#i'm not saying anon from before has no empathy for him because i do get why their s4 dynamic and mike complaining about el in literally

[chuuya-fan-page]

Can u give me some examples of chuuya and Dazai like, helping make each other better?

Glad you asked this question, anon!

Some examples include the scene in fifteen where Dazai goes from the beginning of fifteen, being all apathetic and not cryng about life. Mori trying hard to motivate him, to suddenly wanting live after meeting chuuya. Quite literally saying: "chuuya convinced me to live" and along with here, saying that he's got a new dog so he has to live now.

The gun shooting scene also served helpful for Dazai, he was spiraling and Chuuya, a gangster knocked the gun out of his hand saying "you shouldn't be shooting dead bodies". For a member of a gang to say this, it served as very contridcting to dazai but revealed more about chuuya's character and how what he did was (shooting the dead body) was wrong.

Another example includes in stormbringer, when chuuya is hallicunating dazai and the flags when he's tortured. The hallucination of dazai motivates him to not give up (bc he claims he isn't like him) and pushes him through the experience.

From Dazai's side in stormbringer, his capability to change that has always been there prior to oda is shown when he gives Chuuya a choice. This is a big deal which I see the fandom ignore a lot, but Dazai at this point struggled immensely with empathy, so for him to put himself in Chuuya's shows and give him a choice with the entire city was at risk showed how much he cared about chuuya's feelings, thinking about his humanity before the entire city.

Another instance includes the scene in which Mori says that he would die with Chuuya with the Guivre situation in stormbringer. Dazai goes from being okay with dying/apathetic about the situation to suddenly caring with the idea of dying with Chuuya is brought up. Chuuya constantly is seen to motivate and push Dazai to do things in the mafia at the time.

The Dragon Head Conflict in Dead Apple is a major example. Chuuya once again pushes him to get involved in major conflicts, Dazai is louching around not wanting to get involved until Chuuya says something to him about the situation.

Dazai is acting inhumane by disrespecting someone who died and in anger chuuya punches his face. dazai says "i'm human too" and chuuya says "no one would believe that shit" people misinterpet this scene badly as dehumanization but it's not. it's basically Chuuya giving Dazai a reality check and telling him to stop acting inhumane since he knows he is a human and is capable of acting humane. Stormbringer shows this, he sees dazai giving him a choice, him acting human. So since this is after that, it's basically him telling him no one will believe you're human if you act like this, so start acting like you're a human. Because of Chuuya's words, it motivates him to stop a turf war because of how mad he is.

In mayoi this is seen, with him telling Shibusawa how he was wrong for killing the colonel.

This exchange also shows the extent of their partnership, how despite the words Chuuya says to Dazai prior, he just knows him; by the mention of the microscope earlier he's able to decipher the intention of dazai. Their reading of each other can be shown to be "making each other better" as their trust in e/o as kids raised an abusive enviorment is definetaly interesting.

Chuuya is actively seen steering him to be motivated him who once lacked a clear meaning of life itself was.

-A (hi guys i'm back)

[yuri-is-online]

Just finished the Jabberwock chapter.... there's so many questions (and possible theories) but rn I just wanted to talk about how Hyde mentioned the ghouls who were worried about MC - for Vagastrom, in jpn he specifically says "a certain someone from Vagastrom" rather than "one or two" and I'm willing to bet it's definitely Sho, since Hyde is the one mentioning it, and soon after he says he wasn't supposed to say that, I can imagine Sho giving him the stink eye to not let anyone know about it lol. Also right after this I got a campus event where Sho almost runs over MC on his bike because she wasn't looking where she was going while watching out for some croc anomalies(?) and he gets mad (worried) telling her what's the point if she's dead and points out where she has to keep an eye out on. I love him Your Honor....

We don't know too much about Hyde yet, but from that last conversation I wonder if having his own younger brother be a ghoul contributed in his empathy towards them ("in the end they're just young boys on the inside") or if he always felt that way. I wonder why exactly he wants humans and anomalies to get along, because while the idea itself might sound nice and peaceful, at the same time it sounds like something a villain with "good intentions" would say too lol. Hyde final boss?

Also rip MC who has to deal with Taiga next chapter lol. After fun times with the Jabberwock kids it's back to treading on thin ice (or glass shards in this case)

Cleaning out all the TDB asks before the new chapter drops at 1 am my time (_ _ )⊹ ࣪ ˖ I am so tired friends

Hyde vs Crowley, who is more likely to be a final boss. My money is on Crowley but Hyde do be looking like Gojo and we all know how my girl felt about the school board.

I swear we must have the same game anon because I literally had just read that school moment before you sent this ask. MC is trying to be aware of zipper crocs, which as a side note: each of the boys cards has a corresponding warding card of the same rarity. The higher rarity warding cards seem to be based off of moments in the story or aspects unique to the character while the SR and R cards are based off anomalous creatures. You get the corresponding SR warding card for your first boy in that joke of a pull they have you do in the tutorial, and the Zipper Croc is Tohma's.

The way Sho speaks to her in that moment (╥﹏╥) the way he's so concerned. Angry even that she's not taking care of herself, because "what good will that excuse be if you die?" I love him so much. And because of that I keep thinking about how guilty he has got to feel about almost letting her die in Book 2. You think he wakes up in the middle of the night to stare at his ceiling because he's thinking about how her mangled body would look staring up at him in judgement if he had just gone along with Leo's plan a little bit more than he did? Do you think that he's eventually going to snap if he keeps hearing Leo talk about MC like she's expendable because the longer he spends time with her the more real she becomes to him? You ever think about Sho looking at her while she's occupied with something else and not paying attention to him and realizing that his time with her has a very real time limit and that she's going to die in a year, however much of which has already passed?

You ever think about an MC who maybe jokes off offhandedly about helping him out now since she won't always be around and him loosing it just a bit because he doesn't want to even think about that even a little. Because I have been oh have I been

I wasn't expecting to like Hyde as much as I do. Don't get me wrong he seems extremely irresponsible, but he clearly loves his brother and his students, which makes him at least ok in my book. If I had to guess I would say Sho being a ghoul probably does have something to do with him being more understanding of the ghouls and their predicament. He has a unique insight into it that the other professors don't, but it could also be that he wants anomalies and humans to get along because through his own research he's seen how important anomalous creatures like the Kraken are to the world and he wants people to have a more respectful attitude towards that. I can't see him doing anything to harm Sho, so if the school ends up being the bad guy I think he'll be our ally.

Well not physically harm anyway... Oooooooh "a certain someone from Vagastrom" that was so fucking Sho. And Hyde so said that to be cheeky about it because he thinks it's cute that his little brother has got a little crush ¬‿¬ no it's ok Shohei, big brother won't tell! He pinky swears! Hyde would be such an annoyingly supportive wing man for his little brother if he'd just let him, if Sho has any classes he shares with the MC he so ends up assigned to a group with her on "accident" more than once. It makes a degree of sense too, I think Alan probably would trust that everything is all right and if it's note he will hear about it, if not from the school than from Tohma. Leo probably thought the whole thing was MC's fault anyway but Sho? He had to be so worried about MC and feel so trapped. It's not like he was going to get permission from Alan to go looking for her, and with Leo being Leo it's not like he really had anyone to turn to about his worries but Hyde, who was definitely supposed to be sworn to secrecy.

I am actually more worried about Romeo and Ritsu at this point than Taiga. Like don't get me wrong, that boy ain't right but I can handle someone being a bit homicidal.

Ritsu is easily the cuntiest out of the freshmen about MC at the intro ceremony and Romeo is willing to take MC in for the bounty dead or alive. I feel like this whole book is a bit of a trip, MC about to be kidnapped by a mob boss fr

[ravelqueen]

Hello! I'm the anon who sent the last Dom!Kim ask (about the Pale) I'm glad you like it!!! I have, like, SO many thoughts on Dom!Kim (especially specifically your Dom Kim!)

So, I hope you don't mind if I share some!

I'm actually curious about who this au of Kim would defer, besides just mentally, from canon Kim. Like in canon Kim doesn't make that many decisions himself, and pushes you/Harry to do the talking/make the decision. Even when Harry makes a bad decision, Kim doesn't step in, and really only give his insights if you ask him about it.

