#he has better critical thinking skills then most adults

[jasontoddsguns]

The Joker isn’t insane, he just really fucking sucks.

[bunkerjking]

The emotional breakdown later in the chapter will get most of the attention, but for my money, this is the most revealing moment in this week's chapter. A teenager so disconnected from his real emotions that he desperately rationalizes his hypersexuality not as a coping mechanism, but as 'this is what guys are like.'

It's easy to make fun of men for burying their emotions and then asking, 'why doesn't anyone know who I really am' - hell, Denji literally does that during the Bomb Girl arc - but Denji is a pretty direct criticism of both the way boys can get forced into unhealthy gender roles, and the way men self-regulate themselves and others into them.

The other boys Denji is with don't have the problem of being horny at inappropriate times. They have WAY bigger problems.

But Denji can't think properly when someone dangles the idea of sex in front of him. It's like a switch flips and he becomes a completely different person.

He shuts down and reverts to trying to embody masculine stereotypes he's been ingrained with, both through the social conditioning of growing up male in the 90s and the psychological conditioning Makima put him through to strengthen 'Chainsaw Man' - itself a hyper-masculine ideal that a human being physically cannot measure up to - and emotionally cripple Denji.

Denji is at his happiest when he's at rest with the people he loves. Power and Aki were not always easy to be around, but they loved him back and they wanted him to be happy. Nayuta is a child who doesn't understand her place in the world - how could she - but she earnestly wants to help her big brother as best as she can.

He isn't some cock-swinging alpha badass constantly on the prowl to crush puss, but for a lot of people - especially a teenager who was groomed to be an expendable child soldier - this unhealthy masculine 'ideal' isn't just something to live up to, it's the expected norm for men to be.

Being Chainsaw Man doesn't make Denji mentally stronger. As shown in the Falling Devil fight, he literally chops up his brain with his chainsaws to avoid confronting his trauma. Whenever he has to think about what he's lost and what's still left to lose, he runs toward something he isn't and away from a 'normal,' healthy response to the issues at hand.

"You stupid boy."

You'll notice that Katana Man, a perfect embodiment of an overly masculine dickhead, a misogynistic moron who refuses to grow in character or even basic combat skills, is totally on board for throwing Denji in a brothel and letting what happens happens. Katana Man perfectly represents the bad ending where 'traditional masculinity' wins the war for Denji's soul.

Denji needs help. Not some quick gratification. Not a meal and a nut and a nap. He needs genuine help, and a better male role model than the ones he's got. Even Kishibe, the only adult in his life other than Aki who actually did more good than harm, is an alcoholic recluse.

God help the boy.

[witlesswitnesstm]

I am a firm Marvin Gardens BPD/NPD truther, so here’s all my evidence.

This is a very long post, so buckle up.

• Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Let’s go through the symptoms he shows, shall we?

- Has unreasonably high sense of self importance, and requires constant admiration:

Marvin, especially as a child, exhibits a large amount of grandiosity. This is most evident in How Marvin eats his breakfast and My Highschool Sweetheart.

He thinks of himself as above the maid staff and he constantly threatens/accuses them. Then he’s given the role of Columbus, and highly identifies with him to the point where he claims he *is* Columbus. That he’s this grand explorer, who’s the king of the ocean. He believes he’s powerful because of the role.

Then as an adult, Marvin has a constant need for adoration. He needs people (like Whizzer and Trina) to love and want him in songs like Thrill of first love and This had better come to a stop. That might even be a reason he got with Trina in the first place. He wanted to feel needed, without the responsibility of having to love back.

Not to mention the line “Kid. Be my son.” In Father to son. He wants Jason to fulfill the role as his son (and subsequently love him), not really acknowledging he’s his own person. But he still deeply cares about Jason, and wants him to succeed, he just does it through the only lense he understands; himself. Also, I noticed that Marvin literally moves the chess board aside and makes Jason face him during that song, even though he clearly doesn’t want to.

- Believes they deserve special privileges or treatment:

The R of Ms. Goldberg shows Marvin is obsessed with getting what he wants, for no other reason besides the fact that he wants it. It’s also implied that he didn’t even necessarily have the acting skills required to be Columbus, Ms. Goldberg just conceded because he kept pestering her. He believed he deserved it, so he got it.

- Make achievements and talents bigger than they actually are:

Again, Marvin obsessed over being a star actor. He also consistently exaggerates his intelligence with lines like “I can read her like a book” in How Marvin eats his breakfast and “I'm not so rich but hell I'm smart.” In This had better come to a stop.

In I never wanted to love you, Marvin also claims that he’s in demand, when he’s most likely not and is just trying to cover for his ego.

- Preoccupied with fantasies of success, power, brilliance

Oh wow. Ok, so we all know about the metaphor for games at this point. Marvin loves winning, he literally says it’s everything to him. He also says that he wants it all multiple times which is just, really driving home the point that he craves success and power over everything else.

Marvin is also characterized as being rich, which again emphasizes his need for success. I’m thinking he climbed the corporate ladder for the sole objective of looking like he’s successful.

Side note, I think the reason he never acknowledges how rich he is might be because he’s ashamed of being a trust fund baby. He had a whole maid staff as a kid, so it’s implied his parents had mad stacks. He might’ve sought success outside his parents’ money so that it was his own accomplishment, not his family’s.

I want to touch on My chance to survive the night, specifically the line “I played a game. She was as cute as a dime and couldn't spell. I asked her to spell my name. That's it for girls.” Marvin has a history of using games as a basis for breaking up with people because of his insecurity, even before Chess game. He gets a lot better with this in act 2, and this is evident in the racquetball matches. He seems a little unconfident, but he’s not devastated by it in the way he would be before.

I’ve mentioned this in a separate post, but The r of Ms. Goldberg can also be interpreted as a fantasy for power, since Marvin isn’t actually interested in having sex with Ms. Goldberg, and instead just wants to have control over her.

- Is critical and looks down on people they feel aren’t important:

Marvin consistently ignores his sweetheart even when she begs for his attention. When she tries to tell him she’s a person, he calls her ridiculous.

Marvin also just generally acted out as a child because he considered everyone as beneath him.

This trait is especially highlighted In Tight Knit family reprise, where he just straight up talks shit about Mendel, not being able to believe that Trina can love him. It’s also shown in Marvin hits Trina, that he dislikes her platitudes and expects substance from her, and then goes on to again beg for admiration with the line “How could you ever deny what we had?”

- Expects others to do what they ask without question:

This is best shown in This had better come to a stop and Chess game. Marvin expects Whizzer to play the housewife, while not acknowledging that he’s his own person.

This is also displayed in Tight Knit family, where he expects everyone to go along with his perfect vision of what a family should be.

- Has an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others:

This is most clear with Sweetheart and Trina. As I’ve said, Marvin blatantly ignores sweetheart’s attempts to love him, and completely disregards her. I want to note how he does this in favor of being attached to Ms. Goldberg and playing Columbus which are his power fantasies, essentially.

This trait is also shown in Breakfast over Sugar when Marvin basically tells Trina to shut up and that she’ll get over it when she’s having a a pretty expected emotional outburst to him divorcing her. He completely disregards her feelings, showing no empathy to her.

- Acts arrogantly:

This can just be interpreted as confidence but Marvin says that he loves being himself multiple times over the course of In trousers.

