing both hands on her belly.
“What?” He asked in alarm, turning to sit up. “What is it? Are you alright?”
“I felt them.”
“You did?” He asked.
“Yes,” She said, moving her hands around gingerly. “I felt a thumping on the inside. I felt some flutters before, but I was never sure what they were. That was definitely a kick.”
“Are you sure?” He asked, looking at her abdomen.
In response, she took his hand and laid it down on her stomach, instructing him to wait. He did so, and it took nearly five minutes, but there was a distinct nudge against his hand.
Chise looked up and smiled at him, but his heart was in his throat. He couldn’t decide if he was excited or panicked. Talking about the baby, seeing her belly expand, making preparations: for some reason, none of that made it feel real. But this did. Feeling the tiny movements of the child on his own skin from the inside of her body was what made it reality to him.
“We should call on Shannon tomorrow,” Chise said. “I’m twenty weeks. It’s about time for a check-up.”
“Y-yes,” He said vaguely. “Of course.”
She took his face in her hands. “Are you all right?”
“I do not know,” He answered honestly. “I am… frightened.”
“I know,” She said. She laid her forehead on his.
They stayed that way for many minutes, their foreheads touching, his hand on her belly, feeling the little jumps and thumps of his children moving about inside. Frightened was not an adequate word for what he felt. He didn’t know if there was a word strong enough.
Time seemed to move very fast for a while, and then suddenly slowed to a snail’s pace. Before they knew it, it was winter. Chise had grown very large, and Shannon expected the babies to come a few days after the new year.
Chise kept to the house exclusively now, since moving was more difficult, not to mention that Elias was highly paranoid about her catching an illness in her condition. She spent much of the time nesting, which is an instinctual habit among mothers-to-be to make sure everything was in its proper place and perfect. Silver had taken care of most of that for her, but it didn’t stop Chise from folding and refolding all of the babies’ linens and making sure things were just so.
As the time for the birth came closer, the atmosphere of the house grew more and more anxious. Chise was rather sick of being pregnant and was ready to be able to stand without assistance and not eat what felt like half her body weight every day. Ruth was restless and impatient. He could feel the time getting closer just as acutely as Chise did.
If Chise was anxious and Ruth was restless, Elias was downright terrified. He spent a lot of time alone in his study, unable to control this emotion. He didn’t want to worry her more than she already was, but he couldn’t push away the awful feeling of dread.
He had slowly grown accustomed to the idea of the children, but not the possibility that they would take after him. The idea that they could be subjected to cruelty and discrimination for simply being his children made his blood run cold. How could he protect them against that kind of hatred? How could he shield them from the animosity of both humans and fae? He could weather it just fine; he was used to it, and some of it was deserved. He had once been a monster, after all. But they would be innocent and guileless. They didn’t deserve to be treated as he had been.
As much as he tried to hide his worry from Chise, he knew she felt it. He could see it on her face when she looked at him sometimes. It wasn’t pity that she showed him, but empathy. If anyone would understand, it would be her, but this was just one thing he couldn’t talk to her about. She always tried to soothe him and tell him things would be fine, but she had no way of knowing that for certain. Blind optimism just didn’t work for him.
Very late on the night before Christmas eve, a sharp yelp of pain woke Elias from sleep. It had been Ruth: he had bounced out of his bed and shot to Chise’s side, immediately switching to his human form. Chise was sitting curled around her stomach, gasping.
“Chise?” Elias asked.
“I think my water broke,” Chise gasped. “I’ve been having contractions, but they weren’t bad until now. We need Shannon.”
“Shannon! Silver!” Elias called.
A flash shot through the room. Elias turned on the lamp and found Shannon standing next to Chise, trying to pull her to her feet. The silky came through the door in an instant, a tub of hot water and many towels in her hands. It was almost as if she were waiting for the call.
Shannon had Chise sit on a wooden chair with a curved back, urging her to recline with her pelvis tilted out, putting a pillow behind her to support her back. Silver helped Chise out of her underwear and flipped the hem of her nightgown up over her stomach, exposing her entire lower half. Chise didn’t have the wherewithal to be embarrassed about her tender bits out for the entire room to see. The pain was pushing everything else out of her brain.
“Is it supposed to hurt this much?” Ruth gasped, his arms wrapped around his stomach.
“There are two living creatures the size of watermelons attempting to tear their way out of her body, Ruth. Yeah, it’s gonna hurt,” Shannon said dryly.
“Sorry, Ruth,” Chise said, breathing heavily. “I’m trying to block it.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Ruth said. “I don’t really care about me right now.”
“What can I do?” Elias asked anxiously.
“You and Ruth, get on either side. Both of you hold her hand with one of yours and then let her use your other hand to brace her feet on. She’s going to need the leverage when she starts pushing.”
Elias and Ruth, took their positions. Chise had already begun to sweat profusely and was breathing shallowly. Silver stood at her head, stroking her hair gently and ready with a cloth to wipe her brow.
“Deep breaths, Chise,” Shannon said, kneeling on the ground and pushing a gloved hand into Chise’s body to gauge her dilation. “Nine centimeters,” Shannon said, removing her hand. “Not quiet ready yet, but it’s going to be soon.”
Chise could only nod, attempting with little success to take deep breaths as she was instructed. Her head rolled to look at Elias with fear in her eyes.
“It’s too early,” She said in a terrified whisper. “I’m not due for another three weeks.”
“It’s all right,” Elias whispered, knowing he might be lying. “It will be all right.”
Chise had no choice but to wait until her body opened up enough to start pushing, and it took a few long, miserable hours of pain and sweating. By the time Shannon got into position, it was only an hour before dawn.
“Okay,” Shannon said. “Elias, Ruth, take one foot each and push it toward her chest, but not forcefully. Chise, take several deep breaths. When I say, take a very deep breath, hold it, and start pushing. When I count to ten, you can let go and breath again. Understand?”
Chise nodded, already very tired from the waves of pain she had been suffering over the past few hours. She steeled herself and began to take slow, deep breaths.
“Ready? Okay, deep, deep breath and push!”
Chise pulled in as much air as her lungs could take and held it, bracing her legs against Ruth and Elias’s grip, and pushed with all her might, her face pulled back in a grimace of pain and exertion.
“One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten, and breathe,” Shannon instructed. Chise blew out her breath explosively and gulped in air.
“Okay, again. Deep breath, and push!”
It went on like this for quite a time. They only paused the pushing for Chise to drink water and for Silver to wipe the sweat from her face and neck. Elias talked in Chise’s ear during these brief moments of rest, telling her that she was strong and that he had faith in her. She seemed so tired, but she smiled at him and dotted a kiss on his nose in reply.
Finally, as the first rays of sunlight shone through the window, Shannon pulled a small, reddish-purple infant from Chise’s body. It shrieked as it took it’s first breaths of life, it’s color changing as it took in oxygen. Shannon placed the sticky ball of outrage on Chise’s chest for a moment, allowing the new mother to inspect the little creature for herself while Shannon detached the umbilical cord.
“It’s a baby girl,” Shannon said, smiling.
Chise let go of Ruth and Elias and wrapped her fingers around the tiny thing as it screamed it’s fury at them all. Chise was crying, too, but not in anger. Her face, red and sweaty though it was, lit with joy as she held her newborn daughter.
Suddenly, she seized up with a sudden contraction and hissed with pain. The baby was whisked out of her arms by Silver, who took it to a nearby dressing table to clean it.
“We’re halfway there,” Shannon said. “Let’s get ready. On the next contraction, we start the pushing again.”
Chise nodded, letting Ruth and Elias take hold of her feet and push them back.
Once the first baby was out, the second wasn’t far behind. It wailed more loudly than it’s twin, thrashing about angrily on Chise’s chest, though Chise clearly didn’t seem to mind.
“It’s another little girl,” Shannon said with a grin.
Tears poured from Chise’s eyes as she held her daughter, gasping from the effort of pushing. The touch of her mother’s hands had calmed the baby and she was no longer writhing spastically, but wiggling and making little grunting sounds, lying on her belly in Chise’s grasp.
After a moment, this child, too, was taken away for cleaning. Then there was more work to be done. The afterbirth had to be removed from Chise’s body, which caused a small fountain of blood to escape. Elias and Ruth panicked, but Shannon said this could happen sometimes and it wasn’t serious as long as it was contained quickly. She gave Chise a tea that would help stop the bleeding and once she had finished it, Silver lifted Chise as if she weighed nothing and took her to the bathroom for a proper cleaning. Shannon followed, leaving Ruth and Elias alone with the newborns, lying side by side and safely bundled up in the crib near Chise’s side of the bed.
