#i know its hard but we persevere. we survive.

[sheogorath]

as someone who has never believed im capable of getting better, i think some people genuinely can't grasp the concept that some people really don't know how to heal, and it's hard for them to feel compassion for those people. to them, it seems like those people are lazy or selfish, they're just not willing to try. but how can you be motivated to try - and even if you are how can you even know where to begin or what to do - if the idea of "getting better" is so abstract and unrealistic? and that lack of understanding, that feeling of not being understood and the pressure of being expected to achieve a goal you cant conceptualize only makes you want to sink deeper, because if you can't even imagine being able to do it, the only other thing you feel like you can do is disappoint the people around you who don't or can't understand your struggle, and only think you should get better, but not think of how or what thats like for you.

truthfully i dont know what my point is, just be patient with the people around you even if (to you) it seems like they dont care. whether it's mental illness, substance abuse, or physical disability/illness, whether theyre in therapy/rehab or not, whether they say theyre trying or just flat out tell you they cant/wont. just be patient, be kind, try to understand them. everyone deserves compassion.

and if you too don't know what getting better looks like, just know i see you. i understand you. youre not alone and i love you no matter how hard - if you feel like at all - youre trying. thank you for still being here.

[itsalwaysdark]

i like overthink everything now it makes me feel so dumb. i used 2 be able to just talk 2 ppl but nowadays every single thing im like Is that actually going to make them hate me. Yes probably. and then i just dont respond which makes ppl hate me. this is how it is

[fandom-blackhole]

.

[fight-for-what-you-love]

♪ Worldwide - Big Time Rush

I'm gonna be honest- these episodes kind of fell apart while I was making this. The more I re-wrote the story for it's second draft the less this version made sense and the less interested I was to work on it. I have not much else to say except sorry this part is kinda iffy and sorry it took so long. I promise you I'll make up for this in the next episode I PROMISE

Notes on both episodes under the cut!

Sweden Sour

* (I think it’d be really funny if Cody just doesn’t talk at all this episode. Not a word. Just nods and head shakes and depressed faces.)

* Cody’s incredibly depressed after Noah’s elimination. Sierra’s over the moon, though. She sees Cody depressed and gives him a tight side hug, petting his head. She tries consoling him with “I know you’re sad, but it’s ok! At least I’m still here~.” Cody starts sobbing, head in hands. Heather is sick of this already.

* The teams get their “ibuilda” pieces and the Amazons argue on what it’s supposed to be. Cody stares at the pieces for a few seconds before the light briefly re enters his eyes. He starts building. Courtney tells him to stop but Heather tells her he’s obviously got it, so let him work. They start helping him build… something.

* Once the Amazons are done, Heather, Sierra and Courtney take a step back to see what they’ve built. It’s a giant wooden Noah head. Their faces drop. Heather is filled with murderous rage.

* We built Noah’s face (We’re gonna take first place) Cause we built Noah’s faaaace

* Tyler’s jumper would be white.

* Cody doesn’t sing in this number. Chris notices and stares at him threateningly. He reluctantly hums the chorus and Chris takes what he can get.

* (Alejandro takes off his shirt to pull the boat like a freak. Duncan is unfazed and Tyler will deny it if you ask him if he blushed.)

* Sierra hits Noah’s Head hard enough it falls over on its side and suggests sawing off the side to ride in him like a boat. Heather and Courtney agree to this. Cody has no comment.

* Duncan and Alejandro don't bother bending over backwards to please Tyler. Duncan makes himself captain and no one argues.

* When the Amazons go to pick a captain, Courtney grabs the hat and declares herself captain without input. Heather tries to argue but Courtney argues back- Cody is in no condition, no one trusts Sierra and Heather took control the last challenge so this time she’s in charge. Heather reluctantly backs down.

* Amazons catch up to team Chris in the water. Alejandro sees them approach and makes note of Cody’s face, making fun of him for being so upset about “the Noah thing”. Cody furrows his eyebrows and points furiously at Chris’s boat. Courtney agrees that yes, they should shoot their boat.

* It doesn’t matter who wins the challenge since it’s a non elimination round, but I want to say the Amazons persevere. The massage helps Cody enough that he’s not stone faced next episode at least.

Aftermath III (Aftermath Aftermayhem)

* Gwen, Owen and Noah are introduced together. Gwen walks out first and Owen, hugging Noah to the point of lifting him off the ground, walks behind her.

* Geoff asks what all that’s about and Gwen responds that Owen refused to let him go until Noah “understood just how sorry he was”. Noah insists he forgives him, but Owen still won’t let him go.

* The Owen square is replaced by the Tyler square. The prompt is survive. (The hosts throw a bunch of debris at the contestant for thirty seconds and if they dodge everything they move on.)

* (For brevity’s sake, assume all of the contestants that participated in the board game in the original episode participated here [with the exception of Tyler, who is replaced with Owen]. They all get eliminated the same way as well, Noah getting got by aliens, Owen falling down the booby trap square and Beth making it to the final question.)

* When Beth gets stumped on the last question (What was Duncan's band called) Noah yells at her, frustrated: “Oh my- It’s Der Schnitzel Kickers, Beth!!” Confetti and balloons fall from the ceiling.

* (He knows this because Cody had mentioned it in a conversation after the London challenge.)

* Noah initially complains about winning the game, but Owen reminds him that he gets to see Cody again and he shuts up immediately.

* “Noah wins!” “Wasn’t he disquali-” “NOAH WINS!! Let’s wrap it up. We’re done here.”

[genericpuff]

Familiarity in the Unknown - The Book Written by Tiny Paws

So there's this story you may or may not be aware of. It's about a rat who, despite being a rat, expresses a deep love for creating and cooking, often through unorthodox means and yet - throughout the unorthodox - compels us to think about the virtue of art and our own place in the world.

I know, completely absurd concept, why would a rat be cooking? It's ridiculous - but absolutely beautiful in its execution and simplicity. Our main character exists within a world that is treacherous, endlessly massive, occupied by strange creatures that could hurt him - even kill him - where good food and joy is hard to come by and living for oneself is against the tenets of his society's herd-mentality - but he is able to persevere and break through the difficulties of this world through his joy for food, for cooking, for the fire and smells, for satisfying his curiosity of the unknown, for expressing himself through the creation of art and, subsequently, for the love of the community and friendship that only grows in response to his sincerity.

Who am I kidding though, you know who I'm talking about, I don't need to keep patronizing you with wordplay and flowery descriptions. I'm obviously talking about The Book Written by Tiny Paws-

The Book Written by Tiny Paws isn't really a comic that I found so much as it found me in my daily scroll through my feed of notifications, featured in a user-submitted post to the /r/webtoons subreddit, discussing their newest update. There are a lot of comics that get promo'd in these communities and for the most part, none of them really ever compel me to read them, usually due to elements outside of the creator's control - they aren't a genre I'm interested in, the art style isn't gripping me, I'm just not in the mood to pick up anything new, etc.

