#it's aspirational for Sure!!! but it's also true and hearing it makes it more powerful and! feel more real!!!

[brown-little-robin]

@brown-little-robin appreciation post! You are living you are loving you are serving the Lord and delighting in who He's made you to be and it's an honor to see it

[pumpkinbxtch]

hi! I love your Apollo fics sm can I please request a fic we’re the reader is Percy’s older sister and she finds out there’s like a prophecy of her marrying Apollo and then like they eventually meet and fall and love and then what there marriage is like

𓇼 the sun & the sea 𓇼 〰✷〰

— apollo / lester x daughter of poseidon!reader

— part i | part ii | part iii | part iv |

☆ radiostar is playin': hot rod by dayglow...!

summary: There is a prophecy waiting for you to listen to it and although it may not be something you expect or consider possible. You know what they say about prophecies…they can't fail to come true.

warnings: none BUT long read, literally. got out of hand and i couldn't stop writing. that's bad? oh, fuck me, i'm sorry. a/n: i appreciate your request, thank you (although I think I changed it a little, sorry). HEAR ME OUT I feel like I owe a lot of love to those who love Apollo, so that's why I didn't entertain the idea of ​​making this long. Hope you like I know it's long, but I promise I did my best to make it bearable and fun, I swear. 😭

“The sea and the sun are not far away as they look…”

They told you to stay away from the attic of The Big House, but they never told you why.

“Only he can go up”, they said, and it seemed stupid to you because he was your younger brother; you were supposed to protect him.

“It's very dangerous”, they told you while Annabeth went up, even though you were a couple of years older than her.

“Only if you lead some quest, but…” but no, because as the years went by, they made sure to remind you of your place. They told you that you were powerful, smart, and capable, because, yes, you were Poseidon's firstborn, but not the chosen one. That was Percy, your brother. Did it hurt? Yes, as an older sister, you tend to aspire to greatness and be an example, but you didn't die; you got over it.

“What does it matter? Less work for me” you said as you watched your brother's back on all the missions. Anyway, you ended up stuck in his destiny.

“His destiny. But then, what's mine?” you wondered. Then, when you took a step near Rachel Dare's cave, they stopped you too.

“It's–”

“Dangerous.” You completed the familiar phrase with a look of disgust, avoiding Chiron's eyes. He just looked at you with pity, thinking to himself that if you went in there, you could cause more trouble for your father or Olympus… Or everyone; it would be a war among all the Olympians, something they didn't need with Titan Kronos already on their heels.

Dionysus gave you his typical mocking smile, the same one that made you want to grab the can of Diet Coke and throw it right at his disgusting Christmas-reindeer-red nose.

“It would be so interesting, but we don't need it,” he said as he dragged you away from Rachel with Chiron.

You weren't stupid, you knew there was some good reason. But damn, those fossils were sneaky and never let you get to your redheaded companion, who also avoided you like the plague. Between those two things, you never managed to achieve it. Even less so after you ended up fighting on the Argo II with your new friends, straight from real Greece.

Oh, man, if you had thought Kronos was a damn old grump, Gaea was an old ball-buster. You didn't even have time to think about your future when you didn't know if you had one.

After the second war is when you started to throw in the towel about the future. You realized that the last thing you wanted to know at that moment was whether you would have to fight against twelve more Titans, return to Tartarus, or travel to Alaska again.

New Rome became your new home, and you only waited for Percy to catch up with you along with everyone else. That is, until you returned home to pack new things and didn't find your brother studying just as he should be.

— Mom? — You asked when she came back from shopping.

She gave you that look, and you cursed.

— Relax, he'll be back in a while; he just went to drop off Apollo or well, now he's Lester because apparently he's no longer a god but Zeus…

— Wow. Wait, what?

As a hero of Olympus, touching, seeing, or talking to the gods was never impossible for you; in fact, it was much more usual for your taste, and although you had been through too much already, that was new. So, you found yourself immediately traveling to Long Island Sound on the back of a Pegasus, looking for your brother. You wouldn't let Apollo, Lester, or whatever he called himself now take your brother away to distract him with his godly stuff that surely wouldn't lead to anything good.

— Where's Percy?! — You shouted in the dining hall, making the campers flinch.

Chiron got up from his seat, and from there, he smiled at you, but it only put you in a worse mood.

— Dear, it's been a long journey. Please, sit and eat with us.

You lowered your head without taking your eyes off Chiron and tightened the dagger on your belt. There was no reason for it, you knew, but you couldn't help feeling that fury after knowing everything you had been through. Percy deserved a break.

— Where's my brother? — The pause between words made the campers squirm in their uncomfortable seats. They had heard about you, about everyone. to be exact, in the third lesson of history in their camp classes.

— He left Apollo and Meg in a field not far from here — Chiron decided to sit back down and began to spread the tablecloth nervously. — He probably should have already reached home while you were flying here.

You sighed, and as you relaxed your body, everyone seemed to feel relieved.

— He has exams, Chiron — He nodded, and you made your way to the table where he was.

— In fact, there are problems, and apparently, he promised to come back this weekend — Your eyebrows furrowed again, and Dionysus laughed.

— Girl, shouldn't you be in New Rome?

— I went home for a few more things, also taking the opportunity to see my family, and it turns out that my little brother was helping an ex god who can't fend for himself, risking his studies. — You replied without looking at him — And speaking of brothers, you should control yours, Mr. D.

The god of wine snorted, and you formed a mocking smile. — Insolent.

— Miss Jackson — Chiron intervened, and you softened your gaze toward him — You can stay tonight, you know you're welcome and after all, it's too late to travel on Pegasus.

You didn't argue with them; you'd never put your pegasus in danger. So, for the first time in a long time, you returned to your cabin, the same one you shared with Percy and Tyson for so many years, and you had to admit that you missed him. At dawn, you were preparing to travel, and you left at the moment you thought no one was watching you, how wrong you were because a few meters away, Apollo was hidden behind the cabin piles, admiring you from afar.

— She… — He felt his heart tighten, and his gaze unfocused. He cursed his mortal body for how weak it was.

— Pervert! — Meg shouted, alerting the other campers who turned confused, and Apollo blushed.

— Shut up, I'm not a pervert — He smiled exaggeratedly at the others, pretending a smile and letting them know that everything was fine.

— You saw her — Said a voice behind him once Meg was far enough away to hear. The brunette turned and smiled sheepishly.

— For a second — Apollo replied, avoiding his old friend's gaze; embarrassment nibbled at his body, and it became evident once his cheeks glowed.

Chiron had never seen him… like that, so young, embarrassed, and notably imperfect, but despite Apollo's opinions about his recent change, he thought it suited him well, even found it amusing.

— You remember…

— I remember it well, Chiron — Apollo blushed even more — That's why I didn't approach her; dealing with my father's wrath is enough. Now I don't want to annoy Poseidon or I'll probably wake up dead on the lake shore tomorrow.

He played with the tips of his sneakers as buried them in the rocks on the floor; he looked like a scared little boy, but Chiron didn't judge him.

— I think you know what it means when she's around when you're close.

The ex god didn't want to pay attention, but he knew he was right.

— Although I remember who she is… there’s a problem. I don't remember how to avoid her…— Apollo's blue eyes looked directly at Chiron's, and the urgency on his face told him he was telling the truth. — If I don't know now, it's going to be harder; all I can do is hide if she's near.

— We've lasted many years with this circus, and as much as I respect the lord of the seas, I don't think this will last long. And you know what's more stubborn than a son of the sea god?

— The sea god — Apollo raised his eyebrows in annoyance, and Chiron resisted rolling his eyes.

— Fate, Apollo. You know it well, things are written. The prophecy is still there; it exists, and all we've done is delay the inevitable.

The brunette nodded with annoyance and waved his hand dismissively.

Although he wanted to pretend that he didn't care, the anxiety of what was to come ate at him. He knew very well that it wouldn't take long for you to discover what all these years had been hidden from you. If Apollo reflected better on that, he wasn't sure he wanted to continue keeping it to himself, either, 'cause those years had been torture for him. Yeah, he knew that you weren't yet mature enough for your mind to be stained with the weight of a prophecy that, unlike the others, not had to do with some quest or some imminent danger that threatened the entire world; but now you are in college, he couldn't wait for you to know.

The thing was, your father thought that the one who could be in danger was you, his precious daughter since Apollo was selfish, arrogant, and immature to have been around for eons. Poseidon could not fully explain the reason The Fates had woven such a destiny for you. So, until things had and could happen at the right time, in the right way, he warned Apollo to be close to you and he knew so well that be such an idiot idea to make him angry.

Before his thoughts could swallow him, Apollo shake them off and sigh to Chiron.

— Right now, I have a bigger problem. I think we've found something.

— Where?

— Here — Chiron frowned, and Apollo looked towards the camp's forest. — My dear friend, you have the Grove of Dodona here, in your playground.

Apollo didn't know that of all the decisions he had made in his life, avoid you was the best one he could make, because even if you had met that day or before, with the things that were about to happen to him, he wouldn't come back as half the man he was.

“Things at the moment, in time” the fates whispered in some place.

[monkey-d-ezekiel]

Gear Reverse Theory (kinda)

okay hear me out. no the 3 week break is not messing with my mind. but WHAT IF Gear Reverse is an actual thing. we've seen Luffy in Gear 5 multiple times by now, right? and one of the consistent responses that Luffy has had to people acknowledging him as Sun God Nika has been essentially "Huh? I'm just Monkey D. Luffy!". Like he does not care for this Sun God business in the slightest.

The point is, Luffy has never wanted to be any sort of hero or God, and he doesn't take kindly to his new gear (Gear 5) basically being called a reincarnation of someone else, specifically someone who was worshipped as a God of Liberation. He always clarifies that he's just Monkey D. Luffy and doesn't really understand this Sun God business.

But we've also seen it be stated that Zoan devil fruits have a 'will of their own' and in the case of Luffy's mythical zoan, the will of the fruit is that of Sun God 'Nika'. We've seen Luffy undergo a fairly noticeable shift in personality numerous times while fighting in Gear 5. While his major fights pre-awakening used to be tense struggles with him adopting a more serious demeanor, his recent fights have been more characterized by humor and goofiness. This seems to be a direct effect of the will of Sun God Nika or Joyboy coming to the forefront. In a way you could say that Luffy's will and personality is sort of playing second fiddle in Gear 5.

