#in terms of overall human suffering

[taibhsearachd]

Sidenote: Jonathan Harker is spooked way too easily. Like bruh. Even if your employer is a monster he clearly needs you to achieve his goals. You’re pretty fucking safe at this point even in the home of a monster who descends the wall, lizard fashion. Calm the fuck down. He needs you alive at least until he gets to England, it’s fine.

Btw, I’ve never once managed to get further into Dracula Daily than a few dispatches, bc adhd and so on.

I started listening to a podcast that is basically doing Dracula Daily, this very year. I got a good chunk further into the story with the podcast than I ever had reading it.

The sound design and voice acting is incredible. It’s so engaging that I was listening to it to fall asleep, but found myself clinging to awareness just to keep listening for a bit longer.

[nasa]

Six Answers to Questions You’re Too Embarrassed to Ask about the Hottest Year on Record

You may have seen the news that 2023 was the hottest year in NASA’s record, continuing a trend of warming global temperatures. But have you ever wondered what in the world that actually means and how we know?

We talked to some of our climate scientists to get clarity on what a temperature record is, what happened in 2023, and what we can expect to happen in the future… so you don’t have to!

1. Why was 2023 the warmest year on record?

The short answer: Human activities. The release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere trap more heat near Earth’s surface, raising global temperatures. This is responsible for the decades-long warming trend we’re living through.

But this year’s record wasn’t just because of human activities. The last few years, we’ve been experiencing the cooler phase of a natural pattern of Pacific Ocean temperatures called the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This phase, known as La Niña, tends to cool temperatures slightly around the world. In mid-2023, we started to shift into the warmer phase, known as El Niño. The shift ENSO brought, combined with overall human-driven warming and other factors we’re continuing to study, pushed 2023 to a new record high temperature.

2. So will every year be a record now?

Almost certainly not. Although the overall trend in annual temperatures is warmer, there’s some year-to-year variation, like ENSO we mentioned above.

Think about Texas and Minnesota. On the whole, Texas is warmer than Minnesota. But some days, stormy weather could bring cooler temperatures to Texas while Minnesota is suffering through a local heat wave. On those days, the weather in Minnesota could be warmer than the weather in Texas. That doesn’t mean Minnesota is warmer than Texas overall; we’re just experiencing a little short-term variation.

Something similar happens with global annual temperatures. The globe will naturally shift back to La Niña in the next few years, bringing a slight cooling effect. Because of human carbon emissions, current La Niña years will be warmer than La Niña years were in the past, but they’ll likely still be cooler than current El Niño years.

3. What do we mean by “on record”?

Technically, NASA’s global temperature record starts in 1880. NASA didn’t exist back then, but temperature data were being collected by sailing ships, weather stations, and scientists in enough places around the world to reconstruct a global average temperature. We use those data and our modern techniques to calculate the average.

We start in 1880, because that’s when thermometers and other instruments became technologically advanced and widespread enough to reliably measure and calculate a global average. Today, we make those calculations based on millions of measurements taken from weather stations and Antarctic research stations on land, and ships and ocean buoys at sea. So, we can confidently say 2023 is the warmest year in the last century and a half.

However, we actually have a really good idea of what global climate looked like for tens of thousands of years before 1880, relying on other, indirect ways of measuring temperature. We can look at tree rings or cores drilled from ice sheets to reconstruct Earth’s more ancient climate. These measurements affirm that current warming on Earth is happening at an unprecedented speed.

4. Why does a space agency keep a record of Earth’s temperature?

It’s literally our job! When NASA was formed in 1958, our original charter called for “the expansion of human knowledge of phenomena in the atmosphere and space.” Our very first space missions uncovered surprises about Earth, and we’ve been using the vantage point of space to study our home planet ever since. Right now, we have a fleet of more than 20 spacecraft monitoring Earth and its systems.

Why we created our specific surface temperature record – known as GISTEMP – actually starts about 25 million miles away on the planet Venus. In the 1960s and 70s, researchers discovered that a thick atmosphere of clouds and carbon dioxide was responsible for Venus’ scorchingly hot temperatures.

Dr. James Hansen was a scientist at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, studying Venus. He realized that the greenhouse effect cooking Venus’ surface could happen on Earth, too, especially as human activities were pumping carbon dioxide into our atmosphere.

He started creating computer models to see what would happen to Earth’s climate as more carbon dioxide entered the atmosphere. As he did, he needed a way to check his models – a record of temperatures at Earth’s surface over time, to see if the planet was indeed warming along with increased atmospheric carbon. It was, and is, and NASA’s temperature record was born.

5. If last year was record hot, why wasn’t it very hot where I live?

The temperature record is a global average, so not everywhere on Earth experienced record heat. Local differences in weather patterns can influence individual locations to be hotter or colder than the globe overall, but when we average it out, 2023 was the hottest year.

Just because you didn’t feel record heat this year, doesn’t mean you didn’t experience the effects of a warming climate. 2023 saw a busy Atlantic hurricane season, low Arctic sea ice, raging wildfires in Canada, heat waves in the U.S. and Australia, and more.

And these effects don’t stay in one place. For example, unusually hot and intense fires in Canada sent smoke swirling across the entire North American continent, triggering some of the worst air quality in decades in many American cities. Melting ice at Earth’s poles drives rising sea levels on coasts thousands of miles away.

6. Speaking of which, why is the Arctic – one of the coldest places on Earth – red on this temperature map?

Our global temperature record doesn’t actually track absolute temperatures. Instead, we track temperature anomalies, which are basically just deviations from the norm. Our baseline is an average of the temperatures from 1951-1980, and we compare how much Earth’s temperature has changed since then. 

Why focus on anomalies, rather than absolutes? Let’s say you want to track if apples these days are generally larger, smaller, or the same size as they were 20 years ago. In other words, you want to track the change over time.

Apples grown in Florida are generally larger than apples grown in Alaska. Like, in real life, how Floridian temperatures are generally much higher than Alaskan temperatures. So how do you track the change in apple sizes from apples grown all over the world while still accounting for their different baseline weights? 

By focusing on the difference within each area rather than the absolute weights. So in our map, the Arctic isn’t red because it’s hotter than Bermuda. It’s red because it’s gotten relatively much warmer than Bermuda has in the same time frame.

Want to learn more about climate change? Dig into the data at climate.nasa.gov.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[alexaloraetheris]

On the subject of being your own zookeeper, I've been trying it out and it WORKS. One of the obvious ways is to ask 'Have I watered/fed/medicated the beast?' and take care of those needs, and it's great, but another thing I haven't seen mentioned is the Stressors.

So, being a bio grad student, means I also know actual zoologists and zookeepers. And talking with one blew my third eye open. One of the questions the zookeeper always, ALWAYS needs to keep an eye on is 'What is stressing the beast out, and how can I remove it?'

In human terms, it's basically 'This thing is causing me a minor amount of stress, but stress is cumulative, so how many small stressors can I remove so the Big Stress doesn't drain so much of my energy?'

Say you're stressing about an exam/interview/visitors. There's ways to prepare for that, but before you get to that point you also need to look out for small stressors that add to the overall feeling of stress, and the goal is to reduce them FIRST.

Example: You have a big test and it's the day you need to take it. You are already baseline anxious about taking it, and the goal here is to stress as little as possible on the way to school.

You can't eat breakfast because you're late/nauseous? Keep small energy bars in your purse, snack on the way. Gives you a bit of sugar for your brain, doesn't take up time and always on hand. Haven't had time for coffee? Caffeine pills/espresso chocolates. It's cold/raining? Ditch your sneakers and wear rain boots and a warm coat, worry about fashion later. I even carry around a foldable cushion so I can sit while I wait for the bus without freeting my butt off. Haven't had time to brush your teeth? Gum, mints, breath fresheners. Nervous? Fidget toys. Worried about losing an umbrella? Get one of those plastic sleeves so you can put it in your purse even if it's wet. Too damn hot? Mini fan, or even a folding paper fan. Noise level grating on your nerves? Silicone earplugs, or noise-cancelling earbuds/headphones. (I have a big purse I carry all this stuff in so I don't forget, a blessing with ADHD)

Things like that. Small things to mitigate the microstressors so you arrive to your destinations with as little misery as possible.

