#imagine trying to keep the opinions and discourse solely with your thoughts and ideas

[pedroalonso]

The wild urge to think the only valid interpretation of canon is your own 🤡

lmao. terribly sorry for citing the dynamics in the show as my source material. like i said, you can interpret it whatever way you want. write all the cursed shit and ignore canon. have a blast??? i never said my interpretation is the only valid one. it’s just more rooted in stuff from the show. and i know it bothers you, because otherwise, why are you here?? if people can express their interpretation of canon and say this and that, then i can say the same, no? are my points too valid for you?? you don’t have to take them into account. but don’t come into my inbox saying shit like this just because i disagree. grow the fuck up.

[thejustmaiden]

The Sesshomaru F*cks Debacle

Hey, fellow Inuyasha fans! How we feeling?? I imagine a lot of us are doing quite fabulously after the recent news we got about the sequel coming out this Fall, "Hanyou No Yashahime." So if it wasn't obvious already, I want to take the time to discuss the topic of- you guessed it- Sesshomaru. Go figure! 

***THIS IS A REPOST OF MY ORIGINAL BLOG THAT DISAPPEARED FROM THE TAGS. PICS/GIFS HAVE BEEN REMOVED TO HOPEFULLY REPAIR THAT.***

Let's be real, as much as probably (and literally lol) all of us have viewed him as "daddy material" at some point or another during our teens, Sesshomaru being physically intimate with another being, much less a human, is difficult to conjure up in our minds. And there's nothing wrong with that, per se, as sex and romance doesn't come so easily to some as it does to others. Then again, that's not to say a romantic relationship is completely impossible or unattainable for him either. 

I, for one, am not a huge fan of the idea of Sesshomaru siring children of his own. Granted, adopting/protecting children and other small companions is kinda his thing (I saw one user even describe him as a 'walking daycare' 🤣), and maybe it'll just take some getting used to, but all in all it's not entirely unfathomable to picture him having biological children. Though I'd be lying if I said I still didn't prefer he just took these two twin half-demon girls in and under his wing instead, like he did Rin. However, seeing as that's unlikely the case since the two girls resemble him in some fashion, the chances of that coming true are slim, which must mean that Sesshomaru did in fact bone some lucky lady. That's not to say I don't acknowledge that there's still a chance these kids aren't truly his but we'll see! 

Which leads me to the real reason behind this blog! I'd like to address in-depth why I and so many other Inuyasha fans consider shipping S*ssrin as wrong and why it makes a lot of us extremely uncomfortable. 

BUT FIRST BEFORE I FORGET, I want to give a little unofficial disclaimer by stating that this blog isn't intended to upset certain fans regarding my stance on the controversial ship. Thus I will not tag it under that ship name, and I suggest others who agree with me to do the same in any of their future posts. 

Because let's not forget that the most important thing is that we're all fans here. We fell in love with this story and hold its beloved characters close to our hearts for a reason. And that still counts even if you're returning to this fandom a decade later. So please, let's try and remember that and be civil towards one another. Putting people down by attacking and insulting others in real life really doesn't make us any better than them. I REPEAT, please do not engage in this post unless you plan to be kind and respectful of others who may have a differing opinion than you. There's never a need to be ugly towards another human being. That goes for all shippers and fans of Sesshomaru in general. Thank you in advance for your understanding and compliance. 😊

Again, none of these comments are aimed at being inflammatory towards those fans who have a different approach to this pairing. If any of you are reading this now, please keep that in mind before deciding to participate in any discourse with me and other antis. 

Okay, let me go ahead and list a few of the main arguments fans of this particular ship use to support them together. Then I'll give my reasons why those aren't enough to justify their relationship turning romantic:

1. Rin will be an adult before they get romantically involved

2. Sesshomaru didn't raise her and therefore isn't her father; he was never like a father to her in the first place

3. Sesshomaru hasn't been grooming her, not then and not now. Besides, it was Rin's choice first.

4. Age difference shouldn't matter when you look at other relationships in the series (InuKag, Koga x Ayame, etc.)

5. It was always going to be canon because the drama CDs exist

 These are the main points I'm seeing around. Now let's dissect them, shall we? These are my direct responses- I'll try to keep them short and concise. Fyi: Jk! I'm lying, that never happens. 😆

1. Rin may be an adult, but from our standpoint that doesn't make much of a difference. It doesn't matter because it's all about how her relationship with Sesshomaru started off and how it continued onwards. From that moment, it was basically established from the get-go that their relationship resembles that of one a young girl shares with an older man who winds up becoming her guardian. She initiated it by trying to bring him food while he was injured, and he reciprocated by deciding to bring her back to life that fateful day. 

Of course we're all happy that he did, because he's a better demon for it and a similar thing could be said about her! Therefore you must understand that fans against this pairing find it very hard to grasp the notion of a budding romance here when we look at their history. For us, it's synonymous to imagining a father eventually falling in love with his daughter or someone else who reminds him of a daughter, and vice versa. But let's just say he's not a father to her like many of you claim and more like, say a modern-day babysitter. Isn't it still bizarre to you that a young girl could fall in love with the man who looked after her and cared for her at that age, maybe even played games with? One day or on multiple occasions he even sees her naked because she had an accident and got hurt so she needed help changing or something. I admit it's more realistic that it was Jaken if anyone who'd be in charge of this, but why does it really matter who was tasked with what? Sesshomaru may have not been around all the time but that doesn't mean he's any less involved or invested in Rin's general care and well-being. So it's that thought alone that keeps many of us from even contemplating a romance forming between them. Whether he hardly interacted with her over the years or not is irrelevant, because it's clear to me that they have both formed a strong enough bond that constitutes calling them family. I highly doubt he ever even planned to keep Rin in his company as long as he did. But it happened, and whether you want to admit it or not, meeting her changed his life. Meaning Rin was never just some girl he traveled with or hardly knew. Despite his feigned indifference and stoic ways at times, I'm pretty sure we can all agree that Rin grew on him and was the first person to really influence him in a way that helped soften and open up that heart of his in a way nobody ever had before. One's significance to any given person isn't solely measured by the quantity of time spent alongside that person but by the quality of how that time was spent with said person. It's safe to say that in the case of Sesshomaru and Rin, they definitely fall under that category. 

