#that it doesn’t MATTER how its defined what shape it takes

[void-tiger]

…pleasepleaseplease believe me that I want only what you can freely give, that I can wait instead if you need me to until you feel like you can give unrestrained.

I just want to be allowed to stay.

[wheatbreadfuckyeah]

It's you in the reflection, not him. [Viktor x Reader]

Dont let the title fool you because it's just a vent story, lamdhownwbsbxj. Remember- it's okay to be self-indulgent once in a while

–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—

I sit on Viktor's desk, my legs casually propped up on my usual chair, absentmindedly gazing into the small mirror he keeps tucked among his tools. My reflection stares back, and I let out a frustrated sigh. "Ugh! I look like my dad."

The sound of my voice breaks through the soft hum of his work. Viktor’s head lifts slightly, his golden eyes flicking toward me with quiet curiosity. “An odd lament,” he remarks, setting down a small tool. “Why does this trouble you?”

I hesitate, biting my lip before responding. “Because… I don’t like him.” My voice wavers, frustration and something deeper seeping through. “He was barely in my life, and when people say I look like him, it’s never a compliment. Everyone says he’s ugly, and then they just… casually mention how much I resemble him.”

The bitterness in my tone hangs in the air as I glance back at my reflection, my chest tightening. I whine softly, as if the words themselves could alleviate the weight pressing on me.

Viktor watches me in silence, his gaze steady but unreadable. When I finally meet his eyes, I catch something in his expression—thoughtfulness, perhaps, or a flicker of understanding.

“You frown at your reflection,” he says, his voice calm but deliberate, “not because of what you see, but because of what it reminds you of. A face, no matter how similar, does not define you.”

I furrow my brows, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. “Easy for you to say. You’re…” I gesture vaguely at him, my words tumbling out before I can stop them. “You’re you. Plus—you’re attractive.”

That catches him off guard. Viktor blinks, the faintest hint of color rising to his cheeks, though he quickly schools his expression. “Attractive, you say?” His tone is mild, teasing, but there’s a softness in his eyes that wasn’t there before.

I groan, covering my face with my hands. “Don’t make it weird. You know what I mean.”

His lips twitch in an almost-smile, but he doesn’t press the matter. “You overestimate the comfort I take in my own appearance,” he says quietly. “It is not without its flaws.” He taps the edge of his desk lightly, his voice growing more thoughtful. “Yet I find myself less concerned with the surface. Your likeness to him—whether striking or faint—is incidental. You are not him, nor his mistakes.”

I look away, swallowing hard. His words are kind, yet they stir something uneasy in me. “It’s not just about him,” I murmur. “It’s what people think when they look at me. Like I’m… carrying a piece of him everywhere I go, even when I don’t want to.”

He leans forward slightly, resting his elbow on the desk as he studies me. “And yet, you are more than their opinions. More than their comparisons. Do you believe your reflection encapsulates all you are?”

“I…” I trail off, unsure how to respond.

Viktor offers a rare softness in his expression, a flicker of empathy that feels grounding amidst the storm of my thoughts. “Perhaps it is not your father’s image you fear, but the thought that his absence defined you. That it shaped the way you see yourself. You are not beholden to that.”

I blink, his words sinking in slowly, uncomfortably, but not unwelcome. “You make it sound so simple.”

“Simple? No,” he replies, leaning back and picking up his tools again. “But necessary. Complexity often lies in accepting what cannot be changed.”

I glance at the mirror one last time, my reflection no less familiar, but his words linger like a small, steady light in the back of my mind.

[divinationsanctuary19]

What do you need to know right now? PICK A CARD🌺

Are you ready? 1...2...3...

Choose what resonates the most!

🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

1. The world

Life goes on, you are not missing out. Life has its ups and downs, and sometimes it feels like you're missing out on things others are experiencing. But the truth is, you're exactly where you need to be right now. Every moment, every decision shapes your unique path. Life goes on, and it’s not a race. What’s meant for you will come, and the experiences you have along the way are just as valuable as any others. Trust your journey, and remember that you are not behind. You're right on time for your own life.

