#now you should know not to use any symbols that you don't understand at all

[in2u-4asec]

Seems like the cult got another name for them all because of the symbol they so proudly uses ☠️

what goes around, comes around...

[crikitune]

waittt wait imagine the batfam doing the "we listen and we don't judge" trend!? (forgive any formatting errors, first time making a post like this!)

all: we listen and we don't judge!

dick: when I first came to the manor, i used to strategically time whenever I'd do acrobatics -off the chandeliers and stuff, of course- to when bruce was about to walk in just so i could see him look terrified and start freaking out. it was the height of comedy to me

jason: lowkey a mood... damian: tormenting Father seems to be a common passtime with this group.

all: we listen and we don't judge!

barbara: when i first became oracle, i hacked all of my ex-boyfriends devices and gave each one irreversible viruses. now anytime i get bored, i go mess with their replacement electronics in reversible but annoying ways

steph: sounds incredibly healing! cass: as you should.

all: we listen and we don't judge

jason: when i attacked tim in the titans tower, i did it in an adult-sized Robin costume.

steph: PFTT- WHAT duke: ...why, man? just why?

jason: ...I thought it was symbolic and poetic justice.

all, laughing a little: we listen and we don't judge!

cass: When i was still learning to communicate, I'd sometimes pretend not to understand what people told me so that I didn't have to answer their questions and they couldn't pester me about it ☺️

jason, laughing: ohhh cass that is EVIL tim: god, i wish i could do that with the board members...

all: we listen and we don't judge

tim: when i was going to Brentwood during my Robin days, my alcoholic roommate found my Robin costume, put it on, then passed out in it, so I had to literally peel it off of him and then gaslight him into not remembering it.

dick: WHAT. jason: bet you couldn't get that smell out for ages. tim: i really, really couldn't...

all: we... we listen and we don't judge!

steph: when i first met tim, i smacked him in the face with a brick. also i started dating him without knowing his secret ID, so that was pretty brutal...

cass: you deserve better. tim: hey! i wasn't that bad! steph: ehhhh you were, but it's okay cus I love ya and we're over it now!

all: we listen, and we don't judge.

duke: uhm. around when i first started living at the manor i thought it would be funny to pull a prank on Dick, so I put nair in his shampoo. it backfired spectacularly.

dick: THAT WAS YOU!? damian: i thought only Todd would be so idiotic... steph: *breaking down in laughter* tim: you were the one who started the 4 month long prank war!? jason: duke. i'm going to hit you. duke: ...aha, oops?

all: we listen... and we don't judge.

damian: ahem. you all remember the box of kittens i found on patrol a few weeks ago, which father forced me to bring to a shelter? *nods* well i did not give them to the shelter. they are in my room. i let them out everytime you all are out.

steph: ohmygod, dami, whattt jason: damn, you are a delinquent after all!

dick: wait damian. where are the kittens now.

damian, who's hoodie looks suspiciously padded: nowhere.

dick: damian show us the kittens right now-

all, as dick starts wrestling damian to retrieve the kittens: we listen- and we don't judge!

[wqlfstqr]

hey! i love your fics and i was wondering if you could do a jason grace x hecate reader? where she dresses kinda goth and he’s like ive never been more afraid yet also so enthralled by literally anyone ever and she’s just like chillin listening to metal or whatever and he’s trying his best to not start tweaking? i know that’s not a lot to go off on so if you don’t like the idea pls do not do it but anyway bye thx 🙏

◟𖥻 The hanged man : jason grace

▰▰ pairing: jason grace x fem!reader

The Hanged Man symbolizes a period of gaining new perspective, embracing a temporary pause, and trusting the process of change and transformation.

mari talking yay! first time writing about jason but i love him so much <3 also I had to do a some research on goth culture to try and not mess things up but there’s a lot of info, so I'm sorry if I messed something up���.

warnings: use of y/n (like two times), canon divergence to make things work.

Jason has been at camp half-blood for only a week, but now he has made it his entire life mission to learn more about her.

He's drawn to her the first moment he spots her sitting alone after breakfast. While everyone is mingling and discussing plans for the day, she's shuffling... Cards? is she playing cards alone?

Jason can't help the curiosity that blooms in him, and before he can stop himself, he's already walking towards her. She doesn't even look up as he takes a seat in front of her.

"Hello, I'm Jason Grace, I'm—" He doesn’t get the time to introduce himself properly before she raises one finger to stop him.

"I know who you are." She tells him, but she doesn't elaborate further.

Jason lets a few seconds pass in between them, just looking at her while she keeps her focus on the cards on her hand, before he tries again. "I don't think I got your name"

His attempt is once again sushed off, this time because a few of the cards fall on the table, Jason curiously takes a peek but he doesn’t understand what's going on. For the first time, she raises her eyes but not to look at him, just to let her gaze fall on the cards.

"Death is coming upon us." She says suddenly, calm demeanor as if she was simply talking about the weather.

He blinks at her, completely taken aback. "When?" he asks, before he can stop himself.

For the first time, she looks at him, the corners of her lips barely twitching— almost as if she's amused by him.

"Time will tell." she replies simply, returning her gaze to the scattered cards.

Jason sits there in silence, unsure if he should do or say something else, or just... leave. Yes, probably leaving is the better option.

However, he can't keep the curiosity to himself. Which is why, later that day, at training, he finally cracks and asks Percy. "So there’s this girl— she was alone at breakfast? wearing a black dress, playing cards alone? kind of intimidating."

"Oh, y/n." Percy replies, as if the description doesn’t leave any room for questioning who Jason is talking about. "What about her?"

"You know her?" He asks, trying to act as if he's just making small talk.

"Kind of? I mean, not really, I just know that she's a Hecate daughter. No one really knows her." Percy says, not thinking too much about it as he sharpens his sword. "She's nice. I think. Just... offputting."

"Offputting? how so?" By this point, Jason has already forgotten all about his sword and is simply waiting for Percy's answer.

"I don't know, she's always predicting someone's death and she probably knows how to curse someone... like an actual curse." Percy pauses, thinking. "She seems like the type of person you go to when you need to put a spell on someone, or to summon a vengeful spirit. But she mostly keeps to herself."

Jason simply stares at him.

"She's cool, though."

And Jason thinks that's it, that's everything he needs to know. Except— his interest for her doesn’t fade, in fact, it grows. He can't stop noticing her around. And he wants to approach her every time, but he is sure it won't go the way he wants it to go.

He needs help, so he goes to the one person he knows to be intimidating and far more cooler than him.

Fortunately, Thalia is recently staying at camp with the hunters of Artemis for some quest they need to help with. So it's not difficult to find his sister that night.

"What happened?" She asks when he simply plops down on her bed dramatically.

Jason doesn’t even know how to start, what happened? Nothing at all. "There’s this girl. I'm not even sure she knows I exist."

"You're Jason Grace. Of course she knows." Thalia snorts.

"She's a daughter of Hecate, and she's... well, not what you'd normally expect. But she's like cool, you know? besides the whole predicting death." He explains, rambling.

Thalia laughs, totally unbothered. "Are you having problems with her?"

"Yes- I mean, no. That's the problem, I just can't talk to her as much as I want to. Like she seems so cool but also scary at the same time, and I don't know why i'm so drawn to her. But how can I talk to her when she doesn't even look at me?" He runs a hand through his blond hair, frustrated.

His sister sits up. "Alright, listen. She's a Hecate kid right? you're clearly not going to impress her with the whole bright-eyed, heroe-y, golden retriever thing you got going on."

"But what will, then?" He asks, genuinely desperate now.

"You've got to speak her language." she shrugs. "Now, i'm not telling you that you have to get into the whole witchcraft thing, but if you find her cool, try to get to know her. Ask about— I actually don't know what Hecate kids are into, her favorite graveyard?"

Jason is so not sure that that's a question anyone would have a reply to. But since he has learned she's simply not anyone, he decides to go with Thalia's advice next time he crosses paths with her.

He casually, but doubtfully, tries to ask her. "So... do you have a favorite graveyard?"

And of course, she was listening to music, so she doesn't even realize that he's talking to her until she notices him sitting there waiting for an answer.

She pulls the earphone out of her ear, the music so loud Jason can still hear it and raises a questioning eyebrow at him. "Did you want something, Grace?"

Oh so she actually knows who he is. Noted.

"I- uh- i was asking-" he chokes up on his words when her eyes connect with his for the second time since he's known her, her eyeliner making her eyes pop up. "I wanted to know if you had- if you had a favorite graveyard"

She replies without even taking a second to consider her answer. "Yeah. Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Great getaway to connect with the spirits."

Jason gapes at her, he can't believe that really worked. But, once again, he's out of words and she quickly shuts him off before he tries to come up with something, she plugs her earphone back in to put an end to the conversation.

After that, he doesn’t try again. Not because he doesn’t want to, or because he's scared off— he simply thinks that she doesn't want him to.

That doesn’t stop him from watching her from a safe distance though, he looks at her as she moves through people as if she's always in control, his gaze snaps towards her the moment he first hears her laugh while eating breakfast with her siblings, always admiring her from afar. She doesn't go unnoticed by him. But he respects her distance.