• Borderline Personality Disorder

- A strong fear of abandonment:

This ties into Marvin’s need for admiration, but he constantly asks others for validation, and even doesn’t want Trina to find new partners because he interprets it as abandonment of his family.

There’s also the workshop version of This had better come to a stop, which is all about how Marvin is terrified that Whizzer’s going to leave him again in act 2, but he tries to bury all those feelings down so that he doesn’t appear needy. One of the lines is “I sit here and slowly rot. Wait for Whizzer, wait for answers, and get none.” Which just really nails down this point.

There’s also Unlikely lovers, when Marvin refuses to leave Whizzer’s side in the hospital.

- A pattern of unstable, intense relationships:

I’m sure we all know where this is going.

Marvin has a lot of opinions about Trina. He says that he thinks she’s perfect in I have a family, but that at the same time, he says that he hates her in I swear I won’t ever again.

His wants are contradictory. He wanted Trina to leave him alone when he divorced her, but couldn’t accept that she married Mendel. Also, he fights with Trina consistently, even throughout Act 2.

Onto Whizzer, their relationship is driven solely by chaotic passion. Their relationship is *built* on fighting and making up with hate sex.

Whizzer has no idea how to feel about Marvin because of how unstable he is. Marvin can be gentle, but he expects everything to go his way. He’s affectionate but highly judgemental. (Then again, so is Whizzer.)

- Quick changes in how they view themself:

This is best shown in Your Lips and Me reprise. Marvin goes from hating who he was and what he did to Ms. Goldberg to having a whole ass victory song about how he loves being himself.

This might be sarcasm, but Marvin is also self deprecating in Tight knit family reprise, with the lyric “I'm too damn peeved, self-absorbed, self-deceived. Who knows?”

- Periods of stress related paranoia and loss of contact with reality

This is a stretch, but Marvin’s exes always hovering around him in In trousers might be paranoia about his past manifesting itself. This is especially clear in I can’t sleep and Your lips and Me reprise where they physically interact with him, preventing him from sleeping or reminding him of his past.

- Impulsive/risky behavior:

Bro got multiple STDs, presumably from unsafe sex. Also, it’s implied that he also got HIV after Whizzer.

Hitting Trina could also be seen as impulsive behavior.

- Wide mood swings:

This is where Marvin’s giddy seizures comes in. He has periods of extreme laughter and giddiness, sporadically.

- Inappropriate levels of anger

Marvin hits Trina. I mean, what else do I have to say? This whole song is about Marvin’s anger taking over his actions and causing physical harm because of it. He also shows inappropriate anger when he brings out Whizzer’s belongings after the Chess game.

Ok Jesus Christ that was a lot of words. Keep in mind that these are just my headcanons and you’re allowed to interpret Marvin in any way you want.

Also I don’t have these disorders myself and I’m not a professional psychologist or anything so let me know if I got some things wrong. I just care way too much about the Marvin Trilogy and I’m also interested in becoming a psychologist.

[omnipresentlemon]

Avatar Modern AU Headcanons: The Early Years

Spider was adopted into the family after Neytiri found him wandering around the neighborhood as a toddler in just a t-shirt and underwear on one of the coldest days of the year. She immediately went to the police station and within a week Spider was removed from the McCoskers and was taken in by the Sullys as his foster family.

Jake and Neytiri have it ROUGH for a couple years - four kids under four? Eywa have mercy.

Listen. It is inevitable that little kids have a favorite parent, but the Sully kids are a little extreme with their hardcore Mom Favoritism™️. Neteyam can only fall asleep if Neytiri sings to him. Kiri doesn’t like Jake reading their bedtime stories because “mama does the voices better.” If Spider gets hurt he is inconsolable until Neytiri kisses it better. Lo’ak throws a tantrum for at least an hour every time Neytiri leaves them with Jake. My dude is being bullied mercilessly by kids who can’t even spell their names yet.

I fully support @be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie’s headcanon that Jake and Lo’ak are mortal enemies until Lo’ak hits about 5. But like, in a Megamind kinda way.

Whenever Lo’ak is acting up Jake pretends to call Santa and tell him to put Lo’ak on the naughty list.

Lo’ak will tell other adults the most embarrassing shit about Jake in the worst circumstances.

When Lo’ak is two and realizes his parents have names other than mama and daddy, he calls Jake by his first name only for three months. Imagine trying to discipline your two-year old and he whips out the first name.

In retaliation, Jake refers to Lo’ak as “the brat attack” until Neytiri reminds him that he’s the adult in this situation. He still does it sometimes when Neytiri isn’t around.

Neytiri has the mom reflexes of a god. No ER trips on her watch.

In fact, the first ER visit for the Sullys was when Neytiri left the kids with Jake to go shopping with Mo’at for some baby stuff while she was pregnant with Tuk. They don’t even make it down the street before Jake is frantically calling about Spider splitting his head open on the edge of the coffee table.

Spider is the most accident prone of the kids not due to clumsiness but a serious lack of survival skills and critical thinking. He used to throw himself off the top of the bunk bed he shared with Lo’ak just for fun.

Spider is technically the oldest, but due to the McCosker’s neglect he has some developmental delays and regressive behavior. Neteyam loves being able to act like a big brother for Spider even though he’s a year younger. They have a rough patch when they’re a bit older and Spider starts to assert himself more, but at the end of the day they’re Team Eldest and lean on each other a lot.

Kiri was a leash kid. Jake thought it was embarrassing but Neytiri could no take another incident of Kiri disappearing in public because she saw something interesting and wandered off to investigate.

Bluey is a staple in the Sully household. Jake and Neytiri are just happy that the chokehold Paw Patrol had on their kids seems to have gone away. Plus, now whenever they’re mean to each other, they just have to ask, “would Bluey and Bingo treat each other like this?” It results in an instant apology 99% of the time.

They talk back to their kids babble like it’s the most interesting thing in the world. Neytiri has full-on soap opera plots. The kids find it hilarious.

Jake, at the end of the day, is a military dad. And that means it’s MMA every day in the Sully household, starting young. He’ll suplex them into the couch, throw them onto the bed from across the room, toss them so high in the air he sees the bottom of their feet. Neytiri at first hates it, but she sees how gentle Jake is and tries to let it go. Even if it gives her heart palpitations.

Neteyam’s first word was “dada”, Kiri’s “mama”, and Lo’ak’s “no”. Spider’s speech was severely delayed and it took half a year of speech therapy to get him where he needed to be developmentally, so there’s was hot competition between Jake and Neytiri over who would get his first word.

It’s neither of them. Spider’s first word was “Teyam”. Even when they’re older Neteyam lords it over Spider’s head (but if he thinks too much about it it’ll make him cry, he just loves his brother so much).

I def have more of these percolating in my brain, but for now, enjoy!

[i-love-your-shades-of-wrong]

you want complex characters? here's Gale.

I am fully convinced that people only hate Gale bc it's Liam Hemsworth and because they think he's annoying - and yeah, it's true, he IS annoying, but to like president snow more than him? (its pretty privilege)

Most people know by now that the love triangle in thg is for metaphorical purposes - the choice between peace and war. And it's not even a choice as a reader - there is quite literally no chemistry between gale and katniss (in my opinion). But that doesn't merit hatred for the character himself.

