#siblings can be your greatest source of support

[alittlegiraffe]

Title: Family Man

Chapter 3: Balancing Acts

The years following Marshall's Oscar win were a whirlwind of tours, studio sessions, and public appearances. Eminem was at the height of his career, a global icon whose music transcended genres and generations. Yet, amidst the chaos of fame, his life with you remained his anchor—a testament to the power of love and the importance of balance.

Marshall was no stranger to the darker sides of fame. The relentless scrutiny, the invasive paparazzi, and the constant pressure to outperform himself could have easily led him down a destructive path. But with your steadying presence, he managed to navigate the minefield of celebrity without losing himself.

Your home life was a stark contrast to the public persona Marshall projected as Eminem. Within the walls of your suburban Detroit house, he was simply Marshall—the husband, the father, the man who loved nothing more than spending quiet evenings with his family. You made sure that home was a sanctuary, a place where you could escape the noise and just be.

"Hailie, can you help your dad with the groceries?" You called from the kitchen one sunny afternoon, the smell of freshly baked cookies wafting through the air.

"Coming, Mom!" Hailie replied, bounding down the stairs with the energy of an eight-year-old.

Marshall smiled, watching his daughter grab a bag and follow him into the kitchen. These were the moments he cherished—the simple, everyday acts of family life that reminded him of what truly mattered.

Despite his fame, you and Marshall worked hard to ensure that their children had as normal an upbringing as possible. You shielded Hailie and her younger siblings, Alaina and Whitney, from the harsh glare of the spotlight, emphasizing the importance of humility and kindness.

You, having pursued your dream of becoming a teacher, now worked part-time at a local elementary school. You found joy in your work, knowing you were making a difference in the lives of your students. Your dedication to your family and career was a source of inspiration for Marshall, who often credited you as his greatest influence.

"I don’t know how you do it," he told you one night as they sat on the porch, the kids asleep inside. "You balance everything so effortlessly."

You laughed softly, leaning into him. "It’s not effortless, trust me. But we’re a team, Marshall. We support each other, and that makes all the difference."

As Marshall continued to dominate the music industry, he found himself drawn to projects that allowed him to explore new creative avenues. In 2005, he took a brief hiatus from music to focus on his family and mental health. It was a decision that raised eyebrows in the media, but for Marshall, it was a necessary step to maintain the balance the two of you had worked so hard to achieve.

During this time, the two of you devoted yourselves to philanthropy, launching the Marshall Mathers Foundation, which focused on helping disadvantaged youth in Detroit. It was a cause close to your hearts, a way to give back to the community that had shaped your lives.

The media often marveled at how Marshall had avoided the pitfalls that had ensnared so many of his peers. His relationship with you was frequently highlighted as a rare success story in an industry notorious for failed marriages and fleeting romances.

In 2009, Marshall made a triumphant return to music with the release of *Relapse*, an album that delved into themes of addiction, recovery, and redemption. Though he had never succumbed to the depths of addiction, he had witnessed its effects on those around him and used his platform to raise awareness.

You stood by him through it all, offering her unwavering support as he poured his soul into his music. "Your honesty is what makes you great," you told him. "People connect with you because you’re real."

Your bond only grew stronger with time, each year bringing new challenges but also new joys. You celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary with a quiet getaway, reflecting on the journey they had shared and the future that lay ahead.

As Marshall prepared for another world tour, both of you sat down for a rare joint interview, something you had always been cautious about. You wanted to share your story, to show the world that a healthy, enduring love was possible even in the most extraordinary circumstances.

"What’s the secret to your long-lasting marriage?" the interviewer asked, leaning in with genuine curiosity.

You smiled, glancing at Marshall. "It’s not about secrets. It’s about honesty, communication, and never taking each other for granted. We’ve grown together, faced our challenges head-on, and always prioritized our family."

Marshall nodded in agreement. "Y/N’s been my rock. She’s kept me grounded, reminded me of what’s important. We’ve built a life based on trust and mutual respect, and that’s what’s kept us strong."

As the interview wrapped up, the couple shared a quiet moment, the love between them palpable. For Marshall, life with you was his greatest achievement—a love that had given him the strength to conquer the world while staying true to himself.

[acehimbo]

Resilience in Gaza

Hello, I'm Amr Alasaly and I was born and raised in Gaza This is my brother Mohamad Alasaly who is a 20-year-old with Down syndrome, living in the North Gaza Strip, one of the most devastated and war-torn regions in the world. Mohamad is not just my brother—he is my inspiration and my responsibility. His life, however, has been shaped by challenges that most of us cannot imagine, and now, he needs your help to rebuild and heal.

Mohamad was born with Down syndrome, a condition that affects not only his development but also his overall health. People with Down syndrome often face a higher risk of heart defects, respiratory issues, and other illnesses, making proper care and medical attention essential. In Mohamad’s case, his condition requires consistent monitoring and treatment, something we’ve struggled to maintain in a place with limited resources and constant turmoil.

Our father was Mohamad’s greatest source of love and support. He understood Mohamad’s needs like no one else could. When we lost him, it felt as though a pillar of Mohamad’s life had been taken away. His absence left a void that no one could fully fill, and Mohamad, with his unique challenges, has struggled to cope with the loss.

Life in Gaza has only made things worse. The ongoing conflict has robbed us of the little stability we had. During the most recent war, Mohamad lost his home—a place that once gave him a sense of safety and comfort. Overnight, his world was reduced to rubble. The sounds of bombs, the fear of displacement, and the sight of destruction have left deep emotional scars. For someone like Mohamad, who struggles to understand the complexities of the world around him, these experiences have been overwhelming and terrifying.

Without a home and with limited access to medical care, our situation has become dire. Mohamad’s health is fragile, and the stress of our circumstances is taking a toll on him. As his sibling and primary caregiver, I do everything I can to protect and care for him, but the challenges are immense. With no father to lean on and no home to return to, Mohamad’s life has become a daily struggle for survival.

Despite all of this, Mohamad remains a beacon of light. His smile, his innocence, and his resilience remind me every day of why I need to keep fighting for him. But I can’t do it alone. Mohamad needs your help.

Your donation can make a real difference in Mohamad’s life. It will directly support Mohamad’s urgent needs. The funds will be used to secure medical care, including essential check-ups and treatments for his condition. They will also go toward rebuilding a safe and stable home for him, as well as providing proper nutrition and daily necessities. To ensure transparency, all donations will be handled through direct bank transfers. I will personally oversee the distribution of the funds to guarantee they reach Mohamad and are used effectively to improve his well-being.

Every contribution brings us one step closer to giving Mohamad a life of dignity and hope.

In a world filled with challenges, Mohamad has taught me that even the smallest acts of kindness can create ripples of change. Please stand with us and help rebuild his life.

Thank you for your generosity and compassion.

Show your support for this GoFundMe

Donate

[musicfren]

Merry Christmas Everyone! You head downstairs bright and early to see that your family has left you three presents. Eager to see what is inside, you pick one up and begin unwrapping it. However, before you can make any headway, the poorly-fixed star falls from the top of your tree and cuts through one of your two unopened presents, revealing it to contain a goat! You are rather shocked by this development, but upon closer inspection you can determine from the bleating sounds that exactly one other of your presents also contains a goat. From weight alone, however, you can not tell if it is the present you are holding, or the third unopened present below the tree. Time is running out before the newly freed goat begins munching on the nearest available object and makes the decision for you

________________________________________________________

Hi everyone, while you're here I hope you can take a second out of your day to donate any amount of money, even just a dollar, to my friend Mohammed this Christmas. This fund is very important, as it is Mohammed's family's only source of income currently, after their house was destroyed. Mohammed is attempting to provide for his parents and siblings, and it is a lot of pressure for him. While he still has no reliable way to connect to the internet, I hope we can keep his campaign going

@operationladybug

[ordinorultor-if]

Can we get facts about the relationship between MC and each of their siblings ? If it’s not too much

Howdy, thanks for the ask!

I'll try to provide what I can, but I want for the player to be able to at least partially define their MC's relationships with their siblings.