We all know that Luffy is a headstrong and in a sense, selfish guy. He values his beliefs, personality and aspirations over the morality of a hero, as we've seen several times in the series. He was averse to Jimbei trying to frame him as a hero in FMI, and the same held true for one of his first interactions with Vegapunk, in which he seemed disenchanted at the thought of being some sort of hero. Oda seems to be indicating more than once that Luffy is yet to realize that his awakening has made him a reincarnation of a God.

So what exactly will Luffy do once he fully understands what his fruit and its awakening entail? He's going to be unhappy about it. Luffy does not want to be a hero, and especially not when it comes with the added cost of having your will taken over by a mythical deity. and this is where Gear Reverse comes in. Luffy is going to be the first human to go beyond his awakening. Gear Reverse is going to be Luffy asserting his will over the fruit and making use of all its powers post awakening while also making sure his will is the dominant one, and not that of the fruit. I'm not sure how exactly Gear Reverse would look, but I think it would be cool if it was Luffy simply in his base form and nothing more, while still being able to fight in the ridiculous manner he does, turning the environment to rubber and such.

I think one of the biggest indicators which point towards Luffy slowly gaining control over his devil fruit, rather than his devil fruit having control over him, is this panel from chapter 1108. It is in equal parts menacing and goofy, combining both those elements to create a terrifying atmosphere, and a bit of a departure from the overly humorous style of fighting that Gear 5 has been so far.

Anyways yeah, there's probably a buncha holes in this theory, but I found the concept of an internal clash of wills within Luffy, between him and his devil fruit, to be pretty interesting and in character for Luffy, while also being a fresh and innovative direction for the series to take with Gear 5 rather than it just being a chosen one story.

[deliciousnecks]

hi! i love wwdits and i am not too invested in a nandor guillermo end game situation but i DO think that’s what they have been working towards and it’s kinda weird that they say that’s not true???? (maybe i’ve misinterpreted the interview) i feel like the power dynamics over the last few seasons have shifted and i think nandor and guillermo are kinda on even playing fields now. also idk i think it’s kinda silly that they have to be an ethical couple with no power imbalances bc it’s a silly vampire show that has done WAY crazier things. I don’t think they have painted nandor or guillermo as aspirational role models at all and i think it’s weird to write a show with the stipulation that every character must be ethical. they are all corrupt and weird!!!! idk i love the show but i do think the power imbalance thing is a silly criticism bc it’s not realistic and no one is supposed to model their relationships off of Vampire Goes To Space and Baby Vampire Crawls Out Of Colin Robinson show… ya know?

no, anon, but same. like i like guillermo & nandor, but at the same time, I don't mind if they don't end up together? because... honestly, what made me fell in love with nandor was that he was on his own and he didn't seem to mind, but that's another answer for another time.

you see, the thing that with these interviews (regardless of the show), is that they can only say so little about what's going to happen and they always like to play with the audience. also, paul simms answer seemed like an answer that would have rolled probably during the second season. "that's his boss", that dynamic was left behind a long time ago. their dynamic is now so different, that i'm sure that guillermo doesn't see nandor as his boss and nandor doesn't see guillermo as his employee (he said it himself).

I can see why people are mad over the interview, and talking about myself i'm not really upset, but more like "wtf?" because like you said, the answer simms gave makes 0 sense, because speaks of ethics & morals and all that shit. i don't know what's gonna happen with the whole guillermo & nandor thing, but until i see it, i really just don't focus too much on these interviews tbh. and people might call me a clown and or say that i'm being silly for still having some hopes for "nandermo" but it's not even about that, these interviews are just a bunch of blah blah blah. I prefer to hear from the actors if i have to be honest, and whatever happens happens.

[legend-of-zelda-voices]

"Dreamin' Bloomin'" from Go! Princess Precure!

LoZ: Zelda/Princess Zelda (SS, BotW)

LU: Sky's Zelda (Sun), Wild's Zelda (Flora)

This song is for the character Haruka Haruno/Cure Flora.

‎

Translated English Lyrics:

Deep down in my chest I can hear my heart pounding

I can't explain why but I want to chase after it

It's a secret to everyone; I hope it'll come true soon

I think it's time for me to move on, don't you think!?

‎

I know I need to face reality rather than living up in the clouds

But hey, when the wind messes up my hair it also makes it shine

‎

Let's Go! Princess!!

Dancing before the flowers is a dreaming girl

Wanting to say "thank you" for giving her what she desired

"Hey, you dreamt of something just now

Such happiness makes every smile bloom!"

‎

With every lesson I attend, one step at a time

I gain more power until I'm sure to sail through like a river

These seeds of hope grow because of my will to never give up

That's right, faith is what gets you through life!!

‎

Even tears are a standard requirement for girls

But what do we do after we have a good cry?

‎

Let's Go! Princess!!

Get through all the pain that you've beared

Face forward and use those thorns to your advantage

Ah, to the world that I dream about

Smiles would increase, even if it's just for a little bit

‎

Dress, tiered skirt, fur scarf and a tiara made of jewels

Thoughts, words, path and the future

Embrace all those lovely things you choose for yourself...

‎

Are You...? Princess!!

Let's Go! Princess!!

Dancing before the flowers is a dreaming girl

Who swears to protect the bright tomorrow

‎

Letting my flowers bloom

As I long to meet the lady I aspire to be

Do not give up the courage to dream

Because there'll always be happiness blooming into a smile...smiles in full bloom!!

‎

Dreamin' Bloomin'...

(From the captions and the pretty cure fandom website)

[iron-sides]

@suzaojou hi :)

I meant powerhouses as in pure power, Ochako is very good with her power but no one is calling her the strongest or "the next *best/highly ranked character*" like they are for Deku or Bakugo or Shouto. I do like her aspirations, personality and character, my issue with MHA is separate from her and just a general "none of the girls are in the same league as the guys" which is seen a lot in the 90's shonen "be the best" shows.

im going to be really blunt for a second and i need to emphasize this is not a personal attack or even necessarily criticism considering that fandom is first and foremost meant to be fun. but have you considered that no one calling ochako "the best" is fandom misogyny. and anyway, again, have you considered that if the fandom doesnt see any of the girls as being in the same league as the guys that could be because the bnha fandom is biased towards men. because-- and let me hold your hand as i say this-- most of the girls in class A kick ass. (hagakures powers a little lame but like. momo is the most op character in the whole show so i think it evens out esp considering kods and ojiro both have lame powers too so wtvr)

we are talking very specifically here about the fandom tendency to be more willing to get into a male character with no backstory or characterization than a female character who has been throughly fleshed out. ao3 has more fics tagged sero hanta centric than yaorozu momo centric, even though momo is a more fleshed-out character (to my knowledge anyway again i stopped reading after the dabi reveal). thats what op is talking about.

My bad, 90's and 00's, that is where I developed this terrible attitude which I try not to backtrack to whenever I decide I don't like a girl character.

Naruto is considered bad now? That explains all the anti-konoha stuff coming through my dash lol.

i mean idk for sure that ppl dont like naruto i havent seen naruto ive just heard pretty mixed reviews. more importantly if you know this attitude is terrible why would you bring it up unprompted on a post about fandom misogyny? op was not talking about anime. if you know this era is an outlier even within anime why would you a) bring it up at all and b) generalize as all anime when you just specifically say "naruto"?

OP is my jam and is one of those ones that I really enjoy despite the female character designs. Oda makes some bombass women (with a couple minor exceptions), which is probably because they all have strong goals and dreams. He does have some...questionable content but those came up so late in the series, I'm already so invested. Dude made me cry over a boat...

yeah i havent seen op 😭 i know its supposed to be absolutely fantastic i just do not have the time to catch up to all that. thrilled to hear there are good girls though :D

i really like anime and i think its such a pity it has a reputation for having no good female characters when thats just not true-- sure, there are a few bad shows for women, but by and large I watched a couple episodes of three different shows yesterday while i was painting my nails and they all had great female characters! i think it's really a matter of what shows you're watching and what shows you get really into.

i know for me i started watching a lot more anime with great female characters and paying those female characters more attention when i started moving away from anime fandom spaces. when all you see on your dash are male characters it can be hard to see how great the female characters are!

id highly recommend getting into-- if not shojo, at least romantic shonen-- if you want to see more good female characters! i'm obviously a huge ranma 1/2 fan, and the remake is coming out this season with two episodes on netflix rn, and dandadan is really good as well (also coming out this season on netflix-- ranma is saturdays and dandadan is thursdays :))-- and everyone loves spyxfamily :) there ARE shows with really great female characters and i personally had to deliberately seek them out to learn how to start paying more attention to female characters (and im still not perfect-- my favorite character in mdzs (which is a novel & a donghua, so a but off-topic but its my main fandom rn lol) is jiang yanli (a woman) but im more likely still to read and write fic about her brother) but its so much more fun when you do imo

[misogynistic person who is biased against women and favors men in all circumstances] wow it's so crazy that in literally every show and book and movie ever made all the male characters are likable and sympathetic but all the female characters are shallow and irrational... obviously this is the fault of the writing and nothing to do with me

[deafearsdiary]

Dear My Lawrence,

I'm a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. But I also believe that the devil exists, and lately, I haven't been able to see the difference between his powerful whispers and thoughts that are my own. I'm constantly praying that I don't go down the terrible path that I led myself down before(my last relationship), and so I try not to read into the good things. Especially when those things make me literally feel alive again. I've confessed my love before, in an actual letter, but I'm going to do it one last time. Because if this is in fact real, and good for me, for both of us, I want it documented. It'll be long again so bare with me.

Today is the first day I felt like we actually have something in common, and we aren't just attracted to each other physically. I fully believe a lot of the things I think is only in my head, but this time I think I'm right. And I know that when something makes me happy I read all the way into it because I want it to be the way I hope it is, not how it actually is. But I don't think I'm reading into it this time. Not 100% at least.