But every now and then, something breaks through my own mentally enclosed barrier and reaches the innermost parts of my brain. And strangely enough, this time around, it was this little guy:

I did not know his name. I did not know what species he was supposed to be. I mean, he looks like a rat at first glance, but he also has little webbed feet like a platypus. I didn't even really pay much attention to what he was saying at first - all I could look at was his sincere little face. And once I snapped out of the cuteness hypnosis and read his dialogue, I suddenly found myself already hooked even before I read a single page. I wasn't sure what to expect, just so long as I could see more of this cute little guy.

By the end of the 9 episodes it had available at the time, not only was I more in love with this tiny creature than I was when I started, but I had the realization that this was going to be one of those rare, magical occasions when a piece of work would grab me and refuse to let go.

The Book Written by Tiny Paws is, to put it simply, a story about a creature known as "Firemaker" trying to find his way back to his herd after being separated from them during a flood so devastating that it drowns the earth beneath its waters. We are shown immediately the nature of this world - barren, bleak, cruel - but Firemaker describes it with the curiosity and wonder of a child experiencing all of it for the first time.

We're also immediately introduced to another core character - a stranger named "Vagabond" who does not seem to belong to a herd.

From its first two pages alone, The Book Written by Tiny Paws exceeds in what many comics struggle to do - it not only introduces us to its main character through his personality alone, but presents us the creator's approach to storytelling and worldbuilding: familiarity in the unknown.

Throughout each episode, alongside Firemaker, Vagabond, and the others who come and go throughout the world, we learn about how this world operates, and how they have been surviving in it. We learn that the flooding is actually a regular enough occurrence that creatures like Firemaker count their ages by how many rains they've survived. We learn that there are other creatures described only by their physical traits, and are left only with our own assumptions based on their word choice and imagination as to what they're referring to. There isn't any sign of human life, but human-like intelligence is present as creatures like Firemaker and Vagabond are able to communicate, count, multiply, use tools, and, as we see above with Firemaker, make logical connections between cause and effect (even if they're initially wrong).

Many of these concepts are familiar to us, if not absolutely mundane and outdated, but through the eyes of Firemaker and Vagabond, we get to see those same concepts re-contextualized in a world that is unlike our own. In this way, The Book Written by Tiny Paws asks us to re-explore the mundane through the eyes of creatures that rely on our privileges for their survival.

And when it's not re-contextualizing, it's introducing us to new concepts entirely that make this story and its world feel wholly unique. One such unique concept is the way in which they count - a system of multiplication through simple geometry.

It should be mentioned, before I get in any further - the creator of this work, Nolinno, proclaims themselves as "more of a physicist than an artist", and while I do believe they're not giving themselves enough credit for the art (which I will get into soon), their passion for physics shows immensely, showcasing not only their love for learning, but their affinity for teaching as well. It takes someone who really knows their stuff to be able to explain it as simply as possible for the layman such as myself to understand - and even then, not everyone who is well-trained in their field of study can necessarily teach it well - and yet Nolinno has done an extraordinary job so far of explaining their story's concepts in ways that are both simple to grasp and rewarding to master. Specifically, they reward the readers' ability to retain information and engage with it through their own conclusions, largely by creating opportunities in the text for that information to become relevant.

One of the earliest examples of this is when Vagabond initially reveals his age to be what first-time readers will assume is the number '11', and from there we can assume that '11 rains' must be significant as Firemaker seems astounded by this.

But then, we immediately find out that Firemaker himself hasn't learned to count that high, prompting Vagabond to teach him how to count higher than 3, which is when we get to learn the actual details of that aforementioned counting system built on multiplication and geometry.

It's through this explanation that we learn that Vagabond isn't 11, but the text doesn't explicitly tell us - it asks us as readers to instead follow along with Vagabond's teachings and come to our own answer.

And so, I'm not going to tell you the answer here either! There's a top comment on this particular episode that's gotten it right (as confirmed by the creator like a very proud elementary school teacher, awww), but consider that more of an answer key if you want to know if you got the correct answer. And if you feel like Vagabond's explanation here is too limited or you want more examples, nothing to fear - Nolinno has given us a study guide!

What I adore about this is that as much as I'm intimidated by mathematical concepts like this, I genuinely appreciate when a creator puts in the effort to establish ground rules like this, and in such a natural, sincere way. It challenges you just enough to compel you to try, but not so much that it's completely alienating or overwhelming.

And thanks to Firemaker's characterization, we don't feel so alone in learning these concepts, either. Firemaker's own inexperience on account of being only "three times three" years old (he's 9!) he makes a perfect surrogate for the audience to learn about the world through him. This isn't an uncommon storytelling trick, but can often come at the expense of the character's own personality - after all, if a character is constantly having to be a surrogate for the audience, it can lead to them becoming more of a blank slate without any voice - but Nolinno has accomplished that balance perfectly through Firemaker's curiosity and vulnerability. Firemaker being 9 years old and still inexperienced doesn't rob him of his own skills - more so, it's clear that he's fulfilled a specific role for his pack, and now that he's been separated from them, he's now having to learn the skills that were likely reserved for other members of his pack.

This also makes him a perfect foil to Vagabond, a creature whose past is still shrouded in mystery but is clearly experienced and can act as the parental figure or "older brother" to Firemaker - but we're always left wondering why Firemaker has left his pack, and whether or not those survival tactics were taught to him through his pack or learned the hard way after leaving. It ultimately leaves us wondering what Vagabond's true motives are, and whether or not he can be trusted as a role model to Firemaker. Fortunately, nothing so far has made me or even Firemaker doubt his capabilities or motives, even earning himself a new name-

-but in a world so unpredictable, who's to say that Vagabond's own motives are entirely pure?

After all, as we soon learn, not all creatures are kind in this world.

Again, in case it needs reminding - Firemaker is nine. Though 9 years old for a rat-platypus creature may not be equivalent to 9 years old for a human, it is still very much communicated to us through the narrative that he is a child and, as such, is going to have his safety threatened in this world the same way a child often would in our own - through the cruel actions of untrustworthy adults.

But, as I mentioned already, Firemaker is never made to be the constant ball and chain of the pair. Though he may just now be learning how to count and multiply higher than 3, he's earned his name through his own particular skills that can be used to not only save himself from starvation, but save others from ambush through the use of smoke signals.

Of course, as much as I can gush about the narrative, I also wouldn't forgive myself if I neglected to mention its art style which, despite being created by one person who claims to not be much of an artist, wonderfully complements its theme and tone. I would go so far as to argue that this is one of those stories that just simply wouldn't work as effectively as it does if it had a full color art style. The contrast of black and white between the environment and its characters, as well as the simplicity of the character designs against the more detailed designs of the architecture and props, makes for a brilliant visual presentation that - like the worldbuilding - expresses itself clearly without overcomplicating anything. Through its art - just like through its writing - it asks us to try and find familiarity in the unknown.

