#if only it were me. if i only i died in a fire

[wilcze-kudly]

Katara and the fear of loss (aka why she waited)

I think one aspect of Katara's storyline I don't see explored nearly enough the fact that she is terrified of losing others, especially those whom she cares for. This makes sense, especially looking to her background, how the death of her mother affected her and the fact that war has been a very large part of her life since she was a small child. Not to mention, she is actively a huge part of said war, along with her brother and friends, at the tender age of 14.

Now, some of you may ask "quill what the hell does Aang have to do with Katara's mother?"

Yes, on the surface, there isn't that much connecting Katara's dead, grown ass mother to Katara's alive 12 year old goofball bf but the parallels between Kya and Aang are planted even at the beginning of the show, in the first few episodes.

When Zuko and the Fire Nation attack the Southern Watertribe, they are looking for Aang, the last airbender, not dissimilar to the Southern Raiders looking for the last Southern waterbender. Furthermore, both Kya and Aang willingly give themselves up to the Fire Nation in order to protect the village, particularly Katara.

Throughout the show, we see Katara's interest and endearment towards Aang grow, and we see them create a genuine friendship. But I'd argue that Aang being the Avatar is, to some degree, a problem to their relationship. Aang's duty as the Avatar, and the risks and decisions he is faced with due to it, often create a rift between him and Katara.

Be it due to Aang's responsibilities leading him to make decisions she doesn't agree with, like in the Avatar State, where Aang feels the pressure to force the Avatar State due to the suffering of the soldiers he feels responsible for.

Or, more poignantly, in the Awakening, where Aang is once again compared to one of the parents Katara lost due to the war, though Hakoda's 'loss' was not due to death, but a need to fight. I think this also shows how much Katara values Aang not just as the Avatar, but as a person.

Katara: Aang. He just took his glider and disappeared. He has this ridiculous notion that he has to save the world alone, that it's all his responsibility. Hakoda : Maybe that's his way of being brave. Katara: It's not brave; it's selfish and stupid! We could be helping him, and I know the world needs him, but doesn't he know how much we need him, too? How can he just leave us behind? Hakoda : You're talking about me too, aren't you?

This is twice Aang has been directly paralleled to one of Katara's parents, whose repsective losses have clearly affected her greatly. This is also extremely poignant, since we've been explicitly told that Aang's love for his own lost family, the Air Nomads, was reborn into Katara. For Aang and Katara, the ways they deal with their losses influences how they pursue each other romantically.

Of course, there's also the ✨️ immediate threat of death and physical injury✨️. Aang and the rest of the Gaang, but particularly Aang is constantly being chased and tracked and endangered by the Fire Nation and he is meant to face the Firelord and defeat him. There are a lot of possibilities for something to go horrifically wrong here.

From Aang being half dead when Katara found him, then almost immediately getting kidnapped by the prince of the goddamn Fire Nation, to almost every villain of the week shenanigan, Katara already has good reason to worry for Aang.

But then the reach Ba Sing Se and things get even worse. Jet, Katara's only other canonically confirmed love interest dies, and Katara is helpless to do anything about it. This is already enough to make someone reconsider future romantic endeavours, but surely it can't get any worse, right?

Oh yeah, Aang FUCKING DIES

He gets blasted in the back with lighting, right as he enters the avatar state, right before Katara's eyes. The saviour of the world, but more importantly, her dear friend, brutally cut down before her very eyes. And Katara, a child, is the only person with even a sliver of hope of bringing him back.

So is it really any surprise that Katara, having experienced loss before multiple times over, and almosf having lost Aang himself, would be hesitant to enter a romantic relationship with someone being actively hunted by the greatest military in the world, someone obligated to take on the leader of said military?

Katara is afraid. She's afraid of opening her heart up to loving Aang and then losing him after that. This is the main reason why she hesitates in initiating her and Aang's relationship. Whenever Aang tries to brooch the subject, she brings up the war and the Firelord, but due to being a child, she struggles in communicating her exact feelings, which leaves Aang confused and of kilter. Katara often gives Aang romantic attention, and clearly feels rather possessive of him, however, she is not ready to enter a romantic relationship due to the threat of the war looming above their heads. But due to being 14, she doesn't know how to explain these feelings, which is what leads to the minor conflict between her and Aang. Because, you know, they're both children in a situation that children aren't built to deal with.