That said, there are some broad strokes that always stay the same. For example, the younger siblings - E and P, and to a lesser extent the Twins - often view MC as more of a parent than their, well, parents, since they were so young when Ranulf and his wife were executed. Since MC was teenager (I think of them as specifically having been somewhere in the 13-16 range, but you're free to headcanon them as having been as old as 19) when their parents were executed, P could have been as young as 7.

Also, even at their most strained, none of the sibling relationships are actually bad. At most, I think there would be resentment over certain things - for example, you can choose to make MC rather strict (which will piss off B especially) but no matter what everyone is supportive of and loves each other, which is a big reason MC chose them to be their advisors.

Besides the possibility of MC's strictness, the greatest source of resentment? E is the only one (besides possibly MC) to not have a nickname.

Anyways, beyond that:

B/Bertie, as the second oldest, has a small rivalry with MC (as is to be expected - I'm an only child but from what I hear, younger siblings tend to be twerps), but B still stepped up a lot to help their younger siblings, and is subject to some of the same parentification as MC.

MC at baseline has a modicum of concern for the Twins. Not only are those two the most underhanded of the family, especially A/Alb, but how M/Mel pushes themself is seen by most of their siblings as incredibly unhealthy (and tbh? they're one bad day away from needing to get help for it, but all these kids should get therapy anyways).

E, despite being the second youngest, is a strong pillar of the family. Their extensive knowledge of academics combined with their emotional intelligence makes them MC's go-to interpersonal advisor when not in an official capacity (expect them to comment on your choice of romance and give advice).

P/P'Enfant, with their sweet nature and fiery temper, is often a source of inspiration to rally around for the rest. The others are also incredibly grateful to them for one big reason - they deal with the duchy's taxes, and with how often the Liege changes specifically Akize's taxes, no one else wants to try to wrap their head around them lol.

[slightly--above--average]

Reaaaaad Meeeeeee Seymooooore ( BYI )

Visual roleplay and ask blog based on the Tupperbox community q and a and source material from "Lazytown" and the works of Missy Draws. Please continue below and read the information under the cut.

Aliases/Nicknames: Too many to count! Honorable mentions include "Blue Elf", "Overactive Jumping Bean", "Sportaspud", and "Spob"

Gender: Masculine leaning; he/him pronouns

Powers/Species: elf- known for their functional immortality, incredible stamina, and ability to blend in seamlessly with humans

Physical Age: 39

Height: 5'9"

Eye Color: light blue

Hair Color: dark blonde

Bio:  Sportacus is LazyTown's resident action-health superhero. Alerted to trouble by a large crystal on his uniform, he's ready in a flash to save the day! Patient and kind and always understanding, he doesn't tell the kids of LazyTown what to do- choosing to lead by example to give them room to learn and grow on their own.

Processed sugar is his greatest weakness.

💕 Significant Other: Miss Sophia Mansnoozie, the town literacy tutor 💕

Sportacus is in a happy exclusive monogamous relationship and is not looking for a third, you may send romantic asks and he will be happy to entertain a platonic friendship but be aware that your advances WILL be rejected. Please do not ask to date him, privately or otherwise or send him starters designed to coerce him into a romantic scene. He is not interested. Asks, jokes, and memes about Sportacus and Robbie being "secretly in love", "divorced", or otherwise implied to be in any romantic relationship with each other are not welcome and will result in immediate revocation of access to this blog and its contents. We don't do that here. SportaSteph content is not welcome, this blog is firmly against Proshipping and any asks from underage characters insinuating a mutual relationship or about Sportacus dating underage characters under any circumstance including plots where he is magically aged down will be directly reported to the relevant investigatory agencies. Get help.

Asks about his relationship otherwise are welcome and will appear under the #SportaSophie tag but attempts to replace the established significant other listed above will be ignored and may result in further restriction from interacting with this blog- the answer is a hard no!!

Sportacus is an orphan who comes from a troubled background and the likelihood of him working the mines with relatives is slim to none. As such he won't be related to your character unless discussed beforehand ( Find me here! )    Likewise, he has not met your character unless we’ve agreed that they have, or if your character belongs to the lore that’s part of his source material. Don’t hesitate to ask though, I’m a sucker for found family and would love to add to his, he can always use more friends, siblings, and adoptive children! He does not, however, owe you his love or compassion and sympathy baiting will not be taken lightly. He is the town hero, not the town therapist. If you or someone you know are struggling to stay safe, please contact your local suicide hotline!

You do not have permission to kill, maim, traumatize, or otherwise seriously harm my characters physically or otherwise. Additionally, this blog is an all ages blog. To keep it that way, asks and starters intended for mature audiences will be omitted.

Original characters, characters from most other fandoms, and self inserts are, of course more all than welcome to interact. Sportacus is paired with one here after all! * Will not interact with content pertaining to Steven Universe or its fans including roleplayers of the characters. The Diamonds in particular makes me deeply uncomfortable and I do not wish to invite people who support them to this blog.  * Will not interact with content pertaining to the SportaRobbie ship including roleplayers of the characters. I the mun will never support the pairing or feature any content for it on this blog. It makes me extremely uncomfortable and I do not want that content here. If your muse is one half of the ship or is romantically interested in the other, I ask that you not interact, thanks <3

I run this blog on spare time and spare energy. Because of this, more often than not I favor simple asks and light starters over longer and more serious posts.

Additionally, art reblogs are hand picked to match my interpretation of the characters to enhance immersion. Because of that, posts depicting other pairings, designs, and headcanons are excluded. And finally, as this is a roleplay blog, this blog WILL feature AI generated content.

All content posted has been edited, transformed, or directly created by me and will regularly feature replies enhanced by Character.ai and audio trained on character data through So-vits-SVC. If you disagree with this content you are free to leave or engage in the posts not collaboratively made with this technology such as my drawings but I will not debate with you, entertain bad faith questions, or tolerate aggression. Engaging with my blog with the intention of starting a fight will end badly for you, do not try it :)  It is also worth noting that I do not support the use of ai for the purpose of defamation or career theft. These posts are created for personal and nonprofit artistic enjoyment only and if you redistribute any of it with the intent to sell, to impact the legacies and careers of the very real voice actors and singers involved, or to feed it into any extra algorithm I will find your kneecaps and delete them :)

Failure to respect the boundaries outlined in this post will result in revocation of access to this blog and its contents

[88fenghuang]

𝐃𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐈

I have answered as my transmutational self.

1. What are 3 items you can’t live without?

Musical instruments, headphones… fashion. Or rather, flowers if they can be considered an item. I am not particularly attached to the material.

2. Favorite song?

Those where the lyrics or composition resonate deeply.

3. What are your hobbies?

In relation to the expressive, natural, and spiritual faculties

4. Favorite holiday?

The holidays I spend beside loved ones, I hold close to my heart.

5. What do you do for a living?

I have the freedom to support my lifestyle by doing nothing, yet I refuse to lie idle. Several pursuits and meaningful projects occupy my time, the foremost being musical endeavours. I also partake in art and other modes of public-facing expression.

6. Who is someone you always hangout with?

My S/o understands stillness can coexist with loving company.

7. Are you a night person or a morning person?

When the air is peaceful, both are fine. I appreciate the morning for its hopeful breath and the night for its starry embrace.

8. Favorite animal?

I feel too much a kinship with a myriad of creatures.

9. Introvert or extrovert?

What would you suppose?

10. Do you have siblings?

No.

11. How do you dress?

Quite well, thank you.

I have an individual taste. Alternative substyles and J-fashion influenced its development.

12. Favorite movie / tv show?

I will have to see. I favour surreal and philosophical works that examine the human condition alongside reality itself.

13. Do you have a crush / significant other?

A S/o, but they’re not present in this realm

14. What’s your zodiac sign?

Pisces. With a dash of scorpio and aquarius.

15. What’s your favorite snack?

Tea and fresh fruit.

16. Do you travel a lot?

Decently, I will be doing so soon. Perhaps the exploration of people, environments, and concepts drive my egoic soul.

17. Do you play instruments?

Several, including vocals. Music is one of my greatest joys.

18. Who is your best friend?

I do not define ‘bests.’

19. Least favorite food?

Most of them.

20. What’s your name?

…

21. Do you have a sweet tooth?

Indeed. The doctor prescribes a daily dose to drive the rain away.

22. Nicknames your family or friends call you?

…

23. What is something that annoys you?

I try to overcome irritation.