He grows up in the seam, poor and being the breadwinner for his siblings. (how sad) We're supposed to disagree with his motives by the end of it - he shouldn't want to get revenge because that makes him as bad as the capitol (yada yada yada). And Peeta is in the right because he wants to show mercy. (peace vs war)

But Peeta grows up as the bakers son. Has he ever gone hungry? No. Are we meant to feel bad for him because of his mum? idk. His name was in the bowl far, far less times. Does that make it any better? No, because he's picked (and this is meant to be about how the system is awful... you get it). But Peeta doesn't grow up hating the capitol because they don't hurt him... until the games.

Is this an attack on Peeta? No, of course not, but circumstances are important as the actions taken within them (situation ethics). Peeta goes into the games and you'd think his outlook on life changes, but it doesn't. Some people have stronger cores - a lifetime of security within yourself does that.

Peeta goes into the games again, Gale saves the citizens of 12 in the bombing. Peeta's kidnapped. And Gale says this:

"He might have been tortured. Or persuaded. My guess is he made some kind of deal to protect you. He'd put forth the idea of the cease- fire if Snow let him present you as a confused pregnant girl who had no idea what was going on when she was taken prisoner by the rebels. This way, if the districts lose, there's still a chance of leniency for you. If you play it right." I must still look perplexed because Gale delivers the next line very slowly. "Katniss…he's still trying to keep you alive."

So, he's annoying, but is he a liar? No. He's ever the strategist, thinking of things from the logical point of view. (really grasping for straws but I need a pro and less cons😭)

People really hated Gale for bombs - killing innocent people that just want to help the fallen? (ohno how sad). But are capitol citizens ever really innocent? Bystanders that simply allow children to be murdered year after year? The idea that they simply have no idea of the harm being caused is ludicrous. Do they not have critical thinking skills? No matter what happens in life, you KNOW murder is wrong. No matter what propaganda media shows you.

(also Beetee helped make those bombs too like gale was annoying but stop giving him full credit like if I was beetee I'd be pissed)

So, that comes to the idea that killing people as a whole is unethical, and it doesn't matter that they're awful people. Is that untrue? No. Is it far to those that have been oppressed their entire lives, being told that using force against their oppressors is wrong? Maybe. It's not an easy issue to resolve (kinda explains the metaphor, doesn't it?)

Neoliberalism probably wants you to blame the individuals. Coin, Gale, Snow. Coin and Snow were two sides of the same coin (ooh pun) - politicians, adults, playing for their own power. Is it wrong to enjoy power? No, of course not, just don't abuse it. Gale enjoyed power. But he was fighting for the freedom of the country, not himself. And he's only 19/20. You're a lot angrier when you're younger, as many adults forget.

The system is the real problem, clearly. Why should the capitol have all the power? Why are the districts being used? We don't know. But that's unimportant.

And then there's Katniss. She's the one making the decision - peace or war. On paper, its peace anyday. Katniss has seen both Peeta and Gale's hardships - Gale is a metaphor for who she could have been. Bitter, angry and hateful. It's not unjustified hatred but under Kantian ethics, murder is always wrong. Katniss does not want to retaliate because it's a vicious cycle of violence.

As far as we know, the capitol don't really pay for all they do. I know if I was a district citizen who suffered, I'd want capitol citizens to feel the same way. That is not to say that it is ethical, but it is not unjustified.

It would be more of a fair argument if Peeta and Gale suffered equally, but can you really quantify suffering. Their experiences shape them. Its easier for Peeta to want mercy for the capitol because he wasn't starved his whole life. And Peeta's stance is the right one.

But see, that's why we say complex character and not good person. Because the decisions aren't malicious in intent, just with clashing personal values to the norm. Like, bffr, half the people online hating on this guy would NOT have stood for mercy for the capitol.

(anyway have a nice day this was my ethics essay plan and I'd better get a 9 on it or else <333)

[lilyginnyblackv2]

Kazuki Adapting to Miri - SPOILERS!

Towards the end of Episode 4, after they go to the cheap store aimed at goods for kids and parents, we see Miri come up to Kazuki with a light green sweater with two pink strips in the center. She then asks, ”Papa, can I wear this tomorrow?” 

She never did this with all the fancy clothes that he bought previously. She was dazzled by them, for sure, but we never saw her actually gravitate towards one of the clothing items he bought from all those brand name stores. 

And this makes sense, because the outfit we saw Miri wearing at the end of the episode:

Is similar in style to the outfit they found her in (the one we see her wearing in the first image, her staple orange sweater, beige shorts, and black leggings outfit). That’s what she likes best.

I’ve seen some people being a bit critical of the message of this episode in regards to Miri and her clothes. And I do get those criticisms that the episode shouldn’t be forcing conformity, but rather acceptance of differences, but I think the thing here is that Miss Anna, and maybe even some of the parents (or even some of the children, if they are bit older than Miri) could pick up on the fact that Miri wasn’t being authentic in those clothes.

Of course, her desire to play with the other kids were 100% authentic, but the image she was portraying wasn’t authentic to her in the slightest. It was Kazuki forcing an image on her (and Rei). This episode was just as much about Miri’s struggle to adjust to daycare, as it was about Kazuki learning to adjust to the world of children and parenthood.

It’s like the whole thing with the hamburg steak. He tries to impress Miri with a hamburg steak that has a more adult tastebuds, but Miri likes one that fits her child tastebuds better. We even see this with the lunch he made for her (like look at that thing, it is MASSIVE, lmao).

In Japan, mothers trying to one-up each other with lunch box art, cooking skills, and etc. often times occurs, which is why something like a general kyuushoku (or school lunch) may be put into place. Since it would eliminate that competitive nature and have actual nutritionists create meals that would be balanced, healthy, and fitting to a child’s taste buds. Kazuki here was just trying to impress and show-off. Like, Miri does like his cooking well enough, but she seems to prefer his baking and sweets more. I bet, if Miri had actually eaten that lunch box of Kazuki’s, most of it would have been stuff she wouldn’t like or maybe not even touch.

(I have 100% seen this happen, since the daycare I worked had students bring bento - lots of times there would be things that really weren’t fitting to a child’s taste buds or stuff like salmon with the BONES left in - for like a four year old - I shit you not, one time a parent did that! I about died when I realized that). 

Kazuki’s lunch box would have likely caused a similar situation or issue.  💀

Anyway, can a child have more adult-like tastebuds and a more adult-based sense of style? Sure! And if Miri was that type of child, then she should have been allowed to express that, but she wasn’t. She isn’t. 

This episode was highlighting the idea of a parent learning to center the child, rather than themself (Kazuki assuming that Miss Anna was also asking him about his name and age in the interview is another example of this) and to adapt to the child, rather than have the child adapt to them - the adult. It was also about Kazuki and Rei learning about practicality and affordability - where to find those things and how to utilize them - to make their parenting experience easier to navigate.

Also, I’m fairly certain that the store they are imitating here is Nishimatsuya:

[lavender-rosa]

Kny characters ranked from least to most likely to be scammed

Sanemi: He is so paranoid and distrustful to everyone and everything around him (himself included, always) to the point where it is reaching delusional, self-destructive proportions. Sorry for the mental illness king but at least you aren't getting scammed.

Iguro: Growing up in a cult taught him relatable, every day lessons like: If a snake demon asks you to feed your babies to her in exchange for gold, maybe, don't do that? Being raised in this environment made him apply a highly suspicious framework to so many things, a lot of times to his own detriment. Like assuming that every single male wants to steal his crush away because they dare breathe the same air as her or god forbid, engage in small-talk. Despite all that he still manages to rank above Sanemi, somehow.

