#i don't like that that's the reality but it is and it's a useful tool i guess
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hii i would need some advice.
after finding out about manifesting it became tricky for me to care about the 3D, not only in the good way but also the bad. like - I dont do stuff because i tell myself that I have it anyways you know. im still taking the Basic care of myself but i stopped studying and doing anything, I kinda just bedrot because "i already have it all" why would i do anything. I dont know how to battle that and logically tell myself to do something.
thank you
Why manifestation doesn't mean nothing matters:
I went through the same thing and the truth was that I cared very much about the 3D I just was depressed and deeply nihilistic.
I want to address the beliefs you've stated about manifestation but I think you should focus on the underlying mental health issue. This has all the traits of a depressive episode and should be treated as such. I am addressing the manifestation aspect because clearly it has been fueling your episode and I hope that this will help change your perspective even a little.
"the 3D doesn't matter" is a really common phrase. When I first heard it I wasn't familiar with loa and it was instead something a friend kept repeating. It scared the shit out of me.
The phrase is meant to convey that circumstances zre never able to prevent your manifestation and that you get to determine what you want in your reality regardless of whether or not it has physically manifested yet.
What it accidentally ended up becoming was "nothing is real nothing matters" which if you have any kind of mental health issue is a deeply triggering phrase.
The 3D isn't worthless it just isn't a factor in whether or not you can manifest something. The 3D is real. The 3D is something that matters because it matters to you.
The 4D isn't some mystical far off land, it's literally just your thoughts, visualizations, and internal experiences, and I doubt that those are all in alignment with your goals right now. When I was depressed my inner monologue was less "my life is so great" and more "why aren't I doing more" so that feeling piled up on itself and bled into my 3D until I wasn't doing anything.
The 3D is malleable and you can manifest anything within it yes but why should that mean you can't care about it? If you're manifesting it's probably because you care about your life and want it to improve.
To be clear I don't believe that nothing matters but even if it didn't why should that mean we give up on the things that make us happy? Nothing matters so do whatever the fuck you want. This doesn't make you happy so why should you do it if suffering is also meaningless?
The underlying mental health issue:
Disclaimer: I'm not a professional anything I say about depression is from personal experience. Please seek professional guidance.
This has all of the common signs of a depressive episode. It seems to me that you have a serious underlying mental health struggle and you've been using "nothing matters" as a way to justify staying in it.
I would like to start with: there is nothing wrong with you and this is not your fault.
There definitely was a time I thought the same way because I was scared to try to get better. Starting recovery can be scary because often there is a backwards comfort in leaning into it because you're no longer putting pressure on yourself to "do better".
"Nothing matters so why should I try" isn't loa, it's nihilism, and a very common mantra for those suffering with depression. You're not alone in thinking it.
If you want my advice as someone who's been there:
Obviously no advice I give you is going to cure you but I can give you tools that helped me.
Meet yourself where you're at. Don't try to go from bed rotting today to climbing a mountain tomorrow. It's like how you can't jump from the first level to the boss fight of the video game. You don't need to have all of it under control your goal should start one step above where you're at. So instead of a whole list of things you need to catch up with just start with showering or your hygiene. Keep that as your only goal until it's become a normal part of your life again and implement new goals in a similar way.
Every video I ever watched on self improvement overwhelmed me with everything I wasn't doing. The weight of my expectations for myself was the heaviest part of my episodes. Eventually I committed to the idea that I had only one responsibility and it was showering, anything else is just a bonus. Be kind to yourself. If all you change is the way you talk to yourself about it you will feel better. It's easy to fall into cycles of beating yourself up for everything you wish you were doing but that isn't benefitting you in any way. Give yourself some compassion.
Links
Against nihilism - john green
How to handle the 3D when manifesting
Mental health subliminal
#shiftblr#loa tumblr#shifting antis dni#loa blog#reality shifting#loassumption#loablr#loassblog#loassblr#loass states#loa success#loass post#loass#loa ask#loa assumptions#loa affirmations#loa advice#loa assumption#loa motivation#loa methods#loa manifestation
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Fic: Dreams to Reality
For @meljaymicrofics Day 4: Fantasy by Mariah Carey
Rating: G
Relationships: Jayce Talis/Mel Medarda
Summary: Dreams don't have to stay that way. Sometimes it starts with a glance and a touch.
aka Mel's fascination with Jayce may be more than a working relationship over his dreams
word count: 1026
“Piltover, the land of progress, equality, innovation. I know it sounds impossible, but when have we ever let that stop us? Please, just give us a chance.”
Jayce’s proposal, bordering on plea, clung onto the light beaming from Mel’s flashlight that cut through the obscurity of the night.
A flash from Jayce to Viktor, then back to Jayce. “One night, gentlemen,” she decisively said. “Impress me, or I’d suggest you pack your bags.” Speaking with a finality, her flashlight flicked off as the clicking of her heels dampened with her stride away for the night.
One last glimpse over her shoulder catching a silly grin evoked a smirk out of her.
Fascinating.
****
A little over two years into Mr. Talis’s “Hextech” research was proving to be a wise investment thus far for Mel. What started off with small prototypes such as Hextech capacitors and the like quickly gained momentum to Hextech regulators, assembly tools, and more. While the rest of the council continued to give scornful eyes towards the man, shying away thanks to Heimerdinger’s influence, Mel tucked a nonexistent stray hair behind her ear and listened closely.
She was frankly intrigued.
Hextech had boundless potential to make the activites of the people of Piltover easier in their work and general day-to-day living.
Being the only member of the Council who was in support of Mr. Talis’s Hextech innovation ideas, Mel maintained a careful eye on his and his partner’s progress. The man frankly made it very easy. When she was buried in her own paperwork, he’d become a pleasant respite.
Just as much when Mel would be done with her work for the day, she wouldn’t mind taking the longer route to the exit if it meant stealing a few glances at Mr. Talis’s fine back at work.
Pleasant thoughts could melt one’s stress and fatigue away quite easily.
****
“Business and income have been thriving lately,” Mel’s assistant Elora was one step behind flashing through incoming reports.
Mel chuckled. “It’s what we like to hear, Elora. Mr. Talis has been a lovely ass to the Medarda House’s claims in Piltover.”
“Asset, Mel.”
“Yes, exactly,” nodding confidently.
“No, um–” Elora’s eyes briefly darted about skittishly before pulling a cupped hand to her mouth, leaning into Mel’s ear. “You said ‘ass,’ Mel.”
Mel pulled away as if burned. “You’re fantasizing such things,” coolly condemning such allegations. Certainly Elora was someone Mel saw as one of her closest friends, but she was not one for that degree of tomfollery. Medardas had no place for it.
A heat crawled to Mel’s cheeks, feeling Elora’s eyes scan her up and down. Gratefully such heat fell when Elora took a step back and hummed.
“Maybe I am. My apologies. In any case…” With a smooth flick, she turned the paper in her report book, continuing to present projections for the upcoming year and proposal timelines for Mel.
Tried as she might, Mel decided she could review the details of the report on her own time. A certain golden boy’s figure was slipping more frequently through the gaps of the roaring fire in the center of the ballroom and the swirls in her gut were getting hard to ignore.
****
The invention and implementation of the HexGates were thus far one of Mr. Talis’s greatest contributions. To essentially negate the factor of travel time when journeying abroad… all of the neurons in Mel’s brain lit up as a clear night sky. Part of her wondered if Jayce truly grasped the cascading impact this would have on history.
Efficiency in economics, trade, and communication, Mel couldn’t be more proud of her golden boy.
Not hers hers in that regard, he had certainly won the heart of many citizens of Piltover over these years since the beginnings of Hextech, but a woman could dream of what that meant. What that could mean.
