#or why they focus on a certain relationship to the exclusion of others

[shineyma]

the number of posts that go around the batfandom that can basically be boiled down to "people aren't writing about the character I want them to write about so I'm gonna shame them"

good lord

[a-d-nox]

pac/pap: how to promote self-love going forward

take what resonates leave what doesn't - nothing is 100% for you because these aren't personalized so please no angry comments or dms about what i am saying not being a good fit for you or that you "don't claim" just keep scrolling if that is the case. be kind, self reflect, and have fun.

last pac/pap: message from your secret admirer

masterlist of pap/pac posts

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pile one

you might settle for less because you likely get caught up in the drama and find it fun/addicting in the moment. you pursue goals/ideas with focus, but often lack the confidence to back it up. or you wait too long for others before moving on.

i believe love has taught you that you should never settle too quickly. it is best to date multiple people before starting an exclusive relationship. don't get overwhelmed by relationship drama because it will consume you and ruin your day (but only temporarily because nothing is forever - so why stress?). you know now not to let others stick their nose in your relationships - too many opinions will taint your feelings. the biggest lesson is that you learned to cut off anything that interferes with your desires.

i feel like you are jealous maybe a lot of people around you are coupled and you are alone. be cautious because you don't know when you might ruin your relationships with others just because you feel unhappy with your situation. stop worrying about being judged or how often you are rejected - it doesn't matter you are going to find someone in due time (you are worthy). you are loving, nurturing, and protective.

you can nurture yourself by getting out there. you have been alone and isolated for too long - so get out there. stop refusing to look within for what you truly want. ask for support to get what your truly desire, especially in the social sense.

what i feel you need to hear is that you have a strong energy - you are gifted with the ability to receive what you need most from the universe. don't rush or force things - what is meant for you, will find you. you are passionate, creative, magnetic, and attractive. you are also nurturing and dependable. you are one of the most supportive person in most people's life. you have many things - you attract the world and its gifts to you. you don't settle for less - when something is missing you go looking for it. you follow your heart and instincts; you make room for new things to bring joy/happiness.

pile two

i feel like you struggle with maintaining balance in a connection and that might just be the source of why you settle for less. you get too invested in a connection and then you loose track of who are and what you want and need most in a connection. you often find yourself prioritizing the other person over yourself.

love has taught you that things can change very radically/unexpectedly and cause you to question everything. you have learned that you have to let go of certain aspects in your love life, so that you can make space for new things and even new people can better help you grow and thrive.

i feel like you are sad presently or are in the process of recovering from some sort of emotional pain/disappointment. sorrow doesn't last forever. you are very capable of healing - new experiences await you. not all new experiences are destined for heartbreak - have faith.

you are putting a lot of pressure on yourself to succeed in love and be the perfect partner/person. perfect is impossible - so be generous with yourself because right now you are only burning yourself out. to nurture your wellbeing, you should stop judging your productiveness and stop comparing yourself to others - delete social media and take sometime off where you don't have to do anything at all (no doctor's appointments, grocery shopping, etc.). do what brings you joy and say "no" to everything else.

i feel like you need to hear that you are a patient person who realizes that change doesn't happen overnight. you celebrate the small wins with small cute things (for example, maybe you survived a hard week and you get yourself a cupcake). things are getting better so just acknowledge that they are. you can recognize when things have been blown out of proportion or things are being exaggerate for dramatic effect - you are human bullshit detector which is a rare find. even rarer still you have the ability to find a resolution to any argument. you are presently working on not letting other people's expectations of you throw you off of your path. you can make your own path and you know it. you trust that you are capable of standing independently of others, and you are capable of anything.

pile three

i don't feel like you are the type to settle for less than you are worth - i get the feeling that you are slightly cocky about your situation. you might need to practice being humble in a connection because you can come off as judgy or as though you have a superior attitude. alternatively, you might find yourself in connections with people who are very controlling and you might not recognize that you are in that type of connection until it is too late. it is not your fault that you might have settled for less than your worth in the past - you just found yourself in the wrong place and the wrong time and experienced a toxic relationship.

i feel as though you learned that a partner doesn't need to be flashing or exciting instead they need to be stable, grounded, and trustworthy. you have had the flashy connections in the past and it was not the best. you need something more sensual than passionate. something that grows slowly over time so that it lasts.

your intuition is never wrong about the people with interest in you, so learn to trust yourself. you are very emotionally intelligent, so trust that you have the answers you seek about any connection. trust your gut instead of overthinking and overanalyzing.

cultivate your intuitive powers, so you can manifest your dreams into reality. to nurture yourself i sense that you should reconnect with nature and recharge with the the power of the sun. you should also focus on healing any and all blockages that concern your self-esteem/self-worth.

you might need to hear that you are nurturing and dependable. you are one of the most supportive person other's life. you have many things - you attract the world and it's gifts to you. you realize that things can change very radically/unexpectedly and cause you to question everything. you have learned that you have to let go of certain aspects in your love life so that you can make space for new things and even new people who can help you grow and thrive. you know that heartbreak is temporary and that time heals all wounds. you can heal and grow as soon as you believe that you are worthy and that no one wishes to hurt you or your heart. it's okay to be hurt but you have to release that pain instead of bottling it up so you can recover.

[theprinceandthewitch]

See... part of me actually wants to know what Dana's thought process was with Luz's and Hunter's relationship.

Like... why did she decide to make Luz's type of boy "angsty warrior princes" even though Luz's type of boy could have been literally anything else?

Why was Luz's relationship with a prince highlighted as important since WBW? Even going to far as to make Luz write a romantic scene between her and a prince in Sense and Insensitivity. Hunter would not make his debut until season two, but they felt the need to bring him up in SAI.

Why wasn't there more of an effort to make sure Willow was there for all of Hunter's important moments?

Why did they keep hammering in the Lunter = Caleb/Evelyn parallels, even when Luz was dating Amity? If you want to argue Luz had to be there for all of Hunter's moments because she's the protagonist, it doesn't explain why they wrote these parallels. Especially the ones that came up in Hollow Mind and Thanks to Them.

Why is Luz honest with Hunter in Thanks to Them when she has never been honest with how she feels with any other character -- not even her girlfriend? What makes Hunter different from anyone else? She could have just kept how she actually feels to herself and it would have changed nothing. It's not like Hunter wouldn't have given his speech to Luz if she didn't tell him how she feels... cuz she literally tells everyone how she feels after Hunter comes back to life. This decision is strange and unbelievably haunting... because Thanks to Them brought up the Caleb/Evelyn lore in an episode where Luz's relationship with Hunter was the focus... oh okay... i guess this is nbd then. Like I'm just supposed to not make a big deal abt Luz being honest without having the truth forced out of her... okay. I guess i also shouldn't make a big deal about the other choice to have Hunter know Luz's secret in Hollow Mind.

You really just did that for reasons that are toooootally not shippy, huh? Mhm, okay! Sure, I believe you! [this is sarcasm, btw]

Why did WAD make Willow stand in front of Flapjack's grave with Hunter, even though the only other character with significant ties to Flapjack is Luz? WAD even made it clear Luz feels guilty about Flapjacks death... but she still isn't shown to pay respects to Flapjack post timeskip... WAD is gaslighting me into thinking Willow has significant thematic ties with Flapjack... as if she has a deeper relationship with that bird than Luz did. And just to make it even worse, they give EVERYONE Flapjack tattoos even though no other characters besides Luz and Hunter are tied to Flapjack. Especially Amity... like girlies first and last conversation with Hunter was when he made her feel bad about her relationship with Luz in Eclipse Lake... but the show is gaslighting me into thinking Amity and Hunter are friends or something. TOH LOVES tricking me into thinking certain character relationships exist...

I'm not going to ask why Hunter is unconcerned with Luz not coming through the portal right away in FTF because I already know the answer. This episode exists almost exclusively to make sure Hunter's arc ends with him holding pinkies with Willow. FTF is really funny for pulling this little stunt at the beginning because it's completely out of character for Hunter LMAO. Not sure why they've made such a big deal about Luz's and Hunter's relationship, just to pretend like it doesn't exist in FTF; only to then bring it up in WAD by having Hunter and Amity guide Luz out of the illusion... nightmare thing. They just cant stop bringing up Luz's relationship with Hunter even when both of them are dating someone else, it's so crazy.

[late-draft]

Hello! I just saw your posts about the Last Air Keyholder AU and—dear Agni!

Listen, this is beautiful. This is awestriking. This is *chef kiss*. I've always loved the initial sci-fi designs for ATLA, so it's incredible that someone's using them as a base/inspiration for an AU.

Also—your unapologetic, deliberate use of tropes? This is something extremely rare to see in narrative (tropes being intentionally used as a device) and I can't wait to see what shape they take here. Count me in!

I love this AU so far and have so many questions!