Shinobu: She will allow people think that they are succeeding in scamming her when in actuality SHE is scamming THEM. We are talking Jimmy McGill level shenanigans over here.

Giyuu: He just wants to fuck off in some hole and die he does not care about your essential oils #toodepressedtogetfinessed

Muichiro: Manages to avoid being scammed by being completely apathetic and dismissive towards the scammer (assuming he is even bothering listening to them in the first place) and immediately forgetting what even the scam was all about in the first place.

Uzui: Most of the times he is able to use his critical thinking skills to distinguish scam from not and he can be a pretty decent conman himself, although he is not immune to being overtly suspicious or on the other end, people getting the better of him.

Gyomei: Is able to objectively analyse and evaluate an issue in order to form a judgement without being gullible or paranoid, like a healthy functioning adult. Congrats on the fully developed pre-frontal lobe, Himejima.

Rengoku: The fact that he suspected that a random 15 year old human was one of Muzan's spies and thus should be killed without any substantial evidence shows us that he is able to be highly suspicious of people (and it makes us glad that he never pursued a career in law) but this does NOT negate the fact that he fell for the greatest scam of all time (fatherly approval)

Tanjirou: People assume that due to Tanjiro's age and kind nature that he would be easy to scam, what these people don't know is that Tanjiro is a human lie detector. Things do get trickier for him though when the interaction is not happening via face-to-face conversation.

Inosuke: Inosuke manages to avoid being scammed by 1) being raised in the wild by boars for most of his life thus blissfully unaware of pyramid schemes 2) resorting to violence when he finds people annoying 3) no sane scammer wanting to chose the boy wearing a taxidermied boar head as a target. But he is NOT immune to getting scammed when his physical capabilities are getting called into question.

Zenitsu: You would assume that due to Zenitsu's advanced sense of hearing he would be able to distinguish truth from lie, but recalling the fact that 8 different girls managed to scam him out of his money and make him drown in debt and that in the Kimetsu Gakuen comics Douma managed to sell him overpriced water under the guise that it was a love potion I guess that's simply not the case, at least not when the possibility of getting a girlfriend is involved. Thankfully for Zenitsu "hot babes in you area" pop-ups did not exist in Taishou era Japan.

Mitsuri: She has a huge heart and wants to believe the best in people even if said people have a huge white van parked outside with a sign saying "Free Candy"on it,alas.

And lastly HUGE shoutout to all the demons who back when they were still human clicked on a pop-up ad by some Kibutsuji Muzan guy saying "CLICK HERE IF YOU WANT TO LIVE A BETTER LIFE" this unfortunately installed a virus in their brains that drove their already fragile minds to complete insanity. Sad.

[tedwardremus]

Why do you think people take Tonks' character traits and give them to Sirius?

Because Tonks is one of the most disrespected characters.

But I also think how the fandom portrays Sirius is larger than people ignoring the existence of Tonks. There are many interpretations of Sirius in fandom, including, but not limited to, punk, 70s rocker, Rebel Without A Cause, feminine, and androgynous, and I think the different aesthetics reflect our individual interpretations of what cool and rebellious mean.

Sirius is described as cool, and we know he is a troublemaker who ran away from his family and owns a motorcycle. I think people took those tidbits and pictured an image of someone like Jess Mariano from Gilmore Girls. Or they imagined a Bowie-loving glam rocker or they imagined a more modern queer aesthetic. Or various other things that i've seen in the past 20 years.

And I don't necessarily blame people for imagining characters in muggle clothes versus wizard fashion because robes aren't described in detail compared to muggle clothes in the books. And robes just don't seem cool, you know? They are medieval and weird.

You know who is cool? Bill Weasley with his fang earring and boots. Bill's fashion and appearance, just like Tonks, is described in detail. It is easy to visualize.

What do we know of Sirius?

Sirius is a rebel. He ran away from home and is extremely critical of upper-class wizarding society, the government, and blood purism. He joined a secret underground anti-fascist organization! He was a fighter on the frontlines of a war where they were outnumbered 20 to 1! His motorcycle is a sign of his interest in some parts of muggle culture and rebeling but I think it also says a lot more about his advanced skill and his need to keep himself busy.

He has long hair! But the long hair isn't a style choice. He didn't have a barber in Azkaban and then his grooming declined in OOTP when he was depressed. Pre-Azkaban, Sirius had short hair.

He wore a phoenix t-shirt in the prequel short story.

He wore Azkaban robes (again not a style choice)

He wore whatever he found in Grimmauld Place.

Tattoos and piercings are never mentioned when describing Sirius but they are for other characters.

But what I think people also ignore when assigning an aesthetic to a teenage and young adult Sirius Black is his privileged upbringing and how that shapes his personality and sense of self and how he'd present himself. I know @artemisia-black has written about this before and you should check out her blog for some great Sirius metas.

I'm not saying Sirius never wore muggle clothes but I don't think he'd be dedicated to representing a muggle subculture or style. He'd be better at dressing muggle than other pure bloods but he'd keep it simple, not fashionable.

[epicspheal]

