#life of illusion

[myimaginaryradio]

Life Of Illusion - Joe Walsh

Good morning and happy Tuesday.

This week, with the debate of "who's more senile" coming, possible Supreme Court rulings coming, costumed supporters spewing hate, religious doctrines being forced upon children, and ungodly heat (at least in the north east US), this song has been playing in my head. The optimist in me says things can only get better, the truth is I don't know. I guess all WE can do is be good to each other, maybe it will catch on.

Be Safe Be Kind And Be Awesome

[talkstothemoonandstars]

Happy 77th Birthday, Joe Walsh!

Raise a glass of non-alcoholic cheer to the great Joe Walsh today!

[eydilily]

(look at what i have to offer) — this is the spider's nest.

[hollis-art]

au idea... tng but it's set in the 80s and the enterprise is an apartment building rather than a ship

other tenants of the building include: -Picard (the head of the college that Data attends) and Q (no one really knows what he does, he just pops in and out whenever he pleases) -Troi (high school guidance counselor) and Riker (personal trainer) and Worf used to live here too but he moved out -Beverly (still a doctor) and Wesley (burnt out college freshman) -Barclay (works at Blockbusters w/ Data and Geordi) -Guinan (bartender of a secretly gay bar)

the ds9 apartment is a whole other story

[heartorbit]

searching for a star that's still unknown to anyone!

[sicklyseraphnsuch]

Okay. But. Kinger can only have memories when he's in the dark. So *not* actively breathing (which they dont need to do - which they can forget to do) means Kinger lights up like a little lamp

By being a lightsource himself, he can never have darkness.

Which means, Kinger actively (and never forgets) to keep breathing - keep maintaining the illusion of life - because if he allows himself to truly truly forget, he will lose the only way he can keep his memories...

DO YOU UNDERSTAND???? GRIEF IS THE ONLY WAY TO LIVE!!!

[lazylittledragon]

i’m slowly going full clown and i’m ok with that

[palatinewolfsblog]

"Religion is at its best when it makes us ask hard questions about ourselves. It is at its worst when it deludes us into thinking we have all the answers for everybody else." Archibald McLeish.

[justarobowren]

Day 7: Shimmer!

Ok I know this one is a stretch, but when I thought shimmer I thought Mirages. But by the time I got to coloring I forgot? So I rendered it completely and then was like “wait. It was supposed to be in daytime.” But I didn’t want to redo it

So

:|

[nocofamilyau]

imagine this family trying to take a picture for a christmas card, or any type of family picture for that matter

bloody hell I was waiting for something like this

(ik im late as, but people never put the decorations away right after the 25th...)

(and yes the last two parts of the Alien Cody arc is still happening)

[raayllum]

I get that in general a lot of kids shows do utilize the protagonists ('good guys') in ways where they're supposed to be role models, particularly because some do have a "lesson of the week" where the character does bad things, then clearly learns and explains what they should've done instead by the end of the episode.

That has just... never been how TDP has operated, and I don't get how and why people think we're supposed to take what anyone does in the show as being unilaterally good or evil. Particularly in arc 2; any moral simplicity that was hanging on by a thread in arc 1 has been taken out back and shot numerous times by now.

TDP very rarely calls anything Evil or Good, and when it does, it's always filtered through the characters' biases, and rarely does more then 2-3 characters ever have the same opinion on something for the same reasons. Soren and Rayla, who have inverted character arcs, are some of the only characters to ever use the term villain / good guys or bad guys, and are two of the most staunchly black-and-white thinking characters, heavily to their detriment, I might add, in terms of coping with the increasing complexity of their lives. They have cognitive biases. They're not always right, and are frequently wrong. This is true for everyone in the show.

The show refuses to condemn murder, indirectly and directly condemns the expulsion of humans from Xadia routinely (Evrkynd being a city for everyone, Ezran arguing with Karim, who is the most wrong about the most things), and shows a variety of viewpoints on all things.

The show understands that the choices people make—whether the same character trait is a flaw or a strength—as well as 'moral' choices are all circumstantial.

Are you wrong to burn people alive? Mostly yes (2x07, 6x08) but also no (3x09). Are you wrong to kill people? Sometimes yes, sometimes no, sometimes whether it's 'wrong' or 'right' doesn't even factor in. Are you wrong to use dark magic, or use the dangerous Staff of Ziard, or coin someone and condemn them to a 'fate worse than death'? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Is lying or hiding the truth to protect someone wrong? Sometimes yes (1x06, 2x03, 3x03, 5x01, 7x04, 7x06) sometimes no (1x02, 2x03, 6x06, 5x08, 7x08).

Are you doing the right thing?

Do you have no choice? Is that true, or is that just what you think, or how you rationalize it yourself?

