#is the whole show a meditation on grief

[doublel27]

Okay, but like what if Gwyn and Gabriel weren’t dead and Tommy had two very attractive and caring husbands?

[sm-baby]

if the seven good clones really are like complete opposites of the evil bitches then would their development be? Switched in a way??? Like Bunsi and Popurri being hyper-empathetic or something

Yep!

Bunnsy is a hardworking smarty pants that studies at Harvard,

Poppuri is still a celebrity but works on kids edu-tainment shows,

Big mama seems to have the worst luck with people, but somehow found housing,

Big sister is a yoga instructor and overall meditation work,

The Surgeon is the babysitter for the swanson family after their mother passed away, and in his grief, Jon asked her to take her form cuz the whole family seems to be indenial

Big mama and Big sister LOVE eachother

They all go to church

They all adore children

They never wear any clothe past shoulder length of under the knee (how scandalous!)

They don't drink

Don't do drugs

No tattoos

And they all love me :)

[likealittleheartbeat]

I try to generally be constructive and engaged with the show I love on here, so on this day, I’ll just say that one of the most thematically important aspects for me from the original ATLA is Aang’s emotional core of real shame for running away when he was hurt by the monk’s decision to send him away. People who feel the kind of deep-seated shame that Aang feels from this decision can understand how that kind of all-encompassing shame is not built around a simple failure or a lie they tell themselves; it’s constructed from real misbehaviors and transgressions of their own sense of ethics—lashing out, telling lies, attempting to hurt others intentionally—that then have consequences (abuses, abandonments, or deaths) which seem to far exceed their expectations or even basic logic.

The combination of the misbehavior with exaggerated existential punishments (along with a lack of support and amend-making in the immediate wake of the events) is what transforms a sense of guilt (I fucked up) into shame (I am a forever fuck-up). Then shame, that sense of being a secret monster ‘no matter what I do or how good everyone thinks I am,’ invites all the avoidance strategies (Aang puts on big smiles, makes lots of jokes, constantly tries to make everyone happy, hops from town to town without building deeper connections). One doesn’t want to acknowledge one’s true feelings or let others in to see those feelings and experiences because it’s too painful to face the grief at the same time that you have to look at yourself for being responsible—even when you recognize it wasn’t totally your fault. It’s just that if you had just been good, less emotional, less human, then maybe the world wouldn’t be so messed up. Of course, in a zen view of things, the world will always be messed up in the same way it will always be beautiful. These are constant facts that always coexist in balance, and this is the truth that Aang learns and that undergirds the whole series.

So I always loved that Aang ran away. It was his sin and his salvation. And it becomes this constant tension for the series—he gets hurt in Bato of the Water Tribe and starts to run away from Katara and Sokka, he runs away to the Guru in the Crossroads of Destiny and his best friend is attacked, he and the gaang retreat after the Day of the Black Sun failure, he runs away to meditation in Sozin’s Comet when everyone wants him preparing for war. Aang’s reluctance to be a hero and the attachments and petulance for which he gets criticized are what metamorphasize to become his most noble attributes. They allow him to empathize with others shame and, ultimately, wield the kind of compassion that can deconstruct the power and perfectionism of imperialism.

So yes, Aang ran away from his temple 100 years ago. It wasn’t the mentally healthy choice. It wasn’t the ethical choice. It wasn’t the wise choice. It was human and emotional and shameful and real. Aang is a better character for it. ATLA is a better show because of it. And we are better people when we understand these kind of tragic emotional experiences that people are trying so hard to grow through.

[findmeinthefallair]

A Blank Slate for Hunter

I love this outfit of Hunter's the most.

Hope you enjoy this lil' essay as a Halloween gift from me!

Hunter's silly elegant stable boy outfit is an outfit that allows him to be agile, not weighed down by layers of armour he had no choice in selecting to wear, and he can move freely.

No more cloaks (the precursor to no more gloves!). Keep in mind that in Labyrinth Runners he still had a cloak on, even if it wasn't the Golden Guard cloak.

And we know how dear freedom is to this boi's heart. He most likely picked this outfit himself, and by then he was no longer living rough post-Hollow Mind.

I guess this outfit always makes me think of the calm before the storm, in all its innocence. I mean, look at his corresponding model sheet:

The smirk. It's childlike. He's so silly. There's his excitement about something new that's beginning and which would bloom during the summertime he spends in the human realm.

And interestingly, there's some of the cheeky Golden Guard vibe left, yet it feels so new: which shows that it wasn't 100% persona. It's part of the real Hunter too!

When he runs with his friends, he looks happy:

He looks like he's experiencing safety and connection, belonging to found family already.

Not like when he's running scared:

His world is brightening:

It would eventually be snatched away on the night that Flapjack dies. But it wouldn't be lost to him forever, as love always returns even if in a different form.

Without this first season of beginning and growth, we wouldn't eventually have the pre-timeskip season of beginning and growth to let light back in again, in a new way.

There's the relief he feels after making it past Labyrinth Runners, having support from the kids at Hexside, and having a heart-to-heart talk with Gus, receiving and then giving back.

There was relative safety, in fact the most safety he's experienced at that point in his life after the horrors of Hollow Mind and Labyrinth Runners

and he was in the process of building up groundwork that would strengthen his resolve: the peak of which was voicing his desires in his Thanks to Them speech.

Sure, he gets triggered, but my god does he have help and support:

And he's cushioned by safe, trustworthy company. People who won't harm him.

His poor nerves could enjoy some respite for once! Well,

most of the time I think.

If you have heard of the body's sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, you can spot both in action, well-animated during his various responses to distress.

"Sympathetic" forces him to move quickly, "parasympathetic" forces him to slow down and get rest. Sometimes, one of these might go into overdrive and bringing in the other would restore a better balance between both systems.

You can even "hack" these to slow down your heart rate and reduce distress, one example being splashing your face with ice-cold water (this triggers the body's "dive reflex" which can slow down one's pulse and generate more calmness), using deep breathing techniques or meditation to deliberately activate the parasympathetic system.

Hunter's fight-or-flight moments mean his sympathetic nervous system has come online, letting him be ready to spring into action to reach safety.

As he collapsed into his own grave which he dug at Eclipse Lake, that's the parasympathetic nervous system that's a big signal for him to rest, no matter how short. Any moment where he freezes is also the same nervous system activating.

There also would've been the offscreen pre-timeskip period of being depressed about Flapjack's absence and lack of purpose - it makes me so sad that this would've made him feel as though ALL progress he made was completely erased. But this grief response from his whole body and mind would've also the result of the parasympathetic nervous system forcing him to collapse into needed rest (any supposedly "extreme" response of his is honestly a normal response to unspeakable long-term abuse). These are the closest hints we got, when he thinks no one's watching, but of course we as audience members were privy to part of what may've been going on:

We have canon material that shows Gus helping him adaptively switch to his parasympathetic system, with something meditative (the square breathing technique) which he can continue to use and even develop variations of with his future therapist's help:

What about the times where he can healthily switch to the sympathetic system - moving his body a lot to reap physical and mental health benefits - as is needed? A good guess is that resuming flyer derby:

would be a big help during the worst of his post-regime depression, as part of an elaborate treatment plan in therapy. The tricky part for Willow, Gus, Camila and his other loved ones would be getting him out of bed and the house to Hexside. Luz and co. could also drag him out of the basement into the living room to dance to music videos or something.

He would eventually feel its benefits and have more happy brain chemicals! The more he does stuff with a group that he's close to, the more bonus chemicals he gets too.

What I'm getting at with the neurology stuff is the significance of this:

Perhaps most notable of all though, is him able to rise above and practice uttering a resounding "No" to Belos. The belonging he has found with the Hexsquad empowered him to do this.

When you build up protective factors (the opposite of risk factors) such as a support system and techniques to manage distressing symptoms, you could regain some control over your responses to triggers.

When Hunter helped to save Gus, he could push back against being overwhelmed by a flooded sympathetic nervous system here:

I love that there are moments where he experiences unpleasant sensations (affection from friends being very foreign to him), but he is mostly able to believe that he won't be harmed:

Neither nervous system is overwhelmed. Flapjack being on his shoulder must be a great help in grounding him here.