There are several layers to me, that most people don't know about because they never really care to get to know me. My biggest layer, which is also the first one, is my heart. Hence my entire tumblr account. This layer is they one everyone can clearly see. I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I thought that wasn't a very good thing. Because people expect that. They expect emotion, no logic. But because they don't get to know me, they don't know my next layer is my brain. I'll admit, I act off of emotion sometimes, but I'm no dumbass. My first layer is the reason I pursued you (which is another story for another time if you want to hear it), but my second layer is why I left you alone. My heart got too involved with you, and I honestly didn't see that coming. Only because, I wasn't trying to love you. I really wasn't expecting anything from you. But once you were here I wanted you to stay forever. I guess that scared you, I don't know, but you rejected me nonetheless. I thought I'd be able to just wait it out, but that was too hard for me. So my second layer took over and I left. At the end of the day, my heart always drives me to go after what I want. I try to be as cautious as possible now, because when the biggest part of me gets injured, it takes forever to heal.

I will admit that I want the married life. It's all I ever think about. I want there to be someone for me at the end of everyday. I need the intense love and love making in my everyday life. I need to feel important to someone that isn't indebted (or related) to me in any way. I need to be that special someone to someone that doesn't need me around, but wants me everyday. Someone that understands that I'm fragile in ways, but very strong in other ways. I admit that I fantasize about that person being you. And have been fantasizing that since around your most recent birthday. Why? I have no idea, but I do. I'll admit that not having that in my life, makes me feel like I never will. It puts me into a depressed state. I don't want to think about anything, do anything, but I do. I show up everyday for the people that need me. And if it wasn't for them, I'd make myself crazy with my own thoughts.

Like I said, my first layer is the one everyone can see. I'm sure people think it's the only thing I ever think about, like how people swear guys only think about sex. But I have goals and aspirations too. I want to be an author. And I want to do the work to become one. I want to have children, and take care of my family. I want to be utilized in a good way. In a way that helps other peoples dreams come true. I want to attend college one more time. I want to learn languages, my religion. and travel. Travel to see and travel to live. I'm not some child that only worries about one thing. There are real things that I want to accomplish. And it doesn't make me immature to not want to do it if I don't have someone by my side. Having a spouse is like a charger for me. It gives me hope and comfort and love and I need all that to feel confident in myself. I don't have a one track mind where I can want something and just focus on that thing until I get it. It would be nice to be like that, but that's not who I am. It's not like I don't know my worth and I'll just settle for anything, because I won't. I know myself well enough to know that I'm an asset. I'm strong, smart, I can handle a lot, and I will handle what I need to. I hate talking about myself like that, but it's true.

Love is just something that, to me, makes the world seem less terrible. And honestly, before I fell in love with you, having a life with someone was never a thought. And it's very crazy because it's not like you offered me the type of life that I daydream about. I had to figure out what I wanted. But by the grace of God I got to understand the type of person that I wanted to share it with after I got the pleasure of getting to know you. Our relationship was shitty in some places, mistakes were definitely made. But your image was never tainted. I love that because even if we don't end up together, I can always remember you and know why I fell in love with you. It'll be bittersweet when I have no choice but to recognize that we don't share the same need for the intensity that our love gives us, but I won't blame you for wanting something less. I understand that if it doesn't feel natural, and like you're just drawn toward it that it will drain you, and I don't want that. I don't want to feel like I have to beg you to be there in the ways I need you to be. I want it to be easy for you and for me.

I swore that I wouldn't pray for you to be mine. I wouldn't unless it was fitting and right and clear to me. I won't if it's me doing all the work. I won't if I don't feel wanted. I won't if I don't trust it. I know it makes you nervous, and you don't want to make anymore wrong decisions. I don't either. Which is why I don't push it. Which is why we don't talk about it. Which is why I only pray about it. Which is why I only ever fantasize about you, and call sometimes. I know that every action has a reaction, and I'm almost positive that my heart wont be able to handle another bruise from you in this manner. I'm making this first step because, frankly, I think you're pussy and you won't. And it's just who I am. But I will tell you that this is the last first step I'm making. Because I know enough to know that I need to be proven that I'm what you want. I'm worth the effort that is needed to be put into me. This offer has come to you before, and if it passes you by again, then I'll have no choice but to hope for something different. Until then, my love.

I appreciate you taking the time to read this. I hope you enjoyed.

With Much Love, Your Issa

P.S.

I hope you didn't think you could say the most romantic things to the most hopeless romantic person in the world, and think I wouldn't be in love with you forever. <3

[indianseowriter]

Significance of LinkedIn in Job Search

The largest business-oriented network in the current times in the entire world is surely LinkedIn. There are more than 500 million users of the application from more than two hundred countries worldwide. When you have a professionally created LinkedIn profile, it helps you get better access to open ample opportunities and networks. Moreover, it allows you to showcase your expertise and profile in front of recruiters. Besides simply making your connection with the recruiters easy, LinkedIn also helps your profile get more and more impressions over time. Although there is a positive value of using the application, some people are still reluctant to use it. Let's explore the basic significance that this application provides to customers. 

Gains exposure to hiring recruiters

It has been identified that almost more than ninety-three percent of recruiters prefer using LinkedIn to connect with candidates. This allows anyone who has a profile to create an online-based personal brand that is key to the marketers and recruiters. This also means that when your name is used in a search engine like Google, it has an online personal brand appearing along with the same. This is the best reason you need to ensure to have a LinkedIn profile and update it regularly. A well updated LinkedIn profile can do a lot of help to provide basic information to the recruiters more than a CV.

Demonstration of knowledge and interest

When looking for a new job opportunity, you understand the importance of trust. The better the employer can trust you, the better it will help them provide you the opportunity. Creating a LinkedIn profile helps to build this trust among employers. It is an official way of keeping the employers updated about your whereabouts and evidence. They will learn about the basic value measure of your work experience and connect with you.

Using LinkedIn as a search tool

When you have a LinkedIn account, you can also use it to research top companies. You can effectively choose from recruiters and hiring managers to understand their needs and look for the research. If you ever get an interview with a company, make it a point to research about the same through LinkedIn. This will create a better impression of you when you go for the interview.

LinkedIn gives a great job board

Many people believe in a common myth that LinkedIn is used for experienced candidates. This is not true; in reality, LinkedIn is the best way that competes well with traditional job boards. Through LinkedIn, you can directly apply for the roles of the job using the apply button. Further, you can also save a specific job for future use and flag the recruiters to hear more about opportunities.

Provides you social proof

LinkedIn also provides help with social proof about your experience and work. When others endorse you, it can be effectively seen through your profile by backing up the claims. It is a very powerful tool to help you connect with your adversaries and other members of the recruiting teams. When you use it properly, you can effectively build the definite credibility that you need through testimonials and endorsements.

Following companies

Are you aspiring to join the company of your dreams? If yes, the best way to be connected with them and be updated about the job opportunities is by following their LinkedIn handles. You can even target people using their networks for your interest.

Lastly, you can also join groups on LinkedIn to be connected with people from similar professional experiences. In addition, connecting with groups helps you be updated about the latest trends in the job market.

For more articles like these, please visit https://digitalsaigroup.com/

[shipsandlattes]

So I know everyone has already dissected this scene to its core, but it’s taken me a good 48 hours to digest this and I just needed to get it out.

I’m an aspiring actor, I’ve been training for a long time, with a lot of amazing teachers. I’ve watched a lot of shows and shipped a lot of couples. Some of them beautiful and canon, others, well, let’s just say waiting 22 years and counting for acknowledgement, closure, anything, it’s a damn challenge. I’ve seen a hell of a lot of will-they-wont-they’s, baiting, purposeful ignorance, deliberate fake outs, zero explanations, storylines that basically caused canon disintegration, the works.

In saying that, Dean and Cas were right up there on the list with the other “impossibles” because honestly, I didn’t think the writers would have the guts to do it, but I am so f*cking proud they did. It’s safe to say I’ve watched the scene a good hundred+ times already. 

I’ve seen a lot of “controversy” around Dean’s reaction/Jensen’s acting choices and whether or not Dean reciprocates Cas’ feelings, and obviously, I needed to add my own views to the mix.

Just work with me for a minute here.

Dean Winchester is an emotionally repressed trainwreck, and ironically enough, the one that is so full of emotion it hurts to watch. When Cas first starts his speech, he’s confused, really confused because why on earth would Cas start off on a rant now? Billie’s waiting to kill them, he just said he knew something that was more powerful than she was, something that could save them. That’s where he thought this speech was going.

The confusion turns to realisation that it’s a goodbye when Cas starts telling him how incredible he is, how his entire essence is love. Go back and watch the scene again, when Cas says “you’re the most caring man on Earth”, you physically see Dean look down, his eyes searching, he’s actively trying to make sense of what’s happening, he knows what’s coming and you can see him coming to terms with the shock of the words being said to him. He then looks directly at Cas. That look, that was pure shock.

Also, notice how he doesn’t stop Cas from talking? He doesn’t interject, make a joke, doesn’t talk about how there is no time for this now, they’ve got to at least try and stop Billie. He. says. nothing. He listens, he listens like I’ve never seen Dean listen before. Because it’s sinking in now.

When Cas really starts crying, when he says “you changed me, Dean”, you can actually see the pain in Dean’s eyes. He’s no longer in control of his emotions, he’s crying too. He’s never seen Cas like this, so raw, and vulnerable and human. This is the hardest, most emotional conversation they’ve both ever had. They are talking about the one thing that everybody knows, but is never addressed. When it wasn’t talked about, they could deny it, live in the lie. Once it’s said aloud, it’s real and they can’t turn back.

This above series of interactions is the part that kills me the most. The moment Cas says “because it is”, that’s the exact moment of realisation. Look at that last GIF, really look. He’s just worked it out, that he is Cas’ true happiness. He knows what’s coming before Cas even says it. Go back and watch the scene again, they pulled that off so well, the way the music swells at this exact moment. Jensen is giving us everything here, you can see what’s happening in his head - he is Cas’ happiness. He is the one thing on Earth Cas wants and thinks he can’t have. He is the reason Cas is about to die. He knows what Cas is about to say and he’s not sure he’s ready to hear it, not now, not like this. It’s almost a silent plea not to say it, because he knows. Of course he knows. It’s like he can’t quite believe Cas is really, after all this time, finally going to say it.

And because obviously Jensen decided that that wasn’t enough to break us, the loaded reaction when Cas says “I love you” has me nothing but convinced that it’s reciprocated. Because Dean knows. He’s always known. Those tears, that head tilt, that gulp. He’s so genuinely confused that they’re really having this conversation. It’s like he can’t quite believe that this is the reality before him because he’s been living in that denial, in that self-loathing and unlovable layer he believes to be true. He’s been under the ‘what if... but it could never be’ umbrella for so long. 

