#people are free to disagree with this but it's just how i feel about the topic

[deathlygristly]

Hmmm.

Like I've often said, I read every book the local library had on the Holocaust when I was nine. That is not at all why I still startle at loud noises or jump when someone suddenly comes into view or why I had a self-injury phase in my early to mid 20s or why I'm just now really getting to a point of not hating myself and fawning all over the place whenever someone, even a total stranger, disagrees with me or seems slightly upset at me. It is also very much not why I take escitalopram.

So...yeah.

On one hand I guess it's good to listen to and believe people when they say a very basic book from school traumatized them. On the other hand, it's really hard for me to see a book that you are always free to stop reading or a show that you are always free to stop watching as having the same effect as your mother slapping you and choking you and screaming at you or your half-brother pulling out a gun in the midst of his psychotic episode or your mother's boyfriends after your father died when you were 7 occasionally being handsy.

I guess the closest I can get to understanding it is that when I was in elementary school and still in single digits, like around six to eight or so, I had a collection of cards with pictures of animals, and one of the cards had a snake eating another snake I think? Also somewhere I heard a story about someone getting bit when a snake came up out of their toilet.

I asked my mother if that could ever happen to us. She said no because we lived in the country, not the city. Then she forgot about that but she still remembered later on about how when I was a kid and I needed to go to the bathroom while we were out I would ask if we were in the city or the country.

I have the word snake filtered on here now and in ESO when there's occasionally those giant snake mobs I don't look at them while I kill them and I don't like seeing them and I usually feel a very momentary frisson when I see a picture of a snake.

That's not trauma. That's not PTSD. That's not being triggered. It's a little quirk from when I was a kid. I have never been so dysregulated by seeing a snake that I turned to self-injury to calm my nervous system down. I am not so troubled by that momentary reaction to seeing a snake that I asked my doctor for a prescription about it. I have not spent two decades of my life after moving out into my own home working on building self-esteem and boundaries and coping with other people's emotions because I once heard a story about a snake coming up out of a toilet and biting someone.

And for the Holocaust reading, I'd say that's only had good effects. Obviously it greatly affected me but I like and appreciate the me that resulted from it.

I don't know. I know there's always Nuance and everything, but the spousal person is really into kdramas so I listen to a fair few kdrama podcasts and I read kdrama content online, and I'll admit that when someone says they were traumatized by a kdrama I kind of want to comment and tell them that hey, I get it, escitalopram has really helped me, and here's some ways that I've learned to cope and heal and grow over the last 20+ years. Don't know if the startle reaction to sudden sensory input after watching that kdrama will ever go away, but meds can help with a lot of the anxiety and here's how I've been working on building boundaries and self-esteem and regulating my nervous system without using sudden sharp pain to do it if any of that helps.

I'm wondering if, as a society who cares about vulnerable people, we could stop saying "traumatize" when we truly mean "upset"?

I am sick of hearing sad books or movies "traumatize" their readers. I simply do not believe that happens. A traumatic experience might be adjacent to books (I have vivid memories of books I was reading around certain experiences and even how the contents of those books affected my processing of the experiences). But it's not caused by the book. And, y'know. The weather is Christofascist Censorship Attempts outside.

Meanwhile from the other side I continue to be surprised at just how badly people fail to understand trauma and traumatic experiences in general. Watering down the term isn't helping. Find other hyperbole to express that The Bridge to Terebithia gutted you, chewed on your heartstrings, and made you cry your first pair of contact lenses right out of your preteen eyes.

[idontmindifuforgetme]

Advice on being seventeen

Hi my biggest advice is please learn how to cope without your phone. I’m only 22, but I can’t tell you how vast the generational gap feels when I’m rooming a patient in their late teens and they’re just rudely on their phone the whole time because face to face etiquette is completely lost on them. Covid def did something to people who were in middle school or high school during the pandemic. Literally just try to exist without it more

Don’t obsess over anyone!!! Find a hobby!!!!!! Popular advice for a reason!!!!!!!!!!!!

Start volunteering early - it will help you build confidence and also genuinely help you find yourself

Read more is a very cliche one, but the massive illiteracy of every person I’ve met below 20 scares me

Don’t underestimate the power of a firm shower, a good meal, and 8 hours of sleep. Look into healthy habits, but don’t go off the deep end w self help consumption (as I once did!!!!!).

Advocate for yourself!! Especially if you have an overprotective family. Wish I’d done this sooner and just followed my gut on certain things, even if my loved ones disagreed. The more you do this with discernment, the less impressionable you will be. And it’s better to have regrets as a result of your own calls rather than somebody else’s

Do dumb shit tbh. Go on that Tinder date if you want . I haven’t done that, but I wish I did at that age. 17 is the time to take (calculated) risks. Do fun silly things and don’t take yourself too seriously. No one expects anything of you at 17, and 99% of what people think won’t mater in no time at all. Go crazy but be safe about it

Give yourself permission to be out of the loop and focus on yours when you need it

You don’t have to delete social media to be able to use your phone in a healthy way, but you wouldn’t lose much by deleting it. Unless you are literally gaining money by being on social media, you do not need to be on it

The spotlight effect is very real. You have to learn that no one really, truly cares that much. And then you have to feel very free bc of that fact

Start having intergenerational friendships now. Little children. Older people. It’s so beneficial

[wouldtheybecomeafearavatar]

Can I ask—what’s the difference between “by coercion” and “unawareness/conditioning”?

Yeah, sometimes I wonder if the wording is a bit confusing. As it's put in the intro post:

Yes, by coercion: they would go through with it, but only if threatened with a loved one's life or something along those lines.

Yes, by unawareness or conditioning: they wouldn't realize until it's too late or would be raised to be an avatar, unaware their way of existence is not normal.

To explain a bit further (spoilers for several character arcs in TMA):

Coercion means the character would be forced or manipulated into it by someone or something. It requires a degree of awareness of what is happening (otherwise they'd go under unawareness).

Robert Montauk being forced to work for The People's Church of the Divine Host to get his wife back could be an example, though I'm not sure he ever achieved full Dark avatar status.

Basira would have ended up in this category if she'd continued to work for the institute long enough to become an Eye avatar, as Elias forced her to sign the contract under threat of Daisy's life.