And best of all, when things do get complicated-

-it harshly reminds us how quickly a simple and beautiful thing can turn ugly and cruel.

Even though it was initially Firemaker's cutesy little face that suckered me in, the worldbuilding that Nolinno has expertly crafted through their own knowledge and affinity for teaching others has stolen the show. And that's a quality that I find is quite rare in fantasy works nowadays, but just like the culinary arts of that other rat who's far more well-known, it came from a completely unexpected place.

Nolinno has accomplished what I find a lot of budding fantasy writers struggle with - they have successfully created a world that is full of its own unique qualities, and communicated it clearly to their audience in a way that is both engaging and rewarding. Unlike others who often put the lore before the story - usually by dumping every bit of exposition, conlang definition, map and political chart on their readers before they've had a chance to even read the first page or know the main character's name, often out of fear that all their prep work will have been "wasted" if they don't reveal all of it immediately - Nolinno simply shows us their world and its inhabitants as they are, without the need to justify itself, and invites you to join along at your own pace, with helpful little bits of knowledge communicated through the narrative to help you find your way. It's okay if you're not entirely certain of how this world works, because you're not travelling alone - so too are Firemaker and Knower finding their way.

As someone who was raised on the works of Jeff Smith (BONE) and Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes), and even found their own passion for fantasy writing through both comics and video games like The Legend of Zelda, I have a lot of appreciation for stories like this that can be appreciated by all age demographics, and I've found myself almost disillusioned by the current landscape of conveyer-belt media today that often fails to live up to even a fraction of what we remember existing 20 years ago, existing only to pad a rich executive's bottom line. This has only been further exacerbated by the advent of generative AI that's now threatening the integrity and livelihood of artists both within the industry and outside of it.

Suffice to say, just like the world that Firemaker inhabits in The Book Written by Tiny Paws, our world is very bleak right now. Even still, its characters still find their moments for joy, for rest, and for play, and the comic in and of itself reminds me through its existence that there are still wonderful works being made that are capable of making me feel as curious and excited as I did when I was reading BONE cover-to-cover at the age of 12.

Those moments and those stories feel harder to come by than ever, but I'm happy to say that The Book Written by Tiny Paws is one of them, new memories that I'm happy to have made and am eager to continue to make - familiarity in the unknown.

[splitster]

answering asks

you'll have to befriend her first sorry

chocolate was the first sweet that Pom had so it's her favorite!! she won't go nuts or anything but she is very easily manipulated if you promise her a bar of chocolate

↓ more asks under the cut!! ↓

wraithification ideally does preserve peoples memories! part of the process is forming the core that holds said memories, so as long as the process goes somewhat smoothly then the person should wake up very disorientated but with their memories and personality in tact.

naw she's thankfully immune to most elemental hazards. one of the perks of being a wraith!

YEAHH i've been trying to keep up with the comics! this comic is a bit old at this point but i'm so glad bald dingo is canon 💖

i think it'd be funny so yeah sure

there is always an inherent risk to the process. i'd say the absolute ideal circumstances you could have would be if a wraith like pom and a doctor like yonny were working together to increase the likelihood of survival. the process hasn't been studied at all, given the rarity of wraiths as an organism and the added rarity of a wraith becoming so attached to a creature that it wants to convert it.

there is a metaphysical aspect to wraiths as a species that defies understanding, so the person being wraithified or the wraith themselves having a strong will for survival would definitely contribute to the success of it. thankfully, unless there's a VERY specific set of circumstances (that are relevant only with someone like yonny wraith who has two cores), the subject would fall unconscious and not form memories of the wraithification itself (which is fortunate, because that would be kinda horrifying).

if she's saving dingo and this is a last ditch effort, pom absolutely puts her whole being into it. it's very, very hard on her and she has every last bit of energy sapped from her. depending on her reserves, she could end up hurting herself with the amount of energy it requires. but wounds are temporary and death is forever, so pom would persevere through and give it her all to save him

yeah! pom's skin might technically be fake because it's made from goo, but she still feels sensations through her goo. she probably doesn't get itchy that easily. she's probably a little ticklish? but i'm not sure if you want to try that on a wraith that could easily stab you in a heartbeat...

wow when i was looking back for this pic i realized i first posted about the pom wraith au on september 1st, so the au is like 4 months old... time flies

WAHHH THANK YOU....🥺💖 asks like this are never a bother!! my favorite part about posting my content online is the engagement like this, i'm very happy to make stuff that you and your bro can bond over

procreate on an ipad! i use an empty cheezits box and three splatoon manga books to prop up my ipad to draw on, and i've been told its one of the worst drawing arrangements ever documented, so no matter how you draw it's probably gonna be better than my set up

of course! i didn't like... invent wraiths or anything. i just expanded on the little tidbits of what we know about wraiths in the pikmin universe. anyone is free to make their own wraith ocs or their own headcanons on what wraiths are

whuh... have i? i post pretty frequently. i used to post a bunch for a week or two and then disappear for 6+ months repeatedly so this is very good compared to my historical track record lol

AHH thank you!! i'm glad that i can inspire!

thank yall for all the asks, i'll continue getting through them... slowly

[jonquilyst]

Day 26 - Socialization Day

I present to you our final 3: Drew, Liana, and Paulina! It took a lot of strength, guts, and perseverance to get this far, but they will be spending one last socialization day together before the final challenge tomorrow, and after that, the finale. Can you believe this season is almost over already??

Our final three is spending their day recovering their energy from yesterday's challenge and mentally preparing for what's to come, because like last season, the final challenge will be the most intense yet! Liana spent her time reading a book and Drew roasting marshmallows by the campfire. Paulina felt too exhausted to do anything fun and decided to crash on the couch for a bit.

But eventually, Liana and Drew also succumb to exhaustion and take naps too. Liana is enjoying peace and quiet in her trailer, since she's been its only occupant since Enzo's departure (Paulina moved trailers after she switched teams). Drew on the other hand decides to nap in the great outdoors like a true camper! What if she wants another marshmallow when she wakes up?

After Paulina and Liana wake up, they spent their evening watching a horror movie together! That is... until Paulina ends up passing out

Paulina hauls herself to her proper place of rest after she wakes up again. After all, she'll need all her energy to take on the final challenge tomorrow! Everybody will...

Who will survive the challenge first and win invincibility into the finale? Who will be eliminated? Who will be the one to survive elimination and join the invincible in the finale? All that and more when we return tomorrow!

Today's Confessional: Liana Morris

"I don't really mind if I win or not; I'm just so happy I came here! I had so much fun, even if some of the challenges were really hard... Those overnight challenges were especially hard! Every time we had one I could barely keep my eyes open afterwards. I would take an overnight challenge over being at my grandparents' house any day though. Way more fun! This has definitely been the best summer ever, and I know for a fact that whoever wins deserves it!"

