#if anybody has any other perspective feel free to share

[blistering-typhoons]

Okay, so I watched one or two Rathbone Holmes stories back in high school and decided I didn't like Nigel Bruce, but I've also seen you talking positively about the Rathbone Holmes movies/ episodes. If you're willing, can you say why you like them and/ or which you would recommend starting on? Is it a series to watch in broadcast order, or are they more stand-alone? Which ones are your favorite? I want to give it a second chance.

hiya, thanks for the ask :D adding a cut here cuz this post got realllyyy outta hand- so so sorry xD

I wanna preface by saying that I totally get the frustration of Nigel Bruce Watson- as much as I've come to care for this portrayal, there are still moments of disappointment? I feel? Mostly once you see all the potential in him before it gets unceremoniously dumbed down for the sake of comedy, and it can be trying sometimes, but I've learned to breeze past those moments and! There are definitely movies where he shines brighter than others! In the end, you may warm up to him or you may not, but I fully commend you on taking another chance :D

I did not really start off in broadcast order (my ass still hasn't seen rathbone and bruce's HOUN- bloody disgraceful lmao) and mostly watched in order of vibes, which seems to have worked out alright xD

I started off with Scarlet Claw, and after rewatching it this morning, I feel like it's an alright place to start! It's a good sort of mystery and there was enough element of equal partnership to get me invested in Holmes and Watson. But, I'd say it's still pretty lukewarm, enjoy it as I do, so to compound this long ass post lemme throw a list at you real quick of rathbone movies i strongly recommend-

The Pearl of Death:

Starting off with Pearl of Death not only for the 'Watson gathers the braincells' quality but because it's one of the genuine classics in the series- a brilliantly crafted movie from start to finish, and in my opinion, one of the better shot ones. This one is a good start, it's a bit slow in some places, but it's a good, neutral film that showcases I think some of the more concrete themes and brilliancy of the movies.

House of Fear:

I honestly dunno if I'm biased about this one, but it is genuinely one of my favourite movies of all time. It's the very second one I watched, and it's still in my nighttime viewing collection- I fall asleep watching this movie, which is a compliment I swear. Watson has a more active role, is genuinely trying his best for most of the runtime and falls more in line with 'genuine failure to succeed' more than just 'bungled it up for a gag'. It's a really, really excellent mystery and I adore Holmes and Watson's dynamic throughout- 10/10, freaking banger movie.

Pursuit to Algiers:

Then, of course, the Big Daddy herself- Pursuit to Algiers. This one falls less in line with a mystery (our baddies become pretty clear at one point) and more suspense, but man is that a good thing. The dang thing takes place on a boat for most of it, Holmes and Watson are attached to eachother like pairbonded shelter dogs and have the most balanced, affectionate of interactions, Watson gets to sing! And not to give away any spoilers (yeah shush, i know the movie's old) but a particular plot point happens in this movie and as a result, Nigel Bruce gets to do a genuinely heartbreaking piece of acting- seriously, there is a shot where he goes out onto the deck, completely silent of music and just looks out into the ocean that still has me unwell even after all this time. Goofy moments still happen in the movie, but they feel more organic, and overall there is a wonderfully grounded approach to Watson here- he's still silly, but it's a fun silly, and a silly that Holmes indulges in with him. The depth of affection between these two is ASTOUNDING in this movie, bloody unhinged behaviour. Great movie, do watch it :D

I'd say those three are, at least in my opinion, the best of the best! I do enjoy the others, but I think it best to venture into those once an affection has been developed, they do strain the patience a bit at times I'm afraid. (And it goes without saying, some of the movies have a definite propaganda vibe to them, which is charming sometimes and sometimes just grating, really depends on the day i think- none of the three movies listed above fall under this category though- and the of course, general warning for all the really poorly aged 1940s stuff, but you know that :>)

Except The Spider Woman. In really the bluntest of terms, fuck that movie, all my homies hate The Spider Woman, do NOT watch it (i'm only half joking, oh god its so bad)

Anyways, uh, sorry lmao-

I really must thank you for letting me put this incredibly useless knowledge to use, I'm so goddamn sorry it came out in this absolute massive scrawl- I wish you all the luck in your rathbone holmes adventure, and I hope you have an illuminating time either way it goes for you :D

[art-of-the-sea]

Cookie Run: Facets of Knowledge AU

[pt: Cookie Run: Facets of Knowledge AU]

" The Virtue of Knowledge holds two sides to it; Truth and Deceit. Only together can they truly understand its depths. "

Not so much a complete AU as a likely canon divergence, this 'verse is set after Dark Enchantress's defeat. Her attempt to free the Beasts from their eternal prison by creating new bodies for them ended catastrophically. The only way to keep them all at bay was to seal them within the Soul Jams carried by each of the Ancients, as well as within their own bodies. This came with its benefits and drawbacks- after all, the threat has been tamed for as long as the Ancients remain uncorrupted. Not only that, but the reuniting of the Soul Jams' other halves magnified the Ancients' power beyond imagining- as its main holders, it's all in their control now, out of reach of the Beasts.

The complications, of course, come with the continued presence of the Beasts within the Ancients. They may not have any powers, no, but they can certainly be heard by the Ancients they've been sealed within - even seen as a projection of the Soul Jam's magic. Pure Vanilla Cookie knows he's in no danger from Shadow Milk Cookie as long as he doesn't mentally give in to his lies. However, that doesn't stop the comments, the perspectives, or the presence he brings. Sealed together, they have to learn to understand each other deeper than either expected, and slowly, each begin to open their eyes to the other's views and experiences.

More details & doodles below the cut! ⤵️

- Shadow Milk Cookie can project himself outwardly into the world using the Light of Truth, but in almost all cases, the only one that can see, hear, or feel him is Pure Vanilla Cookie. This leads to quite a few reactions to seemingly "nothing" from the outside, which took a long while for the other cookies around him to get used to.

- Shadow Milk gets bored very often due to not having a physical body or the ability to interact with most cookies, so he often resorts to pestering Pure Vanilla in one way or another. PV found that ignoring him only makes it worse, so he'll often engage in giving hypothetical answers to SM's ridiculous lines of questioning. This tends to result in either an absurdly niche philosophy discussion or a yes-and fantasy lasting on-and-off for days.

- Distrust is rampant between the two, of course, which is beneficial for neither of them. Pure Vanilla is convinced Shadow Milk wants nothing but to control Earthbread once more, and SM thinks PV wants nothing more than to lock him away somewhere dark and eternal. Both are partially right, but they are forced to learn the depths of the others' perspective and understand how their defining traits are reflections of each other, stemming from the same place.

- Because of this, they slowly begin to understand each other. To trust each other. To let down the walls, because really... Who else would ever be able to comprehend them like the other?

- Pure Vanilla still refuses to trust him enough to let Shadow Milk take control of the body, though. After all, control of the body would hypothetically mean control of the Soul Jam, and he can't let himself risk the fate of Earthbread once more. Sure doesn't stop SM from pestering, begging, bargaining, and more to try!

- Arguments are surprisingly rare, because if both of them get too deep into their heated debate, they get uncomfortably close to the reality of how similar they are to each other; this tends to make them back off.