Katara : Aang, I don't know. Aang: Why don't you know? Katara : Because, we're in the middle of a war, and, we have other things to worry about. This isn't the right time.

It's important to note that Aang isn't exactly a bad person for wanting this relationship to be made tangible. He does push boundaries, and kissing Katara without her consent in the Ember Island episode is obviously a horrendous misstep (which he acknowledged), but I think you can at least understand his motives. He may soon die, after all, and he wants to love Katara and wants to express that love before he possibly loses his entire goddamn life. I think this can also be traced back to how Aang deals with the genocide of the Air Nomads and vs how Katara deals with the death of her mother.

Aang certainly blames himself for the death of the Air Nomads, although this guilt is unfounded. Perhaps part of him believes that if he'd just stayed with them, spent a little more time with Gyatso, he could've helped them. It wouldn't be a leap to imagine that Aang wanting to spend more time with those he loves, including Katara is a coping mechanism surrpunding that loss.

Now juxtapose this to Katara, who's entire encounter with Yon Rha is permeated by helplessness and fear, an 8 year old Katara being unable to do anything but run away and try to get help, sadly not in time for Kya to survive. So Katara trying to assert some control over her relationships, maintaining a certain distance to Aang while the war that robbed her of her mother is still in full swing isn't an improbable concept. She's trying to not feel that helplessness again.

(Katara probably blames herself for her mother's death too, but it has less to do with Katara's actions and more to fo with what Katara was; a waterbender, something she hasno bearing on)

This is why she initiates the kiss with Aang at the end of the show. Not because she feels the need to give in to his advances due to him being the hero of the world. Not because she's caving to his insistence or because she's pressured. But because the possibility of Aang getting fucking murked by glorified pyromancers are significantly lower than they were during the war.

This is not a 'taking one for the team bcs I feel like I have to due to Aang saving the world' type of smooch. This is a 'finally I feel safe to express my feelings' type of smooch.

To be completely honest, I don't like how Kataang was handled post day of black sun, I think it was an unnecessary addition of a redundant "will they, won't they?" aspect to the relationship. Teasing Zutara in the last few episodes was also just unnecessary, because it was obviously never a viable endgame relationship and it only served to give kid zutara shippers false hope. This is especially fucked up looking at how the same zutara fans were later mocked by the creators, which, no matter what you think if the ship, is a horrible thing to do to a bunch of teenage girls and I think has contributed to those teenage girls growing into bitter, aggressive adult zutara shippers.

But, as much as I dislike this storyline, it does make sense for Katara's character and is an interesting and touching 'silent arc' for her to have. We often see characters fall in love in the midst of a conflict, but we aren't always shown how that conflict would affect the way they look at their relationship, so I appreciate this storyline for what it was.

[sassenach77yle]

||COUNTDOWN ||SEASON 2 EPISODE 03 || USEFUL OCCUPATIONS AND DECEPTIONS ||

#83daysofoutlander☆

“He can’t marry a fifteen-year-old girl to … to … that! And without even asking her!” “Oh, I expect he can,” Jamie said, with infuriating calmness. “In any case, Sassenach, it isna your affair.” He took me firmly by both arms and gave me a little shake. “D’ye hear me? I know it’s strange to ye, but that’s how matters are. After all”—the long mouth curled up at one corner—“you, were made to wed against your will. Reconciled yourself to it yet, have ye?” “Sometimes I wonder!” I yanked, trying to pull my arms free, but he merely gathered me in, laughing, and kissed me. After a moment, I gave up fighting. I relaxed into his embrace, admitting surrender, if only temporarily. I would meet with Mary Hawkins, I thought, and we’d see just what she thought about this proposed marriage. If she didn’t want to see her name on a marriage contract, linked with the Vicomte Marigny, then … Suddenly I stiffened, pushing away from Jamie’s embrace. “What is it?” he looked alarmed. “Are ye ill, lass? You’ve gone all white!” And little wonder if I had. For I had suddenly remembered where I had seen the name of Mary Hawkins. Jamie was wrong. This was my affair. For I had seen the name, written in a copperplate hand at the top of a genealogy chart, the ink old and faded by time to a sepia brown.