2. Fair if you don't view Sesshomaru as Rin's father, but you must acknowledge that he did fill some father figure-like role to her at the very least. Or let's just call him her vassal if you think that's a more accurate description. Also, can I just quickly stress again that it doesn't matter how long she spent by his side or whether she spent more time in the village or not, because he still ended up playing a major part in her childhood as an adult male role model. Regardless of the title you give him, it still stands that although he may not be her official adoptive father, he is LIKE A FATHER. There really is no point in denying that, because their dynamic exudes one of a father-daughter. I guarantee you that any outsider looking in would agree that if not her father then at the very least he embodies a male relative of some kind. Honestly, the details of their relationship dynamic specific to this show (regional/period differences, human vs. demon culture, etc.), don't really matter here. Why? Because one can assume that the general consensus here is that a large percentage of fans perceive their connection as a familial one. Yes, most would unanimously agree that Rin and Sesshomaru, along with Jaken and Ah-Un, are a FAMILY. 

If she had first met him as an adult, then we'd possibly have a very different story here. The point of the matter is that he didn't, so that should be where this discussion ends. Unfortunately, for many, it's not. The bottom line is that a child he knew and cared for should never be someone he begins to view in a romantic light. I don't care how many years have passed (or that to demons years are like days or some less inconsequential length of time), and how much she's matured or how specific marriage customs were back then (if they're no longer appropriate now then why are we still condoning these backward practices?). Rin should NEVER have the desire to be sexually attracted to this father figure she's always looked to and trusted to protect her. Maybe it's vastly different from a demon's perspective (even though still unjustifiable in my opinion), but as a human, Rin's feelings towards Sesshomaru wouldn't and shouldn't suddenly change towards him and in such a drastic manner mind you. Yeah, maybe she used to have an innocent crush on him, but I'd like to think our smart and compassionate little Rin would learn that was simply because she was a child who didn't know any better. Besides, growing up with Kaede and around other humans I'd like to think she fell in love with another human sometime over the course of all those years. It only makes sense, right? Don't you think that's part of why Sesshomaru left her there in the first place? He wished for her to experience what it was like to live a normal human life, falling in love and marriage both being a key part of that. If I were Sesshomaru, I'd be deeply troubled if I started to develop feelings for a little girl I once protected and kept in my company for quite an extended period of time, which was at least a year from what I understand. (Pls correct me if I'm wrong because I gather it may have been longer.) 

3. Apparently in the manga and the Final Act, we see Sesshomaru still visits the village to check on Rin from time to time. He even brings her gifts, such as beautiful and luxurious kimonos. I recently learned from another Tumblr post that kimonos are what older men gift in order to sort of earn their favor with these young ladies, AKA they're wooing them. If that is indeed true, then that would mean he's basically grooming her and has been for however long she's lived there in the village but potentially even longer. To put it nicely, he's courting her. If this was another young lady (maybe not an adult perhaps but still of marrying age) who he DIDN'T assist in raising, then I could possibly get on board with this.

The thing is, it's far from that with them two if you consider everything they've gone through and endured together! Because he not only met her as a young girl but he got to know her first as a young girl, and she became one of his traveling companions all while she was only a young girl!!! Their bond will always be defined by that time when she was just a young girl, and nothing can or should change that he will always see her in that same light. Kinda like how our parents or other family members from older generations tell us that they'll always see us as their babies. So the fact that her time spent with Sesshomaru is constantly compared to her time spent in the village shouldn't apply here. Don't we all know this already? That we can can come across someone in our lifetime and maybe the time with them is short-lived, but that doesn't make it any less significant or those people any less special. Sesshomaru made an impact on her as much as she did on him, that much we know is true. Sure, it was years ago, but that's not something you ever forget. Sometimes when you look at loved ones you haven't seen in a while, there are just certain memories you have of them from over the years that will come rushing back to you without fail and that you will always cherish no matter what. I'd like to believe that when Rin looks at Sesshomaru and he looks at her, that they can both look back fondly on their times traveling together. This explains why I'm really struggling here to picture how anyone could sleep with someone they used to treat as their guardian/father/ward/daughter/what have you. So someday and somehow, this person just stops viewing them that way, is that it? I mean, how does this work exactly? It's not like you can just flip off a switch and forget everything from your past with this person, ya know? Unless you have your memory wiped, what I'm understanding is that S*ssrin shippers approve of the idea of these two characters KNOWING that they are or used to be like practically FAMILY to each other, yet agree that these two characters in question still have the capacity not to mention desire to pursue HAVING SEX with each other anyway. Do I got that all right? Did I miss anything?  

Originally I provided two examples of fan art I found to help put what I'm trying to say here into better perspective, but since they've been removed, just type in "Sesshomaru and Rin" on Google and you'll find plenty of examples of what I'm talking about here- and no, it's not S*ssrin images. I realize Sesshomaru has never been the touchy-feely sorta guy like it's depicted in some of the fan art, but that doesn't necessarily diminish the affection he feels and attachment he has towards Rin. He just has a different way of expressing his love is all, even if he doesn't outwardly show it. The real question here is, can you really look at sweet pictures of an adult comforting a child who's been under his care for a significant amount of time and then suddenly be like, "oh man, I can't wait till they bang!" I'm sorry, to each their own, but you gotta admit why we must find that creepy. 

4. Regarding Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship, we need to remember that he didn't age after all those years stuck to that tree. And besides, demons age differently so this is a pretty unfair comparison. This isn't the best example, but think about how a cat's lifespan works. 10 years in (indoor) cat years is like 56 in human years. So technically in demon years, Inuyasha is physically and emotionally compatible with a human around Kagome's age. Hell, even though he's over a hundred years older, Kagome is still a whole lot more mature than he probably ever will be! 😂 (Psst! We still love you, Inuyasha! 💋)

Now as for Koga and Ayame, this also isn't comparable to Sesshomaru and Rin. Koga met Ayame one night, only not to see her ever again until she was older and of age. After rescuing her on that night when she was only a girl, he gives her a piggyback ride and you can tell he just wants to cheer her up when he mentions her being his wife someday. (And boy, did that work wonders on Ayame!) Then they gaze at this stunning lunar rainbow together, which I think is quite rare judging by looks of it. This is not an attempt to defend this proposal- if we can even really call it that- but all I'm saying is that I don't think even Koga knows what overcame him in that moment. Fast forward to present-day when they cross paths again, and Ayame still remembers his so-called promise, but guess who doesn't right away? Yep, our man Koga! It takes a quite a while for it to come back to him, too. This further proves my point that something beyond Koga and his power possessed him to say all those things to a little Ayame for some reason. Maybe you can call it destiny, or maybe it was some special kind of magic caused by the lunar rainbow, Idk! All I know is that they do end up together in the Final Act and that it wasn't until they met as two consenting wolf-demons that they really grew to know each other and coincidentally- or maybe not so coincidentally- fall in love.