I'm reminded of the scene where you can choose to go into the apartment that Mr Evrart gives you, and Kim lists both the pros and cons of doing either, before stating that it's ultimately your (Harry's) decision.

This actually led me to get a sub read on Kim (I didn't get the authority check because I thought asking Kim to give me a secret would be too personal/mean). Like, I kinda envisioned Kim as someone who needed/wanted someone to lead him and make the decisions (because Dom used to do that for him, and he feels so lost without him?).

But! That's not to say I don't vibe with your Dom!Kim headcanon/au, like, I can have multiple/contradictory thoughts about a character. I just wanted to share my thoughts on how I see Kim as someone who doesn't really make decisions.

Which could be taken in a sub way, or, following your au, maybe Kim is so hyper critical of how he acts in a controlling matter that he's trying to course correct. So he keeps saying that it's ultimately Harry's decision, and letting him take the led, as a way to combat his controlling Dom thoughts.

Also, I do wonder how a play through would go down if Harry was able to pick up Kim having this internal thoughts (probably through an Empathy, Inland Empire, Esprit De Corps build), and being like "actually, I would like Kim to make all my decisions for me" (Harry would probably need to have pretty low Authority and Physical Instrument, lol)

And because he's, well, Harry, he would absolutely be like "hey Kim, you know how you want to control my actions, why don't we do that? I'm kind of a mess here, and could use the help".

Though I still bet Kim would be like Absolutely Not, purely because out of principle (even though he really wants to), and because he doesn't actually know how much Harry is aware of BDSM, the life style, or if he's just asking because he's so much of a wreck and that he trusts Kim. Though I do think it's funny if the skills try to like, help you convince Kim you can be a good sub by telling Harry if Kim is displeased by a choice (like Visual Calculus, Empathy, and maybe Conceptualization and Inland Empire could help).

Though I do wonder how this version of Kim (with a Harry who seems to make it one of his goals to get Kim to Dom him/accept him as a sub) would react to Jean.

Like, Kim in the original game didn't seem to have much of an opinion on Jean. Maybe some respect for being a fellow cop, maybe some hostility for not being there during the shot out. But in this au/verison of this au, maybe Kim gets a little pissed off at Jean for scolding Harry at the end of the game?

Because at this point, maybe Kim has begun to dom Harry a little bit (justifying to himself that he's only doing it to further move along the case), and having someone else scold Harry gets his dom brain going because only *he* is allowed to scold Harry. He's the one whose supposed to publish Harry if he messes up, who does Jean think he is? Abandoning Harry and then coming back to scold him? That's not how this works!

Anyway, I also have a drabble idea after Kim and Harry find Harry's crashed Kineema, and Harry feeling guilty about it, and asking for a punishment from Kim, and this being the moment Kim steps more into the dom role. But! This ask is already getting WAY too long! So I'll just stop now, lol. Anyway, I would love to hear more of your thoughts!

(For anyone joining us/organizational purposes: OG Dom!Kim post and the first ask)

My dear lovely anon: I adore talking about ideas that's why i throw them into the world in the faint hope I get to talk about the more so you really made my day here! <3

(also never apologize for multiple headcanons/interpretations I think that's honestly the beauty of fandom that all characters exist in this sort of schrödinger's cat/multiverse sphere where as long as it's consistent with characterization it's valid)

And yes! In my mind the constant checking in and deferrals are basically two-fold: One Kim has a very dear love of Order and Structure and Rules Governing Interaction, especially in a professional setting - in this case Harry, no matter what, is the lead on this case and therefore gets to make the decision.

Second in this sort of AU version of him where he struggles with his urges, he'd be extra conscientious about not infringing on someone's agency in a way he's not been invited to. That's what the Structure is for: an outside hierarchy imposed on him, so he's not feeling resentful of someone aside from him exercising authority.

And normally that's not a problem for him, but Harry, because of his absolute level of fuck-up (and being pretty much his type overall) is crossing all his wires and fucking up his Very Carefully Created Systems, so he's like EXTRA deliberate in letting Harry call the shots in a way he probably wouldn't normally, course-correct as you say

Therefore he would probably absolute fucking FREAK OUT if Harry would be like "the city told me, you'd like to make decisions for me", because he'd be like FUCK I'VE TRIED SO HARD TO NOT BE OBVIOUS WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ME and like double-down on fully suppressing any indication of his thoughts (making them perversely worse probably).

Not necessarily because of a SSC reason/Harry's amnesia and therefore unclear relationship to the scene (bc fucked up version of Kim here, he'd probably get a weird thrill out of being able to be the only one to show him/teach him about this) and more because the loss of control implied by being able to be read so easily by someone who - let's be clear here - is dealing with a lot of stuff and therefore should not be able to pick up Kim's internal struggle.

Jeaaaann oh Jean yes what an interesting thought.

Ok so Jean and Kim even in game have an interesting dynamic imo even though it is so heavily impacted by player choice, because no matter what you've done if Kim is there he defends Harry.

But he defends Harry in this really interesting way, because (at least in Good Cop runs) it's almost a conversation at cross-purpose, because they clearly aren't even talking about the same person.

That conversation to me reads weirdly aimless and strange, because Jean is talking to Kim about Harry the way he's clearly used to talking about him to people that also know him well - as commiseration.

Very "have a load of this guy" and "the things we have to deal with". Not getting into whether that's fair or not (I already know fandom is very divided on that point lol), it is very clear that this is almost rote to him and what is also rote is the way the other side responds: with equal levels of annoyance and pain and trash-talking.

Kim breaks this script.

To Jean, Kim is also someone who spent an extended amount of time with Harry so he expects the other side of his rote conversation to happen the way it always does, but Kim - someone he clearly respects both as an officer as well as his intellect and character - keeps refusing to engage, simply because he doesn't seem to have met the same Harry and that fully throws him for a loop.

In that entire conversation he keeps backtracking, apologizing, amending his aggressiveness at the slightest push-back from Kim.

So I think (to finally come back to your question sorry) that yes Kim absolutely would be annoyed - (idt that during the course of the actual investigation he'd ever let himself indulge in much, but he's certainly started smaller behaviour when it doesn't seem to concern the case - make Harry sleep, eat, dress warmly etc., so there is that kind of possessiveness about him for sure.) even angry at Jean for just coming in and sort of staking a claim on which behaviours Harry should even be scolded for.

But i don't think he'd lash out or anything, because really this is about control - both of the situation and of Harry's responses. And just by responding naturally - by pointing out how well Harry had solved the comprehensive, complicated mystery, how he had taken care of himself, how he'd comported himself quite well, how he'd been kind and capable - he's not just taking control of the conversation, keeping Jean always on the back-foot, deprived of his trusty protocol, but also control of Harry.

Because when at first his attention was fixed on this person who he only somewhat remembers and his (justified?) anger, simply by saying the truth, Kim manages to get him to focus on him, to accept his version of reality, of himself and his character - despite the fact that realistically, Jean's version of himself is probably more correct (simply by virtue of him actually knowing him).

Harry wants to believe that this person Kim is talking about is who he really is and to have someone who he respects say these things he desperately wants to be true, they start to become reality.

And isn't that the ultimate rush for Kim, a dopamine push the likes he's never experienced - to not just have someone accept his rules and judgement and decisions, but to have them accept his reality over their own.

[thana-topsy]

Idk if you've discussed this before, but I saw on one of the asks you like to think about the magical side of things in TES, so was wondering: in your headcanon, which of the schools of magic are probably the most challenging to use and master?

Anon, I just need you to know that this ask sent me into an absolute fit of inspiration writing an entire treatise on this topic from Neloth's point of view, but judging by the amount of unfinished WIPs I'm working with at the moment, I didn't want to leave you (or this question) hanging for months.

I think the most challenging schools are the ones that require the greatest force of will, namely Alteration and Illusion, both of which require you to impose your will on the world around you.