Mary Hawkins was not meant to be the wife of the decrepit Vicomte Marigny. She was to marry Jonathan Randall, in the year of our Lord 1745. “Well, she can’t, can she?” Jamie said. “Jack Randall is dead.” He finished pouring the glass of brandy, and held it out to me. His hand was steady on the crystal stem, but the line of his mouth was set and his voice clipped the word “dead,” giving it a vicious finality. “Put your feet up, Sassenach,” he said. “You’re still pale.” At his motion, I obediently pulled up my feet and stretched out on the sofa. Jamie sat down near my head, and absently rested a hand on my shoulder. His fingers felt warm and strong, gently massaging the small hollow of the joint. “Marcus MacRannoch told me he’d seen Randall trampled to death by cattle in the dungeons of Wentworth Prison,” he said again, as though seeking to reassure himself by repetition. “A ‘rag doll, rolled in blood.’ That’s what Sir Marcus said. He was verra sure about it.” “Yes.” I sipped my brandy, feeling the warmth come back into my cheeks. “He told me that, too. No, you’re right, Captain Randall is dead. It just gave me a turn, suddenly remembering about Mary Hawkins. Because of Frank.” I glanced down at my left hand, resting on my stomach. There was a small fire burning on the hearth, and the light of it caught the smooth gold band of my first wedding ring. Jamie’s ring, of Scottish silver, circled the fourth finger of my other hand. “Ah.” Jamie’s touch on my shoulder stilled. His head was bent, but he glanced up to meet my gaze. We had not spoken of Frank since I had rescued Jamie from Wentworth, nor had Jonathan Randall’s death been mentioned between us. At the time it had seemed of little importance, except insofar as it meant that no more danger menaced us from that direction. And since then, I had been reluctant to bring back any memory of Wentworth to Jamie. “You know he is dead, do ye not, mo duinne?” Jamie spoke softly, his fingers resting on my wrist, and I knew he spoke of Frank, not Jonathan. “Maybe not,” I said, my eyes still fixed on the ring. I raised my hand, so the metal gleamed in the fading afternoon light. “If he’s dead, Jamie—if he won’t exist, because Jonathan is dead—then why do I still have the ring he gave me?” He stared at the ring, and I saw a small muscle twitch near his mouth. His face was pale, too, I saw. I didn’t know whether it would do him harm to think of Jonathan Randall now, but there seemed little choice. “You’re sure that Randall had no children before he died?” he asked. “That would be an answer.”

“It would,” I said, “but no, I’m sure not. Frank”—my voice trembled a bit on the name, and Jamie’s grip on my wrist tightened—“Frank made quite a bit of the tragic circumstances of Jonathan Randall’s death. He said that he—Jack Randall—had died at Culloden Field, in the last battle of the Rising, and his son—that would be Frank’s five-times great-grandfather—was born a few months after his father’s death. His widow married again, a few years later. Even if there were an illegitimate child, it wouldn’t be in Frank’s line of descent.” Jamie’s forehead was creased, and a thin vertical line ran between his brows. “Could it be a mistake, then—that the child was not Randall’s at all? Frank may come only of Mary Hawkins’s line—for we know she still lives.” I shook my head helplessly. “I don’t see how. If you’d known Frank—but no, I suppose I’ve never told you. When I first met Jonathan Randall, I thought for the first moment that he was Frank—they weren’t the same, of course, but the resemblance was … startling. No, Jack Randall was Frank’s ancestor, all right.” “I see.” Jamie’s fingers had grown damp; he took them away and wiped them absently on his kilt. “Then … perhaps the ring means nothing, mo duinne,” he suggested gently. “Perhaps not.” I touched the metal, warm as my own flesh, then dropped my hand helplessly. “Oh, Jamie, I don’t know! I don’t know anything!” He rubbed his knuckles tiredly on the crease between his eyes. “Neither do I, Sassenach.” He dropped his hand and tried to smile at me. “There’s the one thing,” he said. “You said that Frank told you Jonathan Randall would die at Culloden?” “Yes. In fact, I told Jack Randall that myself, to scare him—at Wentworth, when he put me out in the snow, before … before going back to you.” His eyes and mouth clamped shut in sudden spasm, and I swung my feet down, alarmed. “Jamie! Are you all right?” I tried to put a hand on his head, but he pulled away from my touch, rising and going to the window. “No. Yes. It’s all right, Sassenach. I’ve been writing letters all the morning, and my head’s fit to burst. Dinna worry yourself.” He waved me away, pressing his forehead against the cold pane of the window, eyes tight closed. He went on speaking, as though to distract himself from the pain. “Then, if you—and Frank—knew that Jack Randall would die at Culloden, but we know that he shall not … then it can be done, Claire.” “What can be done?” I hovered anxiously, wanting to help, but not knowing what to do. Clearly he didn’t want to be touched.