While she was gone, Ruth went to inspect the babies up close. “Elias,” He called to the mage, who was still sitting in a daze. “Come and see.”
Elias stood with his heart pounding in his chest and walked to stand by Ruth, looking down at his brand new daughters with a lump in his throat. Now that they were cleaned, he could see them better. They were still wiggly and wrinkly, but there were distinct differences between the twins. One had a full head of white-blonde hair and a peachy-pink complexion, while the other had fine red fuzz on her head and was as pale as bleached bone.
“I remember the day that Isabelle was born,” Ruth said solemnly, lost in his memory. “I had only been with the family for a few months and I didn’t quite understand what was happening at the time. I didn’t know what a baby was. She was so tiny and weird-looking, but I loved her right away. We were together all the time after that. I existed for her; I’d have done anything for her.”
He stared down at the two sleeping infants, his eyes dark with recollection. “I took it for granted, thinking she’d always be there. I didn’t see the dangers until it was too late. I should have done more to protect her. If I had been a better brother, she might have lived a long, happy life. I didn’t do enough, and she died.” He reached out but stopped just short of touching the one with red hair. “For them, I’ll do better. I’ll be better. I promise.”
Elias did not respond. He stared down at his sleeping girls rather blankly.
Yes, He thought to himself. I, too, must be better.
Silver and Shannon returned with Chise, clean, wearing a fresh nightgown, and remarkably able to walk unassisted. Elias helped ease her back into the freshly changed bed, then Shannon handed Chise the white-haired baby girl. Shannon insisted that Chise try to breastfeed the baby, as it would help promote clotting. Silver went to work cleaning the gory aftermath off of the floor. Ruth, as a grim, sniffed each child keenly with his tail wagging.
It took a few tries and some urging to get the baby to latch to her breast; apparently babies weren’t born knowing how to do this and had to be taught, but once she found her way, she seemed to be content and fell asleep while feeding, her tiny arm resting on Chise’s skin. Elias watched curiously.
“You probably won’t be able to produce enough milk to fill both babies at the same time, so you might want to supplement with formula. You may even decide to go formula exclusively, which is fine. As long as they get the enzymes from your breastmilk at the start, it’ll be a big boost to their immune systems.”
Chise nodded without looking up, absorbed in the tiny little girl at her breast with it’s little fist around Chise’s finger. She seemed to finish quickly, and Chise lifted the baby for Elias to hold.
“Chise…” He said nervously. “I don’t… I can’t… I don’t think…”
“It’s okay, Elias,” Chise said with a smile. “You’re going to have to hold them at some point. Might as well be now.”
“Just remember to support the head,” Shannon said. “The neck muscles are underdeveloped.”
“Here,” She sat up and, holding the baby in one arm, used her hand to make a cradle of his. “Like this.”
Exercising more care than he ever had in his entire existence, he took the tiny bundle into his arms, cradling it gently. He could feel the warmth of it’s little body through the blankets, as though he were holding a glowing coal. He lifted her up so he could inspect her more closely. As he did so, she opened her eyes for the first time and looked up at him. Her eyes were the color of evergreens, like her mother. But unlike her, the pupils were not round but slits, like that of a wild creature. The eyes of a fae. The eyes of a mage.
“Chise, look,” Elias said, bending to show her. Chise, who had taken the red-haired babe and was feeding her from the other breast, peered at the child Elias held and smiled. Her smile faded and her eyes narrowed curiously.
“What is it?” Elias asked.
“Look at her head, a little bit above the hairline. There’s a bump. No, there’s two, one on either side. Do you see them?”
Elias brought the baby close to his face, examining her closely. There was, indeed, some sort of bump there. Carefully readjusting his grip, he felt the bumps with his finger. They felt like… bone? No, not bone…
“Horns,” Elias said softly. “She has horns.”
Chise laughed softly, her eyes warm with affection. “You certainly can’t deny she’s yours, can you?”
He looked down at her, a new warmth spreading though his chest. “No…” He said. “I cannot.”
“Have you decided on names?” Shannon asked, sitting on the other side, monitoring the mother and her little ones closely.
Elias was taken aback. It wasn’t something he had even thought about. He’d been so preoccupied with his doubts and fears that he hadn’t room to think of anything else.
“It is Christmas Eve,” Chise said, looking out of the snow covered windows. She looked at the little redhead, sleeping peacefully in her arms. “Her hair reminds me of holly berries, so why don’t we call her Holly?” She smiled and gazed at the white-haired child Elias clutched to him. “And with her green eyes, she should be named Ivy.”
Elias sat down on the edge of the bed next to her, bending to nuzzle her head.
“Yes,” He said fondly. “It’s perfect.”
After both parents had a turn holding both of their infant girls, they gave Silver and Ruth a chance. Ruth was anxious and attentive, fearful of being clumsy or accidentally jostling his new nieces and upsetting them, but Silver seemed overjoyed to hold the tiny babes, smiling brightly and giggling at their noises. A better nanny than Silver Lady could not be found anywhere, either in the mortal realm or the kingdom of the fae. Chise had a feeling she was going to be relying heavily on her for the next few months.
While holding Holly, Silver made a small noise of surprise.
“Silver?” Chise said. “What is it?”
Silver brought the baby to the bed and knelt down between Elias and Chise, where the parents could see the newborn’s eyes. The irises were solid black and didn’t reflect light, instead seeming to consume it. The pupils, however, were red. Not the bright holly red of her hair, but a dark crimson red, like blood on snow, and they too were mere slits.
“Oh,” Chise breathed. “Look at that. Aren’t they beautiful?”
Elias, seeing the trace his own eyes looking back at him from his daughter’s face, was at a loss for words.
His children were mostly human, it seemed, but they retained a piece of him, a fragment of his fae blood, just as Titania said. Before, this thought made him worry about their future, but seeing them now, he felt… what was this? It was a good feeling, but it carried weight with it. Pride? Was that it? Did he feel proud? Perhaps so.
After a while, Shannon insists that everyone leave the room to the new parents and their children, and Elias settled himself in a chair beside the bed, with Chise on his left side and the crib on the right. All three of his girls were sleeping peacefully. Ivy seemed content in being wrapped up in her swaddling, but Holly had kicked her way out of the blankets so that she could move freely.
He watched them sleep with mixed emotions, laying his hands on the stomachs of the babes, comforted by their warmth. As if waiting for this, they both reached out and gripped his fingers in their fists and held on with a surprisingly strong grip.
The world could have been falling down around them, but as long as they were safe and happy, it wouldn’t have bothered him. He found he didn’t care all that much at the moment about the concerns that had plagued him before the birth, though he knew they would come back eventually. He felt warm and calm, with none of the anxiety that had been gnawing at his mind for months. Was this feeling happiness? Peace?
He could identify at least one emotion well enough: love. It was different than what he felt for Chise, but no less consuming. Chains of gold and silver had wrapped themselves around his heart. They sprung from the touch of his tiny daughters’ small hands on his own, an unbreakable link that bound him to his newly-born flesh and blood. Instinct drove this behavior, and it was obvious what it meant. They had laid claim to him.
They do not belong to me, he realized. I belong to them. How fascinating.
He had lived for centuries never having tethered himself to any other being. Back then, loneliness and being alone were mutually exclusive concepts. He’d had friendships and acquaintances but felt no obligation to any of them beyond an occasional favor or trade. At the time, he had thought himself content.
When he had acquired Chise on a whim out of mere curiosity, he had not anticipated how his life would change. The connection that developed between them, as slow as it was to manifest openly, was unlike anything he’d felt before. It brought with it many good feelings, as well as many unpleasant ones. Chise’s love was easy enough to earn, but he soon discovered that while love could be unconditional, trust was not. He hadn’t known there was a difference between those emotions until he had betrayed them.
For a while after, their bond was fragile and could snap with any slight pressure he applied to it. It had taken much time and effort on his part to repair the damage he had done, and he had sworn never to do anything that could sever that link again.
But the bond he felt to these two new lives was instantaneous and indestructible, something over which he had no control. He was, for lack of a better term, spellbound.
“I don’t understand.”
Elias jumped slightly at Chise’s soft whisper. He looked over to see that she was awake and staring are her children.
“What is it you do not understand, Little Bird?” Elias replied quietly.
“I thought,” She said. “I thought when they were born, it would make more sense, but it doesn’t. I thought it would help me understand why they did it.”
“Your parents,” He said. It wasn’t a question.
“I thought that once I was a parent myself, I could see it from their perspective, and I’d understand. But I don’t. I would never, ever leave them. I could never hurt them. Never.” She looked at Elias and took his hand. “What they did still makes no sense to me. I guess you were right, Elias. I am different.”