- Both of them also feel this discomfort when the other is genuinely feeling mentally unwell, as viewing the other's complexity reflects on their own they wish to conceal. This can result in an awkward attempt to cheer the other up or help the situation, if nothing else to simply remove the shared disconcertion.

(If anybody's honestly interested in learning details for this AU, send in an ask! I might even draw doodles for the replies. this au is also where this sorta popular doodle comes from)

Bonus:

me too gingerbrave

[elliespuns]

What is your perspective on tlou2 being inspired by the Israel-Palestine conflict? It didn't register with me at first but I've gotten too attached to the characters by the time that I discovered it and it is genuinely disappointing HOWEVER I have separated their narratives from the political dimension of the game by just focusing solely on the individual emotional journeys that each of the characters go through and I never really bought the games myself first hand except get them second hand but is it still wrong to adore the characters?

Not happy about it. I mean, who would be?

I wasn't aware of it at first either; it just didn't click, and then I started seeing the rumors, and well, it all made sense. I am disappointed. Not at all for Neil Druckmann, though. I don't really care about him (except for his amazing mind, where he created Ellie and Joel, the only fictional characters that I've got to love so much). What I am disappointed in more is that almost everyone thinks that once you continue to love this game, you support the evil too. Which is not how I feel about it.

But then again, does even my opinion matter? I've already got a lot of anon messages throwing hate on me for managing a blog about TLOU and supporting the evil. And I sit here and wonder... where did I ever say that I supported the bad side of the conflict? I don't think I ever did. Why? Because I don't talk about politics on this blog. This blog has been made to share love with all TLOU lovers, not to support Neil Druckmann or anyone else's political views or to even share about politics in general.

People are quick to judge. They go and preach to stand with Palestine and then go hate on the people who chose to stay quiet. People should realize that individuals managing fandom blogs and not sharing politics doesn't automatically mean that they support the evil. We (bloggers) have our own personal lives out of our blogs and our own personal accounts. Many of us are posting about the conflict on our personal social media. People should think about this before making bloggers feel like shit for managing silly blogs where they don't want to discuss what can be discussed elsewhere.

I have a deep bond with this game; I had it a long time ago before any of this was happening (everyone knows I will always prefer the first game over the second). This is not something I can just throw away. I have memories connected to it, feelings, emotions... it's not like I can tell myself 'fuck the game' now just because of the news I got. I guess it's easy for others when the bond is not so strong, but this game has been in a better part of my life for so long, and believe it or not... when I think about how Ellie and Joel make me happy, I don't have fucking Druckmann in mind or any of his political views.

I will never mix my admiration for this project with politics. Me not agreeing with Neil Druckmann's political views won't change the fact that I've already fallen in love with this game years ago. I am not loving Druckmann; I am loving something he once created. That is a big difference. Especially if you've already loved the game before the conflict.

I say, unless you're actively supporting the propaganda and throwing your money at it, you are not hurting anybody. You, being emotionally connected to the story of this propaganda's project or its characters won't really change a thing. Not for good, yes, but not for bad either.

Anyway, this is my opinion. I think people should stop judging those who are not sharing politics on their fandom blogs because they never know what these people share on their personal accounts. We are here to enjoy things that are free; love and joy for fictional characters we've adored for too long.

Sorry, I got a bit carried away. This is probably the only post about politics I'll share, so this needed to be said.

Anyway, you don't need to feel bad for loving the characters. You are not doing anything wrong. I think every one of us who still loves TLOU to this day is able to detach from the fact of who's behind the games. We're here for Ellie and Joel. They don't care about Druckmann either.elliespuns answers

[youremyheaven]

Your perspective on astrology is unique in that it cuts through the bullshit. I like how quick you are to point out what is obviously woman-bashing propaganda from centuries past, and what is actually plausible and in-tune with the nature of the sign/nakshatra. However, I am actually really curious about your perspective on monogamy? There are some ideas circulating in feminist circles that monogamy was enforced to benefit men (to ensure that the offspring is theirs) at the expense of women's freedom and choice. For example, in one of your older posts, you implied that an evolved Venus in Aries would be more willing to accommodate a monogamous relationship, despite the placement having a reputation for being more... sexually liberal, I guess. Or that a Venus in Gemini is fickle only when they're unevolved, wherein the implication is that flings are only for the unevolved and the relationships endgoal is a strictly monogamous relationship. Then again, I am pretty sure you made those observations based on tropical astrology, so maybe there's a different way to look at it from vedic.

I'm really conflicted on this myself, I guess I can definitely see where both ways of thinking are coming from. It'd be lovely to hear your current perspective, if you are willing to share. Thank you for your work!

those posts are from atleast one year ago and i will admit most of my early work on tropical astrology is a bit shallow.

that said, i dont think monogamy curtails women's freedom or choice. do i find "monogamy" empowering? not necessarily but i also dont find casual sex "empowering". the truth is there is no winning either way. marriage/monogamy is an institution that is deeply flawed but what is the opposite of it? having as many partners as one wants? maybe it suits some but (and i know ill get flak for saying this) an "evolved" person is one who abstains or exercises self-control. not just with regard to sex but with any kind of indulgence, be it alcohol, drugs etc. i think its really flawed to view "freedom" as the ability to consume limitlessly. anybody who lives like that will tell you how self-destructive that is. you indulge too much (in anything) and you risk your own ruin.

we need structure, order and stability, otherwise we feel disoriented and spiritually lost. ive never looked at someone who's partying every night, doing a cocktail of 10 substances and waking up in a different person's house every morning and thought "wow they're so free!!". i know this is a very binary way of thinking and not what you intended to ask but im just airing my thoughts out.

as corny and cheesy as it sounds, i think the only thing that makes a partnership between two people "right" is love. a lot of men want a bangmaid or they just want to bang. neither of which is empowering for the women involved. im not trying to say that sex in itself is disempowering but that the ways in which men who only want sex from you treat you are. casual sex or having multiple sexual partners is fun but ive always felt like its disingenuous to call it empowering bc i dont think empowerment is something we get from having sex??? i feel like sex positivity has become a way for men and women to delude other women into thinking that they'll be happier or "freer" if they have more sex.

i dont want to be someone's sexdoll and neither do i want to be bangmaid.

but i believe in love and the highest form of love is consideration. the only way we can transcend systemic issues is if we have love for each other because if you love someone, you will value them, prioritize them, respect them and do whatever it takes to make things easier for them. expecting servitude and sex from women means you've never loved anybody in your life lol. i dont really think equality can exist or will exist simply because our world is really imbalanced but i do think individually we can champion each other and help each other rise up, if we move through the world with love and grace. i dont expect anything from "men" and atp i dont want to associate with them anyway but i do believe a man in love is one who will extend grace and id never feel like i needed anything else (from another man).

all of this is just my perspective and i will admit its vvv hard for me to find a man attractive or feel "connected" to him. i feel pretty asexual if im not seeing someone and i can only be intimate with someone i love and connect to deeply. this is why things i say or describe in my posts often dont have sexuality in them or are monogamy centered. that said, im not an advocate for it or anything, everyone above the age of 18 can do what they like and make decisions for themselves<3