I just love this smirk on his face as he's in sync with Flapjack, the most confidence he's had since Belos shattered his beliefs at the end of Hollow Mind.

He and Flapjack have become even closer. They've built a relationship and have shared some precious memories, with many more to come during the summer.

We lose Flapjack, but one day in the future, Hunter can look back on these memories without being frozen in the horrors of his worst memories. He can't let the new in without first letting his best friend go in that scary sense. But he had the strength to do it, to engrave "Thank you for finding me. - H." on what would be Flapjack's headstone with his own timing, to make room for an existence without Flapjack, and for one that would eventually have his new palisman Waffles in it.

During this short period of resting up before the Day of Unity fight scenes, he gets to overall take a break.

There's an incredibly good analogy by therapist Georgia Dow on Youtube (link to her channel here) for when he starts to be in great danger.

When we see his expressions being drawn by the animators as more and more hypervigilant, when we see that adrenaline floods his system more and more to help him power through:

When you're hypervigilant like this, especially if you already have had a history of trauma dating back years, it's like when a smartphone's video recording mode switches on outside of your control.

The camera lens is wide, collecting all the trauma-related data and details that it can of the image frames in the recorded video: to ensure survival. And it's all subconsciously carried out beyond one's control.

And unfortunately, the phone might replay the distressing video(s) beyond your control, against your will, whenever a future trigger comes along. Imagine the video files simply just playing on their own, and you aren't able to hit the pause button on your phone screen or even choose to look away from your phone screen. That's how trauma replays in the mind during a trigger.

We see this in motion when Hunter is emotionally flooded with white hot fear here:

But when he saves Gus, he is able to regulate a similar if not worse wave of flashbacks later on here with the help of Willow's and Gus's breathing technique.

I think the scenes where he has childlike mischief written on his face are sandwiched between other episodes where he's going through an insanely tough time. It gives us in the audience a break as well...before the mayhem.

Under extremely high stress and in deep anguish, his prefrontal cortex is probably functioning at 1000% - one of the hallmarks of C-PTSD - to help him stay level-headed, and have good reaction time, and to strategize and survive.

He walks through the portal after Flapjack's death

with the widened wild look in his eyes, the overactivity in the part of the brain called the amygdala is screaming out how much danger he is in. His fight response is activated.

The opposite of all that hypervigilance mentioned above is the dissociative state that would become part of his day-to-day, once an extremely difficult period of depression hits him post-regime.

But in Clouds on the Horizon, King's Tide and the start of Thanks to Them, he is able to spend quite a few moments just "being". He's able to grin quite a bit.

I just love that he's learning about and experiencing safety in relationships in these episodes:

He can chill a fair bit, given the benchmark of craziness that was part of his daily life for too long. He's grounded yet relaxed during much of this phase.

As brief as this phase was, it's endearing, there's a pure and particularly vibrant quality about it despite the actual outfit colour being bland ol' beige, and it's a really special part of Hunter's overall screentime.

It was a simpler time, before the far worse and far messier confusion which would be waiting for him post-regime e.g. missing the 'love' that his 'Uncle' had shown him...feeling like he did not deserve to be revived by Flapjack once the survivor's guilt related to the grimwalker graveyard hits...and the rage of Belos's betrayal reaching full force.

[welcometothejianghu]

Welcome to another round of W2 Tells You What You Should See, where W2 (me) tries to sell you (you) on something you should be watching reading. Today's choice: 死亡万花筒 / Kaleidoscope of Death.

Kaleidoscope of Death is a 2018 Chinese webnovel about two young men who fall in love while basically playing a whole bunch of horror-themed escape rooms that can for-real kill you.

This novel was gripping. I could not put it down. It started out fun and ended up ripping out my heart several times. It does a good job getting the ball rolling with a series of adventures in weird worlds, then turns into a meditation about grief and loss and what it means to have something to lose in the first place.

This is the first time I've ever done a book rec! I'm doing it in conjunction with a rec post for the Spirealm, and originally I was just going to do this as a bonus section for that post. However, I felt they both deserve whole different posts, because they both have very different things to recommend them. I also think Kaleidoscope of Death a 100% necessary read if you've seen the show, because it provides some context that the show simply cannot include -- but it's not a necessary read before you see the show.

Therefore, I'm going to give you five reasons I think you should sit down with this one, and not a single one of these reasons is going to assume you've watched the Spirealm! The book is great and deserves to be read on its own merits, and then if you then start watching the drama afterwards, so much the better.

1. All the Cross-Dressing

(Yeah, I'm going to punctuate this one with screencaps from the Spirealm, because otherwise it's just a wall of text.)

I'm not going to tell you why the male characters frequently dress and pass as women, since the book explains the practicality of it better than I could. You just need to know that they often do, and it's never not kinda hot when it happens.

When you first meet Ruan Nanzhu, it is as Ruan Baijie, a stunningly beautiful and noticeably tall woman. Lin Qiushi, our POV character who is extremely confused for a number of reasons, spends the first whole arc talking and thinking about Baijie like she's a girl. In fact, one of the cutest things about sweet, earnest Qiushi is that he clocks Baijie several times, and every time he's just like, oh, she's so flat-chested, how unusual for a girl, anyway...

And this isn't even just dressing up! Stepping into the door worlds changes you physically based on your clothing and cosmetics. Nobody inside looks the same as they do outside, and nobody looks the same inside as they did last time they were inside. The rules that govern these transformations aren't even clear to the characters themselves! So, you know, have fun with that.

I'm going to say it's not an out-and-out trans thing, in that we're not dealing with an AMAB egg who will crack someday. Ruan Nanzhu is a very male-identified, penis-having man! He's just also pretty entertainingly comfortable with performing whatever gender makes him the most fuckable person in any given room. Lin Qiushi is not so inherently genderfluid, however, which means that when his gremlin sort-of-boyfriend makes him pretend to be a girl, it's a completely different kink.

Therefore: If you like it in any way when boys dress up like girls, you owe it to yourself to pick up this one. And if you like a fandom that likes it when boys dress up like girls, baby, welcome to the world inside the doors.

2. Those boys GAY

This is a textual romance. Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu are in love. This is a danmei novel about how they fall in love. There is kissing and there are fade-to-black scenes that explicitly acknowledge that the two of them have sex with one another. We even know that Ruan Nanzhu (usually) tops. This s not just me pointing at them and saying gaaaaaaaaaay. This is actual gay.

And it is gay that takes its fucking time. They do not actually hook up until well over halfway through the book, but they are physically affectionate from almost the get-go. Ruan Nanzhu is such a trickster and a liar that Lin Quishi finds it hard to believe that anything he does is sincere, which leads to nearly lesbian levels of wondering if it means anything when a guy demands you kiss him on the mouth when he's pretending to be your girlfriend. Meanwhile, Ruan Nanzhu is over here being the Kate Beaton comic about sitting here consumed with lust all evening.

Even once they both acknowledge what they're feeling for one another, they don't get together right away. After all, they're playing a game of life and death where they lose friends left and right. Every time someone goes inside the door, there's a real chance they won't come out again. Is giving your heart to someone worth how much it will destroy your entire life when you lose them?

(Yes, says the book. Yes, it is worth it.)

The slow burn of their relationship is delicious, in part because the physical (though not sexual) aspects of it predate the romantic ones. It also has the fun hot-and-cold aspect where Ruan Nanzhu is incredibly affectionate inside the doors, then icy outside of them. Poor completely inexperienced, never-been-kissed Lin Qiushi does not know what to make of any of this. He can barely manage parenting a cat. He does not know how to handle a boyfriend who is also a girlfriend who is also (spiritually) a cat.

I also find it charming how much the gay part of it both is and isn't an issue. It's not that Lin Qiushi has a problem being in love with a man; however, the fact that Ruan Nanzhu is a man does mean the heteronormally indoctrinated and relationship-inexperienced Lin Qiushi takes much longer to realize what exactly those feelings he's having are. The book's world is one where heterosexuality is the assumed default, while queerness is unexpected but everybody's still pretty cool with it. Besides, no one's going to judge Lin Qiushi's gay yearnings, because who doesn't want to fuck Ruan Nanzhu?