I'd probably put Martin in the coercion category too, since he was going along with Peter Lukas and The Lonely to potentially save Jon.

Conditioning means that the character was groomed into it by someone from a young age, or born to be an avatar. It should be noted that this only applies to people or beings who under other circumstances could have made a different choice. A being that came into existence as an expression of a Fear would be manifestation instead.

Agnes Montague is kind of the defining example of this category, though members of the Lukas family being raised into it also count.

I think Gerry Keay could be another example of this. Eye avatarhood specifically wasn't a foregone conclusion for him, but he never really had a chance at a normal life. Willingly may be more accurate; he didn't choose to get involved with the Fears, but he did choose The Eye.

Unawareness is pretty self-explanatory, though I would point out this doesn't mean that the character never realises they are transforming. That (strictly speaking) wouldn't actually work, since becoming an avatar does require an active choice at some point. In this case it's more that the character doesn't realise until they're at the point of no return and the choice they are making is between death or becoming an avatar. If they refuse once they realise it'd be "go along but stop before transformation".

Jon is an example. Coercion could also be argued, given that Elias was definitely pushing him to go further and further using the (false) threat of the Unknowing, but I think Jon was too unaware of how he was being manipulated to go in coercion.

I think Michael Shelley would also go into this category. He was manipulated into it by Gertrude, but he had no idea what was going to happen. His case is a bit of a strange one in general though, I'm not sure he even had any affinity for The Distortion to start with.

At the end of the day, these are just my opinions and you can vote however you want, but I hope this helps answer your question! (Sorry for the essay)

[thargelalia]

Jason Todd headcanon alert 🚨

*taps mic, and clears throat*

Okay okay so, I’ve seen some people on here saying Jason probably uses 3 in 1 shampoo conditioner body wash, and I actually agree.

BUT as a latina I got somethings to say!

I won’t even address the comments I saw saying that he doesn’t shower regularly because that’s just insane btw. At least when it comes to the way I imagine him.

Obviously I try to make my reader as neutral as possible in terms of ethnicity and stuff but bitch I’m sure as hell incorporating our overall cultural aspect of always being clean and smelling like heaven alright lmao 💅✨

Smelling great has gotta be like one of the biggest aphrodisiacs in the world idc what anybody says. Being clean and smelling good is POWER babes!!!

That being said:

If Jason starts dating a girl like that, the minute she spots that product on his bathroom shelf, it’s 👏 going 👏 away 👏

He may protest at first, saying it’s practical, and that he’s been doing that for years etc, but the death glare he receives will shut him up completely.

Besides proper shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, I see him incorporating good smelling body lotion, and post-shave balm for example.

With time, he also sees your commitment with skincare (again, nothing too crazy), and gets convinced to adopt a 3 steps routine too (face wash, moisturizer, sunscreen). Ofc he’ll forget about it in the beginning and whenever he’s exhausted from patrol or his missions. But you’re always there to gently remind him or do it for him.

He also applies a thicker facial cream to his face on Winter, and relishes on the fact that his face stops cracking.

You might convince him to try on a face mask with you on a lazy Saturday night. It’s domestic and another way to bond as well.

Aside from abolishing the 3 in 1 horrid thing, you wouldn’t really push him into doing anything else. It’d be mere suggestions accompanied by an extra sweet smile.

Ultimately, Jason doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to. Even if you insist. If it doesn’t make sense to him, he won’t do it.

However, he’s actually as open to listen to your ideas and opinions as you are to his.

And that’s how he gets convinced, and starts incorporating these things into his life.

His skin and hair actually look better, hence he feels better about himself too. It’s an act of self care. One he’s never actually had the luxury to have or think about.

Besides, he loves how wonderful you smell with sweetened and fresh scents, making him wanna bite you all over just to get a taste of the supple skin.

So why wouldn’t he want to mirror that as well? He sees that it’s worth it when you just can’t stop smelling him, praising him, and returning his bites with just as much eagerness. This man purrs alright!!!

And listen, he’s a manly man, but fortunately not one to have a fragile masculinity in any way. So this isn’t an issue for him.

You’re there to help him when he needs it, making sure he feels comfortable, and respecting his boundaries at all times <3

Overall, I just think as your relationship progressed you’ve incorporated and exchanged a lot of things between each other, and I’m excited to share some other examples in the near future.

thanks for reading this, and let me know your thoughts!

if you disagree feel free to do so in your head (just kiddin’!! maybe!) <3

[odiabonecessario]

Ngl, I forgot it was possible to tag someone even though I did the same with a content creator I like a long time ago so I just kept staring at my phone screen for a while before touching it—

I'm aware of it, in fact I really try to find the truth from both sides. It doesn't have anything exactly related but I always had some kind of faith that most people who we see as unredeemable can get their redemption. I don't know the name of the guy but I really like the example of that dude who entered in the damn KKK and converted a lot of them I wish I could say with certainty that it was 200 but I'm not sure. I'm not going to advocate for the guy who wrote that but I can't deny it also feels like some sort of persecution sometimes

For example, Simone de Beauvoir was defending to lower the age of consent and apparently has correlation with nazis I guess? I can't say for sure about the last one, honestly. The creator of the trans flag was a autogynephilic who felt pleasure from wearing underwears of his own mom and wrote a whole book that'd be considered as lolicon content. Wtf do these two have in common? You don't see any of these two guidelines being interrogated by the at very least questionable actions of their "creators" [emphasizing the quote marks because they're not exactly the creator of these groups but rather had a important impact]

One of the things I'm already complaining about is that I don't know how to do something at all about Men's Rights on a political aspect. I'm not even talking about becoming a politician, I'm just talking about at least helping in any way

I don't think I'll ever find a group like MRM but that doesn't mean I'm against women fighting for a more equal society. Heck, I don't expect anyone to agree with me nor anything at all of what I say. If I make a comparison with my posts from just one year ago I'm pretty sure even myself would look at misogynistic shit and say "whoa". I'm just trying to find a way to help people like everyone else and I'm open to change my views, in fact I agree with feminism more than it seems — it's just that I've been suffocated by only one side for so long and coming from my mom and ex-stepmom that I think I already said in the past everything I agreed so now that I'm free I can just talk about the ways I disagree with them, kinda like my experience with leftism

Even when I'm disagreeing with something, I kinda have to pull myself back and understand everyone's trying to figure things out

Some men expecting women/feminists to be the ones to advocate for "men's mental health" is so crazy to me because THEY'RE the reason mens' mental health is so awful😭 men are literally each others worst enemies yet for some reason we have to be the ones to advocate for them

[baphometsss]

I've had these feelings about how the ancient elves really saw spirits for a while and I'm pretty sure, after finishing datv, that it wasn't too different to how most modern Thedosians see spirits i.e. not as people, but half-people or sub-people at best.