 5. From what I understand, it appears these drama CDs are some kind of satire which doesn't equate to canon. Perhaps Rumiko did not debunk them but she also didn't confirm they're true either. I'm hearing conflicting reports, however, and her involvement in them is questionable. Like her name is supposedly on the cover or something? But then I've also heard that she has spoken out against this ship. From the sounds of it, there is enough evidence- or lack thereof rather- to conclude that fans cannot use this as proof enough for their ship already being or soon-to-be canon. 

Finally, I'd like to end on this note where I'll be addressing ethics in entertainment. When it comes to our choice of entertainment, there's always a level of escapism implied, sometimes so much that we project ourselves onto certain characters. Delving into a fantasy world like that of Inuyasha can really help some people better cope with real life problems, but it's all about striking the right balance, as each individual has different wants and needs. The thing is there's only so much escapism one can allow in a fictional world before basic morals from our own world begin to take precedence. I can always enjoy some good fantasy, but it's not long until I start to reflect on how I personally relate what entertainment I'm currently absorbed in to real life. It's inevitable really. For example, if certain relationships portrayed on screen conflict with strong opinions I've adopted on a sensitive topic, especially those that take children into account, then I feel it's my responsibility to speak out against any media that even remotely promotes it. Yes, even if it's just fiction. Because art imitates life, right? (And yes, sometimes the other way around.) So in other words, our stories should mirror our way of life to some degree. History has seen its fair share of ugly events and traditions we are surely ashamed of but that we've hopefully learned our lessons from. Most societies nowadays seriously frown upon or condemn stuff like pedophilia, child grooming, or anything of the sort. Of course it doesn't help that we see still see these kinds of issues glossed over so much that we've become desensitized to them in many respects.

The thing is we cannot allow this way too common older-man-dotes-on-young-girl trope (or anything resembling it) to continue to be glorified or romanticized. It matters not that feudal Japan was a drastically different time to be alive and that this was the norm back then, or even that this remains a popular ship in Japan. All it comes down to is if whether we would currently tolerate such acts and behaviors were we to witness them in real life. If your answer is 'no', then it should be 'no' in every respect. If you deem it acceptable just because it's fiction, then I'm sorry to say, but you're going to have to answer to a lot of people. No surprise there, that goes for all fandoms. I guarantee you it's not just the people who personally identify as victims who have serious qualms with this ship either, because you don't necessarily need to have bad experiences of your own in order sympathize and see where a lot of these people are coming from. And no, just because I'm unhappy with the possibility of S*ssrin going canon does not mean I'm whining or that I'm attempting to spread negativity about this series before it's even out. Remember, fans have the right to be critical of whatever content it is they're watching/reading, and if they demand something in the storytelling be represented better, then of course they can challenge that. After all, none of us should feel like "canceling" the content we love is our only hope to fixing a story. That's not how it ever should be. Fans are fed up, and can you really blame them? Nah, we can strive to do better in this area, plus it's not like there isn't always room for improvement. So let's please be more vigilant about how the content we consume translates to reality, in addition to being mindful of how it can directly correlate to real life problems for ourselves as well as others around us.  

That's a wrap, y'all!! I hope you enjoyed what I had to offer on this topic, and here's hoping I actually contributed something new to this conversation! I'm aware that that's unlikely the case for us fans who've been living in this tag the past couple days (like me lol), but I'd like to believe I put my own spin on it and it was still worth your while. 😉 

P.S. Overall, I remain optimistic about the new show! So are there any friendly Inuyasha group chats on Tumblr I can join? If so, please do invite me! I need to obsess about this sequel even more than I already am, EEEK!!!

[letters-from-the-three-houses]

So have you seen translations for the three House Leaders' Cipher cards? If so what are your thoughts then? I know this question has been asked but it's such an interesting topic I want to hear everyone else' opinions.

yes i have! no worries about already asked questions; everyone’s thoughts add fuel to the fire~

for those who haven’t seen it/need a refresher, here’s the translation. all three of the cards are meant to be read at the same time, so the lines feed onto each other!

it gives the tiniest sliver of detail on the trio’s relationship, but it’s still pretty substantial. see this post for a nice explanation and a different perspective on the matter

now onto the analysis!

p.s. in light of the reddit ‘leaks’ thread, this blog will be spoiler-free. all speculations come from the current information we have at hand (currently, anything up to the most recent famitsu scans). see this post for more details

let’s look at this step by step. first up is edelgard’s:

“a wise ruler shouldn’t take one’s words purely at face value”

all in all, she sounds suspicious of others, which implies that the political climate in adrestia is more ruthless than the other nations. as an empire, adrestia is likely to be the most ‘antagonistic’ of the three. the only other fe empires i know—and note that they’re called empires in japanese (帝国 or teikoku)—are rigel and embla. the former is militaristic and bases its principles on glory and power, while the latter is seen as the ‘evil’ side that’s trying to conquer more territory. adrestia’s probably going to end up on a similar boat (implying that the reason for the impending war is adrestia breaking peace treaties, but let’s put that thought aside)

it gives me similar vibes to nohr’s political climate: full of backstabbing and stepping stones galore. edelgard has to constantly be on guard because a) her every move is judged (more on ‘by who’ later) and b) there’s always someone trying to take advantage of her/the situation. i think she has a similar personality to berkut + xander—nationalistic and loyal to her country, but harsh to those who try to steal her position. edelgard probably had two choices: adapt or get eaten. reading between the lines kept you alive, while taking everything at face value placed your trust in the wrong people

however, there’s one caveat! we don’t know if this behaviour is directed solely to the court or if it propagates towards adrestia as a whole. since she’s a noble (hence, having to constantly interact with fellow nobles), i’ll run with the assumption that the court is, in fact, a den of snakes. one wrong move and you’re dead meat

the civilians, on the other hand, are a wild card. we don’t know a whole lot about adrestia’s economy, social order, quality of life, etc. is food scarce? what percentage of the population is considered poor? are they dissatisfied with the emperor’s rule? is there discourse amongst commoners and nobles?

well, we have no clue. but we do know that the black eagles only has one commoner student. so the question is why?

i mentioned in my last speculation post about dorothea that it could be because of money or power (or presence thereof), but it could very well be that there’s a strict hierarchy in adrestia; nobles exert control over civilians. only the rich and influential—say, a renowned opera singer—would have the ability to stand equal with the nobles. in that case, it’d be understandable if they held ill will towards the nobility. edelgard, then, would also have to be careful outside of the court because the people don’t trust her

take note that she says “ruler” in this line, so she’s explicitly referring to her role as an emperor. to be a good and fair leader over nobles and commoners alike, she can’t just trust everything that people say. there could very well be a warmer/softer side to edelgard, but any matters concerning politics, leadership, military, etc. are seen through the lens of a queenly mask