What is the vibe for the Fire Nation here? The vibe for the cities, the architecture, the worldbuilding, the culture—things like that. From the brief description we got, some parts of your world reminded me of Neo Tokyo from Akira, but maybe that's not what you're going for.

According to your previous sketch (and my inner romantic); is ZK going to happen in this AU? How do you see a possible relationship between them developing here?

Are you planning on adapting major canon plot points moving forward?

I have, like I said earlier, a lot of questions about this! But I don't want to smother you so this is all I'll ask for now. Can't wait to see what you show us next.

Have a nice day!

Hello! Thank you!! Yess a good usage of tropes is like running into a song you love that you heard many times, and still you crank the volume up! The fandom is like 20 years old, is it possible that not much stuff has been made for the sci-fi idea?

You're absolutely right, I gotta lean onto the king of megacities Neo Tokyo from Akira, but I wouldn't have the aesthetic be completely identical to it. There's mystical aspects in this AU too, and here's my initial attempt to throw together a fast vertical slice.

Light conditions are really important in a setting and in this AU I'd have a lot of the runtime happening during dawn or sunset. There's an aura of orange light floating in but very rarely direct sun rays due to the high buildings. There should however, be lots of traffic lights of all kinds. I'm already immersed in quite a few projects that feature megacities, but each one has a different flavour and I'd be overjoyed if I manage to correctly convey each one. In this ATLA AU, there's no specific time period from IRL that would be used as a reference. All nations are grouped and mixed similar to Republic City from LoK, but this AU is noticeably way more sci-fi than the 1920s LoK. There's a large focus on all kinds of transportation and roads/railways that accompany them. Highrise buildings are specifically Fire Nation in design and ownership (usually). Lower levels have a mix of everything but they do use leftover materials and mostly cement and metal. Ground and below ground levels are brick and a maze of pipes, through which strange disused cables snake. Sometimes they tangle in great masses…

I'm certain important characters from canon will appear, but I'm definitely not gonna follow the canon plotline strictly. Stuff like "Well there was a village being attacked by Hei Bai, so this AU has to have a village being attacked by Hei Bai…" nothing like that. I'm taking way more freedom in this AU to ensure that characters go through specific things that would be very useful to them and which allow the natural usage of respectively fitting tropes. But I'm not treating this AU as exclusively mine and nobody else's, so anyone can give suggestions! (please give suggestions!!)

Katara and Zuko first meet "racing on the opposite sides" of Aang. From starting out as Katara on her bike assisting the Avatar during chases while the banished prince is attempting to capture him, they sort of move into situations where they race each other. Zuko figures out that Katara is a major reason why all of his attempts thus far failed so he tries to change strategies and trip up Katara in whatever non-harmful way he can imagine. He's convinced, he must demonstrate, that her speed on a bike is not unreachable to him on his rollerblades. And if he shows off a couple of tricks along the way, so be it. :)

More stuff coming up

[jinxed-sinner]

Am I the only one who thinks the demon hierarchy is made pretty clear in both Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss (although definitely more in Helluva Boss)? Like I see people make the claim that it isn't clear and it makes me wonder if we watched the same thing. The entire point of the conflicts in Stolas's interpersonal relationships is that there's a hierarchy and he's disregarding it by fucking Blitz, an imp.

Lucifer's at the top of it all, because why wouldn't he be (let's also throw Charlie here, since she's Lucifer's daughter)

The other six Sins are underneath Lucifer

The Goetias are underneath the Sins; Stolas mentions to Asmodeus that a deal with one of the Sins is "everlastingly binding" so they should be made carefully

Overlords are right below Goetias; they're incredibly powerful through soul deals and generally control specific aspects of the Pentagram (potentially the Pride Ring as a whole, depending on if other cities also have Overlords or if Overlords are exclusive to the Pentagram). Alastor is indicated to be the most powerful, but Viv has mentioned that he'd still get his ass beat by Stolas.

Sinners are below Overlords, and are more powerful than Hellborn demons.

Hellborn demons are at the bottom of the hierarchy, with succubi/incubi being above imps and hellhounds. It's unknown where other Hellborn demons (such as Chaz, Glitz, and Glam) fall on this mini-hierarchy.

This hierarchy seems to be based on natural power levels, where the higher your natural power is, the higher you are on the hierarchy (Lucifer, being a fallen angel and potentially one of the most powerful beings in Hell or Heaven, is at the top, while imps and hellhounds, who are indicated to have no natural power except certain immunities and being more durable than humans, are at the bottom of the hierarchy).

This hierarchy and the social implications that come with it are talked about all the time, it's a crucial plot point in Helluva Boss. It's implied hellhounds are essentially adopted into servitude of demons higher on the hierarchy (and the scene this information comes from would also imply that hellhounds are lower on the hierarchy than imps), Striker mentions that it's hard for imps to start their own independent business, and when Blitz is yelling at Stolas in Full Moon he berates him for viewing imps as "smaller and less important." Those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head, but there's a lot that makes the demon hierarchy abundantly clear.

Classism is a focus of Helluva Boss, and that can't fully be explored unless we know the social hierarchy of Hell. It's not talked about much in Hazbin, but it's talked about a lot in Helluva because how else are we supposed to know why Stolas fucking an imp is going to cause a scandal? Without the crucial piece of information that is Hell's hierarchy, the plot of Helluva Boss is completely lost on the viewer. Without knowing what the hierarchy is, we can't know why most of the plot points in Helluva Boss are so crucial. It's why there's as much discussion as there is as early as The Harvest Moon Festival about where imps are on the hierarchy, and the other demons' places on that hierarchy are made clear as the show continues, which is how stories work. Absolutely nothing that is fun content to consume starts the story off explaining every detail about the world's lore.

[raayllum]

Mirrored Paths Trilogy #2: In the Name of Love, I Would Do Anything For You —Callum & Viren

Part 2 of a mini meta trilogy dissecting Callum, Karim, and Viren's parallels, with a special emphasis on S5. For the general overview, and if you want to read Karim and Viren's parallels, you can read that analysis here. It is useful to read but not necessary in order to understand this one, as this meta is Part 2 and will discuss Callum and Viren.

Now, I've talked a lot about Viren and Callum. Like, a Lot a lot. Therefore, I'm not going to repeat too much of their Arc 1 buildup here, and focus more loosely on their S5 parallels in particular. However:

If you're interested in their pre-season 4 buildup, check out these metas: How Callum and Viren have parallel arcs in S2, Relics, Rage, and Magic: The Callum-Viren Foils Meta, the foils screencap compilation post I've been cultivating since Nov 2019 pre S3 (updated to include past that point)

If you're interested in post-S4 thoughts, check out these metas: The Interlocking of the Cycle’s Wheel with Viren, Claudia, Callum, and Rayla, How Viren and Callum stack up flaws wise, I sure do love foils that switch, How Callum's morality differs from Ezran and Rayla's (and always has)

If you're interested in post-S5 thoughts, check out these metas: What did Viren and what does Callum want?, How Callum and Viren sacrifice (written post-S4 but updated with S5 screencaps), Why ramp up the foiling?

Now I'm not gonna expect you to read all that because 1) I'm aware I have a problem, 2) it'd be time consuming as hell, and 3) I'm going to summarize the most important takeaways for you to understand the foundation this next section of meta is built on. (None of it is complicated, mind you, but just to make it clear where I'm coming from.) If you have read all those metas, or even made it this far on this one, thank you for enabling me reading and I hope you('ve) enjoy(ed).

Now for the key takeaways:

S5 went basically exactly where I've thought Callum would go since S1/S2 and Viren since S3 re: Viren giving up dark magic and having an atonement arc/breaking away from Aaravos, whereas Callum — in order to free and save someone he loves, specifically Rayla — chooses to chain himself further to Aaravos

Although still very different, Callum and Viren are worryingly, exceedingly similar in many ways, largely in their agreement that dark magic can be a useful last resort and in their devotion to their loved ones (aka "in the name of love" + the "I would do anything [for my family/loved ones]" parallel

Where Viren is willing to put certain things (the kingdom, his own quest for power, humanity) above his family (and wrongfully so), Callum is not. He says he would do anything, and means it (thank you post-s2 me, you were the realest bitch)

Rayla and Aaravos are foils, particularly in their dynamics with Callum and Viren respectively. They are both banished, exiled elves who were seen as being/are too sympathetic towards humans, they mentor high mages of Katolis, hunt each other's high mages, and S6 will put Rayla and Aaravos vying for Callum's destiny (control) to the test as his two paths (although choosing Rayla over Aaravos may not be mutually exclusive, but that's another post). Rayla killing Viren unintentionally put him on a path to stray from Aaravos, whereas Callum saving her / their relationship is what has consistently putting him on a path towards Aaravos

Now, S2 and S4 definitely have more parallels between them structurally for our two high mages. S2 is linked above, so I'll focus on S4: asking to die but being refused by Claudia and Rayla respectively; being reunited with someone they love after two years; Callum attempting to shut down his feelings in Rayla's absence / upon her return much the way Viren did in his time as high mage; the mirror and general framing, particularly in 4x01; sharing a (re-)birthday; their impatience in 4x02, which is also a parallel with Karim; the pawn intros; Rayla interrupting Callum's investigation of the mirror while Viren likewise attempts to diverge paths; picking up what they'd been refusing to all season in 4x09 within seconds of each other, and similar framing to boot, since dark magic led to Viren's destruction, and Rayla will possibly (unintentionally) lead to Callum's:

Let's get into it: S5

Now, S5 is less obvious in some ways. The one big framing parallel they get, beat for beat, is Callum going to investigate Aaravos in the library, placing his book on the same table, being interrupted by the librarian (which is honestly more of a running gag than something tangible), the script being magically washed away, etc.