Mel wasn’t an idiot. Far from one. She could feel his eyes on her longer than necessary when she’d either leave a room or lead a path for the two of them. She was more than sure he wouldn’t complain if she put extra emphasis in the movement of her hips with each step.
If she could close her eyes and reach out, the daydreams would almost feel real to her.
****
“Thought I might find you here.”
Jayce’s figure standing by the edge of the balcony overlooking the city became more clear to Mel and she smiled brightly.
He turned to Mel with a faint smile before turning his gaze to the closest HexGate. “Generations ago through their tools, grit, and bare hands, my family helped the people forge this city from the ground up. Now, Piltover has become a beacon for innovation and progress. I can’t help but think of the power of magic– the power of HexTech– being the tool placed in citizen’s hands. The future and possibilities it could create!”
When Jayce reached towards the stars, so did she. “The history of the Medardas has been rife with destruction and self-profit,” Mel admitted. “This time, I’m glad I was in a position to do the opposite.” A soft nudge to the back of Jayce’s hand brought him back to her and her insides flipped once more at his handsome smile.
“Couldn’t have made it this far without you.”
Maybe it was the level of openness and comfort they’ve grown into over the years.
Maybe it was observing the beautiful cobalt blue of the hexcore illuminating the night along the stars, but Jayce’s admission brought a peculiar light to Mel’s chest.
If she could close her eyes and reach out…
Inhibitions cast aside when one hand intertwined with his, the other laid on his firm chest, and her lips captured his. As he reciprocated the affection, wrapping her hands around her waist, a not insignificant part of Mel was relieved the long glances over the years weren’t merely in her head.
When her hands were free to roam the expanse of his broad back and thick hair, Mel sighed into their kiss, feeling her very being bloom under his touch…
This must be that kind of love they write about in those stories and songs.
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Lrb honestly one of the most important things I've learned in this fandom is to not worry about "being annoying" or "worrying people".
I've been asking literally every person I could think of, to the point I should earn infamy amongst Soulsborne dataminers as that autist you really hope you won't attract the attention of XD And yet, one person DID answer my request for checking every Dark Souls 1 NPC properly and clarifying the three that supposedly don't have faces! Not only Rayan was so kind despite (what seems like) Dark Souls 1 being tedious to hack, but we even discovered curious unused content character and extra lore for Lautrec! But even just faces should have been shot properly a DECADE ago!
And that would not have happened, had I gave up after several times of receiving cicada noises on my questions, even from people who normally talked to me! Just remember to never give up, there is always a person who will help just because they can!
#in my defence I always specified that I was willing to learn to mine myself if it was hard!#just tell me what tools modders use!#learning IT stuff to get a normal job and stop living in powerty: nnnaaahhhh#learning IT stuff to uncover secrets of my special interest: 👀👀👀👀👀#never underestimate how much we are detached from reality when our interest doesn't 'anchor' us hfhyjh#I am more of a ghost than fantomette is#👻#personal#again would be even better to have screenshots of sliders to play AS characters#but like I said meeting Rayan already was such a luck that I'd rather not push it#one step at the time ok?#bruh I hope someone even more advanced in code stuff could explain how grana got so broken#literally how this is possible XD#also sorry if anyone left me dms or asks I am not in the mood to check anything on this account rn#social battery low#also#finding a working VPN to talk to people on Discord again: naaaahhhh#finding it to contact the one person who can help: 👀👀👀👀👀👀#in my defence like I said I don't have battery#I just want to be left alone literally all the time and not interact beyond liking posts#just depression period..#waiting for normal or uplifted one#in next epoch lol
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-- Poorly Constructed Enchanted Tool --
A small tool carved from a fruit tree seed. Energy to power the enchantment has seemingly run-out long ago, and the method of recharging is unknown - but, based on the appearance, it's very likely that this was once used for detecting magic. Usually, looking through the glass center would highlight areas of higher magical energy concentration present in the viewer's environment, even if they were otherwise obscured to the naked eye. While this form of enchantment itself is highly advanced, the craftsmanship of the item is far less neat or complex than what might be typically seen in similar devices. It may have been made as part of training/practice, or as a hasty replacement for a previous tool that had broken.
#written from the perspective of some fantasy traveler who checks all of the local thrift-stores and lost & found places for every#town they visit - looking for interesting items and documenting them or something#In reality - just another one of my goofy little avocado pit carvings lol. Still working on inlaying little stones in them and stuff#I don't really have the tools to make super intricate stuff but doing little plain swirly patterns is still fine enough lol.#WORKING ON NEW POLL ADVENTURE also I know I know it's been months.. I have been Busy and struck by the evils of summer#But like I mentioned in the previous one I do want to at LEAST finish the quest with the egg lol#ANYWAY.#Things like this would plausibly exist in Nanyevimi (my fantasy world) but wouldn't be very common as - like mentioned- this would be an#extremely advanced enchantment. REALLY advanced mages could sense magic around them (to varying degrees of pinpoint accuracy of location#) without even having to use any external device. But for a majority of people there's really no way to know someone is using magic near#you unless you either see visual proof or if it's strong enough to feel effects from it (since magic is kind of like radiation in that the#higher energy/more of it youre exposed to the more it damages you/can make you sick/etc.) and even then most people would just be like#'hmm why do I feel so nauseous and bad out of nowhere?' likely wouldn't directly think to link it to magic. Thus the only really reliable w#way isto just hone your senses over like 500 years as you become an expert mage - OR use enchantments like these. But a 'sense magic' encha#ntment is not as common as a just 'magic is not allowed here' enchantment. If you wanted to prevent magic from being usedin a space#it's easier to just put up a broad barrier enchantment around that space than to have some sort of Magic Sensor to pick out if it's being#done and then handle each individual case of it . etc. etc. These sort of things can have their uses (especially for people investigating#things or trying to be secretive about detecting something etc.) but are less common - especially in this form (where visuals are used. itd#be more likely to jsut have like 'piece of metal that gets warm or cool depending on magic nearby'.) ANWAY so this is why it's a notable#object. Though a majority of the realm is not very magic literate - if you were a researcher or a mage and found this at a pawn shop you'd#definitely be like 'oohhh!! :0 inch resting... ' if not you might just be like 'oh cool necklace!' lol#also love the quick 2min ''costume'' for the image of it being used. literally just 'wrap yourself in scarves from the waist up' and slap o#a wig and ears lol#on this blog I guess since it's worldbuilding related and technically art.. maybe more like crafting? I should have a crafts tag lol.. hmm
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The blue line under "facebook" when Mark is blogging never fails to get me. It's just such a good detail to acknowledge how much he and his company changed the internet.
#i will not say for better or for worse because i think it is both#on one hand fb and insta (to a degree) are cesspits of evil#on the other hand they're great ways (and kinda some of the only ways) to promote and support small/local businesses#and good ways to connect with people that you haven't seen in a while#i don't like that that's the reality but it is and it's a useful tool i guess#but once again the culture it promotes of constantly being connected is just. yk awful#anyway i digress#the social network#mark zuckerberg#finn's flailings#tsn live blog
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people are so shocked when they learn about the absolute depravity of the world thats right in front of them. not that its Good to be desensitized to horrific shit but like i am not surprised. every new bad news thing that comes out i am not surprised. yes, they will ignore death. they will let you die without a second thought. i'm sorry you are only just now learning this.