“i’ve no desire to be accused of seeing only subtext in what others say”

in contrast, dimitri’s straightforward. what you say is the truth. makes sense because faerghus values honour above all else, being a country of knights

you know, dimitri’s profile irked me for the longest time because he reminded me of someone but i couldn’t figure out who it was

and then it hit me: marth

“sincere”, “chivalrous”, “cheerful”, and trusting of others? it sounds very much like marth! also notable is that the kanji for ‘the holy kingdom'—聖王国 (seiōkoku)—is the same for the kanji in ‘the sacred kingdom of archanea’. i’d actually love it if dimitri was a bit like marth/leif/eirika: kind, empathic, well-meaning, but a bit naive. at first, he looks like one of those 'ice queen’ characters, but if he’s the exact opposite then it’d be a pleasant surprise

the reason why i mentioned the whole adrestian public situation in the last section is because it would mean dimitri has a straightforward nature even if he’s (hypothetically) been through similar situations to edelgard. so he’d be a forgive and forget kind of guy, who despite being lied to before, will give you the benefit of a doubt the second time. again, it lines up with the whole knight thing

or, simpler, he’s never had to experience all that backstabbing before. but i wouldn’t bet on that because his profile does mention a “dark secret”. what the dark secret is could be anything—for all we know, dimitri could be a serial killer! of course, that doesn’t fit with what we know of him so far, so i’d scratch that idea off of the drawing board

nevertheless, that means he’s a pretty blunt guy. if you want the truth, ask dimitri; he won’t beat around the bush

also, i think he’s well-liked with the commoners in his country (faerghusians? faerghese?). as a knight and a noble, he likely lives by the code of noblesse oblige. he’s not personally involved—i’d gun more for respected at a distance—but he certainly has their favour

“oh how innocent - how naive - these two seem next to me, shiftiness incarnate!”

woah! claude!! what’s that supposed to mean?!

the way it’s worded is really weird, but i think it means that claude refers to himself as “shiftiness incarnate”. his bio implies he’s clever and knows more than he lets on, so he must be good at deception/fooling people

he calls the two other lords “innocent” and “naive”, which is a neon red flag for claude’s personality. dimitri, we’ve speculated, could have a vanilla backstory so i’d let it slide. but edelgard has probably been through tons and tons of political intrigue. even then, she’s naive in claude’s eyes? whatever’s going on in his life must be heavy. it seems to be a big secret that rivals even the most misleading adrestians. claude sounds like he’s got a lot to hide

that, or the three just constantly have kindergarten squabbles on who’s better than who (“you’re smart? well i’m smarter”)

the leicester alliance also gives me merchant vibes, if only because trade would be booming within an alliance. i’d like to think that claude’s personally close with the common folk, and he keeps good relations with all the houses within the territory

out of nice timing (as well as adding a lot more info because this is a late reply), the most recent famitsu scans detail a mini history lesson of the three nations. adrestia was the ruling government of fódlan, then faerghus and leicester became independent of adrestia. to this day, the three contest against each other. very interesting!

i don’t want to say that the three of them are enemies though. maybe rivals that respect each other. though the academy is on neutral ground, i think it’d be a terrible idea to have enemy nations all in the same place. just imagine if nohr and hoshido were put into a boarding school; they’d kill each other before the day is over

in that regard, i’m hoping we can get them to interact in free time events. maybe they can build up some sort of rapport and budding friendships, so by the time a full-scale war descends on fódlan, there’ll be even better drama on the battlefield

[asks are open!]

[saltpepperbeard]

Let’s Talk About The Last Jedi

So I’m feeling So Pumped about this movie that I feel the need to do one of my giant reviews. The Internet had me feeling such mixed emotions going into this movie that I genuinely didn’t know what to expect. I half expected to come out of the movie seething and pissed at every choice made, and then I half expected to be utterly and completely #Shook. And I can genuinely and thankfully say that it was the latter. With that being said, I’d love to get into screaming talking about it for anyone who may have doubts about seeing it, or anyone looking for someone with similar thoughts.

So then! I’ll give a quick spoiler free review before I dive into the deeper stuff. The internet, tumblr especially, made me think that this movie was going to be completely different from how it actually was. I went into the theater expecting certain things to happen that never did. I went into the theater expecting to hate the character choices and never did. I was almost nervous really, preparing myself for this movie to be a Phantom Menace as opposed to a Return of the Jedi. But no, it was its own thing.

In retrospect, the plot had surprisingly very little going on. I feel like the other Star Wars movies take place across weeks, even months. But in this one, all the action felt like it took place anywhere from 24 to 72 hours. Despite this, it managed to keep me incredibly invested, never really slow down, and pack a lot into a short time frame. SO MANY THINGS WENT WRONG SO QUICKLY.

I kind of like that though. It shows how unpredictable and unforgiving war can be. It made it seem more real, more organic if that makes any sense.

Even the characters that were introduced had me quickly invested in them. There was a character who only had maybe 20-30 minutes of screen time, and she ended up being one of the characters who made me cry the most. 

Everything was just nicely paced, characters were handled well, and it was overall just a really good movie. It made me laugh a lot, cry a lot, and come out instantly wanting to see it again. It might not be everyone’s favorite, but it definitely left a lasting impact on me. The amazing new characters, the action sequences, the answered questions, the lore, and the setup for a new movie completely locked me in. It’s re-watchable for sure, and will definitely be higher up on my favorite Star Wars movies.

...Now with that being said, feel free to follow be beneath the cut for more! Just a warning, there will now be Heavily Spoilers and Heavy Opinions™.

The Discourse™: OKAY. So I feel like this is the thing I need to address first since I’m an open air now, because this is what had me lowkey turned off from the movie in the first place. I went into this movie thinking there was going to be a romantic connotation between Kylo and Rey, and was admittedly bothered by it. Force Awakens clearly set up their relationship, with Kylo being drawn to Rey’s power, and Rey being utterly disgusted by Kylo’s actions. So to get it in my head that these two were going to be led in the direction of a romantic relationship had me cringing a bit.

I don’t have a problem with people who write fanfiction and kind of shift/manipulate their intentions for shipping purposes. But to have said motivations be canon would be...a bit concerning considering how JJ set them up to be.