24. Do you have a pet?

No, but I adore animals, thus I visit them often.

25. Do you prefer going out or staying at home?

Both have their appropriate time. Going out is probably better for my health. On the other hand, I require space to recharge.

Source

[theshrirammillenniumschool]

Balancing Academics and Play: The Key to Happy Children

Do you ever look at your child — lost in their own little world — and think, “Please don’t grow up too fast…”?

We do.

As parents, as teachers, as people who care deeply about children — we understand that feeling. Because childhood is precious. It’s fleeting. And it’s about so much more than grades and gold stars. Yes, school matters and that is the reason we spend endless hours scrolling the list of CBSE schools in Gurgaon. Learning matters too. But so does laughter. So does play. So does the simple joy of being a child. And sometimes, in this fast-paced world, it’s easy to lose sight of that.

Are We Expecting Too Much, Too Soon?

We know the pressure parents feel. Everywhere you turn, there’s a message about doing more:

“Is your child reading at the right level?”“Should they be starting extra maths tutoring?”“Are you supporting their learning enough at home?”

It can feel overwhelming. And we see it — in your tired eyes at pick-up, in the worried questions you ask at parents’ evening, in late-night online searches for “best ways to help my child succeed”.

But what if we told you this…

Success isn’t just about books and tests. Success is also about a happy heart, a curious mind, and a resilient spirit. Among the list of CBSE schools in Gurgaon, the best ones always insist on natural growth of the child and let them grow at their pace.

And do you know what helps build those things?

Play.

Why Play Isn’t “Just” Play

When your child is building a fort out of sofa cushions, they’re not “wasting time”.

They’re problem-solving. They’re imagining. They’re working together with siblings or friends.

When they’re in the garden collecting stones or watching insects, they’re not being “lazy”.

They’re exploring. They’re learning patience. They’re noticing the world in a way adults often forget to do.

Play isn’t the opposite of learning.

Play is learning.

It’s where creativity grows. It’s where confidence builds. It’s where children learn to lead, to share, to fail, to try again.

What Balance Really Looks Like

We’re not saying academics don’t matter — of course they do. But balance is key.

Children need space to rest, to play, to just be.

And as parents, the greatest gift we can give them is not a packed schedule — but pockets of freedom.

Simple, beautiful freedom to explore their world without pressure.

How You Can Support Balance at Home

Here are a few gentle ideas for weaving balance into everyday family life:

1. Create Tech-Free Play Time

Encourage pockets of time without screens. Let your child get bored — boredom often leads to creativity!

2. Celebrate Curiosity

Notice what excites your child outside of school. Dinosaurs? Planets? Cooking? Feed those interests with books, visits, and conversations.

3. Give Permission to Play

Let them know it’s okay to play before homework sometimes. It recharges them. It helps them approach tasks with a fresh mind.

4. Model Playfulness

Laugh with them. Be silly. Join in their games. These are the moments they’ll remember most — far more than a perfect spelling test.

Our Final Thought — Childhood is Not a Race

If there’s one thing we hope every parent takes away from this — it’s this simple truth:

Your child is not falling behind. They are growing, in their own time, in their own way. Let them climb trees. Let them build Lego towers that reach the sky. Let them play for hours in imaginary worlds where anything is possible.

Because these moments are not a waste of time!

This is childhood.

And it’s gone in the blink of an eye.

As a school, we are here not just to teach lessons — but to protect childhood. To nurture it. To honour it. Academics will come. Tests will come. Achievements will come.

But right now? 

Let them play.

Let them laugh.

Let them be little.

Join hands with us and let's nourish the little minds in a way that they like!

Source URL: Justpaste.it

[lun4rc0w]

Resilience in Gaza

Hello, I'm Amr Alasaly and I was born and raised in Gaza This is my brother Mohamad Alasaly who is a 20-year-old with Down syndrome, living in the North Gaza Strip, one of the most devastated and war-torn regions in the world. Mohamad is not just my brother—he is my inspiration and my responsibility. His life, however, has been shaped by challenges that most of us cannot imagine, and now, he needs your help to rebuild and heal.

Mohamad was born with Down syndrome, a condition that affects not only his development but also his overall health. People with Down syndrome often face a higher risk of heart defects, respiratory issues, and other illnesses, making proper care and medical attention essential. In Mohamad’s case, his condition requires consistent monitoring and treatment, something we’ve struggled to maintain in a place with limited resources and constant turmoil.

Our father was Mohamad’s greatest source of love and support. He understood Mohamad’s needs like no one else could. When we lost him, it felt as though a pillar of Mohamad’s life had been taken away. His absence left a void that no one could fully fill, and Mohamad, with his unique challenges, has struggled to cope with the loss.

Life in Gaza has only made things worse. The ongoing conflict has robbed us of the little stability we had. During the most recent war, Mohamad lost his home—a place that once gave him a sense of safety and comfort. Overnight, his world was reduced to rubble. The sounds of bombs, the fear of displacement, and the sight of destruction have left deep emotional scars. For someone like Mohamad, who struggles to understand the complexities of the world around him, these experiences have been overwhelming and terrifying.

Without a home and with limited access to medical care, our situation has become dire. Mohamad’s health is fragile, and the stress of our circumstances is taking a toll on him. As his sibling and primary caregiver, I do everything I can to protect and care for him, but the challenges are immense. With no father to lean on and no home to return to, Mohamad’s life has become a daily struggle for survival.

Despite all of this, Mohamad remains a beacon of light. His smile, his innocence, and his resilience remind me every day of why I need to keep fighting for him. But I can’t do it alone. Mohamad needs your help.

Your donation can make a real difference in Mohamad’s life. It will directly support Mohamad’s urgent needs. The funds will be used to secure medical care, including essential check-ups and treatments for his condition. They will also go toward rebuilding a safe and stable home for him, as well as providing proper nutrition and daily necessities. To ensure transparency, all donations will be handled through direct bank transfers. I will personally oversee the distribution of the funds to guarantee they reach Mohamad and are used effectively to improve his well-being.

Every contribution brings us one step closer to giving Mohamad a life of dignity and hope.

In a world filled with challenges, Mohamad has taught me that even the smallest acts of kindness can create ripples of change. Please stand with us and help rebuild his life.

Thank you for your generosity and compassion.

Show your support for this GoFundMe

Donate

[homehealthcaredubai1]

8 Benefits of Hiring a Home Nurse for Your New born

Giving birth to a new born is an exciting event for any family; with excitement comes difficulty. One wise way to sail through this transition would be to employ a home nurse. The city of Dubai is a place where families look for quality healthcare services; the best services would include the hiring of a home care services Dubai providing personalized support and care for their new born.

1. Personalized New born Care

Professional home nursing in Dubai give complete attention to your new born needs. Apart from caring for and monitoring feeding time and sleeping, home nurses also help with assessing general health for the new born so that prompt intervention can be made when necessary.

2. Knowledge and Skills for Such Care

Home nursing in Dubai have the knowledge and skills to take care of new born. They help with bathing, diapering, and calming techniques while teaching new parents to style in caring for their baby.

3. Support for New Parents

Becoming a parent can be very exciting and comes with lot of responsibilities. A home care services Dubai provides the social and emotional support that parents desperately need to reinforce their confident exercising of their caregiving abilities while enjoying the bonding time with an infant.

4. Support in Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding issues may become an even greater problem for the new mother. The home nurse can be a good source of solutions to the breastfeeding hurdles by offering lactating support, latching tips, and establishing a breastfeeding routine.

5. Monitoring Infant's Health

During the new born period, regular check-ups are the call of the day. Thus, the home healthcare services is able to monitor signs and symptoms associated with any early disease conditions needing medical intervention, if necessary, along with taking vital signs, growth, and development.

6. Flexible Care Options

Home care services Dubai are flexible to fit in with your family schedule. Whether at day or during the night, home nursing in Dubai can be tailored to your need.

7. Peace of Mind

This is indeed the greatest consolation to parents, the knowledge that a qualified person is caring for their new born infant. This is further helpful to allow parents to rest and recover, contributing positively to their wellbeing.

8. Support for Siblings

New arrivals create several changes for older children. Home nurses provide needed support to integrate siblings so they feel included and comforted with the change.