@cowplant-ate-my-sim @witheringscreations @bloomingkyras

[angelbitezzz]

SO 👏

I been thinking really hard about how I'll be writing magic for whatever undertale related stuff I write.

If viewed as straightforward, we get an example of magic that could be reasonably tied to every human soul "trait" (more on that later) in undertale proper. Listed as follows:

Cyan magic: Tied to patience, requires targets to stop in order to avoid damage. Many monsters in Snowdin use it, though notably Papyrus, Sans and Asgore have used it

Orange magic: Tied to bravery, requires targets to move in order to avoid damage. Many monsters in Hotland use it, but a notable example would be Asgore as well

Green magic: Tied to kindness, could be reasonably tied to healing magic since healing is often associated with the color green, not to mention the game requires you to touch a green attack on some occasions (such as vegetoid's healing veggies). Plus Undyne and her turning you green, forcing you to stop moving but giving you the opportunity to protect yourself in the process

Blue magic: Tied to Integrity, likely something to do with gravity. Notable example is Papyrus and Sans, though Papyrus only uses it to weigh you down, versus Sans using it to throw you around (or maybe forcibly changing your direction of gravity?)

Yellow Magic: Tied to Justice, seems to be used strictly offensively? Notably, monsters don't use it against you, but Frisk is given the opportunity to use it during the Mettaton fights. However, I believe that the Karma poison damage from Sans's fight is because he's actively using Yellow magic at the time

Purple magic: Tied to perseverance. An oddball magic type, because the only Real example we get of it is during the Muffet fight. And since she's not technically part of the main cast despite having such a unique and notable boss fight, we don't get Much information on her personally to make any real guesses or judgements. And THIS is my sticking point, the thing I think about a lot

Muffet turns your soul purple, and you find yourself only able to move along the webbing that she strings up along the battle screen. You can't stray from the lines, you can only pass from line to line and move along them, until the magic wears off and you can move freely.

I have been thinking of how these magic types can be tied to elements as well, since we see a lot of certain kinds of monsters use certain types. I'll list my thoughts below

Cyan: Ice

Orange: Fire

Blue: Water/Or just straight up. Gravity. I know it's not traditional in a sense but we don't really get much on this one either bear with me

Green: Plant-life

Yellow: Electricity

Purple: And AGAIN I come up blank. Best I could figure? Earth. Rock. Or, conversely, the wind. Air. Something adaptable.

Purple stands out. It's a different sort of "trait" compared to the others, because all the others are straightforward. Anyone can define themselves by their Bravery, or their Kindness, or their sense of Justice, but who is defining themselves by how much they Persevere? Or Persist?

Soul Traits as I write them in TSoT or even Crossbones and Starstruck arent the end all be all of a person. It's simply tied to what chiefly motivates them. If they happen to be a mage, then the magic they use corresponds to that motivation, to that Color of magic. There's no right or wrong trait here, only intent.

Intent is important, intent is what causes you to be able to clear the genocide route so easily! Because the game knows you're going out of your way to grind—in short, you do more damage because you want to do more damage. If you don't want to hurt someone, then it's reflected in your attack. That is why monsters were so vulnerable during the war, because human vitriol made it all the easier for monster populations to be decimated.

Swinging back around to Perseverance: I think this trait—this magic, is completely personal. I think it reflects the user more so than the others because the point is to persevere—to survive. To Get Through This Shit. It's adaptability at its core.

Muffet is in a position where her family is split by the cold of Snowdin, and it seems like her family is extremely important to her, all posturing and threat displays and money hungry persona is masking the fact that she is concerned with and takes care of her own. And they care for her in turn—they do everything she asks, assist in the fight with you and help run her bake sakes, and upon her death you are greeted with a solemn scene of one of them rushing up to drop a flower where she stood and then rushing off again.

Adaptability and survival is important, but the best way to adapt and survive is to lean on others. Find your people, build your village and so on. She's never doing this alone. She knows this and it strengthens her. Her fight wouldn't be nearly as tough if she didn't have her spiders helping with it.

And ideally, a user of purple magic gets that strength from their loved ones. How that magic manifests depends on the person, as I've said before.

Muffet is a spider. She traps you in a web. Subtextually, one could argue that your connections to others are like a web expanding outwards to those that you know.

Angel, my self insert, has the perseverance soul trait. In Crossbones and Starstruck, you've seen her use purple magic once—to force her health to stop depleting. In a physical sense, she stopped the bleeding entirely, if only briefly. Ensuring her continued survival until help arrived. What else she can do with her magic, if anything, remains yet to be seen. But I'll tell you what—

Connections are important. Acknowledging your love for others only strengthens you. Electing to pretend that someone isn't important to you out of misguided fear of being rejected or misunderstood only hurts you, and thus, your magic.

:-)

[i-miss-summertime]

What's your Ianthony Orville Peck song analysis!? And I'd be interested in any other Ianthony song analysis pieces you want to share too!

anon, i love you for enabling me <3

The song I'm obsessing over for them specifically is "How Far Will We Take It" by Orville Peck and Noah Cyrus and the lyrics are so perfect for their time apart and early reunion (beautiful song as well btw, the production is great if anyone wants to listen lol)

This verse feels based in Ian's perspective in the between years. Continuously waking up and showing up to this business that started from this crazy thing he and Anthony both created and shared.

Then the second part where it feels like it speaks to his perseverance of being able to step up with Defy shut down and became president of Smosh. Anthony and other cast continuously mention how it couldn't have survived without Ian leading the ship and by the time Anthony came around again, it was still succeeding with Ian's hard work.

Second verse feels more like Anthony coming back. As much as he loves Smosh as well, what brought him back was his love to create with Ian. It's rooted in their friendship and being able to be with Ian again feels like a major aspect of what Anthony came back for. And also the visual of Ian welcoming him back and closing the door behind him like "you're here and we're in this together for the long haul" as they literally bought a company together (still baffling if I think about it long enough lol)

Also "felt the fire but couldn't see the flames" reads to me like Anthony feeling the anger and sadness of the last years at Smosh but not able to understand his negative emotions were aimed at Defy and not Smosh/Ian until later. Like feeling the pain but not able to identify the real source.

This part of the chorus and the line "I know that you felt the same" though! Even if Ian was more resistant to talk about their feelings during the NYC trip ("cause I've been waiting, don't wanna face it", they both felt things weren't the same and they weren't as close of friends. Neither of them could break through to each other in the state they were in being overworked, unhappy, and not having the chance to grow more as people.

"We're all alone now, how far will we take it?" like they had to have time separate and see how to succeed on their own. And they both did a really good job at it! They were both able to find ways to step up and push themselves as independent creatives without being Ian-and-Anthony. But even then, still not getting the real chance to find someone who could match their energy in their comedy writing and the pure history they have with one another as childhood friends ("No getting used to living without you"). They were still soul tired, even if they were doing well, they still felt the desire to be with each other regardless of a brand or company.