We know that the ancient elves were originally spirits, but even Mythal, 'the best of them', sees herself as being better than spirits. She herself says that she is the best of both worlds after building her body out of lyrium.

The thing that really sells it to me though is Solas's choice of the word 'creature' when he lambasts the Inquisitor for drinking from the Well of Sorrows. He says that they have given up a part of themselves. They are no longer fully the person they believe they are because a. they've given up some of their free will and b. they've given it to Mythal, who did this to him and others, so she could use them for her own ends--at the expense of their free will. They are her 'creature' because that is how Mythal will see them now. She will use them without even their knowledge. They are not a person, but a tool, a pet, an attack dog, a body to posess. He knows this because she did it to him and who knows how many others.

We know that Solas, regardless of the things he did later, fundamentally disagreed with this element of Elvhen society or at least the way the Evanuris saw spirits. Yes, they referred to spirits as their 'brethren of the sky' and had much more cordial relationships with them than modern Thedosians do, at least in the beginning. Yet it still seems like they lost this at some point (probably because they began to follow the Evanuris' example) and took slaves--of flesh, but also probably of spirit too. Felassan's line about them needing to be 'better than that' when Solas sacrifices the spirits is especially revealing of how the Elvhen had begun to see spirits at this point, as not much better than modern Thedosians do. Solas's willingness to sacrifice them represented the beginning his own descent to their level--towards his own corruption, the very thing he feared. In some ways, what the Elvhen did with spirits is worse because they actually know the truth of what spirits are.

The moment the Evanuris declared themselves gods, they were intentionally creating an unbalanced social hierarchy that flew in the face of all Solas believed in (which at this point can best be described as the elven equivalent of basic human rights for all intelligent and even semi-intelligent creatures). As Wisdom, he would've understood that as soon as you create that kind of imbalance, it is a slippery slope for all kinds of abuse. When he calls the Inquisitor Mythal's 'creature', he is referring to them in the way he knew Mythal and many of the Elvhen would've viewed them--no longer a person, but a tool that has been enslaved and bound to her will. Slavery, in the real world context (or at least the context of the legal framework that supports it), hinges on dehumanisation. There are a lot of books on monster theory etc that go into how this plays into various forms of oppression too. So in order for the Elvhen to take slaves of any kind, they would've had to fundamentally stop viewing them as people, as equals.

Cole's 'it's not abuse if I ask' and Solas's 'not always true' really becomes very poignant in this context. Just because the Inquisitor chose to drink from the Well, it doesn't make whatever Mythal does to them next non-abusive. The other problem is that, if you make a choice like that, you have to consider the context that it's made in. I'm reminded of Dorian's justification of slavery in DAI--that a poor person selling themselves into slavery is the preferable alternative to living in the streets. What he fails to realise at this point is that you can't justify a choice made in an impossible situation because if the choice is between your survival and living in bondage, it's not really a choice at all. It's become a necessity that shouldn't exist in a society that claims to be civilised.

There's this dialogue from King's Rising (Book Three of the Captive Prince trilogy by C.S. Pacat, that deals with sexual abuse/slavery in a historical fantasy context) that kind of explains this better than I do:

'‘When I argued the case for slavery in Arles you didn’t try to change my mind.’ ‘It is not a subject for an exchange of ideas. There is nothing to say.’ ‘There will be slaves in Akielos. We are a slave culture.’ ‘I know that.’ Damen said, 'Are pets and their contracts so different? Did Nicaise have a choice? 'He had the choice of the poor with no other way to survive, the choice of a child powerless to his elders, the choice of a man when his King gives him an order, which is no choice at all, yet still more than is afforded to a slave.'

For added context, 'pets' in Vere are slightly different to 'slaves' in that they serve pretty much exclusively as bed-slaves to specific nobles. It's described as being slightly better than general slavery because there are contracts involved, but in practice it's not much different because of the inherent power imbalance. Nicaise is also a child of about 14 or 15.

In other words, you always have to consider the context that this decision is made in. If the circumstances that led to someone making that choice are that desperate, it means that something else--the actions of others--are fostering it, and that is the root of the issue. The Evanuris forced countless spirits and elves into making these kind of impossible choices, because by Solas's own admission, Elvhenan was a deeply corrupt place, no better than Tevinter. This is why he rebelled, and in lambasting the Inquisitor for drinking from the Well, he is expressing his own frustration in seeing the same thing happen yet again. The Inquisitor drank because they faced an enemy who had just demonstrated an alarming level of power and willingness to commit evil and they were running out of options to defeat him. The entire world, not just them, was threatened. Thus, they lose their personhood, because in order to survive they must accept that survival in its most basic form--at the expense of a life truly lived as it should be, as their nature compels them to live it. Thus, in losing their personhood, the prerequisite for slavery has been met. This is when Mythal helps them--not before.

There's also some interesting discourse about how Solas's refusal to let go of his identity as a spirit and become more of a person possibly played a part in Mythal's (and the Evanuris') view of him. He's referred to as a lap dog, a dread wolf. An animal. Not a person. The way Mythal placates him is not simply that of a mother and child but of a master and their dog. So at some point, he decided that wasn't going to simply serve her as Wisdom anymore, because it was keeping him enslaved. He let go of the spirithood he loved and wanted to gain personhood, a choice he should never have had to make if it weren't for the actions of others. He chose to become a version of himself he hated because it was the only way he could stop the same thing happening to others.

Worse still, he wakes up after uthenera to see a world that has, in his mind, degraded even further from what it was--at his own hand. People are even further away from understanding what he wanted them to understand. Slavery still exists. Mages are confined to Circles while Templars hunt them down. Spirits are still mistreated. Personhood is still a matter of debate. His sacrifices and Mythal's death have had no positive long term effect. It was all for nothing. The world continues to be terrible, because nothing within it can stay fixed.