[ultrvmonogamy]

this is prob v random but this has been on my mind for a long time and now i’ve finally found the courage to send this (please bear with me, english isn’t my first language🥲)

i usually have a somewhat uncomfortable feeling with people (usually especially men) who post extreme paraphilia stuff like you do, just because idk how these men actually are and if in reality theyre entirely different from what they seem to be on here, but with you this feeling isn’t there. your blog, how gruesome it might be sometimes, is just for some reason comforting and just real and honest, and you just seem like a super wholesome person who doesn’t differ in person from how they show themselves on this silly little platform. please never stop being you, to me you’re one of the few “real” people on this platform, who aren’t afraid to actually be their real selves <3

i hope you’re having a fantastic day🫶

hey there, i don't find it random at all considering how things have been around here recently. in my estimation, it counts for a lot that you would gather your courage to reach out for my sake, especially if you're not entirely confident w your english (which at least in writing seems excellent).

i am v pleased to know that i do not cause that kind of unsettling feeling and that you find me real. i think that's perhaps the most meaningful thing i could hope to hear regarding how i come across. i've spoken abt this before, so i'm repeating myself (but it's been a while):

i started the first incarnation of this blog w neither the expectation of nor the desire to gain an audience. my only initial motivation was to create a place where i could vent or spout nonsense and maybe reflect my own thoughts back at myself as words on a page for insight or perspective or even just to get them out of my head to clear stagnation and make room for smth new (not sure it actually works that way, but that's another topic).

the specific content of my posts was largely irrelevant in that i did not (and still often do not) care whether it was boring or funny or unintelligible or interesting or trite or insightful or offensive or corny or profound or vapid. i did not intend for my content to be received by anybody but me, and i didn't always even necessarily care to receive it myself.

a short time after i'd established a habit of posting here (by which i again mean the first incarnation of this blog), a couple things began to unfold simultaneously. one was that particular themes began to emerge in my content, and the other was that for some reason i didn't understand at the time, my little vent blog began to accumulate followers.

regarding the emergent themes, well, the common thread is that they largely entailed aspects of myself and my psyche which i'd not, to a greater or lesser extent, integrated into my person. the reasons for that have been many including lack of self-awareness on my part, being uncomfortable or confused abt them, being pathologically guarded abt sharing them w others (for a variety of reasons), a disdain for the scar tissue and shrapnel that's remained inside of me due to past traumas etc. the consequences of this lack of integration (and/or unhealthy integration), as u might imagine considering the fact that you've rightly characterized some of my content as "gruesome", had been deleterious. they had for a long time and to a much greater degree than i was aware, stifled/limited my abilities to express myself, nurture myself, accept and love myself, to connect w others, to nurture and love others, to receive love from others, and to find any manner of living free of internal friction between parts of my own self.

a big chunk of all that involved sexual proclivities and power dynamics, sadistic tendencies, and similar. posts touching on those topics also happened to be the content that my blog's followers interacted w most. i'd never been part of a kink community before (my experience in the realm was essentially limited to private interactions w partners and within committed relationships), and through that follower interaction i found the opportunity to resonate and relate to others authentically in areas i'd been editing or repressing or guarding to a suffocating extent.

this blog, though i frequently riff off of things and kinda sorta embrace a caricature of myself at times, has always at core been a place for me to be authentic and to work towards further self-acceptance, nurturing, and healthy expression of my authentic self, even willing myself to dare to believe that perhaps that effort might even extend something positive to others who may also struggle to embrace their own authenticity in a healthy manner or in various contexts.

i've written in detail in the past abt why and how i feel hard kinks can sometimes be a powerful medium for transformation and transcendence for certain kinds of ppl and under certain conditions. i don't know if those posts or asks may still be floating around this site or have been vaporized or perhaps sit orphaned in tumblr's databases never to be seen again, but anyway that's its own topic, and although a lot of my content (and certainly my most popular content) is sexual in nature, i've never rly considered this to be a kink blog in any definitive sense, and i don't identify as a "dom" either for that matter (although i'm sure i've likely referred to myself that way as a comedic device).

alright, i've typed way too many words, and idk how much i might've meandered from my point, but maybe it helps to explain why it is i don't trigger that uncomfortable feeling for u. i'm literally just a guy over here who's had a lot of extreme experience, who has experienced a wide variety of trauma and tragedy--largely with no say in the matter but also due to my own poor judgment, naivety, or self-destructive impulses--and who has been striving to assemble something positive from a lot of torn and jagged parts in order to do better than simply survive. a lot of that effort has been hit or miss, but i am (at least from my vantage point) fairly steadily trending in the right direction. i understand clearly, though, that with too small a field of view to afford an awareness of that trend (or via cherry picking w some ulterior motive), or without some intuitive sense of who i am over here, a whole lot of the points in between can look p fucking unacceptably horrendous in isolation. thank you very much for finding the courage to share your perspective and experience with me. i'm grateful for it, and i wish you a fantastic day as well 🩵

[ghosts-and-blue-sweaters]

TODAY WE ARE TALKING ABOUT GOOD BOOK!!!

EEEEEEEEEEEEE

Continuation of the other post because that one got really messy lol

Oh my gosh. Okay. *claps hands together*

I just finished What About Will by Ellen Hopkins a few days ago, and WOW do I have a lot to say about it!! But first, I must share the cover because it is hekkin gorgeous:

LOOK!!!! DO YOU SEE THIS!!! DO YOU SEE HOW BEAUTIFUL THIS IS!!! OH MY GOSH!!!

I know I shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, but wow. Absolutely amazing. If a book has this as its cover, then it has to be good, I mean come on.

And all the details!! Family photos and a window with no curtain and a baseball and a glove on Trace’s side, and posters and windows with blinds and a video game controller and a phone and pills and THAT NOTE and… oh no the SHOES I JUST REALIZED THE THING ABOUT THE SHOES OH I AM IN PAIN (you’ll understand once you read, I assure you) on Will’s side…

And their faces, too! Trace’s eyes are open and he’s looking a little bit up, while Will’s eyes are closed and he’s looking down… ough.

THIS IS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE COVER OF A BOOK THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN OH MY GOODNESS!!! IT’S BEAUTIFUL!!! AAAAAAAAH!!!

AND JUST BECAUSE I WILL SHARE ANOTHER PICTURE OF IT BUT ZOOMED IN

HELLOOOOO BOYS!!! OH YOU BOYS I LOVE YOU!!! TRACE YOU ARE SMALL AND CHILD AND PURE!!! WILL YOU ARE STUPID AND NEED TO HUG YOUR BROTHER!!! OHHHH I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! ACK!!!

Okayokay so the book is first-person POV written in a free-verse style (I’ll share some of my favorite quotes in a bit). It’s all from Trace’s perspective (he’s the younger brother).

OH SPEAKING OF.

THIS BOOK

IS ABOUT

BROTHERS!!! HECK YES!!! ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS TO READ ABOUT!!! BROTHERS!!! YES!!!

And Trace and Will really are brothers, let me tell you. Their relationship is messy but it used to be so good and Will was always the older one who looked out for Trace and Trace was always the younger one who looked up to Will and and and alsgakgsksgskwgavsja

But now their relationship isn’t great because of Thingsssss 😭 And it’s so sad and so real and so OUGH

Speaking of, this book is so real. It’s not extravagant or mind-blowing, and there’s not crazy battles or big villains. It’s just… a kid. It’s a kid doing life in a messed up world with a messed up family. That’s it.