Now this last variation on the chorus kills me cuz it feels like early reunion to the max, I love it!

"I tried to love you" like shipper goggles aside, its very hard for men to be able to express love for their friends and it's clearly still not natural to them but they're trying! The I love you during Anthony's funeral? Clearly a bit awkward to get out but still he said he loved his friend!

"Cause I've been waiting, don't wanna waste it/ We're all alone now how far will we take it?"

This fully reads as them going independent from Mythical after buying back Smosh. They don't want to waste it, they know they want to do this as long as they possibly can and are working so hard for Smosh to succeed together.

They're alone but now they're alone together, Ian and Anthony at the helm of the ship again, now they're seeing how far they can take it :')

[med-ex]

feelin rlly idk HAPPY?? over this franchise as a whole✨

I wasn't even alive for Fallout 1 & 2 - but upon entering the world 3 years after they were released, would grow up hearing its name constantly... never did i think it would take GTA's place as my favourite video game series. Like literally never thought the weird little isometric game talked about by my older cousins would be the one.

I played Fallout 3 at the worst period of my life- it became a pure escape from graduating high school, becoming a severe alcoholic and moving off my mountain into my province's capital city. I was in love with it to the point that when I came home to my family home to visit, I would haul my xbox 360 in my backpack and strap my little tv to my back with a rope- ✨that's✨ how addicted I was to it.

It resonated with me in a way no other game series has. No, I obviously didn't grow up in the same standards as the wastes, but could resonate with foraging for food, no clean water & mess, destruction and despair everywhere you turned.

Fast forward a year or so, and I try Fallout: New Vegas. This is where it finally became my favorite series ever. I could list all the reasons, but they're similar to what you'll see all over the net; it's just amazing. I already was all "fuck the government" since I was a child but it made me think- think about the rule of authority, think about perseverance, weigh out what "right" and "wrong" truly means and the blurred line between the two.

By the time I was 21, I tried Fallout 4. It took some getting used to in the terms of its modern graphics, but I really loved how I got to experience conversations that felt like I was actually having them. I loved building the world back up and when I was brave enough to try mods- then shit got real interesting. I was already obsessed with Fallout 3 & NV but we can thank Fallout 4 for getting me into the community as a whole.

I was one of the ones to make fun of FO76- the launch was a huge part of that, but I just didn't understand how it could ever truly fit into the Fallout series. I played it for the first time when I was 2022, and now after 2 years I wholeheartedly regret shitting on it so hard. There are so many cool quests/stories and though some of them are silly seeing as it's online-based and they need to cater to that and though it's a bit strange at first, it feels so cool to be around other players adventuring the wastes + actually having to persist to build your own base, feed yourself and survive- as console commands don't exist in the same realm they used to with the earlier titles.

Now, we arrive at the airing of the first Fallout television show. I seriously thought it was gonna be shit- I just couldn't imagine them being able to do a good job but as we can see, here we are. The show is amazing and I didn't even know it was something I wanted so badly. The only real-life renditions of Fallout I've seen is that one live action trailer for 76 + cosplay- so seeing it in film, is seriously so fucking cool.

Idk guess im just gettin a little ✨sentimental✨ towards a series that has given me so many lessons, so much ability to cope with my own shit + gotten me into such a fun community filled with funny jokes, amazing art, discussions and rich lore that maybe one day could leave the video game + TV screen and become even a book.

Ty to the crew of original artists who started this back in the 90s, and thank you to the crew of artists at Bethesda in this current century who kept this game going💖

[lost-letters-from-atlantis]

You and I come from the same household, And I may have deceived you quite a few times By parroting the words That have been repeated to me When I was young and wild and craving for freedom Just like you are now.

It’s unfair, I know. Believe me when I say: I wish I could offer you something better or sweeter Or otherwise easier Than what I have in store. And it hurts me to realise I’ll never understand The depths of your torments As precisely As I would like to.

Listen to me. I know this is a truth you are not ready to accept And that you don’t want to hear, But I need you to listen Just for once Just this time I need you to understand I did not learn to love You Or anyone else.

Our mother taught me about Mercy And reason And pragmatism And perseverance And anger And helplessness And disappointment,

And our father Taught me distance And silence And coldness And secrecy And independence And denial.

But all I know about love Is you, Hunched on my desk chair At 2am On a Tuesday night, Telling me about the world About your friends Or about the people who hurt you. And I sit on my blanket Knowing tomorrow afternoon We will fight again Over something silly That never really mattered To any of us In the first place, But for now It is 2am And I’ll listen to you Just like I always do Because I love you.

So what do I have in the end, If not some broken pieces of memories Scattered all over my childhood, Of you And me Trying to bend and break the rules To tell each other About the beauty of the night And the fear of the days to come And the loneliness of those behind us?

We both learned from this house Love always hurts It shouts and screams and It sparks explosions From mean comments And rude tones. It makes you cry harder When it finds you broken Before saying sorry, Kissing your forehead, And telling you about flaws and Imperfections. So we forgive it Or we pretend to, Knowing full well That it will happen again And nothing will ever change.

We grew up Knowing That their comfort Would always be more important Than our needs. That behind their love There was no trust Or consolation Like we were all running Away From something, From someone, Blindfolded And trying to Avoid walking On each other’s toes In a desperate And pointless attempt At survival.

Here is what we understood from it: Love is a disembodied voice Calling us In the dark Without any directions To tell us “I’ll always be here for you”. So we try, We cry, We shout, We ask for help, We demand its attention, And all it does Is repeat empty promises Made of meaningless words, “I’ll always be here for you”, But it never listens.

I agree that this is not The greatest Or most fullfilling explanation Of love. But this is the only one I was ever taught about, And the only one to expect From this attempt at A family, Just like we only ever expected Our dreams and wishes To come true If they were of materialistic nature.

I’m trying to let you know That despite it all We have no other choice Than to let them poison us With their sharp and broken love. Because they’re trying, And our pain Is the result of their attempts To care for us.

We can never be the children Of anyone else But them. And no matter how Hard You try To get away There is no backdoor No exit From being a daughter Or a son. She is your mother, And he is your father, And they will keep trying To care. No matter How many times You push them away.

And so, All that is left For me to say Is I love you, And I will keep loving you For as long as I’m alive And long after I’m dead.