So I finally did the whole “gym leader inspection” last night to see where the fandom is getting their “Evil Geeta” vibes from. And while the jury is still out on her until the DLC the bad blood between Geeta and the leaders isn’t striking me immediately as proof that she’s evil. Let’s start with the whole “Most of the gym leaders are anxious about the inspection” thing. Speaking as someone who has had a full time job, performance reviews are always a little nerve-wracking no matter what type of boss you may have. There is always room for improvement, let alone there’s always a chance you’re going to be told you need to do more. Not really sure how other leagues are ran but I could guarantee you that gym leaders from Kanto to Galar would also feel the same level of anxiety about a performance review and it honestly shouldn’t be used as proof that Geeta is evil. Rather proof that performance reviews suck and anxiety inducing. Now let’s go into some of the individual reactions. Brassius quite frankly really didn’t seem to care. He was more concerned about his new inspiration for art than the inspection. If anything being a gym leader is more of a side-gig to his art career. Neither did Iono as she’s far more concerned about her streams and viewer numbers moreso than the inspection itself. In fact she seemed very impressed that Geeta trusted the player to do the inspection Kofu probably takes this the best because he’s a restaurant owner. He understands that at times people judging him may be harsh and to not take it personally. This is an important skill that you have to learn as an adult in the working world and it’s easier said than done especially if you’re sensitive. I’m quite sensitive myself and it’s taken me a lot to get even to half of where Kofu is in regards to criticism especially if it’s not given tactfully in my opinion. Him saying Geeta is harsh doesn’t necessarily imply he thinks she’s bad at all. And I think if anything he welcomes any harshness because it helps him improve. Again, that’s a skill that’s hard to develop and hard to conceptualize if you haven’t been put in a position where you’ve been dealt harsh criticism. It certainly sucks to be on the receiving end and yes tactful delivery is still key but you can’t always expect “room for improvement” talks to always be delivered gently. Then there’s Katy who is bored of being the first gym leader and being told to go soft on Geeta. Honestly Geeta telling her to be softer on her opponents isn’t a bad thing. Gym leaders are supposed to be tests, not nigh-insurmountable obstacles. While going too soft on people isn’t great, crushing new trainers off the bat isn’t helpful either as you can indeed squander potential talent doing that. Something Geeta recognizes. Katy here is in her feelings but it is understandable. No one likes losing, and with her being a bug type specialist there is probably the added sting of feeling like she’s conforming to the stereotype that Bug types are week. However, Geeta isn’t in the wrong for what she said. Rather it’s up to Katy to do something about it if she’s so discontent from being the first gym leader. She can up her challenge a bit, going soft doesn’t mean being a cakewalk. Or if this really bothers her, get better at being a trainer so she can become a leader that’s recommended to be faced later on despite being so close to Mesagoza. And to her credit, Katy does at least recognize that after the battle with the intent of battling at a higher level. Whether that means not being as soft on newer trainers or just trying to make sure she gets a higher rank we’re not sure, but she has the maturity to not really blame Then you have Tulip who says she’s not Geeta’s biggest fan because she dislikes how bewitching Geeta’s aura is compared to her own. Now some people may have latched on to the bewitching as proof that she’s evil but when you look at the definition of bewitching it means “enchanting or delightful” or in other words “so beautiful or attractive that you cannot think of anything else”. This actually kind of implies Tulip might be a bit jealous of Geeta and how she carries herself rather Geeta being malicious. She compares Geeta’s aura to her own and calls it similarly bewitching implying that both of them have an enchanting way about them. And often when two people of similar vibes meet they may end up clashing. I think the whole ESP gym test makes people perhaps read a bit more into the bewitching thing because Tulip may have psychic powers we don’t know and so maybe she knows something we don’t. And it very well may be shown in the DLC that Tulip’s words were foreshadowing. But the bewitching line to me at least at the moment, strikes me more as a “I’m a bit envious of the chairwoman” over “the chairwoman is evil” Then you have Ryme who is rather blatantly insulted that Geeta sends the player to do the inspection rather than herself. She even states that she had been looking forward to proving the strength of ghost-types to her and felt a bit robbed. Now again this really isn’t a “Geeta is evil” type thing. Sure it probably would’ve been nicer to have Geeta mention that she was sending someone else as a courtesy. But I think Ryme’s feelings of being insulted come from a place of insecurity. She’s only been the leader for a year and a half and she does enjoy the job. Again like I said earlier, performance reviews will make any employee nervous but especially newer ones who haven’t been on the job all that long. So I can definitely see why Ryme was upset as she probably felt like this was a snub and as someone who has been a new employee I can sympathize with her feelings. But it doesn’t make Geeta bad that this happen. The only bad thing Geeta did was just not tell everyone she was sending someone else. Next is Grusha who during the inspection talks about being worried that he’ll lose his job and the only other thing he has talent for. Again much like Ryme is this is definitely coming more from insecurity on the part of Grusha over Geeta being a bad boss. Like Ryme it also comes from an understandable place. He suffered a great loss in losing his ability to snowboard and knowing that his gym leader position is a job that can be lost as well is certainly anxiety inducing. Especially for someone like himself who tends to wrap their identity in their talents. I don’t even think he actually dislikes Geeta he’s just terrified of potentially of not doing well enough to stay in his position. Again that’s something extremely relatable but not necessarily a mark on Geeta herself. Finally there is Larry who has the most outright grievances towards Geeta. Him having outright grievances doesn’t mean she’s evil though. A lot of people have grievances with their bosses and it could be that their boss is bad, it could be they themselves are the bad ones, or maybe neither are bad and they just don’t mesh. And honestly even though they clearly have beef Geeta does tell him to stop doing overtime. She may not be the world’s best boss but her telling him to chill on the overtime does count for something when there are plenty of bosses who will happily let you work overtime, even unpaid overtime. And also yes, she does ask him to use a different type when battling as an Elite Four member but honestly that’s not a bad boss thing. One it makes sense that if you’re going to use someone as both a gym leader and elite four member (who are generally all type specialists) to switch things up to keep challengers on their toes. After all the Champion’s Test is an assessment. And as Larry himself states, he understands why she asked him to switch things up. He realizes that he misses a lot of growth by just staying in one lane with one type and he’ll become stronger as a trainer if he takes different approaches. Yeah he still doesn’t like her but he’s mature enough as an adult to realize when she’s making good points and that’s important although again a tough point to get to. Because it’s often really hard to hear good points from someone you’re not the biggest fan of. So honestly if anything Geeta and the gym leader’s relationship really resembles real life workplaces. Not everyone is buddy-buddy. People get anxiety when performance reviews or big meetings are called. People have insecurities that tend to get poked in certain situations. It doesn’t necessarily mean any one person is good or bad.

[schro4444]

Ohh the idea of them pooling their skills together to create better disguises together is brilliant! the mimicking voices was probably Chikage (I imagine you'd have to have been training your voice constantly for a looooooong time to get the huge vocal range needed for that...I wonder how she became a thief actually, iirc she targeted corrupt corporations) but I bet it was Toichi who could do all kinds of interesting things with it - throwing his voice so it seems he's speaking from somewhere he isn't, making it seem as though it's far away or right behind you or simply making it carry (to his audience!), and yeah the acting through body language and reading ppl bc he needs to act like it was all part of the plan if a trick goes wrong and needed to improvise, and be able to read his audience to control where their attention goes and pull off misdirection. Also he probably does have very good spatial awareness, I cannot beLIEVE he went through LASER NET with a CAPE AND TOP HAT, he's RIDICULOUS

"as long as you're feeling agile enough" Chikage is, in fact, the one who was good at acrobatics while Toichi did a lame little side shuffle, she probably knew parkour too. Also ik it's not realistic but I was suddenly assaulted w the image of Chikage teaching Kaito and Toichi parkour and acrobatics together at the same time and Kaito being better at it than Toichi jhdgjsgf. bby Kaito probably used his parents as a jungle gym tbh, imagine talking to THE Kuroba Toichi, best magician in Japan (best magician in the WORLD Kaito corrects vehemently), all the while a 6 yo is doing a handstand on his shoulders or smth

Also I'm not surprised in the least that talking his way out was his plan, his advice to Kaito was "turn your critics into your fans" and THESE critics were out to ARREST THEM yet it STILL WORKED. absolute madlads

YESSSS perfect!! the ultimate combination of skills!!! I wonder how she became a thief too. like. was she raised in it? was it circumstances? revenge turned vigilantism? IDK!!! clearly she was tired of it by the end, but she also clearly was having fun. pls I need the prequel so bad

I think about the hat a lot actually. it’s so tall. between the hat & cape and the bandages OVER THE EYES you have to admire the kurobas’ commitment to the aesthetic

LAME LITTLE SIDE SHUFFLE SHFHDHD poor man. but you’re absolutely right. LISTEN I’m absolutely certain that chikage taught kaito parkour by pretending it was gymnastics practice or obstacle courses or something similar, so it’s not a huge stretch At All to include toichi in those lessons. that stuff is so hard to learn as an adult, too… cue 6yo kaito doing full trapeze acrobat moves with chikage while toichi does his absolute BEST to learn a back handspring before his next heist

toichi turned “fake it til you make it” into a successful international phantom thief career, it’s a magician’s Greatest ability. now kaito can do it too but Also with the help of Actual Crime Skills (everyone say thank you chikage)

ventriloquism TOTALLY has practical use in magic. okok I’ve actually thought abt this before—for toichi to be the best magician ever, his shows would need to be WILD. bc irl magicians can do some insane things. I think he totally just did the most bamboozling acts where he’d make himself disappear and then have his voice appear from 5 directions at once, or use ventriloquism + magic to convince people that inanimate objects were alive and talking, stuff like that. worldwide magic sensation kuroba toichi disguises himself as you in real time and then he calls your mom using your voice while escaping from a straightjacket. etc.