With Illusion, you're manipulating the minds of others. I think @dirty-bosmer had a great passage exploring this from this post of her writing: "Sylawen flushed but rolled her eyes, then shut them. Illusion. She hated Illusion. She wished she could tell him illusion was for the weak, a field of mind games and emotions, just alteration without the grounding laws of physics. Alteration for people who were bad at math. Illusion required Sylawen to be too close to others' emotions, and though she hated to admit it, sometimes she simply didn't understand how other people were supposed to feel."

I IMMEDIATELY adopted that into my headcanons: Illusion is a school that requires you to have a tremendous amount of intuitive empathy to use effectively, which has so many twisted and interesting implications. A master of Illusion, then, might use it very sparingly.

With Alteration, you're directly impacting the world around you but still bound by the laws of the natural world -- creating shields, opening locks, transmuting metals, producing light (I don't care what Skyrim says, light spells are NOT Illusion?? make it make sense). But then there's the school of Thaumaturgy. (This classification was phased out by the time Skyrim came around, and then picked back up in ESO). I like having this distinction from Alteration. Thaumaturgy deals in changing the laws of reality, if only for a brief period of time -- breathing water, levitation, water walking, etc. I think this requires some of the highest skill to master. (I also feel like invisibility should fall under this school, but there's an argument to be made that you could use both concepts to reach the same end goal).

For a truly spectacular take on Alteration (without me splitting hairs about spell classification), I might suggest reading the beginning of chapter 93 (an excellent occult number) of @chameleonspell's Morrowind masterpiece "How to Disappear Completely", which forever altered the way I both view TES fanfic AND how I think about magic in Tamriel.

I'm going to leave my Mysticism rant for another day, because fwew I'll get lost in my own meta and this post is long enough. Thank you so much for asking!! As I said... I do love to talk magic.

[bethanydelleman]

I was thinking about your Edmund vs. Frank poll and it made me revisit Frank's arc. I'll go straight to it - this guy exhibits massive red flag behavior at times.

The worst of it was the box hill episode. The day before, Jane had refused to walk with him (for very reasonable reasons though I'm sure she was also acting more out of frustration at Frank than any actual caution there). He outrageously flirts with Emma the next day in Jane's full view knowing she dislikes it. It's obvious he's doing it for revenge - to hurt Jane or get a reaction out of her. He brings up marriage completely out of the blue, brings up their engagement and makes a veiled threat to break up with her, and - this is what I can never forgive him for - he makes the comment about women in their "own set" which I'm sure is a dig at Jane's family's poverty. (please correct me if I'm wrong). And when Jane says something along the lines of "maybe we should break up" he loses it again and makes a dig at Jane's appearance and personality this time - asking Emma to find him a wife who is "lively, with hazle eyes", the opposite of Jane basically. And he wanted JANE to apologize to him after that.

Now the whole thing is very delightful to read as a reader. We can very easily see through Frank and his actions as those of a spoiled brat who has never been denied anything in life; with very little emotional regulation or control over his reactions. But imagine how horrible the whole thing must be from Jane's perspective - to be insulted like that by someone you love and plan to marry.

Frank's greatest redeeming quality is that he loves Jane. He really does love her, there is no denying that. But you can still be horrible to people you love. I also keep thinking about Andy's comment that Frank subconsciously resents Jane for the power she has over him, which makes him act out on her - the premise of the concealment allows him to hurt her, slander her character, criticize her personality and appearance all under the cloak of hiding the engagement. The ABC game is the greatest example - he already believed that Emma knew about the engagement by then, so there was no point to it except to harass Jane with a tasteless joke at her expense that he knew she didn't find funny.

The thing is I can totally see Box hill and ABC game becoming a pattern in their marriage later on. Whenever Jane doesn't do something that Frank wants her to, I can totally see Frank going unhinged, make veiled barbs at her in company accusing her of having married him for money and making digs at her for coming from a poor family; or express regret at having married too fast and young; or even making slight fun of her with their other guests like he had done with Emma. Later he is going to apologize profusely, love bomb her and buy her lavish gifts. But that doesn't change the fact that this is abusive behavior. You may say I'm overthinking it but consider - all of the future behaviours I noted is based on things he has already said or done canonically in the book.

One of your anons said that Frank had the potential to become Arthur Huntington in the future and unfortunately I can see that. Though I agree with you that Arthur had never loved Helen and Frank does love Jane, but you can still be abusive to people you love. I think of all Austen heroes Frank has the potential to become abusive in the future - because the abusive traits are already in his personality. Although I'm sure this dark side of his character probably appeals to a lot of Frank Churchill's fans.

I know this turned out to be Frank hate rant but I do like Frank. He is super fun to read on the page, and his love for Jane is endearing inspite of everything. And unlike the actual villains like Wickham and Willoughby, he doesn't have harm in his heart and all the harm done is because of his poor emotional regulation and lack of situational empathy. But my point is that a novel from Jane's perspective would be a lot darker than Emma is, and I doubt we will like Frank as much as we do then.

I don't regret voting Edmund because he annoys the fuck out of me, but I doubt he would ever make digs at Fanny's poverty, or make deliberately hurtful comments at her when he loses his temper, or make fun of her socially.

I know you like Frank so sorry if this comes off as hate, I promise it's not. Just a new perspective on "the worst Frank did was not talk to his father." Jane loves him inspite of everything and I can also see why. I hope she fixes him and they have a very happy married life.

English is not my first language so sorry for any mistakes.

Your English looks perfect to me. This question is in response to this question.

I don't know if Frank is as bad as you present him or as Andy thinks (I heartily disagree with him). Frank is a spoiled brat and he doesn't have much emotional regulation, but I think a lot of his acting out at Box Hill and the day before is due to his frustration at the engagement taking so long, not at Jane herself or her situation. He talks about how his aunt has only ever denied him a few times, one being going abroad. I think when Frank entered the engagement, he thought he would win his aunt over and it would be done and he'd be happy. The separation is wearing on him.

I think he has a bit too much fun "keeping" (he is not good at this) his secret but he also does not take the secret as seriously as Jane. He's annoyed with her because he wanted to walk her home and she said no. He's desperate to spend time with her but he can't. I think his problem at Box Hill is he takes Jane's rational secret keeping as a rejection of him (it's not). He thinks Jane's love is wearing out.

I could see them having a very happy marriage now that the moral dilemma facing Jane (secret engagement) is gone and Frank is more free to do as he pleases.

[sflow-er]

To August anon 2

Sorry it's taken me so long to reply! I don't know if you'll even see this as I've decided not to risk the backlash of putting it on the main tag, but I hope you do.

[Earlier posts: August anon 1, August anon 2]

I want to curate the discussion a bit now that you've shifted part of the focus on Sara. I don't share your position of liking both her and August for being 'morally dark' people, and I fear it may be a bit jarring to any Sara fans reading this. So I've decided to screenshot your message and put it under the cut instead of replying directly.

We disagree on some fundamental things when it comes to August's and especially Sara's characterisation, and I doubt we're going to reach consensus. But that's okay! I'm just going to explain some parts of my POV below, and then we can agree to disagree. There are also a few areas where we seem to be getting our wires crossed (e.g. what we mean by 'understanding' the consequences) so I want to clear those up.

Most of this rambling essay was written before the S3 trailer came out, so I'm not focusing much on the glimpses we see of them in the trailer. But I am still using the spoiler tags just to be safe.

CW: negative take on Sara (but the anon actually likes her); couple of suicide mentions

Okay so... I'm going to start by clarifying a couple of things:

Understanding vs. understanding

Infantilising vs. taking young age into account

When I talk about August and the consequences, I'm not saying he lacks the intellect or analytical thinking to know/predict them. I'm saying he lacks the empathy and relevant frames of reference to understand them. I think we're just using the word 'understand' to mean different things - maybe internalise, empathise or relate would be a better choice for what I mean by it?

To revisit my previous example, August as an incredibly privileged member of the elite cannot understand i.e. relate to Simon's experience as someone whose ability to make his own reputation and get by on his own merit has been permanently affected by the video. As a very confidently straight man, he also cannot relate to Wille's experience as someone whose non-straight sexuality, a deeply personal and private thing that he wasn't even done figuring out, has suddenly been exposed to the world and potentially even some homophobic hate.