#like yes things are horrible right now and i get it#but ive seen two posts that are like how can people ignore this!!!!!#thats all the gov does. ignore shit and make problems worse#they do not fucking care who dies. UNLESS your death brings them money. then they actively encourage it.#like. did you know we did in fact have “the tools” to stop covid from becoming a pandemic?#did you know that we could have ended the pandemic fairly quickly too?#we didn't use them. they sent everyone “back to normal” so you can all die for capitalism.#unless you have kept up REALLY WELL chances are you have no fucking idea how high the covid death toll is. its higher than what's reported#the public has been being fed to the fucking wolves for years now. before covid too but for the entire pandemic especially#we have been left behind!!!! im sorry you only see that now and its a harsh reality to wake up to#like absolutely continue to call your senators and reps and whatever. like thats still a completely viable option#continue to educate yourself and talk about issues and keep it in discussion#but like. idk. its heartbreaking i get it.#especially to see people incredulously cry and wonder “how could our leaders see this suffering and ignore it?”#people have been left to “fall to the wayside” for years now and its just that now you see it#i understand the betrayal of “i thought those in office were there to PROTECT us and i thought they cared!”#anyway. idk i don't want to say things are futile . like keep trying cause thats all we Can do
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#I'm not saying I'm perfect; but I'm saying I can at least cite places where I've changed my mind when given new evidence#I used to be hardline pacifist; shut down all military everywhere type thinking#but I saw the horror of what was happening in Ukraine#and it didn't take much for me to see that the only solution was to give them the weapons to defend themselves with#and sadly that means I have to admit that weapons manufacture does serve a purpose and is required even if it shouldn't be#and it means... fucking having to admit the DOD needs to exist even though I hate them#doesn't mean I don't get to think that they need to... you know... pass a fucking audit#and doesn't mean I don't think they need to be reigned in; that there's dangers to opaque cultures like military culture#and it doesn't mean... doesn't mean I like the army or the military industrial complex#just that... as I understand more about defense economics and logistics... I against what I want to see#begin to see points to making large numbers of missiles and shit because... quantity of production can bring prices down#you can end up getting a lot more for the same price; and... and you can sell them; which again I morally oppose but...#I'm coming to accept is just a fact of life when you have people willing to invade their neighbor#maybe you should sell them some weapons; recoup some of the insane spending you've done; and give them tools to defend themselves#I fucking changed my mind on this despite frankly finding it all abhorrent and thinking the US is run like a shit show#because sometimes the reality of things has to win out over what I think should be the reality of things#and sometimes the wellbeing of Ukrainians outweighs if I believe in war or not#I may not fucking be close to perfect; and there's probably plenty of places I'm wrong about shit#hell; even here I could actually somehow be wrong#(though I'm sorry... it's hard to see the people suffering horribly and not think they need to be able to defend themselves)#but at least I fucking am capable of changing my mind... which I feel like is more than some of you#you'll never fucking acknowledge that you might be doing great great great harm based purely on belief#while I in disagreeing with you at least admit I could be wrong but am acting on my best information#at least I fucking stumble and grope my way through life without the knowledge of good and evil#I'd far rather than then boldly stomp my way through life so certain I'm right; the bodies under my boots be damned#fuck you for your dogmatic points of you; and worst of all fuck you for not even meaning to be cruel or cause pain#yet still closing your eyes to any pain you do cause because you know you're actually right#you spin every last thing that defies what you believe till it only reinforces it#and I see no way to get you to sit down at the table and try and figure out what's best for everyone#because you'd just boldly proclaim you already knew and demand I agree
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First, the pervasiveness of this litter box thing is ridiculous. I think it has been debunked like a thousand times.
And the *actual* reason schools have cat litter has nothing to do with students identifying as cats.
"Columbine High School has been stocking classrooms with small amounts of cat litter since 2017, but as part of ‘go buckets’ that contain emergency supplies in case students are locked in a classroom during a shooting."
But I actually want to talk about the Tootsie Roll Pop gender thing.
They are trying to criticize a child psychologist, Dr. Diane Ehrensaft, who works at a gender clinic.
I'm sure a lot of their audience who see "gender minotaur" or "gender Tootsie Roll Pops" will completely write off this woman and claim she is a nutcase.
But conservatives and Fox News love to omit context and nuance.
Here is the document all of this stemmed from...
The implied Fox narrative is that Dr. Ehrensaft is creating silly genders and then labeling kids as minotaurs or smoothies.
In reality, she is describing all of the creative ways young kids and teens use to explain how they feel about their gender.
These kids probably don't have a lot of information or the vocabulary to express themselves in more traditional terms, so they've come up with analogies to help adults understand what they are feeling.
That doesn't seem ridiculous at all.
And I actually think these kids are quite clever.
So these conservatives are basically making fun of kids who are confused and seeking help to understand themselves.
Real classy.
And if these kids learn adults are making fun of them, they may feel embarrassed to use these communicative tools—making it that much harder for their therapists and doctors to help them.
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Yes! And not only that, but it's also heavily implied that whatever family Fink did have was... not good. His lines about his mom's parenting style are played for laughs, and they're absolutely funny in the moment ("swimming's easy! I can teach him the same way my mom taught me. SWIM!" *drop-kicks the child*) ("My mom used to rock me to sleep. LIKE THIS! *swings a literal rock*). And yet, moments later, when they're addressed in a serious manner, you realize that Fink was actually confessing just how messed up his childhood was.
Right after the rock incident, he tells Roz, "Hey! I turned out just fine." That's the CLASSIC line that (cw child abuse) plenty of people whose parents hit them as a kid will say in response to how you, like, should not hit your kids. The fact that his mom threw him into water and said sink or swim and also got him to sleep in a forceful way is indicative of nature's harshness, yes... but it's also a metaphor for cruelty in real-life parenting. And boy does that resonate.
He reveals it all when Roz asks how he can tell a story about something he claims not to understand: love. Fink's body language shifts to both protective and vulnerable as he's all curled up. Then he admits, "Yeah, well, when you grow up without something... you spend a lot of time thinking about it." Okay, ouch. Major character motivation unlocked.
Once Roz powers down, Fink looks wistfully at her, leaves his comfy bed, and goes and settles in under her arm, curled up close to her with Brightbill above. It speaks volumes about how he admitted something and now finally has someone caring about him - and now that she's not awake, he's free to actually seek out the affection he wants without having to explain it away with a witty one-liner.
We don't get a lot of details. Fink definitely could've lost his family young. And however long he had his mom clearly damaged him and his worldview. Roz is the first one to care about him not just in a long time, but possibly ever. Which makes it all the more poignant when you see him helping raise Brightbill with things he never got.
The story Fink told Brightbill might not have even been something his mom told him. It might have been what Fink wished his mom had told him. A story he thought up late at night, imagining it being narrated by someone who loved him.
An aspect I highly admire about The Wild Robot is the manner they explore Fink’s implied trauma, when he helps Brightbill go to sleep with that story about a loving mother finding her son. Likely a story Fink’s mom shared with him as a child to help put the guy to sleep.
It’s never outright stated word for word, but God you can feel Fink’s underlying solitude, pain, and sadness throughout this film’s run time. Fink clearly lost his own mother, along with whatever other relatives, he had at a young age to nature’s harshness, leading to a selfish loner attitude, until Roz crashed into his life.
One moment that seriously stood out to me is before the winter storm slammed into their island Roz asked Fink about love and he says, “Dunno. I wouldn’t know anything about it…”, as he walked away with a crushed look on his face into the darker part of the forest. Going deep into his lowly nest curled up into a ball alone. It says so much, by doing very little dialogue, about Fink’s life he has led up to now.
Love it when movies have you read more in between the lines on scenes to get an answer.