So it's truly a surprise when, after dinner when everyone else has cleared off and gone to their cabins, he finds her leaning against the door of his cabin, the moonlight making her look like part of the night itself.

He's almost doubting if she's real as he stops in front of her, but when she breaks the silence, he's sure she's truly standing there. "You know, that was a stupid question."

He blinks, as usual taken by surprise. "What do you mean?"

"The graveyard thing." she replies, shrugging. "But I could tell you were trying."

Jason laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "My sister told me I needed to speak your language."

She hums, the corners of her dark red lips lifting slightly into an amused smile. "Maybe next time just start with... I don't know, asking about my favorite book."

"Noted." Jason nods, and because he can't hide his excitement because they have exchanged more than a few words, he adds. "So what's your favorite book?"

"Uncle Silas." She replies, the wind dancing through her hair. "through i've been enjoying the black cat by edgar allan poe, too."

Jason has no clue what those books are about, but she makes everything so alluring, so effortlessly cool. "Right. Maybe I should give those a try."

She tilts her head at him, and gods help him, she's beautiful. "Doesn’t seem like they would be your kind of book."

That makes him chuckle. "Well, I'll try anything once."

She hums. Not disapproving, just... acknowledging.

"Do you know what the cards said that day?" She says suddenly, and Jason has to take a moment to realize she's talking about those cards she was suffling when he first talked to her.

He shakes his head. "You said it meant death was coming."

"Yeah, I know, but people always assume it means their dead or someone else's" she explains, and Jason is almost surprised to see that she seems almost... shy. "It was a metaphor, for change. New beginnings. Something new is coming, something old is dying."

"Oh." he nods, finally understanding. "that's not as bad as I thought."

"It rarely is, people just like to assume the worst." she shrugs.

Then, after a hesitant second, she adds. "I like you, Jason Grace." she says, looking at him— really looking at him. "You're not what I expected."

"Is that bad?" Jason asks, feeling as if his breath was suddenly stolen away.

"Not at all." shaking her head, she offers him a tiny smile. And it feels like a win in Jason's book. "You're annoyingly persistent. But you listen. And you try to understand instead of being scared."

Jason tilts his head, a soft smile curving his lips. "Well, there’s no reason to be scared, is there?"

"No, there isn't." then, before he can say anything else, she leans in and presses a soft kiss against his cheek. Her lips cold against the warm of his skin.

He stutters when she pulls away, not sure what to say, but once again she beats him to it, an amused spark in her eyes. "Good night, Jason."

And then she's fading into the darkness of the night as she walks away, leaving him stunned, heart hammering. He only manages to pull himself together fast enough to call after her, "Good night, y/n!"

When Jason walks into his cabin and sees his reflection in the nearest surface, the smear of dark red lipstick against his cheek is proof enough that everything was real and not another one of his fantasies.

"New beginnings." he repeats to himself, unable to hide the silly smile he gives to his own reflection.

[alwaysless]

Fellow William analyst, greetings! I hope you are well, I hope you don't mind a question/ask.

I am curious about your thoughts on the lack of reaction we see of Will at the "one life" reveal at the dinner scene, if you haven't already shared your thoughts before! We know Annabel wasn't shocked, but what about Will?

It took me longer to answer than I thought, sorry

I'm not sure I can say anything new, but yes, it's pretty damn suspicious. The composition of the frame stylized as broken glass, makes it easy to draw Will with everyone, and a frame later we see him with other panicking students, so RnF didn't show his reaction quite intentionally.

But I also want to talk about his behavior further. In the next episode, Will doesn't behave the way you expect him to. Given his weak-willed personality, it seems like he should be scared and overwhelmed by the prospect of a survival game (like Morella for example) but he's confused at best, and moreover, confused by everyone else's reactions. He even tries to justify the deans, basically gaslighting the rest of the students.

Will is not afraid, but he does not understand why others are. I have only two possible explanations: either he knew, or he just doesn't care, just like Annabel. Or maybe both.

Maybe he has played these games before. Maybe he doesn't plan to fight for a second life (at least not in Nevermore, again just like Annabel). Maybe because he is somehow connected with the academic staff with all his doll aesthetic, there is no second life for him in general, he just works there. There are many options, but here I would prefer to focus on his parallels with Annabel - two characters whose reactions we don't see in this frame.

This is actually not the only scene where they are absent, contrary to common sense. In episode 6 we see the merit board for the first time. Most of the names on it are blurred, but some can be distinguished. Among them are Lenore, Annabel, Duke, Morella, Ada, Prospero and Will. All of them, except Annabel and Will, are present in the room at this moment.

I wouldn't have paid much attention to this scene if it weren't for Prospero. Why is he there? He doesn't speak a single line, and we haven't been introduced to him as a character yet. His presence here is useless. So maybe the idea really was for all the characters whose names were visible on the board to be in the scene(or at least have already been introduced, like Annabel).

So what about Will? My main problem with shapeshifter characters is that they can be anyone, anywhere, at any point in the story. Especially if they can also create their own copies. He could have already been introduced and we just didn't notice.

Now let's talk about the games these kids love to play so much. We know that Annabel is a talented chess player, and Montresor constantly uses card game slang. But did you know that it was William Wilson from Poe's original story who was a cardsharper? I just think it's such an interesting detail. Nevermore`s Will has never been seen like this, but considering how much of a board game aesthetic this webtoon has, I think it's important to note this.

And finally, there is a similarity that also makes them very different: both Annabel and Will have ribbons as an essential symbol, but it has a completely opposite meaning for each of them. For Annabel, the ribbons are a symbol of madness, fear, and perhaps her golden cage. It appears in her hallucinations after Lenore's fake death, as well as when Ada shows her her main fear.

Will, on the other hand? The ribbons are his weapon. He uses them to tangle other people. Curious, although his spectre is obviously a marionette, he doesn't have a control bar for strings, he controls the strings himself (not always successful but still).

No matter how weak-willed Will is, he's the only one in Annabel's group who isn't influenced by her. She blackmails Montresor, Prospero respects her as a leader and friend, Ada admires and envies her. But she doesn't have anything on Will. In the chess allegory, he will obviously be a pawn (and I`ll write a whole post about it, I swear), but not Annabel's pawn. I have an idea that sooner or later, Montresor will think of using Will to find dirt on Annabel in revenge. After all, given their spectre abilities, it's easier for them to find out lenabel's secret.

So, let's summarize what we found. Absolutely nothing. This post turned out to be longer than I had planned, because I was a little carried away, but I hope you found something interesting for yourself in this stream of thoughts.

Here, take funny little Will everyone. He deserves to be noticed.

[sirfrogsworth]

These folks watched a whole ass movie not realizing the main character was transgender and it was a 2 second kiss between men that made them lose their ever-loving minds.

It's amazing to me that if it weren't for those 2 seconds, many of these folks would have given this movie a 4 or 5 star review. But two seconds of the most vanilla, non-sexy, yet genuine and loving kiss somehow ruined every moment of enjoyment the previous 90 minutes brought them.

Imagine if they realized the trans allegory. I wish I had a way to tell them. I wish I had a way to make them realize they related to a trans character. That they rooted for them. That they accidentally empathized with a trans story.

This was a beautiful movie. In every sense. I really hope between this and Spider-Verse, we can have a moratorium on every 3D animated movie using this style of character design.

It's time to let go of the rubber toy look.

I love Toy Story, but its success kind of doomed 3D animation to never take any risks. I thought maybe it was just a limitation of the medium, and perhaps it was for a time... but after seeing Love Death + Robots and Arcane...

I realized they can make 3D animation look however the hell they want now.

The rubber people were just risk avoidance.

"That's what people are used to and so we're sticking with it."

But the real beauty of Nimona was the story. I won't spoil it but the plot is pretty much, "If you get to know a trans person, you probably won't hate them anymore."

Not knowing any trans people is one of the biggest factors in anti-trans bigotry. And so this movie uses allegory to let an audience get to know a trans person. And you get to experience someone slowly start to understand what it is to be trans from an outside perspective.

It's sad that will probably be lost on those folks above because all they will remember is the kiss. Seriously, it was such a harmless, mundane, blink-and-you-miss-it kiss. But I'm hoping that others will take the lesson of this movie to heart. That you should get to know people before you judge them.

Part of me does wish we could tell trans stories without allegory. That we could just have overt trans characters. But I think this is the best representation possible right now.

It's crazy that Supergirl was one of the bravest shows as far as modern trans representation. It wasn't an edgy HBO drama trying to push boundaries. It was a family-friendly superhero show and they were just like, "Here is a transgender woman with superpowers and it's fine." And I loved that it was part of the character but it wasn't all the character was. Though I think they just missed the manufactured "moral panic" window where that choice would have been extremely controversial causing boycotts of Warner Bros. and whatnot.

My only complaint about Nimona was a small penis joke. It went by very quickly and many may even miss it. But I was surprised to see it in this movie in particular. Especially since those jokes can have collateral damage toward trans folks. With all of the positive messages, wasting a joke on body shaming was a tad disappointing. I mean, it was a fairly lighthearted "Is it cold in here?" joke. I don't want to make it sound worse than it was. But it still registered on my Richter scale of things that bother me.