I'm not saying this to infantilise, defend, or excuse August. I'm saying it because to me, it partly explains why it's so easy for him to dismiss the harm to Simon and see his betrayal of Wille as just a matter of loyalty - the only moral code he knows - instead of something that would've been wrong no matter who the victim was. It's a thought pattern that stems from his upbringing and worldview, and it would have to be dismantled for him to feel proper remorse. Which I think would probably take professional help at this point.

(I agree with you that August would be extremely prejudiced against Boris. A glimpse of him googling therapy providers or booking an appointment for after graduation might feel more realistic to me - but I guess it depends on what the writers want to do with him. We already saw very quick progress with Wille in S2 so it's safe to say they can take some liberties.)

I still believe that August will lose his social status in S3, likely towards the end. But it's fair that you don't, and the trailer is certainly edited to support your position. If he retains his status, then you may be right about him remaining the same old asshole! If he does lose it, then my original point about him likely not being resilient enough to cope with the consequences still stands. He is very much the kind of person to whom suicide is the "proud" way out compared to the shame of losing everything.

Now, the age thing.

Respectfully, I think you may be ascribing too much meaning to August and Sara being of age in S2 (note that Sara was still 17 when she made the deal with August in S1). Eighteen is the age of legal adulthood, yes, but it doesn't make them fully grown and mature adults in the (neuro)biological, psychological or social sense.

[This feels like a good point to say that I am not going to try to account for Sara's neurodivergence here. I definitely don't have the insight, so if anything I've written below is in any way inaccurate or offensive to persons with AuDHD, please let me know!!]

Firstly, it's important to note that that the human brain matures gradually and unevenly. The prefrontal cortex i.e. the 'reasoning centre' only matures in the mid-to-late 20s, while parts that handle things like right/wrong, risk/reward, and emotional responses (e.g. the amygdala) mature earlier. This can cause teens and young adults to struggle with things like impulse control, assessing the long-term consequences of their actions, understanding others' emotions, and rational decision-making in situations that trigger a strong emotional response. Reason can get overtaken by emotion on a chemical level; sometimes the young person can't even fully explain afterwards why they did something they rationally knew was wrong all along.

[I don't think August was in a particularly analytical state of mind when he decided to post the video. He was an intelligent but emotionally unstable and empathically challenged 18-year-old who felt like he had nothing left to lose and the only moral code he knew (i.e. loyalty) was obsolete. He was also still stewing in the emotional turmoil of his humiliation and likely stuck in a negative feedback loop. It feels very plausible to me that he could be in a very bad place for a pretty long time and still function enough to plan his revenge (more on the revenge part below).]

Secondly, both August and Sara have also had some pretty traumatic experiences (Sara's bullying, August's dad's suicide, the influence of both their dads while they were still in their lives). These may have impacted their emotional and psychological development in various ways and created some thought patterns. Not to play arm-chair psychologist, but I don't think it's a coincidence August's decision to post the video is related to his family estate and legacy, while Sara's decision to make a deal with August is related to the threat of being sent back to Marieberg.

[This feels particularly relevant for Sara, whose bullying was brutal and long-term enough for her to have to repeat a year. The negative attention on Simon after the video probably seemed less severe in comparison, and also like a 'first incident' (in fact, she might have even felt like Linda was applying a different standard to Simon's ordeal compared to hers by immediately wanting to take them both out of Hillerska).]

[I vehemently disagree with Sara's idea that the damage to Simon was already done and it wouldn't have made a difference whether he knew who was responsible, but I think it matters to some extent that she didn't know the history between Simon and August. To her, the video probably seemed like something that was mostly between August and Wille. That idea was likely reinforced by August consistently dismissing Simon's side of it - and also by Simon seemingly moving on with Marcus and no longer being the talk of the school after Christmas. This kind of rationalisation may have even made Sara feel better about pursuing a relationship with August in S2.]

[I also think Sara probably felt like she had the right to be selfish after everything she'd been through. Simon's support during her bullying wasn't conditional; she didn't feel like she "owed him" any sacrifices. It was clearly Simon's idea to follow Sara to Hillerska, and she may have even felt like he was hovering a bit (I doubt S1E1 was her first time saying she was fine now and he didn't have to be there). Then, Simon started to keep secrets and even see Micke for reasons Sara didn't know, altering the terms of their relationship, while Sara was finally daring to dream of things she'd been denied for so long. Friends, a better future, even romance. To her, it felt extremely unfair to have to give all that up and go back to a school that was a nightmare to her but not to Simon. Especially when her and Simon's lives weren't as intertwined anymore and she finally felt like she was gaining some agency in her own.]

Thirdly (circling back to the point about maturity), it's good to keep in mind that both August and Sara are still in the high-school phase of life. A phase when most people are a bit selfish, and their past and current dramas and dreams for the future are everything to them. They haven't really acquired much experience or long-term perspective yet. So I really don't think we can call them that much more mature in the social sense than, say, Wilhelm and Simon. They are still messy teens living their messy teen lives, shaped by their upbringing and limited life experience, all the while thinking they are basically grown adults.

So am I saying all this to infantilise August and Sara and excuse their actions? I'm sure it sounds that way; hence, not putting this on the main tag.

But the way I see it, to infantilise them would be to say they weren't responsible for their actions or didn't know what they're doing. They are responsible, and they do know. All the factors laid out above (and also in my previous August posts) explain their reasoning and actions to some extent, but they do not excuse them. The fact still remains that they both applied their best judgment and deliberately chose to do the thing that they knew was wrong.

You're right that they took time to consider their decisions in S1, although I don't think we can know for sure exactly how long August takes. The timeline is a mess at that point; he is still at the Palace wearing the same outfit when the others make their statement, and I doubt he could've been there overnight. But he does take several hours in any case, and although he isn't thinking rationally at that point, he still knows what he's doing is wrong. In fact, he does it with the sole intention of hurting others, which makes it all the more reprehensible.

I just want to caution against labelling him as some evil, fundamentally unfeeling mastermind. He's just a very selfish and immature young man with a very warped view of the world, who needs to see some consequences for his own sake as much as his victims'. I think part of the reason we saw him turn so soft with Sara in S2 was to underline that he is capable of empathy and caring; it's just a matter of unlocking those emotions. They haven't exactly been nurtured growing up, so he is only applying them to the people he deems "worthy", instead of all his fellow human beings. That selective empathy is another thing he seriously needs to work on, alongside the lack of accountability.

As for Sara, she takes several days to consider what to do about the video, which makes her betrayal of Simon more severe. But as explained above, it's so much more nuanced than her not caring about him. (Or indeed her being some poor victim who didn't know what she was doing and fell in love with The Devil! Don't get me wrong, August definitely let her believe she was guiding him in a better direction, which may have even pushed some Micke buttons in her subconscious and/or memories of Simon's insistence that everyone deserves a second chance... But she still made her own decisions and is responsible for them.)

It's easy to forget that we do in fact see Sara aware that her actions are wrong even before the end of S2. She looks conflicted/unsure when she and August make out in S1E6, cries when Simon earnestly proclaims "I like you when you are you" and "I'm trying to be your friend again because I need you" after she has just betrayed him, and again looks conflicted when the siblings talk about loving the "wrong person" in S2E5. She did some very selfish things and hid them for much too long, yes, but I believe her regret is genuine. It will take some skilful writing to make her and Simon reconcile in a way that makes sense, doesn't feel rushed or reduce her to an archetype, and doesn't just magic away her leftover feelings for August (as those will probably take some time to clear out). But I do have faith it can be done.

So I think that just about covers what I wanted to say. This isn't a comprehensive essay by any means, and I'm sure it won't go down well with everyone. I also don't expect it to change your mind about these characters, anon, and that's okay!

I mostly just wanted to push back on the notion that Sara and August being 18 means all their bad decisions are now on par with bad decisions taken by fully grown adults and their character development is now set in stone. I highly doubt the show will end with them both proudly standing behind their poor choices - I can certainly see August doing that if he doesn't see any repercussions, but not Sara.

In any case, thank you for taking the time to explain your point of view on these characters, and sorry again for taking so long to respond!