“What you know will happen can be changed.” He raised his head from the window and smiled tiredly at me. His face was still white, but the traces of that momentary spasm were gone. “Jack Randall died before he ought, and Mary Hawkins will wed another man. Even if that means that your Frank wilna be born—or perhaps will be born some other way,” he added, to be comforting, “then it also means that we have a chance of succeeding in what we’ve set ourselves to do. Perhaps Jack Randall didna die at Culloden Field, because the battle there will never happen.”

8 UNLAID GHOSTS AND CROCODILES ~Dragonfly in amber

[thgfanfictionlibrary]

hi can i ask if you have a list of fics of everlark being together before going into the games?

Hello Anon!

Thank you for this ask! Below is a list of fics I could find for Together Before the 74th Games Fics. Hopefully some of these are new to you! Happy Reading!

74th Hunger Games Challenge: We Always Were-jamiesommers (ao3) or (ff) Summary: In this A/U story Katniss and Peeta go into the Games as a couple. It is based on the book, the movie, and a hell of a lot of my imagination. Since it is written in multiple POV's you'll be able to see what was happening in District 12 during the Tribute Parade, and what was going on at the Capitol during the Games. The Sequels are Catching Fire: Rekindling and Mockingjay: Broken Wings. There are also rated M outtakes for those two stories. I do hope you enjoy. Courage-mamabear623 (ao3) or (ff) Summary: "Today is the day," Peeta thought. Of course, he'd been saying that for the past ten years and it hadn't happened yet. Peeta strikes up the nerve to talk to Katniss before the 74th Annual Hunger Games. AU. Hope (or Lack Thereof)-BleedtoLoveHer (ff) Summary: Oneshot AU in which Katniss and Peeta are a couple before the Games. The same names are called during the reaping ceremony, but volunteers are not permitted. In Another Life-infinitegraces (ao3) or (tumblr) Summary: “I can’t imagine having all that responsibility on my shoulders.” My First Date with Katniss Everdeen-holymfwickee (ff) Summary: AU. Take a deep breath. Wipe the sweat off your hands. Don't let her scowl make you nervous. You're only talking to the girl you've been in love with your entire life. No More Owed-Enna Energe (ff) Summary: Katniss knows she owes the boy with the bread, and she hates the obligation. But now she has a chance to repay her debt. Occurs pre-Hunger Games. our little fires-brimay (ao3) Summary: Pale as a ghost, Peeta climbs the steps. It’s so silent in the Square that I hear the wood creak. The tears are streaming down his face now. Curling his hands into fists along his sides, he takes his place next to me. Finally, reality sinks in, crushing me. I’m not going to wake up. They want me to kill the boy with the bread. They want me to kill the boy I love. (or: The Hunger Games but Katniss and Peeta are a couple when they are reaped.) the sharp knife of a short life-atetheredmind (ao3) Summary: When Katniss’ mother dies, she finds an unlikely friend in the baker’s son. A look at Katniss’ life in D12 had her father lived. AU.  The Volunteer-DustWriter (ff) Summary: Katniss thought she knew the baker's son, but when Peeta is left without a father, Katniss finds she knew very little at all. He's not what she expected, but she wants to know more about the boy who changed her life. Upside-Down Cake-aimmyarrowshigh (ao3) or (ff) Summary: How a boy from the Seam and the baker's daughter healed old wounds, baked bread, and found poison berries in District Twelve.

If anyone knows of a fic like this, please reblog, reply, or send an ask with fics fitting this idea and I’ll add it here!

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to shoot me an ask!

Updated 9/17/24 @5:35pm

Thank you @safefromheartbreak

[creatingblackcharacters]

Hi there! I wasn’t one of the people to suggest Timerra, but seeing her again reminded me of her really good English VA Dani Chambers, and so I wanted to share another of the Black characters she played that I really love: Molly Blyndeff, the main character from Epithet Erased!

(Her sister Lorelai is actually my favourite in this series, but because I got to be reminded of Dani Chambers today, I’m making this a two-in-one submission!)

Molly’s family owns a toy store, but ever since her mom died the rest of the family has essentially left her fully in charge of the store, their taxes, cooking, cleaning, etc. She’s heavily overworked and is constantly being forced to be the adult in situations even though she is only 12-years-old. She is heavily neglected by her family and has a hard time telling people “no”. Every adult in her life has failed her on some level to the point she doesn’t even understand how much they were actually supposed to protect her. As a result, she has a very cynical outlook on life. She’s very loyal and protective of her friends to the point that she cares more about them than she cares about herself.