Some Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Prior to the employment of a new born care taker, what homely nursing qualifications does a person need?

Ans - Indeed, home nurses should possess a degree in paediatric nursing with a special focus on new born care. The home nursing in Dubai, on the other hand, should also be registered by the Dubai Health Authority to provide the proper level of healthcare.

Q2. Home Health Care in Dubai: What should we know about home health care services in Dubai?

Ans- Home healthcare services in Dubai would not be complete without evaluating the big names operating in the industry, staff qualifications, and type of services rendered. Online reviews and recommendations from trustworthy sources also weigh heavily in the balance of service selection.

Conclusion

The advantages of hiring a qualified home healthcare services for infants include personalized care, an expert who can bring emotional support and peace of mind, besides medical care, while in Dubai, where the healthcare system is so important to families, one can truly say that selecting home healthcare for their new born is the very first step towards giving them a wonderful start to life.

Whoever is seeking home care services Dubai should know that here is where Yad Al Amal Home Healthcare Centre can help as the one-stop-shop for all such needs? Yad Al Amal provide several services such as skilled nursing care, chronic disease management, and paediatric specialized and customised care tailored to meet the family needs of each individual. Healthcare professionals possess warmth and expertise to deliver care in every client's place.

Yad Al Amal congratulates you on the arrival of your baby and wishes you all the moments to cherish of parenthood!

For more information on professional best Home Nursing Care services contact Yad Al Amal.

[gabebarcelona30]

Week 5 Reflection

My peak or ideal self is someone that is secure in themselves, can confidently take charge, and can stand up to anyone without fear. Although I have felt more comfortable speaking up for myself, I find that at times, I still struggle with it because I don't want to be perceived negatively. I also still have many insecurities that I want to work towards, from my relationships with other people to my personal body image. I feel like I am not someone that is afraid to show my vulnerability but also, I am not entirely sure if this is something I like about myself.

I am grateful to have so many support systems throughout my life, from my parents, to my siblings, and friends. Growing up, my parents have always tried their best to support me even though with certain topics, they didn't really know how to. But when I was able to express my feelings and emotions with them comfortably, they quickly became my greatest sources of support. I can talk to them about anything and they are always willing to learn. With my friends, I believe that in high school, it was a little harder to choose your friends because if you didn't like someone, you would still have to see them every day. However, now that we are in college, you can really choose the people you want in your life. So now, all of the people I surround myself with are truly amazing people and I am extremely grateful for them. They always check up on me and are always there when I need a shoulder to cry on.

Some life habits I would want to have are waking up early and sleeping 8 hours every night, being content but never complacent, and making sure to be grateful for all that I have rather than focusing on the things I lack. In an alternate life, I think I would love to work as a diplomat. It would be really rewarding. I also love learning about other cultures so it would be such a privilege to be able to travel the world, immerse myself in their cultures, and be able to help those in need. As a nurse, it is also extremely rewarding so I am very excited to work as a nurse in a few years.

[oflostinfound]

|| 🔷 ||: ❝ Here too...? ❞

She mused aloud, eyes drifting to any spare crystals she could spot in their trek to the infirmary. Just like back home, crystals held magic. Granted they weren't the only source, but they were the primary means of powering all sorts of things back home. Technology, Lighting homes, communication, using them as a catalyst for spells as not to drain the internal magic of a daemon.

Again she was getting too lost in her thoughts, and again she snaps herself from them,

|| 🔷 ||: ❝ Yes, they will. The Inner Demon drains them magically, to keep their body functioning. Once the magic is gone... ❞

Her eyes drift to the sword in their chest,

|| 🔷 ||: ❝ You can... guess. ❞

Eath attention quickly shift to Cromwell as he keeps pace with her.

|| 🔷 ||: ❝ Nice to see you too, though I wish it wasn't like- this. ❞

Though lacking in lungs a semblance of a sigh leaves her, worried eyes locked on her sibling as Alexander carries them to one of the infirmary beds. Yet per his questions she continues to stick close to Cromwell. Enough that she could speak and observe his methods of treatment, but also remain out of the way should he need to grab something or another.

|| 🔷 ||: ❝ They've become what we call an inner demon, or just demon, depending. It's an unstable and deadly form. From what we know it only happens to a daemon if their magic and mind is highly unstable, warping them into something akin to their own greatest fears and doubts. ❞

She gestures to Hax, one last glimpse of them before the other servants swarm them,

|| 🔷 ||: ❝ It manifests differently for each daemon, to show on the outside what is hurting their mind and magic on the inside. Another kobold like Hax would not have the same inner demon. ❞

Hoping that explanation would suffice, she quickly moves over to sit next to the King. Giving the other servants room to work on Hax, and time to answer any questions he had while he was getting patched up.

His next question, however, makes her take pause. An uncomfortable amount of silence before she pulls out the pendant she had tucked away under her shirt.

|| 🔷 ||: ❝ This is... A very long story, but something very important to me. I used this to summon my portals, to take care of the dead I find... ❞

She places a hand over the orange gem, that glows brightly in the dim light of the room,

|| 🔷 ||: ❝ But she might also help in this, too. ❞

Eath turns her gaze upwards, towards the King,

|| 🔷 ||: ❝ As for Hax... I don't know how to explain it, your Majesty, but I can sense them. Not dying, well yes dying, but not destined for it either. Not how I normally sense the dead. The best way I can describe it is... lost. They are lost, it's like their... Soul... is lost. ❞

She shakes her head, a hand weaving through her hair as she tries to find the right words,

|| 🔷 ||: ❝ Lost in feelings, lost inside this demon- inside themself? I don't know, this is a new feeling for me, but they are lost. Perhaps even fractured? Buried under it all, and we need to guide them back to the surface. ❞

With that said, and a glance down at the necklace in her hand, she holds it out to Alexander.

|| 🔷 ||: ❝ But I don't think I can do this alone yet... I don't think it would be good to try to help them alone either way. They need as much support as they can get... Take this. She knows the past better that I do, she can help find out what exactly made them turn into this. ❞

She stands, wandering over to where Hax was lying, her eyes glowing brightly as she focuses on that light she could see before. Dim, fractured, a soft golden glow that was flickering out like a dying candle.

|| 🔷 ||: ❝ I think... since I can sense them, I can touch their soul, peer inside it- ❞

She turns towards Alexander, eerily blank eyes staring into his, searching for something until....

Another light, this one much brighter, red and burning fiercely like a wildfire at the center of his very being. It's originally amorphous shape shifting and distorting as she peers into it, revealing to her a man, then a dragon? No... a mighty Draconian King. That man, that shape, changed so suddenly...

But she'd caught it. She'd seen, she knew, and her brows furrow as a hand on instinct reaches out to touch his soul.

|| 🔷 ||: ❝ And link it to... another... ❞

Alexander’s castle was a comforting contrast to the frigid weather outside, as the snowfall had began to accelerate so they were all lucky to be out of such conditions.

Once the portal sealed up Cromwell and his small team of wyrms came in ushering everyone to the infirmary, with Cromwell sliding up besides the king, wand out. He began draining the tears that were still occasionally falling down the king’s face, a floating vial levitating next to him and gradually filling up with the clear sparkling substance.

“We have crystals here that are the source of all Xandorian magic. If Hax is in need of magic we can keep several of them near if needed.” Alexander went on to explain, tiredly. Crystals littered the entire castle, so magic was in abundance here.

He nodded at Eath’s words, so very grateful for her understanding in all this.

Once he finished gathering the king’s tears, Cromwell would keep his pace with Eath as he walked alongside her now.

“Greetings Eath, it’s nice to see you again. If you could just stick around while I tend to them both that would help immensely. I’ve…never seen Hax like that before…what’s happened?”

Once inside, the space was softly lit, Cromwell had learned to keep such a place as none intrusive as possible after having their last visitor in. It was clean and there were two rooms, one with smaller, more normal sized beds, and another with a couple beds made for creatures Alexander and Hax’s size. The ceiling was darkened and looked like a galaxy of stars as Cromwell had cast a spell to produce an artificial night sky. The walls were lined with medicines, potions and salves, bottled up in various crystal vials of all shapes, sizes and colors. It was also a space lined with ivy and lavender. Cromwell was as much Alexander’s personal apothecary as he was a court mage.