WHICH OF COURSE leads DIRECTLY to kaito using this nonsense to become the most chaotic little nightmare child EVER (beloved). he is a terror to his classmates and his parents are actively part of the problem. aoko comes into the house like “kaito where are you” and she hears “I’m coming!” from upstairs and then he appears directly behind her. she screams and goes to tell on him to toichi but toichi does the same thing to her. chikage apologizes for both of them using their own voices. this is just what it’s like in the kuroba household. when kaito gets in trouble at school they’re 100% the kind of parents to be more disappointed that he got caught, not about the fact that he was building a confetti cannon at his desk

[akiyamastar]

Do you ever think about how Chiaki just never gets genuinely mad about anything? He's practically devoid of anger.

Even for the things that he'd be totally justified for if he snapped at someone, he never does it. It's not a new mindset, considering he sucked up all the horrible things that happened to him in Meteor Impact. Generally, he's always been reaching for the ideal of a hero so much that he just... pushes away his own emotions deliberately, seeking to elevate someone else's.

It's something I wish was explored more: how he's bottled up his emotions so much to the point that he doesn't even express anger in a healthy manner. He thinks he needs to fulfill that hero role at all costs, and in order to do that, he suppresses any sort of ugly emotions, replacing them with this sense of energetic happiness that he tries to display to his juniors.

In a way, he's put on a hero facade that even he can't separate himself from. One that could be prone to shattering if he pushes himself too hard. He does loosen up around Kanata and the other graduates a little, acting a bit more like the "boring adult" version of himself, as he calls himself in Comet Show. Even then, not once does Chiaki ever completely put down that act, because he needs to be that hero, or else what will his worth be?

Interestingly, even though he's always been too self-sacrificial for his own good, his facade actually seems to have gotten worse over time, compared to the days of Meteor Impact. This also was probably due to the fact that he had nothing to lose when he was a second-year. He had no friends, no groupmates, and no responsibilities he needed to fill in for others. His mindset and personality were the same in many ways, but the reason why Chiaki seems so meek in Meteor Impact is that there's no one he can be a hero for.

But now, he has Ryuseitai. He now has something he can lose.

Because of wanting Ryuseitai to last at all costs, he's tunnel-visioned so much on seeming like a "cool" reliable senior in front of his juniors and not showing any weaknesses because, inherently, there's a part of him that's scared it's all going to be gone if he doesn't do that.

Whenever Chiaki feels responsible for others, he takes it too harshly on himself. He doesn't confide in his juniors in the same way that he pushes them to lean on his shoulders, and this is a problem. Confiding in someone should be a two-way street, and not something one person can handle alone.

It might even explain some of Tetora's mixed feelings about his leader role being taken away; the problem wasn't necessarily just that it happened, but the manner in which it was done. Chiaki stated that it would be for the better, and of course, you can't completely pin the blame on the guy for looking out for his junior. However, while it's definitely unintentional, his martyr complex and need to be the hero has led to the juniors feeling as though they are throwing a "tantrum" and being looked down upon for their skills, despite being not that much younger than Chiaki and Kanata. Tetora especially feels indignant as a result of these feelings, and he's the most vocal about this even in Submarine.

Thinking back to the recent Ryuseitai event, Universe, I can't say I expected a lot from its writing, and it'd be a bit funny to hold Ensemble Stars' writing to a high standard to criticize things. Nonetheless, there were a lot of missed opportunities that I can't help but think about, and that includes Chiaki's dynamic with Tetora, something that has been vastly unexplored despite the two of them being the leaders of Ryuseitai-N and M at one point.

The part that I particularly enjoyed the most from Comet Show was Chiaki and Midori's conversation because Chiaki starts showing cracks of his serious self. It was something that I thought would be elaborated on more in Universe, except instead of doing so with Midori, it'd be Tetora this time. But, while they did talk to each other, even about how Chiaki wasn't always the strong, cool upperclassman he presented himself to be in front of Tetora, their conversation felt... not nearly as impactful as I hoped it'd be. And I do not know how to personally feel about it turning into an "everyone is the leader" situation. But those are my two cents on it.

TLDR though: Chiaki should be allowed to be a little angry. As a treat. Please.

[mjrtaurus]

Hot takes on the RA that I need to share

- they have a book club (it’s very bad and mainly consists of y/n x monkey d dragon fanfction and bodice ripper romance novels)

- Iva is a collector of said y/n x moneky d dragon fanfiction (whether for blackmail or entertainment no one is sure)

- Hack and Dragon have gotten white girl wasted on wine together

- koala had the biggest fattest most mortifying crush on dragon for about 3-6 months when she was 14-15 (she will take this to her grave)

- Inazuma organized orgies before

- there is an ongoing game of hide and seek/tag currently sabo is it

- dragon has been voted to have the sexiest forearms on base

- Karasu maintains that he can talk to pigeons

- sabo has fallen alseep upright during meetings

These are very good hot takes and I definitely would like to pitch in a few if that’s good with you:

- Dragon is very much aware of the book club (and the scandalous content within) but lets it continue because shutting it down would be tantamount to closing a public library, and it would lower morale.

- Some of said bodice ripper romance novels have found their way to his personal quarters. None of them are the y/n x him genre, but morbid curiosity is slowly but surely getting the better of him.

- Morley is the number one book club fangirl. She reads everything and offers very in depth reviews and gives a lot of helpful constructive criticism if asked. She has written a few of them of her own under a pseudonym. Nobody but Iva and Inazuma know this.

- Hack is a loud drunk, and Dragon is a silly drunk. Both are known lightweights. They need adult supervision as they are like a pair of Dennis the Menaces working in perfect sync.

- Lindbergh will fuck with Sabo and Koala by using his electro like a hand buzzer. He tried it once with Dragon as a test, and sure enough the man was totally immune to it. His hair was slightly more unruly from it, though.

- speaking of Lindbergh, he went Sulong on base exactly once and scared the shit out of everyone. He doesn’t recall anything but he was told he raided the pantry and then started taking rudimentary measurements of his claws.

- Koala is probably the most foul-mouthed out of everyone there. She can cuss even the most hardened of sailors under a table and right back up over it like it’s nothing. She yells ��FUCK” at the most minor inconveniences. Sabo thinks it’s hilarious.

- Karasu was born with a cleft lip and his hatred of being misunderstood stems from the difficulty he had in learning to speak. He’s since had surgery to correct the malformation, but wears his mask to hide it because he gets mistaken for a mink due to where and how the scarring rests on his upper lip.

- Dragon and Sabo both suffer from restless leg syndrome and swap tips and tricks on how to manage.

- Inazuma sews stuffed animals for the kids that they bring in. First she asks them during class what each of their favorite animals are, and then he draws up patterns of them and gets to work. The kamabakka help, as many of them are skilled tailors and seamstresses.

- Iva organizes drag shows for boosting morale. Every single one of the commanders has dominated the stage before. Dragon had to lose a bet with Kuma before he joined in on it (with the caveat that if it did feel genuinely Uncomfortable™️ at any point he could freely back out), but ended up enjoying the experience. He sets aside time whenever a show is coming up to consult Iva on what his next look ought to be.