2. Wheel of fortune

Life changes can be challenging, but they also open doors to growth and new opportunities. Even when things feel uncertain, remember that change is a natural part of life’s journey. It pushes you out of your comfort zone and helps you discover new strengths. Embrace the changes, knowing that each step is taking you closer to where you're meant to be. Trust that you have the resilience and ability to adapt and thrive. Every change is a chance for a fresh start.

3. The tower

I know things are really tough right now, and it feels overwhelming, but remember this: you are stronger than you think. You’ve faced challenges before, and you’ve come through them, and you will get through this too. It’s okay to take things one step at a time and to lean on others when you need to. This moment doesn’t define you—it’s just one chapter in a much bigger story. Keep going, even if it’s slow. Brighter days are ahead, and you’ve got everything it takes to make it through.

4. The magician

You have everything within you to achieve your goals. It may not always feel easy, but every step you take, no matter how small, is progress toward what you want. Your dedication, talents, and resilience are powerful tools that will help you overcome any obstacles. Remember, the journey toward your goals is just as important as reaching them, and you are capable of growing and adapting along the way. Stay focused, believe in yourself, and trust that you have what it takes to turn your dreams into reality.

🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

If you need a private reading, I offer paid readings, for info check this out!

[galaxy-ficsa]

LET’S GO WORLDBUILDING!!

The Magic System

The lore I’ve crafted & certain are heavily inspired by Undertale & some of it’s AUs. Familiarity with the subject matter is recommended, but not required. ANYWAYS Enjoy the read!! :)

What Are Souls?

A Soul is composed of an individual's essence housed in a physical shell! If someone (or something) is sentient, it has one!

Souls take the rough shape of a heart, pointing upright or downward, depends on the species.

When a Soul shatters, its essence, the magic inside, is released into the surrounding atmosphere. Just as there is moisture in the air, same applies to magic.

Soul Magic & Attributes

Those in-tune with their own Souls can tap into magic! The more someone relies on Soul magic, they stand less of a chance of surviving without their Soul.

HOWEVER, stronger Soul magic makes a Soul last longer after it’s host dies. Pros & Cons!

Outer magic ISN’T from a Soul (ex: enchanted artifacts/clothing) & will always harm the body. Effects are unpredictable, can damage a limb, senses, or even an organ.

Soul magic doesn’t have this side-effect, but takes significant time to master.

Soul attributes reflect what a host expresses with their Soul magic. All Souls start grey before gaining color. DOES NOT define a person with one word!!

Standard Undertale Soul colors apply as Soul attributes, only expanded to include more shades & hues.

No two people express the same Soul attribute the same way, & a Soul can have (at most) two Soul attributes at a time.

Hate is a Soul enhancer, further increasing Soul magic power as their host becomes spiteful & psychotic. Hate’s appearance depends on how the host perceives it. Hate hosts have their sclera, blood, & bruises turn black.

Sensitivity opposes Hate (NOT a counter.) Inherited after a traumatic incident, their host is more emotionally-susceptible & responds to triggers. Can represent anxiety, PTSD, other mental health problems.

Sensitivity can become Hate if the host self-deprecates. Both are NOT Soul attributes, merely add-ons.

As long as there’s reasoning for a Soul-wielder to wield the magic they do, go nuts! However, Soul magic doesn’t come easy, not without a cost…

So I Have a Soul, Now What?

Soul magic can be harvested & made physical with the right tools or spells. Similar to a machine that collects moisture from the air & renew it into water. This is how enchanted artifacts & clothing are made.

If Soul essence is meshed into a new body, it will gain their memories. Soul “copies” may not carry over every aspect, such as their personality, especially if their previous life wasn’t a happy one.

Soul spells are dangerous practices that can grant a variety of effects “efficiently” (ex: sudden Soul attribute inversion, swapping Soul magic, reviving the dead with your owl Soul.)

Soul surgeries recreate Soul spells with “safer technology” - but good luck affording them!

[skyrimfuckery]

Working on my Squire’s Plate redo is partly an exercise of looking back and seeing how I’ve progressed. I finished the gauntlets today, and I’d like to take the opportunity to compare the textures for the inside of the glove for all the gloves I’ve textured so far. The reason I chose this area is because it’s easy to ignore during gameplay and barely gets shown during screenshots, yet it has the potential for the most personality as it’s literally the palm of the hand. Furthermore, this has been an area that I have always needed to texture, no matter the design of the glove. It allows for a good 1:1 comparison between things.