Actually, if I had to describe this book in one word, I think it’d be “simple.” Not in a bad or weak way, but in a refreshing way; it was nice to read a story that’s just about a kid doing life, y’know? It was really nice.

Mannnn I got so darn invested so darn fast my goodness- it was like. Pretty much immediately. Just a few pages in and I was already completely sucked into this story and this world and these characters and YES!!! It’s not too often that I get invested this fast, at least as far as books go, but What About Will was just different. It was really fun :D

This book was super easy to read—partially because of the story itself, and partially because of the format. The story was simple enough to understand easily, and the format made reading really… quick, I guess? Because it’s set up like a poem, the short lines/paragraphs made it incredibly easy to read through!

(It was just like this with Ellen Hopkin’s other middle-grade novel, Closer To Nowhere, which was also written in a free-verse style)

Oh yeah! Middle grade! Almost forgot to mention that!!

Despite being out of middle school, I still prefer middle-grade novels to pretty much any other book; there’s a ton of incredible ones out there, and I’ve often found that they’re more creative and sometimes, better written, than YA!!

That being said, What About Will can absolutely be read by anybody, regardless of age. Don’t let the age suggestion stop you from reading this, please!! I promise you it truly is an incredible book with an incredible story 😭

I won’t spoil, but towards the end of the book I EXPERIENCED MANY FEELINGS AND LET OUT MANY NOISES OF SUSPENSE, FEAR, HAPPINESS, AND MORE. MY SISTER WAS IN THE SAME ROOM AS I WAS WHEN I FINISHED THE BOOK AND SHE GAVE ME MANY STRANGE LOOKS. OH MY GOSH.

I want there to be a sequellll so bad 😭😭 Like… a YA novel from Will’s perspective… oh my goodness… I would go dizzy with joy if that ends up happening… please… oh my gosh…

NEEDLESS TO SAY this is one of my favorite books probably and I’m going to be thinking about it for a long time :)

Pretty much the only complaint I have is that sometimes the dialogue/inner thoughts of the main character felt unrealistic and unoriginal. This was not the case for the entirety of the book, but there were several sections that I didn’t feel were the best, as far as writing goes (unrealistic dialogue is one of my biggest pet peeves ever lol).

But other than that? Amazing. Absolutely amazing. I hekkin loved this.

Here’s a few of my favorite bits :D

[a-weird-cryptid]

My opinion on "self diagnosing"

...and the nightmare of trying to go to therapy

[Part 1/3]

Why I care so much about this topic:

For many, mental health might not be something they think about a lot. For me, though, it has been a very important topic since at least 2019.

I've met my fair share of "self diagnosed" people, fakers and professionally diagnosed ones during the time since. This series is based of my experiences with those people, but also the struggles of someone who's mental health has been bad for years, but couldn't go to therapy so far.

Topics I'll talk about

Part 1: Fakers

Part 2: The dos and don'ts of "self diagnosing"

Part 3: Pro/Con self diagnosing + Getting help

Fakers

Table of content

TikTok, Insta and Co; the impact of social media on mental health

Munchausen Syndrome, Nocebo Effect and more; possible explenations for faking?

All in the name of education and destigmatisation?

Why faking mental health problems is problematic

Faking or not? Should "fakers" be called out?

(This is an extremely long post. If you're not interested in that, feel free to move on and/or skip parts of it.)

Disclaimer:

I'm just trying to put my own perspective on this matter on here, because it has been a topic I've wanted to talk about for years. I'm not a mental health professional, nor do I have any professional education about the matter. This is not a scientific paper, analysis, essay or similar.

It is solely based of my subjective view and opinion, as well as my own experience, research and observations. I'm not speaking for everybody of the mental health community. Some might share my opinion, some won't. And that's fine.

I've made this series for the purpose of friendly discussions and similar. Do not harass anybody because their opinion differs from yours. Try to understand the other's perspective instead. Thanks.

Fakers

When talking about "self diagnosing" the first thing that gets brought up, as an argument against it, is the amount of fakers it brought. People who pretend to suffer from mental illnesses and/or disorders, in order to gain attention. Be it positive or negative. So I thought it would make sense to cover it first.

TikTok, Insta and Co; the impact of social media on mental health

I think by this point it's a well known fact that social media has a massive impact on mental health. Especially on children and teens. Be it the faked Instagram pictures, that promote an unhealthy figure (leading to EDs), or the countless TikToks of people claiming ordinary behavior as OCD, anxiety, etc. But Tumblr doesn't get away from those problems scrot-free either.

In this part of my "essay" I want to go through some of the reasons why social media has such a huge impact on mental health and why certain sides are more prone to become "faker hotspots" compared to others.

First, let's try to tackle the question of why we're all so prone to be influenced by social media. Including our mental health.

Humans are social animals.

No matter how introverted and antisocial you are, you'll always be influenced by others. Wether you want it or not. Even if it is entirely subconscious.

No piece of art came without any inspiration or influence of other pieces of art, no mind blowing discovery came without building upon what others have found out.

Before the internet was a huge thing, social circles and therefore their influence on individuals was a lot smaller. Social media, however, makes it possible to connect with people all over the world. Mostly even completely anonymous.

The pressure to fit in and go with the newest trends doesn't come from a small circle of friends and family, but from a global scale this way. If you present your online self in even a slightly bad way, people all over the world are able to cyperbully you for it or similar.

"Going with the stream", trends or similar became one of the only ways to stay popular and liked by the internet. The rush of dopamine going through your brain whenever you see someone liking a picture isn't a mythos. It can boost your confidence, but it also puts more pressure on you. More pressure to be perfect. More pressure to be the hottest. The best looking. The most talented. The most extreme.

Which leads to many editing their pictures and videos to fit the social expectation to be perfect in every way. You have to make sure that every single flaw on your body is taken care of and erased and every "good" quality of your body is exaggerated to an unnatural degree. You only show your most expensive piece of clothing on screen, only show the high lights and best moments of your life. All in the name of Fame and that dopamine rush that comes with attention.

If you now expose impressionable children and teens to those pictures, videos, etc, it is no wonder that they assume this is the norm.

Children are extremely easy to manipulate, because of their lack of life experience and their brains being far from fully developed. If you constantly tell a child the sky is green and not blue, they will believe you at some point.

Teens might be better at understanding that those are unreal and inaccurate norms shown on the internet. However, their need to fit in, have social validation, "be special", find an identity or similar is way bigger than during any other time of life. Your body changes drastically and so does your brain. The chemicals and especially hormones of your body are on a constant rollercoaster during puberty. All of which leads to body dysphoria and other mental health problems being extremely common. Especially if fueled by social media "norms".

All of that and more has most likely also lead to the increase of people, especially teens, faking to have mental health issues. So let's find some potential reasons for what exactly makes certain social media platforms to "faker hotspots". For that, I'll use TikTok as an example and I'll quote from a Reddit comment I once made, which got a lot of positive feedback. The comment was to answer a question of another user, who asked:

"i dont understand how tiktok became the faker central. is it because its the most popular amongst younger people, like tumblr was a few years back? easier to reach a wider audience? very curious."

To which I answered:

"Probably, yes. [...]

TikTok gained a lot of popularity and many downloaded it during the pandemic, especially amongst teens (myself included). Most likely because people were bored and looking for ways to socialize or get a distraction from all the bad things happening in the world.