- Dragon rarely ever gets sick, but when he does, it hits him like a brick at sixty miles per hour. The first time it happened, Sabo was convinced he had some deadly disease that was going to end his life, but no. He just happened to get the flu for the first time in like… twelve years.

[eliosimsworld]

TOWNIE DUMP A

skills + bonus traits + career included, no cc, all outfits completed, free to download.

no pack restriction, so items might be missing.

those sims are strongly inspired by townies from the City Living Expansion, but I didn't use their base, traits or names.

DOWNLOAD

1. Inséparables

Diya Seth Zahir Seth

It is no secret to anyone that Zahir is a mama's boy. The man is in his thirties still living with his dear mother and he has no desire to leave. Poor Diya has to take care of him as if he was still a teenager. She's hoping that he'll finally man up and find a partner to marry.

2. Incompatibles

Arhaan Peri Jenn Peri

Jenn's personnality is all over the place, she loves to party all night as much as she likes to stay home all day to do nothing other than reading romance novels. Arhaan is... a nice guy. He's smart too. But that's all there is to him. (At least in Jenn's eyes) Altough she doesn't seem to appreciate him that much, believe it or not : they are married!... You know when teenagers make a pact with their bestfriend.. ''If we both aren't married in 20 years, then we have to marry each other''. Well...

3. Futures stars

Jeong-Hoon Kim Aimi Yun

Aimi and Jeong-Hoon have been bestfriends forever. They spent most of their childhood and teenage years pretending they were famous S-Pop (i know its k-pop, but its s-pop in the sims...) singers and now that they're adults, they want to make that dream come true.

4. L'expert

Julius Lippard

Julius has good taste and he has no shame in admitting that he thinks he is better than everyone else. Yet, despite his self-centeredness, the people of San Myschuno rave about his criticism. Everyone devours his blogs and dreams of getting a review from the famous Julius Lippard. Sure a bad review might hurt your career, but a good one will make you famous.

5. Populaire sur les réseaux

Rabia Habib

Rabia is a simfluencer, she mostly post her outfits of the day on Simtok and Simstagram. She loves fashion and would like to be a style influencer eventually.

DOWNLOAD

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group G Round 2: #G1 vs #G2

#G1: Golf made interesting by the power of anime antics and yuri

#G2: Bachelor takes in orphan, and they become a family

Details and poll under the cut!

#G1: Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story

Summary:

Infamous among those who gamble on golf games, Eve uses her exceptional skill in the sport to earn a living—by betting and winning against various opponents. Known as the "Rainbow Bullet," she vows to beat her foes and conquer the world of underground golf using only three clubs. However, the universe where Eve knows no defeat is shaken after she plays a clean game with Aoi Amawashi, a golfing prodigy that came to the country of Nafrece to enter a golf tournament. Armed with talent and born into the perfect environment for golf, Aoi the "Innocent Tyrant" calmly crushes her enemies with a bright smile on her face.

After their game-changing match, Eve and Aoi become intrigued with each other and promise to battle again someday. As Eve's aggressive and risk-taking approach challenges the elite and steady playstyle of Aoi, the two geniuses may just manage to bring golf to unexpected heights.

Propaganda:

Birdie Wing is one of the most absurd, hilarious, and entertaining anime that I’ve ever seen!! Mafia that solves infighting by betting on highly illegal golf matches, golf eugenics, a high school golf tournament feeling like a more high-stakes event than the ACTUAL GODDAMN MAFIA… It’s incredibly campy in the best way possible, and the creators embrace the wild premise of the show with open arms. It’s masterful in suspension of disbelief, as by the end of the series I was nodding my head, thinking that truly, everything is possible with the power of golf. The series also has heavy yuri overtones, which, while not quite pulling through in the end, are definitely a big part of the appeal, and Aoi is my favorite lesbian daughter <3

Trigger Warnings: Guns, Child Abuse. Mother is manipulative to her daughter, and she is used as a tool. Father arranges an unwanted marriage for his daughter.

#G2: Bunny Drop (Usagi Drop)

Summary:

Daikichi Kawachi is a 30-year-old bachelor working a respectable job but otherwise wandering aimlessly through life. When his grandfather suddenly passes away, he returns to the family home to pay his respects. Upon arriving at the house, he meets a mysterious young girl named Rin who, to Daikichi’s astonishment, is his grandfather's illegitimate daughter! The shy and unapproachable girl is deemed an embarrassment to the family, and finds herself ostracized by her father's relatives, all of them refusing to take care of her in the wake of his death. Daikichi, angered by their coldness toward Rin, announces that he will take her in—despite the fact that he is a young, single man with no prior childcare experience. Usagi Drop is the story of Daikichi's journey through fatherhood as he raises Rin with his gentle and affectionate nature, as well as an exploration of the warmth and interdependence that are at the heart of a happy, close-knit family.

Propaganda:

Usagi Drop is great at showing the ups and downs of raising a child, and it’s so, so soft. It’s a great reminder of what it means to be a family, what it means to be responsible, and what it means to grow up, even after becoming an adult.

Trigger Warnings: In the manga, Rin grows up and gets a crush on Daikichi and it becomes a creepy grooming romance between them. Just a fair warning that if you really like the show and check out the manga, that will happen.

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how they’re presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form, where you can submit revisions for taglines, propaganda, trigger warnings, and/or video.

[catholic-on-main]

thank you so much for your blog lol. i've unironically learned a lot from it. i'm 17 and interested in becoming a catholic. i read the new testament and i believe it, i try to pray and learn more about christianity as much as i can, and from the research i've done on different christian denominations i think catholicism seems the most correct & resonates with me the most. never been to church though yet, but i plan on going when i move out lol. but i'm from a secular/ethnically jewish background and i'm nervous to talk to the people in my life about wanting to convert to christianity, because they think religious people are stupid and misguided and that christians are bible-thumping rednecks with no critical thinking skills basically. my friends make fun of christians a lot, and my dad doesn't want to take me to church while i live with him. i've also realized i am more conservative-leaning, for lack of a better word, on issues such as transgender and abortion, though honestly i never thought these were good things on my own but got peer pressured into supporting them. but my area is so liberal/secular and people constantly talk about these issues in ways i very much disagree with or make fun of religious people and i just stay quiet because i'm too much of a coward to say that i'm the person they're talking about. i feel like i would lose a lot of my friends online and irl if i started talking about the impact christianity has had on me and how much it means to me. i know christians are supposed to be open about their beleifs and be able to explain and defend them. i want to explain to people that i want to be a christian and that i don't mean any harm for having different beliefs from them, but i'm honestly too scared to lose my friends. do you have any advice for this situation? (i'm sorry for the long ask!!!)

Anon, thank you for the kind words! I'm glad that my blog was able to help you out. I'm sorry you're in that kind of situation. It's definitely difficult to be in that position, and it's very scary.

I recommend looking into videos on catholic apologetics (how to explain and defend your faith to others). Father Mike Schmitz has lots of videos explaining different aspects of the catholic faith, and I highly recommend his videos! I watch them fairly regularly myself, as he's energetic and can break down difficult subjects into smaller pieces. I also recommend looking into catholic groups you can attend for support. Local churches tend to have groups for young adults that can range from Bible studies to more casual hang-outs. If you cannot attend these due to your family, then look online! There are groups on social media and apps like Discord that can be a healthy access point for others of the faith. You can also reach out to local churches via e-mail to get in contact with someone who can talk to you and get you any resources you might be looking for.