“Yes,” He said, holding her hand to his cheek. “Do not be sad, Chise. That is a wonderful thing.”
She smiled, and her gaze returned to the infants. “You’re right. It is.”
During the first two months, which Chise and Elias used to get accustomed to the new routine of parenthood, the twins developed personalities that were as different as their appearance. Holly was an independent little thing and didn’t like to be swaddled or held for too long, while Ivy loved to be cuddled and preferred to be held by Elias over anyone else. He was more than happy to hold her at all times and soon became deft at doing things one-handed.
After this necessary adjustment time, they decided to have a small gathering of friends over to properly introduce their children. They had invited Stella, the Barley family, Alice, a few friends from the college including the brooding Adolf and enthusiastic Tori, and even Renfred. Over the years, Elias and Renfred had forged a tense acquaintanceship. Chise encouraged them to be better friends, but in the end, she figured anything was better than open hostility.
They had invited Lindel, too, but he didn’t want to leave the aerie again. He insisted they bring them to him instead, which they promised to do when the children were a few months older.
“Aren’t they darling?” Angelica said, looking at Holly sleeping in sixteen-year-old Althea’s arms.
“They really are,” Stella said, now nineteen, as she tickling Ivy’s feet while David held her. The baby cooed at Stella as she did so.
“Ya did good, Chise,” Alice said. “You cooked up some real nice babies in there.” She poked Chise’s stomach, which was now much smaller and thankfully no longer sore.
“That’s a weird phrase, Alice, thank you,” Chise said.
Renfred had been mostly quiet during the gathering. Alice had told Chise that babies make him nervous; he liked kids better when they were old enough to follow orders.
Elias was similarly uncomfortable with so many people in his house at once, and eventually, it drove him outside to the garden. Cold though it was, he sat at the garden table with his tea and sighed.
“Are they not lovely?” A voice said to him from his right. He turned to see a small, child-like figure standing there nearby. She wore a simple white gown made of thin silk and a crown of baby’s breath around her head. A circle of snow underneath her feet had melted away and flowers had sprung up all around her. Her hair was black, her skin like petals, her eyes like the wings of a dragonfly.
“Titania,” Elias said, standing. “You’ve come alone.”
“I have, though I shan’t be long,” She said, her voice belying her youthful appearance. “I bring with me gifts for your little ones.”
“Gifts?”
“Yes. The heartache you expressed when last we met has stayed with me. I felt compelled to do something to set your mind at ease.” She opened her hands, and lying in each palm was a ring carved of dark wood, one on a gold string, the other on a silver one. “I told you your offspring held my favor, did I not?” She asked. “That was not a lie. You need not worry for their safety from our kind. These will tell all fae creatures that your babes are my godchildren and therefore under my protection.”
Elias did not recall agreeing to such an arrangement, but accepted the rings with a bow.
“Thank you, my Lady,” He said. “This is most generous.”
“You must bring them to visit us, Thorn,” Titania said. “It’s been so long since there were children in the Faerie Kingdom. Oberon is dying to meet the new magelings.”
Elias nodded without speaking, not committing to this. He wondered if her favor extended to not trapping them in the faerie realm.
“Be well, Elias. Take care of our sweet robin and those beautiful children. Dwell no longer on the darkness in your past and look instead to your future. Your legacy now resides in those new souls that you created, and not the mistakes you have made. You have been given a divine gift. Do not take it for granted.”
“I assure you, Lady,” He said seriously. “I have no intention of doing so.”
She smiled at him, and the body she inhabited burst apart into flowers and floated away like the seeds of a dandelion, carried away on a sudden wind that smelled strangely of spring grass.
Elias lifted his gaze to watch the petals drift away, putting the charms in his pocket.
Once everyone had gone home and the house was quiet again, Elias picked up a wailing Ivy, who quieted immediately, and sat with Ruth and Chise as Silver laid out their dinner. Chise fed Holly with one arm and fed herself with the other. Once Holly finished, Chise passed her to Ruth to be burped and held out her arms for Ivy, who Elias passed carefully over the dinner table. Silver waited at Ruth’s elbow with a spit-up cloth. They all seemed to be easing into this new normal well.
Elias and Chise took the children to their room and laid them down for sleep, with Ruth curled up on the floor between them. He was better than a baby monitor. Ruth was taking his oath to Elias to protect the children very seriously and was just as involved in their care as every other person in the house. It seemed there was no shortage of babysitters to be found for the new parents, and Chise found that comforting. The nightmare she’d once had of being overwhelmed with caring for two children at once with limited help faded from her mind.
With the children abed for a least a couple of hours, Elias and Chise took this time to spend with each other, something they hadn’t had much opportunity to do since the birth. They sat together on the couch of the sitting room, Chise in Elias’s lap and wrapped up warmly in his arms. She was so tired, she could have fallen asleep if she let herself.
“I’m sorry the party got too claustrophobic for you,” Chise said, twining and untwining her fingers with his.
“It’s all right,” Elias said. “I am actually glad for it. I’d much prefer that the girls were introduced to all our friends at once rather than make many trips to achieve the same result.” Reaching into his waistcoat’s pocket, he pulled out the ring pendants he had gotten. “Besides, while outside, Titania left a give with me.”
Chise took the trinkets and looked at them curiously. “That was nice of her. What are they for?”
“Protection, she said. It’ll ward off any of her kind that would do them mischief.”
Chise smiled. “She’s very thoughtful for a fae.”
“Yes,” Elias agreed. “I wonder if she will extend the same blessing to any additional children we may have.”
Chise swung and looked up in surprise. “You want more children?”
“It's not outside the realm of possibility. We can talk about it later,” Elias replied.
“You're serious. You really want another baby?”
“I merely said we’d talk about it.”
“That’s not a no.”
Elias laughed.
“Give me a year, at least,” Chise said in exasperation. “My body isn’t ready for another one so soon.”
“If you wish,” He said, hugging her tightly.
They sat happily in each other’s arms for the next hour, taking a well deserved rest, until one of the babies began to cry. Elias released her and followed her up the stairs to the childrens' room, where he consoled Holly as Ivy fed. When Ivy was done, they switched. After feeding, the infants resumed sleeping. Before they left, Elias affixed the charms to the wall above their bassinets, the silver one over Ivy, and the gold protecting Holly. The parents, exhausted, climbed into their own bed and fell asleep at once.
Every day brought something new, and Elias was learning so much so quickly. His entire universe had shifted, and thought it had taken time to get used to it, he greeted each wonderful development as they happened with an open heart. He awoke eagerly every morning in his new life, looking forward to what might be.
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Hi, i was wondering about rapunzel and how her story might be different in a more realistic setting, regarding isolation etc?
If you’re talking about the recent Disney version I haven’t seen it. I’mgoing to be going off the Grimm/Lang versions I read growing up back in yedayes of yore.
Children that grow up in extreme isolation end up with pretty severemental health problems and depending on the age they were confined may not beable to socialise normally or speak.
Speech and socialisation are learned skills. We need to be taught them.
I don’t know a great deal about childhood development. If this characterwas isolated at an extremely young age then I can only describe the effects ingeneral terms.
I don’t have a lot of sources on the effects of solitary confinement onchildren, most of the sources I have are focused on teenagers in Americanprisons. I think the youngest prisoner I’ve seen talked about was 10.
So for the sake of the ask, I’m going to assume the character wasisolated at an age no younger than 11. Isolating younger characters has evenmore serious effects.
In the folklore versions of this story (I’m going by memory but I thinkI got this from Lang) Rapunzel is confined until she falls pregnant and thewitch imprisoning her flies into a rage and throws her out into the forest tofend for herself. Going with the idea that historically puberty hit severalyears later than it generally does today…I’d say an age of 16-17 when she’sreleased.
Rapunzel is also not completely alone; she has contact with the witchwho imprisoned her and later her lover. But in most versions the contact seemsto be fairly limited and it’s debatable whether it would count as ‘positive’.The definition of solitary confinement is 23 hours or more a day without humancontact. So Rapunzel could be visited twice a day and still meet the definitionfor being in solitary confinement.
We need more social contact than an hour a day. Especially when we’reyoung. And this is a very long time to be in solitary confinement. Most sourcesconsider anything more than a week to be prolonged solitary confinement.
I’d expect a character like this to have a lot of long lasting mentaland physical health problems.
The physical health problems are partly related to the environment she’sin. Towers aren’t large and I doubt a growing child could get enough exercise inthis environment which would affect her muscle development, strength andpossibly coordination.
There’s also a more indirect effect: depression and anxiety are usuallycited as the most common mental health problems in solitary confinement. Bothconditions can make it difficult to eat. Nausea is pretty common. So is havingtrouble keeping food down or sometimes having any interest in food at all.Given her age not eating enough could have some pretty serious long termconsequences. It could stunt her growth, have long term effects on her bonesand joints, weaken her immune system and delay puberty. It might also make herpregnancy later in the story more dangerous.