And I can say that when I saw the movie, I was so relieved to see that it followed the arc that JJ introduced. I know a lot of people are holding on to the idea that Rey and Kylo were reaching out to each other, and were romantically/sexually invested in each other. But really, genuinely, I did not see this.

I saw Kylo wanting Rey solely for his power. I saw him craving power and craving leadership. His actions reminded me very much of, ironically, Darth Vader. I saw the same kind of motivations that I did with Vader and the Emperor in Return of the Jedi. Vader wanted Luke to join him in his quest to rule the galaxy, because he knew that having a very strong force-sensitive individual by his side would amplify his power. And I feel that was the same with Kylo. He knew Rey was force-sensitive. Hell, he got hIS ASS KICKED AND HAD A SCAR TO SHOW FOR IT. So he and ultimately Snoke both wanted her on the First Order’s side for that reason.

And then of course, Rey wanted Kylo on her side with the motivation of changing the war. I recall her talking about how beneficial it would be to have him in the light again. And that makes sense; having Kylo on the Resistance’s side would take a huge chunk of darkness/power away from the First Order. It would really change things the frick around if Kylo joined those he swore to defeat. So in knowing that there could potentially still be good in him, Rey pulled a Luke and attempted to bring him away.

Their little force connections were very interesting, but again, I didn’t sense any romantic longing. Any time Kylo reached out to her, he appeared to be attempting to corrupt her. I noticed that he would jab at her weak spots a lot, such as mentioning her loneliness and past burdens. And in knowing that channeling negative emotions such as those leads to the dark side, it can be pretty safe to assume that he was trying to get under her skin and get her to join his purpose.

Rey of course, resisted his dark intentions. She did however, reach out to him once. And I believe this happened because she saw potential good in him. She saw a supposed gate to reach his light side, and attempted to pass through it. She wanted so bad for him to be good again.

And of course when he appeared so close to be redeeming himself, only to shut it all down, she had no problem with shutting him out. She realized at that point that he was irredeemable.

Not to mention that Snoke had been instigating their little “Force Skype Calls” from the beginning anyway. He openly admitted to filling their heads with thoughts and tampering with their weak spots to break the both of them. So it never really was Kylo reaching out to Rey or vice versa anyway. It was all formulated.

SO ANYWAY, I was very much satisfied with the way their interactions played out. And just a PSA, I don’t really have a problem with anyone who ships them. If you like writing fanfictions and what not, imagining what could be, then you are definitely free to do so. I however, do not see any kind of romantic or sexual connotations in their relationship, so I was happy with how things were presented in this movie.

The New Characters: This is the part where I start screaming, bECAUSE H’OH MY GOD. I LOVE THEM????? WHAT GOOD KIDS???????? Rose quickly had me invested in her character with how smol yet heroic she was, and her chemistry with Finn was amazing. And then of course Holdo sjflksjdksds. Jesus CHRIST that woman. I cannot get over her character honestly. I was so frustrated with her in the beginning and felt like she was holding back the Resistance from achieving their goals. But then everything fell into place and her motivations were explained perfectly and??? The part where she sacrificed herself by slamming???? into the First Order ships at light speed in absolute????? silence?????? had me probably tHE MOST SHOOK I WAS IN THE ENTIRE MOVIE??????? AND SHE HAD SUCH A MINOR ROLE IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS BUT MADE ONE OF THE BIGGEST IMPACTS AND IT WAS SO UTTERLY INSANE

Rey: I have to admit, I was hoping that Rey would explore more of that “balance” between the force in this movie. She seemed to give into one side or the other pretty quickly as she attempted to figure out her purpose and who she was as a jedi. But I suppose ultimately at the end, she found her place and decided what path she was taking by shutting the First Order out and aiding the Resistance. I suppose I had it in my head that she was going to master both the light and dark side, becoming a Grey Jedi. I had images of her in my head wielding a double-sided red and blue lightsaber. And who knows; maybe she’ll explore more of this in episode nine. We still really didn’t get to see the type of Jedi she’ll become, and I guess that’s what I was hoping to see in this movie.

I did of course, really like to see her journey as she attempted to figure things out, and the small hints at how powerful she really is. I’M JUST SO READY FOR THIS LITTLE POWERHOUSE TO BECOME SUCH A POWERFUL FREAKING JEDI/FORCE USER.

Poe: I know a lot of people were complaining that Poe’s character was cut down, and he was made to be this “scoundrel” type of character. I even saw people going so far as to calling his character choices sexist because of how he disobeyed both Leia and Holdo. But honestly, I saw nothing wrong with his character choices. It was established pretty well in the first movie that Poe is very gung-ho, that he’s a bit cocky, and that he likes leaping before looking necessarily. And I think this movie only amplified those character traits.

I think Poe is our Han of the new trio. He tends to act before he thinks things through properly, and acts in the hero mindset. I think he would have disobeyed anyone who tried to give him orders, as he was so set on his plans and so invested in saving the Resistance in the way that made the most sense to him.

So he wasn’t problematic. Just a Good Boy who was trying his best and just wanted to save the day for his boyfriend fellow fighters.

Finn: FINNY-FINN-FINN IS BEST BOY. God, I love him. He’s just so good. His character is just so delightful, and I adore how he has the same fighting spirit as Poe. He’s willing to do anything for those he’s fighting for, and I swear to God, if he had flung himself into that charging gun, I would have flung myself down the theater’s stairs. Like I appreciate your sacrifice and character, bUT YOU ARE TO GOOD TO LOSE LIKE THAT SO YOU SIT YOURSELF DOWN. Also, while I love his dynamic with Rey, his dynamic with Rose was super cute as well. I’m glad he was able to establish a good relationship with her, and then also go to Rey in the end. My boy is surrounded by a lot of good friends, and I am So Glad.

Luke: So being overly dramatic must come from the male side of the Skywalker family. All the ladies have it together, but the mEN JUST LOVE THEIR STOMPING AWAY AND THEIR DRAMATIC CAPE FLINGS AND THEIR L’OREAL HAIR MOMENTS. But also let Luke rest, he is tired.

In all seriousness, this was actually another element the Internet had me real worried about. I was honestly expecting Luke’s character to be utterly butchered. Like, I was expecting him to not feel like Luke whatsoever. And admittedly, initially, I was a bit worried there in the beginning. He just seemed so cold and so unapproachable and so just...not himself that I was sitting there like ohgodohgodohgod.

But then I came to realize that Luke had been through A Lot; the poor guy was literally blaming himself for the entire uprising of The First Order. Like, despite Snoke being the one to seduce Ben to the dark side, and Ben ultimately failing Luke as opposed to the other way around, he could not see it as such. He carried the burden of starting everything.