What also makes this real is that there isn’t anyone else around this time. When “I love you’s” have been said before, they have always been able to deflect it, with other people or other words. Now it’s just the two of them. No deflecting, no running away. Dean is forced to hear it, to absorb it, to realise it’s for nobody else but him.

Now, I don’t know if you guys felt this, but when Dean says “Don’t do this, Cas”, he wasn’t just referring to Cas sacrificing himself to the Empty, he’s telling Cas that he can’t just say this, not now, knowing he’s going to die, knowing that Dean won’t get a chance to think, to process, to say what he needs too. I keep staring at that GIF above, Dean is breaking down, I’m almost convinced that Jensen was using an “I love you too, please just stop this” inner monologue for this bit. Look at the way he’s looking at Cas before he realises the Empty has started materialising and turns around. That’s a look of pure heartbreak. Trust me when I tell you, it’s really hard to keep those inner thoughts inside if you’re so in the moment - actually, don’t just take my word for it, read any acting book, ask any actor, it’s so hard to keep that in and sometimes you don’t, and sometimes you do - it’s in both the resistance and the letting go that the gold happens. This my friends, is gold. 

Did anyone else hear “Cas, I-”, well, regardless of whether or not it was an “I” or a very sharp breath, the outcome is the same. Dean’s gone into immediate panic mode. The Empty at one end and Billie at the other, and all poor Dean wants to do is gather his thoughts on not what to say but how to say it. I don’t think he comprehended just how little time he had, he was so focused on what was being said that the reality of the situation caught him completely off guard.

Also, I know this post was about dissecting Dean’s reaction, but can we sidebar a minute to talk about Cas as he pushes Dean out of the way? He’s sobbing, he’s fully crying. That hit me really hard, I’ve never seen Cas cry like that, I’ve never seen Misha get to play that level of emotion before and it was the most heartbreaking thing to watch since The Doctor and Rose and Buffy and Spike, to which by the way, I find many parallels between those couples and this scene.

Speaking of crying, that brings me to this: Dean slumped on the floor, ignoring a call from Sam, sobbing his heart out knowing he’s lost everything. Dean-I’m-emotionally-unavailable-Winchester is sobbing. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t recall ever seeing Dean cry like this before either, the sobbing was so evident and piercing in that silence. The look around the room, the burying of his head in his hands, that is a classic writers romantic love trope if I’ve ever seen it, they really pulled out all the stops with this one.

So, to summarise, I think Jensen’s choices and Dean’s reactions were absolutely and utterly perfect. They both did it so well that it didn’t break from character that these two emotionally distant and repressed men are in love and finally voicing it. Jensen barely said two words and still managed to cause mass coronary’s across the fandom. That my friends is what you call a brilliant actor. I bow down to the talents of these two amazing human beings.

Before I leave this novel, I have to say there are now a few things I’m going to need from the powers that be to not screw this up, help me manifest this:

1. Dean gets to reciprocate his feelings to Cas in person. So, I’m gonna need Cas back and a very emotional Dean.

2. Dean to be actively dealing with heartbreak in the next episode (unless they decided to bring Cas back that soon, which I wouldn’t put past them at this point).

3. Sam to confront Dean about his feelings for Cas, because out of everyone, he’d be the one to hit Dean with the truth of his fears. Sam knows. Sam is supportive. Sam sees it all.

4. I’m gonna need some physical affection, cause after 12 years of nonsense, we damn well deserve it. A hug, and not just any old reunion hug, a proper, this is different now hug. A kiss because hello, in love out loud now. Forehead touching, handholding, really gonna need the works here.

5. A happy ending for the two of them, one way or another. We’ve never had one, it’s time.

Okay, have at it now, let’s speak these into existence please.

Note: GIFs are not mine, I did not make them, credit to owners who I’m not sure of, but they’re beautiful, thanks for making them. EDIT: I’ve just been informed that these gorgeous gifs belong to @michaeldean​ and @inacatastrophicmind​! 

[tewwor-moving]

mythvoiced​:

@tewwor | ♥ | Circe

—

The domains of gods are usually relatively easy to pinpoint, but perhaps that was an assumption he’d been far too confident about, because when he’d first encountered the sorceress, she hadn’t felt nearly as defined as any of the Olympians.

It’s only later he’d realise the reason why: the Gods wishing it so.

Or perhaps it was her wish, he had no true way to tell.

All he could tell for sure was how her power felt… so different to the one the Olympians shared. Different, the way Chaos was, as if part of the grand scheme of things, but older, and yet less revelled. Or different the way Hermes was, who abides to his own rules, who’s boons make Zagreus’ tendons burn in the best of ways but don’t add to something of nature to his blade.

Her, on the other end, oh, so much of nature lies in the power she shares, he sometimes wonders if herbs wilt at the idea she may never make use of them. Not to mention that whenever she spoke of his escape attempts, he can’t help but hear something beneath her words he finds he can’t make out beneath the words of plenty of the other gods.

An understanding intimate enough to leave him wondering. That particular quirk that can’t be faked, that particular choice of words, comraderie almost, in a desire he still struggles to fully explain, even though his reasoning should be so, so clear to understand. Just look at his father.

Just look at his mother.

He stares ahead, and holds onto her power cursing through him as if he’s not quite ready to make a choice, lest she might leave too fast. “Lady Circe,” the meadows of Elysium, cleared in this corner, near-invisible shields and bows and spears floating mid-air, awaiting the return of their heroes, the very heroes they represent. Zagreus wonders, what might have been their names?

“Don’t get me wrong for asking this, I am more than grateful to your aid, and I wish that one day I might be able to repay it in full and return the kindness you bestow upon me, but… why are you helping me?”

So comes another attempt at the fates, it seems. Idle as she’s convinced herself to be within another godling’s mess — participation is still present. There are boons influenced by her own power outside of her keep on Aeaea. Only presented at incredibly specific times ( always under niche circumstances ), but it’s a selection made available nevertheless. Even if Circe continues to shroud everything about her very being in mystery.

She’s just another piece in this game of infernal chess, it seems.

Not once has she been the first, second, or third to offer slivers of truth. The lessons taught still have an everlasting impression on allowing the foolishness of loosened lips. No matter where or why the reason branches from, she’s shunned the horrid influence of desperation. Forces herself to think things thoroughly before attempting to speak.

And yet the Prince’s very presence has begun to.. unspool that restraint. She still replies in a succinct nature, of course, but the intention to give a little more’s been wriggling like a persistent worm at the core of a golden apple. To truly look at him was to look at herself squarely and deeply.  For Zagreus’s willingness and determination to learn and understand and prove has also lined the velvet marrow of her own bones. The burden of one’s parental ego and whims has also been used as kindling, as fodder, to spark her own defiance. To fully stand her ground for the sake of her own decisions.

“Zagreus,” she says first, in neutral greeting before absorbing the true reason for conversation. “Simple as it may sound, it’s because I allow it—” Careful, now, lest she inherits her father’s infuriating arrogance. “Which is to say.. the goal you aspire to achieve and the struggle that comes with it, is something I’ve experienced firsthand. So if I am able to aid, then I shall do so.” As a nod to all the times where none was given to her in times of need. 

[wtftarot]

Tarot Reading

This is a lil reading on how you can own your power like a badass.

This reading is for entertainment purposes only and is not a replacement for therapy.

Pick 1,2 or 3 and scroll to your reading.

Pile 1

Hey, Pile 1. You have a lot of potential inside you, like damn. I'm seeing though that you're dismissing it because it doesn't look like what you think power should look like. You tend to see power as logical, strong, unyielding. What you're not seeing is the power that's emotional, gentle, and caring. It's like you feel like if you feel like you can't be soft and strong. Bless your heart. Honey, hasn't anyone ever told you that you can be caring and supportive to someone and still slap an asshole? Even if they're the same person? I'm gonna try not to rant because everyone seems to think that being both is being two-faced or fake and that's one of my pet peeves. Because it's not either of those things it's knowing the time and place to be caring and the time and place to kick ass. Anyway, you're neglecting the parts of yourself that are softer and more emotional in favor of the logical parts when true power lies in a balance of both. You feel like you will lose what power you have if you embrace this softer side but babe, that's not what's gonna happen. Embracing it will double your strength. Look at mother nature. She's nurturing as shit but have you seen a tornado? Having emotions doesn't take away from your power. Like ok. If you saw someone hurting an animal, you would be sad and fuckin angry, and you would probably go beat their ass. Now, did being upset about it make you any less likely to beat that fuckers ass? No. If anything it would make you beat their ass more. It's like you think that connecting to people is a weakness? You can connect to people and have boundaries. You can have deep friendships and still kick ass? It seems like you're holding your own power down because you think of it as vulnerability. Maybe you're a writer or artist who hides all their work but if you would show it to others you would kick ass. Maybe start small. Send it anonymously to an art account and ask for advice. Hell, send it to me, I would love to see it. (I promise not to post anything w/o your permission. Although if you send it anonymously and want feedback, I may just write a post with my thoughts and post it cause that's the only way you'll be able to see it.)

Pile 2

Sup, Pile 2. It looks like you're kinda torn about your ambitions. You have strong ass ambitions BUT you also are kinda tied to your identity as a 'free spirit' type. There's a lot of fear here about losing your fun, chill side if you go after what you want. This mentality is what's holding you back from your true potential. There's a fuck ton of passion inside you. You know what you want and you want to go after it. I just heard 'But I don't want to be one of Those People' and with it the vibe of someone who has a very rigid routine. You're not judging them, that's just not who you are and that's okay. You can pursue what you want and still be fun. I'm not saying there won't need to be some compromises because there will have to be some. Learn to prioritize what's important. If you're trying to make a schedule, leave whole days with nothing to do, so you can do whatever. Balance is important here. Um, Losing My Religion by R.E.M may be important? I'm not sure how it's relevant to this reading? It's about losing your dedication to a person when you've had to push what you've wanted aside for them... OH I get it! There may be a person in your life that you've pushed your aspirations aside to keep happy. Maybe they're the type to make fun of people who use planners or stay home to study or something like that. If you've seen gone girl, the cool-girl monolog, I'm hearing 'Cool-Girl is game'. I'm not saying you should do everything she does in that movie. Just that you may be feeling like you have to play the 'Cool-Girl' to keep some people happy. Hopefully not to the same extent as she does in the movie. Not to be judgemental but anyone who makes fun of people who are trying to pursue their dream is kinda a dick. Whoever decided that you can't have your shit together and also be fun and chill is also a dick. Things in life rarely exist in a dichotomy. People never do. You can be both a late-night party AND a weekly meal plan. Or neither. Be a dog person AND a cat person. And a fish person. And a bird person. Learn what work-life balance means for you and fuck anyone who says you can't do both.