Apply that to the rest of your life. You have to eat vegetables for your health but you hate them so damn much? Find a way to prepare them in a way that doesn't make you gag. I just throw a bag of frozen pre-chopped veggies in the pan and then throw in spices I like. If I can taste the vegetables in my veggie stir-fry, I haven't seasoned them enough.

Make little medicine bag, the size of your palm. I carry nasal degongestant spray, ibuprofen, eye drops, mini bug spray, a pad and a tampon, a few alcohol wipes and hand cream. Those tiny tester tubes of hand cream? A godsend. Adjust to your needs.

I hate washing dishes. Back hurts and my skin literally peels off my hands from the dryness. Get a bar stool and sit, wear WELL FITTED dish gloves. I got those that go all the way up my elbows in S size and now my kitchen doesn't look like a disaster.

Vacuuming is a pain? Handheld vacuum cleaner you can push around for 15 minutes every day. Expensive? Get a broom and a good dustpan. I emphasize GOOD because it does make a difference. Back hurts if you bend over? Get the dustpan with a long handle.

It's amazing how much difference it makes. Neutralize Murphy's law. A bunch of small stuff going wrong will absolutely tank your energy you need for the big stuff.

TL;DR Identify the things that cause you daily stress, find easy ways to neutralize them. Save your energy for the big stuff. There is nothing noble in suffering. Take care of your zoo animal.

And if you need it, ask for help. Zookeepers often work in pairs.

[kelocitta]

How do you draw scavs so Shaped… I want to push mine more but they just look like they’re suffering and in pain and Not Having A GooD Time

There still pretty rough for me to be honest, but I do have a good idea of how I think they 'work' in terms of anatomy and physiology and I think that helps a lot.

In generally I just keep a big head and a big chest and build around that. If you watch them move around in game, they tend to barely use their hind legs and instead swing themselves around and pull themselves forward with their arms. Their almost always bent forward in that gorilla-esque stance, and I think keeping that helps a lot to maintaining their shape and vibe. It's a big part of why I kept that even when doing 'anthros'- they just don't feel right if you treat their spine like a human spine! Otherwise you can stylize the anatomy quite a bit Really though, I think fully thinking out how you think fake animals work and what theyre similar too, what is most comfortable for them in terms of movement compared to things like humans and cats, etc helps a lot

Some animals I pretty directly pull inspiration from: Gibbons: Long armed apes, although I dont think scavenger's move exactly like them. They are mostly just a good reference for how something with such weirdly proportioned arms would use them

Hares: Just overall vibes, but also their resting posture translates nice to how I consider the body to work. Greyhound (and other lean sighthounds): Large chested but very lean. Weight and fat distribution and limits between species is a neat detail to consider. With something like a greyhound, their healthy weight is very thin looking- to the point they can often *look* underweight or overweight individuals can look 'normal'. I kinda think scavengers are similar! Healthy scavengers just naturally look kinda thin and scraggly. (In contrast, I like to think slugcats are more like humans in that they have a huge range for healthy weight, but tend not to visibly show weight gain/loss unless its pretty extreme.)

Aye-Aye: Their weird ass hands and feet (less fingers though)

[starcurtain]

hihi sorry to rant in your inbox but i hate when people use aven's line about jade that says her kindness comes with a price to make their relationship seem worse than it is. while the ipc is. well. the ipc i dont thinl it would benefit her to harm him like theyre both stonehearts AND hes her subordinate. personally i think the price he mentions is like, testing him like she did in her social media post with the ores. it certainly would be less incongruous with her want to guide those that come after her..

I think that people really struggle with Jade. They took one look at her dommy mommy appearance and her status as one of the top three in the Stonehearts and they just want her to be unrepentant evil soooo bad.

Don't get me wrong, she is definitely a master manipulator and she definitely has a specific personal goal she's working toward using the IPC as her vehicle to do so. Her overall idea of creating an endless vortex of desires that can't ever be sufficiently met is very Voracity-coded and not really the kind of idea a very well-adjusted person would be espousing. We have no idea how loyal she really is to the IPC's goal of aiding Preservation against Destruction in the War of the Aeons.

But she's also, over and over again, been painted as having "True Neutral" moral alignment in-game. She's literally xxxHolic's Ichihara Yuuko with a bad case of capitalism: She always demands a price, but never asks more than is fair.

It's literally Fullmetal Alchemist's first law of alchemy: Human kind can not gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost.

All of Jade's exchanges are equivalent and none of her customers enter into a bargain without understanding the price they are paying. In fact, she won't even let Firefly try to make a deal at all without doing her research in advance to truly realize the extent of what she is asking for. Jade is inherently an honest businesswoman.

The issue is that greed is all-encompassing. The ability to have any wish granted is a temptation that virtually no one can escape in the end.

Therefore, I think the best way to understand Jade is as the Honkai Star Rail equivalent of Mephistopheles. In the legend of Faust, the eponymous Dr. Faust longs for more in his life--he is endlessly pursuing knowledge and power, but has hit the limits of his own ability. He meets the devil, Mephistopheles, who agrees to enter into a pact with him: Mephistopheles will fulfill all Faust's wishes while Faust is still alive, but then Faust's soul will belong to the devil when he dies. The deal is fairly presented. The terms are not unclear: If Faust agrees to the bargain, he knows what will happen to his soul in the end.

Mephistopheles doesn't trick him or force his hand when it comes to this bargain. Faust could say no. He could resist. But he doesn't. He agrees, because human greed and pride are simply that overpowering. He thinks he's smarter than the devil; unlike the thousands of others who have come before and suffered damnation for their deals with the devil, Faust thinks he is different, better than others, more deserving... The actual temptation doesn't come from the devil. It comes from human hubris.

Like Mephistopheles, like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, Jade merely presents the choice--it's humanity's endless desire that leads to the downfall.

It's a snake and an apple and a contract for a reasonnnnnn, Jade haters.

So, I don't think that Jade represents any danger to anyone who can resist temptation. Firefly walks away from Jade's exchange entirely unscathed. Trailblazer isn't pressed into surrender.

But Aventurine?

To be honest, I think his relationship with her is a bit more complicated.

Aventurine likes Jade. She did him a solid when he was at his lowest in life. His character stories make it clear that he views her as, essentially, someone "safe" in the IPC, unlike other Stonehearts.

But... I do agree that Aventurine approaches Jade more cautiously than he approaches others. And I think that probably stems from a couple of different factors:

Jade has positioned herself as Aventurine's "pseudo-mother," and Aventurine responds to her as if she, indeed, a mother figure he has to obey. He is more respectful of her than anyone else we see him interact with in the game--Diamond and Opal get called by name, but Jade is always "Ma'am." Which is very close to "Mama;" this is not an accidentttttt. When Jade disrupts his banter with Topaz, Aventurine immediately does as he is told, hands over his room card, and simmers down. Even in joking social media posts, when Jade asks Aventurine to do something (judge the uncut jade stones she sent him), he does it even when she rejects his high demand for profit sharing.

But:

2. Jade actually failed Aventurine's moral litmus test. From the beginning of his adulthood flashbacks, we see Aventurine explicitly troubled by the fact that his human dignity was denied and that a market value was assigned to his existence. And not even a high value. He was sold for pennies. It's the ultimate mortification, and we can tell it is still bothering him to this day because even "future" Aventurine brings up the sting of that bone-deep insult during Aventurine's long walk through Penacony. In response to the indignity, Kakavasha gave his original master a moral test: Kakavasha says that he'll go willingly into the hellscape of the death maze if his master will give him 30 copper Tanba, just half his market value. His master refuses, demonstrating that he does not view Kakavasha as a human being, worthy of any respect. By refusing this tiny, insignificant request, the master exhibits his utter moral depravity, from which there is no return. In response, Kakavasha ultimately kills him and takes the 30 copper coins he asked for (nothing more, nothing less) from his corpse.