#well now I just hurt myself thinking about that last part#it's amazing how they tell us so much with SO FEW WORDS#tons of Fink's backstory is told through his expressions and body language once he actually lets his guard down!#it's also a classic case of - to quote The Good Place -#“people improve when they get external love and support”#like????? guhhhhhh#Roz shows him kindness when she takes all the spines off his face#and she didn't have to do that! she could've just left him! he stole her gosling egg after all!!!#but he was hurt and she had the tools to help and so it was like. why wouldn't she!!#and because of that gesture of kindness she had someone helping her with Brightbill and getting all his needs met!!#and Fink sticks around and shows kindness (in his own foxy way at first and then more earnest later) to Brightbill and Roz in their journey#and one by one others join in (Paddler giving Roz a new leg had me crying so hard in the theater)#and like. people being kind when they don't have to is literally what saves everyone in this film#that's such a common message but to see it done THIS WELL and this BEAUTIFULLY is such an impactful thing#and part of it is how well the movie portrays cruelty and the harsh realities of life and death and the ABSENCE of kindness#because then when the characters start showing compassion for each other - it doesn't feel cheap#in fact it feels so hard-won and significant#so. yeah. I'm so normal about this movie. and I'm completely fine#the wild robot#potato speaks#potato yells about the wild robot#meta: wild robot
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pick a pile - you in your own eyes vs. you in your fs' eyes
welcome lovely reader! let's take a peak into how you view yourself, compared to how your future lover will view you. breathe slowly, take your time and use your intuition to go with the pile that speaks to you the most. remember to take what resonates, and leave what doesn't. 𓆩♡𓆪
°❀⋆.pile 1ೃ࿔*:・
you in your own eyes
you see yourself as someone who isn't very easily impressed or satisfied. you might struggle with chronic pessimism and seeing the brighter side of things sometimes and seem aware of it. you are manifesting a better life for yourself.
you might lack substantial belief and trust in yourself to do well, and see yourself as someone who's more of capable of hoping and wishful thinking, rather than courageously taking the initiative and acting on your desires.
you believe you don't have the needed tools to follow your dreams just yet (financially, mentally or in terms of maturity) you also might be afraid of change; this could result in a habit of just staying in your comfort zone in the end.
you might see yourself as someone who's still too immature and inexperienced. not sure why this came through, but some of you might even think that you just aren't overly smart. (spirit is telling me you're wrong!) you might feel like a late bloomer who's been a little stagnant in their life or slower in your growth compared to others. a lot of comparing yourself to other people here.
i heard “dreamer with a heavy heart” from the song cruel world by faye. perhaps you could connect to that song; it talks about feeling like the world just challenges you continuously, but the dreamer inside of you remaining alive despite the hurt.
you might think that you're quite alone in this world. someone who's just used to being on your own, doing things on your own. you see yourself as a person who tries lighting their own path instead of relying on anyone else.
you see yourself as someone who's constantly wishing to learn from the things that life throws at you, and turning every life lesson into something that helps you grow.
you might experience fomo sometimes; fear of missing out.
it does seem as if you're still trying your best to hold on to this glimmer of hope within you.. you're aware that you're someone who could make it happen, if only they took a leap of faith.
you're very humble, dedicated and eager to learn at heart, so deep down you acknowledge that the potential and desire is there. you just aren't sure how to translate it into reality.
i think you're in the midst of slowly healing from negative experiences, which have had a profound impact on you. you're trying to practice self-forgiveness and letting go of the past, but still might struggle with self-doubts and insecurities.
you in your fs' eyes
your fs will see you as someone resilient with a strong personality, who's had to endure a lot of challenges and conquer many obstacles in their life. this gave you thick skin.
they might look at you as a person who wasn't as easy to get to, because you do have your walls up at first, and people need to prove themselves to you before they can get past them. they look at you as someone who's protective of their own space, and doesn't allow people to access them as easily.
their first impression might consist of seeing you in snappy defensive mode, where you had to stand up for yourself.
they'll think that you're someone independent who challenges the status quo; focused on first and foremost, going after what you set yourself up to, unafraid to stand out and be different. a person who's more interested in following their own rules, instead of joining the crowd or blending in.
your fs looks at you as a person who's determined to build their own financial stability and independence before relying on anyone else to do it.
which is interesting, because i do think this person could be relatively well off and wanting to provide you, but you don't seem very interested in basking in anyone else's money.
they could see you as marriage material quite quickly and think about building a future together, but soon after might realize you're not someone eager to jump into a commitment as such, if you don't feel secure in yourself first.
this has the potential to humble them quite a bit, and awaken the realization that you're someone more self-sufficient; and if anyone feels the desire to be with you, they gotta remain patient and consistent in their efforts.
you seem like a person who can make people work for your attention in order to understand the value of it, which your fs is likely to take notice of and feel even more intrigued by.
it's possible your fs isn't really used to people playing hard to get with them, which is why you might stand out a lot.
°❀⋆.pile 2ೃ࿔*:・
you in your own eyes
you see yourself as artistic, creative, passionate and warm.
you might believe that you're the type of person who's quite sure of what they want in material or financial terms, ready to realize your ambitions and goals in a bold manner; but with a soft spot when it comes to their emotional world.
like you usually have a strong character, but some sappy little things might still get you all sensitive, teary-eyed and emotional. some of you might be a little embarrassed about this too. (don't be, it's very endearing)
i feel like some of you might have fire suns with water moons
you might see yourself as a dreamy person, who's in love with the concept and idea of being in love. someone who often finds themselves seeking romance and everything it entails.
you look at yourself as a person who tries to find beauty in everything they do; just loving to romanticise life and its little things. you might love and identify a lot with art, music, etc.
at the same time, you seem to be aware of how you definitely are not as easy as you appear to be, and for sure find yourself cautious of people trying to take advantage of you.
like i see you as a person who can be willingly delusional sometimes just to beautify life a little bit, but absolutely not as a person who's easily fooled or played with.
it's almost like the more people get to know you, the easier it is for them to spot your more sensitive and soft side. the rest might see more of your more fiery and strong sides, since that's usually how you present yourself to the outside.
it seems like as time went on, you've learnt to be more wary of people's motives and intentions, and understood the importance of cultivating clear boundaries in terms of how closely you connect to others, and how much you let them in.
you can have your outgoing and social moments, but it's likely you've become good at keeping a healthy inner distance to a lot of people you're surrounded by; almost like making them believe they're your friend, when in your eyes they're not really.
you also might see yourself as someone who's not afraid to fight when necessary; a person who will not allow others to step all over them. you'll step over them twice as hard.
i see a lot of this inner fierceness inside of you coming from potential trust issues; not always feeling like everyone has your best interests at heart. you might have been betrayed a few times, which has taught you to be more cautious, and just keeping certain, more personal things to yourself.
you in your fs' eyes
your fs sees you as a vibrant and charismatic person, who has this very radiant and captivating presence to them.
they might feel like the world stops whenever they look at you; you make everyone and everything else feel less important.
their first impression is likely to consist of you being this attractive, charming and confident person, who has an inspiring and intriguing effect on them.
similarly to pile 3, they're likely to look at you as a person who's quite different to them in a variety of ways; whether that's your ethnicity, culture, views, beliefs, lifestyle, upbringing.
your fs sees in you, someone who can pull this spark of energy and motivation out of situations others would feel sad about.
like the type of person who's just eager to gets the spirits up if the mood ever gets too gloomy and negative.
they look at you as a bright and powerful person, who doesn't like dwelling on the past and isn't easily beat down by their losses, but on the contrary, sees them as an opportunity for a new and potentially even better start.
example, they might watch you go through a break up and wonder how much it'd affect you emotionally, just for you to get back up and appear as confident and vibrant as ever.
you're giving a person who has the best break-up glow ups.
like you wanna prove to whoever lost out on you, that it in no way is your loss, but definitely is theirs. it's giving princess diana black revenge dress.
as the connection progresses, it's likely for your fs to see you more and more as someone they'd want to settle down and start a family with.
for my girls out there; your fs might quite literally, want you to be the mother of their children. they're likely to look at you as someone who has great potential to be a mother, because you're so multi-facetted and wellrounded.
in your fs eyes', not only are you a strong, independent and self-sufficient character who's capable of confidently taking charge of situations, but you're also immensely nurturing, caring and kind towards the people dearest to you.
they think that you hold a lot of empathy and genuine love for the special people in your life, and have this natural ability to make them feel understood, and taken care of.
i thought of this moment when justin bieber talked about seeing hailey bieber with a baby and thinking “she is the one.”
also, this keeps coming through; they just think you're beautiful. like.. so so pretty. they might stare at you a lot.