[jetblkhotelmirror]

a reminder to all my trans friends (and to every trans person that i havent met, and to every trans person that i never will) that, no matter what happens tomorrow, you have to keep living. its easy to say "existence is resistance" when your existence is not being challenged, but existence is still resistance, and becomes an even more power form of it, when you persevere though persecution and find a way to stay alive and to stay you despite all the hate trying to kill you (whether that death be metaphorical or not).

i know that fighting is hard, and that a lot of the time it feels simpler, easier, and safer to stop being yourself and to give up, but, if you think its at all possible for you to keep living as someone that you love, please, please do it.

we have to show the world that we are not afraid, or that, if we are, we will survive anyway, and that we will not stop fighting for ourselves, for our siblings, and for the children that will come after us, no matter what happens.

believe me, i know that we are living in terrifying times. i am afraid too. but i am begging you, please, live.

if you feel like the best option for you is to detransition, do it. if you feel like its to escape your state or the country, do it. but please, please, whatever you decide, stay alive. every one of us is important, and every one of us has something to contribute to the fight for our lives, even if thats just living in them.

[themotivationmosaic]

When Life Gets Tough💪🌟

At some point in life, we all face moments when everything seems to be going wrong. The weight of our challenges can feel suffocating 😔, and it's easy to look at others with envy, wishing for their seemingly perfect lives. However, it's important to remember that everyone encounters difficulties. No struggle is inherently bigger or smaller than another; it's all about perspective 🌈.

We often hear advice like "learn from your mistakes" or "be strong," but rarely is the question addressed: How exactly do we become strong? 🤔 It's not enough to simply go with the flow and hope for the best.

For me, the key to strength lies in trusting yourself and those close to you ❤️. In a world where everything around us can change, our family and close friends remain constant. They are the ones who know us best and offer a solid foundation when everything else feels uncertain.

Facing difficulties with trust and faith - both in yourself and in your support system - can turn these challenges into opportunities for growth 🌟. By viewing obstacles as challenges to be overcome rather than overwhelming problems, we can find the strength within us to push through.

It's normal to feel alone. It's normal to think you can't get through it. You might be wondering, "What does she know about my struggles?" But the truth is, I can relate because I’ve faced my own share of challenges. There have been many times when I felt weak and considered giving up.

Life can be incredibly tough. Sometimes, it feels like no matter what you do, nothing goes right 😔. During these moments, everything can seem overwhelming, and it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. But what keeps me going is the trust others have in me ❤️. Seeing that I am important to someone reassures me that I must be doing something right. This belief helps me regain my motivation and reminds me of my value.

Being in this situation means you have already overcome so many difficulties. Each challenge you've faced and conquered has made you stronger, even if it doesn’t always feel that way. The fact that you are here today shows how resilient you are. Every step you’ve taken, every challenge you’ve faced, and every obstacle you’ve overcome has brought you to this point 🛤️.

Ask yourself, "Will I be able to survive this? Will my life get better?" The answer is within you. Think back to the times you’ve triumphed over adversity 💪. Remember the moments when you overcame challenges, smiled, and felt proud of yourself 😊. These moments are proof of your strength and determination. They show that no matter how difficult things seem, you have the ability to persevere.

We often compare our lives to others, thinking they have it easier or better. But the truth is, everyone has their own battles ⚔️. What matters is how we face our own. You’ve made it this far because of your hard work, confidence, and strength 💼. You are a living example of resilience and perseverance.

It's easy to feel isolated when you're struggling, but you are not alone. There are people who care about you, who see your value, and who believe in you even when you don’t believe in yourself. Lean on them when you need to 🤗. Trust in the support system you have, and remember that it's okay to ask for help.

So, when life gets tough, remind yourself of your past victories and the strength that lies within you. Use those memories as a foundation to build upon 🏗️. Embrace your journey, with all its ups and downs, and know that every step forward is a testament to your courage and tenacity 🏅.

Always remember: You are not alone. 🤗

I will keep sharing my experiences and hope you relate with them and find strength.

[cattatonically]

Conspiracy of Dragons - Louisa Masters (Here Be Dragons, book 4)

Synopsis

There’s only one person I trust…

It’s no secret that I’m hard to handle. People get annoyed by me. Sometimes they’re amused, but not for long. It’s not easy to deal with a paranoid conspiracy theorist, and I stretch everyone’s patience.

Everyone except Wil. He was there at the beginning, when I left my old life behind, and he’s stuck with me since. He’s been my friend when no one else wanted to. Patiently taught me how to fit in. He’s the one person I know I can rely on.

He’s the only man I can see myself ever being with. The only man I would want to spend eternity with.

But when my past rears its ugly head and the stuff of my nightmares rises from the dead, the hope of a happy future rapidly fades. I need him more than ever, but I can’t risk him. I can’t let anyone use him against me.

Torture doesn’t have to be physical to hurt. And I’m not going to let myself be hurt again.

My Thoughts

When we first met Steffen, I was completely put off. Understanding later that his trauma had affected his actions on such a broad scale, for such a prolonged length of time, I got it. And it was a wake-up call.

We all have shit in our histories that aren’t for others to judge and understand. But the difference between explanation and excuse is the work put into rational decision making and critical thinking. And Stef puts in the work to be rational and critical daily.

Wil also understands this about Stef absolutely. He respects Stef’s boundaries, and understands his paranoia. Wil knows what Stef needs, when he needs it. And Stef can tell what Wil needs when he needs it in return. They’ve built a very solid, very stable relationship for a long time. But the one thing Stef’s paranoia can’t be placated by is the stability of their relationship. Wil can be used against him. And he has to keep him safe.

As Stef’s past comes back to haunt him in a really shocking way, Stef, Wil, and all of their friends step up to the plate in a big way to provide support and care. More of Stef’s past is revealed, and it’s even more hugely apparently that his rampant paranoia – which he works tirelessly to manage – is a manifestation of him being in survival mode for as long as he was.

But in the end, Stef doesn’t let the PTSD win. He pushes forward, and continues to persevere. With the love of his life by his side. They work through it, and handle the situation, and grow stronger and more stable for it. And honestly, having that kind of love, care, and support is the best way for Stef to move forward, and continue his healing journey.

Reaching the conclusion of this series feels a little bittersweet. Part of me isn’t quite ready to let go of this universe (and apparently there’s another spin-off series!), but I also feel like the Dragons have told us their stories, and their happily ever afters are the exact happiness they all deserve.

[caffernnn]

One thing that made free interesting to me was that from episode 1 it's like the opposite of a classic sports anime. the protagonist DOESN'T want to be in a sports anime and everyone else around him is trying to make him become one. like this was the central conflict of s2 (and i thought the resolution of s2 was kinda weak but overall better than FS2 by miles lol). after s2 all of haru's struggle and identity and conflict goes away and is focused on competitive swimming, training to compete, etc and haru's fully into it. it felt like a lot of the interpersonal relationships and inner conflicts took a backseat to the sport, rather than being the center of the story with the sport as the vehicle to convey it... imo by making free more like a typical sports anime where the main goal is to win (? I guess?) a lot of what made fr special in the first place (the characters and their relationships) fell flat

Yeah I completely get that! Part of the appeal is that from the start it feels like a story about wanting to be understood and connect with others genuinely/deeply, and season one hops in when the main group has lost any sense of that because of a complicated past with a sport. It’s interesting because we aren’t given a cast of jocks already deep into a “ball is life, sport is life” hyperfocus, we are given a group of guys (some best friends, some old friends, some soon-to-be friends, some ex-friends) and are asked to watch them rediscover what once made them all drawn to swimming together, and redefine what swimming can mean to them now, as an act of sportsmanship and deep connection. It didn’t have to be swimming, it didn’t have to be a sport, but there had to be something to bring them all together to challenge and inspire and support each other, and it all beautifully happened to come together in a pool because of their own individual connections/experiences with water and the memories of love/passion (of all sorts) connected to it. You get invested because you see from day one that Haru doesn’t want all perceptions of him to be tied to how efficiently or beautifully he swims, and you keep sticking around because all of the characters start to come forward with all of the things that make them unique, eventually informing their teamwork in and out of the pool. That’s why I’m here, at least — I got entranced by the characters and their connections with each other.