When Kakavasha meets Jade, he then makes the exact same demand: He wants 30 copper coins and exactly 30 copper coins. At this point, it is very clear that--to Kakavasha--the coins are emblematic of his value as a human being. (I promise you, somewhere in his apartment right now are the 30 bloody coins he took from his master's cold corpse.) His freedom, his dignity, his worth... All of these things hinge on being able to acquire the original 60 Tanba coins. Thus, those who refuse his requests for the coins also symbolically refuse his request for basic respect, his request to be seen as an equal human being who deserves to not be reduced to mere pennies on a bill of sale.

And Jade refuses this request. She treats the demand for Tanbas like a paltry sum and instead ignores the specificity of the request to give a general "We'll give you riches beyond your imagine, more than you could have ever thought to want." But that isn't what he asked for. She stepped over the request he actually made in order to supplant her ideas, on her terms. Kakavasha made the tiniest, most easily completed request in the world, and in failing to actually just respect what he personally wished for, Jade demonstrated that she ultimately will not really respect him.

Just like his slave master, Aventurine represents a value on a page to Jade. For this reason, even if she extends pseudo-maternal behavior to Aventurine and he laps it up like a starved kitten drinks up milk, we see that he remains more cautious toward her than he does to any other female character in the game. Aventurine comes across as more comfortable talking to Acheron than he sounds when he talks to Jade... Because in failing the most basic and seemingly meaningless test, Jade revealed exactly to what extent Kakavasha can--and cannot--trust her.

Does Jade actually mean Aventurine any harm? No, I really don't think so, and you're right, those who claim that she does are really over-exaggerating Jade's negative traits, mostly because they've almost universally got a strong anti-IPC agenda and hate everything from the IPC except Aventurine on principle. Everything in Jade's character stories points to her honestly wanting to develop the hidden talents of others, to "polish" rough cut stones into true gems, and to see her fledglings thrive. Kakavasha is someone she picked up out of the dirt and dusted off. If he excels, that means her faith was well-placed, her judgment was correct, and her team as a whole excels.

It's exactly like a business owner who takes great pride in producing a fantastic product. Only when the product succeeds can the business itself succeed.

But business owners see their products as objects, not equals.

Jade is a fairly neutral figure and I think she wants to see Aventurine grow and achieve greatness. But at the end of the day, their relationship is very predicated on the notion of investment (Jade puts up the original capital to make Aventurine great, and he repays her faith in him by generating wealth for the IPC). It is clear she just can't be trusted to value Aventurine as a person above a means of profit--and Aventurine knows (and accepts) that too.

[spartanseagoat]

Hey Babe, Let Me Tell You About Your Chiron Real Quick & Explain Why you are hurt

Hey y’all!! To kick off my new Astro page, I thought I would start off with some healing!

Who is Chiron?

Chiron in Greek Mythology was the Son of Kronos , other sources say Apollo and was a famous centaur. He was known for his vast knowledge of medicines and his overall deep wisdom. He was known for the arts as well. He was also an incredible teacher and taught many Greek heroes such as Hercules.

He was accidentally shot by a poisoned arrow and was unable to heal himself so Greek God Zeus honored him by giving him a place in the constellation known as Centaurus.

How does this play into astrology?

In astrology, Chiron is known as the “Wounded Healer and Teacher.” He represents the unhealed part of ourselves that we keep rehealing. Think of it this way, it’s like our triggers.

Imagine getting severely hurt physically , your wounds heal but now you have a nasty scar from that wound. Even though that wound is healed, you’ll always have that reminder of when you were in pain and it can be triggering.

You’ll never fully heal your Chiron but you can learn from it and how to grow as a person. Your Chiron wounds can be from past lives as well. You may have experienced this in your early childhood the most and it’s followed you through adulthood.

The parts of you that you need to start Healing based on the signs

*the house it’s in determine the area in life you are wounded in. Degrees of your placement also plays a part THIS IS A GENERALIZED BREAKDOWN!

Aries/1h- being hurt physically, not having confidence in yourself, not feeling bold. Don’t feel comfortable in the body you’re in. People saying mean things about your appearance, bullying was a big part of your early wounds.

Taurus/2h- your self worth, being homeless or struggling for home stability, financial struggles, feeling insecure about your voice or how you dress or look. Food struggles is another big one

Gemini/3h- you struggle with communicating your thoughts, having car or transportation struggles, having difficulties with siblings or co-workers. May have learning disabilities such as ADHD

Cancer/4h- you struggle with understanding your emotions and how to regulate them. Troubles with your home life or family, especially mother. Motherhood could be hard for you as well such as not wanting to be a mom or wanting to be one

Leo/5h- your inner childhood, being confident around others, don’t like being in the spotlight. Feel uncomfortable around children, bruised ego from childhood wound

Virgo/6h- suffer from perfectionism and wanting to be the best at everything. Physical Health related issues, work related issues, struggle with routines

Libra/7h- connecting with people one on one, relationship issues. Struggles with finding balance in your life, not having justice or fairness on your side. Struggles with trying to please everyone

Scorpio/8h- struggles with trusting others and being closed off, struggles with developing intimate connection with partners. Dealing with a death of a loved one at an early age, struggle with financial power and control. Power struggles in general

Sagittarius/9h- having a hard time communicating your beliefs and perspectives or people not understanding your worldview, struggles with broadening your view, traveling struggles, religious trauma, struggled in college/higher learning environments. Carry the world on their shoulders.

Capricorn/10h- struggles with ambition and setting long term goals, struggles with not getting recognition or the respect you earned. Struggles with responsibility. This can indicate being a workaholic as well

Aquarius/11h- feeling like an outcast from social circle or network. Having a hard time accomplishing your dreams fulfillment, struggles with social media or the internet in general. Struggles with seeing the good in humanity, being rebellious to the point of being reckless , always feeling uncomfortable in crowds.

Pisces/12h- lack boundaries with people, struggle to see people for who they are and put them on a pedestal, struggle with regulating your emotions due to feeling other people emotions, mental health struggles, addiction struggles, imprisonment struggles

Keep in mind this is a very broad and generalized reading. If you want me to make a detailed a post for each Chiron let me know here by voting!

[asharaks]

solas in DAI part 2 (the game)

read part one here!

so the vision for solas in DAI is, first of all, to bring his design closer to his concept art. while he carries himself the same (hunched, head down, making himself smaller), he’s a visibly brown man with a strong, slightly hooked nose and dark eyes. he is still masquerading as a humble elven apostate and still, absolutely, planning to tear the world apart, and completely willing to accept the deaths of millions as a consequence of his plan to tear down the Veil, but his motivations are no longer tied to a belief in the lack of sapience or personhood (for lack of a better term) of qunari, dwarves and even humans. instead, he is trying to stave off disaster: reinforcing the crumbling prison he’s locked his blighted peers away in as the blight eats them alive. they’re growing stronger, and more dangerous, in their agony, as the blight robs them too of the capacity for higher thought with which they were imbued as protector spirits, and solas has neither the heart to try to kill them and end their suffering nor the courage to risk attempting to cure them of blight, of which he is mortally afraid. similar to ‘actual’ DAI solas, he mirrors the inquisitor’s attitude towards him (which can be seen in his interactions with other companions, too), responding with suspicion and antagonism to an antagonistic inquisitor and open humility and generosity to a friendlier one, however, throughout the game he occasionally ‘tests’ the inquisitor through attempts at manipulation and leading questions/statements, and the inquisitor’s response determines his respect for them overall. he also still shows flashes of his former role as mythal’s capable lieutenant in times of urgent stress, assuming command decisively and with charisma that he doesn’t otherwise display. 