The short video format makes it very easy to make a lot of content in a short amount of time. Especially because I've noticed that app seems to be build on quantity over quality. I'm not saying that all videos on there are low quality content, they're plenty of highly talented people on there to prove otherwise, but I've seen my fair share of "lazy" videos. Which, sadly, get a lot of likes, shares, etc as well, making them more and more popular. And pushing them on your "for you page" as well.

All of that makes it very easy to only scratch a complex topic, such as mental health, on a surface level. Leading to a lot of misinformation spreading very fast, because many will take it 100% serious without a second thought and, again, push it onto fy pages, etc. Which, just like you said, make it easier to reach a wider audience.

Another thing that most likely makes TikTok such a "faker hotspot" is the fact that it is very easy to get stuck in an echo chamber. The algorithm will quickly adapt to what you like, comment on, share, search, etc. Meaning that, if you only like a few videos of fakers, chances are high that you'll only see that kind of content on your fyp.

Combine that with teenagers who are in general more prone to have identity issues, in need for social validation, etc and seemingly "perfect" opportunities to get those things via faking mental illnesses, and you end up with... well... "faker hot spots". On top of that, if you keep being told that you're something over and over again, the chances are higher that you'll believe it as well. Especially if you're already struggling with mental health issues due to the pandemic, your relationship with your family, body image issues, etc. [...] "

Social media does have it's bright sides, yes, but ignoring the dark sides isn't helping anybody. Especially those who suffer because of it.

Munchausen Syndrome, Nocebo Effect and more; possible explenations for faking?

First, let's define what Munchausen Syndrome and the Nocebo Effect is, so we're all in the same boat here. I'll quote good definitions I found on the internet:

"Munchausen syndrome (factitious disorder imposed on self) is when someone tries to get attention and sympathy by falsifying, inducing, and/or exaggerating an illness. They lie about symptoms, sabotage medical tests (like putting blood in their urine), or harm themselves to get the symptoms. Diagnosing and treating Munchausen syndrome is difficult because of the person’s dishonesty."

"By definition, a nocebo effect is the induction of a symptom perceived as negative by sham treatment and/or by the suggestion of negative expectations. A nocebo response is a negative symptom induced by the patient’s own negative expectations and/or by negative suggestions from clinical staff in the absence of any treatment."

Now that we all have a very basic understanding of those two things we can start to work with them.

Many people who talk about the "faker pandemic" propose that said fakers might have Munchausen Syndrome. I don't know anywhere near enough about this condition to give a professional opinion about it, but I can give a unprofessional guess. I think that some fakers, especially those who can't stop coming up with and creating new issues, as well as those who obviously exaggerate their issues based of misinformation, do show typical symptoms of Munchausen Syndrome. I'm not diagnosing them, I'm not saying they most definitely suffer from it. But I can see where those who argue for this hypothesis are coming from.

Something I believe might be far more likely than Munchausen Syndrome, however, is the Nocebo Effect. I don't think everybody who gets called out as a faker doesn't suffer from anything. They might have another mental health problem that lead them to "faking". I understand how easy it is to become extremely misinformed and accidentally spreading misinformation, simply because you don't know it any better. I know how easy it is to get stuck in an echo chamber on the internet, being surrounded by people who keep telling you there's something wrong with you. And, as previously mentioned, I know how easy it is to manipulate especially children and teens into believing things. So I see it as far more likely that "fakers" fell victim to the Nocebo Effect and can start to actually develop the symptoms of something, because they believe they suffer from it.

They may have exaggerate and pretended to suffer from mental health issues at the beginning to gain attention, yes. But I believe that far more of them started to actually experience those things. Which is why, I think, there have been so many reported cases, from mental health professionals, of people developing tic disorders due to TikTok and similar.

And when it comes to those who are really just faking those symptoms, I once again think it has it's roots in peer pressure, self identity issues, etc, as I mentioned in the previous "chapter".

All in the name of education and destigmatisation?

Every time someone brings up this debate of self diagnosing, one argument gets thrown around over and over again: "I'm just trying to spread awareness and educate people!"

Here are my personal thoughts on that:

I believe that people on the internet talking about their mental health problems has helped towards destigmatize them and bring awareness. Many of my friends who never considered going to therapy, because they were too afraid to get judged for their problems, are now more open towards that idea.

If you get professionally diagnosed with something it can be extremely helpful to connect to others and realize that a diagnosis isn't a death sentence. It can also help a lot to find new copeing mechanisms and find solutions to common problems amongst people who suffer from those issues.

But even if you aren't professionally diagnosed, connecting with others and using free resources to help yourself to get better can have an extremely positive impact.

I don't think it matters if you're diagnosed or not, when you're suffering from a mental health issue and you look up solutions to help yourself. If you've recently lost a loved one and feel sad because of it, it can help to look into everyday copeing mechanisms people with depression use. If you get extremely fidgety in situations that make you nervous, I don't think there's any harm done if you look up how people with ADHD deal with their hyperactivity.

A common argument against that is "undiagnosed people are taking away resources from diagnosed ones". Which honestly isn't true in most cases.

If the sources you're using are publically available, such as the internet, books about the topic or similar, you're not taking away any resources from diagnosed people.

One thing you'll have to keep in mind is that most mental health institutions which offer therapy priotice people who have more urgent and extremely problems, over those who don't. So even if you seek out therapy because of extrem stress due to your current situation or similar, you're not taking away any resources from diagnosed people. Or people who "have it worse".

A friend of mine who suffered from a servere ED immediately got help, no questions asked. Another friend who got diagnosed with PTSD had to wait slightly longer, but got help as soon as possible as well. Meanwhile someone I know who only suffered from mild depression and anxiety had to wait for about a year to even get a first therapy appointment.

And I'm sure people who don't suffer as extremely as others do tend to seek out help these days more than they did before. Simply because of the subject not being such a huge "taboo topic".

However, there is a fine line between destigmatisation, education, etc and achieving exactly the opposite (by accident).

I like to imagine any kind of "taboo" and extremely stigmatized topic as a hill. At first, people bringing more awareness to it, fighting for their rights, demonstrating for it, etc, helps to go up the hill. The more people join those movements, the more attention is brought to it. And the more education, awareness, etc is brought to those topics as well. People become less afraid of talking about them, etc. However, at some point the peek of the hill is reached and everything they wanted to achieve is achieved. Yet, people still want to keep going. People still want more and more and more, leading to extremists groups forming and so on. And it only takes a few loud extremists, misinformed or simply rude people to re-stigmatize the topic. "Falling down" on the hill again.

I'll take "climate change" as an example to explain what exactly I mean with that. Greta Thunberg helped a lot with her climate activism to bring awareness to climate change and the impact of living unsustainable on our planet. Thousands of Fridays For Future demonstrations were held all over the planet and this worldwide issue gained a lot of attention. Politicians got pressured into changing things and making plans and statements about climate change, pollution, etc. Many of those things lead to positive results.

But some of those climate change activists we're happy with just that and started to use more extreme ways of protesting. (The "Last Generation" is a perfect example for that.) And because of those few, loud extremists, the entire movement seems laughable these days, with many people becoming more negative towards it.