[hauntingofhouses]

Very interesting to me that a certain subset of the BES fandom's favourite iterations of Mizu and Akemi are seemingly rooted in the facades they have projected towards the world, and are not accurate representations of their true selves.

And I see this is especially the case with Mizu, where fanon likes to paint her as this dominant, hyper-masculine, smirking Cool GuyTM who's going to give you her strap. And this idea of Mizu is often based on the image of her wearing her glasses, and optionally, with her cloak and big, wide-brimmed kasa.

And what's interesting about this, to me, is that fanon is seemingly falling for her deliberate disguise. Because the glasses (with the optional combination of cloak and hat) represent Mizu's suppression of her true self. She is playing a role.

Take this scene of Mizu in the brothel in Episode 4 for example. Here, not only is Mizu wearing her glasses to symbolise the mask she is wearing, but she is purposely acting like some suave and cocky gentleman, intimidating, calm, in control. Her voice is even deeper than usual, like what we hear in her first scene while facing off with Hachiman the Flesh-Trader in Episode 1.

This act that Mizu puts on is an embodiment of masculine showboating, which is highly effective against weak and insecure men like Hachi, but also against women like those who tried to seduce her at the Shindo House.

And that brings me to how Mizu's mask is actually a direct parallel to Akemi's mask in this very same scene.

Here, Akemi is also putting up an act, playing up her naivety and demure girlishness, using her high-pitched lilted voice, complimenting Mizu and trying to make small talk, all so she can seduce and lure Mizu in to drink the drugged cup of sake.

So what I find so interesting and funny about this scene, characters within it, and the subsequent fandom interpretations of both, is that everyone seems to literally be falling for the mask that Mizu and Akemi are putting up to conceal their identities, guard themselves from the world, and get what they want.

It's also a little frustrating because the fanon seems to twist what actually makes Mizu and Akemi's dynamic so interesting by flattening it completely. Because both here and throughout the story, Mizu and Akemi's entire relationship and treatment of each other is solely built off of masks, assumptions, and misconceptions.

Akemi believes Mizu is a selfish, cocky male samurai who destroyed her ex-fiance's career and life, and who abandoned her to let her get dragged away by her father's guards and forcibly married off to a man she didn't know. on the other hand, Mizu believes Akemi is bratty, naive princess who constantly needs saving and who can't make her own decisions.

These misconceptions are even evident in the framing of their first impressions of each other, both of which unfold in these slow-motion POV shots.

Mizu's first impression of Akemi is that of a beautiful, untouchable princess in a cage. Swirling string music in the background.

Akemi's first impression of Mizu is of a mysterious, stoic "demon" samurai who stole her fiance's scarf. Tense music and the sound of ocean waves in the background.

And then, going back to that scene of them together in Episode 4, both Mizu and Akemi continue to fool each other and hold these assumptions of each other, and they both feed into it, as both are purposely acting within the suppressive roles society binds them to in order to achieve their goals within the means they are allowed (Akemi playing the part of a subservient woman; Mizu playing the part of a dominant man).

But then, for once in both their lives, neither of their usual tactics work.

Akemi is trying to use flattery and seduction on Mizu, but Mizu sees right through it, knowing that Akemi is just trying to manipulate and harm her. Rather than give in to Akemi's tactics, Mizu plays with Akemi's emotions by alluding to Taigen's death, before pinning her down, and then when she starts crying, Mizu just rolls her eyes and tells her to shut up.

On the opposite end, when Mizu tries to use brute force and intimidation, Akemi also sees right through it, not falling for it, and instead says this:

"Under your mask, you're not the killer you pretend to be."

Nonetheless, despite the fact that they see a little bit through each other's masks, they both still hold their presumptions of each other until the very end of the season, with Akemi seeing Mizu as an obnoxious samurai swooping in to save the day, and Mizu seeing Akemi as a damsel in distress.

And what I find a bit irksome is that the fandom also resorts to flattening them to these tropes as well.

Because Mizu is not some cool, smooth-talking samurai with a big dick sword as Akemi (and the fandom) might believe. All of that is the facade she puts up and nothing more. In reality, Mizu is an angry, confused and lonely child, and a masterful artist, who is struggling against her own self-hatred. Master Eiji, her father figure who knows her best, knows this.

And Akemi, on the other hand, is not some girly, sweet, vain and spoiled princess as Mizu might believe. Instead she has never cared for frivolous things like fashion, love or looks, instead favouring poetry and strategy games instead, and has always only cared about her own independence. Seki, her father figure who knows her best, knows this.

But neither is she some authoritative dominatrix, though this is part of her new persona that she is trying to project to get what she wants. Because while Akemi is willful, outspoken, intelligent and authoritative, she can still be naive! She is still often unsure and needs to have her hand held through things, as she is still learning and growing into her full potential. Her new parental/guardian figure, Madame Kaji, knows this as well.

So with all that being said, now that we know that Mizu and Akemi are essentially wearing masks and putting up fronts throughout the show, what would a representation of Mizu's and Akemi's true selves actually look like? Easy. It's in their hair.

This shot on the left is the only time we see Mizu with her hair completely down. In this scene, she's being berated by Mama, and her guard is completely down, she has no weapon, and is no longer wearing any mask, as this is after she showed Mikio "all of herself" and tried to take off the mask of a subservient housewife. Thus, here, she is sad, vulnerable, and feeling small (emphasised further by the framing of the scene). This is a perfect encapsulation of what Mizu is on the inside, underneath all the layers of revenge-obsession and the walls she's put around herself.

In contrast, the only time we Akemi with her hair fully down, she is completely alone in the bath, and this scene takes place after being scorned by her father and left weeping at his feet. But despite all that, Akemi is headstrong, determined, taking the reigns of her life as she makes the choice to run away, but even that choice is reflective of her youthful naivety. She even gets scolded by Seki shortly after this in the next scene, because though she wants to be independent, she still hasn't completely learned to be. Not yet. Regardless, her decisiveness and moment of self-empowerment is emphasised by the framing of the scene, where her face takes up the majority of the shot, and she stares seriously into the middle distance.