3. HAKO ONNA HAKO ONNA HAKO ONNA

So as I was reading through @zintranslations' earlier chapters, I kept seeing translators' notes down at the bottom about being so excited to finally get to the Hako Onna arc. Okay, I thought, this is a lot of hype; I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Friends, it does not. This is the arc I was reading while screaming into a pillow. It's thirteen chapters long, tied for the longest arc in the book with the first door. It is a fucking nail-biter. It does the clever thing of taking all the things you've learned about what can happen inside the doors and combining them for a worst-case scenario.

The setup is pretty simple: There's a bunch of boxes. One has the exit. Most are empty. Some have things that help you. Some have things that hurt you. The more things you find that hurt you, the more things there are to hurt you. And you have to open the boxes.

All the door arcs are pretty well-written, so that you can more or less play along with their various adventures. Hako Onna, however, is exceptional. It's so complicated, but you can actually follow it. And you need to be able to follow it, because the multiple emotional gut-punches that happen in this arc all depend on understanding how the rules of the game have just been leveraged to fuck someone over.

Now I really want to play the board game -- which I was pleased to discover is a real board game! And speaking of board games...

sidebar: Betrayal at House on the Hill

I know this isn't technically related to the novel at all, but if you like board games, horror, and being incredibly dramatic, you owe it to yourself to try out Betrayal at House on the Hill.

It goes like this: You and several other horror-movie archetypes wander through a mansion, "building" it as you explore it, so the game layout is different every time. At some point (and it's based on so many random factors that you never know when it'll be) someone triggers a condition, and the haunting begins. All the players then get the rules of haunting explained to them -- except for one player, the one picked to do the titular betrayal, who gets a different set of instructions and becomes the antagonist. From that point on, the game is about either surviving or completing the haunting, depending on which side you're on.

I have played this game before with normal board game people, and they were like, eh, this is fine. I have also played this game before with theatre kids who RP and LARP, and we all had a fucking blast. So I'm going to warn you that you have to choose your crowd carefully. This is a game for people who do improv and voices.

4. The art of losing isn't hard to master

The book has a high body count -- higher than the show's, in fact, though that's related to how the book also has more characters than the show does. When you meet someone who can go into the doors, be careful how much money you'd lay on their survival.

Death after the doors comes so quickly, too. There's barely any time to say goodbye, if there's even any time at all. Often there's just a phone call telling our main characters that one of their friends or allies or enemies is gone.

Everyone who gets the chance to go through the door worlds is only able to do so because they're dying already. The more doors they pass, the more they get to kick that death further down the road -- but the more doors they enter, the more chances they take that they might die inside one. So really, none of the players can be that resentful of being forced to play a game that can kill them, since they're already playing it on borrowed time.

I will say, somewhat cryptically, that the book has a positive ending that leaves open the possibility for other positive things. The path to that positive ending, though, leads through some pretty wrenching takes on living through grief. It's not even all rah-rah and it-gets-better, either -- the text acknowledges many times over what it means to have someone that life isn't worth living without.

And that's maybe not what you expected from a BL horror adventure webnovel, but it's what you're gonna get! Ha ha!

5. What He Is

Which is the title of the first extra chapter, which is not extra at all, but is in fact a necessary explanatory piece that whacks you upside the head like a two-by-four and recontextualizes the entire story.

...Yeah, that's all you're going to get from me about that. You'll understand when you get there.

Have you put it on your reading list yet?

The way you have to read it is a little convoluted: @zintranslations has chapters 1-17 and 63-end + extras. Taida Translations has chapters 1-62. So no matter where you start reading, you're going to have to switch sites at least once.

There are also apparently Portuguese, Indonesian, Russian, and Spanish translations too? And the original Chinese webnovel, of course. And some audio dramas and subs linked to from this Carrd, which helpfully has other information, like content warnings for specific chapters, in case the horror aspect of the story gives you pause.

Anyway, once you're done reading it -- or even before you're done! -- you should absolutely go watch the Spirealm. I think it's clear from both rec posts that I definitely like the book better, but I appreciate having the drama to bring so many scenes to life, and I think the casting is great. Also, I don't think reading the book makes you like the drama less! Rather, I think reading the book gives you insight into the awkward and sometimes terrible choices the drama had to make to survive -- which in turn gives you the ability to see through those choices, on to what the show always wanted in its heart to be.

I do find it funny how "Kaleidoscope of Death" and "Death's Kaleidoscope" technically mean the same thing, but they sure read different, don't they?

[1dcommunityficrecs]

Rec List: Liam-centric fics

It means the world to me how much y'all SHOWED UP for this list -- I can't express how grateful I am to see the love for Liam. With 29 fics, it is officially the second-largest list we've had all year. It has a wide range of ships, from Ziam or Larry to OT5 or Lilo, as well as genfics. There's also as usual a variety of types of fic -- word counts from under 1,000 words to over 100,000, ratings from General to Explicit, stories from Porn Without Plot to So Much Plot to Both Porn And Plot.

I can't believe it's been a month tomorrow -- it feels like it just happened, and also like it's been forever, and also like it's still a bad dream that isn't quite real. Grief catches you in the strangest places, surprises you when you least expect it. To everyone still trying to wrap their minds around this tragedy, trying to figure out a way forward through it -- I see you, I love you, I'm glad you're here, and I support you in whatever you need.

I promise to never forget Liam's kindness, his generosity, his joy, and his heart. I hope these fics serve as a reminder of everything that he was, and everything he will always be to us.

Light Spills in a Flood by unscattered_horizons (162088, Not Rated, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne)

This is an OT5 + Shawn fic about growing up and into oneself alongside dear friends

Reccer says: This is a tender, thoughtful, meditative fic about love blooming

hold all our secrets by justanothershadeofblue (10000, Explicit, Niall Horan/Zayn Malik/Liam Payne/Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post Warnings: Anger, misogyny, forced closeting.

Post-canon contemporary ABO AU where Liam has been a closeted Alpha for the entirety of the band. He is then outed by a tabloid, and the boys have to come to terms with his secret and how it has shaped their lives.

Reccer says: This one is a little painful in how it goes through each boy’s response to this bombshell, from anger to grief to happiness, including Liam himself. There are five fics in the series, and it ends at a good place, but the author was planning a sixth at the time of Liam’s death. Not an easy read, but a rewarding one -- packs an emotional wallop!

Coconut kiss and a rainbow tail (Italian-language fic) by Sararinaldi87 (Not Rated, Multi)

Louis and Liam are sailing the seas when they shipwreck. Luckily a certain mermaid is there to help...

not even a landslide or riptide could take it all away by we_are_the_same (49177, Mature, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne) – fic post Warnings: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Sextape, Leaked Sextape, Liam Payne getting outed, Depression, Emotional Hurt, Suicidal Thoughts

When Liam gets outed via sextape, his whole world collapses around him. In the midst of all the chaos, an unexpected lifeline appears in the form of a DM from Zayn: If you find yourself needing to escape, go here. Even though they haven’t talked in years, Liam is just desperate enough to go. He doesn’t expect to find himself on a farm in the middle of nowhere, face to face with a man he hasn’t seen in years, but who somehow looks more familiar to him than the face he sees when he looks in the mirror.

Reccer says: I think it's just beautiful. Everyone should read this

I ain’t ever fell from a love like this by beardyboyzx (733, General, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne)

When he looks at the words, after a few seconds, Zayn feels this sort of relief feather-thrum inside of him — a brief excitement grasping him by the neck, gripping hard, as Zayn’s fingers run over the things he’s just written, admiring how they hold the true nature of his yearnings. And this weird ancestral knowledge Zayn’s got ever since he’s met Liam that first time — before One Direction, before X-Factor, when they were just fourteen and chatting awkwardly waiting for a Happy Meal. The stupid knowledge that this is it for him. That Liam is it.

you try to stop it tumbling (but on and on it goes) by We_are_the_same (2715, General, Liam Payne & Harry Styles) – fic post

Harry helps Liam study

Reccer says: Their friendship is very sweet in this

neither wanting more, neither asking why by justanothershadeofblue (40000, Explicit, Niall Horan/Zayn Malik/Liam Payne/Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post

OT5 Soulmate AU - none of them expect to be fated into a group soulmate bond upon their 18th birthday. But given that they are, what do they do?