Anyway, I wholeheartedly give Nimona a 5 out of 5. It helped me understand my friends on a deeper level and it was warm and funny and entertaining. There was a scene at the end that was so beautiful and heart-wrenching and I was crying my eyes out. The animation and the symbolism and the acting were just so perfect.

It's a shame Disney tried to kill this movie. But I am so glad it was allowed to exist despite that.

[dr5amatic]

MONSTER YOU CREATED ,

a sentence starter prompts list comprised of quotes from arcane season 1. please be advised that this list may involve topics including, but not limited to violence. change verbiage as needed.

we're not gonna get caught. we'll be in and out before anyone notices.

thought last time was the last time we were gonna do this.

you could fill a damn library with all the things you didn't do.

a bit of advice. don't threaten the guy who pours the drinks.

when people look up to you, you don't get to be selfish.

you're gonna have to lay low for a bit, understand?

those who did this will be dealt with.

i ruined everything. i always do.

you have to believe me. i didn't do this.

i do love a good conundrum.

no great science should ever put lives in danger.

i believe i've discovered something truly incredible.

we look out for each other. it's the way it's always been.

all i see is a child meddling with things they don't understand.

i was trying to create magic.

arcane talents are something you're born with. they can't be fabricated.

you don't understand what's at stake, but how can you? that's a burden that only i carry.

if dangerous ideas didn't excite the imagination, we would never wander astray.

there's a monster inside all of us.

you're just a small man in a little hole the world forgot to bury.

i know you wanna hurt the topsiders for what they've done to us, but who are you willing to lose?

i saw it with my own eyes what magic can do, the lives it could save. you've no idea how beautiful it is.

when you're going to change the world, don't ask for permission.

what makes you different makes you strong.

you'll oblige a doomed man one last smoke, won't you?

you never did know when to walk away.

what have you done? this wasn't the deal!

you'll get people killed. for what? pride?

oh, i hated you for what you'd done, but as time passed, so did my hate. and i was left with an understanding.

the only way to defeat a superior enemy is to stop at nothing to become what they fear.

you'll die for the cause, but you won't fight for one?

willing to risk exile for your endeavor. that's quite the conviction.

wait a minute, this isn't my bedroom.

another late night. the work just doesn't end.

you were supposed to guard the cargo.

it was your job to make sure things went smoothly. you failed. don't disappoint me again.

do you have any idea what you've done?

how do you intend to prove any of this?

did my parents pay you to let me win?

i don't need favors. i need you to do your job.

you've just made yourself everyone's common enemy.

that place looks like it has bodies buried in the basement.

you're a symbol of the future now, whether you like it or not.

how can i say no to such an auspicious offer.

if you really want people to talk to you, you have to let them think you have what they want.

what is truth, but a survivor's story?

if i'm discovered, we're both finished.

are you headed home soon? i thought we could walk together.

betrayal, that pain that feels like it'll eat you from the inside out, can either break you or forge you into something greater.

loneliness is often the byproduct of a gifted mind.

do you contemplate death?

it's a sad truth that those who shine brightest often burn fastest.

i hate feeling so useless.

i know you have your reservations about me, but this only works if we can trust each other.

i just... want to feel what it was like... to be somebody. to make other people afraid.

how many problems can one girl cause?

you can fire that thing if you want, but i'm not going anywhere.

i'm not going to abandon you again.

i knew it was a mistake trusting you.

you look good for a dead girl.

that was a long time ago. people change.

nature has made us intolerant to change, but fortunately, we have the capacity to change our nature.

i know the look of a doomed man.

love and legacy are the sacrifices we make for progress.

i should have been there. for you. for everyone.

we came from a world where there was never enough to go around. that's why we fight. do you remember?

who found you? who cared for you? gave you a home?

i am your family. everyone else betrays us.

i'm only asking you to prepare to defend your people.

i'm worried i have to do something i never thought i would.

if you want to last in this world, you must learn to be both the fox and the wolf.

you'd give me a throne?

i'll give you the world if you prove you can take it.

sometimes, death is a mercy.

every time i think you can't get dumber, you dig a new low.

ego is one thing, brain is another.

weapons can't be unmade and they are always used.

that looks like more than a sprain. you need medical attention.

you have the passion of youth.

oil and water. wasn't meant to be.

we got a deal, pretty boy?

you've always been a part of this. you just never had to look it in the eye.

you really are fond of him.

i wanted to protect the city from people like you.

i can't believe you'd start a war just to cover your ass.

i would set the world ablaze to protect our family.

we lost ourselves. lost our dream. in the pursuit of great, we failed to do good. we have to make it right.

i'm trying to save you from annihilation.

i can't make a deal with a snake and cut off its head. we both have our shitty parts to play.

you'd be surprised what you can pull off when your life depends on it.

it's not enough to give people what they need to survive. you have to give them what they need to live.

is there anything so undoing as a daughter?

nothing ever stays dead.

the only thing that kept me going was the thought of getting back to you.

you're my daughter. i'll never forsake you.

remember who you are! i know you remember!

don't cry. you're perfect.

i thought maybe you could love me like you used to. even though i'm... different. but you changed too.

[mythelixir]

Right now, who are you, what do you need to hear from your future self and your inner child? Pile - 1

Pile - 2

Pile - 3

Pile - 1

Knight of Wands - reversed

King of Swords - reversed

2 of cups - reversed

Ace of Swords

Aura colour – orange/purple

What’s your vibe?

Well, to be put simply, you are reckless. You’re someone who is driven by adrenaline, never allowing anything to stop you. To you, the world is a small place, and everything is simple. But all these are carefully crafted façades. You, in reality, are restless and fearful. You fear that the time given to you is too short and you might die tomorrow, you live in that fear. So you do everything now. YOLO right? So, you lack self-discipline in the excuse that it only cripples your adventure. But to a heavy contrast, you feel for the people you love, so deeply that you protect them with the life that you so fear losing. You are an idiotic fool that everyone loves but fears you aren’t in your right mind more than half of their time.

You are someone who is gifted with the power of intellect along with victory. Doesn’t mean you’re favoured that way, it's just that the hardships you face, you always find a way to get out of, with triumph at that. Hence, you give off confidence in your walk and talk. I just saw a lioness. While lions are signs of reign and power, they are also known for laziness. But lionesses? They are the symbol of elegance and royalty. While some things confuse you, you don’t get stuck in it for long. You understand the problem and solve it quickly, you’re very action oriented. So, when people see you, they see someone reliable, someone they know can handle shit on their own. In others' eyes, you are that bitch that they fear.

You give off major Aquarius/Sagittarius vibes.

Messages from your future self:

I know you’re tempted to just use others around you, and step over their efforts to get to your destination, but please, don’t do it. You’re only damaging yourself in the process. Telling yourself, “One last time” before doing it? No, you're going to do it again, trust me. It will be like an addiction, even when you know you should stop, you won’t. You can't. Trust me. I know being this Ice Princess is a tempting imagery right now but that ice that is meant to pierce others? It will only impale you. Power-hungry jackals, you hate them right? Then why are you seeking to become one? Write down your feelings instead, so when you read them back, you’ll understand why you’d stopped yourself. Love yourself a little. Show yourself some peace. You need it.

Message from your inner child:

So you fear touch because you were never hugged, lulled to sleep or comforted when you cried as a child? No open communication, only screaming matches? Always being said, “You’re younger, you don't know the world. Just do as I say”. Unrealistic expectations that you were never able to meet? Well, when you were younger you might’ve, but as you got older, shit just didn’t make any sense. You wanted to rebel all of a sudden, but even when you did, you were brushed off as “immature”?

But now, it’s time to change the narrative. Start small—acknowledge your pain and let yourself grieve the affection and understanding you missed. Surround yourself with people who make you feel safe and loved, and learn to set boundaries with those who don’t. Explore self-soothing practices like journaling, meditation, or holding a soft object when you feel overwhelmed. Teach yourself that touch can feel safe again—start with something gentle, like hugging a pet, or even placing a hand over your heart to remind yourself you’re here. Speak kindly to yourself; replace harsh inner voices with affirmations like, “I am enough,” or “I deserve love.” Engage in therapy or support groups to unlearn the lies you were told and create space for your true self to grow. Healing begins when you nurture the love and care within you that was always waiting to be found.

Pile - 2

The Empress – reversed

Queen of Cups – reversed

The Hierophant

2 of wands

Aura colour – white/red

What’s your vibe?

You are controlling and manipulative, but that stems from lack of self-worth and constantly neglecting your needs. You simply cannot control yourself so you rectify that problem by controlling the people around you, that can either drive them away or to you. You might be the sole earner/breadwinner of your family, this power trip might be the reason for your behaviour. The cards also strongly suggest the presence of a woman/ feminine energy had negatively impacted previously in your life, which now has shaped you to be sceptical to women, this also might result to you being called “pick-me”. But no, you are just comfortable around men. This kind of treatment also makes you incredibly bonded with nature and also, food. You love treating the people you love with food and also, when you are depressed, you need rain/ rain sounds + lots of tasty food.