gone is his surprise at the individuality of qunari and dwarven players; and while he remains occasionally dismissive of elven culture (both city- and dalish), as the game progresses, it becomes increasingly apparent that this disregard is an expression of the guilt and responsibility he feels, seeing in them everything he has taken from them and everything he feels he is responsible for diminishing them to. the suffering of his people, per solas, is his fault, though he will not state this directly: the loss of immortality, the loss of the old magic and the incredible accomplishments, the loss of land and freedom; perhaps patronisingly, solas sees all of this as the inevitable consequence of his own failure, and at least at first struggles to see past this in his interactions with modern elven culture. 

though solas remains fully romanceable only by elves, as he is a character fixated on the plight of his own people, he can be romanced by lavellans of any gender, and flirt options for a ‘partial’ romance or a charged dynamic are available to all inquisitors; lavellan is his connection back to his own people, but all inquisitors are representations of his own failures and the increasingly steep price he pays to correct them to him, and accordingly he can become entangled (not necessarily healthy) with any version of them. he also maintains contentious relationships with the primary cast; he struggles with sera in particular, as an elf taught to hate elves and being elven through abuse and bigotry, his antagonism with her is laced with both condescension and self-recrimination, while, for example, he is much less affected (and even at times amused) by cassandra’s distrust. among the inquisition, he can grow to respect, among others, vivienne (disagreements with whom reliably make him angry as he sees himself as indisputably correct and her as someone more than smart, reasonable and compassionate enough to know better), cole and varric; however, none of these relationships — least of all his relationship with the inquisitor, even lavellan — can turn him off his path. he may care for them (may love lavellan in particular, who can push back on him significantly without sacrificing the romance), but until the plans he’s putting into motions fail, he simply can’t be brought to consider that he may be wrong, and the question lingers of just how capable he is of seeing even a romanced inquisitor as an individual person rather than as a personification of his mistakes. It’s only in Veilguard, trapped in the fade and able to interact with the world only through the medium of rook, that he can be effectively reasoned with. 

instead of having this final confrontation confined to a DLC, solas is brought into the main game as its final villain, with a corypheus figure (not corypheus. something hawke didn’t defeat with three disastrous friends and a prayer) as the ‘middle’ antagonist. the game ends on the loss of the inquisitor’s hand and solas’s disappearance in the midst of the culmination of the inquisitor’s influence on thedas (choice of divine, wardens, mage rebellion, disbanding the inquisition or not, etc).

(previous - solas in DAI part one)

[fangsforiris]

Out of the sakamaki brothers wich one do you think is the most sensitive ?

Admin: I’d say that sensitivity has a large range of what it can be considered to be!!

In terms of emotional sensitivity and awareness, I’d say Ayato or Subaru.

In Ayato’s routes we see him holding the main principal of understanding life and valuing it, much differently to the other immortal beings he’s surrounded with. This is why he’s considered to be the ‘most human’ out of all the diaboys and Adam Candidates (as per Karlheinz.)

We see this being exercised when he admits that, despite all that Cordelia did to him and the abuse he suffered under her, he understands why she did so, and that she too, was suffering by Karlheinz.

This also is extended to his triplet brothers, more specifically Laito. As it’s canon that both Kanato and Ayato knew of Laito’s plight, but chose not to say anything out of fear of making Laito’s situation worse for him, and utmost powerlessness. Ayato still, to this day, feels horrible that his brother had to suffer alone, and in silence.

For Subaru, it’s obvious where we can draw out him being sensitive in terms of mood changes, swift tone indicators, and overall knowledge of emotions people present. This is mainly garnered by his mother, who was quite unstable throughout his childhood. This allowed Subaru to carefully understand all the requirements to take care of someone, what to look for, and how to maneuver the situation.

We see his sensitivity presented with his mother, as he does a lot to ensure her wellbeing and nerves are placed at ease. Despite his attempts going awry at times, it shows his utmost care and devotion towards the task, and how the after-effects follow with his own presentation of temperament.

Subaru even goes onto show care or slight sensitivity towards sacrificial brides; Yui in this case, when telling the blonde to understand the severity of her situation and to flee. It’s the small spouts of care, that and coupled with his ‘Tsundere’ side, that she’d light on Subaru’s sensitivity towards emotional disposition.

[waterdeepthroat]

playing Veilguard, and while it’s not perfect, it’s not as bad as most of the critics say— i’d give it a solid 6.5/10 so far.

what i liked:

- character creation is great for the most part— some very good hair options with realistic physics, tattoos and scarring seems pretty good as well, and the complexion options are overall pretty varied.

- emphasis on companion questlines— early on in the game (i’m maybe 10-12 hours in at this point) there’s a lot of emphasis on companions, but it doesn’t feel forced— it feels like a natural progression of the main story and it seems to tie in well with the main themes of the game. i can understand why BioWare changed the name from Dreadwolf to Veilguard.

- landscapes/atmosphere— THE ATMOSPHERE. god, when it comes to the aesthetics of the different maps in this game, the art style works incredibly well. the game is visually stunning.

- voice pitch— not a major thing, but i thought it was a nice touch. it makes sense for my rook to have a deeper voice while still feminine, so i thought this worked quite well.

- ghilan’nain’s design is incredible.

- combat is fast-paced and engaging, and while a lot is going on at once i don’t think i ever get left behind in terms of mechanics or new abilities

criticisms:

- why are there so many american VAs?? the dalish in particular seem to suffer from this problem. strife i can understand, as iirc he joined the dalish, but bellara? it breaks immersion for me when the dalish have (with the exception of origins) had welsh and irish accents typically.

- bellara as a character frustrates me. i might do another post about her later, but her mannerisms, her voice, and her class/specialisation irk me.

- no eye or lip shape customisation in the CC.

- WHY NO DA KEEP?? it’s so fucking frustrating that it seems like the devs only care about past choices in DAI if they relate to solavellan. while i did romance solas on my first DAI playthrough, i don’t think it should be the canon/default romance, nor is it even my favourite romance in the game.

- the art style for characters isn’t my favourite, but i don’t think it’s a huge deal. i’ll probably get used to it though.

- what i do genuinely hate is the art style for the UI (ex: journal, skill tree, map, etc.). DA2 and DAI i think do this better, DAI in particular is stylised in such a beautiful way.

- might get some flak for this, but i do think a lot of the gender options are shoehorned, but only in terms of wording. the word “trans”, at least for me, really breaks immersion in the game— i think they should’ve gone the route of the forgotten realms and had human/elven words for trans, like they did in DAI with aqun-athlok.

- i don’t think taash’s questline was handled the best, though i haven’t played through it myself yet (only watched videos on youtube), so take what i say with a grain of salt.

- the skill trees rely on far too many passives, meaning a lot of levels feel pretty dead/barren

[she-is-ovarit]

I am on government insurance (Medicaid). Out of pocket, my psychologist's rate is $225 an hour. He went through a decade or more of school, obtained a PhD, and graduated with student loan debt. He didn't state how much, but I can imagine it's likely in the hundreds of thousands considering he still has this debt and graduated with his PhD in the early 2000s.

He shared with me that out of that $225 rate, he obtains about $25 from one Medicaid client's insurance company. The insurance company pockets the rest. My friend, another therapist, has a similar story. She makes $75 off of Medicaid clients usually when her rate out of pocket is $200.

Most therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists are no longer accepting Medicaid/Medicare insurances because of this reason, which people who are poor are on. Over half of mental health professionals are no longer accepting insurance, period. I think we all understand that low-income people and low-income communities struggle the most with mental health issues, and if you are a person of color in the US you are more likely to be low-income. If you are a domestic violence survivor turned homeless because you left your significant other, you are also more likely to be on Medicaid. If you are a first generation student, you are most likely on Medicaid. If you are formerly incarcerated, you are most likely on Medicaid. And so on.

Additionally, if you are a human being of the female sex, you are far more likely to seek out therapy than someone of the male sex. Overwhelmingly men don't seek out therapy unless their female significant partner pleads with them, pressures them, or gives them an ultimatum which influences them to make an appointment. What does this mean when the vast majority of mass shooters, rapists, pedophiles, and domestic violence abusers are male?