Reccer says: A lovely character study of each individual and their role in the group as the relationship develops. Slow-building romance and smut.

My Light by The_Halcyonic_Lachesist (3528, General, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne)

Liam didn’t know he “swung that way”, until he did. Or, Liam’s journey through his gay awakening.

you came into my life by disgruntledkittenface (57180, Mature, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post

The Queer Eye firefighter episode, where Liam is the "hero" they're working with, and Louis is his best friend who didn't expect to get therapy along the way to Liam's makeover.

Reccer says: This fic makes me cry the most wholesome healing tears. Everyone is so good and kind, and everyone cares so much about each other. The Fab Five, Louis, his family, Liam, Niall, Nick, everyone is wonderful.

Catching eyes across the room by beardyboyzx (12000, Not Rated, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne)

Zayn is nineteen when he gets his gift. People say that when you get your gift, you can hear the Magic’s voice whisper what it will be to you the morning of your birthday: Zayn has always wondered what Magic sounded like — but most importantly: what will It say to him?

Now I’ve Got You in My Space by unscattered_horizons (159034, Not Rated, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne)

Zayn and Liam are both dance students at Roehampton University in London. They're just starting their third and final year, and they've spent the last two at each other's throats, bickering and grumbling and competing at every opportunity. They have a handful of mutual friends, all of whom are sick of being in the middle of their tension, wishing they would just fuck and get it over with already.

Reccer says: This writer writes with brilliant emotional intelligence—this fic shows both Li & Z as flawed characters (but who are still open to possibility!)

it’s a long shot just to beat these odds by we_are_the_same (13945, Teen, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne) – fic post Warnings: Anxiety

Louis convinces Zayn to partecipate on Dinner Dates, a sort of cooking show mixed with a dating show. He's paired with world-famous popstar Liam Payne, whom Zayn is a big fan of.

Reccer says: Leaving here one of my fav quotes: Liam bites down on his bottom lip, really giving it a proper thought, and Zayn wonders if he knows just how good he looks. Not just right now, with those perfect teeth on show and his hair done up in a simple but elaborate quiff. But in general. He sort of wants to tell him, but he sort of wants to hear Liam’s reasoning more, so he stays quiet, smiling at him when Liam’s eyes meet his. “Well, I liked what you said, on our date. That you’d like to get to know me. The real me, not the version that you’ve seen in magazines or on the red carpet. Remember?”

Remember Me as a Time of Day by justanothershadeofblue (70000, Explicit, Niall Horan/Zayn Malik/Liam Payne/Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post Warnings: discussion of drugs and alcoholism

It's the 20th anniversary of the One Direction hiatus, and the powers that be have decided that it's time for a reunion tour, and ideally, an album. Can five middle-aged lads thrust into a house in the middle of nowhere to make music sort out two decades worth of hurts, grudges, and resentments and come together with enough love to make a show - and a relationship - that works?

Reccer says: Long-form character study of what it would look like for them all to come together and fall in love all over again as real adults with a lot of baggage. A really healing read, in light of the loss of Liam - absolutely my headcanon for what would have been, if they’d been given the chance.

the birth of love like a force of nature by we_are_the_same (22220, Teen, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne) – fic post Warnings: Talks About Sexual Identity

After moving into a new house, Liam decides to introduce himself to the neighbours. The next thing he knows, he’s tied to a chair and threatened by a small army of fairies.

Reccer says: I just love how magical it is, the author is really good at writing fantasy (and writing Liam)

One to Grow On by yeah_alright (3333, Explicit, Louis Tomlinson/Liam Payne) – fic post

Louis is a sex worker and Liam has booked himself a private session for his birthday to finally properly explore his interest in spanking. This is part of a series but you can definitely read it on its own.

Reccer says: Okay it's pure smut but Liam is so endearing and Louis takes great care of him. And it's so hot!

You are the magic in me by beardyboyzx (2882, Not Rated, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne)

Zayn is eight when he meets the Prince for the first time. His dad is being knighted — the King has seen the way he fought to defend his village from the enemies of the Kingdom and has decided to gift him a piece of land and a title.

Reccer says: This author really has a way with words. I enjoy the writing no matter how many times I read it.

That's Happiness To Me by louislittletomlintum (25000, Explicit, Liam Payne/Louis Tomlinson/Zayn Malik) – fic post Warnings: Drugs/alcohol consumption

a porn with plot zouiam uni au with all the predictable antics and multi pov

Reccer says: i'm particularly proud of how i wrote the smut because writing 3somes is a challenge, i'm also quite happy with how the banter between all of the boys came across and it felt special to write a liam that was more similar to how we met him in x-factor when he was a little more uptight

Chew Toys, Table Scraps and Fresh Starts by zmmf (94300, Mature, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne) – fic post

New beginnings, dogs, enemies to friends to lovers

Reccer says: Deep emotions treated patiently and gently. OT5 friendships. A hopeful read.

in the hope of open hands by justanothershadeofblue (21000, Teen, Niall Horan/Zayn Malik/Liam Payne/Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post Warnings: forced closeting; sexism; the ABO equivalent of misogyny; canon-typical sexualization of young Harry

Five times the pack is protective of omega Harry, and one time Harry protects them. Featuring Louis and Liam as alphas, Zayn and Niall as betas, and Harry’s as the band's lone omega. A year and some change in which they’re all falling for each other and not quite getting their shit together (until they do, of course).

Reccer says: A little bit achy but comforting story told in alternating PoVs of the boys finding their footing as a band, and eventually a pack. A couple really good moments between Liam and Harry and Liam and Louis.

A Dim and Airy Spark by green_feelings (50000, Explicit, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne)

Zayn’s worked hard to become C.E.O. of his own music label -- a position that’s rare for omegas in an alpha-dominated world. It’s not always easy to get people’s acceptance and respect, but Zayn makes it work with the help of his best friend and business partner. When they sign new pop sensation Liam Payne, none of that seems to matter anymore and Zayn has to face some of his greatest fears, and open up old wounds. Or, it has taken Zayn ten years building his walls up, but it takes Liam no time to rip them all down.

If you let me be your man by Lightwoodsmagic (5129, Explicit, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne)

Zayn can't help but trail after someone's scent when he starts his heat in the middle of their history exam. The man offers to help Zayn get home safely when he literally runs into him, but Zayn mistakenly thinks it's an offer to help with his heat.

Reccer says: It's from Zayn’s POV, and he is so enamored with Liam (same)

even with our oath by starcarnivals (20648, Teen, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post

Liam has a teashop. Thinking that they could be a good match, and sad that thay are both single, he sets up his coworker Louis with his friend Harry. Harry and Louis don't like each other but agree to fake date for Liam's sake, to make Liam happy.

Reccer says: Very cute story, fun banter and music talk, and Liam caring about his friends :)

If it makes you feel alive (it's alright) by Beardyboyzx (18842, Teen, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne) – fic post Warnings: Emotional infidelity, internalized homophobia

Lhen Liam was ten years old, Justin Timberlake released Sexy Back. Liam still doesn't know why, but it felt like a turning point, like something that fixed the ever-pending axis of his existence. or: in the first year of university, Liam learns some things about himself.

Reccer says: It's a beautiful discovery of sexuality

Bradford Bad Birb by teaandtumblr (4700, General, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne)

What if Zayn were a duckling? Liam had never meant to be stalked by a duck, but after it had introduced itself via a meme for god's sake, he didn't really have much of a choice. That and the fact that there's something haunting in its eyes.

No One Like You by myownspark (19924, Mature, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson) – fic post

"Where Liam and Niall are art historians discovering the truth about two nineteenth century painters on opposite sides of an artistic divide."