Pile 3

Y'all are having trouble focusing. Holy shit, looking at your cards I can see why. You are really overburdening yourself, babe. HA. Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie just started playing on the radio. Honey, just take a few deep breaths for me, please. Y'all need to let loose and have some fun. This energy feels like the type of person who even when they're trying to relax, they're just thinking about everything they need to get done. Y'all seem to think that the only way to get what you want in life is to be super hard on yourself. For some of you, I'm getting that what you're pursuing isn't even what you actually want but what is expected of you. Being stressed as fuck working for you want is one thing but being this burdened for something that you don't even give a shit about? Sweetheart, you can't live your whole life like this. You may wanna start setting some time aside to do what YOU want and guard it. This reading is about owning your power and it looks like to do that you need to let go of things a bit. Let go of always having to be the best or always win. Y'all are so fucking tired. Winning all the time is impossible. You have worth outside of your accomplishments. There also may be a bit of like a pain competition here. It's like you think that for accomplishments to 'count' they have to be painful? BABE. NO. Just no. Life is fuckin hard enough, if you can do things in a painless way, WHY NOT? All in all, it looks like to own your power you have to stop pushing yourself to the point of breaking. Lil storytime, I have this friend who does this same thing and they started trying to lift weights but they kept trying to lift heavier ones than they were ready for and pulled a muscle, once it healed instead of learning their lesson they did it again. And pulled the muscle again. They went through the cycle of a pulled muscle, let it heal, pull it again, three fuckin times before they finally let themselves start smaller and work their way up. Good luck, babe.

[excaliburssword]

Unpopular Shian opinion (major spoilers ofc)

This is going to be an insanely unpopular opinion, but am I the only one that thought Sophie should have ended up with Rhian in the end? Supposed he still lived, of course.

Some people may already know that I said in my ship opinions post that I rated this ship a pretty high rating, and know I am one of very few people out there who would actually defend Rhian (not just for Sophie, but for how I truly felt sorry for him before he...ahem, died.)

Just....HEAR ME OUT.

I'm pretty sure that possibly the only reason I ship this is because my nine-year-old dumbass read A Crystal Of Time as the first book in the series, because I seriously thought it was the first one 💀

That reason is probably why it's influencing me to be rooting for these two, but oh well.

Y'all Hophie shippers ain't gonna like this, but I was so infuriated when Sophie chose Hort as her (ig???) Never After.

If you read my opinion on these two in the ship post, you'll know why, which is why I'm also not writing a whole-ass paragraph just to waste my energy 😍

But a brief summary is because Hort literally annoyed Sophie all throughout the first three books, and she literally became jealous of Nicola in the fourth book for "being too close".

Like......what?

Girl you need to make a choice??

If you've made it perfectly clear to Hort you don't like him, then why act so overprotective for???

Now onto my Shian opinion (which, if you're slow like me, is the ship name for Sophie and Rhian).

Listen, I know how intensely manipulative and toxic their relationship was, but think about, so was Tagatha in some ways, and yet people ship them wholeheartedly.

And take a look at the individual characters in Shian??

They had so many similarities both as kids and as their present selves??

The both of them had mother issues, probably father too, and thought they were the favourite of their mother in the process.

They both thought they were destined to be good, and aspiring towards similar goals.

In depth of the second note, Sophie believed she was good, yet became a Never instead. By becoming this, it shows the Woods of her physical attributes, but never on what she's intending on.

Agatha had even stated somewhere in the fifth book to her that she was a good witch, too:

"You're a witch! Supposedly a good one!"

As if she were questioning Sophie's very core.

Hmm... maybe Soman's trying to hint something out??

Now for Rhian, he confessed to Sophie in chapter 24 of ACOT that his devious actions were "in the service of good, to raise people up."

I honestly don't know if he's bulling on that or he's actually being serious, but to the reader, and the "rebels" of the story, he is one of the main villains in "the Camelot years".

Whilst to his fans, who think they know his story, he was probably a more devoted Ever, and a hero to Good in a way even more than the Lady of the Lake ever was.

3. They're both vying for power, even if they're cowards to admit it.

Respectfully, anyone who says Rhian didn't become king just for power can feel free to never talk to me again (joking I love you 😭).

He was a coward to admit it, and even said he was doing it for love, but ofc we know better.

And then there's Sophie, which is just downright obvious.

For goodness sake, she literally became engaged to an Evil sorcerer just to become Evil's queen (okay, that and Rafal's love).

4. They're both entitled brats

These two are literal suck-ups to their leaders, in other words, side-kicks.

In Sophie's story, she was literally Agatha's number two, and she knows it very well. She may have the award for biggest air-headed prat of the year, but she knows it deep down that Tedros will always come first. For god's sake, her best friend's literally married to him.

(Sorry but) As much as I stan Rhian for takin Tedros' spot as a leader, he was just as a suck-up to him too.

5. LASTLY, I PROMISE... They both savoured their deeds for an inch of love too.

Sophie sacrificed sh just to find her true love, whilst Rhian did everything, and anything in his endeavour to bring Evelyn back.

That is touche crap on a cracker, ngl.

Irrelevent, but Sophie literally tells everyone she's done with her love life and that she's focusing on herself, when suddenly Debra Sue comes walking out of nowhere two chapters later.

Like, honey. Are you okay?

What happened to a healthier lifestyle?? Just because I love love LOVED her dynamic with Rhian, doesn't mean it wasn't toxic asf.

He was literally abusing her physically, mentally, and perhaps almost sexually violating her too, (yeah, remember that one scene where he was "dolling her up" in his mothers clothes in chapter three of ACOT??)

Brief summary:

To be fair, Rhian never did anything for Sophie to ensure protection. He didn't even keep her truthfully happy, or even vice versa.

He took her out on "dates", and said he would hardly have called it "dating".

Correct me if I'm wrong, but am I forgetting to mention he literally didn't know if he was more loyal to her or his own brother towards the end of the book? His own brother??

Are you serious?? Those are some serious standards I wish I could've seen 😭

Either Rhian didn't love Japeth enough, or he loved Sophie so desperately he was willing to ditch his brother just for her.

And do you guys remember at the beginning of TLEA when Tedros and Agatha were driving each other delusional over their love for each other?? I seriously wish that Rhian was still alive so he and Sophie could go through a similar situation 😩

And the more realistic idea as to why I would've been okay for them to be together is because he was the last love interest for Sophie (Istag if someone says it was Japeth, I'm actually gonna-)

And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is probably not the end of this ship. 🤪

Please feel free to disagree, as all opinions here are respected. 😋

BUT,,, please take mine in advance 😉

[warsofasoiaf]

I really couldn't disagree more with your view that Nato's eastward expansion didn't lead to the current crisis in Ukraine. When the USSR allowed east Germany to join Nato, there was a tacit agreement that in return, Nato wouldn't expand any further to the east (an agreement we obviously broke). Ukraine has been under russian control for centuries; Russia regards Ukraine as part of their sphere of influence and defensive echelon against the west. Russia has been invaded from the west many times, and has had large tracts of their territory wrecked. The notion of Ukraine joining a hostile military alliance is, understandably, unacceptable to any Russian leader. Why would they let themselves be surrounded by the military forces of their enemy? ...How would the United States react if China or Russia incorporated Mexico into a hostile military alliance and stationed troops there? I'm sure you agree that we'd do everything in our power to stop that from happening. Why is there one standard for the U.S., and another for our enemies?

Last point: Giving Ukraine an article V guarantee is tremendously dangerous; Ukraine has a large Russian population and large-scale conflict between Ukraine and Russia is certainly possible. Why would the U.S. risk getting into a war with another nuclear power?

No, there wasn't an implicit or tacit agreement that NATO wouldn't expand east. Gorbachev, the guy who conducted the treaty negotiations and discussions, said that there wasn't back in 2014.

This interpretation is completely false, a self-serving lie that Putin has cooked up to present Russia as a wrongfully aggrieved nation isolated by a deceitful West to rearrange the timeline to omit their own actions in Transnistria, Georgia, and Chechnya. This interpretation also neglects the actions of the Visegard and Vilnus Groups as being self-driven, which themselves range from idealistic aspirations of democratization following the fall of communism to pragmatic defending themselves from becoming the next Transnistria to cynical desire for American and European investment by aligning themselves with NATO and the EU. And to be frank, when I hear this line bandied about, referencing German reunification and incorporation and this so-called implicit promise, I believe that whoever is saying it is simply repeating something that they've heard whose conclusion they agree with - something that they prefer to be true because they agree with it and thus rationalize the conclusion already reached with excuses divorced from the historical record. There actually are valid concerns regarding the entire affair regarding things that happen later or the security dilemma in a general sense, but this supposed "not one inch east" promise at the discussions of German reunification and integration into NATO is pure drivel.

Simply put, the idea that Ukraine doesn't deserve its own say in its foreign policy because the Soviet Union was invaded in 1941 or Napoleon invaded in 1812 is ridiculous - everyone involved is long dead. Italy was invaded by the Lombards and the Normans, that doesn't make it justifiable for Italy to exert power over France's foreign policy or demand Toulouse be a non-aligned buffer state. The Balkans were invaded and occupied by a host of foreign powers - including both Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union - I don't hear anything about any Balkan states having the right to demand that Ukraine or Georgia not align itself with Russia as a defensive measure. Russia has been a frequent invader of many of its surrounding neighbors, most notably in recent history occupying Eastern Europe as a cordon of puppet states for a half-century, or aggression against bordering countries in a host of post-Soviet conflicts, why are any of those countries denied any say on Russian foreign policy or alliances? India and Pakistan are nuclear powers that share a border and have had a long period of hostility...what makes Russia so special that it is the only country that's allowed this veto power on alliances that it isn't a member of? Honestly, this is the double standard I see...Russia is permitted latitude far in excess of what you appear to be willing to grant any other country.

For your other points re: ethnic Russians - sorry, I don't buy it. There are ethnic Russians in the Baltics. Hell, Estonia has a higher percentage of ethnic Russians (~25.6%) than Ukraine (~17%), they've been a NATO member since 2004. What's taking that nuclear conflict so long?