I really love how much the story doesn’t glorify her sacrifices and goes to show just how much stress it’s giving her, leading her to not having a social life at all, but also needing to essentially be the matriarch and breadwinner to a family of overgrown children. This girl deserves the earth, the moon, the stars as well as the nuclear launch codes. She deserves so much more than what life has given her and the series goes on to show her develop self-worth, but also allow her the chance to be a kid again (don’t want to give anything more than that away, cause spoilers).

Now onto Lorelai:

Lorelai Blyndeff is Molly’s teenage sister, who foists all of her responsibilities onto Molly, not realizing how much it’s straining their relationship. She takes up the villain role in the sequel book.

The characters in this series have powers based on a word that is inscribed onto their souls. Molly’s is “dumb”, which allows her to simplify and nullify other things, which essentially gives her the ability to cancel out other people’s powers. Lorelai’s, however, is “amplify”, which lets her create these dream bubbles that she can slip into in order to live out her fantasies. Since their powers essentially cancel each other out, it regularly becomes Molly’s responsibility to make her sister leave these dream worlds in order to do the most basic of chores, often leading to Molly having to do them anyway.

Since her mother died, she has spent almost all of her time in dream bubbles, playing pretend and having whatever she wants magically appear without any need to work. She also uses them to play the main character in adventures where she gets to defeat the fire-breathing dragon, something I think is a very good demonstration of her trying to find some kind of catharsis by trying to win against what killed her mom (Fire. She died in a fire. There was no dragon).

She’s bratty, incapable of accepting imperfection, and has spent so much time in a world where she gets everything that she wants, that she no longer understands the point of responsibilities nor how much she’s forcing her sister to bear.

One of the reasons I love her so much is that I find her to be an excellent example of a character who uses escapism to get through her day. Her grief leading her to run away from all her problems leads her to being very antagonistic to her little sister, accusing Molly of abandoning her because she’s so busy doing all the work and can no longer have fun indulging in make-believe.

Also! I think she has really cute outfits in the book and I wanted to share them:

Here’s her as a witch of the forest

And here’s her as a cute bunny knight waiting to slay a dragon

I love that the series doesn’t shy away from making her antagonistic towards Molly, but also makes her sympathetic in showing how much her playtime is how she tries to avoid thinking about her grief. She’s very much a teenager and even though she’s avoiding the responsibilities foisted upon her and Molly, I feel the story makes it clear that those responsibilities are ultimately their father’s, who is too self-absorbed to act as the adult in any situation.

Another element I really like that I don’t think is talked about enough is how a big reason she doesn’t realize that their home life is neglectful is because the father praises her quite a bit for her creativity and uses her dream worlds for inspiration for new toys. She’s essentially being used as free creative labour without realizing it and the father is giving her unlimited freedom so he has something for his other daughter to sell. (This post isn’t about him though, so back to Lorelai).

She’s dorky, she loves bright colours and her dream worlds are very creative and fun, often reminding me of classic kid’s adventure films (they also remind me a lot of classic save-the-world-with-the-power-of-friendship rpg’s, which leads me to relating to her a lot). She’s boy-crazy in a way that feels like she’s never spoken to a human being before (same, girl, same) and a lot of her story in the novel is trying to impress a boy she just met with a baking competition and the judges trying to make her learn responsibility and how to accept failure. She’s the kind of girl that would marry Shadow The Hedgehog unironically, and I’d be there for the wedding. She’s a very fun character to read, as well as very well acted in the audiobook. She’s the kind of villain you love to hate, but also feel bad for her long before things hit the fan. I’m really hoping we see more of her in future instalments!

Anyway, now that I’ve concluded my rant, I hope you have a great day!

Well hell, you said everything I'd have said! That is deep fr, Lorelai using her dream bubbles as a negative way to cope with her grief via avoidance, and how that poorly affects her and her relationships. Especially with her younger sister Molly who needs her, and is instead forced to carry that weight. Ooooh I love the premise. Tragic siblings is one of those themes that I love and that always break me, because it's like.... You love them and you hate them. You love them because that's your blood and you know what y'all's relationship promised, and you hate them because you feel like they're throwing it away. But you can't bring yourself to fully hate them because... that's your sibling. And how far can it go to break 😭😭😤

And yes, the art style is cute. I know a Dani Chambers lol.