And then I also realized that Luke has been a sassy lil dork since A New Hope. After all, he only wanted to go to Toshi Station to pick up some power converterrrssss! And then when he was learning the ways of the force with Yoda, he was impulsive and even quick tempered at times.

So really, he wasn’t out of character at all. Just really really really tired. 

He also probably saw a lot of his younger self in Rey. And in seeing what he became, and what he thought his actions created, it made him shut himself out, and therefore her as well.

It was so amazing however, to see Luke come back in full swing. Good God. To see him finally warm up to training Rey, all the way to seeing him LITERALLY PROJECT HIMSELF ON THE ASTRAL PLANE TO WHIP HIS NEPHEW INTO SHAPE LOL. LIKE YES. THAT’S HIM. THAT’S LUKE SKYWALKER.

And his death didn’t feel too out of place either. The whole thing with him finally being at peace, and that friggin binary sunset symbolism bullshit that decided to show up and murder me was a great touch as well. It’s like his arc made a complete circle, so his death felt heroic, it felt like he was laying to rest and allowing the new jedi to take his place.

Leia: I couldn’t handle Leia for a few reasons. First and foremost being, I would tear up whenever I saw Carrie Fisher on screen for obvious reasons. Secondly, she’s always been one of my favorite characters in the entirety of the Star Wars franchise, if not my ABSOLUTE favorite. So I of course adored watching every aspect of her personality on screen. I love Leia in the sense that she never has time for anyone’s shit, but is also one of the warmest and wisest characters in the entire franchise. And probably one of the strongest too; your girl has been to every circle of hell and back and hasn’t ONCE been tempted by the dark side. I absolutely adore her.

But what had me really really REALLY shook with this movie was finally FINALLY getting to see her use her force sensitivity. Like of course we got to see her reaching out to Ben and Luke, something she’s demonstrated in Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Force Awakens. But tO ACTUALLY SEE HER SAVE HERSELF FROM THE DEEP DARK DEPTHS OF SPACE BY UTILIZING A FORCE PULL???? I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT.

I had actually spoiled that one bit unfortunately, because I couldn’t live with not knowing if Kyle Ron killed his sweet mother or not lol. But even in knowing it, I was still crying and in complete shock in seeing it. I’ve always wanted Leia to show her jedi tendencies ever since I was a smol Star Wars fan. And even though it wasn’t much, seeing her legitimately using the force on the big screen...I’M STILL MESSED UP JUST THINKING ABOUT IT

And also on a little side note, I want to cry every time I think about Leia being able to see and feel Luke when she was on Crait. Her being able to converse with him, and practically reuniting with him just...MURDERED ME. IT WAS LITERALLY THE ONE THING I WAS HOPING FOR, AND WELP THERE GOES LUKE KISSING LEIA ON THE FOREHEAD AND CAUSING MY SOUL TO AGGRESSIVELY ASCEND.

The Creatures: It honestly cracked me up to see how much the Porgs and Vulptexes were hyped up, and then to rECEIVE SO LITTLE OF THEM. Any time they were on screen though, they were very delightful. The one scene where Chewie had a cooked Porg, and he got guilt tripped into not eating it by these little puppy dog-eyed Porgs had me DYING. And also the Vulptexes were heckin’ good doggos. Brought the Resistance out of the salt mines 10/10.

Overall: I would get into even more detail, but considering this whole thing is getting to be a legitimate novel and I touched upon what was most important to me, I’ll just wrap things up by saying I thoroughly enjoyed nearly everything about this movie. I went in with lowered expectations, and ended up being blown out of the water. It definitely has re-watch value. It definitely stuck with me. It definitely kept my fandom spirit alive, and made me all the more desperate to see what happens next.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens now that Snoke is out of the picture, and now that there are other force sensitive users in the galaxy. Please see: that smol baby bean at the end of the movie. I’m very excited with everything this movie set up, and I absolutely cannot wait to see what Nine will bring.

[deathgroup]

Introduction, Reading I (Situated Knowledges in Design Practice) by Yi, 23 Sept 2018

| ‘What is an Author’: Towards a Critical Discourse of Practice as Research.|

When I was doing my portfolio for applying MA, my advisor kept asking me “why do you use this shape/color/font etc. ” “Why do you choose this one not that one” these super detailed questions. Which in my head before, assuming that it was because they just look fine under these choices. Then she told me, always ask yourself why when you are doing design, because design is not an independent entity, it always links to other concerns, knowledges and even unconscious. I remember clearly the first time when she brought it into my mind is when I decided to use circles as the main shape in a children game installation. At the very beginning of the whole project, she asked me, why do you choose circle? That question really surprised me, because that was the very first shape came into my mind and why would there be any reason or explanation for that? So she gave me a day to search all the knowledges and evidence that can support my choice. Among all the directions she pointed, “try anthropology” still so impressive to me. I would never link circle with anthropology if she didn’t mention that.

So actually I didn’t do that project in the end, and I already forgot all the knowledges and evidences I found. But from that moment, the way I see this world began to change. Maybe it sounds like a pointless question for some people, they may think why bother to bring this small question into a huge context, isn’t it making a mountain out of molehill?  But I do feel really good about it. It made me realize that everything’s connected and you can always find a bigger world through a tiny hole, as long as you really think about it.

In Brad Haseman’s article, he addressed that “the task of mapping these discursive field would, in the first instance, have fallen on the artist rather than the critic”. In my understanding, he’s saying that the artist him/herself, should be the first one realizing his/her own design logic and knowing the whole operating system, because the whole design process should always be in the ground and under every step, should be some supporting columns. It’s kinda like writing essay, make your own contention based on other works’s argument. However, the difference is you don’t need to show the proof, but you should always think of it. Nothing is new under the sun, so there must be something you can always dig, explore and relate to when you reflect your own discourse. And those things you found can also bring you more inspirations in meantime. I think Foucault already concluded clearly: “Author function means the author is not considered as a named individual but rather a function, a construction.” Though we always see design and art as something really creative and inspirational, but they are never ever “the sole invention of individual artist/researcher as we have seen, but are forged in relation to established or antecedent methods and ideas.”