-SLAL

[flusteredloser]

subzero - beverly marsh x fem!reader

it fandom week: huddling for warmth

content warnings: mentions of intoxication, smoking, swearing, fire, harmless threats, inhaler abuse, enemies to lovers, also i’m making bev tall bc i love tall gals word count: 3k

at the ripe age of ten years old, you knew you wanted to become a mother. the appeal of bouncing children in your lap, tucking them into bed, and the empowering feeling of calming tantrums down was something you naively believed was your destiny.  now, ten-year-old you was never wrong, you knew that. but what you didn’t expect was for your dream to come true at eighteen, stuck mothering six drunken teenage sons during a hailstorm’s power outage.

“edward. kaspbrak. i swear to god, if you do not go to sleep right now i will knock you out with your own inhaler.”

eddie groans at your words, still teeter-tottering towards the mattress. richie was already in bed, practically dead for a past half-hour. 

thankfully, he didn’t wake up from his comatose state when eddie gracefully slammed headfirst into the bed. you held your breath as the bed shook under eddie’s weight. drunken eddie was already a nightmare, what more, an even worse nightmare when catalysed with richie’s antics.  mike was slightly more useful. after throwing up in almost every sink in the house, he helped carry a very tipsy ben up the stairs and they were now both unconscious down the hall. bill wasn't exactly a disturbance, but he was incredibly determined to show us that he could play the piano right now if asked, that his skills were only heightened after dark. (the fact that bill had never touched a piano in his life, or that bev's apartment didn't even have a piano wasn't stopping him). bev was taking care of them in the other room, and based on the muffled conversation, was still trying to coax bill to sleep.  you and bev being the losers’ designated sober pair for tonight was the worst idea that had ever occurred to anyone. ever. the eight of you agreed. if you needed something done, you’d never leave the two of you to do it together.  but stan had explained that the rotation required the two of you to pair up tonight, no matter what. you didn’t quite understand the necessity of it but in all honesty, you’d rather put up with bev’s clownery than upset stan further.   speaking of, you glance at the lump on the floor, peacefully swaddled and engulfed in the massive duvet. you should probably check on stan’s breathing later. 

now, though, you still had one child left.

hearing the sound of an air pump go off from the bed, you walk back to eddie.

“but i’m so cold and i’m not even tired,” said eddie, his inhaler still jammed in his mouth.

“eddie, the power will be back in no time, and if you keep pumping that shit in your mouth, you’re never going to feel tired,” you sigh, taking the aspirator away.

“no, but seriously.” eddie continues, his eyes filled with sleep-deprived mania. “i swear, i’m like wide awake, i don’t even need sleep right now, it’s technically the morning and nO WHAT THE HELL-”

clutching the pump in your hand, you watch the white vapour shoot against eddie’s face. nothing but eddie’s exasperated coughing filled the room.

“i told you, i’m not afraid to use this.”

“i thought...you said...you were going to...knock me out with it,” eddie questioned between coughs.

you narrow your eyes at him, “you keep this up and i will knock you with it.” 

“wow, you really are gonna make a great mother someday.”  you let out a deep groan, turning to see where the new voice came from. leaning against the doorframe with a lit cigarette between her fingers was bev in all her smug glory. 

“you know, after dealing with kaspbrak tonight, he makes you look like an angel,” you roll your eyes.

“hey!” you hear a muffled voice from under the blanket. 

“go to sleep, pretty boy,” bev chuckles, some smoke escaping with her laugh, “i know it’s hard after seeing her troll face but you have to try.”

you rolled your eyes again at the two giggles in the room, shuffling around the bed, carefully stepping around stan’s body. you continue to walk past bev and into the hall. 

the house was silent. no one lived here anymore but bev since you guys graduated, and since mr. marsh stopped residing here, the apartment had an almost peaceful quality.

walking past the guest room, you grin at the sight of mike, ben, and bill entwined together on the floor. oh, how much tamer this group would’ve been compared to the menaces next door. 

you snatch your backpack from the living room sofa and dug through the pockets anxiously. searching against the walls of your bag and still finding nothing, you began to feel more and more nervous. “fucking hell, where is it,” you whisper. at this rate, you weren’t sure if the thumping in your ears was from the sound of sharp hail hitting the windows or your heart beating in your throat. you stand up in a deeper panic, aggressively patting your pockets up and down.

“you know, as entertaining as this is to watch, i almost feel bad.” 

“bev..." you sigh. "i am not in the mood."

“why? too busy looking for your pack of camels?” you hear the sound of a familiar cardboard flap opening, “personally, i’m more of a marlboro girl but i mean, these work too.”

you spin around and storm up to bev, snatching the lit cigarette from her lips. “that’s mine?”

she smirks, “you left your backpack open, it was practically an invitation.” 

“an invitation for you to go through my shit?” you hissed, dangling the ignited end near her face.

she snatched her cig back and mockingly dangling it back near your face, “yeah, a formal invitation for me to smoke off this monstrosity of a temperature. what do you want, an apology too? i can write you one asap, let me find bill’s notebook-”

taking the cig back once more, you snap. "you’re such an ass, bev.”

she grins, following closely behind you. she could feel the heat radiating off of your body, and she secretly hoped you’d accidentally stop in your tracks so she could run into you. in the name of transferring body heat and what not. shaking off these thoughts that were hijacking her brain, she makes a kissy sound, “c’mon, you know you love it.”

��mmhm sure, bev. because i’m really into girls stealing my shit.”

pinching the flame from the cig and dumping it in the tray, she leads the both of you into the supply closet. she chuckles as she leans against the doorway, leaving you feeling trapped in the tight room. you knew she was laughing because you insisted on going in first and now that you were the one having to get the stuff, but you didn’t quite register that the things you needed was on the top shelf. up high stood a high stack of blankets. and they looked like they could singlehandedly cure the subzero temperature. 

clearly, you must have been looking up at the blankets for a moment too long because bev gave up and leaned forwards to grab the stack. the sensation of her flushed against your back was enough to make you dizzy, not to mention how absolutely warm she was. and of course... it was bev. 

bev. the girl who you rolled your eyes at every day, the girl who taunts you at any given minute, the girl you would, and had, risked your life for. you guys never talk about neibolt, but sometimes you catch yourself thinking of what could have happened if it went south. if you hadn’t grabbed her in time, and if you didn’t switch places just before pennywise launched at you...  absentmindedly tracing the scar down your stomach, you think of the absolute lack of regret you feel to this day. you always had this joke that you wanted to kill her, but how much of that was true?

“darling, did the cold already go and rot your brain?” bev faux-pouts, “not that there was much to begin with, but i’m still worried.” the stack of blankets was now under her arms with one stretched out as she began to wrap it around herself.

never mind. sometimes you did want to kill her. 

by habit, you went on your tip toes in order to get to bev’s face, but she was already crouched a couple inches from your face. trying to keep your racing heart under wraps, you choke out a semi-convincing “don’t make me murder you, beverly.”

she grins back your serious face. "aww no, i couldn’t let you do that. the knives and other weapons are also stored up there.” she teases, slinging her arm around your shoulder and dragging you to deliver the blankets to the boys. 

"oh, fuck off." you shove bev's arm off of you and walked back into richie, eddie, and stan's room. true to your word, you kneeled down to the floor and gently rolled stan’s head towards you. placing your two fingers against his pulse point, you giggle to yourself at the absurd action. if it wasn’t already obvious that he was indeed alive, he groans under you, but you shush him in time. lightly stroking his curls, you whisper. "i’m just checking up on you, stan,” placing the second blanket onto him. he groaned back.

quietly tip-toeing towards the bed, you tossed the other blanket over richie and eddie. “i swear, these guys would be dead already without us.” you laugh to yourself. 

a dim light flickers from the living room and casts a light across the hall. you shut the door behind you as you leave, going into the living room to see bev on the sofa, engulfed in her own large fleece blanket. the only thing peeking out was her face and hands as her she alternated flickering her lighter's warmth on her fingers. 

without thinking, you plop by her on the sofa. “whatcha doing there, you pyro?”

“it’s getting so fucking cold,” bev half-heartedly jokes. you can see her eyebrows are furrowed in concentration, but her voice was so contradictingly soft it made your heart melt.

you extended your open hand to her and she stared at it. “blood oath part two? promise to never be sober again during a powercut?”

“i wish, and shut up. don’t play dumb with me, beverly.”

you notice the slightest tinge in her cheeks as she places her hand along with her lighter in yours. you immediately recoil at her freezing fingertips and the lighter clatters to the ground. bev rolls her eyes and shifts away, “first you want to hold my hand, secondly you’re acting like i have fucking HIV.”

“firstly, smartass, i’d still hold your hand if you had HIV-”

“aww-”

“because it’s a blood-borne pathogen so unless you bleed or shit or lactate on my hand, i’m safe.”

bev’s face scrunches up. “how romantic.”

“now shut it and give me your hand already.” you say, placing your palm out for her again.

now bev is the one rolling her eyes at you for a change. she gives you her hand, much slower this time though, careful not to have you pull away again. not having you pull away? why was this something she was considering? 

immediately, bev felt the heat from your skin radiate against hers’, instantly igniting her skin in goosebumps. she instinctively gave you her other hand and you take with a soft smile. 

“now...why the hell are you built like a goddamn radiator.” bev grumbled, rubbing her hands together under yours.

“well, i don’t see you complaining, do i?” you raise your eyebrows.

“i’m not mad...it’s just that it’s not like you need it,” bev says between chuckles, “you’re like five feet tall. not exactly a lot of surface area to heat up.”

“you’re such a dick, bev. you’re losing your hand-holding privileges,” you side-eye, pulling your warm fingers away.

she gasped, “oh, don’t you dare.”

“yes, i do. it’s not like i’m dying to feel your freezing hands on me, bev.” you desperately try to make the statement sound as sarcastic as you can, but it ends up coming out much shakier than expected. 

even in the dark, you can see the glint of bev’s mischievous grin. “oh really? you don’t want to feel my freezing hands?” “is that a trick question?” you sigh exasperatedly, “because if you as much as-”

suddenly, you feel bev’s ice-cold fingers press against the skin on your ribcage and you immediately squeal. you clamp your hand over your mouth at the scare, you try and contain the others sounds that escape you as she further presses her freezing hands against your warm skin. scrambling away from her grasp, you slap the back of her head.