[greywobbles]

Rest in Peace 🪦 Kermit the Frog

Beloved by the Joker, the Croaker, God

Wrongfully imprisoned in the meat closet, murdered by emos and died in agony. Taken too soon.

Hear the cries? The howls? You are hearing the brotherhood.. sisterhood… nonbinary hood (ally!) of the Muppet Joker.

May you and The Croaker be reunited in the afterlife once the time has come. And may sex in heaven be awesome.

Amen.

(written in my break room at work.. stay on that grind)

[nikolas-ghostbusters-fixation]

Something I've been thinking a lot about lately is how everyone thought Egon had gone insane. What Happened that made them think that. They've fought a gigantic Stay Puft Marshmellow Man TWICE (counting the 2009 video game because iirc it's canon? Correct me if I'm wrong), fought an interdimensional god, fought a blood thirsty ruler that killed thousands and was hated by all that was trapped in a painting (and managed to get in to beat him by making THE STATUE OF LIBERTY start walking down the street with slime that reacted purely based on vibes), found an underground abandoned transit system full of the moodslime, had a bathtub try to eat Dana and her baby, fought a giant murderous black widow lady, fought the fisherman ghost who turned an entire hotel floor into the bottom of a ocean, and that's not even mentioning them getting trapped on an island that randomly raised up from underwater that had been abandoned for decades created by Ivor Shandor who worshipped Gozer. So what did he do or say that made everyone else think he'd gone insane?? All I can think is maybe he was acting strange / eratic before, but he's always been like that to some degree.

I don't know. It's something that I've been thinking about. The correct answer is 'it's not that deep and they needed a reason that the others weren't together anymore and weren't aware of Egons death or know what was going on,' but also. What Was He Saying that prompted everyone, including Ray, to think he lost his mind when he'd been right almost every time before that.

I'm genuinely so curious as to what he was up to before this. What was he doing. What insane idea was working on prior to this or was he even working on anything at all??

Also want to clarify this post isn't negative 😭 I really love the newer movies and their lore / the newer storyline / characters, I just like thinking about small stupid things like this. Gives me something to think about / speculate about / figure out an answer to.

[helianthus21]

best part about season 3 were the flashbacks to season 1<3

[twpsyn-who]

OMG I I wgehejej I was writing a post about some soulmate AU and and while writing it just occurred to me-

Both Jean and Marco lost their gear during Trost. They both got in a situation where a Titan was going to kill them while having nothing to protect themselves.

Marco was there to help Jean get hold of a gear and survive. Jean wasn't there for Marco aka why he died.

Omg. I'm not crying you are

[yeyayeya]

Ok but like can someone explain this for me

When I was playing Three Houses, I didn’t have a strong attachment to Byleth and whenever I played the other routes I always alternated marrying people and whatnot, but like,

Some people got really attached to Byleth and whoever they married Byleth to first playthrough they just couldn’t marry Byleth off to someone else because they couldn’t separate them from said character *cough* Dimitri *cough* (that’s the one I’ve seen the most). And like, I never understood that? Byleth just didn’t have a personality in Three Houses and the relationships felt very one-sided and I just never understood people who said that?

All the other Fire Emblem avatars: Robin, Shez, Alear, and Corrin I could understand completely and I have my own personal ships for them because of their dynamics with other characters, but Byleth? Not at all, and any Byleth ship just feels like they’re relying on them and since Byleth doesn’t talk it just didn’t help

Now in Three Hopes, I can understand Byleth more (somewhat) and now I can sorta maybe ship Byleth since they actually talk and show a bit of personality. But before it came out and it was only Three Houses, I never got what people said about the Byleth ships at all

Idk it might just be me but I never cared for Byleth during Three Houses and now I care about them somewhat as a character because of Three Hopes

[vulcannic]

this is the third time this year there’s been an emergency on my street where a fire tuck and police cars had to park outside my house and i gotta say!! i’ve discovered this is a big trigger for me!!!