“i could look at you all day and never get sick of the sight.”
°❀⋆.pile 3ೃ࿔*:・
you in your own eyes
you see yourself as a bit of a lone-wolf, someone who doesn't feel understood by many people, and doesn't really feel like they always fit into too many places.
a person who's in continuous search of their true belonging, and their spot where they feel safe and comfortable.
you think of yourself as a deep, reflective and introspective person who seeks profound understanding of yourself and life. you might be aware of how you need alone-time, as well as times of peace and quiet to recharge.
you long to find your own identity and true purpose, outside of what other people want or expect from you.
some of you might even feel the desire to move overseas in hopes that the change of environment could help you step into your power and strength more. there's some feelings of.. feeling like you're not where you should be, and believing that your current environment doesn't serve you. this isn't where you see your best self thriving and blossoming.
some of you might be using your spirituality to manifest a better life, and spend a lot of time on the internet trying to find guidance and ways to manifest your dream life.
you simply do not see yourself as a person, who's okay with just allowing others to take control of what you do, or your life.
you see yourself as a very driven person, who once they set their mind to something, absolutely have to get it done. like tunnel vision, this is what i want and nothing else.
while at the same time, you usually aren't someone who acts on a completely impulsive whim; you try your best to make all your decisions based on logic and reason.
you might recognize yourself as being a fairminded person, who's eager to balance your focus on your goals and your strong determination, with the importance to remain responsible and just in the way you get there.
there might be a struggle in you, between following the path you deem as best for yourself, while also making sure the people around you don't have to suffer because of it.
this dilemma between serving yourself, and serving others.
the dilemma between standing out, and fitting in.
you're strong, pile 3.. i know the road here wasn't easy, but you're persevering and doing an absolutely applaudable job.
you in your fs' eyes
your fs will view you as someone who's quite different to them. a person who's like a breath of fresh air.
they might notice that you hold beliefs different to them, proceed with things differently or approach certain situations differently, and therefore intrigue them majorly.
they'll look at you as a person who can transform them. someone who has the potential to change their life in a significant and impactful manner.
they also could see you as someone quite unpredictable, who always brings something new and fresh to the table.
your fs could be someone with masculine energy, potential earth sign. they're someone who's work-oriented, mature, possibly older than you in age, good with money and has a strong sense of responsibility.
they will see you as a person who's much more in tune with their emotions than them, and has this beautiful sense of empathy, and compassion for the people around them.
a loving person who supports others in a gentle and caring manner, and has a comforting and warm effect on them.
they will like how you bring this new sense of affection into their environment.
you could help them steer their gaze away from work work work, and make them believe in the beauty of love again.
like this person will literally have their fantasies awakened because of you. you will make them believe that soulmates are real, and that they finally found their person in you.
the puzzle piece they didn't know was missing in their lives.
it's almost like “how am i so attracted to pile 3.. when they're so different to me?” you'll quite literally have them wrapped around your finger.
this person might be someone who's usually quite stubborn and stuck in their ways, but something about your unique existence will change that; they'll want to understand someone else's opinions for a change.
they'll truly feel this desire to put themselves into your shoes and look at things from your point of view. you might quite literally teach them what empathy means.
both of you give the vibe of someone more independent, but are likely to change that for each other.
like you will make your fs want to be alone together with someone; that person will be you. and vice versa.
you'll find home in each other.
oh i could go on & on about this pile, the energy is so sweet
even as i started shuffling, i already began going into full on dreamy lovey-dovey 🥰 mode
#kpop tarot#pac reading#pac#tarot reading#tarot community#tarot#personal reading#pick a card#pick a pile#pick a card reading
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How To Shut Up A Woman In Three Steps: The Transmisogynist's Guide
I - Her Tone
This is, by far, the easiest tool to wield effectively against a trans woman. If she is short in her responses, then you can accuse her of harassment and unwarranted anger; if she outright blocks you then you can simply claim that she only cares about her small-minded internet echo chamber; and if she engages with you at any length then you can quite easily nitpick her language and tone until she is thoroughly discredited.
Even better, she will most certainly become annoyed with you - in this scenario, all you have to do is argue that she is aggressive, hysterical, and quite likely a danger to society, and you will be believed by a great many people. This is, of course, because the trans woman's natural position is as a fundamental danger to society. Therefore, it takes very little convincing for an onlooker to come to that selfsame conclusion with some prompting. They may not even be aware that they are falling victim to their own inherent transmisogynistic bias, which is why this approach is quite beautiful in its simplicity! For those who don't immediately believe you, you can easily dismiss them as brainwashed idiots, syncophants, or both.
To drive your point home, call her a terf, a radfem, or a baeddel. If she has ever, in anger, spoken poorly of cis queers, or even better of transmascs, then this will become trivial to argue. Tell her that she is the problem, that she is contributing to community infighting, and that she should really be trying harder to work on this whole "trans unity" thing. Blame all oppression on her. For bonus points, when you tell her that she is dividing the community, you can also throw in the idea that should be making out with you instead of arguing. (This is, of course, because women primarily belong as sex objects to men, and if she would stop having so many opinions then perhaps she would understand this better.)
II - Her Privilege
This is an expanded version of the former tactic, because it requires a certain level of delicacy in the wording you use. However, people react quite strongly to the language of privilege, irrespective of whether that language reflects a material reality, and therefore this is a fantastic way to make a woman stop whining.
I would advise you to check if the woman is white; if she is, then you can easily accuse her of weaponizing her whiteness. (N.B. If she has not stated her race publicly, or if you can't be bothered to check, then this accusation will still work - if she is actually a woman of color, you may very easily claim that you were making a statement about white trans women in general. Further, it is not necessary for you yourself to be a person of color; as long as you position her as uniquely privileged in her whiteness, your own whiteness will remain irrelevant.)
In a similar bent, it is always quite possible for you to dismiss her theory as being "white." Always posit that she is championing a sort of wealthy white woman's privilege, always claim that transfeminism is at its core non-intersectional, and always claim that transfeminist theory in its entirety was created by the white woman - in this way, you may mark her as a privileged white bitch regardless of her race, national origin, or identity. (Under no circumstances should you mention or acknowledge the existence of trans women of color, as this immediately disarms your rhetorical weapon. In fact, if she brings up trans women of color, it is most necessary for you to claim that she is co-opting their experiences.) If you can imply that she is a racist while doing so, then you will be even more successful.
If this fails, then there are other similar cudgels you can implement to great effect: perhaps claims of intersexism, exorsexism, or sex-based discrimination. Call her a "perisex trans woman," a "binary trans woman," an "amab trans person." Say that she is speaking over the real victims; if you must combine multiple (or all!) of these terms at once in order to make her seem like a uniquely privileged party, then do so without hesitation. If she has ever had a bad opinion, or an opinion that you might frame without context as being a bad opinion, then simply publicize that. However, in the absence of such, see rulebook as follows: if she talks only of trans women in general, then you must bring up transmasculine nonbinary people; if she talks of transfeminine nonbinary people, then you must bring up intersex people; if she talks of trans people as a whole then you ought to circle right back around to claiming that she could never understand what trans men have gone through. Never concede that, say, an intersex trans woman exists, because that will inevitably lose you rhetorical ground.
Insinuate that she is herself the oppressor, that she is regressive and small-minded. In fact, if you really wish to run circles around her, then you can easily accuse her of upholding her own oppression by arguing that she is upholding a gender binary, enforcing sex-based division in the community with her language. If she describes herself as a victim of transmisogyny, then tell her that all people can be victims of transmisogyny; if she tells you that this is inaccurate, then simply argue that she is speaking over the real victim (you).