You also suffer from emotional imbalance/ low EQ. Insecurity, emotional insecurity and self-neglect are themes that you see yourself falling into. This leads to lack of empathy, distrust and animosity towards people that are nice just for the hell of it. You either loathe it because you think they’re being fake or you just hate them for being something you cannot. You also think emotional detachment is the way to go. You give off tsundere vibes.

Major Taurus/ all water sign vibes.

Messages from your future self:

You lack a belief system and you know that ruins you. The nights when you feel no one is there for you, no one can hear your wailing cries, you fail to get back up because of it. Because you have nothing to believe in. That breaks you from the inside. If people fail you and you hate the idea of following a religion, then imagine you future, where you see yourself. Where you succeed, where you are loved by everyone and work towards achieving that, when you do that, you have something to live for. A silver lining in the darkest of clouds. And, there is nothing wrong with being conventional/traditional. People stick with olden ways because they’re proven to work. So you do you!

I kept hearing “Too sad to cry” by Sasha Sloan when I was writing this, give it a listen but keep a box of tissues with you.

Message from your inner child:

I know you probably fear large bodies of water—it’s okay. Something must have happened back then, something that made the water feel less like a friend and more like a threat. You’ve learned to cope, though. You keep a support system nearby, like friends or a lifeguard, or rely on floaties to keep you afloat. But that fear also made you fall in love with the warmth of summer and spring, where the sun feels like a hug and you don’t have to face the uncertainty of deep waters.

You’ve always been the one who plans, the one who maps out their path because people around you (your parents/uncles/aunts) seemed to have glided through life, never planning anything and you’ve seen things go wrong because of it. And that because of that, your anxiety made you an avid planner.

But guess what? That’s your strength. You hold the world in your palm, ready to shape it your way, one thoughtful step at a time. I see you. I’m proud of you. Keep going.

Pile - 3

Ten of wands – reversed

King of Cups – reversed

9 of wands

3 of pentacles – reversed

Aura colour – gold/black/blue

What’s your vibe?

You’re the people that appear in those movies with truck load of books in their hands and fall over, stumbling out of balance. You take on too much, be it work, responsibility. You’re nothing short of a pressure cooker now, ready to burst any second. I got this image from this movie called “The 3 idiots” where they heads swell up like a balloon and burst due to an overload of information. It is supposed to be funny, until its not.

I feel like now, you’re trying to let go of certain things, delegating some tasks, freeing yourself. You’re setting clear boundaries, prioritising tasks and overall, gaining a better understanding of your situation as a whole. Teamwork is a part of your stress and you are starting to realise that/ you’ve already recognised that as your problem.

The cards also point to a lack of maturity and the need to withdraw from emotional situations rather than facing them head on. You may be emotionally detached,  avoiding expressing your feelings openly and also create walls when going into a relationship. You may also have a sharp tongue or make decisions hastily/in the heat of the moment. You might have unhealthy coping mechanisms, when I see you I see a person with dark cirles/ eye bags/ bitten nails.

Major water/fire sign vibes.

Messages from your future self:

You are so fucking strong and resilient. Believe in that. You are someone who doesn’t ever give up because you see other people doing shit and think “Well, bitch, I can too”. That is you. But also please, proceed with caution. Stop once in a while to take a breather, because even the strongest I people need rest to succeed in battle. You are someone who has gone through and will go through so much shit but the will to live, never once faded. You have this strength in you to just, go on.

I don’t know why but when I saw this I got remembered of this one meme from arcane, where this dude’s shirt says “I survived act III, but at what cost”.

I heard “Sign of the Times” from Harry Styles just now. Wow. Well, that might be a good or a bad thing, only you will know.

Message from your inner child:

I see your fear of masculine energy, and I understand—it might stem from times when that energy felt overwhelming, controlling, or unsafe. You’ve built walls to protect yourself, and that’s okay; they were necessary once. But now, those walls can come down, slowly and on your terms. Not all masculine energy is harmful—some of it is steady, nurturing, and protective. Let yourself explore it gently, whether in others or within yourself. As for stagnation, it’s not a failure; it’s a pause, a moment to reflect and gather strength. You’re not stuck—you’re resting, preparing to move forward when you’re ready. Give yourself permission to heal, to trust, and to grow at your own pace. There’s no rush, no timeline you must follow. I see your strength, even when you don’t. I’m here, rooting for you, every step of the way. You’re safe now.

[vee-is-a-clown]

Ok you know what makes me angry? Why is Allura so mature and humble? She's a daddy's girl only child princess who was set to inherit a flourishing kingdom. Sure, she's well educated and probably elegant and graceful and tactful because that's how she was raised to act for diplomatic reasons but she was also probably spoiled throughout her adolescence. She probably got whatever she wanted whenever she wanted because her family had the resources to give it to her. Who's to say she isn't a spoiled brat who can otherwise act kind and approachable? Even if she isn't a brat, she was still handed her life on a silver platter. She has to learn how to operate and be self sufficient.

When she gets out of that pod, she should be scared. She should be angry. And she deserves to be so. Her father that she relied on for just about everything shoved her into a sleeping pod and suddenly she's awoken by someone who isn't him. Logically, that means he lost. She should be kicking and screaming. She should be having the worst panic attack ever. She should be mourning everyone and everything she's ever known. She should be mourning the status quo that will never again be maintained. She should be mourning the future that can never come to fruition.

She has to figure out life without any system or technology that she's ever relied on. Coran doesn't know how to fix and maintain everything. She's like one of those people that wake up from 10+ year comas and don't understand modern technology. She is my dad who has had the same flip phone since forever and now must figure out how to use a phone with a touch screen.

Every luxury she had as a princess is gone. The castle chef who knew exactly how she liked her food. Her mother's ladies in waiting who told her the castle gossip. Her own ladies in waiting who'd sneak out to festivals and other trivial things with her. The cleaners that arranged her room exactly as she liked it. HER MOM. I don't care if she was a daddy's girl, she still has got to miss her mom.

I feel like she should've had more outbursts. Seeing Keith in the red paladin armor should've made her cry. In fact, all of them should have. The new paladins in their armor is a symbol of a new era- an era without the people she loves. She deserves to scream at the top of her lungs and lock herself in her room and trash something. She should be yelling that life isn't fair. She should be angry. She should be so angry.

I don't care if she's trying to hold it together for the paladins in the show. She's holding together too well. She needs more moments of instability. She needs to grieve. She needs to be tired. She needs to be imperfect.

[drdemonprince]

I see you post against the global blackout on insta and I understand the sentiment, that it doesn’t make a difference but actually we’ve got major Palestinian civilian advocacy groups saying This is what we’re doing and why, and it feels like the West goes “oh there’s no point let’s not bother”. But in actual fact it’s Something. Which is better than nothing. It’s so easy for us to say it’s not worth it. Because we don’t want to give up a day of paid work, social media and online shopping. But when people in Palestine and the major charities actually on the ground working with them want this, isn’t it actually a show of solidarity regardless of our views on it, the actual impact, and our own in inconvenience? Regardless of impact.

Not shopping for one day isn't all that inconvenient. I don't know about you but I have no buy days all the time. It's not much of a sacrifice, if a person wants to do it and feels that it's a good exercise or symbolic or what-have-you, they should do what they feel is right. But showing respect to a people and a cause means being willing to discuss tactics, express disagreement, identify whose political ideals are in alignment with yours, and convey what one personally thinks is right.

Just because a person is Palestinian doesn't mean that their political ideology or theory of how political change happens aligns with your own, or with any kind of leftist politics. There are a great many Palestinian public figures who are not in any way revolutionary or liberationist. The majority of the charities that exist in Gaza are created and controlled by people in imperial countries, and all these charities operate with harsh restrictions placed upon them that limit how challenging to the existing status quo they can be. Many of them have explicit policies of normalizing the apartheid regime.

And just because a person is affected directly by the genocide doesn't mean they have expertise in tactics or economics -- in fact, it is outrageous that the entire Western world is relying upon a people who are actively being genocided, still, to give us our marching orders and plan our wing of resistance for us. Solidarity isn't just standing around waiting for a people in crisis to tell you what to do. It's organizing and tacting action, lending your support, your expertise, your money, your time, taking a stand for something, asking questions, suggesting alternatives, proposing new acts, participating actively in resistance on every level.

It's also important to keep in mind that the calls we see that come from Palestinians the most often are the ones who have been elevated to the status of Influencer or Head of a Nonprofit-- with all the competing motivations and financial and social incentives that involves. We are not hearing from a lot of Palestinian people on the ground who lack a sizeable platform, who do not have internet or phone access, and whose organizing and resistance take forms that are not social media friendly. The call to "listen to Palestinian voices" is a lot more complex than simply doing what a person on social media -- even a number of popular figures! -- has to say. No person or group can speak for a whole people, or a whole movement.

I believe that taking a single day off from shopping is appealing because it asks so little. It demands almost no organizational work or effort from Americans. It's inert and ineffectual, provably so, but something a person can pat themselves on the back for doing and then go back to their day. It's like almost every form of "activism" that has been promoted on social media for years now -- and it's telling that people won't learn, won't build the infrastructure necessary to make something more dramatic or longer-lasting happen, that members of the imperial core just keep sitting around on social media expecting other people to tell us what we should do to end the imperialism and genocide we are complicit in.