Figure 2. Percentage of adults aged 18 and over who had received any mental health treatment, taken medication for their mental health, or received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional in the past 12 months, by sex: United States, 2019

Pair all of these details with the fact that mental health professionals are in such high demand right now, that even with private insurance the wait list is anywhere from three to six months out. Insurance agencies are business, and the corruption inherent. Many focus on prioritizing coverage for acute crisis rather than treating long term underlying conditions (which in turn prevents acute crises), don't provide coverage for co-occurring conditions, are advertising that more providers are accepting their insurance than there actually are, and are solely driven by financial interest.

I wonder how much domestic violence, sexual violence, child abuse, poverty, hate crimes, generational trauma, and overall suffering within individuals and in their societies can be reduced by valuing mental health and holding insurance companies accountable for their financial exploitation.

We talk about the US healthcare crisis without talking about the US mental health crisis.

[soullessseraphim]

Valdemar - Touch headcanons

-Valdemar isn't very touchy, but it is only because they don't see the point. Not that they don't like it, it just doesn't come to their mind : you'll ask them for a hug and they will respond something like "what for ?". I think it's mainly because they've lived for so long. When you keep living for centuries and the people around you wither away, you kind of learn how to detach yourself from them and avoid getting attached as to not suffer unnecessarily in the end. So imagine the shock when you're starting to get attached to them and they realize they're also kind of attached to you.

-once persuaded you need it however, they will give small affectionate touches here and there (a hand on small of the back, a kiss on the forehead, resting their head on your shoulder while they watch you do something, holding your hand) ; they have to remember what physical affection is like, because they gave it so little importance since they've turned into a demon. A little awkward at first but they get the hang of it eventually.

-What about intimacy? You will have to prove to be the most trustworthy and respectful person in the world for them to even show their hands. But once you do gain their trust, something like (the bath scene) will happen. But if you try initiating anything too drastic they're more likely to back off. They need their own pace and will allow you very progressively (and I mean very progressively) to initiate anything serious. However it'll never go further than a make-out session. Never.

-Don't expect them to be affectionate in public, no no. Valerius commented on how they'd gotten softer once and the poor man found himself strapped to a chair and forced to watch them dissect someone. If you try : will nudge you or tap your hand away. Not to be mean, they just don't want to.

-Overall, where they're most affectionate is in bed. They'll hold you while you sleep, as you'll hold them. But that's really it.

-However there is one exceptional instance where their behavior will shift completely : It is if you make a deal to live as long as they will. They'll- they'll break down. You've never seen them cry before but this sure is going to bring tears to their eyes. They won't break out sobbing but will hug you for two hours straight, occasionally sniffling. Because it means that now they can get attached. Now they don't have to worry about you being mortal anymore. Now they can allow themselves to love you. It'll take them some time to fully come to terms with the fact that they are having feelings again, since it's a very human thing, but with your support and patience, they'll manage to let themselves feel fully. They're still a little reserved, especially in public, though now that you're immortal too, they've considered making your relationship public.

Then they will be much more affectionate with you. Expect more hugs, more hand holding, more kisses, a bit more frequent make-out sessions, some dancing even.

-Congrats you two are alive forever now. You'll make a legendary duo in scientific history.

________!_Bonus Headcanons_!________ @lunumochi :D

-So I've already explored cat-like behavior with them ('so why is it that when I-', am I right?) and I headcanon they stand in rays of sunlight with their eyes half closed like our beloved furballs do. Or like reptiles. I don't know. I'm pretty sure they have vertical translucid eyelids underneath the normal ones. It's warm. It's nice. You can almost hear them purring (they don't, you're just imagining it). But they don't actively think about it you know, they just be walking and suddenly there's a warm ray of sunlight hitting them and they freeze in their tracks like 'huh. That's nice.' and then will stay close to the window half asleep for... A while.

-Speaking of sleep, I think they actually sleep. Just... They do it for three days straight every seven months. 

[nightyraven-art]

Today I offer you an oc, a zora one!!

Meet Enja the orca oc,

I'm very proud of this ox and I really love this lil troublemaker

Enja is an orca that lives far away from Hyrule but after an accident they recently moved to Hyrule, they used to travel a lot. They are now staying with the zoras.

She is a very enigmatic character, fighting her own stereotypes and after years of getting bullied by his peers he was able to stand up, sadly one got pretty impactfull and they got amnesia. Perhaps multiple times.

Enya's personality is one that is both mysterious and intriguing. With a timid nature but a kind and understanding side, they are a bit of an enigma. They appear uncertain of their own identity and have a hard time trusting others, especially humans. Despite all this, they exhibit a curiosity towards the sky and enjoy creating small crafts such as bracelets. Overall, Enya is a fascinating soul who possesses many layers to their character.

Enya would always stand their ground when it came to others' mistreatment of them. They wouldn't necessarily back down or submit themselves to bullying. Instead, they would stand up for themselves and confront any mistreatment head on. Enya would be assertive and bold in terms of their interactions with the other orcas or other species. round when it came to others' mistreatment of them. They wouldn't necessarily back down or submit themselves to bullying. Instead, they would stand up for themselves and confront any mistreatment head on. Enya would be assertive and bold in terms of their interactions with the other orcas or other species.

They wouldn't shy away from conflict and would have no problem being upfront and confrontational.

suffered through a traumatic event, such as an encounter with a powerful and aggressive creature that resulted in a physical or even emotional injury.

Despite his own species stereotypes they are nothing like that.

They likes to write and solving puzzles of any kind, pomegranate and collecting shells.

Here the photo reference in case anyone wants to draw em or just look at it

[picturejasper20]

Steven Universe Future: The Diamonds being part of the hug symbolism

In the episode ¨I Am My Monster¨ we see the Crystal gems reaching out for Steven when he becomes corrupted, as when he transforms into giant monster like creature as tall as the Diamonds. The Crystal Gems hug Steven to call him down and make him return to his human form.

One thing that gets some fans attention is why the Diamonds form part of the group hug since they themselves don't share the same closeness the Crystal Gems share with Steven. It does makes sense for them to show up and help because Steven went to ask for their help in ¨Homeworld Bound¨.

Well, yesterday i was talking to my friend Prpis (aka Purple Rose) on Discord about the last episodes from Future. She suggested that the Diamonds being part of this scene could be seen as Steven accepting that he is part diamond too, something he didn't want to associated himself with for most of Future series.

Steven spends a great deal of Future series fearing the idea that he doesn't live up to other expectations of him or what they think he is, as a ¨good person¨ who helps and heals others. He is obsessed with this idea that he has to be a ¨good person¨, as some idealistic form of perfection.

This is why he avoids telling the gems that he is going throught some important issues that are taking a mental toll on him. He doesn't want them to find out that he has been getting worse. He fears that he is going to be unworthy of love if he isn't ¨good¨.

Another fear that Steven has is becoming like his mother, Rose Quartz. He is scared of hurting people like she did and that feeds into his necessity of having to avoid being bad, of trying to not hurt others. Her mother legacy and the consequences of it are a huge burden on his shoulders that he feels that he has to carry even after he sees himself as his own person rather than having to be like Rose Quartz or Pink Diamond.

His fear of being Rose Quartz-Pink is also associated itself with the idea that he is part Diamond as well, and for Steven, the Diamonds represent the opposite of what he is supposed to be- a healer. He has only known the Diamonds for how they have brought pain and hurt others. He thinks of being a Diamond as ¨someone who hurts others¨ a person he is very afraid of being.

The irony of this is that Diamond powers can be both destructive and healing, as shown with Rose Quartz herself or the Diamonds when they changed their powers to their new purpose of fixing the damage they have caused and helping other gems. But Steven can only related these powers with bringing pain and hurt.

The Diamonds being part of the group hug could be seen as symbolism of Steven struggling to accept that he has hurt others and how he can do bad things just like the Diamonds did. He is confronted with the idea that he can't be ¨morally perfect¨ and that he may do bad things like Rose Quartz did.