The same thing, I believe, is happening with mental health issues as well. At first more awareness had a positive impact, but because of how many people spreading misinformation, or faking mental health problems for attention, it became more stigmatized again. Leading to many being too afraid to seek help and talk about their problems again, fearing they'll immediately get judged and called "fakers".

Why faking mental health problems is problematic

Besides all of the reasons I've mentioned earlier, such as misinformation, stigmatization, etc, they're also other problems caused by people who fake mental health issues. Here, I especially want to focus on service dogs and the impact faking has on mental health professional and people who seek out help.

Let's start with service dogs. Service dogs are specialized dogs, trained for performing different tasks, in order to make life easier for their owner.

Because of their special training, they're extremely expensive and a privilege not everybody has. However, they're essential for some to function in day to day life and/or not get in dangerous situations.

A service dog for a blind person may be trained to help them navigate traffic or crowded places. One trained for wheelchair users might help them to pick up stuff they dropped on the floor, or reach things the owner can't. One trained for diabetics usually detects a too high or too low blood sugar level and can alert the owner.

Likewise, service dogs specialist for mental health issues also help their owners in various different ways. A service dog might be trained to help with intrusive thoughts and stop the owner from self harming behavior. Or they might make a person with severe anxiety help to feel saver and protected, being able to find a quick exit if needed.

They're trained to stay calm in situations that would usually be extremely stressful to ordinary dogs. Which is why not every dog is suited for this kind of job.

I can understand that a pet can act like an emotional support animal. I get that some people would love to take their pet everywhere, even in places where they aren't allowed. Service dogs owners get this privilege. But needing constant assistance (in the form of a service dog) on a day to day basis because of your (mental) health isn't one. If a service dog gets distracted from their job by a non-service dog/animal, it can lead to dangerous situations for both the owner, as well as the dog.

I've never experienced my next points and I haven't seen many talk about it either. However, I have heard of some cases which is why I bring it up.

Some mental health professional apperently get heavily misinformation about mental health because of them searching for resources on the internet. Some even get stuck in echo chambers themselves, similar to what their clients might experience. I can only imagine what happens if those professionals (accidentally) treat their clients with wrong methods due to this.

I also wouldn't be too surprised if this entire dilemma leads to people who seek out help not being taken serious. Especially if they come to therapy with a suspicions of a mental health problem that might be worth looking into.

Faking or not? Should "fakers" be called out?

In my opinion, yes and no. I don't think you can nor should judge anybody based of their internet presence alone. After all, what they post is most likely a scripted narrative.

I also don't think that you should judge people based on their appereance (e.g. alternative style). Do many of them dress the way they do to gain attention and see a mental health issue as a fun and quirky "add on"? Yes, absolutely. Does this automatically mean that every person with an alternative style who talks about their mental health issues is faking? I don't think so.

If you know someone who you believe is faking mental health issues in real life, instead of bullying them, harassing them or similar, I think a far better approach is to educate them. Show them the harm they do and maybe even get professional help for them.

Be kind, be understanding and try to see where they're coming from and why they're faking something so serious. Especially if they don't seem aware of the harm they're causing.

However, I do believe that fakers should be called out if they spread misinformation and you should kindly correct them. Even more so if you have scientific facts and studies to back your claim up, being able to site your sources when asked.

Part 2: The dos and don'ts of "self diagnosing"

Part 3: Pro/Con self diagnosing + Getting help

[slimeyscotty]

my f/o list !! (with explanations)

ordered from strongest to weakest feelings-wise in their respective groups, but they're all extremely important to us in different ways !! /g, it's just simply for mental organization and assuring accuracy while conveying. the list will be updated frequently and is subject to change due to collective opinion changing for whatever reason.

please feel free to ask us about anyone !!

*sources that include nsfw content /warning

romantic f/os ;

c!elmariana !! qsmp

non-sharing : he is our husband, but in the way that we are qsmp!slimecicle /srs. he is one of the few people we'd genuinly feel jealous over, which is why it's marked non-sharing. i want to kiss him, i want to have incoherent, toxic arguments with him, and i want to raise multiple children with him. he is a big reason why we are learning spanish :). image source

kagamine len !! vocaloid

sharing : he is such a cutiepatootie; i want to see him covered in bruises, blood, and tears. i could not tell you what it is about len, since we aren't super into vocaloids in general, but i want to corrupt him. we want to do the full gaslight and manipulate shabang and make him codependant on us. he doesn't make us feel jealous, as we enjoy the idea that he's learning about relationships from many different perspectives, as well as, many others can corrupt and control him alongside me. image source

kylar the loner !! degrees of lewdity*

non-sharing : kylar is one of the first f/os that we've used as a comfort and coping mechanism, so when it comes to sharing it feels otherworldly. i enjoy the aspect that he is already co-dependant on me, on top of the thoughts that he could be watching me at any point. the way i summarized it on my last post was yan4yan if that paints a good enough picture /h. image source

ashe ubert !! fire emblem

sharing : he is another cutiepatootie that i want to corrupt, but this time in a specifically incestual way. i have yet to know if i want to do it in sibling or parental way, however i have a vision i swear /h. we are fine with sharing him, he's got a lot of love to give and receive, regardless of corruption ;p. image source

futaba sakura !! persona 5

sharing : my baby girl !! i lovelove her in an older brother way. i want to take care of her and give her little forehead kisses :3. we play video games and watch anime together, and she fangirls to me while we cuddle. i'm fine sharing, she's my little sister, but i'm not going to control who she dates. image source

ken amada !! persona 3

non-sharing : my most contriversial take. ken is my little son, i adopted him, and we kiss. he's the biggest sweetheart, and he listens perfectly. i want to corrupt him the same as len, but ken specifically has no choice but to depend on me :). i'm non-sharing on him because he's my special little boy, and i would hate to see him think he can depend on anybody else ;p. image source

familial f/os ;

shake shake shake (shaking you) we don't have any right now, but we are looking for a child (in a non-romantic way /h) to take care of.

platonic f/os ;

eridan ampora !! homestuck

select sharing : we're moirails :) (more like qpr, but he wouldn't understand that /h). my sharing stance with eridan is complicated in the sense of, i don't want to share the same quadrant with anybody else, but obviously i'm fully open to him filling his other quadrants !! i truly just want to support him and make him feel better, even if to some it may seem as though i'm enabling his bad behavior. he still deserves someone to give him a hug and wipe his tears. image source

[naras-gun]

On Violence / Comfort; to reflect

.

Where and when do you see it? How does it feel?

Would you share your perspective? Your experience?

Let it be here, by replying to this paragraph, or in person, to any friend or family, to an acquaintance, or just to yourself, doesn’t matter. Would you be willing to reflect on it?

.

See, I do want to share my views, feelings, and reflections on violence, as I want to make feel a little bit closer to these concepts and narratives.

.

But, let’s say I share some bleak political facts and raw footages on a certain region’s situation, and the way it is deeply rooted in occident’s colonial imperialism;

I mean, let's say I brutalize your senses, how efficient would that be?

.

My point here is that I feel like most people can’t handle how violent other’s realities can be, even the ones directly surrounding theirs.

They’re so comfortable in their privileges, they won’t bear the pain that comes with hearing about another person’s problem, staring at another person’s eyes and caring, or reflecting just a little bit on it when realizing their violence is systemic, if they do realize.