In fact, if you misgender yourself and claim to be oppressed due to your assigned birth sex, then she will have no recourse to fight back - because we all know that she is really a male, and therefore is silencing you poor natal women, who are the true arbiters of female oppression, and the real experts on misogyny. If you intend to utilize this specific tack, then I would personally suggest you use "they/them" to refer to her, because delegitimizing her womanhood is a key component to this argument.
III - Unpersoning
If both of the above techniques have failed (unlikely!) then you may now proceed to that age-old transmisogynistic technique: weaponizing her fetishes. This can be a bit more difficult to bring up naturally, but it is a last resort that can produce some fantastic results. Ask yourself the following: Has she posted about CNC? Has she talked about siscon roleplay? Has she ever engaged in a little/caretaker dynamic? Has she ever made a forcefem joke? In order, your claim against her should be as follows: she loves rape, she loves incestuous abuse, she loves to fuck children, and she personally wants to nonconsensually detransition every transmasc because of her violent perversion. It should be quite simple to get people to turn on her. If she has ever interacted with a user who has posted any of these things, simply consider her tainted by association and dismiss her in the same manner.
This is, as previously discussed, due to her natural position as a degenerate danger to society; simply reinforce that concept wherever possible, until she is driven away from her online circle entirely. Do not outright use the word "autogynephilia," but you can certainly suggest the actual tenets of the idea to wonderful effect.
This can be implemented via statements such as, "oh, so now the incest lover is going to tell me about the oppression i experience;" however, if you would care to be more subtle, then you can set up a slow-burn whisper network to turn her friends and acquaintances against her, or dedicate years to harassing her in her comments section whenever possible.
If she has pushed you far enough that this technique has become necessary, then it is clear that she must be a hostile force in the community who ought to be removed by any means. Therefore, it falls to you to try to get her to cut herself off from everyone who might support her - this will efficiently shut her up. If you can get her to kill herself, then it will silence her permanently (and cause you to win the argument, by extension)!
Just remember: what you are doing is noble and correct, because any woman who claims that a man has power over her is one who is better off dead.
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Connecting with Gods and Deities
Hello, My name is Alva Tauri! I am an herbalist, spirit worker, tarot and oracle reader, and lunar and herbal witch dedicated to closing the education gap when it comes to herbalism and witch practices!
Today, I wanted to talk about ways in which I connect with the Gods and deities I worship in my life, to aid new witches in this task in their day to day practice. I believe that we oftentimes overcomplicated this part of our practice and that can make this task seem overwhelming and daunting when, in reality, connection can be simple.
I want to gear this post towards my new witches who do not fully grasp the concept yet or don't yet have an altar, as well as my fellow neurodivergent, mentally ill, and/or chronically ill witches who may find this task daunting for other reasons (I.E. low physical, low mental energy, physical pain, etc.) A portion of this post will be dedicated to low energy ways to connect with your Gods and/or deities to make your practice a bit easier.
Let's get started!
Day to Day Connections
it can be difficult to remember to do rituals or sit at our altar intentionally in our busy lives. here are some tasks you can do within minutes every single day to connect with your Gods and/or deities - great for days that are hectic or with minimal free time:
light a candle and simply say thank you
offer the meal or snack that you made to them
offer your drink to them
bit them goodmorning and goodnight
thank them for the things you enjoy throughout your day
dedicate a cleaning task to them (I.E. vacuuming, doing laundry, etc.)
cleanse your space spiritually and dedicate that task to them (I.E. sage burning, incense, etc.)
Altar-less Connections
we were all new or closeted witches at one point in our lives. none of us started with an altar and a fancy set up with all the tools we needed. here are some ways that you can connect with your Gods and/or deities without an altar:
read about your Gods and/or deities myths and legends
spend some time meditating and simply thinking about them
wear their colors as symbols
make a digital offering to them online
write poetry for them
pray to them
make a playlist for them and listen to it
talk to them about your day (this can be in your head if you are closeted. you do not have to pray out loud for them to hear you. they are always with you and supporting you)
Low Energy Connections
for my fellow neurodivergent, chronically ill, and/or mentally ill witches, here is a section full of little ways you can connect with your Gods and/or deities on rough days that leave you with low mental or physical energy:
pray from the comfort of your bed (they will know you mean this with good intentions. they will not be offended. trust me.)
talk to them about your day
dedicate your self-care routine (no matter how short or long it is) to your Gods and/or deities
offer them your food or drink - this can be as simple as offering them a glass of water if that is all you have the energy to get in that moment
light a candle or incense in their honor (I recommend incense if you are feeling truly exhausted, as you can leaving it burning without any major repercussions, unlike a candle)
dedicate a moment of rest to them (I.E. sleeping, taking a nap, even just taking a moment to sit in silence and rest your body and mind)
make a playlist for them and listen
make a post or pinterest board in their honor
Advanced, More Time Consuming Methods of Connection
on days that you have the time and the energy and are feeling a calling to make a bigger grand gesture, here are some tasks I like to do at my altar. NOTE: you do not have to do these everyday or even every week. if you feel a calling to do this, then do. if you do not, then these are not required. remember, at the end of the day you know your relations with your Gods and/or deities better than anyone else. trust your gut and your intuition:
COMING SOON!
That's all for connections with your Gods and/or Deities! I hope that you found this helpful in your spiritual journey and I hope that you are able to apply this information to your practice.
if you have any questions regarding anything discussed here or anything you feel that I have missed, please send an ask to my ask box! I appreciate all comments and questions!
For more information on my practice, witchcraft, herbalism, spirit work, and divination please check out the guide on my page (linked here)! Everything I have ever posted can be found there!
I wish you all a blessed day filled with peace, endless wealth, and eternal health! Until the next time we meet!
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my father told me he read it, but he hasn't read it. that's okay. my friends keep picking the words out of my throat.
someone once told me that the more trigger warnings that go on a book, the better it is. i didn't mean to write something with so many conditional phrases - i was writing about what i felt while being a human. sometimes you are a person and sometimes you are a statistic. sometimes it is falling upwards and sometimes it's sliding back down again.
my father tells me that it will be difficult to get people to read it. i didn't like the idea of a singular genre. i'm not going to lie to you - it is actually a difficult book to get through. i change the rules in it. it's not poetry or prose explicitly. it's neither false nor reality. i give you the tools to "solve" the book, but i let you do the thinking. my father says people don't care to think. i don't know about that - i think we just, like, enjoy reading.
the thing is - i was tired of stories about survival where someone with depression goes to therapy and wakes up okay. i didn't live like that. i was tired of books about violence, where the gore of what i experience was splashed in glitter to lick off the page. like, i was a person, you know? i had a life and a job and a family. and in books, i watched my story get ripped up so people could explore the viscera of my body. so they could feel good. my brother once called it inspiration pornography. we had walked out of a suicide-prevention seminar, both of us disgusted while the increasingly-elated presenter kept listing methods-of. i remember the look on my brother's face. like i would tear that man apart given the right time and place.
my father says that kids these days. he warns me against writing about things that are too-serious. he says that they don't want it. i don't listen. he does make me take out a scene from the book where i go to church after having sex with a woman. it used to be the 7th scene in the book. i don't think he's read further than that, it rocked him too hard to continue.
it's a book about being queer. it's a book about being raised catholic. it doesn't have monsterfucking, i'm sorry. it's just about, like.
at some point you have to choose to stay here. and then you do have to stay here, which takes practice. this is about forming the habit. this is about what happens after you've already started doing the work. because, like. you keep going. you have to. and it's like. very imperfect.
i should make a post on instagram. i should make this announcement less bittersweet. but like -- i'm giving it you, specifically, because i think you know why i had to write it. you and me. this little community.
body's a bad monster. here's the link if you're interested in ordering.