“you stop that right now or i will leave you on your own porch to freeze,” you threaten through gritted teeth.

“mmhm, like you would.” she teases, continuing to press the pads of her still-cold fingertips into your stomach. 

you felt your heart rate rise significantly, to the point that you were sure that your unknown warmness was actually due to bev making the blood pump 10x more than normal. every braincell swimming inside your head was on the brink of short-circuiting at the feeling of bev’s hands dancing along the edge of your bra. what the hell is she thinking?

after a couple more rounds of her threatening to freeze your midriff and you threatening to crack open a window, you both surrender and allow her keep her hands clasped between yours, resting atop your chest.

“are you not getting any warmer?” you groan, forcing yourself to snap out of your own feelings. 

“hey, you’re the hot-pack here. do you think i’m feeling any warmer?” she goes back to press her freezing palms against your stomach.

“no, no, no, do not do that again.”

bev sighs, “then what the hell am i supposed to do?” she sits upright and tightens the blanket around her head. shifting away from you, she shivers her way back into the other end of the sofa. “i’m dressed in triple the layers you are, moved around way more than you have, i’m even wearing this gigantic fleece eyesore-”

“oh for fuck’s sake just come back here.” you roll your eyes.

bev moves about an inch closer. 

you feel your heart constrict in your chest and you let yourself say it before you could think it any further, “i said, come here.” you lift one of your arms and gesture for her to come closer. scooting your body near to the end of the sofa, it was clear that the space you made was so she could easily crawl in next to you.

“are- are you... you want me to-”

you’re sure your whole face has gone red. bev she already can’t stand you so why not just make it even more awkward, huh? you bit your tongue gently, calming yourself down. if bev didn’t know that you offered to cuddle with her just because you could, then that was her fault for being so daft. you sigh, resuming back into your deadpan state. “yeah, i can’t listen to another minute of your whinging.”

“no, i heard you, i just-” she stammers, looking equally red herself. you feel a huge tiny sense of pride as you realised you’ve rendered bev speechless. beverly marsh. speechless.  

“what are you waiting for?” you tease, “a formal invitation?” 

having the upper hand for once was refreshing, if not thrilling. being the one to tease her and watch her become flustered was something you wish could happen more often. 

bev’s face breaks out in the softest smile you’ve ever seen. she slowly makes her way over to you, shifting her body close to yours without touching you yet. “is that too much to ask for? a formal invitation?” you let out an unexpected genuine laugh at her silliness and bev giggles in unison. this was different than your default laughter made of semi-amusement and sarcasm. she rests her weight against you, her cheek gently pressing into your collarbone. her fingertips resume their spot against the flushed skin of your stomach and your own cheeks turn red again. there wasn’t a functional reason for her to do that anymore.

“stop that before i regret this, bev.”

“there’s no way in hell you regret this.” she grins, followed by the faintest whisper of an “i sure don’t.”

you were about to reply and perhaps mention how you’d be okay with her falling asleep in your arms, that you could tolerate such juvenile behaviour. you know, in the name of public health and safety, but bev beats you to it.

“just let me warm up here for ten minutes, alright. then you can let go and i’ll sleep on my side right after,” she rushes out.

that wasn’t how you thought it was going to know. your heart sinks slightly at her words but you try not to take it personally. what else could you do? it was almost like a wake-up call, reminding the both of you that this wasn’t normal for you and bev. 

after a minute or so, you found yourself absentmindedly weaving your fingers through bev’s auburn hair, gently combing it with your hands like you did earlier with stan. “you have such soft hair,” you whisper against her hair. 

you hear her mumble against the blanket indistinguishably and you find yourself closing your eyes at the vibrations of her voice against you. if only bev wanted to stay here like this and this feeling between the two of you could last more than the next ten minutes. you let your eyelids drift down momentarily, and you smile at the thought.

just a couple minutes later, your mind jolts back awake, and your heart sinks at the thought of having to wake her up so she could move to her side of the sofa and sleep. you reach over to feel the ends of her hair between your fingers again, grounding yourself to this feeling one last time before bev had to wake up. once you peel your eyes open however, you immediately shut them against the bright light shining at you. was richie planning on abducting y’all in the middle of the night again? gently prying your eyes open for the second time, you notice the light is shining from the window. you sigh in relief.

wait. the window? 

your eyes shoot open fully. the hail had stopped. and it’s day time. 

snapping your head down to bev, you take in her figure still fit snugly into your side. her free arm rests across your chest, her legs were entwined with yours. ...and her electric blue eyes stare right into you. your heart instantly jumps into your throat as you scramble for excuses, fuck, anything that would keep you from explaining yourself.

instead, she shifts her body upwards so she’s fit even tighter against your side,  placing her face into the crook of your neck. her lips were right at your pulse point, sending your mind spiralling at the thought that she could probably feel how fast your heart was beating right now. her lips move against your skin, saying something barely above a whisper.

“you tell anyone about this and i’ll fucking end you.”

[pet-genius]

The Death Eaters as a Cult - Part 1

This is a very lightly edited old Reddit post, that I'll publish in parts because the whole thing is like 7000 words. Analyzing Voldemort, the DE and their dynamics, Dumbledore and Harry in comparison, and individual Death Eaters. Hope you like it!

Some say Voldemort is a cartoon villain, or wizard Hitler. I think he is very realistic, and that the focus on his political aspirations ignores interesting aspects of him. I cannot prove that JKR had cults in mind when she wrote Voldemort and his followers, but this is how I read them. It’s nearly impossible to define a cult, so, for the purpose hereof, I’m going with “a group dedicated to the worship of a person”. Many cult leaders in real life present themselves merely as “god’s voice” or “the messiah”, but Voldemort specifically didn’t bother to hide behind a power higher than himself.

Tom Riddle comes from humble beginnings, like many cult leaders - he’s raised in an orphanage. He already has delusions of grandeur, only in this case they’re not delusions, because he really is magic, which makes it all the more dangerous. Look how he reacted to discovering he was a wizard, and how Harry did.

Immediately following the revelation that Lily and James did not die in a car crash, and that Harry is famous, and that he survived an attempt at his life by the worst wizard in history:

Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He’d spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn’t they been turned into warty toads every time they’d tried to lock him in his cupboard? If he’d once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?

“Hagrid,” he said quietly, “I think you must have made a mistake. I don’t think I can be a wizard.”

Heart-breaking. Harry doesn’t believe he can be special, he blames himself for the way he’s treated.

This is Tom Riddle:

“I know that you are not mad. Hogwarts is not a school for mad people. It is a school of magic.”

There was silence. Riddle had frozen, his face expressionless, but his eyes were flickering back and forth between each of Dumbledore’s, as though trying to catch one of them lying. “Magic?” he repeated in a whisper.

“That’s right,” said Dumbledore.

“It’s... it’s magic, what I can do?”

“What is it that you can do?”

“All sorts,” breathed Riddle. A flush of excitement was rising up his neck into his hollow cheeks; he looked fevered. “I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to.”

His legs were trembling. He stumbled forward and sat down on the bed again, staring at his hands, his head bowed as though in prayer.

“I knew I was different,” he whispered to his own quivering fingers. “I knew I was special. Always, I knew there was something.”

His megalomania and violent nature are already apparent, as is his preternatural control of his magic. It also hints at rudimentary legilimency.

Dumbledore spells out that young Tom Riddle equated magic with immortality and liked to collect trophies, and that Tom Riddle liked being special, as he resents the name Tom for being too common; he already lives behind a mask and only shows his true face in shock. This, and not Dumbledore’s magical prowess, is what always scared Tom. Voldemort knew Dumbledore knew what he was. That was the only tactical advantage Dumbledore had.

It’s also one of JKR’s strokes of brilliance: Dumbledore saw Tom for what Tom was, and others never did until it was too late, not because he was that clever, but because he knew from experience. Dumbledore had allowed himself to fall for a charismatic but heartless man before, and it took Ariana dying to slap him awake. Dumbledore knows good people can be led astray: It happened to him. It has nothing to do with intelligence or “goodness”. Gellert was able to give Albus exactly what Albus lacked, stuck at home taking care of Ariana: the promise of freedom and a bright future, and the companionship of an equal. Albus fell for it, despite warning signs that should have been obvious.

Later, we know Tom is chosen by a wand of yew and phoenix feather. Both yew and phoenix are associated with immortality; yew trees are very long-lived. Compare this to Harry’s wand, holly and phoenix feather: both these characters will experience death and rebirth, except Tom Riddle’s wand tree is yew, and Harry’s is holly.

From Wikipedia: “The Christian church commonly found it expedient to take over existing pre-Christian sacred sites for churches. It has also been suggested that yews were planted at religious sites as their long life was suggestive of eternity, or because, being toxic when ingested, they were seen as trees of death.” Also from Wikipedia: “Christians have identified a wealth of symbolism in the holly tree’s form. The sharpness of the leaves help to recall the crown of thorns worn by Jesus; the red berries serve as a reminder of the drops of blood that were shed for salvation; and the shape of the leaves, which resemble flames, can serve to reveal God's burning love for His people.”

The two orphans’ wildly different views of death are also apparent in their wand trees. Voldemort will murder to attain his goals; Harry will sacrifice himself. That the phoenix feather came from Fawkes is also meaningful - Dumbledore taught both magic in some capacity, but he never could defeat Voldemort, because they’re too alike. One of Harry’s advantages in this battle is the integrity of his soul, which cannot be compromised.

