#thankful for discernment

[babythegod]

[kkupttown]

team building exercise!

[mychemicalbrromance]

#1 like a prayer fan none of you understand (insane)

[rawliverandgoronspice]

Can you perhaps elaborate on the "Ganondorf should get to pummel Rauru"

As far as I'm recalling, we don't actually get that much of their issues in totk? We see leaders clashing, and then essentially Ganondorf kills Sonia and steals the secret stone, kicking off the imprisoning war. It's been a minute since I looked at the lore of totk (No Urbosa, so I'm nowhere near as invested as I am in botw) so I wouldn't be surprised if there's something big I missed, or even subtext I never picked up on

Sure! It's always very funny to me to receive the occasional ask like this, since I have been Renowned as a Rauru hater since release, but to briefly recap my perspective: I think Rauru was one self-conscious writing decision away from being the most compelling morally gray character in all of the Zelda canon, but unfortunately is heralded as being a near-perfect ruler (though even his imperfection is an extremely unclear and unexamined flaw that no character ever hold him accountable for --except for Ganondorf, and even what Ganondorf does call him out on is also unclear and also depends on translation because it wouldn't be a Zelda game otherwise) even though Rauru is mostly responsible, not only for his own problems, but also for everybody else's --including, crucially, Zelda's.

In a few words, he cannot be excused (like Zelda or Rhoam) by having to bear the weight of a kingdom for his poor decisions since, you know, he invented the damn thing (then of course maybe he would have to uphold the zonai legacy or something, and this is his motivation, but we don't know, since the game isn't interested in giving us this kind of information). His repeated invitations to the gerudos (and others but the gerudos are the only one not drinking the kool aid? which should be completely ok), being this new ruler of a brand new kingdom that didn't exist 5 minutes prior and yet feeling like he is somehow owed extreme levels of loyalty and devotion from everyone around him, being considered reasonable by the writing, is really baffling to me. Him dismissing Zelda's warnings (as tame as they are, which is just incomprehensible writing contrivences) even though he accepts that she does indeed come from the future, from a Hyrule ravaged by war, is crazy. Him running off to hunt and leave his priestess-wife in charge of the kingdom he founded on her lands while still speaking over her politically is.... sure a choice that was made in the writing. Him then choosing to warn Ganondorf that Link is a guy that exists and will kick his ass, is literally the reason why Link doesn't get the advantage and gets his arm destroyed. And then, in spite of all that, in spite of having the full picture, Rauru is vague and utterly unhelpful as a spirit while Link recovers, pondering that it's so sad that Constructs have to toil for all eternity for no purpose... :(

And like, yes Rauru, indeed Rauru, but maybe, just maybe, that should tell us something about how incredibly self-centered this goat-dragon-dude is --not realizing what he was imposing to his servants and people for his own leisure, in the name of his peace. I don't think he is evil, as in: he's not a cackling unsubtle and vapid caricature like Ganondorf is, but wow is this guy the most self-unaware and entitled character accidentally written in a game that fails to realize the absolute metric ton of red flags inserted in every single one of his scenes that I've... ever seen.

Again, if all of this was intentional, he would have been a masterful character. Maybe my favorite guy.

But the game destroying all other characters' interiority (and botw's worlbduilding) to tell this incredibly uncompelling tragedy about this super-cool perfect king and his series of completely avoidable failures... yeah, that really did not sit well with me at all.

Other posts about the topic that I've written previously:

A post about imperialism themes and aesthetics in TotK (I think it probably deserves an update with more specific historical examples)

A post about intent VS execution (especially re: good rulers and good kingdoms, and why this trope needs to be earned --contrasting TotK and EoW)

So yeah! Rauru. Weirdo guy. Compelling weirdo guy I think, but in a way the fandom really uhh disagrees with overall haha

[androdragynous]

I appreciate people adding alt text to images that don't have it by reblogging with a description below the image. that's great. love that you're picking up the slack. but if you are the original poster. and you are uploading an image and adding a description. please put it in the actual alt text of the image. you can put it in the actual alt text and also in a paragraph in the caption if you really want but please attach it to the image itself properly.

and this may not seem like a big deal to you if you can see. I get it. a description is a description. surely it must help people regardless of where it's placed.

and my response to that is how the fuck is someone who can't fucking see supposed to know that your long caption is alt text when they can't fucking see

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

This is not my beautiful cultivation partner.