Therefore, with all of the above out of the way, we have three main things to consider:

1) Their dark magic dreams from 2x06 and 5x03 respectively, in which they face mirrored reflections of each other

I wrote after S2 that I thought Callum refusing his dark counterpart in 2x08 was ultimately going to end up being more about actively being a dark mage than doing dark magic ever again, mostly because — while we didn't know if the show would ever put him in said position — I always figured Callum would do dark magic again in well, about the exact circumstances canon forced him into in 5x08. (And it was extremely satisfying, lemme tell you.) Viren giving up dark magic was more surprising, but they've always been switching foils, so the exchange makes perfect sense on that level.

I talked really briefly about some of the similarities between their dreams, but I wanted to touch on some here as well:

Their choices are both framed around objects of Aaravos. For Callum, it's a key he initially rejects. For Viren, it's the mirror, but instead of connecting to and looking to Aaravos to help him, he looks to and accepts himself.

Viren has to reach forward and connect with himself, whereas Callum pulls away from his mirror self

Viren's dreams are about dismantling his justifications (or the why) behind what he did, whereas Callum's skip over his justifications and instead focus on what he did. Both of these accordingly inform their identity

Viren is saved from literal drowning upon waking up, Callum is saved from a more metaphorical kind

Freedom is the cornerstone of both reflective scenes. Viren and Callum both leave their initial dreams being free (or freer than before). While this holds true for Viren until the current end of his arc (5x09), Callum in 5x08 is handed a sharp reminder that freedom is no guarantee, and how that may continue

The path metaphor that was running loosely throughout their arcs ("I am offering you a path forward [with dark magic] / Callum's tendency towards shortcuts / "I'm afraid, Rayla. What if I'm on a path of darkness?") is now being brought to the forefront here through Viren both being made actively aware of his choices per path ("Because I have followed a dark path") and him deciding to get off of it in 5x09.

2) Both being driven to desperation and resolve to try and save someone they love (Claudia, Rayla)

I figured that, per Viren getting an atonement arc at all, that what would make the most sense is S5 forcing Viren and Callum to confront their moral horizon lines about what they were, or were not willing to do, in order to save Claudia and Rayla pre-S5. For the S4 reasoning behind that, I'll recommend one of the metas linked above regarding those four and the Interlocking of the Cycle's Wheel. I was very pleased to see a decent chunk of it come to fruition. I figured Callum would be able to save Rayla at a steep cost, and Viren would be unable to successfully save Claudia (cause consequences have to catch up to you sooner rather than later, and they tend to catch Viren first and Callum second).

This is, of course, perhaps most exemplified by the show chipping away to the core of dark magic, which is what are you willing to do to save the people you love, even against their will, and that Callum has every good reason to be worried, accordingly, about a very exploitable part of himself.

Which we'll talk about more when we get to:

3) Viren revoking dark magic and Aaravos, whereas Callum does dark magic again and worries he's further tethered himself to Aaravos

In season 5 in a lot of ways, Viren comes to fully understand and accept Harrow's rebuttal to dark magic in 1x02, which was, "We may not pay now, but we will pay the blood price eventually! What do you think got us here? Dark magic!" The blood price went from Sarai's unintentional death, to Thunder's purposeful one, to Zym's false one, to Harrow's 'real' (?) one, and so and so forth.

Viren tried to ignore the sunk cost fallacy by believing it was already too late to turn everything around, and that doubling down to skirt consequences would continually work... until it didn't, and he had to accept the only person writing his fate was himself: "Every step forward is a choice," and thereby another chance to do the right thing, or make better choices, under the circumstances you have — to at least try.

This parallel, then, between Viren doing what he can to set himself free vs Callum chaining himself further to Aaravos is, in a lot of ways, both the most dreadful and happiest potential parallel and contrast between on a few different levels. Let me explain:

S6 as the Fall, S7 as the Rise

I talked about this pre-S5, citing it as a reason I believed Viren and Callum were ultimately switching rather than solely contrasting foils — re: Viren getting better in S5, and Callum getting worse in S5/S6 — simply due to the fact that given that S6 will be TDP's 11th hour, things might be going okay for the antagonist crowd, but the protagonist side of things, particularly Callum, will need to be hitting rock bottom.

Thus, it seemed pretty obvious from a structural standpoint, as well as Stars (and destiny by extension) having an association with Aaravos that S6 would involve Callum playing his part in Aaravos' plans, with S7 being the reclamation of his agency and therefore defeat of his narrative Rival for well, narrative control. S6 being Callum's fall, S7 being his rise — stronger than before, and freer and more magically in tune than ever.

Prior to S5, it was typically accepted (by myself included) that while purposefully very similar to one another in both framing and personality, that mirroring would eventually shed, and, come S7 Viren would ultimately provide a contrast to Callum, with Callum breaking away from Aaravos in ways Viren was never able to, and this would be the Big Defining Difference between them in terms of like, narrative cohesion and plot. (Emotionally, the biggest difference has always, arguably, been that Viren is more world focused — to his detriment in arc 1 in particular — than focused on his loved ones, whereas Callum is deeply and sometimes dangerously devoted to the people he loves.)

However, S5 makes that previous contrast prediction untrue, because Viren does break away from Aaravos (in fact, just an episode decidedly before Callum seems — metaphorically at least — to take a step towards him). Therefore rather than just being a contrast, Viren is meant to be a true mirror in equal measure, simply because by virtue of letting Viren break away from Aaravos' control, when Callum eventually does so, he will likewise — once again — be following in Viren's footsteps, just in a positive way rather than a 'negative' way like before. If Viren was meant to solely be a contrast — as has been theorized previously — than Callum staying under Aaravos' control would actually be the provided ending. Of course the show isn't doing that for Very Obvious Reasons, but I think it's worth noting that now, in order for Callum to have a happy ending at all, he has to follow in Viren's footsteps — all of them. Rather than being one of solely warning and foreboding, Viren's narrative has turned into one of hope for Callum, too.

V: I am free, and so are you.

But in order to talk about salvation, we have to first talk about destruction, namely:

Dark Magic and Death

Dark magic and death have long been associated with each other in series. Dark magic requires killing or consuming a magical creature — elf, dragon, or otherwise — to be used/harvested for power. It affects the souls of those being used as spell parts (Through the Moon) and you can use any part of the body within reason, even their ashes upon cremation (1x03, 2x09), or their final breath (against their wishes in 3x06). Hell, dark magic makes you smell like death (3x01), turns you into a more corpselike appearance, and season two novelization just furthers this association outright during the passages of Callum's dark magic visions/dream:

Callum turned the cube frantically to see which primal was glowing. How could any of the primals glow in this dark place? Something about this cube tied his stomach in knots. It wasn’t natural. A vision flickered in front of his face. Dozens of dead animals in a field. A dead butterfly. A dead deer. A dead unicorn. Cackling laughter. He chucked the cube away from him with all his might. The glowing rune was dark magic. It represented death.

Thereby in 2x08 itself, the rejection dark magic symbolized by the cube is pretty simple. Callum rejects being a dark mage as his primary magic use, he rejects the 'easier' road, he still believes he can possibly access primal magic, and in doing so, he rejects death. He won't become a dark mage, he won't seek out his death or others in order to have control/power, and he won't become a corpselike figure.

But a couple seasons later, we see S4 and S5 reverse and complicate that in 1) having him, literally, seek his own and Aaravos' deaths in order to feel in control/have power, and therefore 2) perfectly foreshadowing his eventual dark magic use/relapse, for lack of a better word. Just as the show leans farther away from "dark magic is easy" (and it is, in some ways, emotionally easier to deal with consequences when you can change them) and more into "dark magic will destroy you — your identity and your body — if you keep using it".

S5, likewise, also starts to break down the negative associations of dark magic being linked to death, and indeed the negative associations with death itself. For most characters in the series, death is solely a tragedy, but for Harrow and Viren of themselves, staring their own deaths in the face — and choosing to die — instead became a vehicle for repentance, change, and subsequent self-actualization.