Starting off with the Blackened Steel Vambrace, I must say the leather texture has nice folds and creases showing off personality. It is very rough around the edges, and could use more detail in the color maps and more nuanced creases in the finger areas. The seam work is done quite messily, too. At the time I was set out on creating a good leather material both up close and at a distance, and not so much on creating a leather glove. I can tell you right now that my current work, which I will show last, still does not meet my imagination’s standards.

Moving up, the leather on the Evermorin Gauntlet is downright disappointing. I put in very little effort in the palm texture and only added the bare minimum: the cushioning but at the base of all fingers is accentuated, that’s all. There aren’t even any creases worth mentioning in the fingers. That’s not to say this gauntlet sucks, because if you flip it over you’ll find something I’m proud of to this day. This texture work perfectly illustrates my earlier point of the palm being easily missed, meaning shoddy texture work goes unnoticed.

My first venture into Substance Painter was with the Lorisian Glove. You’ll see that t he seams are way cleaner and not as squiggly as the previous two gloves. I went in the right direction by adding yellowish highlights to the top of the creases to simulate natural wear. Too bad it’s not enough and the palm is not exactly convincing. The thumb, however, looks fucking nice though. Note the lack of detail around the fingers, once again.

Then we have the Dragonstar Gauntlet. The leather was supposed to be a rough suede esque thing, which means it starts to look crusty really fast. The creases, however, are done pretty nicely. There is defined geometry, with major and minor details. Note the shaping around the base of the fingers, which is cleaner than the previous work. Apart from some deformed stitching, I’d say this is a pretty okay texture. This work builds upon my previous stuff because it uses both larger and smaller creases. None are hand-drawn, all are the result of a rotated overlay and clever masking. All in all, it doesn’t come across as convincing leather.

The Dark Witch Gauntlet technically isn’t leather. But a palm’s a palm. The fingers are very detailed and got a splendid 3d-look to them. The palm, however, is relatively barren. That’s because fabric doesn’t leave crease marks with use like leather does, but I could have added a few here and there because the thing is being used, and it would make it look less like shrink wrapped latex. The few creases that are there are subtle because they are supposed to convey the pulling of fabric close to the seams. Overall, I paid a lot of attention to actually painting the shape of a hand in this one, which you can see around the thumb webbing and the base of the fingers.

Closing up, we have the palm of the Squire’s Plate. The redo. This is the first gauntlet I textured using a high poly bake. I sculpted all the finger details in blender and transferred them to the lowpoly. The thumb has creases running perpendicular to its axis. The details that I’ve added to other gloves are here, with a few more. What this workflow allowed me to do, though, is to add worn areas based on the sculpt data. So you’ll see that the top of the creases are lighter and their bottoms are darker. One thing to note is that I underestimated the normal strength resulting the baking process, because areas like the base of the fingers are not as defined as I’d like.

The workflow that I used for my most recent project, the Squire’s Plate redo, has allowed me to produce the most lively glove out of them all. Yet I must say that the dragonstar glove has the most intricate details, with creases everywhere running in directions that make sense. The Lorisian glove was made with a good mindset, I just lacked skill and experience. My first glove, the Blackened Steel Vambrace, remains a great work for the time. For a while it was head and shoulders above my other leather work.

This post was for showing you my journey thus far, and for me to learn from my older successes and mistakes. I’ll definitely go back to the Squire’s gauntlet for a little bit to add some more juicy creases because I still have the project files so it’s literally no big deal.

Included are also some pics of the Gauntlet as it looks like right now!

[puppycheesecake]

Let’s make a Sim!

I thought it’d be fun to do a quick step-by-step rundown of how I make Sims. Long post, so I’ll put everything under the cut:

Step 1. Start with a base.

I keep a set of blank base Sims in my gallery to start with, so I don’t have to waste time removing clothes/accessories/hair/etc. These one’s were originally premades (the ones that pop up when you first open CAS), but it really doesn’t matter what they look like because we’ll be changing everything about them in a second.

Step 2. Randomize!

First let’s untick everything but the “face” and “skin tone” boxes for the randomization options. (The whole point of starting off with a base Sim was so we wouldn’t have to bother removing stuff.)

And...randomize!