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[harmonia-university]

The Fanart Weekend requests! :3

Tagging blogs under the cut:

@ask-pokecats @lightofunova @pokepalsarchive @office-pokemons @kevinns-quest @sinnohsiblings @ask-noonescity @ask-casteliabounce @poniquest @ask-amaryllis-academy @tailsluigi @askteamsunshine @ask-the-royal-absol @redolentgrove @ask-boreal @ask-serafinas-harem @ask-sarah-and-co @askbohemiancompany @mountainleafuniversity @ask-a-learning-ai @askparadoxtrainers @asktoastythearcanine @askpsychicarcanine @requiemofazorua

[bayetea]

I don't like when people completely dismiss leo's behavior towards and feelings about hazel in moa because acting like absolutely nothing was going on there is like saying that frank was insane and making up all of his concerns about it :/

I'm not saying that frank's (initial) attitude towards leo was justified because their beef was the most immature teenager thing ever but like ..... you gotta closely reread moa if you don't think that leo was even a little bit attracted to hazel because it's totally obvious to me to be honest. he puts his arm around her and his heart starts beating faster, he thinks "this sammy guy is lucky if hazel cares about him", he offers to use his fortune from nemesis in order to help her and then he's hurt when hazel turns him down because they barely know each other, he stares deep into her eyes and fixates on their gold color, he's specifically intrigued in entering her blackouts because it's a special thing that she's only done with frank.... you'd think that's a lot already but I can go on lol

hazel is the only new person on the ship who isn't hostile towards leo and she's nice and pretty and he's lonely so like it's really not hard to understand why a teenage boy would latch onto her quickly. not saying he was in love, leo repeatedly expressed that he's not sure what he feels towards her but that's just.... classic percy-esque obliviousness-towards-his-own-feelings if you ask me. it's just a little crush and it's not a big deal (except to frank. which was understandable)

and nonetheless leo never crossed the line with her either and once he found out about sammy he was like Ok that's weird. nvm and pretty quickly got over everything, especially after he met calypso. the whole drama was resolved in hoh and then everyone was cool with each other afterwards but the existence of his crush was a pretty big part of moa. now I have several issues with the whole love triangle drama that I've posted about before (controversial but I don't actually think it was unnecessary, messy teenage romance is a normal thing to depict in a kids book - tldr I think its resolution was boring and badly written and moa severely needed a frank pov. the frank/leo beef was funny tho) but I guess I just don't understand why leo's relationship with hazel is such a quickly dismissed part of his character. he was actually pretty mature in the way that he attempted to manage his feelings because he knew that hazel was with frank and that making a move on her would be wrong. I love leo so much and I thought the little crush was ultimately very endearing and human that's all

[daincrediblegg]

those little squiggly blue lines in my document? just seasoning. just flavor. don't worry about it auto-correct, I know what I'm doing baby

[artofkhaos404]

A tip for those still in highschool:

Don't spend the highlights of your highschool experience with people that will dampen those memories. Please select the people in your life carefully, more so than I did, so that you can look back on those memories and smile. Differentiate who stuck with you through the hard times, who values your honesty, who tells you what you need to hear rather than what you want to hear, who brings you closer to Christ, who is loyal to you no matter what, who never talks shit about you, who believes in self improvement, who sees how much you care and appreciates you for it, who has their priorities straight, who reminds you what you're worth even when you forget... and who is all talk.

Coming from someone who is deathly afraid of being alone, it is always better to be on your own than to be surrounded by liars and manipulators and fake "I love you"s.

Because you are who you hang out with. Everything you hate about them is what you will become. And even after you come to your senses, discover your worth and emerge from the waves of half truths you were trapped under, because of the time already spent with them, their stench will remain.