Death, for Harrow, and more importantly for the sake of this meta, is not just doom and gloom, but a choice and therefore a culmination as well as a chance for transformation. Just as Viren's death in 3x09 allowed him to be re-born with clear eyes (a literal Re-Birthday, if you will), him choosing this next death shows the full scope of his character arc. Previously, he died because he was chasing all the things he didn't have with Aaravos' aid, and by 5x09, he's rejecting Aaravos' help and dying alone in the woods with nothing, yet it feels like a tragic sort of victory all the same.

We also see a more complicated view of dark magic alongside ideas of self-actualization. Previously, dark magic was seen as something that would make you routinely lose yourself (Viren, Claudia) until you had by and large become the worst version of yourself. S5 complicates this a bit more by connecting Callum doing dark magic to his ability to access the Ocean arcanum, as he remembers/mimics the motion of crushing the slug before connection (and parallels Viren's 5x03 hand symbolism to boot):

Whereas Viren unmakes his choice to take on Aaravos' deal in 2x07, Callum unmakes his choice to refuse to do dark magic when it means saving his loved ones. As he states:

To love is simply to know this: the tides are true as the ocean is deep... You don't control anything. But you already knew that, didn't you? Because it's the secret of the Ocean itself. The arcanum. The Ocean arcanum is about accepting depths you can't see, parts of yourself you can't understand, and things you can't control.

Callum fears not having control, and therefore fears his part of himself, where he is now more aware than ever of just how far he'll go for his loved ones, and how exploitable that is, thanks to Finnegrin. And it's not as though dark magic has lost its death associations, merely that those death associations have likewise been transformed. This is particularly evident if you line up 5x08 as the end of Callum's S5 arc (which it is; while 5x09 is fun, it doesn't further any of the main trio's emotional arcs except Rayla, and even that is decently minor)

If dark magic is still linked to death, then both Viren and Callum choose to step towards their own deaths in the end of their respective arcs, just with different meanings and arc placements. If we take Viren's step further that real death vs dark magic death are two different things, then we still have Callum stepping towards his own dark magic death to prevent someone else's (the same way Rayla is spared) even if that means throwing potentially 3+ innocent people and Domina Profundis under the bus in 5x08. But more on that here.

For now, let me break it down more simply:

In 4x09, Callum and Viren both pick up the symbol of something they've been trying to ignore / pass off to others all season. Viren has avoided his staff and left it for Claudia to wield, much the same way Callum passed Rayla off to Ezran and Soren in the previous episodes. Viren refuses to leave the staff behind. Meanwhile, Callum picks up and finally starts fully acknowledging the loss and love he feels regarding Rayla, who he let go on without him. The staff is symbolic of Viren's relationship to Aaravos as well, and it's what ultimately dooms him. Rayla's sword, although quickly discarded so he can help the actual Moonshadow elf, is also a symbol to Callum in the scene that he loves/is still mourning his friend/partner.

In 5x08 and 5x09, Callum and Viren are both goaded by a vengeful elf seeking freedom into doing dark magic to create a secure future for each mage. The elf wants to use them as further vessels for their own freedom/revenge scheme. Viren refuses to do dark magic and instead chooses death, reaching self-actualization. He does this mostly motivated by his own regret and love for Claudia. He refuses to sacrifice Sir Sparklepuff to save his own life and breaks away from Aaravos. Callum demonstrates a willingness to sacrifice others in order to save Rayla, in addition to resorting to dark magic in order to save her. He refuses to sacrifice her to save/keep his own soul free from Aaravos' clutches, even if that means possibly walking steadily closer to his own death. Likewise, this allows him to reach a new stage of self-actualization, but at a steep emotional cost.

Where Viren's ending is tragic but victorious, Callum's season ending is victorious but tragic. But like I said earlier, Viren's story in S5 offers plenty of hope to Callum's future storyline, namely exploring how

Love Can Destroy and Save You

Now, anyone who's been following me for a while knows I love a good "this thing can save and destroy you" and that I have been really fucking excited for S4 taking that undercurrent in arc 1 and bringing it up to the forefront, with a big hitch to Rayllum as a sweet lovely, devastating bonus.

“Wow. So they look identical but they might kill you or they might save you,” Callum said. “Exactly. Just like me…” Rayla smiled.

—Book One: Moon novelization + Callum and Rayla being routinely determined to save each other, even if that means immense danger and harm to themselves (Callum's love for her made him leap off the mountain to save her, and his love for her allowed him to grow wings and save both of them).

This has always been a theme in the show and particularly within their dynamic — "Alright, enough almost killing me" in 1x05 with the lightning spell, only for Callum to save Rayla's life with the exact same spell by the episode's end — most prominently brought to the forefront in 4x07 with their whole "I need you to kill me" "I'm afraid I'll hurt people I care about" [cuts right to Rayla] conversation. If you're interested in more Rayllum thoughts on this, I would recommend my original meta on the subject (pre-S4) and my post-S4 followup.

We even see this theme of the same thing — in this case, Callum's love for Rayla and commitment to saving her — play out as a perfect microcosm in 5x08. As previously mentioned, Callum does dark magic again (a failure in his own mind) and unlocks the ocean arcanum (a victory) precisely because of what he was willing to do out of love, both of these things being good and bad. The dark magic use is bad because it makes him more vulnerable to Aaravos and reaffirms how he'll bend morals he otherwise wouldn't and is upset over it, and it's a good action because it lets him save Rayla. Unlocking the Ocean arcanum is a good thing, because it symbolizes a deeper understanding of himself — good ol' self-actualization — and more useful, magical prowess, but it's also a bad thing because he's upset by this realization of himself to the point of not even really being excited by it.

He would do anything for her, he's realized now that love doesn't necessarily always make him stronger, that this is exploitable, and it scares him. It really does.

Because Rayla saves him and destroys him. And in S5, fortunately, Viren's children do the same for him.

Even though saving Soren is what seemed to truly begin Viren's descent in earnest...

the harm his path has inflicted on Claudia is one of his motivations to finally stepping off of it.

Ezran himself acknowledges the way love interplays with the Cycle in the thematic turning point of the arc, and the series in many ways, back in 4x03 — that love is not in opposition to the Cycle, but indeed one of its many cogs, and the choice lies in how we choose to let that love manifest:

I had a speech planned for today. It was about peace and love and hope. But I think I left something out. [...] We all want peace and we all want love. But violence tests us. In a twisted way, it converts us to its cause. Because pain and loss feel so terrible inside, you want to hate. You want to hurt someone else. So what do we do? How can we stop this cycle? [...]  We have to acknowledge the weight of the pain and loss, but open up our eyes and allow ourselves to hope and maybe forgive and love again. We have to give today’s children a chance to inherit a future filled with peace. To give them that, we have to hold pain and love in our hearts at the same time.

If Callum does destroy himself / risk the world for love in S6 (perhaps taking a risk he knows may lead to being possessed, or releasing Aaravos to spare Ezran or Rayla from an immediate death) then love, it seems, is also posed to be what accordingly breaks him out of the possession and brings him back to himself, the same way it allowed Viren to deviate from his previously chosen/enforced path. Reconciling dualities rather than enforcing strict binaries is one of the main things S4 was concerned with, after all ("Just have two cakes!").

All of this, for Callum, ties back into:

His dynamic with Rayla and all its variances (the light to his dark / pain and love / literally freeing himself while metaphorically chaining himself in order to save her / his love for her being his strentth and weakness / "Now you're back. That's kind of good, and it's kind of bad").

His connection to the Key ("I have a feeling that cube thing could help me" to "It's the Key of Aaravos, Callum. No good will come of it!")

Light and dark being both good and bad, and Aaravos heavily representing that trade off ("In darkness, gaze upon a fallen star [...] already tainted by darkness" + the cube flashing a bright glowing white before Aaravos picks him up as a pawn).

The fall (becoming Aaravos' prey / playing into Aaravos' hands) in s6 and a rise in S7 (breaking free by defeating Aaravos)

If dark magic is death, and Aaravos is likewise death / worse than death ("if he takes control of me again, you have to kill me")... death, like for Viren in 3x09, can be Transformation for Callum in 6x09. He just has to 'die' (metaphorically) — to fall, to fail, to succumb to his predecessor's negative footsteps — in order to rise, fly, and follow in his predecessor's positive footsteps while also carving out another new path for himself.

Because Love is salvation just as much as it is destruction, and the story will always hold true to those things.

Other Parallels

Although there aren't as many prominent framing parallels in S5 as there were in S4 — the mirror, on the battlements with Soren, sitting on the Storm Spire, picking up the staff and sword, etc etc — (beyond the hand clasps as symbolic chains my beloved), the most obvious one is from 5x01 in which Callum goes to the library to research Aaravos just like the high mage before him, down to the portrait over the table they place the tome on.