When the story starts to shift its focus with the conclusion of S2 with Haru coming to the decision to go to Tokyo and try out the competitive world, it feels weird because all of the concerns that kept him from putting all of his eggs in that basket from the get go seem to get sidelined. He had real fears and concerns when it came to planning a future around swimming, because he knew from experience that you don’t survive that world on athletic prowess alone. You have to have a certain level of grit, of perseverance, and of secure support so that you don’t fall apart immediately. When he chooses Tokyo, I didn’t want to think of that as an abandonment of all of these past fears (and still lingering fears, as we know now), but like… a chance to tell a new story? How he’s willing to give this all a chance because there’s some plan or confidence in figuring out a plan. That he’s working on communicating with his friends more, checking in with each other to not drown alone in all of the new changes happening between them all. That he’s taking a moment to discover more about himself outside of swimming, still finding moments where he can to be a person outside of being an athlete, because it’s largely on him to ground himself with memories and people to create a work/life balance. Y’know, all of the stuff that gets put into post-ES and university au fics, and that showed up a liiiittle bit in s3.

That’s the hard part with Final Stroke, I think. You keep giving over faith to the story because Haru’s frustrated and earnest insistence to take on the world and keep his important bonds close at hand is alluring. The premise of Haru hearing Ikuya call him a hero, having to sit with that knowledge of how many of his friends look up to him (or once looked up to him) in that way, and now grappling with “oh, I chose a dream where I’m going to still have eyes looking up at me, every move I make influencing way more than just me” — that’s fascinating if handled with care! Does he still want to be an ordinary person, and what does it mean to be an ordinary person, really? How much of himself and his core values is he willing to examine, redefine, compromise, and/or let go in pursuit of this dream? Does he know he’s allowed to still change his dream? I was willing to head out the FS storyline, especially when it showed signs of “yeah, Haru’s going tf through it just like what a lot of y’all worried about happening” for the slim (but still present) chance that they’d entertain any of the previous questions. If you’re gonna show Haru, a person who has been steadily becoming more in tune with his convictions and what he wants out of life, get lost in tunnel vision and fall to pieces, you better be prepared to show me the lengths this guy and his core supports are willing to go to to create a new steady routine for this utter creature of habit. If you’re going to frame the story in a way that tries to push this dream being something he truly wants, then convince me.

The strongest parts by the end of the story are the domestic bits of camaraderie almost completely removed from the relay or competitions. Hell, there’s even more charm in the rehab and practices with Makoto and Nao, because they’re still goofing around with everyone and actively showing why their friendships are freakin magic. Those are the moments that make you believe that something awesome is happening by the time they’re in a pool together and making their dramatic proclamations of swimming for their bonds, and you let yourself get lost in the performance of it all. And that’s the thing!! I want to get lost in the friendship sauce and enjoy this movie!! I want it to feel like even if it’s not perfect or conclusive, it’s a send off that honors character progression in a semi-satisfying way. I want to spend time smiling about it in the aftermath and then creating to expand on joy. Currently, I’m operating on a mix of love and spite, and I’m understanding people’s draw to creating fix-it fics. I’ve spent days sitting and chewing on my opinion because I couldn’t bring myself to be comfortable with saying I was critical of it beyond a few conversations, but the time spent coming up with reasons to like it and convince myself that if I keep turning scenes from different angles and squinting that it’ll all make sense I think speaks for itself.

Like, I still want to talk about it and explore what can be said about the characters and their connections with the crumbs we were given. I came to the blorbo end-of-semester dance recital and I want to politely clap at the routine for their sake. I’m just not completely sold right now on what we were given without implanting a lot of outside assumptions and prior character knowledge/analyses in there to fill the holes.

[smqazi]

HOW TO RAISE KIDS IN THE LONG RUN

\

When my kids play in the mud at our family's farm in California's Central Valley, they're frolicking in the soil their ancestors have farmed for over 175 years. Their slingshots are fashioned from branches of olive trees planted by their great-great-great-grandparents. 

They're tied to the land, like I am, through their blood. Someday, God willing, they'll own a piece of it. We are extraordinarily lucky to have a successful family business that has passed through seven generations and survived, even thrived. We've also worked for it.

Farmers, at least good ones, think in broad terms about time. They see the land and its past, present, and future from 10,000 feet, honoring and learning from experience while planning for succession and future generations of abundance. Good farmers temper ambition with conscientious stewardship of the Earth and its resources. Farms that last are no accident — they're built that way, managed, and engineered for the long haul. 

Patience and foresight are necessary. Intention is king. There is no room for greed, dishonesty, or small-mindedness. Like most things, good fortune and capital can't hurt. While you can't anticipate everything, you can have a set of principles by which you operate and, with any luck, core values you pass from one generation to the next. As my kids laugh and splatter the rich soil gifted by their forefathers, it occurs to me that perpetuating a happy family could be guided by some of the same principles that make for sustaining great farms

When we think of how to raise our children, we usually consider time on a woefully myopic scale. We worry about what we do that day, week, or month. Sometimes, particularly during a tantrum, we count the minutes. Occasionally, parents will stretch their minds to think of how they're preparing their child for that season or the school year. Rarely do parents endeavor to consider how they raise their children on a macroscopic scale, not just in years but in decades, lifetimes, and generations.

Scientists know that more than your DNA is inherited. 

Your children, little sponges that they are, soak up every choice you make in terms of behaviors and lessons, both implicit and explicit. Scientists estimate that personalities are somewhere between 30% and 60% heritable. Each generation learns from the last, modeling what they see and modulating what they inherit biologically, culturally, and socially. Epigenetics tells us that which of the inherited genes expressed depends largely on behaviors and the environment. 

There is no more nature vs. nurture debate — it's both in a delicate feedback loop scientists are just now starting to untangle. Our nature is largely fixed, locked into the 23 pairs of spiraling chromosomes that comprise our genetic material. Nurture is far more malleable. How, then, might we prepare young people to be both good global citizens and admirable stewards of our lineage? How will our choices today affect our descendants in 10, 100, 1,000, or even 10,000 years?