And it will drive you mad.

Pray for discernment, my friends. There are few wounds in life as painful as betrayal.

[idylls-of-the-divine-romance]

I want to die I want to die I want to die I want to die

[skyward-floored]

I feel like you’re in need of comfort, so here you go <3

Link watched the captain as he worked on washing clothes. It usually was something a lower ranking soldier would be tasked with, leaving Hyrule’s Hero with time to do other duties, but it seemed that the Hero of Warriors preferred the time alone.

Link usually wouldn’t bother him as a result, but he seemed… sad, for lack of a better word. And perhaps Link wasn’t the most helpful person, but he could at least keep him company.

Approaching the captain, Link settled on a rock beside him. The captain glanced up, blue eyes meeting red, and tilted his head to the side. “You good?”

Link raised an eyebrow. “Are you?”

“I’m fine,” his friend huffed.

“You can lie to the younger heroes, not to me,” Link replied perhaps a little too curtly. He was here to help, he reminded himself, trying to reel in his annoyance at the dismissal. “I’m not a fool.”

The captain sighed tiredly. “I didn’t say you were.”

“Then stop thinking I can’t see something’s wrong,” Link replied. “Do you want me to get Impa?”

“Wha—no!” The hero hastily stammered. “I—no. I don’ t need the general.”

Link squinted a little, analyzing him. “You two still aren’t on good terms, then?”

“We were never on bad terms,” the captain argued mildly. “Just…”

“I talked to her, you know,” Link interrupted as his friend trailed off, catching the other warrior’s attention. “About… things. About you. She… it seems anybody who bears her name struggles to really express themselves, I think. Must be a curse.”

The Hero of Warriors laughed a little, perhaps somewhat bitter sounding, but he still listened.

“Look, I’ll leave the actual explanation to her. It’s a conversation you two should have,” Link said carefully. “But all I’m saying is… she did what she thought was best for you.”

The captain quirked an eyebrow, somewhat unconvinced but not really willing to argue the point. A glimmer of hope was in his eyes, though, despite whatever skepticism was trying to fight it, and that was enough for Link.

Getting back to the point, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

His friend grew quiet, and Link threatened, “I will get Mask and Tune.”

The hero stiffened. “Don’t you dare. They’re already bad enough, but somehow you’ve managed to weaponize them more than I thought possible.”

Link almost laughed. He did seem to get along with the younger ones quite well. They were sweet. He tried to be a bit more respectful of the Hero of Winds, knowing that the kid was around the age he’d been when he’d passed his trials and had been trying to prove himself. But… he still seemed so young. And the Hero of Time… goddesses, Link thought he’d had some rough experiences. That kid won the prize for worst destiny ever. But he could at least make the little one smile and laugh.

“Then tell me what’s wrong,” he pressed.

The captain sighed, grumpily tossing his wet clothes back into the water. “It’s just… I don’t know. Sometimes everything weighs on you, you know? It seems… irresponsible, or perhaps insecure and immature to doubt. To doubt… everything. Everyone. I try to… oh, never mind.”

“You don’t think you’re the Hero everyone else believes you to be,” Link supplied quietly. The captain snapped his gaze to him, brow furrowing, and then shriveled into himself a little, the polar opposite of the usually proud and confident picture he painted for the world.

Link didn’t doubt the man’s confidence, really, or his desire to help. But he could see the telltale signs, how eagerness and courage spurred a soldier into a war before he was thrown into something far bigger than he expected to be.

It hit far too close to home, honestly.

Sighing, Link wrung his hands before playing with his tunic nervously. Then he said, “You… are the Hero that the goddesses need you to be. Nothing less, and nothing more. Focus on defeating whatever new evil arises, and you’ll be fine. We’ll defeat that hag soon enough.”

“I almost got myself killed,” the captain muttered.

Link knew that. They’d all helped get the Hero out of the predicament he’d run into, the shadowy versions of himself nearly overwhelming him. It had been fairly disturbing. And he was pretty certain General Impa had chewed him out afterwards… while also being terrified for him.