Then there is also framing that furthers the connections they share between Callum-Viren and Claudia-Rayla, diving after someone you're desperate to save (and often from drowning, to boot). Hand outstretched one pictured above, so here's another:

There are also the Aaravos-Magma Titan Callum-Viren parallels that others have pointed out, with Ezran standing in for Sarai:

Given that 4x01 begins and 5x09 ends the arc of Viren's 30 days, and by and large binds S4 and S5 together as 1 arc of sorts (with S6 and S7 being the final arc), it tickles me particularly pink that it opens, in many ways, and then literally closes accordingly with Callum and Viren staring at the moon:

Misc:

In between writing the first meta and the second one, I got loose 'confirmation' that I'm on the right path with my deductions (even if, of course, 'personal path' can mean many things, but I still think it's cool!) from Aaron Ehasz on twitter. Cool beans

I also think it's fun that Viren tries to save Claudia from a 'symbolic' death in the ocean ("Stop! That wave, it will swallow you up!") and Callum saves Rayla from a more literal one of being devoured by a sea leviathan.

Conclusion

First off, if you read All of That, thank you and I hope you enjoyed it. I've been itching to talk about these two and how S5 both built on the parallels they already had, pushed some to the forefront in overt ways ("I would do anything" and 5x08 on Callum's end was beyond validating in every way), in addition to setting up more to come, both good and bad.

I may return to S5 in this manner to touch more on other parallel relationships in the future, such as Viren-Rayla in S5, Callum-Claudia, and Claudia-Rayla, but for now the next proposed foil meta is looking at a dynamic I have not talked much about in Callum and Karim. This will conclude this little 'trilogy' of metas, and I hope you stick around for it, cause it's going to be very interesting.

Callum and Viren have always been my favourite foils relationship in the show, and I hope this meta did a good job of demonstrating why. Thank you for reading and I'll see you in the next one!

—Dragons out

[lookatmysillies]

In this edition of ALIEN STAGE Magazine, we have an exclusive interview with Himei and Min, sweethearts of this season’s competition and Round 4 opponents! Readers now have the chance to get to know their favorites better.

You’re both quite popular among fans! Why do you think that is? That is to say, what sets you apart from other contestants?

HIMEI: I would say… my experience, all my hard work. I’m sure my fans can see how long of a road it’s been to get here and I think there’s a natural appreciation that comes with that.

MIN: Well, that's a pretty easy one for me. I was the winner of the last season, after all! They put me in young, since I had already had training prior to being enrolled into ANAKT Garden. People have called me a "prodigy", so one could assume that is the reason for my popularity. As for my opponent, I'm not entirely certain what makes her stand out, she has always been just another person at ANAKT to me.

What’s your focus been since graduation? Has it been entirely on Alien Stage, or split?

HIMEI: Split. It’s important to cover my bases, you know? Alien Stage is such a huge competition, I wanted to prepare myself for this industry.

MIN: Alien Stage had always been a big part of my life, if not all of it. The only thing I care about as of right now is winning this season of Alien Stage. A winner is what I am and will continue to be. I do not have any other things in mind for myself at this moment.

Are you familiar with your opponent, having gone to Anakt Garden together?

HIMEI: I sure have seen Min around. I would say we ran in different circles, though.

MIN: Not personally, no. I am not "familiar" in that sense with just about everyone who attended ANAKT. I was always focused more on my singing and studies rather than personal relationships and peer connections.

Being one of the earlier rounds in this special 32-contestant season of ALIEN STAGE, do you think you would have preferred a later round, or do you enjoy having the chance to set the tone?

HIMEI: It might have been nice to have a few extra rounds to scope out the competition, haha! I can’t complain, though. The past three rounds have been—have been eventful, so I hope we don’t put everyone to sleep, haha…

MIN: I do not think the date of my round hinders or assists my influence. Whenever my round is, I can always captivate the audience and triumph over my opponent.

How has your guardian helped get you to this moment?

HIMEI: Oh, wow… well, Guardian Iquia has always believed in cultivating my natural talents. She sent me to the great Anakt Garden when she recognized that she could not further my skills like Anakt Garden could, and for that I am forever grateful. …She’s been generous to me.

MIN: Without my early start on my training, I would not have been entered into Alien Stage last round, meaning I wouldn't have won and would not have the amount of fans that I do now. Therefore, she has had an immense role in my popularity. I owe a lot to her. She is the one who made me as perfect as I am now.

I have to ask… are the accommodations for the competitors really as glamorous as I hear? If so, you must be swimming in luxury.

HIMEI: Haha, certainly! I have my own room and everything. I do wish the curfew wasn’t so strict, though. I’d love to chat before bed. I’m a talker.

MIN: I was raised in a glamorous establishment, these accommodations are the average for me.

What would it mean for you to move on to the next round?

HIMEI: It would mean everything to me. All I can hope is that the stars will align for me tonight. I’ll be singing for my lucky stars, that’s for sure.

MIN: It would mean that I am consistent in my popularity and performance quality. It would also mean that I am still the best there is. I don't even have to worry about losing, though, so I don't know why I bothered to answer this question. Next, please.

Do you have anything to say to your opponent?

HIMEI: Let’s make it a night to remember, alright?

MIN: So sorry to see you go. See you at our round, dear. *she makes a heart with her fingers, grinning snarkily at the camera*

(Tagging @season39 if you want to reblog this to the official account! @starry-skiez helped me with this big time, they wrote all of Min's responses!)

[librarycards]

any readings on how physically disabled people are "interrogated"/put under extreme scrutiny (referring both to treatment in medical settings and then social settings where strangers act entitled to our bodies/histories?)

So, to preface: I see a lot of discourse about physical disability exclusive things on here, and while I understand why people are compelled to prohibit, say, the figure of the "able-bodied ND" or w/e from "interacting" with this or that post, this is not something that is widely practiced in actual disability organizing spaces, nor in disability studies broadly (there are always exceptions, but i am speaking about the state of the field as a whole).

that is not to say that lateral ableism, as well as forms of ableism that affect certain experiences more than others, are ignored or irrelevant. it is instead to impress upon you that disability is not a term bounded by certain diagnoses, symptoms, or ideas of "objective" impairment. instead, disability is a political and politicized relationship to systems of medico-legal, social, and deeply carceral ableism, AS WELL AS a tool around which to organize and advocate for shared principles of interdependence, self-determination, and liberation from the aforementioned systems.

in fact, the focus on delineating categories of disabled people - whether in gradations of "severity" or in isolating certain types of experience to solely the "mental" or "physical" realm, reifies the false perception that disability is a concrete and static "thing" to be analyzed and categorized objectively, furthering the very norm of scrutiny and disbelief you want literature deconstructing. for this reason, i put little stock in the kinds of hard divisions i see floating around on here, mostly by people who haven't "done the readings" or, it seems, partaken in social or activist groups that are politically disabled/crip.

with this being said, there are a number of excellent works on the scrutiny under which disabled people are placed! here are a few:

Marta Russell, Capitalism and Disability (rigorous marxist analysis of, among other things, the surveillance and forcible impoverishment of SSDI recipients and applicants)

Mel Chen, Animacies (fixation on children meeting 'developmental markers'/terror at "chemical-induced" difference and ensuing blame game if and when they 'fail')

Alex Cockain, Troubling narratives about dis/ability and the social encounter [...] (looking at the ways abled anxieties about disabled presentation/interaction play out from a CDS perspective)

E. Krebs, Baccalaureates or burdens? Complicating "reasonable accommodations" for American college students with disabilities (about the abusive "accommodations" process in higher ed)

Audre Lorde, The Cancer Journals (Lorde documents her experiences with invasive, abusive, and autonomy-denying medical staff and laypersons alike in light of her decision not to get a reconstruction after her mastectomy due to breast cancer)

Loyd, Secor, and Ehrkamp, Geopolitics of Disability and the Ablenationalism of Refuge (on the policing of legible/legitimate disability narratives in refugees)

hope this helps!

[lifesteal-headcanons]

People who are from Lifesteal have certain traits that automatically give them away on other servers. Of course, there’s the paranoia and focus on PVP, but much smaller things as well.

They eat golden apples exclusively, although they will hoard bread and steak. A balanced diet is near nonexistent for them.

When they must attend a meeting, especially with a stranger, they will remain as far as possible within hearing distance unless they have no choice. And god forbid they hear a suspicious noise or when someone finishes their speech, because they’ll instinctively crouch with shields up, anticipating an ambush.

Speaking of ambushes… because of how many they’ve endured, they find peace more suspicious than violence. They are the first to pick up on silence, and try to figure out why everything is quiet. They also learn to distinguish between different players’ footfalls quickly — sometimes they can detect someone from twenty blocks away, and figure out if they are friend or foe.

Gift giving is kept to a bare minimum unless it is with a close friend. And gifts given with good intent are always passed from hand to hand, unwrapped, so the receiver knows exactly what it is and that it isn’t a trap. Half the time, these gifts are chosen for their rarity or function, not sentimental value.