To conclude, I wish popular fanon would stop mischaracterising these two, and flattening them into tropes and stereotypes (ie. masculine badass swordsman Mizu and feminine alluring queen but also girly swooning damsel Akemi), all of which just seems... reductive. It also irks me when Akemi is merely upheld as a love interest and romantic device for Mizu and nothing more, when she is literally Mizu's narrative foil (takes far more narrative precedence over romantic interest) and the deuteragonist of this show. She is her own person. That is literally the theme of her entire character and arc.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

I'm sorry I let down my guard.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[lilac-set]

Reminder: even if trump wins, we’ll be ok. The presidency isnt the only political position that matters, he wont be a dictator, the president doesnt have the power to remove every other part of government that keeps the president’s power in check. Also politics isnt the only thing that matters. Even if we lose some rights (which he cant singlehandedly do) we still have community, we still have activism, we’ll always be ok. We survived one trump presidency, we can survive another. We survived before gay marriage or transitioning were legal, if we have to survive that again we will. Please, no matter what happens, promise to stay alive. Youre valuable, youre important, and youre going to be ok. Its better to be overprepared than underprepared. Im not asking you to lose hope (im doing the opposite of that), im asking you to practice coping ahead, get all your coping skills ready, determine now to stay alive, because i dont want any of you to make any rash decisions later in case we get bad news and emotions are high. Make a safety plan if you need to. Make sure you’re gonna be ok

[twinstxrs]

the gorgug-porter conversation is interesting to me because like. yea for the overwhelming majority of the conversation porter’s being shitty & trying to fit gorgug into a box that gorgug just does not fit into by trying to make gorgug’s relationship with his rage more focused on the aggression aspect of it. but then there’s also this specific thing that brennan brought up again in the ap, which is that gorgug’s relationship with his rage is wholly “this is a tool i use to protect my friends.” which isn’t a bad thing! but that’s his Whole relationship with it, & gorgug seems to place next to no value on his rage in relationship to himself. which is problematic, because it’s first & foremost his rage.

being raised in a household with a sort of toxic positivity largely meant that, whether or not it was his parents’ intention, gorgug internalized the message that more traditionally “negative” emotions such as anger are the wrong response to something. part of the reason he prioritizes his artificing is probably because it’s “fixing” things. in comparison to being a barbarian, which gorgug associates with “breaking” things. good vs. bad behavior, in his eyes.

it’s a totally unacceptable bar to measure a 16 y/o by, but i do think part of porter’s reasoning for not letting gorgug multiclass is him recognizing that gorgug generally does not value anger as a valid emotional response to something, at the very least for himself. & that directly conflicts with what being a barbarian is, because whether you like it or not, that rage is what fuels you. but again, barring a kid from pursuing something they deeply care about in part (not entirely, porter has a lot of more bullshit reasons) because of their fundamental values & world outlook is crazy.

so yes, 98% of porter’s reasoning is pretty shitty, immature, rife with a toxic view that there’s only one proper way to access rage, & generally not a good thing to do as a teacher, but also within that reasoning is the 2% of ‘there is a fundamental part of yourself that you only value if you can use it to take care of other people & you need to accept that as something that can take care of you, too.’ but that’s something to discuss with a therapist or a guidance counselor, not something that should hugely impact gorgug’s academic future.

[piko-rose]

Sometimes I think about how Sonic felt bad about how he thought he used to act around Amy when they were younger.

Sometimes I think about how Sonic wanted to talk to Amy about how he was feeling.

How just because he doesn't feel the same, it doesn't mean he hates her. He never hated her.

But then... he found out what she's been through. Why she was so quiet as of late.

That she kept all of her feelings from him. Her childhood. Her trauma. The possibility that she might've done something really bad to herself during the war since it was so stressful to her.

He might've believed that he was the reason she felt this way. He might've hurt her.

He didn't, but he doesn't know that.

He didn't even know what she'd been through... he felt even terrible.

She believed that her love to him don't matter and tried to move on, but the choice didn't make her feel happy.

...It didn't make him feel happy either.

Maybe they would hug and never let go. Maybe they would overlap each other's apologies for giving each other a rough time.

Maybe they would cry. Maybe they would admit that they love each other out loud.

Amy would admit that she still loves him, for the first time in forever.

Sonic would admit that he loves her too, as a friend.

Meanwhile in his heart, he wouldn't mind being something more. He wouldn't mind being in a relationship with her or anyone. (Shadow lol) He knows that it doesn't cost you your freedom, it only allows you to let someone catch up with you. She wanted to be free with him.

That kind of stuff doesn't bother him anymore, but for now, he just needed to be there for Amy. He needed to be her friend.

Sometimes I think about how Sonic and Amy's friendship would rekindle in a deep, emotional way.

Sometimes I think about how this moment could be the start of a slow burn kind of relationship between Sonic and Amy as time goes on and as they get older.

Sometimes, I think about this too much, and I cry like a baby LMAO-

[sapphiresaphics]

1. We did not agree that the classism wasn’t just set dressing. Dunno where you got that.

2. I’ve not deleted anything. If your post isn’t showing up, then tumblr must’ve done something to it because I have no idea what you’re talking about here. I don’t delete posts.

3. That is the most uncharitable interpretation of the ending to season 1 I have ever seen. That’s just… wow. But whatever, let’s say you’re right then. If that IS the way you’re reading the ending of season 1, that the council can’t relate to the people of Zaun anymore and that it’s too late… how is season 2 a betrayal of that theme? Seems to me like Jinx blowing up the council had the exact effects you’re speaking of going into season 2. The council doesn’t view the people of Zaun with empathy. They DO enforce even harder on the class divide. Surly that shows that the themes you’re talking about are still present, no?

4. They DO focus on the cycle of violence in season 2. Ambessa is literally fueling the flames, stoking the undercity to a boiling point. Viktor decides that the way to end the conflict is to enforce his own will on everyone. Forcefully removing your rights and bodily autonomy is a form of violence. Are those NOT explored in season 2 with Ambessa’s dictatorship and Viktor’s glorious evolution?

5. Okay down the list:

5.1 Sevika is on the council. If that’s not an indicator or Zaunites being allowed into Piltover then I don’t know what is.

5.2 We DO see them breaking down the barriers. It happens during Jayce’s speech pleasing for Zaun to help them fight the oncoming war.

5.3 There’s a time-skip there. By the time we cut back to Act 2 the paint has been removed. And Zaun wouldn’t have helped back then because they LIKED that Jinx did that. So not really a fair point.