[khihi]

In regards to the messiness of yesterday;

First and foremost, it's one thing to have a different perspective on an event, but it's another entirely to send hate messeges when you do not comprehend the other perspective. Anyone who did should be embarassed and ashamed of themselves. Also, anyone who directly messeged Bojan any vitirol should also be embarassed and ashamed of themselves too.

That being said, please realise that no one has been saying that Bojan wasn't right in what he was saying. It's so good of him to care and he is absolutely correct; queuing has gotten ridiculous during this tour and it needs to calm down. The issue was that his timing was poor and caused chaos in the morning that set the panicked tone for the rest of the day and made fun and friendly queue practices practically redundant. Please understand that you can critique how someone handled a situation clumsily - however kind-hearted their intentions were - and still love and respect them.

Again, this is not saying the issue of queuing getting out of hand shouldn't be brought up. It should. It's good it's now been brought up. It's just a shame it happened the way it did.

I only hope Bojan, unlike some fans, didn't recieve too many hateful messeges and that he's already moving on. He seemed in a good mood before, at, and after the gig (they all did), which was wonderful and a relief to see. The show was fantastic; everything going wrong was so funny and the boys took it in their stride beautifully.

I also haven't seen anyone mention the fact that the venue is absolutely to blame for aggravating the queuing chaos and I really think it needs to be said; handing out wristbands - especially a limited number of writstbands - as early as 9am pushes back regular queue arrival time by HOURS and clearly makes people panic. Wristbands have caused such a mess and I hope other venues don't start thinking this is in any way a good idea.

I just hope this gig can be a learning experience and everyone chills the fuck out from now on. Please no more queuing the day before. And endangering other people by pushing and shoving is fucked up to say the least. It's not the end of the world if you're not barricade.

If anyone wants to talk further about anything, maybe consider discussing it in DMs - politely, like adults - and not hatefully on anon. The whole two-queue problem was solved yesterday because people discussed it respectfully with each other and listened to each other's perspective with a little empathy. Maybe let's have a little of that energy here too.

Speaking of which, in spite of how messy it all was there were still so many lovely people that I'm glad I met - it was so nice meeting more mutuals at this gig too, I'm glad you guys got to enjoy yourselves at the show and I hope you're all able to relax and unwind today! Look after yourselves <3

[sushisocks]

HAPPIEST SEAN HEADCANON AND SADDEST SEAN HEADCANON???

OOOHHHHH ANON, WE ARE IN IT NOW!!!! Good question, good question indeed!! I shall answer to the best of my ability!!!!!

I'll be frank, I had a harder time thinking of my happiest HC than my saddest one, and IDK what that says about me lmaoo but here we are!!

I have a lot of happy HCs for Sean!! The trouble was picking out my happiest among them, bcz some are more silly/funny - like a happy memory or experience I think he would have! - while others are more like. this is something about him which I think is a good/happy thing and that makes me happy. So I'm gonna go with the latter one here, just bcz the red thread of this post will be more cohesive that way njhbjnnbh

So, the HC which makes me the happiest, is supported by a lot of canon, and an aspect of Sean which initially drew me towards him. And it's his genuine interest in people, and his appreciation of them!! I think, despite absolutely having been somewhat disillusioned by the world at large and the oppressive systemic powers which rule it, Sean meets the individual human with incredible good faith!! By that I mean, I think he does believe he has common ground with most people, just by virtue of being alive and surviving in the world, and that is just his approach to everyone he meets in life. There is a sincere sense of empathy and good will in him, and he's not above being proven wrong or staying stuck in a bad opinion of someone. Not that he's above disliking people (we see this clearly with Micah lol), it's just that he's the type to be willing to sit down and have a drink and conversation with almost everyone and anyone.

THAT, to me, says an incredible amount about what Sean thinks of humanity at large, and is why I have this HC of him. And I, personally, as someone who also likes to believe in the good in people and meet them with good faith, have always found this quality of Sean's very appealing!! So it makes me happy to think about, that his exuberance around others actually runs that deep!!!

My SADDEST HC is pretty easy to pick out, as the core of a lot of my sad Sean HC's & thoughts come from the idea that he has self-esteem through the damn floor, similar to Arthur, which he deals with differently - desperately seeking to disprove those thoughts and ideas in what ways he can. It's about him putting out so much affection into the world in the hopes of receiving just a little bit back (and still never expecting it; accepting rejections and unkind comments easily and with a smile because that is what he expects), it's about his need to be friendly & on speaking terms with everyone in camp (save those whose regard he deems unneeded; Micah, and Kieran before realizing he's a victim to circumstance, remedying his approach to him accordingly) and how QUICK he is to step back and try to fix the situation when he realizes he's offended someone in camp.

I think Sean has always read to me as someone who struggles to not only sit still, but to sit with himself, with his own thoughts. Because, how long do you think it takes for him to start spiraling? How long does it take before he starts wondering if there's something he could've done to save his father - starts blaming himself for Darragh's death? How long before the things he was told in reform school - about his intelligence, his worth, starts rearing its head again? It all comes down to a low sense of self esteem, I think, which he seeks to not let himself get stuck on. And that drives a lot of my other sad/angsty Sean HCs, lol!

Thank you for this ask, anon!! It was a lot of fun to think about, though it def took me a lil while to settle on either!! I hope you enjoy my answers ;;w;;

[skippyv20]

Hi Skippy! I was thinking this morning about how blessed  this entire community is to have you as our fearless leader. I’ve followed you for years, and have often sought your advice and counsel on many very personal issues. You never fail to come through with wisdom, empathy, and kindness. So thank you for being you and shining some much-needed light onto this world. 

I wanted to give you a long-overdue update. I am the attorney anon who wrote last year about mental health, job, and family struggles, including a challenging marriage, a child with special needs, and a new diagnosis of bipolar disorder after suffering 30 years with wrong diagnoses and medication.

First the good news: my moods have stabalized on a new cocktail of meds, and I haven't had a severe depressive episode for almost a year! My mania is better too, but I do have some uncomfortable side effects. I am on lithium, and I worry about kidney issues and/or developing diabetes, which are two possible side effects.

Second bit of good news - I'm now working back at my old organization. If you told me that this time last year, I'd never have believed you. I was convinced my days as an atty were over because of my mental health issues. I considered filing for disability. The role is one I haven't held in 8 years, I had moved onto a prestigious position in that org before jumping ship to another org for a promotion. So it's a bit humbling to be back in this role, but I'm grateful to be here. I was stuck in a nightmare at my last job, which included at the end fighting disability discrimination.

Bad news: I still worry about my son, who is now 7, and doesn't seem to be where he needs to be. I've done everything for him, 4-5 different therapies a week since his premature birth. He has a physical disability and, while he is very smart and can keep up with his class, he just seems different than other boys his age.

My husband is incapable of providing emotional support, and I do think sometimes I'm in an emotionally abusive relationship. I am not happy, he is not happy, but I'm so afraid to cut the cord. My brother is going through a divorce and I know if I do too it'll cause my elderly parents even more distress. But this is a guy who - get this - snapped at waiters who came to the table carrying (free) cake to sing  happy birthday a few weeks ago. It was crazy and scary, and i just don't want to deal with a person like this anymore. I'm 42 now, not in my mid-30s like when you told me to be strong and leave him years ago...is it too late? I see signs of aging when I look in the mirror and I've gained some weight. I'm worried I've lost all of my appeal and don't want to be alone. My husband is very responsible and does do a lot of things around the house and for our son. If he didn't, it'd be a no brainer to divorce, but maybe it's worth salvaging for the help with things I can't always get to because of my issues? Not to mention our son would be crushed. 

Hi! So nice to hear from you. Thank you for such kind words, but I must say…I am NOT a leader. I am just here struggling along with everyone else. We get through one day at a time, together! Nice to know some things have changed. That is so wonderful your meds are working so well. Don’t spend time worrying about the side effects. If you focus on those you are robbing yourself of joy. If you just keep going for your scheduled appts with your doctor, he will be watching for you.