Another thing I’ve been thinking a lot is what “design” means to me, why I choose design as the only thing I really want to do. Back to that “writing essay” metaphor. When I was studying literature, I wrote many essays, and I found I’m super bad at expressing myself through words. I’m not good at logic, it always took me a very long time to do the proof, to link my contentions with the arguments (I guess I just don’t have the talent). But meanwhile, I’m good at understanding and realizing, there are lot of things I can connect to. If I’m an author, the only language I can use to articulate my thoughts is text, but if I’m a designer, there would be more ways and languages for me to choose, and I can always use the most proper one after comparing. So for me, design is the tool to substitute mouth, it is the means but not the aim. And what I need to learn is how to make this means the most efficient, accurate and intriguing.

      Adopting Foucault’s definition of author-and-work as “mode of existence, circulation and functioning of certain discourse within society” requires us to consider not whether the work is “good” or “bad”, but to focus on the forms the work takes and the institutional contexts that allow it to take such forms. (<Towards A Critical Discourse Of Practice As Research>p137)

Don’t Judge! 

|  The Way We Think Now: Toward an Ethnography of Modern Thought  |

In phenomenology, the terms “the other” or “the constitutive other” is my favorite conception. It has this weird alluring attraction to me. When I was preparing the final test for Western Literary Criticism course, I even prayed that there could be one essay question about that. Saïd said "the Orient that appears in Orientalism, then, is a system of representations framed by a whole set of forces that brought the Orient into Western learning, Western consciousness, and later, Western empire. If this definition of Orientalism seems more political than not, that is simply because I think Orientalism was, itself, a product of certain political forces and activities. ” And he mentioned Nietzsche’s notion:

      A mobile army of metaphors, metonyms, and anthropomorphisms—in short, a sum of human relations, which have been enhanced, transposed, and embellished poetically and rhetorically, and which, after long use, seem firm, canonical, and obligatory to a people: truths are illusions about which one has forgotten that this is what they are.

This is what I thought of when I started reading <The way we think now: toward an ethnography of modern thought>, especially when the author address the question: “how meaning in one system of expression is expressed in another-cultural hermeneutics, not conceptive mechanics”. The birth of anthropology is due to the Westerners' need for the understanding of primitive culture. But recent years, more and more anthropologists, by taking a look at the cultural other, in turn, look at the Western culture and society, and finally realize that the Western knowledge system that being regarded as the standard in the past was originally artificially constructed, from the perspective of value and variety. I guess it is human’s nature to imagine and construct the things that we aren’t familiar with using our own experience and social values. we tend to measure the value of others with our own value. And this is where bias and crowds come from. Like Geertz mentioned in the book : “ What it forms a threat to is the prejudice that the pristine powers that we have in common are more revelatory of how we think than the versions and visions that, in this time or that place, we socially construct.”

The confirmation of local knowledge has potential deconstruction and subversive effect on the traditional unified knowledge view and scientific view. The concept of local knowledge naturally requires that each researcher and student first learn to tolerate the other and the differences, learn to understand the kind of mindset from the cross-cultural standpoint. Only by consciously cultivating the position and mentality of cultural relativism can we avoid ideological imagination and prejudice in the face of the “other”.  Melville J. Herskovits, the American anthropologist, drew this conclusion: “ The core of cultural relativism is a kind of social training that respects differences and requires mutual respect. It emphasizes the value of multiple lifestyles and seeks to understand and live in harmony, rather than judging or even destroying things that are incompatible with their own culture.”

If we think about why we should learn these knowledges and what can we get from anthropology, the idea might be the realization of “reflexive perspective”. Always keep sensitive and suspicious, be aware of our own opinions and judgements. Be inclusive, show respect. Don’t judge!

| Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective |

Last year, in the first class of “Design as critical practice”, Arja asked us what do you think of the point  “everything’s political”, I hardly thought about politics in my life, so I couldn’t agree with that. However, later on, I gradually realized that it’s not about me consciously doing things with political mindset, it’s about how those social values/standards in our daily life unconsciously influence/ shape us, and the truth that we hardly realize or trace back the very origin of those social rules and knowledges. Like Haraway said: “No insider's perspective is privileged, because all drawings of inside-outside boundaries in knowledge are theorized as power moves, not moves toward truth……science is rhetoric, a series of efforts to persuade relevant social actors that one's manufactured knowledge is a route to a desired form of very objective power.” This point reveals that science knowledge is closely related to power and it is political or have complex connections with politics. According to Haraway, in the traditional philosophy of science, the object is resourced and there is no initiative, however, it is definitely another “constitutive other”. In situated knowledge, the object is also an actor with initiative, and only by facing up to the initiative of  “object” can we avoid the various errors and false knowledge in these sciences.

[ofcros-blog]

First Article!

Hey folks,

In this article, I talk about Strength, my experiences on where it comes from, and what it is.  This is all my personal opinion, and I am open to discourse on the subject!  Read on, and I hope you enjoy!

Caoimhin

Of Strength

So many people talk about strength and where it comes from. Some say everyone is born with the strength that they need to overcome whatever challenges come into their path. Some claim that everyone is born with different types of strengths.  Even others state that only a few are born strong who are meant to predate upon the weak. Here I am to put in my two cents on the subject, and while this is my opinion, it is one that I have plenty of experience, both personal and vicarious, to back it up.  However, that is all that I have:  experience.  I have no psychological studies, or social experiments to back up any of what I’m about to say, but this is what I see in the people and the world around me.  

Where does strength come from?  Strength is a choice, and one that must be made every single day.  From the moment you wake up to the moment you fall asleep, you have to keep making that choice in each moment.  Anyone can make that choice, but let’s face it, life and circumstance always get in the way of any decision.  Sometimes, there are people who have an easy time making that choice every day, as their circumstances are conducive to being able to choose to be strong.  Others, however, are not so lucky.  Life can really get in the way of strength, and someone’s circumstances can make it far more difficult to be strong.  For instance, let’s look at depression and suicide.  This is a very difficult topic for almost anyone to really examine.  Depression and suicide are not things to ever take lightly.  

What do I know of depression?  I was diagnosed several years ago with Major Depressive Disorder, and for a long time, despite increases in medications, I was only getting worse.  I won’t go into all of the experiences that I have had over the years in this particular article, but what I will say is that thanks to a wonderful therapist and incredibly supportive family and friends, I have been able to dedicate an astronomical amount of time to exploring my depression, its effects on myself and those around me, as well as how it affects others.  I don’t have any academic training on the matter, only that of experience.  My personal struggle with depression is actually why I have the ideas of strength that I do, as well as the experiences of anyone else whom I know that has dealt with depression.  