With a grunt, Alexander carefully and gently laid the daemon down onto the soft bed, then dragged himself to the one next to it where small dragon servants began fussing over him and his mate. Cromwell rolls up his sleeves after washing his paws and rolls a trolley over between the two beds. He looks over Hax first, his brow knitting.

“They have several broken ribs, and that puncture in the middle of their torso doesn’t look too good.” He muttered, turning Hax over a little so the sword could stay somewhat in place. It didn’t look like it should be there, but something told the drabbit it shouldn’t be removed, either.

“If we can get Hax somewhat out of this state, I can work better. That sword is an obstruction.” He noted, dabbing a wet warm cloth on their shallower wounds, and applying a comfrey flower salve to them afterwards.

He then turns his attention to the king, as his servants crowd Hax and start at least dressing their wounds and getting cooling crystals on the spot where their ribs were broken.

“Hax will need physical therapy for those ribs, and focus on their breathing more.” The drabbit explains as he began spinning Alexander’s bottled tears into a shimmering thread and needle. He cleans the area then applies a yarrow salve before he begins.

“We’ll need to close your neck up, sire.”

Alexander sighs miserably, and looks over to Eath for a distraction.

“Eath dear, what was that pendent you pulled out when you found me earlier? You also mentioned something about Hax being lost, how do we…make them un-lost?”

[achillea-astro]

Chiron Observations: Chiron in the Houses 🍄

Chiron is an asteroid named after the Centaur who taught Achilles, who used his own traumas to become a great teacher. Chiron is not the only place traumas can show up in a chart, but it does show up in places where trauma can be your biggest teacher if your work through it properly— those instances in your past that hurt you greatly that you can turn into your greatest strength. These traumas usually happen in early life.

Chiron in the Houses show us where your trauma shows up, more than exactly what the cause was or how it happened.

Note: you might also relate to the experiences of the house where the ruler of Chiron’s sign is. Ex. if you have Chiron in Aquarius, you will relate to whatever house Saturn is in.

1st: Being made to question who you are or who you want to be. Feeling uncomfortable or out of place physically. Feeling unwelcome in the world. The source of your basic physical needs being uncertain (food, shelter, water).

2nd: Trauma around revoking agency. Having possessions lost, stolen or broken. Issues with self-esteem. A lack of security, possible feelings of helplessness. Things challenging personal values.

3rd: Trauma surrounding miscommunication or being misunderstood. From community or siblings, or childhood traditions. Issues in grade school and with learning.

4th: Trauma from homelife, things that happen “behind closed doors”. Involving parents or ancestors, possibly generational trauma. Feeling unstable, unsafe, like you have no home to return to if things get rough, lacking stable support systems. Issues with the environment you grew up in (including home changes, political shifts where you lived that made things uncertain, etc)

5th: Issues surrounding forming a family or ability to marry. Parental disapproval of marriages. Trauma surrounding childbirth. Trauma around limiting self-expression and creativity. Restriction of fun or over-promotion of seriousness. Sexual performance issues.

6th: A sense of duty that denies the self (self care, identity, etc). Chronic health issues in the self or others. Longterm mental health issues that manifest physically. Trauma from the demands of work or school, or from the school/workplace peers.

7th: Issues with relating to people and forming relationships. Possibly a loner. Getting into relationships that repeatedly don’t work out. A sense of guilt or shame regarding how you perceive others vs yourself— dissonance between yourself and others.

8th: Trauma involving power dynamics and people exerting power over you. Being in debt. Possibility of depression or substance abuse.

9th: Trauma involving relocation and moving far from your childhood home (often to follow a career or education). Difference in belief systems, forced belief systems. Philosophical uncertainty and obsession over it. Trauma that causes interest in bigger pictures than most people at a young age. Feeling too perceptive, a wider world you’re trying to make sense of.

10th: Having an early start to your career, a career starting in childhood. Traumas that result in issues with authority and rebellions. Trauma that arises from early recognition of talents or lack thereof. Traumas that result in the desire to “make a name” for oneself and high ambition; to be the top or in charge.

11th: Being half-way in and half-way out of social groups. Difficulty finding or maintaining a community identity. Exclusion from a community, causing trauma, or vice versa. Having a community identity that raises conflict, controversy, or harm to the native.

12th: Issues that don’t feel like they were caused by a single traumatic instance, but instead feel like they’ve always been a part of you. Consistent depression, anxiety, and other mental issues that make the day-to-day difficult. The need to be secret about your life, or be secret about the struggles you’re facing. Trauma caused by reoccurring or consistent mental illness. Traumatizing hospitalizations. Trauma caused by institutes.

— 🍄

If you have any questions, please use the ask box! It’s easier for me to keep track of ✨ Notes made by using theory in combination with celebrity charts.

If you like my work, please consider giving me a tip!

Art credit (left): Fletcher Sidthorp

[kinncman]

A LIST OF PLOTLESS TOWN RP-FRIENDLY CHARACTER IDEAS & CONNECTIONS INSPIRED BY MOVIES! (PART 1)

click here for part two.

i collected a couple of plot ideas from some of the movies i thought had interesting stories or characters that i hope can help you with your applications / character connections. please note that a lot of these are, by no means, the actual plots of the films and are only inspired by them. i’ve taken the liberty of making a couple of edits for them to be ‘plotless town rp-friendly’. also, i would’ve separated them by category (platonic, romantic, familial, etc.) but tbh a lot of these can be taken in any way so feel free to put your own spin on them, too, or even make combinations!

trigger warnings: nothing too specific, but there are light mentions of death, road accident, infidelity, illness, injury, drug addiction.

now, without further ado:

BAY OF ANGELS  // muse a met muse b on a vacation several years ago, brought together because they were both from the same home country and realized that they were traveling to run away from something. muse a came to learn that this wasn’t muse b’s first rodeo, and where this was the first time that muse a had tried to run away from their problems, muse b had been running for most of their life. muse b initially wished to emulate the same free-spirited, high-risk-high-reward principles that muse a lived by. however, muse b started to display totally erratic behavior that prompted muse a to question whether they were making the right choices. eventually, they went home. jump to present day where they meet again in their home country— muse b has toned down somewhat due to a traumatic event (a hard lesson to learn for them) meanwhile, muse a’s life remains the same cycle of events they can’t seem to break free from.

CLEO FROM 5 TO 7 // muse a suspects they are sick but refuses to go to the doctor to have it checked. most of their days are plagued with this feeling of doom enshrouding them, causing them to have a general distaste for life. they meet muse b who has profoundly positive disposition towards life. their company helps muse a to come to terms with the fact that perhaps their illness is something they should deal with. with muse b’s help, muse a starts to find meaning in death.

HAPPY OLD YEAR // muse a left town / the country for college, leaving behind all their friends and family, cutting all ties in a heartbeat, only to come back several years later a completely changed person who subscribes to the idea of minimalism and wants to get rid of all the clutter in their life, material or otherwise. this brings them to reconnect with muse b (and a variety of other muses if the mun wishes) when they find their old belongings and return them in order to be ‘minimalist’ and get rid of all the garbage in their home, which means getting rid of memories, too. however, muse b, who has now moved on from muse a and is with someone else, isn’t too pleased with having muse a back in their life. muse a is desperate to find the closure that muse b isn’t giving them, primarily because muse b knows that muse a is after starting over on a clean slate only to clear their conscience and not to make amends.

YI-YI: A ONE AND A TWO // muse a and muse b were each other’s first and greatest loves but are currently married to other people. when they are reunited through a chance encounter, they decide that it’s better to have each other in their lives as friends than not at all. they realize they still do have feelings for each other but because of their spouses, know that they can never be anything else other than friends. thus begins a journey of trying to bring their old selves back into the light as new people.

MIKEY AND NICKY // muse a and muse b are best friends since childhood. muse a is neurotic, childish, and wildly impulsive, and often has to depend on muse b to get them out of trouble only to show very little gratitude for it, much to muse b’s chagrin. in fact, muse b often finds themself thrown under the bus in muse a’s favor, though it’s not entirely muse a’s fault: muse b is an enabler. however, muse b can’t quite seem to quit muse a (either because they love the feeling of being needed and there’s no one who needs them more than muse a or maybe they’ve been in love with muse a since childhood— or both) until a certain event causes muse b to question whether they are healthy for each other at all.

IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE // muse a and muse b are neighbors, both living with their significant others. both muse a and muse b often see each other in the hallways or share an elevator up to their apartment when they come home from work. maybe they even carpool sometimes. however, they spare very little in the way of words until one day, muse a breaks down while drunk and admits that they think their partner is cheating on them. in an attempt to comfort them, muse b reveals that they think the same thing of their own partner. desperate for answers, they conduct an investigation until they realize that their partners are cheating on them with each other. muse a and muse b become each other’s support system, as they try to coach each other through an impending breakup all the while realizing that they might be developing feelings for each other and must now choose between indulging their feelings or deny themselves the hypocrisy.

TAKE THIS WALTZ // muse a meets muse b on a trip out of town and they instantly connect. they share the same flight back home and even a cab ride from the airport. however, they soon realize that muse b is muse a’s new neighbor, which makes things plenty awkward considering how a) they’ve been borderline flirty the whole time and b) muse a is married to someone who they now consider to be far less interesting in comparison to muse b. regardless, once they’ve recognized a mutual attraction with each other, muse a demands for muse b to keep their distance, only to keep running into each other everywhere, much to muse a’s chagrin.

LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE // muse a is witness to a terrible road accident involving a pedestrian. muse a takes the pedestrian and their sibling, muse b to the hospital where muse b’s sibling is declared dead on arrival. despite being total strangers, muse a stays with muse b through the entire process. eventually, muse a takes muse b home but muse a refuses to let muse b leave, claiming they don’t want to be left alone in the house that they previously shared with their now deceased sibling. having money troubles of their own and on the brink of an eviction, muse a ends up staying with muse b not just for the night but for the week until they get comfortable enough with each other that muse b invites muse a to officially live with them to help with their financial problems, but mostly because they don’t know how to handle their grief alone.

THE FALL // muse a is in an outpatient physical rehabilitation facility after suffering from a near-fatal injury when they meet muse b. the pair are polar opposites in terms of their attitudes towards recovery: where muse a is more hopeful, muse b only throws pity parties for themself considering that this injury might prevent them from fully getting back to doing what they love. despite this, the two form an unlikely bond where muse b is completely enthralled with muse a, who tells them stories about their travels and their career and all the amazing things they’ve done, without realizing until they’re in too deep that they are all fabricated versions of the truth and muse b falls for every single one of them. what started as little white lies becomes a source of anxiety for muse a when the lies just get bigger and bigger.

COLUMBUS // muse a is a young, aspiring [insert career here] but to pursue this passion, they must leave their hometown, which they have constantly been refusing to do despite the numerous opportunities having been presented to them on account of the fear that no one else is going to take care of their mother (who, in the movie, is a recovering drug addict but it can be for any reason or relative in this case). muse b’s father is a well-known [insert career that muse a wants here] and is in town to hold a lecture/exhibit/performance/etc etc depending on the career, but then he suffers from a stroke. muse b, despite being estranged from their father for having been scrutinized by the man for most of their life, is forced to come to town and take care of him being their closest living relative. they meet muse a by chance, only to learn shortly after that they are a huge fan of muse b’s parent’s work. having spent their whole life in this town, muse a becomes muse b’s tour guide of sorts, while inadvertently helping each other come to terms with their relationship with their parents and how they can be kinder to themselves.

SECRET SUNSHINE // after their spouse’s passing, muse a moves from the big city to their spouse’s much, much smaller hometown so they can raise their child there. they meet all of the important figures of their spouse’s childhood including muse b, a local shopkeeper and an old friend of their spouse’s, who, despite muse a’s reluctance, helps them adjust to small town life. the pair eventually closer to each other and muse a to their spouse as they find out more about who they were before they met.

THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU // (originally lgbtqia+ and written about older characters with grown children, but make of this plot what u will, tbh) muse a and muse b are best friends. both married, both with grown kids. muse a’s spouse died a long time ago so they’ve had plenty of time to help muse b take care of their spouse in the couple of months leading to that spouse’s death. in the process, the pair have grown intimate (with muse b’s spouse’s knowledge— in fact, they encouraged muse a to ‘take care’ of muse b in the event of their passing and wouldn’t trust anyone else to do so) but haven’t told their families yet in fear of what they might think of them given their age and how they’re basically uncles/aunts to each other’s children.

[yourlocalcatholic]

What advice would you give to someone who really wants to be catholic but deeply disagrees with the church’s stance on LGBT people? I am afraid that if I go to church, people will say unaffirming things about me or my partner, or push me into conversion therapy.

Well, it’s not going to be easy.

When I started my conversion, I was not in line with what the Church believed about the LGBTQ+ community. In truth, I still struggle with it. 

Despite my previous stubbornness on LGBTQ+ issues, I kept my heart open to God and what the Church teaches. I didn’t ignore what the Catechism says, but instead learned to understand what it teaches and why. This allowed me to accept the Church’s stances on the LGBTQ+ community. 

Since the issues are different for gay and trans people, I’ll address them separately. 

Contrary to popular thought, being gay in and of itself is not a sin. However, acting on same sex attraction is. The Church understands that being gay is not a choice, but as a result of its inherent brokenness, people with SSA are called to celibacy. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection” (CCC 2359). 

I know a lot of people would like if the Church permitted same sex marriages and relationships, but this simple cannot be so. As Christians, we are called to be faithful to Christ and the Church, to “observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20) and that “if he refuses to listen even to the Church, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector” (Matthew 18:17). Christ asked for us to live lives in accord with Church teaching and meeting the standard he set for us. We are not only called to reject our modernist, consumer culture glorifies, but to “be perfect” as our heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). We are called to overcome the vices of vanity, pride, gluttony, greed, envy, lust, wrath, and sloth, while cultivating the virtues of detachment, humility, temperance, generosity, charity, chastity, patience, and fortitude.

This also means we cannot call a sin anything other than a sin. We cannot lower the Church’s standards to the culture’s level, calling abortion, remarriage (without an annulment) after a divorce, homosexual acts, or contraception anything other than violations of God’s law. For “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). Claiming the Bible says something that it clearly does not say is projecting our own morality on God. In doing so, we say that God does not know what is best for us and that he does not know what he is doing. 

All of this can seem impossible. And without grace, it would be. Even with grace, we’ll often fall short. When we stumble we must repent, confess our sins, and come back to the Church. 

So... is the Church homophobic? No, it is not. Sadly, however, some people with the Church are. These kinds of people lack one of Christ’s fundamental truths to “not neglect to show hospitality to strangers” (Hebrews 13:2). We turn ourselves into hypocrites when we do not uphold the idea that are all welcome in the Church. 

Keep in mind, also, that just because “all are welcome” does not mean you can remain the same when you choose to become Christian. We are all ridden with sin, and we all have a cross to bear. But, by God’s mercy, we do not have to carry that cross alone. 

Neither to trans people. Like homosexuality, there is a lot misunderstood about how the Church views being transgender. 

For starters, the Church recognizes that every human person is created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). EVERY person. Consequently, we must act in love towards our trans siblings and reprimand those who name-call, bully, or engage in any other uncharitable behavior toward them. As Christians, how we speak to one another, the language we use, the tone of our voice, and the respect our words and attitude convey determines whether our words are used to glorify God or to slander his children. 

Respecting our fellow children of God also means we use peoples’ preferred name and pronouns. It is not a matter of affirming the person’s decision to transition, but rather it serves no use to do otherwise. If you’re having a conversation with a trans person, that conversation will not last long if you deliberately choose to use a name or a set of pronouns that the person is not comfortable with. What do you hope to achieve by refusing? You are more than likely to lose the opportunity to give them a faithful witness through which Christ can soften their heart to receive and embrace the true Gospel.

This topic is more difficult to address, in part because there is no official policy regarding trans individuals in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The other reason is because the truth is... very difficult to hear. Admittedly, though I am not trans, I struggle to fully grasp it. Like SSA, like anything else inherently broken, it is difficult to hear the truth of our condition. But I’m not here to tell you what I think, because what I think (or have a tendency to think) is corrupt due to my sin. Therefore, I can only share with you what the Church teaches. Keep in mind, I accept what the Church teaches, despite how difficult it will be to hear, because if I didn’t, then why would I be Catholic? 