I use Zerbu’s More CAS Presets mod to add a bunch of additional presets, so randomizing will generally give me something different every time. (I also have a ton of custom presets, but linking them individually would take 100 years, so we’ll skip that.)

Perfect! We’ll use this as a base to work with.

I actually like her underlying structure, so instead of choosing new face presets we’ll just work with what we already have.

Step 3. Adjust, adjust, adjust.

Let’s start making some adjustments. We’ll pull the ears out so they don’t lay so flat against her head, and lengthen her face a bit. I find that Sims tend to have kind of round face shapes with small jaws/chins, and I prefer them to be a little longer and more defined, so that’s usually the first thing I do. (Obviously you’ll tailor your Sims to your personal tastes, though.)

We’ll make some small adjustments to her jaw, cheeks, nose, lips, and chin. I prefer bigger noses on Sims, so I usually drag them down/out a bit. I also like sharper and more “severe” bone structure vs. soft and round, so I like to add extra definition.

Next we’ll add CC eyebrows (@ikari-sims‘s Jenna brows) and adjust the brow line a bit... (I’m a big fan of distinctive brows, so I tend to make them thicker/wider.)

Change the eye color (I’m using @missrubybird‘s Aqua Trigger eyes here), make a few more small facial tweaks...

Aaand there we are! I’m happy with her facial structure, so now we’ll move on to...

Step 4. Body.

I prefer custom body presets to the ones that come with the game, so we’ll use one of @obscurus-sims‘s female body presets and adjust it a bit (widen the shoulders and neck, make arms a bit thicker).

Step 5. Add body blush.

The first detail I add is always tattoo body blush. It’s a small difference, but that little bit of color is a must for me. I’m using a mix of @simandy‘s Torrada Blush and @obscurus-sims‘s Body Blush. (I think I use these two on every Sim I make.)

Step 6. Skin detail time!

Skin details do most of the heavy lifting. We’ll start with a skinblend (@obscurus-sims‘s N15 Overlay):

Then we’ll add some of @okruee‘s Misc. Face Details and one of @sammi-xox‘s Eye Masks.

Then @mmsims‘s Eyelashes V7 + @mintvalentine‘s Lash Filler, @nesurii‘s Little Details, @pyxiidis‘s Miscellany Pt.2 Nosemask, and @miikocc‘s Face-kit No.1.

Fabulous. Officially done with details!

Step 7. Hair.

Next up is adding hair + a hairline. I’m really loving @daylifesims‘s Gretchen hair right now, and we’ll pair it with @pixelore‘s Organic hairline.

Step 8. Makeup.

Optional, of course. I’m using @pralinesims‘s Lioness Eyeliner, @grimcookies‘s August Eyeshadow, @thepeachyfaerie‘s Eraser Lipstick, and @crypticsim​‘s Cloud Blush.

Step 9. Clothes & accessories.

Now let’s dress her up! We’ll go with @its-adrienpastel​‘s Saviour Dress, @solistair​‘s Calf Boots, @aharris00britney​‘s Beret, @kumikya​‘s Pearl Necklace, and @caio-cc​‘s Naomi Earrings.

And there she is! I think she turned out super cute.

Before and after:

** Here’s a list of all the custom sliders used (warning: it’s a lot):

Chin/profile

Shoulders

Chin

Eyebrow 01 / Eyebrow 02

Eyebrow N1

Pouty Lips

Lips N3 & N4

Nose N2

Eyelids N1

Eye Slider 07

Cheek Slider 12

Nose Width

Mouth Scale

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

Would you mind sharing what you found unsatisfying about iwtv's take on memory?

I mean I’m a huge AMC Interview With The Vampire hater, I think it’s poorly paced, poorly written (the misogyny…), has zero real thematic coherence, and actively works to dupe its audience into respecting it with like a string of soapy surface level entertaining stuff happening and dressing it all up to sound much smarter than it is. I will be seated for season three

But my plethora of issues with the show notwithstanding, focusing on the memory thing, I feel it is employed most often to strip Louis of agency and sideline him in his own narrative. On top of that, I feel like it just doesn’t really go anywhere.