Their inventories are at least half full with potions, cobwebs, ender pearls, and weapons. Without exception. Other server mates invite them to a build battle and they show up with full enchanted netherite; a shield in one hand and a wood block in the other. When going to bed, they keep their stuff in a sling tied to their waists. When tentatively asked “is all that gear too heavy?” they wave off all concerns.

They have a strange relationship with obsidian. Being a block that can withstand TNT blasts and is plain painful to mine through, it makes for a good shield and the foundation for semi-permanent builds (because nothing really lasts forever on Lifesteal). But at the same time, 80% of all lifestealers recall being trapped in some form or another with this block, so it is connected to lots of bad memories. So former Lifesteal members always either gravitate to obsidian for its protection or avoid it instinctively.

Not all Lifesteal players are good at PVP, but most of them will solo any contests involving speed or agility. Being quick in thinking and reflexes saves precious hearts, so parkour and races are commonplace for them. Sometimes as they run, the heartbeats pounding in their ears remind them of a different time, when the punishment for falling behind wasn’t failure, but death. Sometimes, they swear they smell blood in their nostrils.

Lifestealers are careful with their words, especially with players they perceive are stronger than them. It might come as a surprise, on a server where people are quicker to grab their swords than a compromise. But after all the compulsory bloodshed, no Lifestealer wants more (unless they happen to be Clownpierce). So they pick their words carefully in front of others, trying their best to sound neutral but not a pushover, clear but not blunt, to minimize aggression and prevent misunderstandings.

— 🌀anon

PS: Sorry for the huge swath of text, it’s been a while since I’ve posted! Burnout and summer responsibilities hit hard, but I’m back now, all my headcannons in tow.

.

[bitkahuna]

“So … Malfoy has a boyfriend?” Harry asked in a manner that wasn’t as casual as he had hoped while he put his wand away. But he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about her mentioning his boyfriend ever since she said it.

Pansy raised an eyebrow. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

Harry nodded, remembering he was talking to a Slytherin. “Are you going to the afterparty?”

She blinked. “There’s an afterparty?”

“Beauxbatons tradition, their champion always throws an afterparty and the staff pretends not to know. The only issue is that you have to be invited by a champion, and we’re only allowed to invite a certain number of people.”

An exclusive party. Pansy’s interest visibly piqued. “Draco’s relationship status is important information to you, then?”

He swallowed, avoiding the question. “Do you want to be invited, or not?”

“They aren’t dating.” She began, selling out her best friend. “Draco wants to, but frankly, I think LaVeau is a dick.”

“LaVeau?”

“Ovide Laveau. Beauxbatons student. Don’t tell Draco.”

“This never happened.”

———

“Why were you interested in LaVeau?”

Harry didn’t answer and that was all Blaise needed to know.

“You’re pathetic. You and Malfoy, both.” He shook his head. “All this as if we all don’t know we’re only moments away from a war where you’re on opposing sides.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “He talks about me?”

“Why are you dancing with me?”

He repeated his earlier answer. “Distraction.”

“That’s why LaVeau‘s around.”

———

Harry was figuring out a puzzle, just as he did with all the people he watched on Knockturn Alley. Blaise was just like the rest of them. “You don’t care about the war, do you?”

“I do.”

“Not like the others do. You just want to survive and come out on top.” Harry squinted slightly. “They talk about you, you know. Well, not you. But about your mum. How many times has she been made the widow of a rich man?”

A surprised squeak left Harry as he was dipped once more, even lower this time, his arm around Blaise’s shoulders tightening in its grip.

“I don’t like repeating myself, Potter.” He said before pulling Harry upright again and spinning him. “I will drop you.”

“Frankly, if she is murdering them, I commend her. Otherwise, very tragic and I apologize. But you don’t seem very upset by it.” He had to take a moment to focus on the dance as Blaise intentionally made it more complex. “Point being, you don’t trust people and you just want to survive. So now, you’re good friends with a Malfoy to make sure one side of the playing field is secured. But in the last few minutes, I’m willing to bet you’ve realized you and your mother have no protections for if the Death Eaters fail. If they do, you risk both Azkaban or a self-imposed exile. You don’t want to uproot you and your mother’s lives, so now, you see me for the golden opportunity I am.”

He was dipped for a third time, much lower, and he quickly shot his leg up to wrap around Blaise’s waist, locking his leg and the arm around Blaise’s shoulders so he would stay stuck to the other boy even if he tried to drop him.

No one else existed in that moment. It was just the two of them. Even the music was hardly a thought in either of their minds as they stayed there, locked in place, eyes battling through an unexpected intimacy.

Blaise had to make a choice as his plans were laid bare before him. In that suspended moment, the tension between Harry and Blaise was palpable, their breaths intertwining as they remained in their compromising position.

“I see you’re not just a pretty face.”

———

[butch-with-a-deep-voice]

I’ve always wondered why stone butches are exclusively a lesbian thing (as far as I know). Like, you never hear about gay men where one doesn’t want to be touched sexually, so it’s not a gay thing. You don’t hear of straight couples where that’s a thing either, so it’s not a woman thing.

The only reasons I can think of are that women have more sexual baggage and feel more vulnerable (and are less horny than men generally), so it’s unlikely a man would want this. And then on top of that a man in a straight relationship is unlikely to tolerate his girlfriend not wanting her genitals to be touched ever, so a straight woman who felt like this would probably just be single. But then again, I’m sure there are men who would be happy to be sucked off by women during casual sex with no reciprocation - and I’ve never heard of that either!

But are there other reasons do you think? Is it butch women having hang ups about their female genitals being touched, or about feeling vulnerable to a partner because they are masculine as a woman?

I find this so interesting to think about.

While I can see where this line of thinking comes, from I would like to challenge it for a couple of reasons.

The first being that stone lesbians have a long historical association with the term. For many of us, our stone-ness stems from trauma and that cannot be separated from it. The identities, what they connote, and the safety they bring to the lesbian community can never be devalued or disassociated. And I am specifically talking stone. Both top and bottom, butch and femme. This isn't a hang up about "female genitals". I have classically "male" genitals and still identify as a stone butch. Stone comes from a collective understanding of our needs, and how factors in our life made us not okay with certain things being done to us, and saying "yeah, those needs are okay actually. That's desirable. I'm not broken." So firstly anon, I'd like you to ask yourself where your perceptions of stone stem from.

Secondly though, while I can see where you're coming from, I really want to challenge the notion of men not wanting these things. Of men always wanted to be touched, wanting sexual attention. This speaks to a deep issue of stigmatization/generalization of male sexuality. As horn dogs. As sexually hungry machines. I challenge the idea that there aren't men who don't want acts associated with stone tops/bottoms because I know men personally who do. I know men who are sex repulsed. I know men who only ever want to eat their cishet girlfriend out, top her, and focus on her, never once asking for reciprocation. I know men who have that classic "infinite libido" of male hood but are the biggest power bottoms on the planet and would rather eat glass before topping someone because it makes them feel dysphoric. Makes them feel wrong.

As for "women are less horny than men", have you seen lesbian tumblr? Have you seen booktok? Some of us are SHAMELESS. Feminine libido has nigh on infinite potential for some and it is a beautiful thing that should never ever be swept under the rug with a generalization like that. Men are expected to have limitless libido and this too must be challenged. Growing up male, before coming out as trans, it was an extreme source of shame that my sexuality didn't align with the other boys. That I didn't experience sexuality the same. I got bullied incessantly for not being a sexual deviant, and I wasn't the only one. This idea of the ever-hungry masculine directly attributes to toxic masculinity and ideas perpetuated by patriarchal relationship standards.

Part of how I think collectively we can evolve and heal our understanding of sexuality and healthy sexual practices is understanding your needs intimately, regardless of gender or sexuality. Learning how to effectively communicate those needs, and subsequently accepting when others have their own needs (including when they don't align with yours, not everyone is compatible and that's okay). Just like how a classic stone4stone relationship seems to be what will be my ultimate ideal match-up, everyone's needs deserve to be met and honored by a partner with needs that align with theirs.

Stone top/bottom, stone butch/femme are incredibly unique and important identities within the lesbian community. Claiming stone for myself has helped heal years and years of shame and trauma around my sexuality that I never thought possible to heal. Those terms I can argue stay in the lesbian community for the various historical and cultural implications. But I also really do need to stress how much we should accept the experiences associated with stone being applicable to everyone, even if the terminology may not be.

[eustasskiddsprosthetic]

Yuhh so Sabolaw but Sabo is aromantic?

(I'm so sorry if I depicted being aromantic inaccurately! I read 1 article and 1 reddit thread so please correct me on anything!! But back to the narrative!!)

These two idiots first meet in medical school and even though they only knew each other for at most two months before Sabo dropped out, they knew that they were soulmates. They just click in a way even they don't understand.

They find it easy to stare out into the sunset and not say anything. Sabo felt comfortable leaning on Law's shoulder and asking him—a diehard doctor/surgeon—if medicine is right for him.