God doesn’t make mistakes. When he fashioned each of us in our mother’s womb, he did so with the care of an artist making his greatest masterpiece. He choose the things that make you uniquely you, and this includes our gender. If you feel like God made a mistake when you were created, then we don’t share the same definition of God. God is an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving Father, so it is impossible for him to make mistakes because it would be contrary to his nature. God created you male or female for a reason.

But gender dysphoria, the condition of feeling one’s emotional and psychological identity as male or female to be opposite to one’s biological sex, is a very real condition and many people suffer greatly because of it. 

If your sex is a source of suffering in your life, God can be there with you to comfort you and help you through that suffering. He doesn’t promise to take away our sufferings and struggles, but He does promise to be there carrying our crosses alongside us.

Keep in mind that we are all called to holiness. For this reason, God may be asking you to grow in holiness by wrestling with trying to trust him that he doesn’t make mistakes and that he created you as male or female for a reason.

Now, you also expressed worry about people being uncharitable. Truth is, there are going to be uncharitable people. In my experience going to church, I have not encountered any. That said, I do not make my bisexuality known to the parishioners because I do not feel it is necessary. 

But if you do feel the need, talk to the parish priest about your worries. There are many priests who understand that God has called them to love everyone, not just the ones that can hide their crosses easier. So, speak with a priest - via email, phone call, or in person (whichever way you’re comfortable) - and express your interest in their parish. If they are God-fearing, they will work with you. 

I will be praying for you. God bless. 

[senadimell]

Boromir for the character ask?

send me a character and i’ll list:

favorite thing about them: Honestly? His focus. He's a problem-solver. He focuses on whatever task is in front of him, and while he's the golden child, I honestly don't know if he'd be the best fit for Steward because he seems to be at his best when he's thinking about concrete solutions to discrete problems.

Oh! The other thing is that he evaluates the advice given to him for what it is, not based on the authority of the advisor. He’s not going to accept bad advice just because it comes from a trustworthy source, and he’s going to be honest about his thoughts. So he’ll trust and respect the advice of the council of Elrond, but not to the point where he doesn’t ask questions or question things that don’t make sense (I’m thinking about Caradhras here) It’s a good skill to have as the de-facto heir to Gondor, and it makes sense that he’s not in awe of elves or Gandalf and acts among them as a guest but also as an equal at least in political status, though his experience is vastly more limited.

At the same time, he’s not arrogant or haughty. He's a team player. He’s supportive of decisions for the most part, though where the ring is concerned, things get skewy. He’s not the kind of person to rub mistakes back in your face. He’s compassionate and understanding (which we see even in the way he treats Frodo as he strives for the Ring).

least favorite thing about them: Honestly Boromir doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I suppose his positive traits are also double-edged swords. Focusing more on the advice than the giver sort of has Feanor vibes? And you can see where his focus leads him when he talks to Frodo about why he wants the ring and how he would use it. He can see his corner of the world (Gondor) and his place in saving it (political, but primarily military leadership), and it’s his practicality, drive, and focus that the Ring exploits. He’s too busy thinking about what he must do to save the day that he misses the grander scheme (yet he’s doing it because he cares! he cares!).

brOTP: Um, Faramir, I guess. Though I guess it’d be kinda sweet if he’s got a brotherly relationship with Bergil. I can easily imagine Bergil hero-worshipping Boromir, and so I think it’d be sweet if Boromir did acknowledge him and know him by name.

OTP: none? look, I rarely ship and even more rarely out of canon.

nOTP: also none? Shelob? The Ring?

random headcanon: I dunno...

unpopular opinion: boromir has dark hair Sean Bean is an actor he’s not the only face

So I feel like there’s a bit of a structural problem with the LotR fandom. Characters are often written in pairs or as foils, and inevitably the comparison starts to turn towards “who’s better?” Then, if you don’t ship them, there’s a tendency to aggrandize one character’s virtues and minimize their flaws (which tends to happen everywhere), but then the comparison game starts. Because they have a paired character, the natural next step is to lionize your favorite by de-emphasizing the other character’s strengths and virtues (and sometimes also highlighting their flaws). (I’m not immune to this by far, btw, and am possibly about to engage in it.)

This happen the most with Frodo and Sam, but I think you also see it in Boromir and Faramir. Because obviously, in the books, Faramir is the golden child. Not in his father’s eyes, of course, but narratively speaking. And I have mad respect for him.

Most people don’t try and diss Faramir (because frankly. it’s hard. like, what are you going to say?), but there’s a tendency to downplay the fact that Boromir is his culture’s golden child, and Faramir...isn’t. Which isn’t to say Faramir isn’t beloved by those who know him, but his strengths are not valued in the same way that Boromir’s are. Faramir knows this. And given Boromir’s attitudes discussed above (how confidently he assumes his position in the world), I can’t believe he’s the 100% supportive, loving, sensitive, protective brother that fanon depicts him as. I don’t see how he can be.

Don’t get me wrong, I do believe the brothers love each other deeply. But growing up with siblings has taught me that it’s possible to love someone and yet be deeply wounded by them due to the casual and inescapable intimacy of your relationship? You can share more inside jokes and weird stories than anyone, yet you can never get away from how deeply they know you--not your thoughts, but who you are at home and who you were when you were seven and how you acted when someone broke up with you or what you did when your parents were furious.

You also know exactly how you match up against them, because you will always exist as a unit. And because your relationship is as natural as the lens  in your eye (you can’t imagine viewing the world without it), you forget about the other as a person and just say something and don’t think about how it hurts them. You can joke about this one thing and your sibling can carry around the hurt for years and you didn’t even know. And maybe the hurt isn’t even your fault--maybe they were just sensitive and you had no way of knowing, but the hurt doesn’t go away for the lack of malice. And even best-friend siblings are capable of malice towards each other at times.

So Boromir is good at things that Faramir isn’t, and Boromir knows it. He’s probably ribbed his brother in what he thinks is a playful way about when you’re going to shape up, or do X, or do Y, or why do you do that, anyways, or do you realize that’s a little unbecoming? maybe you should stop that. You know Father’s going to think that you’re... And he doesn’t realize how those slights can add up over the years. I do think he’s said things to his peers about his brother that have ended up hurting him. No matter how pure and nice he is, that sort of thing is unavoidable, and due to his cultural upbringing I don’t actually think he’d question the appropriateness of his attitude/acceptance and glorification of martial prowess at the expense of those who don’t have it in the same degree.

I think this passage is really telling:

For on the eve of the sudden assault a dream came to my brother in a troubled sleep; and afterwards a like dream came oft to him again, and once to me. 'In that dream I thought the eastern sky grew dark and there was a growing thunder, but in the West a pale light lingered, and out of it I heard a voice, remote but clear, crying:          Seek for the Sword that was broken:          In Imladris it dwells;          There shall be counsels taken          Stronger than Morgul-spells.          There shall be shown a token          That Doom is near at hand,          For Isildur's Bane shall waken,          And the Halfling forth shall stand. Of these words we could understand little, and we spoke to our father, Denethor, Lord of Minas Tirith, wise in the lore of Gondor. This only would he say, that Imladris was of old the name among the Elves of a far northern dale, where Elrond the Halfelven dwelt, greatest of lore-masters. Therefore my brother, seeing how desperate was our need, was eager to heed  the  dream and seek for  Imladris; but since the way was full of doubt and danger, I took the journey upon myself. Loth was my father to  give  me leave, and long have I wandered by roads forgotten, seeking the house of Elrond, of which many had heard, but few knew where it lay.' 

There’s so much you can read into this. Faramir has this dream, and he has it many times. We know he’s a lover of lore and no less devoted to his kingdom than Boromir, though his love is expressed differently. He is “eager” to heed the dream. So would I if I was having prophecy dreams all the time.

But is Faramir a member of the fellowship? No. Why? Because Boromir “took it upon himself.” He wanted to do it, he thought himself the better candidate (and Faramir the worse), and he argued his way into doing it against his father’s wishes. Coupled with Denethor’s later attitude towards Boromir, I’m inclined to believe Boromir was uniquely able to obtain this quest for himself because Denethor has a soft spot for him.