I understand what you mean about being in one job and going back to another. I was working as a secretary in the government. I was chosen to create a new intake position, that was non existent. It was a six month term. At the end of the six months, I was back as a secretary being supervised again, by the same woman I had been supervising for six months. Everyone thought it was so strange. I didn’t though. I look at things differently I guess. A job is a job, and whatever it is, as long as you know you are doing the best you can….it doesn’t matter what the job is. You just take it one day at a time. After all, a job is not your whole life…right?

Children are strange little things. They do things at their own rate. He sounds like he is doing very well, he is keeping up! Great job! Seems different than other boys? That is ok…your child is who he is….it’s not a contest. Different is ok. My daughter was different as a child, an old soul. She is different now as she is bipolar. There are quirks….makes life interesting…..embrace him, just as he is….

I will always advise anyone who is being emotionally or physically abused to leave. You say you aren’t happy, and he isn’t happy? Perhaps a marriage counsellor? People get too comfy in their lives, and don’t want to change things. No one likes the unknown future. You mention your parents, and your son being distressed? Timing is always a problem…when is the best time? You say your husband is a great help…see to me…there must still be something there, I couldn’t find one good reason to stay with my ex, and believe me…he did all the cooking, he cleaned like no other, he did everything….that was one of the biggest problems for me…I couldn’t do anything, he told me that all the time.

Bipolar people can see things differently. They can hear things said one way only….it will be negative. It takes time, love and patience to communicate with someone who is bipolar. People don’t understand that unless you tell them. I have had to learn to speak to my daughter differently. Maybe you need to explain that to your husband. If you want to save this marriage, it will take work on both sides. Communication is everything. I know some think being bipolar one just needs meds….no…not true. It’s much more involved than that.

Anyways, I am so proud of you! You sound so much better. I really, really appreciate you dropping by, so nice to hear from you. You are in my prayers. I send love and hugs….and…thank YOU for staying with me!🙏🏻❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[cicadaknight]

Seyka is Aloy if she was accepted into the Nora from the start, very weird choice for a romance for a story with all the possibilties and the ways to do it to make it with basically another skin of Aloy herself

Why? Because she has a Focus, tells people to fuck off, can stand her ground in a fight? Has a sister who she wants to save? Is skeptical of her tribe's actions? A little snarky and flirtatious? Curious and reckless? Likes to tinker with tech and improve the world around her? You think it makes more sense that Aloy (who above all is fascinated by strong-willed, creative people) should look at those traits with disdain or competition instead of admiration and attraction? That in seeing some of herself in Seyka, she wouldn't feel empathy? Also, I'm just saying, as someone very invested in Kotallo x Aloy, I'm a big old fan of pairings where the characters have a ton of parallels in their history and personality. I go wild for those hour-long analyses of why Kotallo and Aloy essentially have the same backstory and character traits. And I've never seen anyone upset about how similar they are. Maybe it's because Kotallo's outwardly more stoic? Maybe it's because he has a tragic backstory the audience witnessed and sees him grow through? And we just don't have that empathy for Seyka's experiences being stranded in a new land? I don't know.

Differences I see between Seyka and Aloy: -Seyka's a nobody. Not because she's an outcast, but because of her rank and status. She's just a grunt. She's not motivated by being the only one who CAN accomplish the impossible, but because no one else seems to be rising to the occasion. Like sure, hypothetically that would be Aloy too if she were raised with the Nora and weren't a clone, but that's not the story we have. -Seyka's deeply loyal (to her tribe, to authority, to herself) in a way Aloy's never been. You could say Aloy is loyal to the people she loves or to Elisabet, to the world. But it still feels like very different core motivations. I would say Aloy betrayed herself on the daily by holding herself to Elisabet's standard. I don't see Seyka betraying herself. -Personally, I feel like Seyka is far more earnest and unguarded than Aloy. (Up until Aloy starts getting flustered and promises Seyka doesn't have to do it alone.)

I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it, I don't think it's a problem that Seyka's so similar to Aloy. Most of the companions are in MANY ways. But what makes all of their relationships work is how they push each other and show vulnerability. I have work to do today lmao so i'm probably not going to respond anymore. But I appreciate the opportunity to try to articulate more of my thoughts. Again: you don't have to like her, we don't have to agree on anything. Have a nice day, anon.

[thosewildcharms]

I’m rewatching s3 episode 12 and it just blows my mind all over again the immediate mutual empathy between Rick and Michonne; a silent understanding to carry their weight to protect each other just as much as they yearn to be protected. Somehow in their deepest selves, they felt an immediate safety with each other and learn from each other. Like Michonne taking on the emotional toil of making the hard choice to pass the helpless hitchhiker. Rick gets to look past him and have a brief reprieve of being the one forced to make painful choices. Carl didn’t really understand what a grown adult alone in a dark world must go through because he still had the innocence of a child to wonder why his father or Michonne would make an immoral choice. Rick and Michonne just immediately establish this reciprocity of being each other’s ride or die, if love is all we have at the end of the world how beautiful is it that they both instinctively put each other’s faith and heart in the other’s hands. The just want to live for real unconditional love worthy of dying for. And Rick in his silent acknowledgment of what Michonne has done for him defends her ruining their ‘run’ with “it was an honest mistake” and reasserts her morally gray choice by definitively leaving the hitchhiker. Like he was so ready to intensely match her energy as soon as she showed him an act of compassion and strength, it’s actually disgustingly romantic 😭 It’s just interesting to see long before they ever kissed, it seems that they actually made it relatively easy to fall in love with each other.

hey anon! first of all i just want to say that this really beautifully worded. i especially love that last sentence. you're right - in retrospect, it really seems inevitable that they fell in love with each other.

i will say that i read that car scene in 3x12 a bit differently.

i always saw the car ride out as a test, and the car ride back was established trust. in the previous episode rick tells daryl that he's bringing michonne on a run and that he'll "find out" if it's a good idea or not depending on how it goes. and while they connect during that trip, it's really carl's "she's one of us" that solidified the trust. i did see them both silently deciding to leave the hitchhiker behind as an early sign of their unspoken shared instincts, although i read it as them both being in a particularly nihilistic mindset at that point (tbf, i read the show as a whole as pretty nihilistic but that's just my personal opinion). by that i mean that i don't think either of them had any qualms about it lol. i do love how it's completely wordless, but i also attributed that to the inherent tension of the car ride - rick knows he's testing michonne, and michonne knows she's being tested, and they both know that there's no chance they're letting that guy in the car. as for the moment with carl when rick tells him it was an honest mistake: maybe i'm an idiot but i always thought that was rick reminding carl to have good manners lol but your take is way more interesting, so i like it :)

all of that being said, i love your interpretation of how this, intentionally or not, was an early sign of their eventual dynamic. like, it's kind of blowing my mind a little, to be honest. i think most people consider this episode as the one that planted the seed for what they would eventually become, and i agree, but i love that after reading this ask i can look at it and see it as a reflection of everything they eventually build between them. that's so insightful. i especially love this: "Somehow in their deepest selves, they felt an immediate safety with each other and learn from each other." because yeah! rick told michonne that maybe it was "something else" that made him take her in instead of just taking the baby formula. on some level, they knew!

[sleepis4theweak]

...I would like to hear the lorax and sewage treatment rants. pls? And the presentation on your favorite turtles and the science/philosophy puns

*insert puppy dog or kitty cat eyes here*

~😺

Oh you sweet sweet anon... you have no idea what you just got yourself into...

WELL I MEAN IF YOU INSIST-

Whatever length you're expecting it to be, its longer SO:

Okay SO- The Lorax:

There are two different Lorax movies. One is from 1972, the other is from 2012. The one from 1972 is only 25 minutes long! And you can watch it here.

The 1972 Lorax is much much darker than the 2012 one. And the main difference between the two is the Once-ler. The Once-ler is supposed to represent companies, and company greed. In the 1972 one, the Once-ler is faceless. He is simply two arms (and sometimes two legs) with green gloves. He's not supposed to be any one person, he's supposed to represent the company. In the 2012 one, the Once-ler does have a face. In fact, he has a whole backstory and everything! This was supposedly so that kids could connect to the Once-ler. They were supposed to see the Once-ler as a real person, and therefore a real threat instead of some boogy man shrouded in the dark. However, 2012 ended up messing up the Once-ler, and therefore the original message of the Lorax.