Reccer says: Such a delicate, amazing story. Liam and Niall realise through old letters and paintings by Louis and Harry that the two French artists were lovers, not enemies.

sadness is a little boy looking out the window by we_are_the_same (6477, Teen, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne) – fic post Warnings: Depressed Liam Payne, Suicidal Thoughts, Bullying, Homophobic Language, Homophobia, Depression, References to Depression

Liam is twelve when he receives the key. It’s given to him on his birthday, in a red velvet box, and something about the weight of the box in his palm gives him pause, makes him hold his breath when he unwraps the bow around it. [...] Because this kind of key, it doesn’t just open any door. It reveals what you need most, when you need it most, and it can only be used once.

Reccer says: The angst in it feels so real, so raw

Midnight in Paris by Beardyboyzx (555, General, Liam Payne & Louis Tomlinson) Warnings: Referenced drug use

Q: What is the craziest thing Louis has ever done? A: [...] He left me on my own while I was being arrested nearly by a French policeman [...] or: Liam gets in trouble in Paris.

Reccer says: Poor Liam gets left alone with the police, oh no!

[autistic-ben-tennyson]

Letting Go: How Shinkai Succeeds where Lucas Fails

After reading that essay on how Kung Fu Panda did the “letting go of attachments” story way better than Lucas did, I was inspired to write this. The problem with SW is that it tries to apply what is spiritual advice to a hero’s narrative when it’s not about heroism. It’s about coming to terms with grief, preparing for death or letting your child grow up. I want to talk a bit about two of Makoto Shinkai’s films that are both favorites of mine, Weathering With You and Suzume as both delve into this topic. The latter has its title character come to terms with her grief and trauma while the former is a rejection of the utilitarian view of letting one person die for the “greater good”.

Suzume succeeds with its “letting go” message because it focuses on the journey and shows the importance of a true support system and that it takes time to come to terms with grief. Expecting people to just let go immediately isn’t fair and unrealistic. Suzume’s whole journey is about exploring new places, meeting new people and learning joy can still come from grief.

Shinkai based this movie off the 2011 earthquake which was a real source of trauma for Japan. Suzume is a survivor who lost her mother and her home. She has to learn to not dwell on her past hurt but at no point is she shamed for missing her mother or told to just let Souta rot as the keystone for “the greater good”. She’s allowed to mourn. She and her aunt, Tamaki grow as people and as parent and child through emotional experiences, both in the movie during their argument and reconciliation as well as in the booklet that revealed a bit about their past. Tamaki had the responsibilities of being a parent thrust on her and resented it at times but communication was what helped their relationship become healthier and she never shamed her niece for having negative emotions. I’ve written an essay about this too.

The reason this movie succeeds at its message is that it treats its characters and audience with sensitivity. Suzume heals by remembering the happy moments with her mother and Tamaki was willing to adapt to her needs, unlike the Jedi Council. I think @abla-soso’s written about this but George doesn’t have the healthiest view of human psychology and trauma or of relationships nor is he a good writer. He’s sympathetic to Anakin, sure, but he and much of the fandom treat him as just greedy for holding onto his attachments when he doesn’t have a support system that validates his emotions and won’t help him heal except for telling him to meditate. A child healing by remembering their mother while going on a road trip to come out of their shell is not the same as being forced to go and help slavers that caused you so much pain. How can one heal from that?

The other movie in question, Weathering With You, is sort of a response to the ultra collectivism in Japan. Hina is expected to die so the rainfall will stop but what about the people who know her and have to deal with her loss? The little people are always forgotten about in these greater good arguments. Kind of like Trace and Rafa in TCW. Hodaka may have been selfish, yes, but Hina was the one person who treated him with kindness and affection as opposed to how his parents and the kids from his hometown did. Not to mention she still had a brother to take care of with their mother dying a year before the film was set. To just die would be abandoning those who needed her. Hodaka’s trauma and anger is treated with respect by Shinkai as opposed to just being written off as evil like Lucas or Jedi stans would.

Some have interpreted the movie as a climate change denial story with the rains and flooding being treated as natural. But it’s really more of a response those who put all the blame and pressure on one person to fix the problem, especially the young being forced to do so by the older generations. It’s not fair for the older generations to create these problems then put all the burden of solving it on the youth. The Jedi council was plenty guilty of that with how they treated their padawans. And it’s okay to live your life to the fullest, even if the world is falling apart.

I’m sure the Jedi apologists will probably respond by saying “Jedi aren’t against love or emotion, just possessiveness” but that’s not what the movies show even if Lucas didn’t intend for it to come off that way. Maybe these movies treat the subject with more sensitivity and nuance because they’re written by someone who understands Shinto philosophy unlike a 70s hippie who blends stoicism with eastern beliefs. Yes, SW was intended to be black and white, but that’s not how real life works. What may not affect one person will affect another and it’s not wrong to need time and unconditional love to heal. You can’t just slap labels like selfish attachment or greed on someone when you don’t know or refuse to understand their circumstances and motivations and it’s not fair to judge or write them off.

[aurorasmagic]

Baldr - info, opinions and worship (long post)

I am making this post as a devotion to Baldr<3

Family Parents: Odin and Frigg Wife: Nanna Kid: Forseti Baldr has numerous half siblings, but full brother to Hodr, the blind god He is one of the Aesir

Names and epithets Ways to spell his name: Baldr, Balder, Baldur Epithets: The white, the good, the bright, father of justice

Treasures Home: Breidablik Ship: Hringhorni Horse: Gulltopp (translates to Goldtop)

Baldr is the god of beauty, light, innocence and forgiveness. He is also seen as a god of purity, joy and peace. Some also call him a god of naivity because he always see the good in everyone, even people no one else is able to see good things.

We have little knowledge about Baldr in general. The most known story about him is his death. Some who is devoted to, worship or work with Baldr might not want to work with Loki at all due to this story. Baldr had dreams about his death which gave him long awake nights. His mother, Frigg, tried to help him by making everyone and everything promise not to hurt Baldr, all materials, weapons, sickness etc. All except for the misteltoe, which she thought was too small, young and harmless to make a promise. Now that Baldr seemed absolutely immortal the other gods tried their weapons on him, as nothing would hurt him. His blind brother Hodr wanted to join in, but couldn't because he did not want to hurt anyone. Loki had found a way to know the misteltoe didn't promise to not hurt him, and made an arrow from it which he guided Hodr to shoot at his brother. Baldr died from the arrow and Loki ran away. Later in the story we get to know Baldr would be allowed to leave Helheim and go back to Asgard if the whole world would show their grief after his death, and everyone did except an old lady. It is believed this old lady is Loki to make sure Baldr couldn't return to his family.

Controversy There is controversy whether or not you can work with Baldr due to him being in Helheim. Their argument is true, those who goes to Helheim can't leave it before all gates open and chains break under Ragnarok. But again, Loki is chained and can't leave his place before Ragnarok when all chains breaks and gates open under Ragnarok. If working with Loki is valid, then working with Baldr is as well! And please do not fear having your own beliefs on this. You are free to reach out to him whatever your reason would be.

Lessons What I have gotten from working with Baldr is to forgive. Forgive but not forget, and forgiving doesn't mean to let others walk all over you, and it's also important that you learn to forgive yourself. You also learn to appreciate and find joy in the smallest things, which I personally think has bettered my life quality so much. He wants you to know your worth but still show kindness to the world, and to help others who need.

Offerings and acts of devotion Meditation around a source of light (in the sunlight, by a candle, LED candles, fireplace etc) Help others who need (he used to guide and help his blind brother) Heal and care for your inner child Create something for him Pray to him Appreciate others Enjoy calm music Enjoy your fav herbal tea, raise a glass to him Keep candles that reminds you of him (I personally love the scented ones) Practice forgiveness and compassion, especially towards yourself Devote a plushie that reminds u of him or summer Symbols of light, sunrise, summer, and things you find beautiful, keep around, decorate or keep on jewelry Decorate with fairy lights and lanterns Take notice in your progress and look at how far you got Sketch, draw, write and other creative expressions Sunbathe (Remember sunscreen) Express or decompress Take a walk on a sunny day Practice regulating emotions, and feel your emotions Find healthy emotional outlets Spend time with the ones you love Do something that makes you happy Play with your pets Donate to organizations that helps homeless, sick, disabled etc Take care of yourself Make a comfortable and safe space for yourself Celebrate achievements, even small ones Clean trash around your neighborhood or in nature (also great offering to Jord, Gaia, or other personification of Earth) Practice open-mindedness, agree to disagree Honor your ancestors, learn about your family history (family were huge in the norse society, and Balder loves his family) Flowers, especially those strongly connected to the sun(Mayweed and Sea Mayweed is both known under the name Balder's brow in Sweden and Norway, they would make a great offering as well) He is associated to the colors gold, white, yellow and sky-blue carnelian, red jasper, citrine, goldstone, sunstone -Some say misteltoe would be a nice offering, but some believes you shouldn't, would recommend asking him before you offer it

Signs -I haven't found much of set signs that Baldr is reaching out to you, which might be because of the lack of information. However I have seen these; You randomly think about him over an extented period of time The rune Dagaz/Dagr Dreams become very symbolic Dreaming about him You can always reach out to him if that feels right for you! I personally see him in the sun and 7 of swords. He could also be big in meditation and dream interpretations because of his dremas before the story of his death.