I find myself inclined to disregard Boromir’s account of Faramir’s motive (”how desparate was our need”), because it sounds like he’s justifying the appropriateness of his actions.  If it’s just about the great need of the kingdom, it’s nothing personal that one brother goes and the other stays. That view implies  that Faramir’s interest in this mission is primarily utilitarian in purpose, with a little academic curiosity--that is, it’s nothing personal. Doesn’t matter who goes! Not as long as we protect the kingdom! Which...just doesn’t square with his description of Faramir having repeatedly cryptic dreams that he wants to understand. I can almost guarantee that Faramir wants to know what those dreams meant more than Boromir.

It’s a bit tragic, because ultimately Faramir was more suited for the quest than Boromir (tramping about in the wilderness doesn’t seem to be a problem, he’s also a team player, and he’s much more willing to accept the power of the Ring/not downplay its personal danger, and would be able to see it in a bigger picture beyond just Gondor). Ultimately, though, if Boromir was the one to catch Frodo in Ithillien, the story would have a veeeeeeery different ending. (Gollum would likely be dead, and I can’t imagine he’d be inclined to just. let Frodo and Sam go free.)

I kind of view their relationship as a much less antagonistic version of Agravain and Gwalchmai from Gillian Bradshaw. (Agravain is more of a jerk than I can ever imagine Boromir being, and has a wicked temper). 

Also none of this is to say that I don’t think he’s not protective of his brother.

So a lot of words to say: I don’t think the Boromir and Faramir relationship is as uwu cinnamon roll as it seems in fandom. I think they loved each other, but I think Boromir did have a tendency to take what he wanted when he thought he deserved it and not give it a second thought, even when it was at the expense of his brother. Sure, he’d defend his brother night and day, but I expect him to be a bit of a jerk, be unaware of the extent of his behavior, and also see little wrong with it (the ring quest seems to have crossed a line, by the way he justifies it).

Still, they do love each other deeply and genuinely. It’s just a little more conflicted.

song i associate with them: Requiem, from Dear Evan Hanson. Not a particularly creative association (and I don’t associate him with Connor at all), but his death comes as such a shock at the beginning of TTT and brings with it so many mixed feelings due to both their relationship and the circumstances of his death. Nobody’s mourning is straightforward: not Frodo, or Denethor, or Faramir, or Aragorn, or Merry, or Pippin. His absense is woven throughout TTT and even RotK, in plot and in emotion and in theme.

favorite picture of them:

Don’t really have a favorite, but this one is nice.

The Sean Bean runners-up: one, two

[fe-semi-decent-scenarios]

Heya if its ok could you do headcanons for slyvain, felix and Calude with an s/o that's constantly getting compared to there older siblings by they parents and they feel like there not good enough. Also I really like your work

{Hi! Sorry this took so long. It’s been a wild few weeks. thanks for the compliment and here ya go!}

Sylvain:

  I think Sylvain would be at a loss and that his reaction would heavily rely on how he’d learn of your insecurities. This is because sibling rivalry is not something uncommon among nobility 

 It tears families apart, literally. Just look at how things turned out between him and Miklan. Status and competition ripped his family to shreds 

He wants to be angry for you, but a part of him refuses. He basically feels as if he’s lost the right. It’s sad considering that his childhood wasn’t the greatest, but Sylvain feels that compared to the treatment Miklan received he got the better end of the bargain. He hates his crest, and how it pitted him against his brother. Yet he knows deep down that while Miklan was a jerk to him, the entire family treated his brother like garbage.

  Sylvain also knows that what happened with Miklan wasn’t his fault, and that nothing excuses how his elder brother treated him while they grew up. Yet...he doesn’t know what being on the short end of sibling comparison feels like. All his life he’s always been the one with the crest, the one to inherit the title, the one viewed as worthy, and while he hates the ‘crest privilege,’ Sylvain knows that life could have been different. Worse. 

He can’t have a heart-to-heart with his brother to talk it over either. Sylvain is aware he will never truly understand what Miklan was feeling. 

He doesn’t want that for you. Sylvain doesn’t want your fate to match his brother’s and depending on your relationship with them he might encourage you to reach out to your sibling. He is involved and actively trying to find a peaceful solution that will get you away from the negativity.

He’s there for you and sets aside his personal feelings on the topic to be a support pillar. This knowledge won’t avidly change how you two interact, but he does make it clear that you can always come to him when you’re feeling inadequate. You may feel many emotions, ones that he might not fully understand. Yet you will never be alone.

Felix:

 Your personal matters are not something Felix involves himself in often. He’s a firm believer of ‘privacy,’ and never pokes around in other peoples’ affairs. It’s unnecessary drama.

In other words: he views your relationship as two interlocked rings, sort of like a Venn diagram. You have your life, he has his, and whatever falls in the middle is what you two share.  

Except for serious issues. If you are ever in danger, suffering, frightened, anxious, ill, etc. he bypasses the rule of personal segregation and forces his way in. He has a protective streak that clouds his sense of judgement from time to time, so be prepared. His personal feelings might come across strong.

If it were a simple sibling squabble Felix would tell you to get over it, but if you confide in him whole heartedly the situation will escalate. He does not like seeing you broken. Not over something that could be avoided.

 You see, like Sylvain, this is a sore spot for Felix. His entire childhood he fought to break free from Glenn’s shadow and keep up with his friends. It left him emotionally tattooed with a failure complex, and his father’s behavior after Glenn’s death did not help. The difference is that it was himself doing the comparison, not his family. While Felix won’t openly say so, Rodrigue treated him with as much care as his brother. He was pushed to the best of his capabilities and the only one setting the expectations was himself.

He can’t comprehend why a parent would compare their children. To be so naive and insulting; he thinks they don’t deserve to have kids at all. Said thought filters into his solution to the problem.

He’s very direct with his involvement. If your family wants to behave like irresponsible twats then he will encourage you to separate from them. He’ll point out that family goes beyond blood, and that you don’t need negativity squandering your true potential. He’s certain that his father wouldn’t mind taking you in considering your relationship.

 (No, he’s not proposing. We all know that Rodrigue would bend over backwards if Felix actually reached out for a favor. And while it kills Felix on the inside to ask, you’re worth it)

I know, it’s irrational and not something one would expect from Felix. He’s not the type to go out of his way to help like this. If anything, people would assume that he’d push you to go make a life of your own or ignore your family and move on.

He does this because you’re the one in trouble, not anyone else. He wants you to focus on being your best self and knows bland words of encouragement won’t have anything beyond a temporary effect. Removing the source of the issue is the best solution and reaching out to his Father is a small price to pay for it.

Claude:

Claude handles the situation more from an observational standpoint in the beginning. He most likely can tell something is off with your home life long before you mention it. With the amount of time you both spend together he picked up on subtle hints easily. Shortly after your meeting he had also gathered information on your family, which sealed the deal.

Now he couldn’t just sit idly and watch you self-destruct. No, he needed to act somehow. Claude could never leave someone in such an unhealthy environment, let alone that person being his s/o. It’s just that family matters are a delicate situation that require as much tactical planning as the battlefield.

 He also is aware that information brokers can only tell him so much. Claude needs to hear the full story from you yourself, and to get that is much harder than it looks.

So, he waits. Eventually you’ll mention something that he can inquire further about. His pressing may upset you, possibly start an argument, but Claude knows it’s necessary. He doesn’t want you to feel as if he’s manipulating your every move, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Your mental health is no joke.

Claude will listen to you with full attention. No jokes, snide comments, interjections, etc. He just lets you pour everything out and absorbs it.

Then comes the contradictions. Anything negative you have to say about yourself will be shut down immediately. He knows that emotional scars like these cannot be healed with flattery, but that’s not what his goal is. His aim is temporary relief to stimulate critical questioning

He wants you to choose what to do next. Amidst the compliments he’ll ask questions like “‘why do you agree with them?” and “What do you want to do?”. Suddenly multiple resources are at your disposal and you have a smooth-talking golden boi ready to fly you off into the sunset. It’s all up to you. He just assures that no matter what your family says or does, you have the choice to move on and a herd of deer backing you up