We need to do a whole lot more than not shopping for one day, and we need to do a lot of things that cannot be posted about on social media.

[pooks]

"Ichiji-kun, you know that you are my best frien-"

"Nami, if you can't bribe me to do something you don't want to and since I have no debts you can use against me, flattery gets you nowhere because I don't find your attractive enough to abandon my rational mind."

Ichiji could see the Berry symbols in Nami's eyes faster than anyone else.

"Come on!" Nami groaned.

"Sorry, but I'm not like my little brother. If you want money for those shoes you saw in town, go ask him. He's kind of a sucker." Ichiji smirked at her. "And Zoro's debt isn't even real, you're just ripping him off."

Nami scoffed. "He borrowed 30 million Berry from me for swords in Loguetown!"

"Which he handed in full because he got those swords for free. I was there." Ichiji retorted. "Should I charge you for a 100% interest when you borrowed money from me to buy that ridiculous, ugly wintercoat?"

Nami gaped. "It wasn't ugly!" She snapped at him and raised a threatening fist. "It's was fashion!"

"And fashion is often ugly." The redhead snarked at the navigator. "In a way, I'm almost glad that Luffy ruined it. The pattern of that coat started to hurt my eyes."

"Ugh, you're hopeless!" Nami scoffed.

"Thanks, I'll be sure to write that on my last will and testament." Ichiji said and returned to his writing. "Now, if there was nothing else, can I note down our latest adventures in the chronicle?"

Nami, having failed to manipulate, swindle or blackmail the redhaired man, stomped off in a seemingly pissed off mood. She usually praised to the skies to have blessed her with a man who could actually use his brain, but she cursed him today. Typically Ichiji-kun, not understanding a lick of modern fashion and refusing to buy those lovely, limited edition shoes she saw in the town of the island they were currently docked by. This came from the man who walked around in his stupid, ugly maroon vest, day after day. He, if anyone, needed an upgraded wardrobe.

Technically Zoro did as well, but Nami knew a lost case when she saw one.

Ichiji was certainly an odd one. He didn't fall for her beauty or charms, he wasn't easily manipulated or flattered, he didn't swoon or twirl around like Sanji did (and they were twins!) and worst of all, Nami had no dirt on him to use against him.

...she has actually never seen him having any interest in a woman so far. A total opposite to Sanji, who danced around every lady he ever saw and met with silly twirls and heart eyes. He wore his heart on his sleeves while Ichiji...well, he was colder than Drum Island itself.

'The perfect big brother or something like that.' Nami thought.

Often, Nami got the feeling that Ichiji kept everyone at an arm's length, avoiding any emotional contact than necessary. Except for those soft smiles he directed at Sanji, whenever he went on and on about the All Blue.

It wasn't until during dinnertime when Nami realized that she do have some leverage over Ichiji, thanks to Luffy and Usopp re-telling how Ace got away from doing dishes and Sanji forcing his captain and the sniper to do it instead. Which led to Luffy exposing that Ace and Ichiji was together, even if they were far apart.

"So...about you and Ace, huh?" She smirked.

"What about it?" Ichiji said, although he felt cold shivers down his back. "I have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Never said that either. Just saying that a certain type of den-den mushis can handle long distance calls, but they're not really cheap."

"We'll survive." Ichiji said, trying to sound unbothered. "There's really no need to buy those things when we can use the money for sacks of rice instead."

"Oh really?" Nami challenged him.

"Yes, really." Ichiji glared. "Nami, you can try swindle me for money, but you won't win."

"That's what I said and now, I'm stuck with debt." Zoro scoffed and gobbled down his onigiri. "Guess having kids are outta the question now."

Sanji, who had been drinking, nearly choked on his drink and had a coughing fit. Usopp, always the helpful one, patted his back as if it would work.

Ichiji glanced at Nami and turned his attention to Zoro. "Ah yes, I see why. Damn, those poor kids. They're gonna starve because someone has to give all his money to a loan shark. I guess a marriage is out of the question as well, Roronoa?"

"Tch, sure. Y'seen how much those fancy-ass weddings cost? 'sides, not sure if I want a wife at all."

"You can always elope and marry someone in one of those cheap chapels you can find in casino islands? I remember there was one in Mirror Ball Island, close to Funky Bar."

"That seedy place? You're asking me to be robbed blind!" Zoro laughed.

"Is that any different than what you're currently being?"

"Yeah, true."

Ichiji being friends with Zoro was probably one of the weirdest things Nami has ever seen in her lifetime. They weren't super close, as Sanji and Zoro were (with that weird, masochistic, homo-romantic tango they had going on).

"Oi, 'chiji." Sanji said, finally calmed down his coughing session for now. "How do you know about Funky Bar? Old geezer never let us go to Mirror Ball Island."

"Not you, but me." Ichiji smirked. "18th birthday gift, because I was the more well-behaved one."

Sanji turned red. "H-HE LET YOU GO THERE?! That shitty geezer kept saying no to me all the time!"

"Because he likes me best." Ichiji flashed an evil smirk at his little brother.

"Well, Foureyes here is the more superior twin-"

SPLAT

Zoro never finished his sentence, which was most likely on purpose to rile up the cook and cause another fight, because a very annoyed Sanji threw a soaked dish towel straight at his face. The rest of the crew just laughed.

[ssa-writerminds]

Spencer Reid || Butterfly

-x- -x- -x- -x- -x- -x- -x- -x- -x-

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Warnings: Reader has Fibromyalgia, descriptions of chronic pain and fatigue, facts about moths and butterflies, established relationship, reader is afraid of moths (projected, sorry 🤧). Nicknames used: Butterfly.

Contents: Another day full of pain, another morning waking up later than you would've preferred leaves you restless. Knowing that his voice helps calm you, Spencer decided to indulge you with a topic you had been curious about.

A/N: This is very self indulgent, i apologise, but I hope that even if you don't have Fibromyalgia or any sort of chronic illness that you can enjoy this fluffy Spencer piece :) <3 (All descriptions are taken from my own experiences with fibro.) I used the nickname 'Butterfly' because the symbol for fibro is a purple butterfly, and i learnt that after i decided Spencer would ramble to reader about butterflies, and they also have a deeper meaning to me so my mind was like omg that's a crazy coincidence i love it.

You couldn't move. Every muscle and every bone in your body felt heavy, like even the slightest effort to pick yourself up off of the mattress would cause them to snap off, leaving you nothing but a pile of limbs. Your head felt as if there were weights set on top of it, magnets pulling them down further into the mattress. Your eyes were heavy, but no matter how much you willed it to, your brain would not let you sleep. Stuck in the limbo of consciousness but an inability to do anything about it. You were so tired. How could your brain not fall asleep right now? It was as if your body and mind were having an all out war, neither could decide whether they wanted to be awake or to do nothing. Or maybe, they were just pulling a trick on you, pointing and laughing as you lay helpless against the mattress. You sighed deeply, feeling the air filling your lungs and leaving again. Maybe meditation would work? You laughed mentally at your thoughts. Those were exactly the kind of words you had heard repetitively since getting your diagnosis. "You should try pilates!", "How about yoga?", "Have you tried meditating and eating healthier?". You rolled your eyes just thinking about them.

The sound of a key in the front door snapped you out of your thoughts. Your boyfriend, Spencer, had been away on a case for the past week, the longest he's ever been gone. Every muscle in your body yearned to sit up, to go and meet him at the door, to pull him into the tightest hug, but you couldn't even lift your head right now, nevermind your whole body.

It was late, so Spencer tried to be as quiet as he could as he removed his jacket, shoes, and placed his satchel bag on it's hook. He expected you to be asleep, with it being 4am. So he didn't want to wake you. He practically tiptoed to your shared bedroom, expecting to hear your deep breaths as you slept peacefully. But when he found you awake, his expression softened. He instantly kneeled next to the bed beside where you were lay. "What are you doing awake?" His voice was quiet and gentle as he brushed his fingers through the hair at your temple. You sighed, leaning into his touch the best you could.

Spencer knew about your struggle with Fibromyalgia, how the pain and fatigue could be overwhelming. He was nothing but understanding, even on the days when you couldn't get out of bed, offering to make you every meal and bring it to you, to help you with anything you needed to do. It was so refreshing to be looked after, to feel seen. There was still such a stigma against the condition, but Spencer had never thought negatively about your experiences. As soon as he learnt the word 'Fibromyalgia' from you, he was researching everything he could about it. How it felt for you, how it affected you, how he could help you. He had been with you on your good days, smiling and laughing as you walked through the park together, but also on your bad days, when you needed his help to even walk from your bedroom to your bathroom. He wanted nothing more than to help you, to make sure you were doing okay, to comfort you when just existing felt uncomfortable.

So when Spencer found you laying in bed, tired eyes and slow, strained movements, he didn't hesitate to comfort you. "Bad day?" He asked referring to your pain and fatigue, rather than the events of the day itself. You sighed, nodding the best you could.

"I missed you..." Your voice was barely above a whisper as you brought a hand to rest in his soft curls. He smiled, placing his free hand above your own and keeping it against his head, taking the effort away from your heavy limbs.