Another thing that Prpis pointed out that the Diamonds are the ones that started this ¨chain reaction¨. White at some point during the episode brings up that she hurting Pink Diamond is what led to Spinel to being left behind by Pink. Blue and Yellow blame themselves as the source of Steven's suffering. And while they weren't the only reason, the way they treated Pink had an overall impact on Steven's psyche, such as it was Spinel's case.

So, The Diamonds being part of this scene, while not being very close to Steven, has a certain symbolic and narrative importance for Steven's arc and their connection to Pink Diamond. As Steven finally comes to terms with the idea that he will sometimes make mistakes and he isn't perfect, and yet, his family and friends still love him after all of it.

[furiousgoldfish]

How abuse affects your friendships and relationships

Friendships/relationships

Abusive childhood teaches you to stay in abusive relationships

Children of abusive parents are more likely to tolerate abusive friends

Abuse will make toxic friendship feels normal.

Abusive parents teach us to chase people whose love we think we can 'earn' or obtain by removing boundaries and suffering more abuse.

Abuse can trick you into believing you have to love people unconditionally even if they abuse you.

Abusive parents fails to teach you the signs of an abusive relationship.

Abuse makes us scrutinize our own actions and behaviours, but never others'.

Abuse will make you completely disregard subtle red flags in friendships.

Long term neglect can make us long for any kind of attention

Neglect makes us extra vulnerable to Love Bombing and Mirroring

Abuse makes us vulnerable to Future Faking.

Abuse makes us tolerate more pain than anyone normally would tolerate in a friendship/relationship.

Abuse can teach us that neglect, lack of positive attention and engagement, lack of consideration for our needs and wants, is normal and acceptable in our friendships and relationships, leading us to tolerate it.

Living in abuse and using fantasy and idealism to endure the reality, will encourage the development of Magical Thinking in adulthood.

Abuse makes us emotionally vulnerable to grooming, and likely to bond with groomers.

Abuse makes it impossible to notice the signs of an abusive relationship.

Abuse can groom you to accept and tolerate abuse from others.

Sense of self

Neglect causes low self esteem.

Abuse greatly amplifies the human fear of being unlovable, unwanted and dying alone.

Being raised in abuse can make you feel like you're 'not normal' and make it difficult to relate to people.

Abuse can make you feel like you're a constant inconvenience and always left out.

Abuse forces you to keep secrets that alienate you from friendships or feeling like a part of community

Abuse in isolation makes us feel like the world abandoned us.  

Attachment disorders

Abuse can lead to intense, over-attached, idealized, unstable, disorganized, or detached and fragile attachments as opposed to stable and healthy ones with boundaries and realistic expectations.

Neglect can cause abandonment issues, which then cause intense stress, anxiety, insecurity, and overall traumatic response to a break of a friendship/relationship

Neglect can cause craving of being ‘taken care of’ or ‘being the caretaker’ rather than pursuing equal and completely mutual relationships

Abuse can lead you to bond intensely with a 'favourite person' which puts you into a position where you can easily be groomed or exploited, and unable to get out of it.

Abuse leads into idealizing people who show us even the minimum of kindness.

Abuse can make us crave ‘feeling important’ even from abusers

Parentification

Parentification teaches you to take care of other people as a Survival Strategy

Abusive parents can set you up to live as a resource to others

Abuse teaches you to keep your pain secret while tearing yourself apart to care for other's pain.

Socializing

Abuse starves us out of conversation, touch, gentleness, community, and it can be painful to introduce ourselves (back) to it.

Abuse makes casual socializing anxiety-inducing and frightening.

Social abuse can invoke social anxiety.

Abuse can make attention feel dangerous.

Abusive parents can sabotage you socially, making your real entrance into social life only after you get away from them, and by that time you've missed out on valuable development of social skills and you're starting with a disadvantage

Suffering the pain of abuse alone can make you feel like isolating yourself and being away from people is the only safe way to exist.

Suffering long-term abuse can make you intensely doubt people's intentions (and sometimes you might be right).

Abuse can make any criticism in a social situation extremely painful and triggering for us

Abuse can create strict double standards for how we're allowed to live and feel, and what others are allowed.

Intimacy and closeness will trigger emotional flashbacks, painful memories and personal crisis, making you unwilling to try and be close to people.

Long term abuse makes it painful for us to receive or accept comfort.

Abuse can make us feel indebted for comfort.

Abuse makes us feel like we're craving abuse when we're only craving comfort

Abuse makes us look for positive attention in non-effective or dangerous ways.

Abuse can make you blame yourself for any social interaction that hurts you.

Abuse makes us dismiss our own discomfort with others.

[talonabraxas]

Buddha Nature

Amrita: The Nectar of Immortality

In Indian mythology and spiritual philosophy, “Amrita” holds a special place. Derived from Sanskrit, “Amrita” is often translated as “nectar,” “ambrosia,” or more intriguingly, “the nectar of immortality.” This concept permeates not only Hinduism but also Buddhism, Sikhism and Greek mythology each offering unique perspectives on its significance. In recent times it was also the story line for a James Cameron’s movie.

Amrita in Hindu Mythology

In the realm of Hindu philosophy, Bindu Visarga is a fascinating concept that delves into the depths of human consciousness and potential. Bindu Visarga, located at the top of the head towards the back on the same plane as the third eye, is considered a psychic center of immense significance. The term ‘Bindu’ translates to ‘point’ or ‘dot’, symbolizing the potential consciousness and creative force each individual possesses.

According to ancient texts, Bindu Visarga is the residence of the moon, and when the moon is full, it releases its nectar or ambrosial fluid that permeates the entire body. This nectar is known as Amrita is believed to fortify the body against toxins and strengthen immunity against viruses. From a physiological perspective, the release of Amrita is associated with the secretion of hormones from the pituitary gland into the bloodstream, enhancing overall health and longevity. Certain yogic postures such as Sirsasana (headstand) and Sarvangasana (shoulder stand) are believed to increase the production of Amrita.

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika (HYP), a classical text on Hatha Yoga, suggests that practicing Khechari Mudra can reverse the body’s degeneration process. Khechari Mudra involves turning the tongue backwards into the cavity of the cranium and directing the eyes inwards towards the eyebrow center. However, mastering this mudra is not an easy task and requires diligent practice under the guidance of an experienced teacher.

The nectar of immortality begins to flow when the tongue becomes flexible enough to be inserted into the upper epiglottis. This nectar descends from Bindu Visarga to Vishuddhi Chakra (throat chakra), where it is purified and distributed throughout the body. However, for one to attain immortality, specific techniques and practices need to be performed to trap and consume the nectar within the human body.

Jalandhara Bandha, also known as the throat lock, plays a crucial role in this process. ‘Jal’ means ‘water’, and this bandha is used to hold the nectar in Vishuddhi and prevent it from falling into the digestive fire, conserving prana or life-force energy.

The story of the churning of the ocean by the devas (good supernatural deities) and asuras (the supernatural forces of chaos) and the subsequent extraction of nectar and deadly poison provides a rich symbology for understanding Vishuddhi chakra and the nectar of immortality. Lord Shiva’s ability to drink the poison, retain it in his throat, and purify it signifies the yogi’s capacity to assimilate both positive and negative aspects of life, maintaining balance, health, and equanimity amid life’s dualities.

On an energetic level, the concept of Amrita-nadi or ‘conduit of immortality’ provides a profound visualization tool. This pathway of light between the deep centers of the upper coil (midbrain to crown) and the lower coil (below and behind the navel) illuminates the body with radiant bliss, reflecting the heart’s essence. This visualization serves as a powerful tool for spiritual enlightenment, embodying the transformative power of Amrita, the nectar of immortality.