[fanfoolishness]

Headcanons for Crosshair's healing, post-finale

I'm definitely hoping to write fics incorporating most or all of these, but if I wind up stalling out on them, at least they'll be preserved here! I'm also linking to some fics or art where I've addressed some of these points, if you're curious. :)

In the immediate post-Tantiss aftermath, Crosshair is a foggy mess, between the shock and pain of his injury and the pain medication AZI has him on. He has some heart-to-hearts with his family here, but the vulnerability he shows during this time dries up once he's more clear-headed. Still, he realizes more and more that his family wants to help him, and will.

Once some of the major healing of his stump has occurred, he throws himself into helping his family build and furnish their new home (it's Star Wars and there's prefabs, so it doesn't really take too long, but it's a good distraction for a bit), as well as helping with simple things around the island like deliveries of things he can carry easily without a hand. He stays close to Omega when he can, feeling anxious when she's out of sight, something his brothers share.

The more routine and settled the days get, the worse his nights start to become. Nightmares of his time with the Empire, his imprisonment and torture on Tantiss, the terror and pain of losing his hand, and worst of all, Tech, start disrupting his sleep. He tries to pretend it's nothing, but his family isn't fooled. Decompressing from the absolute adrenaline rush of being focused on rescuing Omega leaves too much space for bad memories to start bubbling up, as well as unresolved grief.

Omega, realizing he's struggling -- and starting to struggle herself for many of the same reasons, which I could write a whole other post on! -- tries to get him to meditate with her again, but he brushes her off. No hand? No tremor? Problem solved, right?

AZI offers to work on a prosthetic for him, but he declines. Not because he's content with his arm as it is right now, but because he's afraid a prosthetic will shake, too, and because he still struggles with feeling like he doesn't deserve help.

He shifts into a depressive state with isolating himself from his family, eating poorly, and sleeping terribly. He spends a lot of time walking around with Batcher, and starts to notice some of the birds around the island. He still has moments of happiness, like when spending time with Omega, playing fetch with the hound, seeing his brothers doing well, or noticing the beauty of Pabu, but the instant the happy thing is over, the black cloud returns.

He resists any talk about Tech, even as his nightmares grow more and more to include his brother.

Until it's made clear that Omega is having a hard time, too, and modeling some of the same behaviors he is -- pulling away, clamming up, nightmares. It's when he sees her struggling that he realizes he still might not care about healing for himself... but if it could help her in some way, maybe he needs to try.

I haven't quite figured out the inciting factor for this next part, but something Happens, and Crosshair finally breaks down about Tech. I am envisioning something truly messy and painful. But when his family finds him and convinces him to talk, he finally starts letting it out. His guilt, his self-hatred in that Tech would still be alive if they hadn't tried to rescue him, that his message had had the opposite effect, that he didn't take the chance to come with them on Kamino or to go with Cody. He's worried Tech would be angry at him, would hate him for who he'd been in the Empire, for being the reason Tech died, and he's been carrying all of this for months.

His family is able to reassure him that Tech never stopped caring about him, that Tech would be the first to realize Crosshair had changed. And there'd be some very sweet moments where they remember him together, as a family. ;_;

The nightmares start to get better, and Crosshair asks Omega to start meditating with him again. It's not perfect, there are still hard days, but he starts being more social again, keeps up with the meditating, is better able to be there for Omega when she's having a hard time too.

With the guilt of losing Tech starting to heal, he can start trying to heal the rest of him, too. He works with AZI and Echo to try a prosthetic.

As he feared, it does shake, too, now and then. At first it panics him and he takes the hand off and doesn't try it again for days. But the others encourage him to try again, and as he keeps up with the meditation, the tremors get fewer. They still happen sometimes, but they are less distressing; if it really bothers him, he takes off his hand. He winds up wearing his prosthetic maybe 50% of the time, sometimes taking it off to relax and not worry about the tremors, sometimes taking it off just because he doesn't feel like using a second hand, sometimes just because it will always feel a little strange and he just prefers being without it sometimes.

Within a few months of using the prosthetic, he finds his old mirror pucks and builds a suncatcher out of them, taking an object of war and making it into something warm and artistic. Every time he looks at it, he remembers how far he's come, how he's becoming less and less defined by being a sniper, a soldier, every day.

Eventually, he and Echo do get word from Cody. Seeing him again is frightening -- remembering how badly he'd failed Cody when he had the chance, wondering if Cody will only see him as he was then -- but he's eager to show Cody how much he's changed. Cody for his part is still feeling guilt over the Order and his work for the Empire, and both of them are able to reassure each other and remind each other there is a path forward.

Within 2-3 years, Crosshair is doing far better. He still misses Tech terribly, but guilt and shame and repressed grief have changed into smiling when he talks about Tech, or quiet moments with rare tears when things are harder. He visits Tech's goggles sometimes, whether on his own or with one of his siblings. The messy breakdown and the knotty repression phases have largely ended. Nightmares are uncommon now, and usually soothed with meditation or talking to his brothers or Omega or Batcher. Like others have suggested he has probably taken up fishing as so many on the island do, but in his spare time he has started to appreciate the birds of Pabu, especially when he remembers how much Tech loved recording sounds. He finds recordings of several species on Tech's datapad and uses it to keep track of the birds he sees, feeling a little closer to his brother when he does so. His enthusiasm for the creatures rubs off on the rest of their family, too. He meditates daily; sometimes with Omega, but often on his own. Wrecker hates it and has fallen asleep the rare times he's tried it, but Hunter, to Crosshair's surprise, joins him occasionally. Batcher loves it and views it as part of her daily nap routine.

On trips home from the Rebellion, when Omega is frustrated or heartsick about losses or the odds they are facing, she knows she can always nudge her white-haired brother and say, "Want to meditate a bit?" And he'll say yes, every time. <3

Any thoughts? I do hope I get a chance to write all this out in fic form, but it was nice getting it down for my own edification :)

[ur-haruspis]

halo 4 // halo: epitaph

“Civilizations will rise in our stead, and our job as caretakers will at last bear fruit. Until then, I leave you here, my love. The only living thing in this galaxy, sealed safely away. Spend these ages ahead of you in meditation on your choices. When you wake, you will find the humans. I have ensured that they will grow strong and vibrant . . . They will be our rightful heirs. Their gene plan dictates that the galaxy will be theirs to care for by then. I beg of you . . .” She had left him a galactic cartographer, a key that showed the way to vast reserves of Forerunner technology so that he might use it to assist and guide humanity as they claimed the Mantle of Responsibility. “Find the strength to help them learn from our mistakes. And my husband? Let them teach you something. Please.” When he first heard them, he’d found those parting words intensely condescending. Found her hope that he’d be humanity’s teacher and champion utterly laughable. Yet, he failed to hear the devastation in her voice, the grief, and the raw longing she had for him to live, to continue on in the world, to one day be whole again. But the Domain would be burned by Halo. There would be no connection to its boundless stores of information, no ability to commune and heal and reflect. A thousand centuries would pass in silence. In the madness the Gravemind had created for him. And once the galaxy was reseeded, civilizations rose once more, and he woke to start the cycle of suffering all over again. He was awash in remorse, in the betrayal he had caused, the fury at having been violated and manipulated and used. . . . A pawn! He roared, slamming his fists against the rock with such force that it cracked the stone and left him stricken with sorrow. In the end, after all he had done, all the pain and suffering he had wrought . . . She had still chosen to save him.