"I missed you more, Butterfly." You smiled at the nickname, at the gentleness and the love in his voice. You frowned as Spencer stood up, pouting at the loss of touch. "I'm getting ready for bed, don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." He reassured you, his tone teasing upon seeing your dramatic pout. "You need anything? Food, Water?" He asked, changing into his preferred sleep clothes.

"I need hugs, and sleep." You responded, watching him move around the bedroom, placing his laundry in the basket. You smiled as he pulled back the covers, climbing into bed next to you. You worked together to lay your head on his chest, your arms wrapped around his torso, his own rubbed soothingly into your shoulder.

"Is this okay?" He asked softly, placing a kiss on top of your head. On bad days, even the slightest touch or pressure on your skin could cause pain and discomfort, but laying in Spencer's arms was almost magical, you rarely felt discomfort in his embrace. It probably was something to do with how gentle he could be, putting barely any pressure on you, but enough so that you could feel his loving touches, but you preferred to imagine he was magic.

You leaned your head up to face him, smiling up at him. "It's perfect." You whispered. Spencer placed a soft kiss on your lips, brushing away a few strands of hair that had fallen in front of your eyes.

"No, you are." He teased, making you snort at the cliché response. You stayed in silence for a while, Spencer's steady breaths and heartbeat soothing your mind. For the first time that night, you actually felt sleepy.

"I saw a video about hawk moths today. Someone grew them from worms. I watched the whole thing, even after they had transformed." Spencer looked down at you with a smile.

"Oh yeah? I thought you were afraid of moths, especially big ones. Hawk moths are pretty big."

"Yeah, I think seeing them change though made it... different..." Spencer laughed softly through his nose as you tried to explain. You had been afraid of moths for as long as you could remember, their wings fluttering, and their faces caused a feeling of anxiety whenever you saw them. Spencer had known you long enough to witness just how bad your phobia could get, having to calm you down after panic attacks caused by the small flying creatures. "Although there was one clip, one of the moths she had raised in the past had deformed wings, and you could see the dust or the scales or something and it made me cringe..."

Spencer laughed again. "You know they're harmless right? They don't even have mouths, or well, they do, but not big enough to bite us. They wouldn't even have any reason or want to."

You sighed. "I know... They just freak me out." A silence fell over you again for a moment. "Could you tell me about moths? Anything about them... And butterflies too. What's the difference between them? Like... what makes the distinction between a butterfly and a moth?"

Spencer laughed at the random thought, clearly seeing your thought process leading to the question you asked him. "Well, they're both classified as 'Lepidoptera' but are considered different due to their behaviors, evolutionary paths, and adaptations. Moths first appeared about 160 million years ago, while butterflies only 100 million."

You closed your eyes, allowing Spencer to tell you everything he knows about butterflies and moths, and explain the differences to you. He did this often when you were struggling with your insomnia. You often fell asleep before he even got half-way through his knowledge of the topic. You felt the sleep slowly begin to take over as you listened to his words. His voice, soft and gentle, slowly lulling you to sleep.

"While they share a lot of genetic material, they show a difference in gene expression. In traits such as circadian rythm (moths being nocturnal and butterflies being the opposite), wing structure, and metabolic adaptations. The way their pupae develop is different, moths spin a silk cocoon, whilst butterflies form a hard chrysalis. Their flight is different too. Butterflies typically glide and flap slower, but moths tend to have faster and more erratic flight due to their wing mechanism. I think that could be why you're afraid of moths, but not butterflies."

As Spencer looked back down to you, he noticed that your breathing had gotten deeper, your eyes closed, your expression relaxed. He smiled realising you had fallen asleep listening to his facts. He placed another kiss on your hair, allowing himself to relax back against the pillow. "I think this particular species of butterfly might be nocturnal however." He said quietly, laughing to himself, as he noticed that the sun had started to rise behind the black-out curtains in your room. He closed his eyes, and let himself join you in sleep.

[raayllum]

Can you explain why Claudia is so upset with Terry when they reunite after he leaves? And why Terry, of all people, looks so guilty with her that he can't even look her in the eye? It's one of those things where you know this should all be reversed, but isn't. Why? Why is the betrayer so hostile to the betrayed?

God I loved the messy as fuck whatever they had going on Claudia and Terry dynamic in S7, and I think there's a few reasons why

One of the cruxes of Claudia's character is that she is attached to seeing herself as a good person, and others as not-good by comparison. This means that she can engage in the exact same behaviour and justify it while assuming that others' reasonings couldn't possibly measure up.

This cognitive dissonance is not exclusive to Claudia (Callum and Rayla in particular have a tendency to justify each other's choices in ways they don't with other characters, i.e. Rayla viewing dark magic use being 'evil' except when Callum is using it and he's the 'goodest' person she knows) but the focus on 'my view of myself' largely is. Most other characters in TDP are focused on "I still view this other person as a good person," not being focused on "I view myself as a good person". But Claudia is, and it's this core desire being increasingly pitted against "I will do vile, awful things to keep my family together" that are constantly duking it out.

When Claudia finds Soren and Terry waiting for her, it's clear that not only has Terry joined her brother, but has turned against her (as he could've left and then just fucked off somewhere else). This association with Soren, I think, is one of the things that gets her haunches raised, since Soren made it very clear what he thinks the last time they saw one another in 4x07:

SOREN: You have to stop trying to release the greatest evil this world has ever known. CLAUDIA: I knew you wouldn't understand.

All Claudia hears is "there's something wrong with you." That she's the bad guy and on the Wrong side (which, to be fair, Soren also calls her and Viren bad humans when trying to wake Rex Igneous in 4x09). And, by extension, that Soren is better than her. More correct, more moral, more Right.

And Claudia cannot stand feeling judged. She cannot stand being treated like 'the bad guy' (because of course from her perspective, everything she does is right) and she struggles to hold a conception of "I did something genuinely wrong and can still be a good person" (see: "We're not going to the dungeons Soren, we didn't do anything wrong") usually leaning into one or the other, and normally the latter.

So Terry being with Soren is also "you think I'm wrong, you think I'm bad, and you think you're Better than me" (vs Aaravos' "believed we could be better, so he gave us magic"). She thinks the pair are there to stop her, and she's not wrong, on a certain level.

So when Soren makes a gesture of good will, openly contingent on Terry wanting to spare her ("You're here to save me? How generous [...] I can change, and you will help me. Did I get everything?" Karim vibes), it's just seen as "you're showing off how/why you think you're Better than me" and was, quite frankly, never going to work.

Soren setting down his sword came closer, as it's more reciprocal, and it also symbolizes Soren setting down his mantle/duty (the same sword that killed Viren the first time, presumably). But Soren makes another mistake; the same mistake he made in 4x07:

Dad is dead, Claudia. You don't have to do what he wants anymore.

Set down your staff, Claudia. Dad's staff.

But while Claudia has been doing stuff for Viren, she hasn't done what he wanted in a long time. She's been doing what she wants ("You are not letting go, Dad!") for a hot second, and now alongside Aaravos. (I need to write a scene on her and Aaravos' talk in 7x06, but that's for another day.) And that has included taking down elves and dragons as a whole (and any elf that doesn't help her) for a while.

The dragons and the elves, all the arrogant fools blinded by the searing light of their own self-righteousness.

They are wrong, and she and Aaravos are right ("So much we can make right"). This is a very black-and-white viewpoint in many ways, one that some characters are faster as dismantling than others, but I have no doubt that Arc 3 will push it to its breaking point for all of them. Soren and Terry have thrown in their loyalties with the elves and dragons, since Terry was previously a "good elf Exception" alongside Aaravos because they were both helping her and, as previously discussed, Terry has now turned against her, and all the baggage Claudia carries about such a thing is now dumped onto him by proxy (which Terry doesn't necessarily know or understand).

So what does he look so guilty over?

Honestly? The illusion plan. I'm sure he's worried that Claudia might get hurt, and that things might escalate / go south, but he is ultimately there with a plan that is not what he wanted. What Terry wanted was to find the real Lissa and give Claudia a real chance to connect with her mother and maybe change her ways. But it's not real. It's deception, and he knows it.

TERRY: You lied to me! AARAVOS: I never lie. I simply said we needed a big feather and a very small feather. That is all. TERRY: No. You say you never lie, what you do is worse. You tell people half-truths and let people fill in the rest. You make people lie to themselves. It's deception. It's manipulation, and it's wrong.

She betrayed him, and now in his own way he's betraying her.

So what makes him decide to turn around and do something... similar, shall we say? There's a few things. The first is that they're on a time limit and have no way to reach Lissa. The second is that it's plausible the others were going to do it anyway, and Terry accompanied them because 1) he couldn't stop them, 2) he felt responsible, and 3) hoped that his presence would make a positive difference to Claudia.

The second is the other half of what Aaravos says to Terry, I think.

TERRY: I'll tell Claudia. AARAVOS: Oh, it will change nothing. She loves me. [...] And what of Claudia, then? She knows so much more than she tells you, and she keeps it that way to protect you.

Now, Terry rightfully understands that Claudia wasn't keep things from him to protect him; she did it to use him and to keep him from leaving ("I knew he'd leave once he found out"). However, Terry being willing to live in a half-truth and employ one on Claudia because he genuinely believes it will help her, because he thinks it's a truth he needs to withhold to protect her ("You have to promise me that no harm will come to Claudia" is most easily kept if she backs down)... that I can believe, especially since it lets him believe that she's capable of change/quitting. He wants to Save her, not use her.