#i will never shut up about this#by the way . this is the book that u are trying to get me to eat#also available on other links!! barnes and noble and s&S#also btw i drew the cover :) they asked me to lol#btw this isn't self-published. this is like. book deal thru simon and schuster
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I always appreciate a good rant about Isaac :)
The part about the Curse exonerating him reminds me way too much of how someone on TvTropes kept insisting, and was never corrected, that Isaac was downright possessed by Dracula during CoD. Not only it is, like, factually wrong, because Hector got also hit in the face with the Curse and it's clear that there was no Dracula in his brain, but also I hate it precisely because it would reduce Isaac to a mere meat puppet. no guys, when he kissed trevor he was perfectly lucid
I know no one read the mangas in that joint. But Isaac severing corpses' hands as trophies in PtR and killing his own underlings to be free to kill Hector behind Isaac's back in the MF manga were all him. Hell, serving Dracula in the first place was all him, even if we go with the MF manga's idea that Hector and Isaac knocked on Drac's door as children when it became clear to them that there was no other place where they could exist.
Isaac is presented, overall, in an "irredeemably evil but with good reasons to be so" way. He is 100% a bastard in most of his scenes in all three works he was in. Kinder gestures, like him comforting Julia before entering the castle (MF manga), empathizing with Dracula's hurt over being betrayed (PtR), offering Hector a chance to live (both mangas) and running away before he could harm Julia (game), are so subtle and definitely not enough to redeem him, compared to all the cruel killings and sadistic tendencies he shows. However, it is made clear that he comes from a deep place of hurting, both for the world who rejected him and for how Hector callously destroyed his life when he did nothing to deserve it. Hector in the finale spells out that Isaac is, at most, to be pitied for his sorry fate. Then, it's up to you to decide how much you want to forgive him. Do you go "cool motive, still murder?", or do you take into account the many ways in which Isaac was dealt a horrible hand in life until you feel that he was downright fated to die (as implied by his own name)? Or something in between?
But yes, I think that, when it comes to the subject of "the Curse made him insane", perhaps Albus did it better? Albus eventually succumbed to Dominus and had to be put down like a rabid dog which makes his fate tragic, especially when you learn why he did all that he did, but most of his actions in the game, including kidnapping villagers and taking their blood, were all his lucid doing.
Nothing to add to the part about reading between the lines. I think the reason CoD has become a disease for me is that it, somehow, managed to land in that perfect spot between giving me enough material to eat for years on end, and leaving enough blind spots for me to fill to my own imagination. Even its narrative flaws only make me go "okay but how could I interpret them better or rewrite them...". And while I completely understand the narrative choice of killing Isaac off, even of leaving him buried under Dracula's castle, the fact that I felt genuinely bad to see his dead body in the ending before even reading the mangas speaks of how compelling I felt he was, and I understand the desire to come up with a "Isaac survives and heals" AU.
anyway we all love Isaac the tragic disaster in this joint and it makes me happy :)
All the time I wonder why I want so badly for there to be something redemptive in Isaac, some sort of way for him to get a happy ending, something that would make him even deserving of that in the first place.
It goes beyond just appreciating a camp villain who’s evil and doesn’t care (though I also have fun with that). I just want him to be okay and I don’t know why.
Okay the following is just going to be a biblical yap session so I’m putting a cut here
There’s Julia of course, I mean who doesn’t love an evil guy with a soft spot for family. But in all (3) of their canon interactions he’s at best dismissive and at worst abusive towards her. Sure there’s implied stuff, like how he forgave her for running from the castle but wouldn’t do the same for Hector; how he stopped the fight in Cordova town and recalled Abel the second she showed up; the fact that she’s lived in the shadow of the castle for years and has been left alone. But that’s all conjecture, and in the text the only one who seems to care at all about the other is Julia.
There’s also his self-destructive nature. Isaac isn’t kind to himself, he self harms and he hangs naked and vulnerable around the wreckage of his old home. He insists on fighting Hector only when Hector is as powerful as possible, he goes head to head with Trevor and barely scrapes a drop of blood out of him, before deciding later to get as close as possible to him to steal his dagger instead of just killing him from a safe distance. He just clearly doesn’t care that much about his life, and my instinct is to feel bad for him. But, then what? He hurts himself as well as hurting the people around him? Do I feel sorry for him just because he was reckless when going for the kill shot on another extremely beloved character? And again, most of this is just me placing my readings on his actions. If anything, the manga portrays Isaac’s self harm as him just being insane. He’s sitting in the ruined castle, naked, and spying on Hector while he cuts himself, it’s not exactly a sympathetic portrayal of mental illness.
The only thing left I can think of, and kind of the most obvious answer, is that the game exonerates him of his actions pretty blatantly. He’s cursed, there’s a curse that gives you raging vindictive asshole disease and Isaac’s been hanging around ground zero for three years straight. How convenient! Now, it’s mainly Julia championing this point, so you can argue that she’s just biased, but the game seems to treat it like she’s right and even Hector remarks on it at the end, so I’m going to treat it as canon. Isaac got the Evil Curse that makes you Evil and became Evil. So I got what I wanted! Isaac is just a morally neutral guy who became evil against his own will from outside sources, and all he needs is the cure to the Evil disease and he can be redeemed! A perfect sympathetic villain.
But the problem is I really really fucking hate that.
I hate even the implication from the game that the curse is responsible for Isaac’s wrongdoings. I’m fine with Julia coming to that conclusion but it shouldn’t be canon. Taking away any character’s agency in their actions is bad storytelling and if that’s the sole reason Isaac becomes sympathetic I don’t want it, I’d rather he be straight up irredeemably evil of his own accord.
So my main two reasons for wanting to Save Isaac are purely me projecting, and the one that could possibly make sense in the story is one that I reject completely. So why do I still love him and why is he just a poor little baby who needs a hug.
Well, straight up text isn’t the only way to read a story. If that was the case then there wouldn’t be a legion of dorks like me dedicating every waking thought to the stories and the characters of these games. Reading between the lines is how you form a better understanding of the characters. Sure, aside from a few lines saying that it’s not his fault he got Magic Evil Disease the game doesn’t hold your hand and say this boy is good and you should root for him, but you don’t need that. you just need to obsess over things and analyze every single twitch of the mocap actors body until Isaac fits your desired characterization, then you can do all KINDS of stuff with him, like make him a good brother, or force him to work at Walmart (stay tuned).
Also, I identify with Isaac in a lot of ways. He is an other, deemed to be so by society. he can’t help the way that he is and rather than repress it, he goes off to find a place where he can embrace it and better understand it. He presents himself in an extreme way, rejects normalcy and molds himself to look how he wants to, regardless of how anybody will perceive him. And yet despite all of his he struggles with identity, struggles to find a place in the world after the thing he depended on so much is taken from him. He’s also super hot and sexy and cool, just a total knockout, but not like he’s trying to impress anyone or anything, he’s just like that.
So many relatable traits, he is at once someone I aspire towards and someone who reflects the parts of me I wish I could change. I want him to succeed, to get out of his toxic grief cycle and flourish. partly because I want myself to succeed, and overcome the just as important and harrowing obstacles of my own life.
I love Isaac, as a character, as an antagonist, as a little doll that I can dress up and put into different scenarios. And you know what maybe that’s all I really need. I love him and want him to be happy, because I love him and that’s what I want for him. Okay post cancelled I figured it out, only took me 10 paragraphs oh my god.