“I’ve made plenty of mistakes in war,” Link said, trying to be helpful. “If the army expects you to be perfect, the army is stupid.”

That elicited a bark of surprised laughter from his friend. Link felt his own heart speed up a bit at it, at seeing him smile and at the fact tha he’d said something so blunt and rude.

Perhaps he was tired too.

“Sometimes… nothing ever seems enough, you know?” Link said slowly, parsing out the thoughts in his head. “But… you… have to be better than that.”

Be better than me.

“Be better?” The Hero of Warriors questioned.

Link fumbled a little. He himself didn’t even know what he was saying anymore. “I just… don’t want you to… it does you no good. To… to compare yourself to what others might expect or think of you. Just… figure things out yourself. Please?”

This was probably horrible advice. He was giving horrible advice. He was about to backtrack entirely and leave when the captain smiled a little, looking off at the sunset. “Yeah. I get what you’re saying.”

Oh. Well. Great. Because Link didn’t. But if someone could be better off than his own stupid self, he’d take it. Especially for his friend.

The captain bumped him playfully with his elbow. “When was the last time you washed up, anyway? You look like a wreck.”

Link’s cheeks flushed. “I’m not a child.”

“But I think I’m still older than you.”

“You don’t know that! What difference does that make?”

“I’m in charge.”

“No, you’re n—”

“I’ll get Impa involved.”

“Don’t you dare!”

The Hero of Warriors laughed as he nearly tackled his brother-in-arms, splashing soapy water in his face.

<3 <3 <3

Skye you didn't have to write something for me I'm just being a grouch 😭😭😭

augh I love these two. I love how Power keeps threatening to get Impa over here (he talked to her?? ooh??) also how miserable they both are with talking about feelings lol 🤣 and then they're both silly at the end hbngbhgbhgb I really like this <3333

[everymanpdf]

moodboard for i spoke with a priest finally and it really really helped me and a massive weight has been lifted and im way less scared. featuring nick caves introduction to the gospel of mark

[stareyeddistinguishment]

Finally read chapter 12 and left a comment, but I’m still thinking about it so I had to come here and leave an ask. I adored this latest chapter. It was both light-hearted and emotionally deep. I really enjoyed reading it and cannot wait for more!! I’m all hyped to read more. Think I’ll be doing a re-read of the entirety of The Sins of the Father actually.

@bixlasagna - I'm glad you liked it! I had a lot of fun writing about Lucifer annoying the Scout. The Scout is such a fun character to write. I'm looking forward to when Adam gets to meet the Scout portion of Michael's personality...

That's great to hear you're doing a re-read 🥰

[an-ivy-covered-summer]

my theory: Rizzo either goes back to the Yanks at a lower price (worst option), goes back to the Cubs for retirement (best option obvs), or goes to the Marlins so he can go to his beloved hometown team to retire (eh ok)

i’ve actually been discussing this with my sister, so i’m glad you’re chiming in! adding my thoughts now:

we’re certainly trying to put the yankees option six feet under the ground because ewww. big ew. nope. and they have a rookie 1B, which, good for them or whatever. but please no, don’t let him ever go back. please. NO.

we would LOVE for him to go back to the cubs, but we don’t think such a good thing can happen to us lol that would be amazing though and i’m begging jed hoyer to prove me wrong and get rizzo back! best option for sure.

and we actually talked about the marlins as well! and we would actually like that option lmao he’s a miami fan at heart, after all, and it would be kinda sweet in an unexpected way. also, fully selfish, the marlins would come play two series here and those tickets are always cheap LOL

aaaand lastly, i have to say it although i hope this is not the outcome, but my sister is inclined to believe that he might just retire in the offseason. i hope not tho!

[sassyandclassy94]

PSA to new Christians

If you ever see anyone who CLAIMS (yes, claims) to be Christian but is living a lifestyle or promoting anything that goes against what the Bible says, and says things like: “But THIS book says ____” RUN THE OTHER WAY. They are not true Christians, they are false teachers. RUN. 2 Peter is very clear on the dangers of and how to recognize them.