#grief and fear

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

(from Rev. Roshi Joan Halifax of Upaya Zen Center)

[Thanks to Peege on bluesky]

[pimsri]

I make art about grief again

[asthedeathoflight]

I think an underrated angle on 2x05 is something that either Jacob or Assad said in some interview somewhere, which is that in that episode Louis is addicted to heroin. Thats why he has that whole stash of drugs that he gives to Daniel, that's why he gives Daniel the drugs even though he's already got him alone. He didn't just use those 128 boys for sex he was using them to get high. Bring them home, get them to shoot up, and then drain them to get that secondhand high.

It clarifies something that's always confused me about that scene, which is why Armand saves Daniel the first time. He wouldn't save Daniel as a person, he clearly knows Daniel needs to die, but he's not seeing Daniel as a person there. Daniel is just a substance. He rips him away from Louis to stop him from using.

And i think that adds a whole other layer to the fight he and Armand have to think that this is Louis on a bender, with Armand cleaning up after him because he's not stable enough to. Louis in the bed for a week isn't just healing from the burns, he's going through withdrawal. Him at the table with Daniel giving him the "bright young reporter" speech is probably the first time he's been sober in months.

It adds another layer to Armand's desperation, that Louis has been running from both Armand and himself in this way, and of course Armand wants to erase that memory. Of course he wants to pretend that that fight never happened. Not just to protect himself but in a way to protect Louis from having said those things. When he describes the fight to Louis afterwards, he says "you said the worst things you've ever said to me." And he doesn't really know how to forgive Louis for that so he just wants to bury this rock-bottom moment and move on like it never happened. After all, Louis was high, he didn't really mean it, but if he remembers then maybe he might think that he had a point. Better to wipe the whole experience away.

[s0fter-sin]

alpha!ghost who's always hated the sound of an omega's purr; he’s always found it patronising, manipulative, an attempt to twist his biology - twist him - into submission like he's some animal

until he hears soap purr for the first time and it's about as choppy and comforting as a machine gun. there's nothing smooth about it, nothing seductive or wily; it's broken and guttural and the most honest noise ghost's ever heard outside his own growls

he doesn't use it to coo him into complacency, doesn't try to bend him to his will or smooth over his bristles. he's never tried to distract ghost from his anger, never used his intrinsic control over him to gentle him. hell, he seems to forget he can even do it, ghost hears it so rarely. it's only a touch above his growls, subharmonic and demanding attention instead of the pretty titter of a pampered omega

ghost hears it for the first time when he’s covered in blood not his, after he slits an enemy pinning him down from navel to chin; dark blood instantly soaking him. the body’s practically cool with blood loss already when he tosses it aside and rolls to his feet to find soap stock still, staring at him with a feral gleam in his eyes

he drops his jaw with a deep inhale, rolling the scent of blood and pissed alpha pheromones in his mouth and his chest rumbles with all the subtlety of a chainsaw

it's suddenly all ghost can do to keep himself from dragging the body and dropping it at soap's feet like a courting gift of old; to carve out his heart and rich organs and present them for his approval, to hold them to his mouth and never break eye contact as he takes his first bloody bite

ghost shakes it off, strangling the chuff trying to claw out his throat, and heads for the rv point and feels absolutely nothing when soap falls into step behind him without a word; his purr that more closely mimics an alpha's rumble an echoing memory

soap's far from a meek, compliant omega and he's no conniving prince wrapping alphas around his finger either; he's just as much a protector, an aggressor, as any alpha. he's never been ashamed of his instincts; never shied away from nuzzling into price's throat, purring for his pack alpha with no regard to the uncomfortable crowd surrounding them. never hesitates to wrap gaz up and drop him in his nest when the beta reeks of stress and sickly insomnia

and he never stops himself from baring his fangs with a guttural hiss whenever another omega dares to purr at ghost

it's a threat and a warning in one; something only the most foolish omega would ignore. he knows ghost has a complex relationship with omegas, knows it isn't something so pathetic as biological prejudice. something about omegas makes his lt's scent go flat and steely, as close to distress as he thinks he can manage and it makes something dark and old rise in his chest

territorial rage broils off him, strong enough to make the omega whine and back off with their tail between their legs without even taking a step towards them. the scent is sour and pungent enough to drown out ghost's subtle distressed smell, to hide it, and it makes him snort; shaking his head to try and clear it

soap all but trots up beside him, chirping in greeting. he sneezes playfully, lets him know the rage scent wasn't for him; never for him. he replaces it with happy-friend-pack, replaces it with nitroglycerin and burning sparklers and butts his forehead against his sternum instead of crowding into his throat and purring the way he wants to

he earned his way into ghost's pack, into becoming an omega not just accepted but welcomed and he won't jeopardise his hard won progress by pushing his purr on him

he lifts his head and grins as ghost cups his nape in a faux-scruff, something offensive and borderline taboo and if he were anyone else, he'd rip his hand off with his teeth. but it's ghost and ghost does strange things, things that reassure him on a deeper level than any purr or chirp could ever hope to, so soap presses into his gentling hand and bares his teeth in the thinnest facsimile of a smile at the retreating omega

all ghost has to do is aim him in the right direction and he'd bring the omega back to him in pieces; would gift him their torn out throat so they could never purr at him again

his chest rumbles subconsciously and soap gnashes his teeth, forcing his purr back down when ghost squeezes his nape

he thumps his temple into his and a puff of air tickles his ear, the closest thing soap's ever heard to a chuff from him and he couldn't stop his purr if he tried; choppy and broken as it is

you inhale enough explosive fumes and it's bound to damage something

ghost huffs again and soap presses up to nibble appeasingly at his clothed jaw, a question and an apology in each bite

ghost just takes the tip of his ear between his teeth, shaking it with a teasing growl and soap laughs as he tackles him just for ghost to bow over his back and wrap his arms around his waist; effortlessly picking him up and tossing him away

soap stays low and growls right back, a wild smile splitting his face. ghost meets him with a sneeze and his grin grows impossibly wider

if he can't hunt for his alpha, can't purr for him with blood on his teeth, he'll happily wrestle with him instead

[tagerrkix]

rage.