One of the best things you can do is teach a child to cultivate grit, which encourages a growth mindset. Grit is like emotional stamina, passion, and perseverance for long-term goals in the future, despite any adversity. Grit has five primary characteristics: courage, conscientiousness, perseverance, resilience, and passion. 

Each of these features is noble individually but combined, they can confer success in life. Angela Duckworth, largely considered the world expert on grit, believes it separates the winners and the losers, literally. Grit encourages kids to see they can do difficult things if they persist. These successes, in turn, promote confidence and autonomy while demonstrating the value of hard work. Just as farmers weather bad seasons and failed crops, the focus on the horizon and unwavering persistence are essential. My great-great-great grandfather was the poster-boy for grit. 

He left Germany at 16 with nothing and worked carrying lamb carcasses on his shoulders across town in San Francisco until he saved enough to open his own butcher shop. From there, he bought a few cattle and some land. When he died, he was the largest private land owner in the US. He knew both profound poverty and extreme abundance in his life. In between those polarizing experiences he suffered unfathomable loss and adversity that would have broken most men. It didn’t break Henry Miller.

\

Research suggests creativity is another essential ingredient for success. Creativity sparks innovation, accelerates and deepens learning and adds meaning and satisfaction to life. It optimally challenges us to explore our imaginations through expression. Additionally, creativity can be immensely joyful and bring people together. Acting creatively encourages open-mindedness, empathy, risk-taking, and critical thinking. It can help manage stress and even aid in treating some forms of mental illness. Good farming requires nimble thinking and unusual solutions to unique problems. This type of divergent thinking, generating new and original solutions to problems, is one of the core components of creativity. Recent research suggests it may not only be good for business but also for your brain. For many reasons, not the least of which is the sheer joy of it, promote creativity at every opportunity.

Cultivate gratitude by acknowledging the goodness around you. Levels of gratitude are consistently strongly correlated with happiness. Gratitude can increase positive emotions, help to relish good experiences, improve health, counter adversity, and build strong relationships. The benefits of gratitude may seem evident to us, but it's important to spell them out explicitly for children, encouraging acts like thank you notes and gratitude lists. Bolster appreciation with other core characteristics like kindness, tolerance, and empathy. 

Gratitude is closely tied to optimism, an essential trait for any farmer. In agriculture, particularly over the span of 175 years, there are inevitably thick years and there are thin ones. My ancestors that were worth anything were the ones who didn’t let the wins or the losses go to their heads. They kept their eyes on the horizon and realized that that variability is an inherent part of agriculture and of life. They neither lamented their misfortunes on bad years nor squandered their windfalls on good ones. A healthy dose of gratitude and unwavering optimism were essential.

Kindness permeates every aspect of a family. In fact, researchers found that it was the single most important predictor of satisfaction and stability in a marriage. Kindness is not all about doing for others, it is immensely rewarding for the individual as well. Research shows that acts of kindness can boost confidence, happiness, and sense of control of the world around us. It affects levels of empathy, self-esteem, compassion and improves mood. Being kind can even offer neuroprotective factors through reduction of stress hormones like cortisol and boosts of serotonin and dopamine. Every descendant has heard the stories of how Henry Miller was an honest, brilliant and kind man. He took excellent care of his workers, something we are proud to still do today. He gave to the poor, establishing what was known as the “dirty plate route” which meant any hungry person who showed up on Miller’s land was given a free meal, provided the vaqueros had eaten first (hence the ‘dirty plate.’) In his will, Miller left substantial amounts to loyal workers and their families. 

This kind of kindness and generosity trickles down and has been incorporated both into the ethos of our farm business, and the heart of our family.

Educate your kids to the best of your ability, particularly on how to honor the Earth and oneself. Being well educated doesn't necessarily mean knowing calculus and literature; it can be anything from social-emotional intelligence to how to properly rotate crops or maintain soil composition over time. Learning about what goes on inside us and around us makes for interesting, inquisitive people. 

Teach teenagers to change a tire, cook a meal, and comfort a friend. Teach them to honor their feelings, the boundaries of others and the environment. Teach them how to apologize and how to forgive. Above all, follow their curiosities and embrace them. Transmission of knowledge through generations is ancient and powerful; many of the lessons you teach your children will be introduced to theirs.

Raising kids for the long run is about more than just promoting good behavior and encouraging character traits. It is also about escaping or minimizing things that threaten your lineage's health and longevity. Like a parasite that infects a crop, dysfunction can carve its way through a family, leaving destruction in its wake. Emotionally toxic things like abuse or disease are apparent in how they affect future patterns. Less obvious, but perhaps just as potent, is how trauma is inherited.

Mass cultural and historical traumas are carried both in the survivors' genes and their behavior.

 Personal traumas also leave their mark. Famed researcher Bessel Van der Kolk says, "the body keeps score" of traumatic stress; it is literally "encoded in the viscera." In that way, trauma can be inherited, just like eye color, money, or anything else your parents give you. Like a weed, it can take root and must be eradicated. It's easy to say, "avoid trauma," but much harder to enact it reasonably. Instead, experts suggest a healthy processing of sometimes inevitable trauma in a safe environment to take some of the power out of the experience. 

Therapies like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for example, are excellent at helping people to reprocess their pain and eschew some generational transmission of their suffering. A recent study suggests that psychoanalysis can also help to diminish the corrosive effects of intergenerational trauma.

Finally, model good behavior. There are many influences in your child's life that are out of your control, how you behave is not one of them. 

All the lessons in the world are worthless if you're not walking the walk. Behave in a manner you would like to see reflected in your child. Be someone they look up to. Our family looks back fondly on those who have behaved with integrity as inspiration. We practically idolize Henry Miller. We also remember those who squandered what they inherited as cautionary tales to be avoided at all costs. 

Be honest, loving, and warm. Laugh a lot. Form close, authentic bonds that help children feel safe and promptly admit when you are wrong or behave in a way you wish you hadn't. Kids are taking notes in their brains and in their bodies and mimic what surrounds them. With any luck, these good habits weave their way through the family tree.

The sunset bursts cotton candy pink over the statue of my great-great-great-grandfather in the heart of central California's farmland. A small fountain surrounds the bronze statue of the slender, bearded German man on horseback in the red brick plaza square. My kids leap over the waters from rock to rock. They pepper me with questions about our family's history. My tales of their ancestor sometimes seem to go in one ear and out the other, but today they’re listening intently. Perhaps someday they’ll tell these stories to their kids. 

We've just finished Thanksgiving and come to give thanks at the memorial of our immigrant ancestor, Henry Miller. His vision and entrepreneurship changed the history of the state and the trajectory of our family. The city of Los Baños still celebrates the "Cattle King," who founded it in 01889, and I'm teaching my kids to do so as well. Henry Miller knew a thing or two about farming. As it turns out, he knew a bit about families, too.