Law, in turn, would reassure his silly blonde friend that he would succeed no matter where he went. It was a matter of deciding where he wanted to go, when and how. Law was the one to fill in Sabo's drop-out form, except Sabo's signature and press send on the email.

Post Sabo dropping out and swapping degrees, their favourite activity is sending little letters to each other's dorm rooms in university. They write these really long letters detailing how their week went and whatever they find interesting.

Sabo would go on about his new degree and Law would bitch about his uncle. They could just as easily text each other, but they would rather not use their phones too often. Besides, they found letter-writing intimate. It forced Law to keep his handwriting neat.

At first, Sabo thought it was a romantic sort of crush. It was nice because it was the first time he felt such warmth for someone. When Sabo told Ace this, Ace noticed something a bit... not romantic.

He asked if Sabo wanted to kiss Law and touch him sexually and Sabo immediately said no. He got heart flutters whenever Law wrote back but they were not exclusive? It's the same heart flutters when he attended Luffy's highschool graduation or when he picked up an autographed copy of his favourite writer's book... Hmm.

It really is not personal. Sabo tried to reason. Sabo never had crushes on anyone and personally found the concept rather silly. People fall in love? He knew a good working relationship needed more than just that but why did everyone focus so much on... What? Love?

Sabo doesn't get it. He thinks it's strange but he would be upset if Law rejected him. At a certain point, Law said he was pursuing a relationship with someone and Sabo did not feel jealous or scorned or anything like that, really.

"Will we still be friends?" Sabo blurts out. They meet up occasionally. They text for that.

"Why, of course," Law replies easily. "A relationship's just one part of it. It just means I have more to write about in our letters, beyond my uncle and Sora."

"That's good."

Law pouted.

"I mean our letters!" Sabo clarified. Law huffed. Law really hated his uncle and loved Sora and he was afraid Sabo thought he was boring. "Please don't ignore me! I'm sorry for the mixup! Law!"

But on a more serious note, Sabo found that reassertion of friendship more reassuring than he thought it would.

Sabo very confidently concluded the thing he's feeling is a platonic crush. He needed to workshop what it means but he liked the way it sounded at least. It has the intensity of feeling but also complete lack of romance he feels towards Law.

It wasn't romantic but Sabo cared about Law. Law was up there on the list of people Sabo considered important, second to himself and brothers. Sabo valued Law's opinion, not just of his personal character but of everything in general. Law's happiness was his own.

So it damn near devastates Sabo to see that one day, long after graduation when they started working...

It started with an unreplied text. And then an unreplied letter. And then a growing pile of unreplied letters...

They still met up. Law was busy, Sabo knew. Being a doctor was busy enough but a surgeon? Insanity. There was a reason why he dropped out of medical school!! But Sabo supposes something is wrong.

Law looked away more, almost to the point where they barely looked each other in the eye nowadays. Sabo knew Law still listened to him but he would suddenly blush, get jumpy and fuss over stupid things. Sabo wished he knew how to comfort his distressed friend, his precious soulmate whom he would do anything for.

[buddiebeginz]

Rewatching that Zach Sang interview with Oliver makes me more convinced than ever that Buddie is coming. The question about Buddie was at the end of the interview and it didn't really feel like an organic question more like something maybe they were requested to ask about.

I mean why not ask Oliver what the future of Buck and T*mmy is considering he's the one Buck is actually dating right now? And like I said in a previous post about this Oliver could have answered this many different ways in an effort to not get people’s hopes up. It just feels like they're trying to get the audience ready for Buddie by talking about them so much. They talk about Buddie in pretty much every 911 interview about the show lately. This wouldn’t be happening if the intention was for Eddie to be straight and Buddie was never going to be a possibility. The focus would be exclusively on Buck and T*mmy and while they have gotten some focus because of Buck’s coming out and that’s who he’s dating there’s always stuff about Buddie and Eddie. Tim and Oliver and the rest know how popular Buddie is, if it wasn’t happening I truly think they’d try and distance themselves and Buck from that. Obviously you want fans to tune in but you also don't want fans expecting something that's never going to happen because people will just get frustrated and tune out.

They very intentionally made Buck's coming out connected to Eddie in such a huge way that if Buddie wasn't happening I find it next to impossible that not one person would have looked at the script especially for 7x04 and said hey maybe we shouldn't feature Eddie so heavily in this episode when so many people want to see these characters in a relationship.

Plus everything that Lou has been saying too leads me to believe he's not staying beyond this season. Like I know some of you really like him and like him and Buck together but nothing the show has been telling us and nothing the actors etc are telling us gives me the impression he's being set up to be a long term love interest.

I also think when you look at Buck in some ways he's almost the main character of the show. I know it's an ensemble show and I know more experienced actors like Angela Bassett and Peter Krause get a lot of attention but if you go back an watch earlier seasons a lot of storylines are from Buck's pov to a certain extent. Plus there isn't another character that we've watched grow and change as much as we have Buck. My point is considering Buck is such a central character of the show (and an extremely popular one at that) I find it highly unlikely they're going to just stick him with any ol love interest as his endgame ship. Especially now that Tim is back as showrunner he's expressed that he didn't really like some of Buck and Eddie's past relationships.

Oliver has also talked in interviews about how Buck is going to have to work at his next relationship and I don't see that as being with T*mmy. He hasn't really had to put any work into this thing with him. He liked T*mmy and now they're dating. Same as with any other relationship he's been in. Oliver literally said that is how all of Buck's relationships have been. He likes a person and he gets that person and he said this season that is supposed to change for Buck.

The thing that will be different I think is when Buck finally realizes he's in love with Eddie and has to deal with that. I also wonder if Buck is going to have to work to prove to Eddie he wants to be with him. Eddie has been there loving and supporting Buck for years but then you had Buck saying (last season) that Natalia (this women who he just met) saw him in a way no one else does. Which I think had to have hurt Eddie on some level.

I also wonder if Eddie, once he truly realizes his feelings for Buck will be hesitant to change their relationship. Eddie has historically chosen romantic partners he doesn't allow himself to get too invested in, I think so he doesn't have to be afraid of losing them like he and Chris lost Shannon. I also think that Buck actually dying for a few minutes when he was struck by lightning brought all of this up even more for Eddie. Buck has been the one constant in Eddie and Chris' life and I wonder how Eddie will deal with things as the relationship is changing. I think he'll be afraid of losing Buck and resistant at first so I see a lot of areas where the show can take things to have Buck be the one to fight for Eddie and for them to be together.

There's also the fact that Buddie parallels Bathena, Madney, and Henren all the time. The show has a history of these epic ships while Buck and Eddie have for so long been in these lackluster relationships that go nowhere with partners that are not their equals. The deserve to have a great love story every bit as much as the other characters and that's clearly with each other.

[sukimas]

How does one survive PhD applications (and/or postdoc applications)?

Haven't applied for a postdoc, have no intention of ever doing so (I intend to go straight into industry because I'm in a field where you can do that and it's a good idea.)

If you're asking me this because you're a senior in undergrad who wants to apply for a PhD, it's a bit late for that! Most deadlines in the US are Dec. 1. My recommendation if you're in this situation is to try and get hired for a short-term research position at your university (if you've done undergrad research) and apply next fall.

PhD applications— my advice is extremely specific to the physical sciences (and the US), so keep this in mind. (That is to say, this assumes you don't have a master's.)

-If you've not done any undergraduate research or worked in industry for a while you're fucked for right now. Go work in industry for a bit.

-If you've done undergraduate research, make sure you have a good relationship with your PI and get them to write you a killer letter of recommendation.

-Get really good relationships with at least two other research faculty at your university; make sure they know the research YOU'RE doing and are interested in, and make sure you know the research they're doing. They'll write you better letters that way.

-Research the faculty at the schools you are applying to— DO NOT GO SOMEWHERE BECAUSE IT IS A BIG NAME UNIVERSITY. GO THERE BECAUSE IT HAS PEOPLE DOING WHAT YOU LIKE. (preferably at least 3, though given my experiences I'd suggest at least 5; sometimes funding falls through, or you don't get along with groups, etc.)

-Incidentally, if you're not sure where to start looking for people doing things you like, ask your undergrad PI or other faculty doing things you like at your undergraduate institution.

-If it isn't discouraged, around the time you apply, start talking to the people that you're interested in at the universities you apply to about their research— they can't generally automatically give you a thumbs up (that's up to the admissions committee) but they'll be a strong thumb on the scale if they like you.

-As an extension of this, make sure that you have a vague idea of the sort of topic you'd be interested enough in to spend five to seven years working on it to the exclusion of everything else. You may think you "like everything"; I think it's actually better to focus on what you dislike and think about if certain topics will be having you do a lot of what you dislike for six years. (If you don't like column chromatography, for example, don't prioritize organic synthesis labs.)