Amrita in Buddhist Philosophy

In Buddhism, Amrita appears in a more metaphorical context. It’s perceived less as a physical substance and more as a state of consciousness or realization that leads to liberation from suffering and cyclic existence, essentially a form of spiritual immortality. In Tibetan Buddhism, Amrita is associated with initiation rites where practitioners receive blessings from their teachers, symbolizing the transformative power of the teachings.

Amrita in Sikhism

In Sikhism, Amrita refers to the holy water used in the Amrit Sanchar ceremony (Sikh baptism). Prepared by stirring sugar into water with a double-edged sword while reciting five sacred verses, this Amrita is given to initiates, signifying their commitment to the path of truth, service, and devotion as outlined by the Sikh Gurus.

Amrita in Greek mythology

In Greek Mythology, Ambrosia holds a position of supreme significance. It is often considered as the divine sustenance of the Gods, a potent concoction that bestowed upon its consumers the gift of immortality. The term ‘Ambrosia’ is derived from the Greek words ‘a’ (meaning ‘not’) and ‘vrotos’ (meaning ‘mortal’), clearly indicating its association with eternal life.

According to Homeric tradition, this celestial nectar was transported to the Gods residing on Mount Olympus by doves. It’s believed to be the divine essence exhaled by the Earth itself, adding an extra layer of mysticism to its existence. Often intertwined with the concept of nectar or the ‘elixir of life,’ Ambrosia was a crucial element that added a dash of magic to the already enchanting tales of the Greek Gods. Although the Gods were inherently powerful and immortal, the presence of ambrosia and nectar in these myths added a certain allure and excitement to their narratives.

One particularly compelling account is found in Homer’s epic poems, where the Goddess Athena uses Ambrosia in a rather intriguing way. It is said that Athena sprinkled Ambrosia over Penelope while she slept. Upon waking, the effects of age had miraculously vanished from her skin, making her appear youthful and radiant. This transformation was so profound that her suitors were consumed with passion at her sight, showcasing the transformative power of this divine nectar.

Amrita in contemporary cinema

In the blockbuster movie Avatar 2, Amrita takes on a whole new meaning. It is portrayed as a neurocrine liquid of a yellowish hue produced by tulkuns, a creature from another world, in the glands located at the base of their brain. This substance is no ordinary fluid; it possesses extraordinary properties that can halt the aging process in humans entirely, providing them with a form of physical immortality.

The tulkans get mercilessly hunted. by humans. to extract Amrita which is portrayed as the most expensive commodity in 2170. This narrative surrounding Amrita illustrates the lengths to which humanity might go in its quest for immortality.

Amrita: A Symbol of Spiritual Aspiration

Across these diverse interpretations, Amrita stands as a potent symbol of spiritual aspiration. It represents the quest for immortality, not in the physical sense, but as a transcendence of the ego, ignorance, and the cycle of birth and death. The pursuit of Amrita is, in essence, the pursuit of enlightenment, liberation, or self-realization.

Whether it’s the epic churning of the cosmic ocean, the profound meditative practices of Buddhism, or the solemn rites of Sikhism, Amrita serves as a reminder of our inherent potential for spiritual growth and transformation. It invites us to embark on our unique journey towards immortality, guided by wisdom, compassion, and the enduring hope for liberation.

[darkdemeter]

Dem!!!demy!!! My bestie

This idea has been going around the ol' nogging for a little. But part 2 of A Warriors Armor (punk!human) where the human has been making the horsemen their own punk vests as a way to Keep themself sane. (I imagine this especially applies to death's human after he yeets himself to the well of souls).

I Also imagine that their human takes their measurements with like...a maker measuring tape/hj(everything's easier when you use the maker measurement system,aka: everything is "fuck you" big)

And the horsemen's reactions are priceless. Their little human adopted them into their punk pack??(and maybe its about time they confess)

As always take ur time,Im sure you have a lot on your hands!!

(Pd: looking forward to dark feathers SO MUCH. but take as long as you need!!!/gen)

-Jeri🧡

・issue #2・ STYLE OF WARRIOR II

⚤ Death/Strife/Fury/War x GN Punk!Reader just fluffy content with some angst ✎ 2.6k

✎ a note from the author, Death: throws himself in the well of souls Me, remembering your fic: T R I G G E R E D hahahahha! yes I still get all emotional and upset when I even think about that fic! I gotta read it again.... 😂 here you go, Jer, part 2 for your punk request!

↳ MASTERLIST | ↳ TAGLISTS ────────────────────────

For your dearest Horseman, you'd do all you humanely could to achieve what they asked of you. You'd brave the depths of hell, you'd face off the vanguards of the White City in protest of their declared 'holiness'.

But you never expected this.

DEATH

Having finally taken his measurements, it's all about fitting it to him nicely. precisely... no nasty points--

"Human," Death snarls after you jab him with the needle for the fourth time in a span of 30 seconds. It's not your fault that every time your fingers linger so close it's like his presence possesses them to tremble with violent impulse. And every time you do accidently poke him, you wince and apologise, but at this point, you may as well just stab him with the damn thing if he's going to keep carrying on like a ragged animal being prodded at intentionally.

"Then stay still," you breath back easily and roll your eyes. The insufferable nature of this reaper sometimes. Alright, you may have had to convince him a little but overall, this was his idea - his request. You're just being a good companion.

Placing the needle between your lips, you say, "I'm almost done. Back a little straighter." Your words are muffled but he overhears the tone of it and its enough for him to suffer through the remainder of his fitting in relative, blessed silence; just the way you both like it. Your eyes occasionally lift up to try and capture his expression, no matter how pointless it is with that mask, you can read the eyes at least. His gaze is elsewhere and you decide not to intrude on his thoughts.

You work better when he's not watching you with the eyes of a looming hawk anyway. You weave the last thread through the tiny hole and begin to stitch the final adjustments of his vest, but that's putting a fashion term nicely and you humour him just this once. He didn't exactly want a tradition vest like you due to the nature of his skill set and you obliged in his request, but you still kept some semblance of a vest-like quality to your craftmanship. The design ended up being a sort of an additional shawl that draped over his shoulder, but with a little artistic flare, you made the shoulder portion imitate torn sleeves.

"Are you almost finished?" he asks, almost causing you to flinch and lose control of the needle's point again. With a sigh, you nod. "Almost. Just a little stitch here... and a bit there-- and done!"

You step down off the stool because yes, he refused to crouch down to your level. Stubborn old bastard but you care about him nevertheless. You balance on the heel of your foot, nervousness flickering through the fluster of your beating lashes and the way you awkwardly angle your head down.

"What'cha think?" You suddenly take an interest in the very long, sturdy leather strip you used as a measuring tape. Alya's measuring tape.

"Hmm... I like it."

His confession could have come in an assortment of ways, and you're kind of confused by it still, but his embrace was comforting. "And I like you too."

You've never forgotten that compliment or that confession. The way it brightened your mood and turned your lips into a large smile. You'll always remember the way his eyes smiled down at you, applauding your work in the new addition of his attire.

That's what you think about as you stitch up the patches and sew new relics and decorations into the black fabric. Tears in your eyes, you find it hard to not jab your own fingers, wincing every few seconds when the sharp sting of your needle bites venomously. Now you know just how poor Death felt being pricked by you. Fond memories that now turn dark in this hour.

He's gone now. Sacrificed his very being to revive your species and to spare War a punishment to a crime he did not commit. He gave it back to you before his encounter with the avatar of corruption - his once brother, Absalom. By the time you managed to pry open the doors of the chamber, all that remained on the ground was the placid face of bone, sockets void of that vibrant amber you adored with secret fondness.

You're not sure if he will ever come back or the fate of War for that matter. The tears blanket your vision with a thickness that hinders your work, forcing you to stop. At this point, you're needlessly sewing and threat into it, reminiscing in every little detail and every tiny sensation that travels through your fingers. You begin to wonder as you lower the garb into your lap, haunted by a loud, audible sniffle, if Death knew what his fate was and that's why he finally indulged in your little scattered hints.