(MAJOR SPOILERS IM DESCRIBING THE WHOLE MOVIE WHOOPS)

The 1972 Once-ler appeared in the world quickly, and immediately set up shop. He started producing thneeds quickly, and made sales immediately. When the Lorax challenged him, he replied, "It's only one tree." He called in his family so he could have more manpower and make more Thneeds. He began mass producing Thneeds, and more and more trees were cut down. You can see how trash begins to accumulate and the air gets darker and darker, there are more and more stumps littering the area. He orders roads to be paved and the town grows. He expands his empire and starts selling Once-ler cones and burgers. He was making a lot of money. The environment got worse and worse until finally the Lorax (who had been pleading with him to stop this entire time) said that he would have to send the Brown Bar-ba-loots away because they were starving without the fruits from the Truffula trees. You can actually see two of the Bar-ba-loots carry another between them because they are so hungry. THIS is when the Once-ler first shows any signs of empathy. He wonders if he is bad, if he should stop. He has a literal conversation with himself, before reasoning it away and yoinking down a blind decorated to look like a blue sky over the window showing a destroyed environment. He keeps going, until the Lorax appears to tell him that he must send the Swomee Swans away because the now toxic air was making them very very sick. The Once-ler reasons away concerns again. Finally the Lorax appears to tell the Once-ler that he is sending away the Humming Fish, because they water is too toxic for them. Finally the Once-ler is like... maybe I should stop. He agrees to stop only for someone to call and say, "Hey! Sales are up!" And he's immediately like "FUCK THE ENVIRONMENT, FUCK THE LORAX AND FUCK THE TRUFFULA TREES LETS GOOOOOOO" (I'm paraphrasing). Only then the last tree is cut down and production stops. The Lorax is disappointed and leaves, leaving only the "Unless" circle. Blah blah blah time passes. You see that the city is absolutely destroyed. Everything is wrecked. Some kid comes along and the Once-ler gives him a seed and is like... "maybe ur the unless. Since I majorly suck u know?" THE END! :)

THE 2012 LORAX HOWEVER- THAT SHIT IS DIFFERENT.

In the 2012 Lorax the Once-ler appears and is like!!! Omg!! Nature! Hello bears!!! :) Have marshmallows!!!!!!! He chops down a tree. The Lorax appears and is like, "Don't do thaaaaat :((" and long story short he agrees to not chop down the trees. Then his family swoops in and is like haha ITS US >:) WE R GONNA EMOTIONALLY ABUSE U NOW UNTIL U CUT DOWN TREES YOU IDIOT >:)))))))

...

So he does. And then his company grows and grows and grows. He has the whole "How bad can I be?" song (which absolutely fucking slaps by the way). In which, he basically sings about how he has no idea what he's doing. It's somewhat similar to the 1972 Once-ler's little self talks, but instead of knowing what he's doing is bad and then choosing money over it, 2012 Once-ler doesn't fully realize that he's doing harm. He's being pushed by his family, he is just very swept up in the gaining money bit. He also doesn't look back at the damage he's caused. He comes off as a naive lil entrepreneur who didn't realize the harm he was causing until it was too late, and the last tree had been chopped down.

Overall, instead of the "Corporates do not have the public's best interest at heart and we need to regulate them" message that the 1972's Lorax had, the 2012 Lorax had the message, "Corporates aren't baaadd.... they just... they don't realize they are doing harm :("

AND THEN (yes there's more)- YOU HAVE THE LEGEND HIMSELF- O'HARE!!!!!! He's tiny. He's evil. He is absolutely unrealistic. O'Hare ALSO represents the corporate. But in the wroooong way. O'Hare is unrealistic, and so I don't associate companies with him in the same way I do the 1972 Once-ler. He takes the attention away from the 2012 Once-ler as well. And he's just a strange dude.

Also in 2012 there is no reason for saving the earth. When I watch the 1972 Lorax I leave thinking, "Hey! Corporates need to be regulated and if we don't we are gonna be in real trouble. Very sick and with terrible air quality and toxic water. In 2012 the people live there just fine. Sure, there's smog, (and I do actually like how O'Hare mentions actively making the environment worse to increase demand for his air) but the people there are healthy and happy. They just decide to save the earth because uhhhhh well... who knows! Because they look pretty? Because they dislike O'Hare? Because they wanted to get a tree for their crush?

I'll stop there... but ITS VERY INTERESTING OKAY A LOT OF THE MESSAGES GOT DILUTED IN THE 2012 MOVIE.

--------

Now as for sewage plants heh heh heh hehhhhh

THERE ARE 4 STAGES!!! (AND SOMETIMES MORE BUT I WON'T GO INTO THAT)

They are: preliminary, primary, secondary and tertiary!

I won't discuss them all because this post is already so so soooo long... BUT I WILL DISCUSS MY FAV MWAHHAHAHA

Primary treatment!!! <3

So you get that raw sewage and you screen it, you get out all the big stuff in there like baby wipes, and large pieces of plastic. The post-screening sewage then moves into a comminutor. It slices up that raw sewage and sends it off to the grit chamber. The grit chamber sloooows down that sewage and then lets grit and such settle and get removed/funneled out.

Finally that sewage goes to the primary clarifier (my love <3) its basically a large tank, and the sewage just... sits there. All the heavy stuff sinks to the ground, and some stuff can rise to the top. They scrape all the stuff off the top and take the stuff out the bottom. That sewage sludge (poop and such) goes to treatment and disposal. What's left is (mostly) water and it is cleaned further in the other stages!

Sometimes when I am in a car I pass by the big primary clarifiers and I'm like!!! LOOK!!! PRIMARY TREATMENT!!!! ... and people think I'm insane... (tho people who know me are used to it lol).

I also used to go to a middle school where they was a sewage plant right next to us and they did Primary treatment and lemme tell you- it smelled AWFUL. SO BAD. I did get to see the primary clarifiers tho!!! Because my school did a tour there... for some reason... I didn't appreciate it at the time haha. But now I think its cool!!! :)

This ask is getting too long... so I'll stop now but I mean... feel free to send me another ask about my fav turtles or pun t shirts hehe <3

[ourpickwickclub]

"Placed them in the same category not because I think it's equally terrible, it's not, but as the category 'peers in her circle who supported her when se got cheated on but then also cheated'. Didn't feel like that had to be explained, but guess it did. Also, someone staying doesn't say much. G stayed through a lot of crap."

Yes, it has to be explained, because it was in the category "God, how do we think Gwen feels about it? Probably terrible" while in reality, for whatever reason, it's water under the bridge for all four of them. Did we all forget that in May 2023 for Blake's Hollywood star ceremony Adam and Behati were there and all four of them were talking and hanging out and laughing? This was not some industry event where they bumped into each other and had to play nice, this was Blake having family and friends at an important career event for him (might be up for debate how important really, because he played it down when he talked about it, but he did have everyone important in his life come out for it, so). So what I'm saying, we don't know what really happened and how the affected parties feel about it and I don't think it's fair to judge on speculation. Behati stayed and her and Adam are doing well by all accounts; Gwen and Blake, who were both cheated on and very hurt, didn't cut ties with Adam and, what's more, even stayed actively friends. So it's disingenuous to put Adam on a list of peers Gwen might feel betrayed by, because... it doesn't look like it.

(Also, the cheating thing *came out* when Behati was pregnant. It happened way before that. For what little that's worth, but just correcting another anon, that Adam wasn't cheating or trying to cheat or whatever on a *pregnant* Behati.)

I don’t know that we know Adam wasnt trying. He was talking to that girl about baby names for the kid Behati was pregnant with at the time. The window is pretty small between knowing you’re having a boy and telling a girl you want to name your unborn son after her name.

Totally true that we don’t know what happened. Not the full story. But anyway you slice it, it was creepy.

Blake and Gwen would have to cut out like every person they know that isn’t one of their siblings to get away from friends who cheated. And man, they almost do that, don’t they?

My opinion is that they can understand people making mistakes and have empathy even when they are disappointed in them. That they know they were with people who not only made mistakes, but tortured them with them and now, still try to stick it to them for leaving them. basically, they were with people who take pleasure out of victimizing their victim. It’s a different level of viciousness with their exes.