In terms of mental health problems, wellthe masterpost on solitary confinement lists them here.
We can’t predict the mental health problems a particular survivor willget in advance. The possible symptoms are well known and in the absence ofclear evidence I tend to suggest picking symptoms based on what the authorfeels fits the character and storyline. Sometimes I can suggest that particularsymptoms are more likely but there’s nothing wrong with picking more unusualsymptoms or a more unusual combination of symptoms if they add more to thestory.
There are some studies onsolitary confinement that tried to find the most common symptoms. Unfortunatelythey contradict each other, there isn’t a clear statistical breakdown. Moststudies put depression, anxiety and self harm as the most common symptoms withhallucinations and psychosis as the least. Having said that some studiesrecorded about a third of the participants hallucinating in solitary.
In a character this young long term difficulties socialising and longterm learning difficulties are more likely than they would be in an adult. Bothof these factors would affect the character for a long time after release,making it difficult for her to get a job and interact with people in a basiceveryday setting. These symptoms can also lead to long term social isolationwhich further worsens both these and other symptoms.
After 5-6 years of long term confinement, with no known release date inpoor living conditions- To be honest I’m unsure a character this young wouldsurvive. Not when she’s got an open window several stories up. It’s incrediblylikely that she’d feel suicidal at some point and given the extreme length oftime she’s confined I think it likely she’d act on those feelings.
Given the method that’s open to her I think it’s incredibly likely she’ddie.
If she did survive for thislength of time then she’d be severely mentally ill and probably completelyunable to socialise normally. This in turn would likely lead to further socialisolation, which would probably make her feel suicidal.
In a modern setting I think a character like this would need prettyextensive care and might end up in an institution.
The thing is- These myths and folkloric stories that contain unrealisticdepictions of isolation are often so fantastical that I think critiquing themfor the way they show solitary confinement is missing the point.
Rapunzel’s story also contains: magic radishes, human hair strong enoughto support an adult man, the idea that a girl’s neck could support a manclimbing up a wall using her hair, magic singing, oh and a bloke falling from alethal height into a thorn bush suffering no broken bones but somehow ending upblind. Yes isolation isn’t taken seriously in this story, but neither is any other injurious activity.
And well that’s the thing with myths and fairy tales they often explicitlyask us to ignore the fact that characters are doing things we know would be deadlyor downright impossible. I personally think that attempts to update them ormake them realistic sometimes miss what these stories were originallycommunicating.
Making these fantastical stories more realistic can sometimes result inmore rather than less unfortunate implications. Because in a story with so manyother impossible injuries/lack of injuries, Rapunzel’s unrealistic isolationdoesn’t really stand out. We’ve already been asked to believe that humans cansurvive the impossible. But in a story ‘updated’ so that the other injuries areabsent we could end up with a narrative that accidentally suggests Rapunzel’sisolation is harmless in reality.
There’s nothing wrong with fairy stories. There’s nothing wrong withwriting things that are outside reality. But when it comes to torture and abuseI think we need to be clear when weare writing realistically and when we are writing the fantastical.
I hope that helps. :)
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#tw torture#tw child abuse#solitary confinement#fantasy ask#fairy tales#rapunzel#tw suicide#tw self harm#effects of solitary confinement#Anonymous
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would you be willing to share some of the issues that you had with tlj as a woman of color? I was telling some friends about issues people were having with the film's treatment of PoC and I figured it would be better to share an actual PoC's perspective.
thank you so much for asking!!!! now, full disclosure i’m a super white-passing latina. or hispanic. ( i’ve referred to myself as both, so ) i’m puerto rican on my mom’s side. so i haven’t personally experienced the racism that my mom has, or my grandfather ( popi ) has, or my aunts or my mom’s cousins or, well, that entire side of my family.
as such, i can’t speak from a woman of color’s perspective because i’m white-passing, just because that hasn’t happened to me. i can be outraged about it, certainly, because i see my family in someone like oscar, or benecio who is actually puerto rican, and yeah, their treatment pisses me off.
now, that being said, let’s continue: ( note: i’m going to focus more on poe in regards to personal experience, as he’s the one i most closely relate to in terms of racial-themed questions )
what is the narrative that is being fed to us today, politically? one of harsh anti-immigration, one of an us vs them mentality-- you don’t have to be a poc to realize that, but it’s the reality that’s facing us. ( we’re particularly seeing a strong anti-latinx/hispanic, anti-black, and anti-muslim sentiment, but that’ll come in later. )
in tfa, we have our main trio-- a white girl, a young black man, and a latino man-- our heroes. in contrast, we have our villain trio-- a white woman and two white men. to me, that sets the tone-- we’re offered a movie that allows two main non-white characters the chance to shine and break free from racial stereotypes, and they do so spectacularly. i look at poe, and that’s my family, that’s a positive representation for other latinxs/hispanics, something we sorely do not get enough of in big-budget films. ( usually we’re portrayed as either hot-tempered, hyper-sexualized exotics, or stupid comic relief. ) imagine how awesome it was to see poe be none of these things?
he’s sharp-witted, funny, intelligent, quick on his feet, resourceful, and above all, kind. he’s sweet and clearly loves both what he does and the people he works with, and even without the background the books and other media provide, poe is obviously shown as someone who both respects leia and she respects in turn, someone who is well-deserving of his high-rank in the resistance, especially when you consider just how quickly this man came back after being both physically and mentally tortured by the first order/kyle. poe is, at the core of it, a gentle soul compared to the many brash and/or stupid ‘latinx/hispanic’ representations we’ve been fed in the past, so this was such a nice change of pace. he doesn’t yell or get violent, even at his most frustrated-- he’s level-headed and demonstrates all the needed qualities for a leader.
now.
the poe we get in tlj is painted as if he’s none of those things-- in the beginning, he’s shown as being in it just for the glory, the thrill of taking down a dreadnought instead of the guilt that might have plagued him over the excessive deaths in that scene-- that seems more in line with his character in tfa. he’s disobedient, petulant, impulsive-- and then he gets slapped by leia. ( here’s a hint, rian: white people slapping poc is never cool, even if you think it’s ‘empowering’ just because it’s a woman slapping. ) he then gets demoted from commander to captain, placed under the charge of holdo with the rest of the crew, and then denied even the slightest of answers when he, quite reasonably, asked for what the hell the plan was. however, the whole movie stands to paint poe’s mutiny as childish. his mission that he sent rose and finn on as a failure. that he’s going to learn the lesson of ‘sacrificing oneself for the greater good’ from a white woman, when poe has CLEARLY demonstrated in the past that he’s more likely to put himself in danger than let others do it for him.
we supposedly get this great character arc showing poe grow as a character from an impatient, hot-headed man-child who throws a literal tantrum ( hmmmmmmmmmmm sound like a certain white 30-year old we know? ) into this seasoned, war-tested officer who now knows the value of hope because he should have just blindly trusted this woman who gave him no reason to.
that’s regression, and that’s harmful, and that’s why we’re getting people talking about not liking poe, or downright hating him, or in buzzfeed’s instance, calling him worse than jar jar binks.
when i came out of tfa, when other people i know came out of tfa, poe was a role model for non-whites and whites alike. he was likeable across the board, and now, there’s not even that.
the same goes for finn, but like i said before, i can’t speak as personally about the regression in finn’s character other than we were given this selfless, brave character with so much heart and emotion in the first film, someone who saw the evil of the first order and before he could even fire a shot at a helpless villager, he said no. in tfa, there’s this whole theme of him ‘running away’-- running away from the order, from jakku, from takodana-- but we see his progression through the movie, and by the end, no one would dare call finn a coward. he risked his life for rey, helped the resistance destroy starkiller; he’s a hero, which is what ties into rose’s hero-worship of him at the very beginning.
however, in tlj, we see the exact same story-- finn is branded as selfish and cowardly by rose, who never even bothered to listen to his story-- we’re given the notion that he was leaving the ship to go get as far away from the order as possible so that when she does return from ahch-to, she’s not walking into a first order trap. before finn can even explain to rose why he’s doing this, she tasers him without a second thought, and that’s the groundwork for their relationship. ( note: rey also hit finn when they first met, doing so because bb-8 said finn stole poe’s jacket-- this doesn’t make it okay, but the fact that rey trusts finn after that, never calling him a coward or traitor or selfish, even after he told her the truth of his past and still tried to leave takodana-- she never once called him any of those things. ) the rest of the movie has its tone set from that first interaction-- finn is played as the butt of all the jokes in their scenes, continuously called selfish or cowardly by rose, or treated as if he’s somehow stupid-- we, again like with poe, see no actual character development within him. we already saw all this in the first movie, only guess what? it worked that time because one: it was the first time seeing this character and two: rey never belittled finn or tore him down.