Depression makes life feel like you’re walking through a tar pit, slowly sinking deeper into the muck until it fills your lungs and you slowly suffocate.  Strength can overcome depression in every way, but what makes choosing strength is that depression takes away hope, it takes away motivation and drive, leaving someone with little foundation for that choice.  So how does someone choose strength with so little?  A healthy support network can make all the difference. Someone with depression, who has a good support system, has a far easier time deciding to be strong than someone who does not.  When you look at those who do suffocate in the tar of depression, and are left little choice but to end their life, many of them do not have a healthy support system. That is not always the case, and sometimes, despite support, the despair of depression can still be too much.  For the most part, though, a healthy support system, or the lack thereof, can make the choice of strength far easier or far more difficult.

I suppose now is a good time to talk about weakness, as one cannot understand strength without also understanding what it is to be weak. Weakness is not the inability to choose strength; instead, it is the conscious, willful decision against being strong.  Sometimes, it’s just too difficult to choose to be strong.  But weakness is something else entirely.  I have had to cut friends out of my life, whom I cared about very deeply, because they consistently chose to be weak.  When it was necessary for them to pick themselves up, they actively chose to stay on the ground and not get back on their feet. It’s terrible and unfortunate that I had to leave them behind, but it is not my job to pick them up, nor is it yours if you have people like that in your life.  That doesn’t mean that you always have to cut those people out, but if you struggle with strength as it is, weak people can be toxic in ways that most don’t realize until it’s too late.  Someone constantly choosing to be weak can be a drain, especially if you’re trying to help them.  Even if you aren’t, just seeing someone act in that way can make it more difficult to make your own choice for strength.  I don’t understand why, but I can say, from my experiences, that it does happen.  

A concept that I hear and see far too often is that of the strong preying on the weak.  I’m not going to lie, that thought sickens me.  If you have to shove others down in order to be strong, then you are not strong at all.  In fact, I would argue that forcing other people beneath you isn’t raising yourself up at all.  Indeed, it is a conscious choice to not pull yourself up, to not better yourself, and, therefore, it is weakness.  Only the weak predate upon others for their own benefit.  The truly strong instead help those around them to find their strength, they help others to choose strength every day.  It isn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination, but that is the mark of someone with true strength.  Look at the wolves.  Yes, they hunt prey, and more often than not that prey is weakened in some way, but wolves do this to survive.  We do not need to act as such.  We have farms for our food.  When it comes to one another, a pack will always stick together.  They do not leave the sick and elderly behind, they protect them. Obviously, the pack would have an easier time without the weakened holding them back, but that isn’t what they do. They take care of each other; as such, so should we.  

How do you choose to be strong?  It’s not so simple as just saying “I’mma be strong today,” the decision comes up in each act, small or large, throughout the day.  The first is getting out of bed.  The next is sometimes making a good breakfast, or going for a walk or run before work.  Each seems so small by itself, but hidden in there is the choice to be strong or not. Letting yourself sleep until the last minute before you get ready for work can cost you a good breakfast, and make you scramble first thing after waking up.  That just increases stress for the rest of the day.  It’s such a small thing, but choosing to get up with enough time to make a good breakfast or go for a run before having plenty of time to get ready for work is one of strength.  It’s easy to just fall back asleep, but that small decision has a fairly sizable impact on your day, and it makes future choices for strength just a little easier for the rest of the day.  

Some simple choices for strength are eating healthy, exercising, talking to someone going through a rough time, taking time out of your day to listen to someone, making yourself smile at a stranger, being nice to cashiers and waiters, helping someone carry groceries to their car. None of these are large choices, but they aren’t always easy if you’re pressed for time or not feeling too hot that particular day.  Each small decision adds up throughout the day, week, year, decade, and etcetera. Strength is rarely a large decision, it’s millions of tiny decisions over time.  That’s not to say that it isn’t huge at times.  There are situations where being strong is a massive, nearly impossible choice to make.  For instance, you are immeasurably busy, and really pressed for time, but a friend or family member is truly struggling that day, and maybe they are on the verge of collapse or self-harm.  The choice for strength may seem obvious here, but in truth, that situation will make the choice incredibly difficult.  Sometimes when you’re swamped with work or just stuff that needs done, things can slide past you easily.  So taking the time to stop for just a moment to listen can make all the difference for that person, and that choice is a massive one.  Like always, sometimes the big situations are easier, sometimes they are not.  

Sometimes, you won’t win the fight, so choose your battles. If you know you’re going to have a hard time at work, maybe skip out on a chore or two the day before.  Those can wait, though not for too long.  You have to take a loss somewhere, so make it a small one in order to succeed at a bigger task.  Though it is unfortunate, sometimes that means you can’t be there for someone in a little way.  But you can’t help them if you yourself are falling apart.  It only makes it more difficult for the both of you.  Survive first, help others second.  That being said, survival isn’t just an individual activity.  Mutual survival, while more work, is always far more successful than individual survival. This also does mean cutting toxic people out of your life.  It isn’t your job to carry someone on your shoulders.  If they refuse to stand on their own, there is nothing you can do for them.  Help people to stand, don’t be their crutch.  That is not your purpose, so don’t become the sole foundation of someone else.  The same goes for you as well, do not use someone else as a free ride through life. If you need help sanding back up, seek that help.  Ask someone to listen, ask them to just sit with you for a while.  It’s a small thing anyone can do, and it takes more strength to ask for help than to refuse it.  Refusing is easy, sucking up your pride to ask for help is far more difficult than it seems.  

Strength is a choice, and one that we all must make constantly.  Sometimes the struggle for strength makes us stop caring about ourselves, and so we will often stop fighting because we don’t see a point.  But if you cannot be strong for yourself, be strong for those around you. When you decline, you make it more difficult for those who care about you, but that isn’t an excuse to leave their lives in any way.  In doing so, you create a void of pain and loss that will never be filled.  You must fight to improve, to get stronger, so that the pain is lessened.  Not only this, but you will be a symbol of strength for them.  They will see how far you have come, and they will be inspired to fight all the harder.  Don’t just be a rock for them, be the mountain upon which the storm breaks. Show them that, despite what may come, they too can withstand any adversity, and that you will stand beside them. Those of us who struggle daily, that is our obligation to those whom we care about.  And if you are lucky enough to have an easier time with strength, then it is your obligation to help those who are not so fortunate.  Take the time to tell someone they are loved, or that they can overcome their struggles.  Listen to them, let them rant or cry to you.  Go sit with them and watch a movie or a TV show.  Just these small things can make a world of difference that you cannot even imagine.  Mutual survival is far easier than individual, even if it is more difficult for the immediate, it will always pay off.  This is the true meaning of strength.  Choose it, and nothing can stand in your way.