[hello-nichya-here]

Azula antis be like: "I can excuse a blind character sensing whether someone is lying by feeling their pulse that vibrates through the ground miles afar from her but I draw the line at good mental health facilities being a thing. That's just unrealistic"

And like... in what way is some bullshit like the asylum she was sent to in the comics in ANY WAY "realistc" considering the context of how things are explictly shown to work in the world of Avatar?

At the Boiling Rock, we are explictly told there's an inmate that is trying to deal with his anger issues. We also see in "The Guru" that Aang is processing his grief and trauma through meditation and opening his chakras. Katara took an important step in processing her grief through a life changing field trip. Toph was starting to get over some of her complexes by finally being allowed to have friends. We see both Zuko and And spend whole episodes hallucinating and both are fixed by sleeping!

Why is Azula the only character that needs to get "help" in a horror movie style when everyone benefits from the fact that THEIR WORLD OPERATES IN THE HOPEFUL "LOVE, FRIENDSHIP AND KINDNESS FIX EVERYTHING" MOST KID SHOWS DO?

Not to mention, Azula is a princess and a prodigy that was only ever defeated by Zuko and the Gaang - keeping her "out of sight and out of mind" is begging for trouble because either she'll eventually recover on her own and gain herself some powerful allies like she did in Ba Sing OR someone will take advantage of the fact that such a powerful person is so emotionally vulnerable and use her as a pawn in their own game, Ozai style.

And, of course, there's the fact ZUKO IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE FIRE LORD THAT WILL BRING ON AN ERA OF PEACE AND KINDNESS! What kind of wise, merciful ruler would allow a place like that asylum to even exist, let alone turn their own sibling into a patient/inmate that will be abused there, ESPECIALLY when said sibling has basically surrendered already AND the writers themselves said that when he saw Azula cry after their Agni Kai, he felt no joy at his victory or anger at Azula for nearly killing him - he felt PITY! Katara even has to offer him some emotional support during it, for God's sake! I do not buy that he would not care about Azula's well being or see her being abused as some kind of "justice."

Azula would likely be cared for at the palace or at the very least in a good institution that would legit help her. Anything else is a disrespect not just to both her and Zuko as characters, but to the message of the show.

[palfriendpatine66]

Well shit, I'll take as much spanking as you'd like to write.

🫡 (part 1) (part 2)

You don't have to do this," Anakin clarified.

"I'm aware."

"I just want to make sure you know that," Anskin snapped defensively. "Alright?"

"Anakin," Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose and summoned what had to have been the very last thread of his patience. "I am willing to do what I must to put this event and these unpleasant feelings behind us. If you need to take some control back over the situation or humiliate me, or whatever it is that you think you're going to get out of this, so be it. Yes, I will give it a try if-" he raised a hand, because of course there were conditions, "- if you with meditate with me afterward."

There it was.

As reasonable as the request was - even more reasonable when compared to what Anakin himself had just impulsively asked for - that understandable logic was exactly what made it so aggravating.

The Negotiator, always offering up compromises and alternatives.

Except, apparently, when it came to the council.

Because Obi-Wan respected the Council's judgement and wisdom. He didn't critique and criticize every aspect that could go wrong with their plans. He took direction from the Council unquestioningly. When they suggested that he fake his death it had probably been Obi-Wan's observation that Anakin's reaction, his padawan's public grief, would sell the deception.

Anakin no longer felt an uneasy disquiet at what he had asked of his master.

Obi-Wan deserved to have a sore ass.

Maybe then he would think twice before resorting to deception and lies. They were partners. They were The Team. How were they supposed to function flawlessly as two haves of the same whole if they didn't trust one another?

This was one way Obi-Wan could show his trust in Anakin. Maybe it would be the first step in rebuilding the trust that had existed between them.

[johaerys-writes]

hey its the anon who was asking about achilles’ characterisation in the iliad! thank you so much for your answer, it was super informative and helpful. i think i very much had the wrong interpretation because i had a classics teacher for a year before my school scrapped the subject and they basically rambled about how achilles was a rapist and awful and went against the gods etc. without really going into the nuance of everything or explaining the context of heroes. i was kind of curious about your mention of hubris though? i thought that was a Big Thing in ancient greece because placing yourself on a pedestal above the gods was a guaranteed way to get yourself smote. sorry for acting like a student bugging their favourite teacher for an answer but you really do explain things so well 😅

Hubris is a big thing in ancient greece, you're right; there are so many myths where someone does something stupid and gets their ass whooped by the gods (e.g. Perseus and Andromeda, among many others). But it isn't exclusive to Ancient Greece. In fact, the idea of hubris may have started there, but it changed throughout the years and took different forms in literary tradition. In ancient greek mythos, hubris is usually violent or dangerous behaviours, such as extreme boasting, that are ultimately punished by the gods. In that sense, hubris is external, that means the punishment comes from outside. As cultures changed and the focus shifted more on the individual, hubris started being used to denote a personality quality of excessive pride and arrogance, which are big no-no's in Christianity. So hubris gradually became more of an internal thing, a cautionary tale to make sure the faithful stay humble and are rewarded in the afterlife. In the context of stories, that often comes with personal development of some kind, such as the protagonist seeing the error of their ways and changing their behaviour, which isn't really an integral part of ancient greek mythos as a whole.

Ancient greek hubris and christian hubris often become confused, and because we are taught that hubris is SO important to greek mythos, people try all the time to fit the Homeric works into these neat little boxes. The thing is that Homer does not fit into that; Homer was strange even when the works were written. The Iliad doesn't follow the traditional formulae of stories and myths that were popular at the time, especially oral poetry: it includes emotional change but isn't a story about personal empowerment; there is complexity and nuance in all of the characters but the characters are not idealised; it is a meditation on complex social and human themes such as the connection between rage and grief; it puts mortality, not morality, at the center of the story.

It shows how vulnerable the characters are through their rage or their grief or their passions in general, but the story isn't at all about characters being punished for their hubris or wrong-doings. For example, Agamemnon technically commits hubris in the very first book of the Iliad, when he refuses to give Chryseis back to her father and Apollo gets pissed off about it. This could be considered dangerous behaviour by ancient greek standards, and the Achaeans are indeed punished for it with the plague that Apollo sends their way. However, at the end of the day Agamemnon himself does not get punished for his transgression in any way. He gets everything he wants: Achilles rejoins the fight eventually, Hector is killed, Troy is sacked, he returns to Argos a victor.

Achilles, too, could be said to have committed hubris through excessive violence, when he killed so many people he clogged up the river and then fought the god Scamander himself; and yet he isn't punished by the gods or by the narrative, he is one of the few characters (perhaps the only?) that gets a redemption arc of sorts, by returning Hector's body to Priam and treating the old man with respect, thus showing us his generosity, his integrity, and the nobility of his character once again. And that's where the Iliad ends for him. Not with his death or with him killing even more Trojans or whatever, but with a poignant and moving scene between two people on opposite sides of a war, who have lost everything and yet still find this point of connection between them.

So Homer, and especially the Iliad, breaks all of those norms when it comes to traditional storytelling, and that's why I think it's a work that still baffles and intrigues so many classicists. That's why in my previous answer I said that it's important to keep an open mind, and to try to avoid blindly applying literary criticism devices such as cause-and-effect analyses or importing modern moral judgement and anachronistic theories in works like Homer.

I hope this helped! I love talking about the Iliad so if you have any more questions I'd gladly answer them <3

P.S. WOW that professor really needs to get their facts straight lmao, I'm sorry your first contact with the Iliad and Achilles was through a lens like that. It always astounds me how little some people actually know about the subjects they're supposed to be experts in, like to talk about Achilles, a character from the ILIAD, and to refer to him as a "rapist", a thing that only appears in later Roman works which were basically ILIAD FANFIC LMAO, and BAD fanfic at that because it was essentially anti-Greek propaganda......... wow wow wow

P.S.2 unless the "rapist" thing refers to him sleeping with Briseis/a slave, which WOW once again extremely myopic take, very culturally and contextually tone deaf, I wish they actually do their research and stop spreading slander, that's slander, like come ON

[skellymom]

BAD BAD BATCH SEASON 3, EP 8 SPOILERS

FENNEC SHAND

Total bitch. But effective bounty hunter.