They’ll just break down and feel really really bad; it will paralyze them, bring them down, drain them.

And it’s not necessarily anybody’s fault. It actually is a matter of skill, to be able to take enough perspective on your own self and trajectory, to the point of handling the different emotions that come with reflecting on other’s lives and the political state of other places.

As with any other skill, it comes with consistent work (might be a matter of privilege), and/or experience, a lot of it (a matter of real bad luck in this case).

So, if you’re not accustomed to violence, or if you do, but for any reason you're not able to process it in a healthy way, it’s plain normal to not know what to do or even how to feel about it, it's fine if it feels overwhelming.

Also, just not having the energy to think and care about other’s miseries when you’re already having enough with your own, is very very real. It’s ok, that doesn’t matter.

.

But on the other hand, I do feel like there is too little class consciousness among medium to rich classes, not even talking about the power holders.

And way above that, I feel like there’s no genuine interest in knowing anything about other people’s struggles, about their misery, about their daily problematics, about what makes them happy or nostalgic, about what makes them feel free, fulfilled or at peace.

I’m talking about how little genuine interest I feel most people don’t have, in the way others live, and the way they die.

Or at least not enough interest to make an active and intentional effort towards it.

I mean, we could go so much further: How come some of us never did wrong but still went to hell? And why does it have to be that way? Why this much violence? How much is acceptable? Let’s say I feel like human curiosity has been murdered for most of y'all.

.

It’s frustrating.

People at some point just stopped asking questions, they stopped wondering why some things have to be this way.

And worse; when they did, they stopped looking for answers right after. Reality in front of them felt so crushing, they got desperate when they didn't find simple solutions to complex problems.

Somehow, creativity, anger, persistence and faith got murdered alongside curiosity.

That's Violence too.

.

But let’s go beyond that, fast forward to another point.

My goal is to normalize exchanging on violence, so we can help each other bear the way it feels, and soothe it in a healthy way, without ignoring it or sinking in it. I just feel like that might make it easier for people to care about others without it being so tiring, and then to organize to find ways of implementing little solutions adapted to the local and mutual problems.

.

To do that, bear with me, as I actually feel like brutalizing your senses might be the way at times. You’re just way too comfortable, I don’t feel like mashing up reality and delivering it to you gently every time so that you can ignore the way violence feels for others.

I actually feel like people’s reluctance to get shaken up a bit by reality when there’s actually no risk for them at all, is a problem.

.

Now, what if your social media feed is being constantly filled with too many gut-revolving things?

That’s something else, and it’s up to your own criteria to decide what’s worth reflecting on; I’m not saying your screen should become a virtual horror hallway, just that the power that a platform holds shouldn’t be used only for dopamine-addictive distractive entertainment.

.

Cause that’s a trap.

But I’ll address that in another thread, regarding Violence specifically in the way it’s shown and shared on social media, and above that, our toxic relationship with these platforms.

.

Anyways, since I still want to be efficient, I'll probably find ways to get others to not feel so horrible about things I'll share, and approach it in a lighter, but still enriching and constructive way. 

[martianmilfhunter]

Hi, I hope you're doing well and I am sorry in advance if I sent you this message before. We are very close to the goal and I really need your help. I'm writing to you with a heavy heart and an urgent request for help. My family is in a very danger situation due to the ongoing war, and I've launched a GoFundMe campaign to save them. Could you please rebblog my campaign post from my profile?🙏 Feel free to share it in any other social media platform if you would like. Our campaign has been verified ⭐️ by operation olive branch, and is entry number 26 on their spreadsheet. Also with ⭐️ Project watermelon,line 249/(212) on their spreadsheet. From the bottom of my heart I want to thank you in advance for all of your support and kindness.

If anybody is able to donate and help, they’re so close to their goal!

If you can’t donate just take a few minutes to visit their links and read their story, interaction/clicks DO help when online campaigning and it’s good to educate ourselves of the personal stories of people who are in areas of political violence.

To consider/seek out the perspectives of other people teach us the true value and meaning of humanity and our understanding of what is “right” and “moral” and most importantly forces introspection into what We as Individuals believe within our spirits and souls

it’s so important to remember what humanity and decency is truly about in times where we’ve been numbed to atrocities by the U.S. media, we must educate ourselves because our systems our corrupt and seek to delude us.

I’m in a financial pinch after the business slow in summertime but whenever I have some extra side money I try to find gofundmes to help, I know I’m a small and insignificant blog but if you follow me please consider doing the same!

Look at their blog @hayanahed for their story and info

❤️❤️❤️🪐

[just6f]

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[unapologeticallytheworst]

What's the difference between a bi lesbian someone who is bi or is a lesbian? Aren't they mutually exclusive terms? (Genuine ignorance but willing to learn.)

(Just in case my tone comes across badly, I am just happily sharing. If any good can come out of me being back on Tumblr it will be sharing my experiences of sex and gender so that maybe somebody understands themselves better.)

I want to start with the fact that I am not myself someone who uses the label. I usually identify as bi or pan. So I can explain coming from my perspective as someone who has talked to bi lesbians and even identified with their explanations, but I am not one. I love dudes too much.

Like any label it's super personal to the individual but from what I have heard over the years, some women use it because they functionally are a lesbian. Their relationship and presentation are such that society thinks of them that way. That may even be how they label themselves in less queer spaces. They face that discrimination and participate in those spaces.

For some others I've talked to, it's more about where they lie on the kinsey scale. Their relative attraction to women compared to men, making them feel the need for the distinction. Sometimes this is even more of a bisexual - homoromantic situation, where sex with dudes is fun but one loves women.

Since I believe this was in response to a support post, I just wanna say label policing is not good for anybody. This isn't aimed at you, nonie, just everyone, be kind and willing to listen. We're really not all that different and we're not free until we're all free.

(also vaguely related rant about being bisexual under the cut)

Being bi is really fucking weird. Nobody believes you no matter who you date. Unless you're poly and are dating multiple people of different genders at the same time, then you're just a slut. Like seriously I'm pretty sure the new Green Day song Bobby Sox exists solely to remind everyone they're bi as fuck. Because that happens when your romantic partner is the opposite gender. And then you feel like an asshole at pride because nobody is going to discriminate against you and your boyfriend in public. Everyone is going to treat you like you're straight and any gay stuff they remember was just “experimenting” or youth. But when dating the same gender there's a whole different set of problems. Society at large is now going to treat you as gay or lesbian and any attempts to say bi will be chalked up to internalized homophobia or an attempt to avoid backlash. And like you get that, because the hate you get calls you dykes or faggots, you don't get hate for you, because you don't even exist. This is to say nothing of the exclusionary pockets within your own community telling you you're confused. Or acting like you are icky and wrong and don't belong in queer spaces.