[nerosdayinanime]

kny x earth to echo au. my most self indulgent piece yet

[orcelito]

Sometimes I REALLY hate this game (aka. Fire emblem in general)

I've been going through all the training battles before I go onto the main thing for chapter 12. For completionism and also bc I fucking Need the training, holy shit

Anyways I got one for the rainy map from chapter 11. Aka where I was running my life. It was awful then, but WAY WAY WAY WORSE now. Bc they skattered my army across the entire map, some of whom are Very squishy, and gave us over twice as many enemies as I had units, almost all flying, and All of them advanced classes

It was a massacre. Unit after unit falling. Me desperately trying to get the survivors across the map so they could help each other survive. Hiding in the woods in hopes of them missing me, bc being out in the open is a death sentence.

One by one, my units fell. My Healers all fell. My Mages all fell. A few lingered through luck alone... but then it was down to 3. From an original 12.

Me, Alcryst, and Louis. I'd been trying to protect Alcryst bc he's my archer and there were SO. SO SO SO many fliers. I never did get him over to me. I sent Louis over to assist me bc my ass kept DYING & that gets a game over lol. So imagine a dragon princess just guzzling potions in the woods as her armor friend throws javelins over her shoulder. I made it work.

Poor fucking Alcryst though. Stuck in the woods alone, having watched the 3 around him all fall, clinging to his mini bow bc he was literally SURROUNDED and couldn't attack anything otherwise. Also guzzling potions. The literal only reason he didn't fucking die was luck alone. Those fucking woods, man. They made all the difference.

Not that it stopped me from dying like 4 times from like 13% chance hits :) I used that time reversal feature more in this battle than I have Ever before in this game.

[nerdie-faerie]

This has got to be the worst move out yet

[esyra]

After the hospital bombing, I finally heard back from my grandmother and confirmed that several of my relatives were murdered by Israeli bombing. Seven of them, to be precise. Three are still going, including her. We've been talking constantly ever since.

Asked if it was possible to head south, and was told they did but were also bombed there. So they decided to go back home, in Zeitoun. Their home was bombed and they were pulled out of the rumble, then driven by ambulances to the al-Ahli Arab Hospital. There were people in every corner. Gazans sheltering, sleeping on the floor. Gazans dying on the floor, waiting for beds.

Four were declared dead on arrival, three were in need of surgery and other three were just bandaged. Then, a bomb was dropped in the parking lot that made parts of the ceiling collapse, like Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah reported in that horrific conference/interview. Those in need of surgery died.

By the way, just in case you didn't know: the Church of Saint Porphyrius, the third oldest in history, bombed by Israel a few days back, was located near the hospital.

When looking for new shelter, they saw schools with signs hanging outside, "We can't take any more families." They met families, sympathetic but already sheltering too many people. They're now staying in an apartment building they found empty. Sleeping in the corner of the living room. If the family comes back, they'll apologize and leave.

Told me she was saving her phone battery for when the bombing stopped, and she had to ask for help to rebuilt the neighborhood. But she doesn't think it's gonna stop anymore. The ones still with her are mute most of the time, like they're saving energy, but she feels lonely and wanted to talk. There's no internet and to connect to WhatsApp, people are buying "a card from the supermarket, there's a password and username." Not sure what she meant. Still, the internet is inconsistent and won't load neither videos or images nor pages, so she doesn't know what's happening on the outside world.

Told her there were a lot of people protesting to stop the genocide, she replied, "The bombings are getting worse by the day." The bombing yesterday was the worst she ever witnessed. The entire neighborhood is infested with the smell of death, of decomposing bodies. Bodies are piling up in the streets and she's not sure if it's because they ran out of places to store them, but most of them are in bags. The smoke of the bombings hide the blue sky—she hasn't seen the clouds for a while.

Asked if I could share their pictures, names and dreams with people and was told, of which I partly agree, "they're not entertainment." If anyone genuinely cared, they would be alive—I'd argue there are people who do care, but I'm not gonna lecture her pain. And they don't deserve to be used to fulfill someone's sick fantasy. Told me to remember what some Israelis do with pictures of dead Palestinians. And I do.

For those of you who are not familiar, many times before settlers got together to celebrate the murder of Palestinians. For one, in 2015, Israeli settlers set a house in Duma, West Bank on fire. An 18-month old baby, Ali Dawbsheh, was burnt alive. Both parents later died of wounds and only a 5-year-old, Ahmad, survived, although severely injured.

Two celebrations of their murder are widely known, one at a wedding and others outside the court in which two were indicted for the terrorist attack. In the wedding, guests stabbed a photo of the toddler, Ali, while others waved guns, knives and Molotov cocktails. Israel's Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, was present.