5.4 I disagree because that’s the inherent tragedy of Piltover and Zaun is the fact they don’t come together fully, and Arcane is a tragedy. All the same though, that’s what Episode 7 was about. Showing what could have been. I don’t see much value in dwelling on that when they already spent an episode focused on it. Nor is this a show with a lot of kid characters for that to happen with. But sure, that’s not an unreasonable expectation, I’ll give you that.

5.5 The shimmer addicts are all dead. They were Viktor’s followers that he evolved into those automatons. And Caitlyn got rid of shimmer when she was general. So that’s out of the question.

5.6 Fair enough, I’ll grant that. Though again I don’t see it as necessary. That’s more wish fulfillment than needed.

5:7 Again, I don’t think that’s reasonable because I don’t think the tensions between them are gone. Especially given the looks Sevika got on the council. Again. That’s the tragedy of the two cities and this class divide. Even a big war isn’t going to stop classism from existing. If it were that easy we wouldn’t have classism in real life!

5.8 Another wish fulfillment, not really necessary.

Seems to me like the main issue is that you wanted the classism to be resolved, and wanted to see happy scenes indicating that this was the case so you can feel good about it. But that’s not what Arcane is, arcane is a tragedy. It’s always been a tragedy. And as such, I had no issues with them not resolving the classism problems.

The cycle of violence was the arcane. Heimerdinger even suggests that the arcane itself might have corrupting properties to it. So when Jayce and Viktor remove the arcane hextech from the world, that breaks the cycle. Neither side Piltover or Zaun can use Hextech to try and get an upper hand on each other anymore which was the driving factor for most of the plot of season 1. That’s why the AU universe was happier, and why the AU future was devastating. Hextech is part of the cycle of violence.

So I dunno, having a big robot battle where the violence is so extreem that Viktor is literally removing peoples free will to stop the violence just like Caitlyn was oppressing Zaun to stop the violence seems pretty fitting to me.

^^^———

Okay two things:

1. That’s NOT the lens of season 1? Season 1 discusses the political issues between the cities, sure, but that’s more SETUP and SET DRESSING than anything else.

But whatever, let’s say you’re right. Let’s say that Season 1 actually IS supposed to be about the oppression and inequality between the two cities.

What’s the end of Season 1 say then? Because the end of season 1 is the council agreeing to make Zaun independent and Jinx blowing them away and getting rid of all opportunities to better the two cities. If the show is all about the oppression, what does Jinx blowing up the council when they’re ready to NOT oppress the city anymore mean???

The reason you’re struggling with viewing Arcane through this lens is because it’s NOT the intended lens and it doesn’t match with what the show is doing.

But that also brings me to my next point:

2. If you’re viewing it through this lens, then you understand that you can view it through DIFFERENT lenses, right? Like that’s the basis of most modern day media criticism and analysis isn’t it? Take a work of art and use different lenses to critique it and see how it fares.

So if you agree that lenses can be swapped… why the heck do you struggle with the idea of viewing Arcane through a different lens? Why does it have to ONLY be viewed through this one narrow lens you’ve decided on? Could you also not view it through a queer lens? Or through the lens of civil rights? Or women’s rights?

Or how about… you view it through the lens of the “cycle of violence” which is what the show was INTENDED to be viewed through? Why is that so hard?

If a particular lens isn’t working to view it through, why are you blaming the writers for that? Why wouldn’t your first thought be “hey, maybe I was wrong and this isn’t the lens the show was meant to be viewed through? Maybe I should try another one and see if that’s better?”

You guys all BAFFLE me.

[devil-doll13]

Some House of Wax/Sinclair Brothers Headcanons I’ve had in my head that I’ve already shared w the server but… The rest of the world deserves to know.

Related to gif, Vincent is the ‘medical expert’ of the house solely because he’s the one who knows the human body/first aid the best. I mean, in the movie we see him stitching up those wounds on what’s-his-face pretty neatly, right? This is also part of the reason why he automatically reaches for Bo during this scene.

Given his birth date was sniffed out by fans before me (1970) and this man looks like he’s a cosplayer sometimes, I truly believe Bo idolised Elvis Presley as a kid, and maybe a bit as an adult as well. He still enjoys listening to rock n’ roll from that era when he’s in a good mood. When he’s in a bad mood, or doing his business™️ in his sex dungeon/basement, that’s when the Marilyn Manson comes on.

All of them have had an alt phase of some sort. For Vincent it was goth, for Bo it was rivethead/industrial rock and for Lester it was grunge.

Les is also down bad fucking horrendous for alt people in general. Yes, he has magazines stuffed down his sofa, yes, they used to be Bo’s.

Bo is allergic to nuts. He also gets really nasty hay fever. I also think possibly him having sensory issues/picky eater could’ve led to meltdowns as we see in the opening. And really, it’s the 1970s/80s do you expect his parents to understand or sympathise?

In contrast, Lester has the constitution of a Greek god somehow and has probably eaten some absolutely vile shit as a kid.

I know most people interpret Vince as sweet and shy but… While I do think he’s more measured and withdrawn compared to Bo, I also think being the ‘favourite’ in terms of being Trudy’s little art prodigy contributed to a sort of spoilt brattiness esp as a kid. (Exhibit A: The ‘Bo Sux’ fridge art in the opening) As an adult, there’s still a sense of entitlement to him. What I’m saying is that he’s an insufferable art nerd lol. He definitely isn’t toothless and his arguments with Bo aren’t necessarily one-sided, he’s just capable of ignoring him when he wants to; he’s used to his twin, after all. While I do think he’s capable of being soft, don’t forget this man killed a woman in cold blood and recorded it. I also think he can get snippy enough during arguments to combat Bo’s generally sharp tongue.

Speaking of which, everyone in the (surviving) family knows ASL. It’s necessary when communicating with Vincent.

Again with how prolific a killer Vincent is, I suspect he may be the one who does the most murder out of all of them. Bo is the handsome ‘face’ of Ambrose, and Vincent is right under the seedy underbelly with a knife, ready to spill guts (and then sew it up again once he’s got them in the workshop). Lester is similar to Bo in that he mostly just guides people toward the town, but I do think he gets his own notions sometimes.