That doesn't mean he thinks it won't Hurt.

[acourtofthought]

can you genuinely say at this point in time, Elain wants lucien? I'm not asking for theories or headcanons. I am asking if you genuinely think that Elain in any way is secretly pining over Lucien, and what textual evidence supports that.

People have argued about her mentioning his name, but I don't think that has to do with romantic feelings for him, moreso basic respect for another. People have talked about a "half-step" which I must've missed bc I do not even remember that - but i don't think a "half step" necessarily conveys anything romantic.

I'm trying to form an opinion in this ship war, but its hard when I see a ton of misinformation from every side. The elriels have their own faults, but they can point to text now that shows Elain wants Azriel.

Can Eluciens do the same? I'm not trying to start a fight, I really just want to know what portion of each ship is backed by the current books vs. how much is just people theorizing they are end game and what they want to happen. And if the Elucien ship is purely just "SJM will always pair fated mates together" that's also fine and valid imo, I just want to know if there's anything in the books you can point to that shows Elain wants Lucien at this moment in time. I don't want to argue about hypotheticals and foreshadowing and what a rose symbolizes. I want cold hard words on the page.

Please note: I know just because it might not be there YET doesn't mean it's not going to happen. I want to evaluate the current standing of these books and the rationality of each argument. But to do that, I need people to be honest about what's there and what's not. I'm asking you because you run one of the more...logical shipwar blogs. But if you don't want to answer this - I also understand why.

At this point in time I don't think that canon supports Elain wanting anyone and that includes both Az and Lucien.

The only person Elain ever confessed having feelings for is Graysen. Real feelings. The "my heart belongs to you" kind of feelings.

Elain specifically said she did not want a male or a mate and those are categories Lucien and Az fall under, despite the almost kiss with Az in SF. It's been proven that a FMC in a SJM book can hook-up with a guy but not want a relationship with him (Feyre / Isaac, Nesta with fae who were not Cassian, Mor / Cassian, Mor / Helion) so Elain's actions in the Az bonus don't prove Elain wants him for more than a night of fun. In fact, the text in canon has her agreeing to "just a taste and that would be it". That's not a confession of long term commitment nor was there any to be found in any other interaction she's had with Az. Even crushes don't mean you're wanting forever with someone. Not to mention she was not written as looking towards either Az or Lucien in the 5 months after Solstice so absolutely no canon supports that she wants to hook-up with Az anymore. Elain's past actions from months ago (including those with Az) can't really be used as proof of canon of now, otherwise we should all be claiming she's still in love with Graysen since she never specifically stated she no longer has feelings for him. Nobody says that though, we use the canon of her no longer breaking down over Graysen to show she's moved past wanting to be with him and currently the canon suggests she's also moved past whatever she was about to do with Az on Solstice since there are zero signs to argue otherwise. There is also zero evidence of Az still wanting to be with Elain in any way now that we're 5 months beyond Solstice. 7 if you count HOFAS.

Right now I think the only thing canon truly supports is that Elain is showing no romantic interest in anyone, male or human. 5 months is a long time. Feyre left Tamlin then was mated to Rhys within 5 months and Elain was not mentioned as shedding a tear for Graysen in that same length of time, not mentioned as looking Az's way in that time, not having a reaction (good or bad) to Lucien in that time.

So to your question, canon does not support Elain wanting Lucien but it doesn't support her currently wanting Az. Canon also never supported her wanting to start a relationship with Az, canon doesn't support her wanting a mating bond with Az, canon doesn't support her having any desire to go forward with a forbidden love with Az.

Does that mean it's what she's actually feeling for Lucien or even Az? We can't say for sure because we don't have her POV but if we're truly basing this discussion off canon alone than Elain doesn't currently seem interested in anyone. It's not fair for e/riels to claim she still wants Az 5 months later as they have no evidence supporting it. It's only their headcanon that she does. Not to mention it's their headcanon she wanted to have a relationship with Az in the first place. They have zero evidence to show she'd be willing to seriously date him.

But as far as what I genuinely think (your phrasing)? I think Elain is struggling with the pull she feels towards Lucien and it scares her.

I don't think all Elucien's assume Sarah will pair Elucien together simply because they're mates. There are many layers behind what we feel.

I do think Elucien's use logic based on Sarah's writing and that logic tells us that characters don't simply ignore a mating bond. In canon, the bond creates a tug to the other that can never be truly forgotten. Based on that canon we hypothesis that there is a lot going on under the surface which is why she's hidden Elain's thoughts from us. She's the only main side character from the original cast who has never been given a POV and there's got to be a reason for that. Sarah was willing to share her almost kiss with Az but never her actual thoughts for Lucien who she suddenly began ignoring in ACOFAS after the events of ACOWAR and that seems a bit purposeful doesn't it? How a kiss isn't a secret but what she feels about the bond she says she doesn't want is?

While we've got no proof showing she wants Lucien, we were given so many examples of the author making an effort to show their compatibility. We were given a bunch of crumbs as to where Elain's future journey could take her and many crumbs placing Lucien in those same places. The author wrote Lucien (not Az) meeting Elain's father. We were given a bunch of scenarios where we're left wondering WHY Elain behaved a certain way towards Lucien especially after she defended him to Graysen, after she took a step as if she'd stop him from searching for Vassa, after she did follow he and Feyre instead of staying behind at her father's grave, after they were left together to wash up after the war, after she invited him to come back to Velaris but only after all that she began completely ignoring him for unexplained reasons. Based on Sarah's writing that pull and push typically means a character is struggling with her pull / desire for the other person and things aren't so one dimensional as "she doesn't like him!" If she didn't like him then why take a step as if to stop him? Why follow him instead of staying with her father's grave? Why peer up at him? Why invite him to Velaris?

We've been in this place before with a Sarah book. "Why did the character do that only to do an abrupt 180?" We saw it with Nesta, who was willing to die with Cassian in ACOWAR only to do the most 180's of all 180's by giving her virginity to someone else in the novella. To telling Cassian she wanted nothing to do with him though we knew she did. So Elucien's are only waiting to see how the author deals with Elain and her inner thoughts of Lucien. We don't think Elain's setup is going to be any less complex than Nesta's was. We believe the author is going to tell a story that is deep and meaningful. And while Elain's current setup doesn't prove this to us just yet, it is canon that Sarah has given that exact treatment to every single one of her mated pairs, whether the FMC was struggling with what she felt or the MMC (as we saw with Rowan and his bond with Aelin), so it would be silly for us to think Elain would be the only one who isn't given that same complexity.

While the textual evidence does not necessarily prove Elain has feelings for Lucien, I think it's valid for Elucien's to use textual evidence of Sarah's past writing patterns to predict the direction she's taking them.

I have no problem admitting that current canon doesn't prove Elain wants Lucien but I've never seen a e/riel admit that current canon, by the end of SF, also doesn't prove Elain wants Az. That canon never proved she wanted a relationship with him at all. Canon doesn't even prove she called his scars beautiful considering Feyre said she wasn't sure if she was referring to his Siphons yet they still hold on to that one.

Canon proves Elain loved Graysen though he was an asshole, canon proves that she was willing to hook up with Az with no proof of anything more, and canon proves that she shares a mating bond with Lucien that she'll never be able to completely forget ("it will be a bond that will trail her for the rest of her existence") though she's currently trying her best which results in weirdness for everyone. That is all the canon proves.

From a romance standpoint, only one of those storylines typically has staying power.

[nazrigar]

question, how would Megatron from your au interact with the Megatron from the TFPrime, transformers one, and earthspark universes? And vice versa with the Optimus with his incarnations?

Ooooh! This is the first time I've recieved this question, and I'll try to answer them as best I can. First things first however, All-Sparks!Megs would find it interesting that most other Megatrons has their Orions as peers and/or brotherly kind of friendships. Now as individuals:

He'd unfortunately be pretty harsh toward Earthspark Megs... because only now you're tired of war? Considering how ES!Megatron's decisions impacted Earthspark!Shockwave, Soundwave and Starscream, All-Sparks!Megatron, if he ever got tired of the war, would just straight up tell his subordinates his intentions first-hand, and if they object... well, they can test their convictions and say their objections directly... and if they or himself perish, so be it. Mind you, All-Sparks!Megatron doesn't even particularly like All-Sparks!Starscream because he was a former politician! However, there is one thing All-Sparks!Megatron would be saddened and wish he still had: Earthspark!Megatron's parental connection to Twitch.

He'd be mixed with TFPrime Megs. TFPrime Meg's motivations he'd consider noble and just. He'd like that he combines might and cunning, but feels like him being entitled to and starting a war because he was pissed off at the High Council for being rejected the position of Prime to be incredibly foolish. The Matrix is, ultimately, a fancy symbol of authority, and the rank of Prime a symbol of the deciever and the oppressor. Instead of leaving the building... he should have just burned it to the ground on the spot. If you had already the support of the people? Use it. Who cares about the platitidudes of a council that did twiddled their thumbs as the rot of the caste system spread? Also, don't consume the dark energon.