Props to her cutting the wires on the pontoon boat.

Boo to her nasty remark:

Hunter "Money isn't everything."

Fennec: "That's cause you don't have any."

He didn't clap back. Too tired? Or, he KNOWS he's got a family and a place on Pabu where money isn't really even super important.

In fact, she even asked him about Omega. Back in S2 she seemed to be bantering with Omega about having to be careful, especially if you are on your own. It seemed she was speaking about herself too.

She also alluded to Omega being taken. But didn't elaborate if that was when Cad Bane or Hemlock took her.

The person Fennec spoke to via the garbled or distorted transmission at the end:

Could it be Tech? Or Clone Trooper X?

I tried to turn up my TV as loud as possible to hear the voice, but I think it was distorted intentionally to keep us guessing.

The music playing was ominous, so there is a chance it was nefarious. But it wouldn't seem to be the Empire as she wouldn't need to phrase the question about the "Empires M-Count" the way she did.

Fennec to Wrecker and Hunter: "You can either fight me or trust me. Your choice.". Then she salutes them as her ship pulls out of the hangar.

It would be kind of cool to see them all work together again. Good bickering teammates.

**********

CROSSHAIR AND OMEGA

While I like the message of reaching out to others for help. I didn't like the narrative of having to "fix yourself with meditation/possible Force power" if Crosshair indeed does have PTSD.

This series is veterans of war coded. PTSD is something many came home with and struggled/will struggle with for the rest of their lives. There is no quick fix.

I'm hoping Omega will be supportive, but Crosshair may have to accept not being a perfect killing machine in exchange for being an imperfect loving human being.

We will see..

********

PHEE

This saddens me so much: The lack of serious conversation or even a memorial moment for the loss of a central character and potential love interest.

Yeah, it's a kids/young adults show. But even then effective grief representation could have been written in.

The clones (many of which were nameless) in TCW S7 who went down with the Tribunal got a final resting place tribute marker with their helmets.

There could have been one for Tech on Pabu with his Goggles. Perhaps he would have had a place in the Archium? And a moment of silence with the whole Batch, Phee, Lyana, and Shep. He helped save the people of Pabu and rebuild after the Tsunami.

********

That's all I got to say about this episode.

What's everyone's thoughts about it???

[gremlinbabe]

Things I would’ve liked seeing in the teen wolf movie:

-Laura being the birth mom of Eli & the story of how Derek ended up adopting his nephew

- Scott as a veterinarian following deatons steps but he decided to relinquish his true alpha powers to Derek when he realized he really isn’t cut out to be alpha because he never wanted to be a werewolf but with therapy realized he wouldn’t mind being a beta because it’s much calmer and if he stayed in the area wouldn’t become an omega. Making Scott happier maybe he finds himself a gf/bf

-Alpha Derek encouraging his pack by leading by example became a mechanic and a consultant (also show more mechanic Derek 😭😭)

-Grown fbi emissary stiles with little magics & werewolf strength. Happy & dating Derek with a newly fixed jeep

-Stiles and Lydia reestablishing a good friendship after the break up and the whole thing with the Jeep

- CEO & fashion icon Lydia using banshee powers to find out when corporate Headhonchos die to bet on stocks that will increase pack funds a little but not make it suspicious. still being on top of her game ceo wise excluding her powers

-Seeing more of Lydia’s powers.

-Jackson and Lydia sass offs (but with Margo/Elliot from the magicians dynamics and not whatever they did in the movie)

-Jackson and Ethan wedding👀 or at least cute domestic life

-Liam in meditation classes & a financial analyst, in charge of pack finances (+Liam and Hayden together and maybe have a kid)

-If Liam has a kid Mason to be the godfather

-Peter as a stockbroker so Lydia doesn’t have to dirty her name & maybe some art galleries around the world for when he needs to step away from stocks to not be suspicious.

-Issac happy with a French husband who treats him amazing back in beacon hills & neighbors with Derek & regularly does community bbqs. i’d like to think that Isaac would become an amazing social worker for how badly social workers handled his case.(Maybe a little bit of father figure Chris cuz he took care of him and grieved with him after Allison)

-Chris argent allowed at pack bbqs and functions because he’s proved himself over and over and the pack is the only ppl who can also understand the lost of his daughter

-Peter and Chris regularly attend therapy and grief counseling and sometimes together

-Peter and the sheriff do lunch sometimes and we get stories about all the on goings of become hills cuz they like to gossip like old ladies

-Malia back in beacon hills after traveling the world and has become a pilot and constantly brings gifts for the pack ( maybe she introduces 2 poly partners)

-Kira back from the dessert with a mastery of her powers and maybe a journalist now

-Jordan retires as a cop to get his powers under control & becomes a fitness instructor to keep active but have a more chill pace job. I’d like to think that he recommended meditation classes to Liam.

-Erica and Boyd alive well and happy with some kids(let me be delusional)

-The hale house remodeled to fit all the pack when they visit

- I liked John & Mason as sheriff & deputy. ITs Mason following stiles steps in his own way

-Mason get a cute bf

-Deaton left town to go work with his sister but stays as a hale pack ally /mentor of emissary! stiles

-Cora being a cool aunt, ufc fighter 👀

-Discount kira can stay but she’s just introduced as a part of Satomi‘s pack and not as discount Kira and maybe kira occasionally mentors her

-Eli is adorable as is, maybe give him some friends and show his interactions with his pack and how they spoil him to death 

-Some low-key Chris, Peter, and Melissa dates

-Give the sheriff a girlfriend

-Show the sheriff being a grandpa

-Derek regularly cooking and bringing lunch to the sheriff for stiles

-Kira and Scott getting back together would’ve been cute

-Would’ve rather Allison stay dead for storyline consistency and the emotional development and growth of all the characters. But if she’s sticking around then I would’ve liked for Scott to fill her in and they be friends. She gets to visit Isaac and we get to see that reunions reaction and they’re both happy for each other. we get to see her and her dad reuniting and him fumbling over explaining his current relationship with Peter & Melissa. And maybe she leaves Beacon Hills with Malia to learn more about herself & the world. And when she’s ready to come back she becomes a self-defense teacher. NO HER AND SCOTT DATING HATED THAT.

-For Malia and Parrish to have not been a thing because why🤢

[cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut]

Thanks to @carlos-tk @carlos-in-glasses @strandnreyes @freneticfloetry @lemonlyman-dotcom and @sanjuwrites for the tags! Please enjoy some (more than seven sentence worth of) angsty smut from First Time After, a WIP I’m hoping to finish by the end of next week! 💛

Carlos sucks him slowly tonight. Slow but not teasing – an important distinction. It’s sensual this time, the way Carlos sinks down slowly, sucks TK firm but with delicate pace. It’s not about showing off, not about making him beg for more or pull Carlos’s hair to guide him playfully. It’s about love, TK realises, as he makes fists in the bedsheets and lets his whole life’s experience narrow down to the warmth of Carlos’s mouth as he takes him in like this – the gentle drag of his tongue against the underside of TK’s c*ck, the way he pulls back carefully and slides back down, the way he grips TK’s thighs softly, strokes his thumbs back and forth soothingly over his skin. It’s about need, he thinks, as he tilts his head back and touches fingers to Carlos’s head. He applies no pressure, makes no attempt to control his movements. He feels the softness of his boyfriend’s hair and the heat of him through his curls. He hears himself moaning, soft keens that break through the silence, his every breath gone ragged as Carlos blows him expertly, and lovingly, right here on their bed.

And, as Carlos sinks down as far as he’s gone yet tonight, and swallows against the sensitive head of TK’s c*ck, TK’s body gives a tantalising, involuntary jolt, and he remembers there’s one more thing all of this is about.

Grief.

Something small dislodges in TK’s chest, and a sob tears out of his throat.

No pressure tags below

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