From a more x reader perspective, Bo strikes me as a man who’s most charming when he’s not trying to be. Of course he can put on an act for victims/tourists, but those are just empty words, y’know? Also, has a kinda cheesy side.

I know everyone has Jonesy as Lester’s dog but… I think she’s really Vincent’s. In the movie, she’s always seen with Vin or in the house of wax itself, it’s only when he dies that she goes to Lester. I actually think Les is a cat person (tell me he wouldn’t actually encourage their hunting habits for his own personal collection…) while Vin is a dog person. Also, hot take I think Bo loves snakes and reptiles.

Given that the House of Wax and Ambrose itself is a big ol’ art project, and we’ve seen the state of the church (permanently in the middle of dead ass crusty Trudy’s funeral) I think there may be a sort of difficulty letting go of their past in the brothers, maybe some hoarding as well (I mean we haven’t even seen some of the other houses in Ambrose but this is just speculation). We get the sense that Ambrose is a place where time stands still, forever, until its conservationists finally die. Idk I’m talking out my ass here

[swiftiefirefighters]

friends taking their friend’s side in a break up is normal, btw. friends telling you not to call and text the person who broke up with you is normal. it’s not treating you like a child. let’s be honest, we have no idea what buck told them about the break up with tommy and all his friends (probably) know is that buck was heartbroken over it.

of course they’re going to tell him not to call. of course they’re going to try to stop him from texting in desperation. they know buck.

this is one opinion i just can’t understand because protecting your friends from further heartbreak, or at least trying to, is something that friends do, even though we as an audience have the full story and all the information - bucks friends don’t. they just know tommy just completely obliterated his heart (probably in a way that no one else has, let’s be real).

why wouldn’t they try to stop him from contacting a guy who suddenly broke up with him after months of being in a good, happy relationship after buck asked him to move in.

whatever grace buck has given him they probably think that’s just self deprecating buck taking on the blame for things that aren’t his fault again.

idk it makes sense to me. it doesn’t feel infantilizing or whatever. it feels like a silly, over exaggerated way of showing that his friends are taking his side in a break up that devastated him and that’s generally what happens when you break up with someone, whether that’s wrong or right.

(and i want to see buck and tommy have another chance, i really do. the break up really made me sad and i hated the way it happened. but at the end of the day, this part of the story makes sense to me. idk.)

[kyouka-supremacy]

Atsushi for the ask game.

ATSUSHI HERE WE GO THANK YOU FOR HEARING MY PRAYERS

Favorite thing about them: HIS SELFISHNESS. It's so so delicious to explore. Can you imagine a protagonist that saves others not out of simple good will, but because of egoistic self-preservation motives? It just feels counterintuitive for me lmao, and I found it quite messed up when I first watched the anime, but now it's so compelling to explore. His whole “everything I do is in order to gain the right to live” is crazy fashinating. Because lol, that's entirely nonsensical to me! There's no such thing as “gaining the right to live”; all humans, every person in the world is inherently deserving of life. All. No exception. So there's no level of “weak” or “worthless” that would make you lose that right. The fact that's it's a vision so distant and absurd from mine, idk, it just makes it very compelling to explore? “What if there was a little fucked up guy who believed the right to live had to be earned” just sounds like a very interesting premise.

Least favorite thing about them: When I first watched the anime, I think I found him low-key annoying? I just... Don't do very well with self-deprecating people and people who complain a lot in general, I usually suffer in silence and tend to (wrongly) assume others should do the same (this probably makes me sound pretty mean, I swear I try to be understanding irl). However, it doesn't bother me as much anymore, I simply think it's more of a distinctive trait of the character that makes him multilayered and unique. As of now, I can't think of anything I don't like about him if not the fact that I wish he'd rely on Dazai and others in general a little less. I know that has to do with his lack of self-worth, so maybe it makes sense,, but as of now he feels kind of stuck. I just wish we'd see him grow more on that front.

Favorite line:

There may be better ones, but I really like the delivery of this one.

brOTP: KYOUKA AND ATSUSHI they make me go insane. Already talked about this in the Kyouka post but just to reiterate: in my headcanon Kyouka really is the only person Atsushi feels genuine, selfless affection towards. It's very sweet. They're siblings. Kyouka's happiness is really important for Atsushi. They really do have that feeling of people who got out of an abusive environment learning what normality is supposed to be like together. I also really like how they compensate for what the other lacks, be it decisiveness and coolhead for Atsushi and empathy and positivity for Kyouka. Although plenty shipping them romantically, I really like platonic sskk and atsulucy as well.

OTP: I really like sskk eheh. I think they're neat. There's a thousand and one reasons why I find them pretty great. They're objectively the only reason why I got invested in bsd as well as the only thing that has me keep up with the franchise to this day. Right now, I feel like the one thing I really appreciate about them is how you can be the worst person in the universe and still somehow be loveable to someone. I think it's sweet. I also find it very fun and enterataining to explore their various soulmatism antics. They're both very complex and multilayered characters with something deeply wrong with how their minds work that makes them very fun to analyze both by their own and in the complexity of their relationship. Their collective story arc and canon relationship progression is extremely engaging and nice to follow, too. I love dazatsu and atsulucy as well!! Both were ships I wasn't particularly invested when I read the manga for the first time, but really grew in me in the last six months or so. I really dig akuatsulucy as well!!

nOTP: Nothing?

Random headcanon: He really likes reading. There's some real meta-analysis to be made here I actually had written this is probably not the right place to talk about, but in a work that's all about literature, he's the character who reads.

Unpopular opinion: He's the hardest character to write / characterize. That's why people should probably go easier on other fans when they mischaracterize him. He's just very multifaceted and genuinely hard to get. I keep seeing people being like “Stop babyfying Atsushi he's an independent adult!!” then turn around to say “he can't be shipped with Dazai because there's too much unbalance of power :// [somewhat implying Atsushi can't make free decisions for himself]”, or “Stop making of Atsushi a soft baby who never did wrong in his life!!!” then turn around to say “Atsushi is the happy puppy of the agency who gets treats and pats from everyone ^^ ” like. At least to me, a lot of people's arguments sound self-contradictory all the time; but that doesn't mean people should stop having fun and characterize the characters as they like! Just, let's stop being mean to each other and try to be a little more accepting towards others' takes, shall we? And yes that also includes letting people find Atsushi annoying if they find him annoying (although like, I've NEVER found anyone call Atsushi annoying ever, so really, what remote fandom spaces is everyone visiting? Why are you looking for clothes (good takes) at the soup store (Tik/tok I assume?) ).