finally, let’s touch on rose. ( and by extension, paige. ) listen...... we got fucking robbed. before i read spoilers for the movie, ( and i did so because i didn’t trust rian johnson further than i could punt him, and i still don’t, ) i was so excited to see ntv as paige, i was so excited to see the tico sisters onscreen together and interact and like? we had great interaction with hong kong donnie yen and chinese jiang wen-- and that was men. to have two vietnamese women on screen? in a star wars film? color me fucking stoked! but.... we didn’t. paige doesn’t even get to say her own sister’s name, she gets one line saying the guy who was supposed to drop the payload’s name, and she dies. instead of manpain, we get to see the aftermath of ‘sisterpain’-- as if paige’s death is supposed to positively affect rose, who we can see is OBVIOUSLY affected by the loss of her from when we first see rose on screen? that first moment seeing rose, devastated by the loss of her sister, i was honestly willing to forgive the killing of paige-- here we had another chance to break boundaries, by showing a soft, warm, loving person in rose from the get-go....... and instead they have her tase finn and treat him like shit the whole movie. have her talk down to him as if he’s an idiot and all he’s ever done is run away his whole life, when that is clearly not what finn is about at all. as a result, i feel like her own story for personal growth is grossly surrounding insulting finn, up until the very end in one of those ‘twists’ johnson seems to be fond of-- overall, what should be a positive experience by having a lead non-white female added to the mix feels more like it was written by a white feminist where it’s the idea of ‘female > any male’ as opposed to, y’know, intersectional feminism, where things like race are taken into consideration.
overall, the treatment of the three leading non-white characters is overall poor, cruel, generally racist ( particularly in terms of the ‘white women putting the latino hothead man in his place’ ) narrative that johnson seems so desperate for us to chug down, and also misleading-- it seemed pointless to include paige in the movie when her whole purpose was to die. ( because killing off poc, particularly woc, is considered ‘good writing’ in johnson’s book. )
#anti tlj#anti rian johnson#tlj spoilers#if i say something wrong or out of line#particularly regarding say finn or rose#please let me know!!#bread-alligator-boy
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THE FOLLOWING RESPONSE POST IS VERY OLD: IT HAS BEEN IN THE DRAFTS FOR A LONG WHILE. IT IS POSTED TODAY BECAUSE DISNEYMASTER IS STILL SEEKING ATTENTION SO HE WILL GET ATTENTION.
Continuing on from this post because DM has managed to totally miss the point of our replies and make up something entirely different.
1. We are not pretending our fandom isn’t filled with Men Rights Activist, Alt-righters and corporate yes men. Because, guess what? That’s not the focus of our blog. The focus of our blog is bronies (like yourself) who make an ass out of themselves or try to look smart but in the end look like nothing less than the end of a donkey’s ass. None of us CARE about politics in the slightest, we only care about a show about pastel talking horses to escape our shitty lives.
2. We will immediately give dear Peet every ounce of respect once he starts to own up to it. What he does now is make fun of transgenders, feminists, bronies, weeboos, professional writers and everything that goes against atleast one of his policies. No one respects him but his faithful herd of cockroaches.
3. There’s a difference between pointing out flaws in a character and obsessing and hating over every trait they have and show in an episode. But, I shouldn’t try to explain that to someone who obsesses over a character getting wings and character growth…
4. Bit too late on that “blackmailing us over to Peet”. Every one of us is already blocked by Jerry and already knows our dirty laundry and absolutely doesn’t care about it. And he will certainly not care about what a pathetic little shit like you has to say.
5. This point I’m not even gonna argue with. If you really want to go as far as to call a CHILDREN’S show sexist then you’re way past the point of no return. You’re taking a show for little kids WAY too serious, even by our standards. And BTW, Rotten Tomatoes’ opinion doesn’t mean shit if the movie made it’s money back with even more to add to this day. As we speak MLP:the movie has broken 50 million dollars in the box office with still a lot of theaters to hit and the DVD and Blu-ray still to come out. One small thing doesn’t seem like a lot, but soon one small thing leads to more and soon one small thing can be the biggest thing of all.
YOU, Disneymaster, are one of those vocal minorities who think that the show is full of “right wing/centralist corporate bs”. How about you just sit back and enjoy a good series like Ducktales or watch reruns of the good ol days of MLP. That’s still 52 episode where you can just shut your yap and enjoy blandness and the glory days of Queen and Empress Faust.
- Space Mare
PS. Still can’t believe you haven’t found out who I am yet.
I find it hard to believe that this poor soul is still trying to start more issues with us because we still exist and continue to oppose the most toxic people in the community. It doesn’t matter which way they lean politically, scum is scum. Al Franken and Roy Moore sit on each side of the political spectrum, both of them are dirty abusers, deserving to rot in a prison cell for the harm they caused others
I do not know why DM insists on white knighting on behalf of someone who actually despises that part of the fanbase that threw a giant tantrum many moons ago over Twilight Sparkle’s wings. It’s like how Ephrom continues to track down Peet’s enemies, despite senpai not giving a rat’s ass about him.
Also, It’s funny how DisneyMaster feels like he can act like an asshole again despite apologizing for his actions towards the fanbase. After that, we closed the book on the Anticorns as most of them were willing to acknowledge their faults and move on. DisneyMaster tried the moral high ground approach with us and even tried to use blackmail to try and get us to remove his Encyclopedia Dramatica page (which we had no hand in despite what his paranoia would tell him) and our previous screencaps.
He also tried to shine the spotlight on the things that we have done, as Space Mare said… Peet doesn’t care and no one else cares about what you have to say. Everyone had a phase where they were reckless and pious in their beliefs. You wanted to be a hero, you fought for something you believed was noble but you were shortsighted by the part of the fanbase that wanted to wait and see where the show was going before jumping to conclusions. At some points, we wanted to make a difference, we all wanted to interact with others, beg for free art and contribute to many collaborative stories… however because of the ambiguity of text, everyone’s true feelings are masked. I don’t remember everyone I annoyed but I moved on and worked to improve. The Book of Five Rings says that the path of self improvement is a neverending cycle.
I say this because humans are social creatures and making a good first impression is the first step to building a strong bond. The point is to grow from the mistakes and move on. We’ve moved on from you, DM… why can’t you do the same?
-JoJo
To finally relieve some inner anger I’ve been feeling because Disneymaster is an obnoxious parasite that doesn’t know when to fade into a pit of nothing or won’t fucking back off and leave us alone..I’m gonna speak myself with this Linkara:
You are the most annoying, self entitled, obnoxious and downright most self important scumfuck that I have EVER fucking come across when it comes to any fandom.
AND THAT IS SAYING A LOT.
You constantly seek to complain about certain things the MLP fandom as if that’s ALL the fandom consists off. As Saturn states, E4B is not on THAT type of garbage because we aren’t INTERESTED in it, we discuss and criticize the people who make the fandom look poor or make complete ass out of themselves and come off a arrogant and think they know more in regards to a show about multicolored horses.YOU’RE the one constantly seeking the negative traits and screech the almighty heavens how “TEH BRONIEZ FANDOM IZ BAD CAUSE THIS AND THAT”.
And then we come to my favorite one:
SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP. OVER. THE MISGENDERING. SHIT.
We’ve stated this and stated THIS AGAIN:
The reasons we REFUSE to call Jerry “Lily” ISN’T because we have something against transgenders, hell we have transgender friends. One of the bands I’m a fan of has a transgender leader (And just so you can get it through your fucking obnoxious skull, the person in question is Laura Jane Grace of Against Me, who came out as a transgender in 2012 and even wrote an album about her struggles with gender dysphoria). The reasons we don’t call Jerry by their preferred name is because not only does Jerry show no respect to not only ex friends who dared disagree with him on certain things, no respect to his family, no respect to his own colleagues of the fandom, no respect to other fandoms,or even his fans…
He has no respect TRANSGENDERS, he even infamously snarked and attacked a transgendered individual who called out his garbage.
How do we (myself especially) respect someone who does THAT?!
Or what, does that not fit your stupid political leanings or for your SJW tendancies?
“OH YOU SHOULDN’T BE COMPLAINING OVER RINGTEAM CRITICZING CHARACTER TRAAAAITS”.
Have you looked in the mirror Mr. I-Hate-MLP-Because-Twilight-Got-Wings-And-Said-Meghan-McCarthy-Should-Be-Beaten?