[stupendoussoulinternet]

I think it's hilarious how people are so eager and quick to be judgmental of pretty much anyone other than themselves , and one often repeated and commonly shared fallacy is older generations willingness to criticize younger people based on the results of their efforts rather than the dedication or commitment to own success,

it should be noted that every generation of Americans lived a higher quality or standard of living than the previous, which came to an abrupt halt in the care of ironically enough, what had been considered the greatest generation in our history.

baby boomers, as the name suggest we're born following the return of American soldiers from Europe at the end of world war II

and little attention is given to the fact that all servicemen and women completing their enlistment were made beneficiaries of the first ever GI Bill providing them a four year free ride that wound up producing one of the largest increases in personal wealth in the country's history as many returning servicemen were eager to enjoy the benefits of what a increased income would provide. and as was customary, they define their success in terms of wealth acquired and in support of the idea, bought houses far more expensive and larger than their need, resulting in the largest generation in American history also becoming the oldest workforce in American history denying their children the opportunity to grow into those positions, that they held 10 sometimes even 20 years past retirement to accommodate supporting the lifestyle they had come to expect, and to the difficulty of generation x and z in the millennials, a far more fluid employment or job market provided less opportunity for error or changing directions all of which has conspired to embolden the attitude and the criticism that they expect compensation above their skill level and a lifestyle above their means, and while obviously nothing that can be denied, it is worth the effort of recognition to point out that every generation before not only expected the same but achieved it without having to mortgage their future to the extent that is demanded of young people today finding themselves $100,000 or more in debt from student loans, with a economic environment that no longer imagines any value in the idea of equity in there practices, leading to a dynamic in which if people were honest about it they would recognize the fact that young people today work twice as hard then their parents or grandparents ever did and it's not even close

for half as much.

I don't think anybody had any master plan to alter the trajectory for the lifestyles Americans can expect a reasonable opportunity of achieving, so it's not like an effort to criticize their perspective, but at the same time, the bottom line is, the endless effort to continue to leverage wealth, could only ever result in a greater divide between has and have nots so rather than self-aggrandize your hard work or opportunity that others maybe never had, acknowledging you're good fortune without offering a incredibly skewed revisionist history of your own efforts,

I'm sure a lot of people will feel a need to push back on that idea but, one of my oldest friends father drove a local bread delivery truck for , in the height of his professional career, and retired to a beach house in San Clemente that no one I know working now has much of a shot at doing so, the evidence pretty much speaks for itself

[mybleedingboy]

Branching off of this because u are so right:

In the scene where Wardo is holding the cup and Mark explains why he called Eduardo out which Wardo thinks is purely the money, Eduardo crushes the cup. As in, even before he was betrayed he already suspected that money was what mark saw him as. But he gives him the money anyway.

A headcanon I have which might be common idk but ive always thought is that even though Eduardo’s dad may neglect him or treat him however which way you think he’s treated, Eduardo loves him because his father supports him financially. He sees money as his father’s love so he extends that to Mark.

The shares then are like a promise of mutuality. Eduardo gives money and he gets money back. Eduardo gives love and Mark loves him back.

But on the other hand, you also have Mark’s perspective. Mark doesn’t care about money. What he always cared about was reputation and superiority (to mask his need for friendship and love whenever he’s rejected). But the way he’s connected with money is that the higher his reputation gets, the more money he happens to have.

In the end, he’s built the reputation he’s always wanted, he’s superior in a way. He has power. But it’s not satisfying for him because he’s lost love.

When Eduardo leaves with the money, to Mark that signals that Eduardo only cared about Mark’s reputation and his connection to “Facebook” as a title. Eduardo didn’t care about the Facebook, and in the end he didn’t care about Mark because he only wanted to save his own reputation. (I don’t know if that makes sense??? I’m too tired to phrase that well)

On the other hand, when Mark betrays him, Eduardo assumes that Mark is rescinding his love or that he never loved him in the first place (the promise of money was pretense.)

(Sorry feel free to disagree w any of this idk if my interpretation of markwardo is the same as anybody else’s)

Can we talk about Eduardo thinking Mark only cared about him for the money vs Eduardo leaving the country as soon as the lawsuit ends (and the settlement is paid), making Mark think that he was only staying for the money?

[songofaurora]

A Tumblr Novice..

It is true. I have not much understanding on how to use this platform, but I will give it my best. If anybody has any tips or advice feel free to voice it. I will be most grateful.

This blog is primarily focused on: ASOIAF.

Yes, I will from time to time re-blog beautiful sceneries and masterful paintings shared in this world, however, my blog above all is dedicated to exploring and expressing, through writing and art, my opinions and perspective on George R R Martin’s literature; A Song of Ice and Fire.

So far I have done illustrations on the prominent character Sansa Stark and I hope to expand to other characters if time would allow me so. Other important characters such as Jon, Bran, Ned, Catelyn, Arya, Daenerys...and so on and so on. None POV characters such as Jeyne, Aegon (Elia’s Son) Petyr Baelish, Sandor Clegane.. and the list goes on and on. Some I adore others I dislike...

My intentions has always been to work on bigger illustrations depicting scenes from the books I find most compelling and moments that unravel a character. I have opened up asks for anybody who wish to ask me questions on this topic please feel free to do just that. My opinions may not be agreed upon and differ quite a bit from some, but they are my own.

Thank you for the continuous engagement I have received from my posts. I appreciate every single one whether that be liking, re-blogging or commenting.

- ♪

[razelssacredplace]

Spoiler Warning for God of War: Ragnarök!!!

The following post is a rant that contains spoilers for the end of GoW:R. Don't like that? Scroll onwards friends, but remember to take screen breaks too!

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With that said, I feel the need to comment on the ending, specifically the last stretch as a whole and the battle. I think 90% of it was absolutely awesome, and I probably have to go back and rewatch some stuff because there are absolutely things I missed.

But I'll tell you what I didn't miss.

I didn't miss that they completely glossed over Thor sending Jorman back in time to his creation, and really didn't offer much dialogue about it either. From my perspective they told it to fuck off and didn't want it to be the focus at any point.

I also didn't miss the fact that GoW:R fell victim to a very big issue in storytelling, and especially storytelling as of late. And it has to do with Freyr and Thor. And anybody who shares my opinion on this subject knows exactly what I'm talking about already, probably just when I said that.

Did Freyr and Thor not fight to have good endings? I don't care about any "death flags" or what, none of that shit. Did Thor not fight so very hard to preserve his family and life, regardless of his methods? Was the point of the game not to "Be better" among other messages? Yeah great he was better at the very end, but it would've meant more to see Thor trying to be better after the story.

Imagine the post game where you get to see Thor taking steps to better himself, to be a better father, a better God, and a better person. And do you know why it would be so important to show that imo? Because it parallels Kratos. It shows that, by Kratos being better than the bloody slaughter-monster he used to be, he impacts someone just like him. Another bloody monster who's so tired of it all, but has escaped into far worse habits and vices. Another monster just like Kratos that he saves, just like how he saved himself. And why? Because Thor deserved that good ending after all he went through from Odin to protect the family he had left.

As for Freyr, he falls into the same category. A hurt, beaten, and broken character who's fighting to survive in this world with the people he has left, fighting for a good ending. Fighting for his sister to be free, fighting for his own justice and revenge after being lit ablaze by lesser Aesir, fighting to be better. And that's the crux of it all in Ragnarok. Everyone was fighting to be better.

Now I'm not saying the game is bad or it was ruined for me because of this. At the end of the day I do understand why they died because Ragnarok is a war, and not everyone walks away from war. Plus in the old myth (which may or may not be real Norse mythology) Thor does die, along with basically everyone. I understand why it happened but I wish they got the good ending.

Then again, maybe that's a testament to how good the game is. Just my two cents in the end.