He'd be absolutely proud of Transformers One Megatron: Now THAT'S a young man with conviction, and most importantly the will and power to what must be done.

And now for All-Sparks!Optimus Prime, he's young but still powerful but boy howdy woul he LOVE to spend time with any Prime outside of his own and learn from them. He has a tiny bit of a witty tongue, but still respectful.

He'd probably be critical of ES!Optimus' trust of GHOST. Alls!Optimus has extensive experience with negotiating organics of varying trust with Cybertronians. On the other hand? Finally! An Optimus Prime that appreciates some jokes!

All-Sparks!Optimus Prime would find TFP Prime to be someone to admire and learn from (complete with notes), but wishes he lets himself be more open to others about what goes through his mind.

All-Sparks Optimus would sympathize a lot with TFONE Optimus, because he knows all about the pain of seeing someone you care for fall to darkness... and the feel of getting shot by a fusion cannon point-blank.

However, if there is a Prime he would have emotional breakdown over, it would either be Skybound or G1 Sunbow Optimus. Sunbow because he's the ultimate dad figure... Skybound because even after all that Skybound OP has went through, the emotional turmoil, he still has hope in his spark and a goodness that he so desperately wish he could see in his own father, a fleeting hope as war continues to rage on. Skybound!Optimus may not understand initially what is a 'dad', but if there's a father figure that All-Sparks!Optimus would look up to, it'd be Skybound's.

[tirsynni]

I'm already seeing it: everyone complaining that Trump is going to win. Why? Because people are frustrated with Biden. So their response is... what? To passively let Trump win? Are you kidding me right now?

If Trump wins, I don't want anyone blaming Biden. Not a single person. Everyone has already made their position clear and have also made it very clear that they understand the consequences of those actions. Just instead of accepting blame, they're blaming Biden. For their own choices. For their own actions.

No. You need to be an adult to vote. Now prove you're an adult and that you can take responsibility for your own actions.

No matter how pissed you are at Biden, you need to recognize that non-Trumpers outnumber the Trumpers and it doesn't mean shit if non-Trumpers don't vote. Guess what. Trumpers are going to vote. They're going to go to the polls and they're going to vote. If they vote and you don't, guess how it's going to go, even if non-Trumpers outnumber Trumpers. Doesn't mean shit if your vote doesn't reflect that.

What do you think is going to happen with Palestine if Trump wins? If you're pissed about Biden's actions and inactions regarding Israel and Palestine, how are you going to feel about Trump? Because I promise, if you choose not to vote for Biden, you are voting for Trump, and he will be worse.

There is no third party option which is going to win against Trump. Your symbolic non-vote is a vote for Trump. If you don't vote for Biden, you are fucking voting for Trump, so I hope you're ready for that.

"But Biden --" I don't give a fuck. Be an adult. Accept that sometimes in life, you have to accept the lesser evil. There is no room for you to go "Well, I have to do what feels right." NO. That is self-serving, self-indulgent, selfish bullshit. You are helping no one but your own feelings. You will pat yourself on your back with one hand and stab your neighbor in their back with the other.

If you are really concerned about Palestine, vote for Biden, because I promise, he's still better than Trump. Vote in all elections, because they all matter and Trumpers are voting in all of them. Make phone calls. Raise hell. Sign petitions. Do whatever else you can. I fucking promise you, though, that for any of that to count, you need Biden in the office, not Trump.

Again, I don't give a flying fuck if you hate Biden. I sincerely don't. The US presidential election will be two party. Should it be? No. Doesn't matter. That's reality. The US presidential election will be two party: Biden vs Trump. We need to be adults, and we need to recognize what we're dealing with. I will say it again and again and again: any vote which isn't Biden will be a vote for Trump. Don't think to yourself, "I don't want to show the Democrats they have my support with all of this bullshit, so I'm going to not vote/vote third party/symbolically write something in." Be truthful with yourself. Be realistic. If you are pissed at Biden and decide that you aren't going to vote for him, say clearly to yourself, "I'm voting for Trump and all that entails."

If you really think that way, please let me know so I can block your selfish ass. Make sure to tell your neighbors that you're cool with fucking them over, because you need to do what feels right, and that means letting Trump back into office. If you want to brag about your integrity, then at least have the integrity to at least be that truthful with everyone.

[bwat5-blog]

The Pitfighter

**Spoilers For All of Arcane**

Two minutes, fifty-nine seconds. That my friends, is how long we spend with Vi during perhaps one of the most significant periods in her character's story. In the beginning of her story, Violet is a character who lives for those she loves. They are her tethers. To protect them and be with them is what drives her on, because as we will come to understand she does not see that she is worthy of that same love and protection. Not in the beginning.

And from the time we meet her after the time jump in season 1 until this point, we are seeing those tethers ripped away from her. The hope she has held onto of finding Powder and making amends, ended with her perched over her little sister as she told Vi she was ready to die, and that she was glad Vi was going to kill her.

Her hope and belief in Caitlyn, who rescued her from that hellish darkness from which she had no chance of escape, for whom she put on the uniform, ended as the only Enforcer to ever show her kindness struck her, and told her she was no different than the woman who killed her mother. Walking away from her as she cried.

Her pride and identity as one of the of the fissure folk, has been tarnished and betrayed by her own hand. She tried to do the right thing, but at the end of the day, she wore the symbol of her people's oppressors, and did violence in the streets of her birth.

There is nuance and depth to all of these situations, but my point in listing them this way is that Vi has had everything holding her together taken away. This period, which there is so little detail about the best I can find for an official length of time is "a few months", is Vi falling through darkness without end.

And as we know, it is from that darkness that she rises stronger and more resolute. She comes to love her sister as the woman she is now, not the ghost Vi was holding onto. She protects Jinx and Isha from Warwick until they get through to Vander allowing their family to know even a brief moment of joy. She is able to trust, and believe in Caitlyn after the time spent seeing the good in her sister. It is not that this period of her life is important because it does not end, but because it does. It is the ending of who Vi was, and the beginning of who she becomes.

"Is there any question of the meaning of what we were shown? It's clear what she is going through and that's enough"

"Some people don't understand the meaning of show, don't tell"

"If you need everything spelled out for you this level of adult media is not for you"

I have seen these points. I have discussed them with some of you, and some of you who have been kind enough to keep up with my writing share some of these beliefs. And that is your right. I don't mean any disrespect to you, or the wonderful and immensely talented people who brought us this story. But, simply and plainly put. I do not, and cannot agree. If all that you require of a story is to understand the plot than I have good news my friends. Hang up your spurs and open Wikipedia. The plot summary should be all that you require.

I understand the value of show don't tell. Truly I do. And its use in this show gives many of our most wonderful moments. The softening of Caitlyn's eyes the moment after she hits Vi... the horror on Violet's face as she sits on top of Jinx preparing to end her life, and sees Powder... There are countless more examples and the creatives behind this have used it to create a powerful story full of meaning that has infinite rewatch value. And I said, it's not that the meaning is not conveyed here.

Her muscle mass is decidedly less as it goes on, showing us she is taking worse and worse care of herself.

There are multiple flashes of Jinx in the crowd, watching her, (in my mind she is watching over her in the best way Jinx can process but I suppose that is up to interpretation)

Vi is ticking away the time on her wall like she is in a prison cell

She stops cleaning off her makeup after a point

None of her hallucinations of Caitlyn are in her strike team phase. They are all of the Caitlyn who was kind and loving to Vi.

There are more details I could list that many others have. Again, and I cannot emphasize this enough, it is NOT that they do not accurately and completely convey the meaning of what is occuring. But that is just not all that matters.

Those of you who keep up with my grouchy unhinged rambling, have seen my use the same phrase repeatedly in one form or another.

"Stand up for the stories that matter"

I believe the story of Arcane matters. Not because of the magic, or the fun creatures, or the cool steampunk technology, but because at it's core, it is quite possibly the most achingly human story I have seen in many years. Each character's story has been crafted with such care, their struggles and hopes and dreams layering together in such a way that they have captured the attention of people all over the world.

I have corresponded with people who have shared truly inspirational changes in their lives, because of the way in which this story connected with them. It matters. And I came here and started discussing this incredible saga with all of you because I have believed that since I was very young, and I always will. So I say this with all of the respect in the world. Feel free to condescend all that you wish, about the need of those who feel as I do to have the story "spoon fed" to us. The desire to fully understand the weight of the heroes' journey, will always be a step to the betterment of humanity.

Let me also say, that I truly have endless respect for those who brought this story to us. I should think it is quite clear from the amount of writing I have done these past several weeks, that I have deep love for what they have done. And I fully and completely admit that in real world application, there are endless complications and restrictions that resulted in the pacing and decisions of season 2, that an average person like myself does not understand. I am not in any way speaking on whatever production decision lead to this being handled in this way. And I can admit that it may be there were such restrictions, that meant it was impossible for this to be handled in any way.

But for the weight of this moment in Violet's story, for its importance in the journey of a character who cannot put herself first to the point it harms her, to sit with her in that moment where all that is left is her pain... two minutes, and fifty-nine seconds.

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you" - Maya Angelou, I know why the caged bird sings (1969)