“DURRRRR BE GLAD I HAVEN’T TATTLETAILED ON YOU GUYS TO JERRY WAAAH”
Jerry knows about the blog’s existence and has both shown little to no interest and even when he did, he gave the usual bitch rant he always gives towards people who call out his shit:
Obligatory insults that involve “transphobic” and “Nazi”.
Also, “MLP Sexist”. Oh sure, Gen 4 is totally sexist. A generation created by a feminist with the idea of making the show towards a general audience is “sexist”.
Do you ever fucking hear yourself, or do you love the sound of your voice that you jerk to it?
But then again, this is the same asshole who took his niece’s plushie away and has no regret over it and has even show depression over a fucking children’s show involving multicolored horses, all while screeching pity about how “nobody likes him” despite the fact he himself is his own downfall by constantly bitching at fans of the show and even comparing them to Donald Trump supporters.
Clearly we’re the bad guys compared to the guy whining about colored horse butts for about four years.
As Saturn stated, while critical reception for the movie was just mixed, it was a financial success, getting a total of $51 million at the box office and even then, it did good for it’s opening week with $21.9 million in the US and Canada. That’s ESPECIALLY impressive considering BLADE RUNNER 2049 (and by an extent, the romnatic survival film The Mountain Between Us) came out ON THE SAME DAY. Not to mention the 2017 adaptation of IT was still in theaters.
At the end of the day DM, You’re nothing but an obnoxious, annoying, and downright tumorous parasite that doesn’t know when to fuck off and leave us alone, let alone the fandom.
You really wanna know why people give you shit?
BECAUSE YOU FUCKING MAKE THEM DO IT.
YOU FUCKING SPEW POLITICAL GARBAGE OVER A CHILDREN’S SHOW, ATTACK FANS OVER SIMPLY ENJOYING THE SHOW THEY’VE GROWN TO LOVE, AND DOWNRIGHT CONSTANTLY THINK YOU’RE IN THE FUCKING RIGHT EVERY TIME.
Heck, one of your fucking DA Tags was “Disneymaster is always right”. You cry fucking pity every time because you hate how people snark at you, but then you do stupid shit like accuse a show created by FEMINIST, let alone a toy line targeted to a certain demographic of “being sexist”.
I would say take responsibility for your shitty actions, but the one time you did, you backed out f it because “WAAAAAAAH E4B ARE SAYING SHIT I DON’T LIIIKE”. Like you STILL keep doing because you can’t let shit fucking go.
Do everyone a fucking favor: Do something with your sad fucking life.
But chances are, you’ll disregard everything we’ve said because nobody else is right but you.
You fucking are sad and borderline unstable.
- deafpony.
I love how right there you admit you don’t care about what the SU fandom did, because they agree with your opinions.
Those extremest you think are all over the MLP community? They are often called out and are despised but the fandom at large. Like you.
Unlike SU, which has no problems harassing artists and staff members over petty shit because you sad losers think you’re heroes living in a crappy Young Adult novel.
“ROTTEN TOMATOS SAID MOVIE BAD ME RIGHT!!!!!!”
Who the fuck cares about what the same site that bashed A Cure for Wellness, one of the most unique horror movies of 2017? The movie still made a mint anyway. Bet you’re one of those types who freaked out because Ghostbusters 2016 flopped.
Because you’re the worst type of fan, Dumpy. You don’t care about the story, or characters, or animation, you care about how “progressive” it is. I bet that’s why you like that blander than white bread Season 1 of MLP, because Faust’s name was on it. Nothing more.
Go do something productive with your sad life. Or screech about a blog that hasn’t said a word about you again. That’s a victory for Social Justice!
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SPM: School, Parenting, Mental Health
(image credit: Lasie Slezac; Source: unsplash.com)
For some, if not most of us Malaysians, we would have gone through the local government school system. This school system can be broken down into three levels: primary (UPSR), lower secondary (PT3) and upper secondary (SPM) excluding Form 6 (STPM) which is pretty much pre-university already. Those days in school were when memories both good and bad were made, and the gravity of stress and expectations were on your shoulders. Do you remember that? Do you remember whether your parents were strict or harsh on you just to get grades that would satisfy them? Do you remember breaking down and questioning yourself if going to school was really worth it? How about when you were looked down upon by many because you were inadequate? Have you ever feared that you would never make it out alive?
These are the things that students today have to put up with. If you are an adult or elderly reading this, there is only a small chance that you are able to relate to the feelings above. Chances are that the circumstances and environment of the schooling system back then in the past 50 years or more were different compared to how things are as of now. The strictness of parents was present, as always. You already knew that school was worth it because back then education was the key to surpass poverty, and everything was less developed compared to now.
It would seem that it has been deeply ingrained into the roots of the Asian culture, especially that in Malaysian families to regard strict discipline in all things especially education as a necessity in order to strive for personal greatness, honour and pride to the family name. Thus, this has been made into a cycle that goes on for generations. Some families may misinterpret this value and take it to the extremes, to the extent of abuse and violence. For instance, as I was browsing through Facebook, I saw a post made by an anonymous user on a university confession page who was deemed to be an SPM candidate.
“Ever wonder what it’s like to be a teenage girl getting beaten by your parents? Not that slipper whacking. Being slammed to the wall, punched and slapped. Yeah, that's right. While having someone pull your hair so tightly and while you're crying wishing that you could just die that moment and end it all and that person brings you to the mirror and tells you to look at your shitty self.” She adds that she had suffered injuries such as bleeding in between her eyes, bruises, insults such as “retarded” (and other obscenities that won’t be mentioned here), broken spectacles, threats involving money, and a show of religion saying how God can see how useless she is. All this was done to her by her parents. “If God thinks beating up your daughter, constantly bullying her and wanting to make her kill herself then it is no God at all—it’s worse than a demon.”
Having read that confession posted on that particular Facebook page, I wondered: does the local parenting culture make allowance for extremities such as this? Does parenting in Asian culture determine the methods of raising the child to be good and effective? Or does this do more harm than good, especially if the culture even allows this extreme? “It is definitely doing more harm than good,” said Grace Chan, a counsellor and Psychology lecturer at Methodist College Kuala Lumpur (MCKL). “This whole 'strict’ culture, particularly in achievement of grades is a selfish approach. Yes on one hand, parents are eager for children to succeed. But the definition of success for a lot of Asian parents are cookie-cutters; they are essentially the same. This cradle-to-grave path would likely start by achieving outstanding grades in university and to get a professional role and of course, to earn a sizable income.”
In my own opinion, should such an instance of child abuse exist in families under the name of “discipline” and for the sake of culture, we have come to a point where change is needed in the methods of parenting in order to facilitate a healthier and more holistic growth and building of character. Otherwise, it is downright bullying and condescending upon a child-- the child has thus not failed the parents, rather it was the parents who have failed the child. Miss Suria (not her real name) a lecturer in Sociology had put it nicely, “Parents do not know what real learning is, so the only way they can measure how good the child is getting is by how good their results are”, She had also added that the strictness of parents is usually out of fear of not being able to provide for the child, and also wanting to use the child as a status symbol to improve their social standing among friends and family.
Let’s take a look back to what we’ve observed comparing the education system then and now. As of now, there are still tiger mums and dads out there forcing strict discipline on their child; heavy pressure overwhelms students, while the students themselves barely know how to cope with it and are thus easily crushed; having been crushed and mentally worn out, students develop anxiety and depression which easily gets the better of them; they do not view school as being worth going to because they are going to get backlash for even trying to do something to learn; all in all, they would also have a low view of themselves which may (and God forbid) lead them to the point of even taking their own lives.
“Academic success becomes more and more important to the point they don’t care about anything else, then you will get small children killing themselves,” said Miss Suria. “So we’re not talking about 18-year-olds killing themselves, we got 10 or 12-year-olds killing themselves. So, the more serious it becomes, the more earlier the effects can be seen. I personally have seen children as young as six, seven, nine-years-old who are depressed and stressed because of this ‘kiasu’ culture that we have.” Here is a general fact: 20% of adolescents (aged 13 to 18) may experience a mental health problem at any given year, making it the group that is most susceptible to mental illness. Another fact is that 10% of children and young people (aged 5 to 16) have a clinically diagnosable mental problem, yet 70% of children and adolescents who experience mental health problems have not had appropriate interventions at a sufficiently early age.