You'll wait for him. You'll keep adding these stitches and touch ups until the reaper returns. However long he may find rest in the well, you will wait for him.

STRIFE

The gunslinging Horsemen truly was a marvel at times. Not only did it take him exactly 48 hours to ask you if you would perhaps consider making him a punk vest. Suffice to say, your affirmative answer earned you a bone-crushing hug and a plethora of 'thank you's thereafter. Strife was excited right from the get go and eager to help you find the perfect material that was both strong and big enough to make a vest made for his size. Now to get a form of measurement...

"Alright, arms out, chest out and shoulders back."

He does exactly as you say and maybe a little too well. You take a rough estimate of his limbs and body proportions and when you ask, "Do you want me to make any alterations so it's more... suited for... y'know, your work?"

He shakes his head and his golden eyes flare with a giddiness. "Nope. Just like your one."

Eyes blinking rapidly, you take a short moment to compose your surprise. "Right. Okay then, let's see what we can do about that."

It takes a considerable amount of days but you finally get your hands on the perfect fabric and thankfully, you find some other suitable patterns and clothing to add to it and give it that punk flare. Strife particularly adores this one stripe of pattern that decorates the hem of your vest and so you do your best to replicate it, even going the extra mile in finding a similar pattern to it.

During your small sessions of camp and in your adventurous search for a measuring tape suited for his size, he watches you with that same excitement, almost fawning over your work right there and then, eyes blending to the fire's glow.

"Uh, hello? Earth to Strife." The Nephilim with spiked hair finally awakens from his dreaming stupor and addresses you. You can sense the sheepish smirk behind his mask. "Sorry, where you saying something?"

Your lips fold back into a slight grin as you shake your head. "Nah. Nothing important."

He's in awe of the delicate handle you have with the needle but fucking hell, does he whine when you so much as graze him with the needle point.

"Ow!"

"Quit your whining, I barely pricked you."

"Still... that hurt," he grumbles and you snort a little at that. His visor set aside, you're given full view of his expression which is both a good and bad thing. For one thing you can admire his handsome features, but the other means you can tell exactly what he's thinking. From the slack and slight of his brows and to the bevel between, all the way down to the small dimples that form in his cheeks with a deepened smirk.

"It's good you found a measuring tape for me," you say behind a chuckle, actually taking in just how long it was... "Where did you say you got it from?"

"I, er... found it." His reasoning doesn't add up and his eyes avoid yours.

"Yeah, that's a way to not sound suspicious, Strife." You continue to press the needlework into the craft, adding unique little strips of stitches and filling in any alterations and requests on the way. When you want him to be still, he's like a statue. Which is every tailor's dream client. You remember the countless times your mother complained about her clients being unable to stop fidgeting. Of course, Strife has his moments where he can't help it, but with a warning glare and threatening poise of the needle, he's on his best behaviour until you're done.

Indeed a very traditional vest and to say he wears it well is an understatement. It's like he was meant to be a punk. All he was missing was the vest. With a grin, you take a step back and allow him his space to take in the garment, waiting with batted breath.

"So?" you finally press to ask. He twirls around before stopping hot on his heels with a loud skrrt, flashing you with his signature finger guns and winks.

"It rocks! By the way, you know we're a couple now, right?"

Your jaw goes slack and your eyes increase tenfold in their blatant stare up at him, your face becoming flushed with a certain heat. "W-what?!"

FURY

"You know, you'd probably make a really kickass punk queen - if that was in our culture."

Could you have flattered her more? Here you go again, yapping on about how well her hair suits the culture and how she should think on it at least. It does get a bit boring sometimes when you're the only punk left in the world. After a few nights of noticing your considerable moping, she bit the bullet and upon preparing to leave the next morning, she caves in.

"Would you... like to make me a punk vest?"

With a gasp, you turn towards her in a way that causes her to flinch out of instinct when something moves that fast. "Yes!"

The task now at hand of making Fury's vest is a memorable one. Whilst she slays the hordes of hell, the seven deadly sins and gains mutual alliances, there you are in the background of it all; collecting whatever cool scraps you can fashion together. It's not like she held the jaws of gluttony apart for you just so that you could get that piece of textured fabric. It's a very beautiful piece of studded leather.

Back in the safety of Haven, Ulthan happily allows you to use the maker's measuring tape to your heart's content. Not that he really uses it much, rather knowing his know-how off the tip of his experience but to the younger maker, it could be more useful.

"Ugh, this is taking too long," Fury sighs.

With a raise of your brow, you huff in reply, "It's only been twenty minutes."

Fury only rolls her eyes but she lets you continue. You do well not to get her with the needle, only having done it once and she threatened that it'd be the last if you did it again. And so you go about her vest with the utmost care, cautious about how far your depth goes and where your needle point is aimed at all times.

"Look at you!" Jones taunts from the other side of Haven with a wicked waggle of his fingers, mimicking a playful, mischievous wave. In return, you do the same such to Fury's dismay. It says as much by the slow turn of her head in your direction, the milky whites of her glowing, Nephilim eyes glaring down on you.

Your lips pull into a thinned line and you continue your work in silence, carried on only by the sternness of her gaze that occasionally swept over you. When you finally finish her vest off, you feel a sense of relief that it's finished. Sighing, you gesture for her to have a move about in her new vest, to take it in.

"Ey? Ey?" you hum. It's not your fault that with each passing second you become more consumed by the thought of seeking her approval. Not very punk of you but for the longest time now -- and maybe because of your crush on the female Horseman -- but you have become obsessed with her opinion and moreso, her approval of the punk culture.

"Humans and their pathetic utility to craft such--" she pauses, and then slowly turns. She's observing the vest, now she's look at it closer... and she smiles!

Victory!

"This is actually... rather well made," she says, voice soothing and laced with an impressed purr. Then her eyes meet yours and you feel your heart melt, your chest swelling as the heat in your face surfaces. "I love what you did. I think you were right, I would make an excellent punk."

WAR

To make a vest for War would be putting an extreme limit on his capabilities. Besides, you'd be stitching that thing together for the remainder of your days with the way he throws himself into harm's way and dashes right towards it like a beast on the loose.

So you have to improvise. You decide to pin it here, cinch it there and around the shoulder to connect to the pauldrons and there you have it: a shawl that he can add over the top of his red one. It took many days and many sleepless nights by the fire's light to see what you were doing and your fingers are covered in tiny dots and a few makeshift bandages. But to you, it was worth it. It kept your spirits up and it made dealing with the whole end of the world thing easier to cope with when you have a personal project to work on. And War would watch you, observant but distant.

And finally, time for the final adjustments. When you first measured War, you'll admit - it was a very big undertaking to make him a punk vest. But the way his eyes looked at you like a shy puppy as he softly asked, almost mumbling his words as if unsure of how to present such a question.

You couldn't say no! So you pushed that overwhelming sense of dread when you realised just how big of a canvas you were working with. You would do this for him, to let him have his own piece of the culture and allow him to be a part of it.

By no means did he become impatient. Or at least he didn't show that side of him, but every now and then he'd check in and finally when it came time for his final fitting, you caught the slight blush on his cheeks as he stood still for you.

For the few times you accidently poked him with the needle, apologies poured out of your mouth as if you injured the most precious thing in the world, only for him to brush aside your doting concern. You'd shake and tremble a little out of worry that you'd hurt him.

"There! all done," you announce and brush a hand over your brow as you take a step back to analyse your work. "You look amazing, War!"

"You truly think so?" he asks, his voice unsure. He looks at himself however much he's able to. It's not until you direct him over to an old store window, allowing him to gauge his reflection in the splintered window.

"See?"

"Your craftsmanship is one of a kind."

You stumble over a sentence of half stringed words. Even to you they were unintelligible and so you sweep some hair that fell over your eyes away with a sheepish smile. "Thank you. Do you like it? I know it's not a traditional vest like mine, but I tried my best to keep in theme. I didn't wanna comp---"

His lips caress the delicate space between your hairline and your words immediately cease.

"I adore it. Thank you."