-The research statement: Some of these are really fucking short (<500 words). Some are longer. This should be about what you're interested in careerwise, not about your personal background. It should explain why you're interested in that specific university as well (mention facilities, faculty members, recent publications).

-The personal statement: Should roughly be a "and here's why I'm a scientist" sort of thing. Can have personal history elements, sad backstory, etc. but don't lean too hard on the traumadumping.

-The CV: Since you've probably not gotten a lot of papers out as an undergrad, this is basically going to be a lot like a normal resume, but with a "Publications" section (include any time you presented at an undergraduate or other research conference here! conference papers are papers too) and an "Awards" section (just academic ones. unless you won the nobel peace prize or something).

-The transcript: Obligatory "you must in fact in almost all cases have better than a 3.0 GPA to get considered for PhDs, better than a 3.2 to go to a good (top 50) school, and better than 3.5 for an ivy" mention goes here.

I recommend getting started on seriously writing shit in at minimum early October, and getting your letters of recommendation locked in by around then as well.

Take your time, understand that you're basically writing a job application, and commiserate with the other people making the same decision as you (but don't judge yourself for how you're doing compared to them). If you're overwhelmed, reach out to people you trust.

Also don't apply for a Ph.D. unless you really really really like what you do (and are mentally stable enough that you cry <1x a week on average.)

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ch.183 thoughts

[Rip Has Two Hands]

(Contents: polyamorous gushing, thematic analysis, Latla analysis)

WHOO!!! THANK YOU, TOZUKA!!!

Being in a polyamorous relationship, it means so much to me and my family to see a scene like this. My wife runs a blog dedicated to polyamory in manga (@polyamanga), and so often potential triads or quads or whatever else will dissolve right at the end because of any number of excuses, like one character realizing that they see the love interest as like their mom, or something, or a harem protagonist insisting that polyamory is morally wrong even though he's too spineless to actually make a choice. It's endlessly frustrating, and even a lot of series that are centered around polyamory still miss the mark in certain ways. Kanojo mo Kanojo, for example, has every single character decrying the act of two-timing consistently despite the fact that that's the lifestyle that they agreed to live! Even the main dude calls himself a scumbag constantly, like he's a monster for actually being honest with his girlfriend and continuing to do something she, again, agreed to!

I don't know what Tozuka plans to do with this relationship, whether it's going to get a lot of focus or if it's going to mostly be a background detail or what, but just getting to see a character actively decide to enter a polyamorous relationship and be met with love and acceptance for that decision is extremely refreshing and exciting. I do hope we get to see them actually acting like a triad and that it doesn't devolve into jealous bickering, but from what we've seen of this group, the bickering that does happen is likely going to be mostly playful. More than anything, though, I hope that we get some more detailed characterization for Leila, as one of the major complaints I've seen is that she's just been generically smiley and supportive, not unlike Ichico in Nico's flashback

But what's wrong with that? Two different characters acted in a similar way in a similar situation, asking for their partner to be happy in the event of their impending death? That's not lazy writing, that's theming! Undead Unluck is about finding happiness through sorrow! Would Fuuko's parents have wanted her to kill herself after she found out that she was responsible for their death? No, they would have wanted her to be happy! Did Isshin's dad want her to lose faith in herself after her armor failed to protect him from a UMA? No, he wanted her to know that she had saved the rest of the village!

While plenty of characters enforce despair on themselves, no one in Undead Unluck deliberately enforces despair on anyone else except for God and the UMA, who represent that very despair. "I have to atone for what I did/this is my cross to bear/I deserve this." Those are all self-imposed rules! And if there's one thing Undead Unluck has taught us, it's that rules are meant to be broken!!! If a rule doesn't benefit or protect those it restricts, then it's just a tool that someone else is using to control them!

And that's exactly what we're told here, too. Society tells us that we have to pick one partner, even if it means someone's happiness has to be lost, but why? What purpose does it serve to compromise on what would make us happy? Sure, if one partner would be unhappy with that outcome, then it may not be worth pursuing, but Latla's objection isn't that she'd be unhappy, it's that other people will judge them for their choice

"Why do you always worry about me?! Why won't you just leave me be?" Latla has already decided that she doesn't get her happy ending because she wants Leila to get hers. She thinks that their happiness is mutually exclusive, so she resigned herself to finding happiness in Leila's happiness. But that's a fallacy. They aren't mutually exclusive, they can have their cake and eat it too, and they'll be happier for it because neither of them needs to think that they've deprived the other of their happiness. Do you think Rip and Leila would be satisfied knowing that Latla was hurting? That she was crying behind a tree while they kissed? That she was slowly backing away and would eventually be gone from their lives if they didn't literally drag her back?

Latla chastised Rip in both this and the previous loop for going out on his own and leaving her behind, but in her own way, Latla was doing the exact same thing. Rip was literally distant, but Latla was emotionally distant, refusing to allow herself to indulge in the happiness that would otherwise be lost to her sister. If she and Rip hadn't held each other at arm's length in the previous loop, how differently would their lives have gone? How happy could they have been? Better question, was happiness even possible for them at the time without Leila? Were they being disrespectful of Leila's wishes, or was the hole too great for them to fill on their own?

Nico couldn't fill the Ichico-shaped hole in his heart with Mico, even though that's what Ichico wanted, for fear that doing so would erase what little was left of her in his heart. Perhaps it was hopeless from the beginning that Rip and Latla would be able to move on without Leila, much like Rip and Leila wouldn't be able to smile knowing that Latla was crying

Undead Unluck is about joy and freedom, and its cast finds joy in living freely. Fuuko fell into despair because she couldn't touch anyone, but found joy when she met someone she could touch freely. Juiz was trapped in a never-ending cycle of loss, but found joy when she met someone who she trusted could break the cycle. Rip and Latla fell apart when they lost Leila, but now can laugh and smile without reservation or guilt because they can be with her forevermore without anyone telling them they can't. And who are we to tell them they can't be happy after everything they've been through?

[thevirginwitch]

Super Full Moon in Aquarius - August 1st, 2023

This post was released early over on my Patreon, where you can now sign up for a 7-day free trial! I offer free digital downloads/goodies, early access to my Tumblr posts, exclusive access to drafts and research notes, and free tarot readings - if you like my work and want to show your support, please consider checking it out!

As always, here is all the info you’ll need for the upcoming Super Full Moon on 08/01! We’ll be hosting an event where I’ll go over all this info and a guided meditation over in The Edge of The Forest Discord server (18+ only), - so be sure to join in if you’re interested!

I’m personally very excited for August, as there are a lot of astrological happenings going on - including a Blue Moon at the end of the month! I plan on doing a lot of research regarding Blue Moons in the next week or two, so be on the lookout for that!

SUPER FULL MOON IN AQUARIUS – AUGUST 1ST

Aquarius is one of the most powerful signs for the full moon, as the two go hand-in-hand with sensitivity, intuition, perception and emotions. There is a great sense of balance during this time; it will be rare to see any extremes going on.

You may also feel more passionate during this time, and may seek to learn new things or satiate your need to feed your intellect. This would be a great time to learn something new! Equally, this is also a good time to embrace new perspectives and focus more on “progressive” ideas.

With the Full Moon tugging at our emotions, the influence of Aquarius provides us the support we need to process these emotions, rather than getting swept up in them.

ACTIVITIES

Introspective journaling

Release negative emotions OR celebrate positive emotions and achievements through creative outlets

Ask friends/family about new things they’ve learned recently

Learn/try something new – conduct research on a topic you’re interested in, learn about a new magical technique and implement it into your practice, read a book you’ve been meaning to… the possibilities are endless!

Add something new to your routine

TAROT CARD PROMPTS

Pull several cards representing the “little things” going on in your life. Read into them in great detail. When you feel you have enough info, pull another card to represent the “big picture”. What is the relationship between these cards?

Pull one card to represent the ‘water’ (the moon) during this time period - which represents your emotions, intuition, perception, and sensitivity. Now, pull a card to represent the ‘air’ (Aquarius) - which represents communication, inspiration, and new ideas. How does this energy support you during this time? How does it hinder you?

Pull a card for something that’s hidden in your life right now — this could be an emotion you’re ignoring, a specific person you’ve been ignoring, or something that’s just been hiding underneath your nose this whole time.

Pull 3 cards — one for the way that you perceive yourself, one for the way that you expect others to perceive you, and one for the real way that others perceive you. How does your communication skills relate to these cards?

JOURNALING PROMPTS

What emotions have been coming up more and more for you lately? How can you address them?

What are some “small” things that are bothering you or worrying you right now?

What are some ideas or opinions you’ve heard recently that you’re not particularly fond of? Why is that?

What projects or ideas do you have for this month? Is there anyone in your life that you could call on for help to get these goals accomplished?

What’s something that I used to be very excited about in my life (for example: a certain job, education, personal projects, etc) but has since dwindled? How can I bring that passion back?