Sorry this was literal eons long, this is literally just me working through my thoughts in real time
#castlevania#isaac laforeze#as for relating to isaac i get you but in a different way#i relate to hector because i see him as a golden child who in dracula's castle was only valued for his skills#and he was kept there with a shallow imitation of love that in reality stifled his humanity#and it's up to him to learn how much he's worth and to give in to selfishness and learn that he's worth of other people#and to isaac because he is so bitter in his insecurity#he's good but not good *enough* and it makes him so angry and he takes it on others#and unlike hector he doesn't even contemplate changing his life. he's stuck under dracula's shadow#isaac fully rejected his humanity and freedom because he sees his worth in being a useful tool - the exact thing hector comes to despise#dracula isn't even as kind to him as he is to hector but isaac stays because the world outside is scary and evil#and dracula is more than he thinks he deserves#and he hides in the ruins of his old home when it crumbles#pushing away those who might help him and love him#so like. hector is the one i want to be. isaac is the ugly mirror shown in my face#i usually do my best to not project on characters and see them as close to canon as possible#but hey i am not immune to 'he's just like me fr fr' in moderate doses :p#if i were to give him sympathetic traits obv i'd emphasize that he cares about julia#then there's the relationship with hector we don't see. but i know in my heart that the two were the best of besties#and isaac might have acted as a big bro to the scaredy hector until he came out of his shell#to me he screams 'fuck the world except these three people i would die for'
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I wanna be blunt about this ongoing James somerton suicide threat issue but I don't want to connect it to my IRL Twitter to comment on the dogshit takes I'm seeing there or the good and well meaning but maybe too kind takes I'm seeing here.
Obviously, I hope that this is a false alarm cry for help fake threat. Yes, it would reinforce that Somerton is a self-centered egomaniac who can't handle consequences but that's preferable to dead.
But I work in local news and let me tell you something. I've covered half a dozen family annihilating murder suicides and heard hundreds of men making suicide threats over police scanners and a huge swath of these don't happen because they're depressed or because people are mean to them on the Internet. They're punishment. A person with an enormous amount of entitlement towards people around them gets backed into a corner and they punish the people closest to them by killing themselves or threatening to kill themselves.
No one wants to talk about this feature of suicide because...you want to help people who are struggling and guide them away from this path and being blunt about the fact that sometimes people die of suicide as a consequence of their own shittiness towards the world does not really help actively suicidal people. But suicide rates are higher in men not just because they have higher rates of untreated mental illness (a societal issue we must address for the sake of all) but because some people, often men, use suicide (but more often the threat of suicide) as a tool of abuse and control.
I'm not saying somerton is like, an icky abuser bad guy, he's just a run of the mill grifter scumbag, but his actions in the past show a clear pattern of escalating behavior that aligns with this.
Somerton gets called out -> somerton alleges physical threats of violence against himself and his fans rally around him supportively -> Harry calls somerton out in a bigger way -> Somerton says he's hospitalized but there are inconsistencies with the story but no one wants to talk about that because you wanna be nice-ish about a guy who just tried to kill himself and now he's trying to be framed as tragic but it doesn't really stick -> somerton apologizes again but his apology is rightly called out for lies and manipulative framing as well as his continuing attempts to profit off the community he betrayed -> James posts a suicide note publicly putting the onus of his own suicide on the loss of his friend Nick who he repeatedly threw under the bus and now everyone is rallying to say nice-ish shit and wring their hands in concern over poor james -> indefinitely repeat this vicious cycle forever until he actually does die or finally gives up and gets real, intensive therapy and a day job.
Thats not to say anyone's concern is misplaced, it's 100% better for him to be a living scumbag than a dead one. He deserves the chance to grow and learn and have a life outside of youtube.
But you don't have to portray this as the action of a sad depressed man who got bullied off the Internet. It's manipulation, whether he intended to go through with it or not and whether someone intervened or not. Not denying that internet bullying is a thing, I'm sure there were some people who were shitty directly to James but he made the choice to not unplug from this and to try and keep being a public figure rather than taking care of himself. He could have deleted Twitter, blocked anyone who was an asshole, gone to therapy and tried to move on with his life but if he'd deleted his channel he'd have lost monetization... Can't have that, right? So he posts some apology videos so his channel stays active and then complains about how ruinous this is while never trying to take real accountability.
But the reality is that people would have forgotten about him so quickly and maybe his job prospects would've been impacted but...that's on him, and that's for him to figure out but it's not actually life ruining. He chose to continue to engage knowing he'd get backlash and hate and he'd feel worse and worse and things would never get better without the time and space for people to forget.
He made the choice to make a public spectacle of his own alleged suicide. That is the action of someone who wants to put the weight of their suicide on someone else's shoulders and is morally wrong. He can be held to account for that, alive or dead.
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The key problem with "proship vs anti" discourse is that the most extreme versions of each side, the ones who actually bother to identify with these labels, accepted each others worst takes as arguments they had to debate. "Fiction =/= reality" is, in practice, an absurdly reductionist, anti-intellectual, thought-terminating-cliche that dictates we can learn nothing about a person via art and that their fiction reflects no political or moral messaging worthy of critique. In response to this, the "puriteens" who are too young to possibly hope to articulate their discomfort, to untangle their position from what is often real trauma experienced online, simply argue "yes, fiction influences and reflects reality in a 1 to 1 capacity." They, and people who want to use the groundwork they laid to make bad-faith callouts, make bad arguments about how the action of engaging in problematic fiction is on equal ground to real life abuse, or is a clear indicator of interest in real life abuse. Both of these arguments are terrible, but each side seems to radicalize the other further and further into their own brands of anti-intellectual reactionary belief. "Proshippers" become libertarian absolutists about free speech and view all transgression as righteous and alternative and therefore leftist. They gain a reactionary nostalgia for the past, desiring a time when people didn't seem to care about the implications of art. "Antis" become authoritarian and hypervigilant for signs of moral decay, at their worst, willing to align themselves with government bodies that offer carceral solutions to the debate. They are willing to use harassment as a tool of punishment, which then leads to false accusations and a fear of openness that puts people at risk of being triggered via obfuscation. (That said, proshippers also take part in plenty of harassment.)
I will say that I believe both of these movements are equally sensitive to co-opting by right-wing forces. We see the authoritarian tendencies of anti culture in harassment campaigns and even the way Republican law makers co-opt "grooming." The proship/fic crowd has such extreme nostalgia for the past that I often see people align themselves with the cultures of 4chan or other happily right-wing websites. They so heavily reject the idea that a drawn sexual depiction of a child could reflect any desire that they are disinterested in analyzing what the motivation behind the depiction is. i.e If we track the history of lolicon in Japan we do find that is, yes, countercultural, but that counter culture is right wing, very misogynistic, and defensive of patriarchial Japanese culture as it is and was including its culture around rape and abuse. Plenty of fictional content works as radicalization material, and radicalization material needs to be ambiguous. There is a valid reason to be hesitant to trust people who consume this content, even if I do not believe most of them will ever be dangerous towards children. The mere presence of sexuality is not enough to make a movement left wing. This kind of thing can again be seen in right-wing libertarian movements in the US. (And even leftist movements can be bigoted and even "pro-pedophilia" or otherwise disinterested in social reform around abuse.)
Is all content with elements of age-play this way? No. But to me, that is why kink media deserves to be treated as art and analyzed, critiqued, treated seriously. It doesn't have to do anything to anyone to be worthy of a moral critique. Said moral critique just doesn't warrant harassment and cruelty and reactionary exaggerations of the person consuming said content.
Anyway, what's my point in saying all this? I don't know. I'm just begging you to tag your God damn content with specific tags instead of random and nebulous shit like "dead dove" or "dark content", and also begging you to stop harassing people who do tag their content so I don't have to guess what "dead dove" and "dark content" mean. No one will erase incest kink fics or people who feel sickened by the idea of them off this earth because we aren't god, but we could at least all be responsible about tagging, flagging, and age-gating our stuff.
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