Song i associate with them: Common World Domination by Pinocchio-P, HIBANA by DECO*27, Ghost Rule by DECO*27, so on and so forth.

Favorite picture of them:

Favourite panel from the manga:

Favourite illustration: Look, there's too many beautiful illustrations, I can't chose. Here's a very good one though.

Favourite illustration in the anime art style:

But also:

Favourite Mayoi card:

Send me a character?

[eternallethologica]

We’ll start with BEYBLADE!! horray

1. The burst anime, which I watched at the age of ten in my basement for the first time in November.

2. THE SICK GIMMICKS!! In other words, the differences in playstyle and design intricately inserted into each individual bey. Fafnir is sick, Spryzen Requiem still makes me want to jump when I think about it, and variaries will always be my beloved

3. Generally happy, though I find difficulties when people have particularly set-in beliefs about parts of the franchise ise I disagree with. It is hard to get along with them because the things we appreciate are fundamentally opposed to eachother. Best to leave them alone.

4. Depends. Might introduce them to the third generation anime, or a custom-made clip compilation showcasing the value and strengths of the burst series. For me, the moment beyblade clicked was when I launched my first beyblade onto the sidewalk just weeks after my introduction to the show. It just felt right, like a stirring feeling inside me that kept me launching and thinking (about) beyblades. From then on, I hyper-focused almost solely on beyblades, until the tragic day my dad had me sell them all. I like to battle a newbie with fun, dynamic, and showy beyblades from the first two seasons of the anime (a chekov’s gun that will fire given continued interest in the franchise). If they enjoy the battle, then they should get into it. If not, then it’s a shame. So, watch the burst anime, and get in a battle with a beyblade you think looks cool.

5. Alright, lots of exposition time. Here we go. Free De La Hoya debuted in the second episode of the evolution season of the burst generation of beyblade (yes all of that is real and important distinctual lingo). His beyblade is Drain Fafnir, andnajajuahahanjajakaka. It’s a stamina type that spins counterclockwise, a rarity in the beyblade world. In the first battle Free gets in with his bey, against the MAIN CHARACTER by the way, he doesnt launch his bey. Like, in the spinning tops game, he just fucking sets it down in the arena, raw dog, no spin. MC launches his bey, hits the non-spinning bey and… it doesn’t do anything. No, wait, it did do something. The attack set Fafnir into motion. See, fafnir has the ability to use the rubber on it’s sides to dampen incoming attacks and gain spin speed from the rotation of the opposing bey, like cogs in a machine. My guy, nonchalantly, just tanks every single possible attack from the opponents and speeds up. He cannot loose unless the opposing beyblade has an attack that can peirce or ovveride his rubber, or if the opponent spins counterclockwise aswell. But you think the gimmick is all he has? Nah, he’s practically top of the verse. This STAMINA type bey, a type that’s supposed to have zero attack potential and little defensive power, has crazy attacks, and can tank nearly everything. He casually one-shots a top-five character without breaking a sweat, one-hit burst finish. When he actually does launch, he’s crazy strong. Like, absurd levels of power. He has no launch gimmick whatsoever, just insane. See, in his fight against Lui Shirosagi, who uses an ATTACK type, counterclockwise spinning bey (a double disadvantage) who is easily top of the verse at this time, he does the sickest shit i’ve ever seen. The tip of his beyblade has a spring in it, you see, called the nothing tip. The intended purpose of this is to negate the spin damage taken via a hard landing with the stadium floor. The springs retract, and contract with the landing, causing the damage taken to be elegant, practically ‘nothing’. Anyway, as you know how physics works, the faster you spin, the more downward force you generate. this force caused the springs to slowly go in, retracting the rounded part of the tip past the base and into it, leaving nothing but a flat tip, an attribute of an attack type bey. So, out of nowhere, this nonchalant mf’s bey just locks down and breaks out with unreactable speed. Super fast, super cool, iajaiaiailove it yayyy. Anyway, he lost that fight, cause Lui has a sick bey and even sicker plot armor, thats just life. These tricks are somewhat realistic though. Spin steal is a real thing in real life competitive play, though there it is known as “spin equalization” as two interlocked cogs of equal size cannot have varying speeds. The nothing driver actualy allows you to trigger a nothing break in a match, with a crazy good launch or a perfectly-hit slope-rise, which is AWESOME! There is much more about Free but thats the basics.

6. Every since I was 10, a time gap I cannot disclose. No doxxing myself here.

7, yesyesyesyesyes. I also have a near encyclopedic knowledge about anything to do with modern psychology including clinical and neurological studies, and a deep love of fighting. love boxing, love kickboxing, love BJJ, wrestling, muay thai, taekwondo, all of it. It’s the only physical activity that is fun to partifipate in. A fight is a beautiful game of strategy and execution and finding openings in my opponent, knocking them out is the best feeling ever. Every single second deserves reflection, you can improve and master every micro-decision in a fight. Getting hurst and beat up in a fight is fun too. Love psych, beyblade, and fighting, along with a mild interest in fighting games and chess

8. Cringe, womp womp

9. How difficult and expensive it is to acquire beyblades of a specific type and caliber. Are you a collector! Well, good luck. Are you a collector 5 years in the future? You are dead in the water. i’m too poor to collect, so odds are i’ll never get to own those pieces of my childhood again. that is truly a tragedy

10. uhhhhh nobody will talk about them w/me. sometimes pseudo-psychological typology systems with outsiders, because they are easy to explain and apply, even if their statistical and logical backing is patchy and flawed. nope. not many, or nobody

Special interest ask game!

What first got you into your special interest?

What is your favourite part about your special interest?

Does it make you happy or sad when other people have the same special interest as you?

If someone wanted to get into your special interest for the first time, where would you recommend they start?

Share something cool about your special interest with us?

How long have you had this special interest?

Have you had any other special interests before? What were they?

Do other people usually find your special interest cool, or do they think its cringey/offputting?

Are there any parts of your special interest that you dont like?

Who is your favourite person to talk about your special interest with? (If they're on tumblr, tag them!)