Just read the news: there are cases of suicide due to academic stress. The most recent case was reported on October 1, when a Form 3 student jumped to her death just mere hours before the PT3 examinations. This is only one of the many cases. How about that time three years ago when an SPM candidate hung himself in his room out of frustration of being unable to answer his Additional Mathematics paper 1 that afternoon (Nov. 25, 2015)? Again, only another of the many cases. What does this say? Would the correlation between academics, expectations, and mental health entail a causation? Rightly so, for if it were not for the extremely harsh attitude of parents toward their child (not even taking into account bullying in school, among other things) it would not have lead them to develop anxiety over the stress of grasping academic excellence for the sake of pleasing parents that are hard to please anyway. So, life is a mess, we are all screwed up, nobody loves me, I hate myself, school is not worth going to, and it is probably for the best that I leave this cruel world.
So what shall we say about discipline? Should corporal punishment still be accepted to an extent, or completely eradicated for good? On one hand Grace Chan says, “Have no involvement of physical punishment; impact that would most affect a child in such a situation will definitely be on mental health.” Yet, on the other hand, Miss Suria says, “It’s the expectations that the parent has on the child that drives the child insane into mental illness.” She goes on to say that it is not entirely the parents fault but that parents get such an attitude from the pressures they receive from society and its expectations.
Don’t misunderstand me. I do not condemn the discipline of our parents. Strictness is necessary where it is due, to correct and to shape our character. However, if it goes to the extent of it being overboard, abusive, merciless and unloving, then it is a grave sin to repent of. Perhaps there is a lesson to learn: we should gauge where to draw the line before strict discipline becomes abuse. Ever more rightly so, we should see children as human beings having intrinsic worth and the capability of doing whatever gift or talent they have been blessed with—we shall see past their flaws with eyes of grace and nurture them on the path they should lead. As I would go with Miss Suria’s verdict: parents need to be re-educated on what real learning is, and then they will know that it really is not about the grades.
#school#parenting#mental health#essay#article#feature article#malaysian#principles of journalism#IACT College#thepoeticwit#Train of Thought
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Masturbate and Feel Good
Masturbate and Feel Good
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But believe myself, after you orgasm, the solidity is finished! So no. Fleshlight offers absolutely no result on how the penis appearance.
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Masturbate and Feel Good
Masturbate and Feel Good
youtube
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Remember, typically the nuts that crack the toughest, are often the types that taste the most beneficial! You must be wondering, how the hell does it make a difference if you think guilty about fleshlight. Thinking about spend time breaking this cased characters? Certain when compared with believe that guilt informed, whether sexual shame as well as in any other web form, is the most harmful element for your mental health. Others believe it is one associated with the most destructive. But the greatest effect associated with guilt conscious in my experience provides been a lack regarding confidence in self. Currently you are an clever reader. I don't require to clarify you the importance of self self-assurance. Whether it be your career, associations or any various other element of life, lack connected with self-confidence can bring your own downfall. I am not implying that will you begin to feel more secure concerning masturbation, you might succeed in most elements of life. But the idea will be nice step to take. A great useless shame that should, and can be eliminated from your mind. Recall, an ocean is built of modest droplets involving water. Do away with a decline at a time since due time, the water would be empty! Of course it would take a number of millennia! Luckily, you may have an ocean rich in guily! Just some naggings here and there! The first step towards eradication in this guiltiness is knowledge. There are actually tons of myths around fleshlight. Most of them perpetrated by religion, unfortunately. Yet some perpetrated by scam runners. Lets check out the particular most important ones. one particular. Fleshlight is against the will regarding god. Hoke. At 1 point typically the church viewed as anyone who also was overtly passionate to be able to his wife a good adultrater. Follow that coaching and also your wife would possibly be committing adultery! Several clergymen have become on record in order to say which not just the church's coaching with regards to sexuality were not related in order to the scriptures, but that they can caused more harm in comparison with good amongst people. Apart from, nowhere in the religious coaching of any main foi is masturbation regarded inappropriate. 2. Masturbation will certainly cause erectile dysfunction. Most males and even many ladies seem to think thus. Wrong again. Lets take on the males first. It can be understandable that seeing all their sperm flow out involving their body, they think this may end at some time. Very well, it will end 1 day... maybe when you usually are 100 years old. Although until then don't be anxious. Your sperm bank is rather unlike Standard Chartered. You may have unlimited credit here! Sperm is a completely environmentally friendly resource, renewable on an hourly time frame! For women of all ages, well, there is no time frame in the principle. Probably perpetrated by old ladies who else never experienced an orgasm in their very own entire life! a few. Fleshlight causes acne, thinning hair, skin diseases. This one is actually my favorite. Mainly since it is among the much better scams of all instances! Your social conditioning would certainly have you think that that masturbation is not particularly healthy. But bad how? Nobody would present you a satisfying response! Now some scam designers saw this as a very good opportunity to market their products including locks growth lotions, etc. Since most people start masturbating throughout their teens, (the periods of zits and some other skin problems), they'd have got you believe that this kind of is brought on by masturbation! Unfortunately for them, this really is while untrue as the sun rising from the gulf! Fleshlight has no physical side effects! several. Masturbating will make you slender and skinny! Then there would be no need for diet pills and exercise routines my friend! And almost all certainly 70% of STATES more than likely be overweight! a few. Merely Kids masturbate! Exactly why can you say that? I wonder! Well quite not true, most people masturbate... yup even after marital life! six. Masturbation is for guys. And it is for 70% with the women way too. That's right, 2/3 involving all females masturbate! seven. Only losers masturbate! One more of my favorites. Simply goes to show simply how much of an taboo is masturbation! Primary, 00% of males and seventy percent of females possess masturbated at least once with their lives. Now that is a hell of an lot of losers avoid you assume! Nothing more that I can add genuinely... this is really the actual quintessential insecurity amongst men and women regarding self pleasure. main. Masturbation is for homosexuals. Wow. Everywhere did in which one originate! An individual must make a etymology of such myths, would make with regard to an fascinating read! Just as untrue as almost all these myths, masturbation along with homosexuality have nothing in accordance. Some people masturbate to help their dreams of other sex, some others to their own fantasies of exact same love-making. That's it. in search of. Fleshlight will make you shutter! Others claim that fleshlight is bad for your current eyesight. However , their states are unsupported by facts and healthcare advice. My partner and i suggest you talk for you to your common physician and also he will clarify you actually what a load of bull this is. 12. Masturbation changes the form of your shaft Properly, it does make the item rock hard. But believe myself, after you orgasm, the firmness is gone! So no. Fleshlight possesses absolutely no influence on how your penis appears.