Next, Tom Riddle is sorted into Slytherin. For a child who is already prone to megalomania, the house values bring out the worst in him, and under Slughorn, he grows into a manipulative, cunning, ruthless young man. I’m not blaming Horace for Tom being a psychopath, but some of the particular ways his psychopathy manifested in seem to have been directly due to Slughorn’s influence. Slughorn is a blood-supremacist, who was convinced Tom must come from fine stock. Slughorn tests drinks for poison using house elves; Tom Riddle tests the effectiveness of his Horcrux’s protection on Kreacher. Slughorn emphasizes the importance of connections and outright praises Tom for knowing more than he needs to, and encourages an attitude of “it’s only wrong if you get caught.” But Slughorn, prejudiced and cunning as he is, is not violent - he is academically curious about Horcruxes, but he finds them repugnant. Tom’s heart is not so faint - at the point of asking Slughorn about Horcruxes, the diary is already a horcrux, and Tom has already murdered his father. This is how Dumbledore describes Tom’s original gang, who were the proto-Death Eaters:

As he moved up the school, he gathered about him a group of dedicated friends; I call them that, for want of a better term, although as I have already indicated, Riddle undoubtedly felt no affection for any of them. This group had a kind of dark glamour within the castle. They were a motley collection; a mixture of the weak seeking protection, the ambitious seeking some shared glory, and the thuggish gravitating toward a leader who could show them more refined forms of cruelty. In other words, they were the forerunners of the Death Eaters, and indeed some of them became the first Death Eaters after leaving Hogwarts. Rigidly controlled by Riddle, they were never detected in open wrongdoing, although their seven years at Hogwarts were marked by a number of nasty incidents to which they were never satisfactorily linked, the most serious of which was, of course, the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, which resulted in the death of a girl. As you know, Hagrid was wrongly accused of that crime.

Dumbledore explains what motivated people to join Tom: some were afraid, some ambitious, some cruel. He controlled his so-called friends, and already started framing others for his own crimes (Hagrid’s framing was followed by Morfin’s and Hokey the house elf’s).

This is followed by Tom’s attempt to become a teacher (Dumbledore spells out his motivations: He is attached to the school, he wants to study its magic, and he already wants to build himself an army). He is denied, oddly chooses to work for Borgin and Burkes, a choice fueled by the desire to trace down more items to make into Horcruxes. Through the memory of the meeting with Heptzibah Smith, we see that Tom was definitely charming when he needed to be, and knew how to make people feel good. He did not use magic to trick her into showing him her precious locket and cup: he used muggle manipulation - flattery, making an old and forlorn lady feel valuable, perhaps even flirting with her (she’s certainly flirting with him). He was pleasant enough that Ms. Smith eagerly looked forward to his visits - but as she showed him her treasures, he was caught off guard by hearing about his mother and how she sold the locket, and she saw him for what he was, although she quickly fell into denial. Sadly, she was murdered two days later.

Why rely on Horcruxes to gain immortality? Tom must have known about Nicholas Flamel and the Philosopher’s Stone, and the Horcruxes require someone else to perform the resurrection ritual. Either making the Stone is so hard that it would deter Tom (unlikely), or he already expected to rely on followers who would find him and revive him - he certainly seems to have expected his followers to have searched for him earlier. Maybe Horcruxes were appealing because they require murder. In any case, this is followed by the memory of Tom asking Dumbledore for the DADA job again, a decade later. Tom has spent a decade gathering followers, and he has already changed his name to Lord Voldemort. This is reminiscent of real life cult leader David Koresh, and the leaders of the Children of God, Aum Shinrikyo, etc. The meeting between Voldemort and Albus is interesting, because it’s clear that Dumbledore had tried to teach Tom about the power of love:

“The old argument,” he said softly. “But nothing I have seen in the world has supported your famous pronouncements that love is more powerful than my kind of magic, Dumbledore.”

“Perhaps you have been looking in the wrong places,” suggested Dumbledore.

This did not help. Tom never learned - how could he? At 16, he was already a murderer - who could love him now for who he was? He could never be truly loved, and he could never truly love another, and he underestimated the power of love for his entire life, leading to his downfall - twice (were that it was so simple in real life).

Voldemort is trying to obfuscate the nature of the relationship, like all cults - they never admit this is what they are.

“I am glad to hear that you consider them friends,” said Dumbledore. “I was under the impression that they are more in the order of servants.”

“You are mistaken,” said Voldemort.

But LV can’t lie to Dumbledore, who changes the subject. He denies him the DADA job again, and the curse is placed on the job. LV’s ascent is due to begin in a few years. Hagrid tells the story:

Anyway, this — this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin’ fer followers. Got ’em, too — some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o’ his power, ’cause he was gettin’ himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn’t know who ter trust, didn’t dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches...

Voldemort isn’t just interested in immortality. He wants complete control. He wants everyone fearing him - even fearing his name. He has people isolated and distrustful, fearing for their lives.

But we know his reign of terror was dreadful - what I’m interested in is the way he treated his own followers. We know little about how he treated them in the first war, but we do have what Sirius had to say about Regulus’s fate:

From what I found out after he died, he got in so far, then panicked about what he was being asked to do and tried to back out. Well, you don’t just hand in your resignation to Voldemort. It’s a lifetime of service or death.

We know the real story of Regulus’s disappearance, and it’s different. Kreacher tells us that Regulus died in the Horcrux cave - but more telling is that Regulus forbade Kreacher from telling his parents what had happened to him. Why did he feel the need to do that? This suggests that Regulus knew LV destroyed traitors’ families, which is a tactic used in cults and other abusive dynamics. We know LV would leverage Draco’s welfare against Lucius for his failure in the Department of Mysteries, too. We know also that instead of going to Dumbledore, or to his own brother, Regulus chose death – unless he was really dumb, and I don’t think he was, he must have been manipulated into believing that was his only option, or his world made no sense after his faith had shattered. So many people never readjust to life outside the cult.

Voldemort “dies” about two years after that, having successfully recruited about 400 followers (“the death eaters outnumbered us the Order 20:1” - Lupin). We can’t say if all these people were genuine Death Eaters or people who had been Imperiused or otherwise coerced, or allies like Narcissa, but that coercion is used to recruit shows that Voldemort did not take his own followers’ ambitions and wishes into account. People who use outright coercion don't suddenly draw the line at manipulation.

[captainkurosolaire]

Was quite captivated by your words. Pulled this quote to be reminded that our creations live with us and beyond us. —- :O! This is incredible and so sweet I was momentarily wordless. Very talented to see it given creation and amazing art even. But it does still ring true, it’s a unfathomable endless sea to admire and cultivate. I really do think exploring creativity and wherever passion is/may be concerned, is our real power, it’s the closest thing I know that not only we can give others, what we can bring to life or destroy, we’re the most limitless in the grasp of transforming what’s upon our distinct minds.

=Personal Story Time= If used correctly, it’s a real throne and kingdom that should be proud of that banner we bring. I live for that sight, that moment, to hear and not only bring it to be drawn by it! The more I’ve come to also take that in, I see everything is a story and life channels it into me and I am always compelled to write or do something because of it. Even my most darkest days and creative writing stuff I went through recently, I’ve put that even back on bring out in late night story que’s for the future, all my inexperience, all my flaws. Because all that is apart of me. I can’t ret-con myself either. …And because I treat myself like that and take everything in, I’ve become someone incredibly more whole. There’s a confidence now that stirs in my chest that tells me I absolutely, can achieve anything. That entire explosive energy in me, that’s compelled me to try channeling it outwardly too. Cause if I can feel like that, I know everyone else can cause they’re/you’re my betters. Should that not be what’s felt, well then I’ll make sure while I’m thriving and living to give everything my all until patiently that day comes. Moment’s can push you beyond things never thought possible. I was in a three-day coma, doubted I could even survive after I aspirated into my lungs, a botched surgery gone array. Had my colon removed for a year and then reversed back into me to try attempt to do a procedure that would give my colon its necessary functions again. Happened suddenly and the midst of Christmas even, I remember deliriously all the strong pain-killers that are so powerful they create life-like hallucinations, the aroma, the smell, everything I could hear/see witness, I was on such high stuff, I still even had dreams and with those they were formed from the realities of my memories, my experiences. When you have something like that flash upon your life, there is a message potentially hidden in all that. I would say before that I was more introverted then 99% of the people here. I never spoke barely anyone, I was quite to myself outside the very limited people and even those who were closest never really I expressed myself cause I used to be embarrassed of how nerdy, or everything I was still. I enjoyed many interests and things that I never knew would click, I lacked it all. My answer came, in writing. My canvas, the place where I found my own freedom. Because upon something like this, it’s natural for me, this is like having my feet buried in the soil’s of awaiting beach sands, I’m the most comfort in this element and environment. Nothing beats me here, ADHD to the point I needed special-care and education, mild case of autistic, depression, anything mentally that could attack me, I could defeat here. Lay it all out, become myself. I made my autobiography at 16, barely a life yet to make a story about, but you’d be surprised it had much writing, all the future written on that page! I started writing commissions when I was 18 for people on dating apps and Facebook even. I began making my own RPG elements, character sheets, I went for anything too starry or ahead of myself, when I got my second-chance, I took it!

And it let me even though I wasn’t able to attend my high school at that time, I was able to show people myself in writing and I overcame it, I became more confident and never again did I look back. I only decided to further venture into it. Because when I woke up from that whole health, stuck in a hospital a month in my own weakness and fragility, one of my closest friends passed and that tore my world’s existence apart – because, I didn’t get to show him that side of me, the one who meant everything. Never again.

I became someone who challenge and became his worst critic, every writer has one! I’m the worst, no one can out-perform me in being toxic or against me. No one is against me like myself, no one wants me to fail like some of the noggin voices in my head. But with every voice telling me to quit, give-up, I push myself and look back at the aftermath what I created the people, I spite and made because I fight! I create! I build! I go for more, no matter how big. I am drawn back to write again and again! Until I can’t no longer. For the longest time I felt there was nowhere I belonged because how vastly different I was with this passion so strongly pumping in me. But then I found this place on Tumblr and learned blogs, I found the right RP community, I found entire acceptance and everything a whole civilization, more then a few people. It made everything become even more encouraging. Now I’m even better than that long-time ago, I haven’t forgotten those moments, they carry and make-me, but now I’m even more tenaciously passionate. And many people have struck me down, targeted how deeply I was into writing, my passions, they succeeded, beat me down, made me overthink, they aided against my worst. But their shadows, they didn’t make sure the job was done, it made errors. The darker things become, the more space it consumes. Only takes ONE tiny star and if it glimmers a shine and when it does, it will bring a light that will carries a solar system. Within here; for every voice that used to exist that was spewing against me to damage me down, there’s now with one voice of someone, who’s been inspired, praised, seen or gone to a journey and trip around this tenure. They’ve echoed billions of sounds more impactful and I resonate with it, I create off it, and it’s going to eventually show how far I can take it, grow and nurture off this. I have no limits, I’m a writer, a creator inspired by the eldest of stone.

I can lose many things, but the one thing I will never let myself be taken away from is my moments of symphony, that are my choir of newfound life.