As for difficulties with friends, that's probably the scariest thing. First off, do not feel responsible for changing their mind. If you strive to live your life as a good example of the faith, then you've done your best. Pray a lot over it! I pray rosaries often when I am stressed out about something. I find the repetition helps soothe my anxieties. Ask that you might find the words to best use in your conversations. And feel free to ask others to pray for you as well! You are not in this alone, though it may feel like it. Going into a conversation, ask that they be respectful and hear you out, and say that you will be respectful in return. Make it clear that you aren't accusing or attacking them. If they come at you with questions that you struggle to answer, you are absolutely able to say that you aren't certain how to answer at the moment, and you can get back to them later after you look into that topic. Especially since you are rather new to the faith, but even people raised catholic can struggle with how best to address certain concerns.

Your situation is difficult, and I'm sorry if my response does not seem super helpful or instructive. While I have lost friends in the past due to my faith, it was more of a gradually growing apart rather than direct confrontation, so I don't have the same experiences. I will be praying for you. Feel free to contact me again if you'd like.

And if any mutuals or followers of mine have some of their own advice, especially those who converted to the faith, you all are absolutely welcome to reblog with your experiences!

[karsok5]

Ladies and gentlemen, the story of my OS in mortal kombat. (Well, I'm into mortal kombat)

Whoever says anything about mistakes is a ban, I’m writing this I don’t know how long in a drunken stupor without sleep.

The beginning is short, the main thing. The end - what kind of fanfic? It didn't blow up like a child.

(My)

Sokol is the girl's code name. Her real name is unknown, and "Sokol" was taken from the name of the clan of which she is now the only follower.

Sokol always wanted to change her clan. It had a bad reputation, describing its members as cruel, vile, aggressive. The clan members were happy in life only with bloody fights and feasts that were arranged after victories. They did not accept criticism from others and did not even think about the prosperity of the clan. The main strength was toughness.

In the seventh group for fighting, in which the girl was, she was the most cruel. Fights were held much more often, thereby tormenting the participants, and no one had respect for each other outside of them.

In the clan, everything between the participants was decided by violence and the display of physical skills; you simply could not be weak.

As a child, Sokol was an example, the most aggressive and strong, but over time she realized that she did not want such fame. For this reason, many of her peers began to mock her, declaring that her idea was complete nonsense and traditions would never change. That it is better to have power over others through fear than to adapt to the example of other weak clans using the example of the Lin Kuei.

One day, the girl plucked up courage and decided to talk about it with her elders. She stated that she would like to see changes and abandon old traditions, that they only discredit the clan. But they only ridiculed her in front of the whole group and ordered her to fight against a guy from the fourth group. The group under this number was famous for its strongmen; going against them was considered suicide.

The conditions were simple, until no one surrenders, the battle will not end. Only if someone wanted to give up, he automatically became a punching bag. There was no choice.

The battle has begun. During the fight, the guy literally with one blow turned part of the body into meat smashed with a hammer. Sokol stood on the field only thanks to her agility, preventing the blow from completely hitting part of her body. The duel ended with Sokol losing consciousness—defeat, but we can say that this saved her from death.

Waking up at home in her bed, the girl promised herself that she would not leave it so easily.

In some ways, there were those for whom she lived in this place—the younger ones. The girl took care of them as if they were siblings, guiding them on the right path, and not what their elders taught.

Having recovered, the girl found information about a sorcerer who played with black magic and could provide some potions.

Secretly breaking out into the street early in the morning while everyone was sleeping, Sokol headed to a place unknown to anyone.

Having found the old man, the girl made an equivalent exchange, and then immediately disappeared, only casting a fleeting, incredulous glance at the grinning old man.

Returning home, she hid all the potions and began to wait.

Once every three months, three days of great battles took place. But also this month they set huge tables of food and alcohol. This was the chance to make a revolution.

The day of the holiday has arrived. Before going to the field, Sokol offered to help prepare alcohol and juices. Everything should have gone according to plan, if not for one thing.

When the clan members sat down at the table and decided to drink with their glasses raised, many of the adults, after a couple of sips, began to fall to the ground and choke, while the children immediately lost consciousness. According to the old man, the potions were supposed to take effect after a while, but it seems that was a lie.

The girl was seized with panic only because of the children, to whom she immediately ran up and tried to help in a panic.

“The old man insisted that separate flasks were for sleeping, what a liar,” the girl said, gritting her teeth, angrily squeezing the body of the little girl, who was already out of breath.

Chaos began all around, the celebration was stopped, and those who were responsible for the drinks were grabbed and immediately taken to the elders.

Without hesitation, accusing, everyone pointed at Sokol.

It was not only a personal grudge, but also general suspicions due to her behavior and past incidents.

As a result of a quick decision, she was to be executed.

But one of the elders, a man who had great influence and power in the clan, demanded a pardon, he was interested in her.

He stated that in exchange for her freedom, he would keep her under his control and be personally responsible for all actions in the future. The conditions were accepted by the elders more because of the influence and power of this man.

A wedding took place, everyone harbored hatred, but could not even declare it, since Falcon, despite her act, was inviolable.

Sokol, shackled, went out into the street with the guards, received sidelong glances, harsh words and even slaps in the face from angry women, experiencing grief from the loss of children.

The girl did not answer anything, she still walked on with her head held high, thinking about something of her own.

Gradually, her husband's trust in her became much greater. Her humility and timidity were what attracted and encouraged me. The shackles were removed from her, but the guards' surveillance continued. She couldn’t go anywhere alone, not even go to the market.

According to her husband, she did not try to create anything, but if only it were so in reality.

Slowly rising from the bed with dried tears on her cheeks after satisfying her husband's whim, the girl slowly walked up to the nightstand and, reaching under it with her hand, took out a small dagger.

“The soul that you tormented, I will restore it” - with these words she slowly approached her husband’s side and without hesitation cut his throat. Exhaling in relief, Sokol shuddered when she heard footsteps heading into the room.

At the same moment, one of the man’s guards entered the room.

“Sir, I wanted to check on you and...” the guy said until he saw how the girl, being on top of the man, abruptly covered her naked body with a blanket.

“Oh, I beg your pardon,” the guy said immediately as he walked away.

The falcon, pulling the robe back and getting off the man, runs up to the box with the sacred cup.

With trembling hands, she takes the stolen key from the pocket of her robe and opens the doors of the box. Taking the cup, she returns to the man's body. With her hand, she squeezes the man’s bloody neck and squeezes drops of blood into this cup.

“Whoever drinks the blood of a murdered person from this cup will gain his strength.”

Sokol gained strength, but at what cost.

One of the guards came in to check the chambers again. But how shocked he was when he saw only a corpse and a girl holding a sacred cup. As soon as he stretched out his hand to take out the blade, his head was pressed into the wall and, with quickly applied blows, turned into a porridge of meat.

Greedily killing everyone who stood in her way, the girl lost control, without even realizing how anger and hatred clouded her eyes.

Sokol ended all members of the clan, every single one, not even sparing the children who had previously brought her hope.

Having come to her senses, she dropped the cup into a pool of blood on which she herself was standing.

She covered her mouth with trembling hands while her eyes, getting wet, ran over the mountains of corpses in the area. Unable to believe and understand at that second what she had done, the girl filled the silence with her desperate silent scream with a stream of tears.

(Then I might edit some more, but now I want to sleep. Or I don’t want to. I want a normal schedule)