When is it right or cowardly to leave (Viren, Lissa, Rayla, Callum, Ezran, the Cosmic Council, the offer made to Karim's troops)? When should you stay? When do you decide to share resources (2x05) to your potential detriment or withhold them in the name of protecting yourself and your own people (Xadia and magic)? At what point(s) do you prioritize your own pain and grief, or someone else's (i.e. the Keeper vs Callum vs Ezran)? At what point is someone too dangerous or 'too far gone' to keep alive (Runaan about Harrow, Ezran about Aaravos)? At what point do you decide someone cannot change? When do you refuse to change (Karim, Terry) who you are no matter what happens, and when do you decide that you must (Ezran, Soren)? When is it wrong to use illusions to trick someone (3x09 and 7x06) and when is it more reasonable (2x03)? When should you be willing to sacrifice others (Rayla with her family, Runaan and Rayla with Callum, Soren with Viren) and when should you refuse? When should you sacrifice yourself, and when it is wrong to? Did you betray them, or did they betray you, or both (usually both)? When should you betray or stay loyal to your family? What is the right thing to do?

The show, tbh, doesn't know, at least 90% of the time. It's not interested in knowing. It's interested in exploring. That's the whole point. At most, it says you should work towards harm reduction, but what constitutes harm, and what peace looks like, is also something that greatly differs for all the characters.

Rayla is willing to sacrifice the love of her life, Ezran is willing to create weapons of mass destruction and wield one, and Callum used a torture spell on someone when he absolutely did not have to. The idea that any of the protagonists are meant to be paragons of unblemished virtue who are always 100% right, or that any of the antagonists do not canonically have a good point of contention with anything that's happened and are always 100% wrong, is reductive to everything the show is and explores, because it is Quite Literally not what the show does, ever tbh.

They literally spelled it out this past season as a core theme; I don't think they needed to have a character directly point it out every time a main character did something that was Kinda Fucked Up or Complicated But Understandable to know that the show knows it was Canonically Fucked Up or Complicated But Understandable.

There is not a single character or action in TDP that is always right, and there is not a singular character or action in TDP that is always wrong. Hell, even narrowing it down to "this is 'right' or 'wrong'" feels counterintuitive because it's so subjective within the narrative.

Every choice the characters make is often well reasoned, aligns with their values and world views, and fits into how they work through problems. Every choice has benefits and consequences, for them or for others. That doesn't mean it's Right for everyone involved. That doesn't mean it's Wrong for everyone involved. That's what makes the show interesting. Everything has nuance. Everything has Complexity. I'm not interested in a simplified version of TDP. I'm interested in the show as is.

I hope you are, too.

[becca-e-barnes]

Honestly, it might not be everyone's thing but the thought of sweet, domestic free use makes me purr 😵‍💫

Just the thought of baking in the kitchen with some quiet music playing that you can't really hear when the mixer is running. Wearing a cute little dress with an apron on top, knowing that your husband has been enjoying the way the hem flutters just above your knees.

Bucky's always been full of compliments but never more so that when you're making him his favourite sweet treats. He appreciates you. All of you.

"Such a good little wife for me." He's been sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for your mixer to finish incorporating the dry ingredients into your chocolate brownie batter.

With your back to him, he can't see the smile that tugs at the corners of your lips. He can't see the joy you feel at being able to show him how much you love him.

"You're so gorgeous, do you know that?" He's already crossed the space between you, standing behind you and trailing his lips up your neck.

His hands feel huge on your waist and you feel how desperate you are to melt against his broader frame. You're safe and loved and appreciated and it makes you want all of him.

"I think you'll like the panties I'm wearing." You whisper, trying not to look at him as the kisses to your neck pause.

One hand slips from your waist, under the hem of your dress, trailing up the outside of your thighs.

He doesn't know whether to expect lace or cotton or silk or something else entirely but his breath catches in his throat when he finds nothing. No fabric at all. Just more soft, warm skin.

"Fuck sweetheart, you've been at home all day with no panties on?" The hand disappears and you hear your husband undo his belt buckle.

"No, I took them off before you got back." Somehow he likes that answer more. They came off just for him.

"You must've been hoping I'd take care of you." He gives his stiffening cock a few strokes before pulling your dress up and bending you over slightly.

His tip has no trouble slipping inside you, followed quickly by the rest of his length. You're almost embarrassingly wet just from knowing that he was looking at you.

"Just you keep doing what you're doing. Don't let me distract you." He groans as he thrusts into you, enjoying the tight, wet heat of your body and the way you try to turn your attention back to your mixing bowl.

[talkstothemoonandstars]

Joe Walsh

[turnipoddity]

i’m writing my thesis and i thought like, whew i did so much work!! let’s see how many words i’ve typed in already—and it’s just around 6.000 words… about 30ish pages. My mind immediately goes to how dedicated fanfic authors are… i stare in horror as i realize how many pages of fanfics i must’ve read all this time… this is a love letter to all fanfic authors out there… y’all are insanely talented and so dedicated to your work

[thecraftyninjacat]

is it really you standing there, or am i dreaming once more?

[theactualsunshinechild]

I think Aventio and Screwtio shippers shouldn't fight. After all, Ratio has two hands!

That's right. Two hands.

One for his chalk.

One for his codex.

Both of which he's holding in an embarrassed death grip as they chat away with each other about him.