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Masturbate and Feel Good
Masturbate and Feel Good
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sasha grey masturbator "Masturbation... is not approved of the Lord none this cathedral, regardless of what could be said by those in whose 'norms' are lower", Chief executive Kimball of the Ceremony associated with Jesus Christ connected with Latter-Day New orleans saints (1981) "Every sperm is actually sacred. Every sperm is excellent. If the sperm is squandered, Our god gets quite irate. inch Monty Python's What it means regarding Life. A price generally used by various chapels in an effort for you to contain illicit serves amongst its people. Every single monserga on masturbation might quote it, at least all the sermons I have noticed. Within the circumstances, is it difficult to picture masturbation as one of the actual biggest taboos in our own society? Even today? Medical education has done a new little to change it. Does that mean women and men no longer masturbate? Certainly not. 99% of men and 70% of females masturbate according to various studies. The challenge lies in the acceptance of the fact this you masturbate. Actually a new story... a story about you. 1 night a person were sitting alone throughout your apartment eating french fries. You decided to look at out some new web sites on the net while you eat. So you diary on to your internet connection and also start surfing. Inadvertently, you come across some piece of pornography(yes, online is quite whole of it! ) Looking at those erotic (and often downright nasty photos) you feel a tingley amongst the legs. One factor leads to an additional in addition to you end up going bad your own underpants. Now enable me tell you one more story. best masturbator One night you had been sitting alone in any pub drinking beer. In addition to then a most lovely person goes in the bar. The person that causes tingling between your hip and legs just considering him or her. You decide that you can't get rid of this particular opportunity to get to know fantastic creation of god. And that means you move in the direction of this person and commence little talk. One thing brings about another and you finish up in your own condominium. Whether you are any woman or perhaps a man, often the next morning you actually more than likely be jumping along with happiness in the first circumstance. When you go out there in the night in order to meet your friends, you actually would not tell these about the hot internet site you found and just how anyone jerked off for you to it. Nonetheless, in the particular second case, you'd be better with informing anyone who cared to be able to listen how you possessed one of the most wonderful experience connected with your life yesterday. The reason? Well, maybe simply because do it yourself pleasure is, effectively, almost nothing special. You can complete that anytime you need. Of course seducing the person of your wishes is very an accomplishment. Zero wonder you may need an viewers. But what if you have some sort of friend like me. A pal who is crazy enough to ask you did a person wank off yesterday nights? Has been it good? What will you do then? Would likely you inform your friend about the hot internet site and also your experience? Would a person easily say, "Yeah! This was good! What concerning you? " Or even will you pretend nothing possessed happened and lie... something like you were somewhere else yesterday night, or maybe lead your friend to be able to believe you got happy having someone? I are guessing you would probably do often the latter. Most certainly you may not acknowledge the act involving masturbation. Rather you will avert the question in addition to change the topic. And when your close friend tells a person about a hot cure the same night, a person would wish you had a dish of water when you may drown. Shame in addition to guilt would come over you and you would transform the topic in double quick time. Are you crazy? Noway! You will be just one of the majority. And quite a majority with that! Way more the vast majority that what George Rose bush had in the continue elections! The reason why -social health! You are similar to the youngster who ran out of your theatre hall that was testing an adult film (mind an individual, he had zero business of a person there inside the first place! Nevertheless all the cinemas care in relation to is the selling connected with their tickets! ) Later on in the day, the actual pal who had recently been at the movies having him, caught up along with him or her and asked, "Why from the hell's name do an individual run out? " The child answered, "My mom explained that if I watched a woman obtaining naked I would transform to gemstone. And really you Harry, a aspect of me was actually turning into stone! " Unfortunately, the social conditioning is actually inappropriate. It is since wrong as being the social situation in 18-19th hundred years Indian, where widows were obligated to burn still living with their husbands. As drastically wrong as the church has been in burning up Galileo to get implying the Earth was not really the centre with the galaxy. Lily Tomlin put it greatest, "We have great believe that man first strolled upright to free the hands for masturbation! " If god didn't desire us to masturbate, might be we would still become walking such as dogs in addition to horses! Often the social health is a result of several myths, lies along with frauds perpetrated by several individuals with regard to personal help. Unfortunately, that conditioning will be like a hard nut, very tough to fracture. However, with effort along with chanelising your energies, you can break it. Remember, often the nuts that crack the toughest, are often the people that taste the top! A person must be wondering, what sort of hell does it make a difference if you believe guilty about fleshlight. Why should you spend time smashing this cased characters? Certain clinical psychologists believe that remorse mindful, whether sexual sense of guilt or maybe in any other application form, is the most detrimental element for the mental wellness. Others believe it is one of the most destructive. However the biggest effect connected with guilt conscious if you ask me provides been a lack of confidence with self. Right now you are an smart reader. I don't need to describe you the actual importance of self assurance. Be it your career, romantic relationships or any different aspect of life, lack associated with self-confidence can bring your current downfall. Now I am not implying that will you start to feel more relaxed with regards to masturbation, you would certainly succeed in most factors of life. But it might be a nice step to help take. A useless sense of guilt that should, and will be exterminated from your mind. Keep in mind, an ocean is manufactured of small droplets associated with water. Do away with a decline at a time and due time, the underwater would be empty! Connected with course it would take a number of millennia! Fortunately, you don't have an ocean brimming with guily! Just some naggings in some places! The first step towards eradication of this shame is knowledge. There are actually thousands of myths around masturbation. Most of them perpetrated by foi, unfortunately. Although some perpetrated by means of fraud runners. Lets take a look at often the most important ones. one. Fleshlight is against the particular will regarding god. Hokum. At one particular point typically the church regarded anyone who was overtly enthusiastic to help his wife a great adultrater. Follow that educating in addition to your wife would end up being committing adultery! Several clergymen have become on record to be able to say that not simply the church's coaching concerning sexuality were unrelated to help the scriptures, but they will caused more harm in comparison with good amongst people. In addition to, nowhere in the non secular theories of any major religions is masturbation deemed inappropriate. 2. Masturbation will probably cause erectile dysfunction. Most males and even several girls seem to think consequently. Wrong again. Lets undertake the repair of the males first. It truly is understandable that seeing their own sperm flow out associated with themselves, they think it may end at some point. Nicely, it will end 1 day... maybe when you are generally 100 years old. Although until then don't worry. Your sperm bank is fairly unlike Standard Chartered. You might have unlimited credit here! Ejaculate is a completely alternative learning resource, renewable on a great hourly schedule! For ladies, well, there is zero basis in the idea. Probably perpetrated by aged ladies who never had an orgasm in their very own entire life! a few. Fleshlight causes acne, baldness, skin area diseases. This one is my favorite. Mainly due to the fact it is one of many better scams of all occasions! Your social conditioning might have you feel that fleshlight is not particularly healthy. But poor how? Not a soul would offer you a satisfying answer! Now some scam music artists saw this as a great good opportunity to will sell their products like frizzy hair growth lotions, etc. Due to the fact most people start masturbating during their teens, (the occasions of pimple and additional skin problems), they would possess you believe that that is caused by masturbation! Unfortunately for them, it is because untrue as the sunlight rising from the to the west! Fleshlight has no real side effects! 5. Masturbating will make you slender and skinny! Then there is no need for diet program pills and fitness routines my friend! And nearly all certainly 70% of STATES wouldn't be overweight! your five. Solely Kids masturbate! The reason why do you say that? My spouse and i wonder! Effectively quite incorrect, most grownups masturbate... yes even after marital relationship! six. Masturbation is for adult males. And it is regarding 70% from the women far too. That's right, 2/3 involving all females masturbate! 7. Only losers masturbate! A different of my favorites. Just simply goes to show merely how much of the taboo is masturbation! First thing, 00% of males and also 70 percent of females include masturbated at least once within their lifestyles. Now which is a hell of the lot of losers avoid you assume! Nothing a lot more that I can add truly... this is really the particular supreme insecurity amongst persons about self pleasure. eight. Fleshlight is for homosexuals. Wow. Exactly where did this one originate! A person should make a etymology of these myths, would make regarding an useful read! Only as untrue as most these myths, masturbation and homosexuality have nothing in keeping. Some people masturbate to be able to their fantasies of other sex, other people to their fantasies of exact same love-making. That's it. on the lookout for. Masturbation will make you sightless! Others claim that fleshlight is bad for your own personal eyesight. However , their claims are unsupported by information and health advice. I suggest you talk in order to your typical physician along with he will reveal anyone what a load of bull this is. 15. Masturbation changes the form of your penile Properly, it does make the idea rock hard. But believe myself, once you orgasm, the hardness is fully gone! So no. Fleshlight provides absolutely no impact on how your penis seems.
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#yes some of these events were necessary and furthered her as a character#but many were not. and some were downright harmful to her character growth#are we ready to talk about how the black girl was the designated punching bag of the series? (stares directly into the camera)#(to drive my point home consider how she was the only one of the four to have to bleed in order to wake the bond token spirit. lol)#and what is she given to show for it!#nothing. shitty bio family. dead boyfriend. MID BOND TOKEN.#i'd be more satisfied with it all if she got her moment to kill zerif/the wyrm and be the hero and become even more revered and glorified#in the world's eyes#but nope#zerif was the hero in the end i guess (eye twitches)#there's such little payoff for the seven hells she went through it's kind of sickening#meilin's apology to her is incredibly brief. no scene of rollan or conor apologizing.#nothing at all from her family. in fact blatant confirmation that NOTHING has changed and she's still presumably being mistreated.#not a single moment alone with redeemed shane to talk about everything. not one.
#abeke my forever favourite. my dearest beloved. the authors loved to hurt you but mark my words i will give you the happiest ending of all#you will be honoured in life and your name will be remembered long after the others' have faded into obscurity#people hundreds of years into the future will form a religion around you probably. and you will be worshipped as a goddess. as you deserve
Yeah I am mad about how the authors treated their sweet angel Abeke actually.
Bad things that happened to Abeke:
Mom, only person to understand her, died pre-series
Dad and sister are emotionally abusive
Tricked by her enemies and roped onto the wrong side
Distrusted by the rest of the Four and believed to be a spy
Targeted by Meilin in particular
Kidnapped by obnoxious pre-teen boys
Gets frostbite
Gets concussed
Gets stabbed
Gets captured
Gets beaten up by Meilin
Lied to and betrayed by her dearest friend
Meanwhile dad DISOWNS her
Understandable depressive episode
Makes up with dad because he apparently decided he wanted to keep treating his daughter like shit
Mauled by cougars
Loses Uraza to arch-nemesis Zerif
Another extremely understandable depressive episode
Nicknamed "hollow-girl" which tells you a lot
Almost killed by Uraza on two separate occasions
Friend* killed by Uraza
Denied proper resolution with said friend
Doesn't get to kill arch-nemesis Zerif
Doesn't get to use her Rain Dancer powers a single time
Attacked by ants
Mid bond token
Can't even keep her cat
Justice for Abeke.
#tags via me that deserve to see the light of day#text#original erdas#spirit animals#spirit animals books#spirit animals series#abeke
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