That's what happens in an apartheid. Palestinians are so abused by authorities that their "innocent civilians" come to accept the brutality as necessary or are desensitized by our suffering. After all, it's been 75 years—get used to it!

So I won't risk the image of my loved ones, in fear they are used in these kinds of depravity. I will say, though, the world lost a young footballer. Lost a female writer and an aspiring ballerina. Lost a kind father, who was also a great cook, and a loving mother that enjoyed sewing and other types of handicraft art. Lost a math teacher and a child that wanted to become one.

People think Israel is testing new weapons on them. There's civilians arriving at the hospital with severe burns, which they thought was from white phosphorus, but apparently the pattern is different from the one caused by white phosphorus. It's widely believed Israel tests weapons in Palestinians.

Jeff Halper, author of War Against the People, a book on Israel's arms and surveillance technology industries, said: "Israel has kept the occupation because it's a laboratory for weapons."

They've ran out of drinkable water and the "aid" Biden sent was only for the South of Gaza and no fuel, for hospitals, was allowed in. Many shelves in the supermarket are empty. She said many are convinced that if they don't die from the bombing, they'll die from starvation or dehydration, or whatever disease will develop from the dirty water they're drinking.

Told me all people do now is pray, cry and die. Told me she hopes West Bank is spared. Told her Israel bombed a mosque in West Bank and dozens of Palestinians in West Bank are being murdered by settlers, so she bided me goodbye.

[inkskinned]

it's because the bear wouldn't kill me just for being a woman. the bear doesn't kill me for fun. the bear can be shouted at, and will leave me alone. the bear won't make a tiktok complaining about how i crossed to the other side of the path when i saw him coming. if a bear kills me, it's just being a bear: it cannot understand logic. it is not acting out of malice - just fear or hunger.

bell hooks once wrote about how porches might be the only outside space left for women - it is still the domain of the house while it is also outside-but-safe. when i am in the woods, i am in the bear's home, and he has a right to defend his property. outside spaces - anywhere at night, certain parks in the day - those are often implicitly "owned" by men. i cannot explain the feeling of knowing when you have entered a man's "territory." you walk into a place and just know you are in their space. you get a sick sense - you're in danger.

the other day a group of about 8 men were fooling around in the woods while i walked my dog. i had to go around, take the extra 3 miles just to avoid them. it's okay, i like walking. this wasn't even a #feminism moment. it was just a tuesday.

what a plain and easy question. only one of the situations is seen as a tragic accident. i would rather die and have a park bench erected in my honor rather than have my family questioned about why they let me, an adult, walk in the woods in the first place when i should really be at home in the kitchen.

i worked in retail and food service. i have had women say and do absolutely heinous and abusive things to me - not because i was a woman, but because i was there, and they were angry. the way men treated me when angry was different - it was because i was a woman. you can always feel the difference, how there's an undertone of i'd hurt you worse if i could get away with it. i keep seeing people try to cite stupid statistics. why is there always a strange rage whenever women agree on things? like men can argue their way out of our lived experiences? it isn't a buzzfeed quiz - which of these traumas are you? 10 super cute ways not to fear strange men.

i have actually (thrice!) seen a bear in the wild, by the way. i died each time, obviously, and am a ghost writing to you. (it was scary but completely and utterly fine). the second encounter was a black bear with her cub. she looked at me like - do we have to do this or are we good? my dog was busy sniffing a bush, completely nonreactive. i felt like i was in a sitcom: feminist poet reacts - does she actually mean she'd choose the bear? my only thought was - she's so beautiful. her paws are massive.

and there's a part of me that feels the rage spinning out in a corner. why do we have to come up with quippy little comments in order to teach men empathy. would you rather die in a car accident or due to a mugging? and would you rather your house burn down due to an electrical fire or due to arson? gee willikers - it's almost like we're human people, and want to risk the accident versus the intention.

i would rather my last thought be oh shit, a bear rather than i'm a person too. why doesn't that matter? why don't you care?

[beaversatemygrandma]

Another thing about the other day (27th) my playlist in the car decided to stab me in the gut and twist it.

Famous Last Words. MCR. That shit hit me like a truck for some reason. Breaking out sobbing while driving, thinking about my dog, and probably pissing off the guy I was accidentally tailgating bc I Needed To Go Home and was uncharacteristically speeding.

"I am not afraid to keep on living I am not afraid to walk this world alone Honey, if you stay, I'll be forgiven Nothing you can say can stop me going home"

*screams*