- B

[spiderwarden]

Asking for perspective of Minthara because I love hearing the writer's headcanons: does she treat all males as lesser, or just specifically male drow? And if the latter, why does she view males of other races as better than males of her own race?

oohh! OOOHH! my first anon! helloooo! pull up a chair, get comfortable. i have frybread, i have treats, go on - stay. pspsspspspps. *traps you in a box* .. im gonna keep you now. and love you.

She has an automatic critical association with all male people. From what I've observed her critical thinking has her automatically coming into the conversation persay with a negative attitude. But this is also where first impressions come into play because Minthara - much to her credit, will observe first before making a full judgment on one's character. I imagine in her younger years, there was nothing BUT automatic disdain that was entirely based off of their birth order. But experience and gained intellect often makes one more ... considerate (as we all do in our youth and growing out of said youth.)

Now, note I say more critical of men, but she will wait to case a judgement and it is due to those first impressions that she will decide whether or not said man is worth learning more about in terms of character and qualities. Let's take a look at Shadowheart and Wyll for instance, or even Gale. All three characters in some way abandoned by some force bigger than themselves. The kneejerk response that she starts with is what is better for Shadowheart, her state of mind, and the choice that she has between what is good for their entourage vs what's good for her. There is automatic understanding and near sympathy given. (Though, Minthara every time I say this she makes me note that empathy and sympathy comes from the intelligence of being able to BE empathetic, and has nothing to do with a soft heart.) VS. her first response to Gale and Wyll of their situation. Where there is Gale there is the immediate dismissal and grace withdrawn from that dismissal (vs. Shadowheart who is also bound to a Goddess, near same situations but more empathy given to one side), and then there is Wyll who she laughs at.

But as she keeps speaking there is an understanding of their characters and her logical stance behind them, whether it's Wyll where she would rather know him as a bound warlock over a spoiled court only experienced child, or Gale who's she doesn't waste her time on because she believes entirely he will not 'live long enough to appreciate her social graces' (She has already decided Gale would be a poor conversationalist based on that first impression - male wizard.)

So with her being critical, that does not mean she refuses to understand the men around her regardless or race. (Which in terms of MALE company I'm really intrigued about her approach to Astarian - who she seems to have sympathy for but keeps him at arms length to keep his wits sharp in her own way. And I would love to see how she interacts with Halsin but that will come later in terms of rp.)

Minthara is also entirely intelligent enough to be honest and open about how flawed and cutthroat her own culture is that they eat the weak. She is the first to note how Drow men are treated and viewed, and at one point admits that she practiced Lotlh's ways herself to Astarian. (This is where I realized her ambitions to be a house matron, and how she idolizes her grandmother Yvonnel.) So I can entirely see a YOUNG Minthara looking over drow men and her first thought is whether or she would have added them into her own arsenal of men.

So ONTO DROW MEN! Her viewpoint of drow men is very much a nature vs. nuture topic. The kneejerk reaction will be to sneer and look down on them until she gets a good proper look at their character and their story, and AGAIN I heavily say too that their birth order will entirely depend on that respect because of the fact every son after the second born is killed in sacrifice to Lolth. She may be more tolerant once she is freed from the Absolute, but the kneejerk reaction remains.

Don't forget she IS intelligent enough to remain passive as she gains her judgment because she never makes an uneducated guess, or a ignorant judgement. Taking this approach with Minthara requires a specific and admittedly challenging balance BECAUSE of the fact she reserves her judgement for a time when she gathers more information to form a proper EDUCATIONAL observation of the OBJECTIVE AND IMPARTIAL FACTS in front of her.

[p-redux]

Does that mean she was his gf or just he liked her? In the same book he taklks abt avoiding relationships so I’m just confused

Let's see if I can offer a bit of clarity, Anon.

Sam referred to Elspeth Brodie as an old GIRLFRIEND in the 92 y video interview and said this about her in his book, Waypoints. 👇

Sounds like a girlfriend to me, Anon. 🤷‍♀️

As for you being confused with regard to Sam and relationships. I'm assuming you're referring to this part of Sam's book. 👇

He CLEARLY says he had a few relationships in the past where he gave it his all, "I used to go in with 100 per cent commitment." Maybe he's talking about Elspeth Brodie during his theater years. Or Katie Rebekah when he lived in London. And I would imagine he is also referring to Abbie Salt, with whom he had an almost one year relationship in 2015. And for sure, Mackenzie Mauzy, his most serious relationship that we know of, which lasted two years from 2016-2018.

He says he looks at his life and the possibility of a LONGTERM relationship...something he can "sustain in five or ten years' time." To me, he's saying he HAS devoted himself in relationships and then he starts to wonder if he can keep it going, gets scared (given his parents' divorce, as well as his brother getting divorced), and the relationship ends.

Sam seems to have decided to not have another long term relationship for now--hence the short term ones since 2018, after the break up with Mackenzie. As I've posted before, my Mackenzie family source confirmed that Sam and Mackenzie broke up because Mackenzie wanted to get married and Sam didn't...so they parted ways.

The last sentence BREAKS MY HEART "I'm also mindful that I'm the son of a man who disappeared." 😭 IOW "I don't want to fuck it up the same way my dad did." And the easiest way to not fuck it up is by not getting married or having kids.

Sam doesn't want to get hurt, but just as importantly, he's saying he doesn't want to hurt anyone else. To me, that's both admirable and tragic. If you grow up knowing that your father left you, your brother, and mother, and literally chose to not be part of your life until you were an adult, it makes you wonder if you have the "same genes," and would do the same thing. It makes you wonder "why wasn't I enough for my dad to stay?" And when you're an adult, that translates into "I'M not enough to stay." 😭

In summary, given how emotionally scarred Sam is from his father abandoning him as a toddler, it will take a HUGE leap of faith for Sam to ever get married, let alone, have kids.

How do you walk away from this little guy? 😔 👇

It's really a sad story and I wish some of his haters would have a bit more empathy. Hope springs eternal...🤷‍♀️

[meiieiri]

Hi! I'm the anon from the Princess Diana comparison to your Prince Gojo story, I really loved your new chapter! As I expected. You also seem really smart, as I see you're a biopharmaceutical researcher if I remember correctly. But I could also tell by how beautifully you write.

Your new chapter really made me understand Gojo's character in your story so much more, even though he can be cruel I can see why he's so...messed up, no excuses for his lack of empathy or disgust towards people he deems as lower than him but his parents remind me so much of my own.

I couldn't for some reason stop thinking about what you wrote at the bottom of your message when I told you about my reaction to angst due to my depression, I genuinely couldn't stop thinking about it, it was so genuine and heartfelt to me even if I seem overdramatic by writing this because it may seem like a little to others, I don't know if I've ever gotten such a sweet message before, it was genuinely so kind of you. Even if it was short(NOT saying I think that's a bad thing I actually appreciated it more) it was so sweet💖🥺. It genuinely went straight to my heart😅🙃 which I don't think has happened before so thank you for that Hun💖

Anyway all dramatics aside, I can't wait to read more, of course reading your new chapter I cried for well everyone in the story actually. It was so beautifully written, better than most books that are deemed as "great modern romance novels" now and I feel like if you weren't in STEM, you'd do amazing in writing in general. Your works could be a literal book that sells incredibly well.

Anyway stay safe Hun and have a beautiful...well forever and everything 💖 of course I'll still be lurking 😅💖💖💖

Omg girl, I haven’t seen this ask! ✨💕 Thank you and I’m seriously blushing so much I think I’m gonna implode. Anyway, no worries about me comforting you, we gotta stick together even if some folks forget that sometimes and it’s not overdramatic at all for you to be expressing all this. Your emotions are valid. You matter. And though I am person you don’t even know, I see you and I can’t get enough of how enough you truly are.

And about me being in STEM, I actually just finished up with some heavy laboratory work and results turned out so great that I did a happy dance in my office and then proceeded to post this new chapter because the relief I feel after burning through my laboratory research fund is so satisfying because that means I could write more frequently now. I can’t wait to hear more from you and I hope you always stay safe and a thousand hugs to you, nonnie! 💕💕💕