[turtleblogatlast]

Based on this post of mine, haha.

Leo finds The Last Unicorn. Core memories are made.

[z0mbatz]

infamous doomed yaoi pose has claimed two new victims…

[novelconcepts]

Obviously next week could prove this all dead-wrong, but I don’t think the trial’s quite over. I don’t believe the end of that episode actually took place, because I’m pretty sure we’re still firmly in the “punish Agatha” phase. Rio’s suddenly gone. Alice seems to be dead by Agatha’s hand, and no one—including Teen, who has always been on her side—seems primed to believe she was out of control. The others have been sucked beneath the power of the surrogate son who not only just told Agatha to fuck off, but went full-Wanda to do it. It just all seems too tailored to cut up any of the character progress Agatha’s made on the Road thus far. Getting harassed by her ghost mother and hearing her son’s voice don’t feel like a complete tear-down. This does. It feels like more trial.

[kallypsowrites]

A lot of people wanted Haelena to emote more during Blood and Cheese. First of all, y'all have clearly never experienced an adrenaline rush so hard you trip past outward panic and right into dissociation. But second of all, Haelena is a very witness to this event.

Haelena in the books is an ordinary young woman. Haelena in the show is a dreamer. She witnesses the tragedies in her family happen before they happen. She has already seen her son's fate and from the moment the scene begins, she knows she is helpless to stop it. It's like being in a recurring nightmare for her. You can see the moment where she stares in horror and fumbles for words before simply pointing. Because she knows she can't save her son so she's going to save her daughter.

When she goes to pick up her daughter and just walks as quickly as she can away, she is brimming with emotion, but she doesn't have the luxury to feel it because she has to get to safety (or else these men could kill her or her daughter next). She goes into shock and she moves.

It was an excellent performance by the actress. Not what we'd typically expect, but still deeply impactful

[bl00dfroma-fairy]

[sluttyhenley]

What changed your mind?

THE WALKING DEAD

[whumpypepsigal]

“Listen to me. What happened… it’s awful. She’s your mom. What happened’ll always be a part of you. But it wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t your fault. And you don’t ever have to be done grieving your mom.”

[myballsitchaurghouchie]

you should talk about Osiris sometime

Osiris :) Head Disciple of my God's Hunger AU Lamb (tho i'm for sure making her and the others followers in my Bygone AU as well. hashtag dog lover)

She's not the very first follower, but she's one of the ones that stayed by the Lamb's side the longest, followed by her ex-lover Lixi. Her and Lixi had 4 kids; Vodka, Ruby, Rolex (don't. talk to me about the names. don't even try.) and a last one that was adopted by someone else. They all lived on the cult grounds and then the Lamb's cannibal thing happened and only Osiris stayed or something whateverrrrrr

She became a caretaker for the Lamb. Any time that wasn't spent looking after kids was spent around the Lamb either for the quiet or to look after them once they started getting bad. The Lamb slowly became super dependent on her, making her feel like she has to stick around until the very end even when they start going "yooo so like... meat am i right eyes emoji fire emoji", because that's her lamb and her leader. or something

Idk i really like the idea of this Corrupted Bitch Lamb having a literal angel figure in their life that they latch onto in such a way that it destroys the angel

[desultory-suggestions]

As Election Day begins in the U.S. there will be a huge rush of anxiety and emotions for many of us. This is an incredibly difficult time to be hopeful and resilient, but we must. Please remember that the polls will not accurately represent the outcome until well after polls close, and it could take days before the race can truly and unequivocally be called. Instead of checking every ten minutes to see who is ahead, or feeling trapped by two bad outcomes, today I urge you to care for yourself and your community. This election will matter, but what will matter the most is the human resiliency and compassion that overcomes the greatest of obstacles. Think today about how you can strengthen your heart or honor and fight for those who need it most. Election Day will pass, and whatever the outcome we will continue to live in a world filled with people of kind hearts and hard working hands. Don’t fall for despair, prepare to roll up your sleeves and do what you can. All is easier said than done, so start by taking a deep breath, think of something you love, and carry on on step at a time.

[multifandombullshitbabes]

have we ever thought abt the fact that zuko is literally azula's older brother. like she's his little sister. that's his little sister. throughout a big, big part of atla plot, he was actively running away, scared of his little sister killing him because he KNEW she would/could. can you imagine that? your little sibling, wanting more your father's approval than your companionship to the point of death? every time they fought, zuko was fighting his baby sister. azula was fighting her big brother. this is making me so sick. they were 16 and 14 years old.

[odetojupiter]

what if when andrew and aaron were in high school together they had to do that thing where you write a letter to ur future self and then it gets sent/emailed back to you in 5 years time. and they both inadvertently write their letters to each other