IWTV is about collecting the closest to objective record of events as possible. As the series progresses, it becomes clear that this is the way Louis is trying to take some agency back for himself against Armand. This could be really poignant and interesting, but in practice it turns more into a narrative game of team Lestat vs team Armand with Louis himself as collateral— which is strongly exacerbated by how Daniel (and other characters) mock him for being in abusive relationships.

A standout example of this is from season one, when it comes to Louis’ involvement in Lestat’s death, and how his misremembering is treated like a gotcha.

In the book, Louis chooses not to involve himself, which is why Claudia is forced to carry it out herself. Once Louis does learn, he has the choice to save Lestat or side with Claudia. So when he grudgingly sides with Claudia, the entire plot is shaped by it. At a surface level, Louis reads like a rather passive character, but he has a lot of narrative agency. Nothing would turn out the way it does without his choices, even if that choice is frequently one of inaction, or simply an internal, emotional one.

In the show he’s nominally very involved in Lestat’s death, but we keep being told he doesn’t have the stomach for it. That he’s too weak to go through with it and not idk drown in Lestat or whatever— which again, is something the narrative framing belittles. Then it’s revealed that Claudia hid the real plan from him and poisoned Lestat separately. She was the only architect of his death all along because she knew Louis could not be trusted.

Then the misremembering comes in: Louis supposedly delivers the final killing blow— but suddenly it is uncovered that he was actually letting the poison drain out of Lestat’s body. And that he actually refused to burn the corpse to give him a chance to recover. This information isn’t actually centered on Louis and his feelings though, Daniel has to be there to call bullshit on Louis’ (implicitly Armand’s) version of events. And then season two even goes so far to confirm that Lestat couldn’t have died by fire anyway, because he has the blood of Akasha. Saving him from the incinerator didn’t even change anything!

So Louis was only superficially more enmeshed in the events shaping the plot, to then be separated from it entirely. Meanwhile there’s very little narrative interest in what it actually means to him, to have believed and felt a certain way about a very pivotal moment in his history, and to have had that entirely upended. Louis’ experiences and interiority, what he is going through beyond searching for a narratively defined as impossible objective truth, don’t actually matter to the narrative.

Another example is how the show frames Louis’ recollection of the physical violence in his relationship with Lestat. In season one we get to see this really OTT physical abuse (side note: I do get the sense that the show can’t really grasp abuse that isn’t so in-your-face. There’s a supposed dichotomy next to Armand’s memory wiping and manipulation but even that is taken to such an unnuanced extreme.)

It’s really gruesome, and the show seems to really enjoy showing Louis as physically fucked up as possible every chance it gets. Then season two has Louis unearth forgotten memories about how the fight actually began because Louis attacked first. How he was the aggressor all along and Lestat never even wanted to fight.

First of all, I just loathe that framing, that actually Louis just imagined being abused— even if it’s because Armand put those memories in his mind. But also the take away is that… Lestat’s not that bad actually? I guess? Especially paired with the reveal that he actually saved Louis (but … chose to let Claudia die… but we don’t care about this I guess…)

Louis remembering things incorrectly is mostly just a vehicle for a plot twist, and also often a means to just undermine him. That’s not a cogent theme! That’s not memory being a monster.

Like where is the exploration of there being nothing left of Claudia but what Louis, and her killers, remembers of her? Nowhere because the show hates her and all women. Where is any sort of conclusion about what Daniel may or may not remember after S2 Ep5? There was room for really interesting shifts in dynamic and perspective after that… where is it? They basically return to the status quo the very next episode.

What does “memory is a monster” even fucking mean in this show? Is it that it is consuming? That these characters cannot escape their pasts that have defined them? Is it that they can never be certain of their memories, even though that is really the only lens through which they can contextualize the world/their relationships/their lives beyond it?

They don’t go anywhere with any of their choices! It drives me insane! Instead they just keep repeating a single goddamn line because it sounds smart and people go nuts for it because idk vampire yaoi. It pisses me off!

[therapeutic007]

Living with AVPD: You Deserve Kindness and Connection 💛✨

Hey there, If you’re navigating life with Avoidant Personality Disorder (AVPD), I see you. It’s not easy feeling like you’re constantly walking on eggshells around relationships, doubting your worth, or bracing yourself for rejection. But let me tell you something: You’re not alone, and you are worthy of connection. 💕

Here’s a little guide to help you feel seen and offer some gentle steps toward healing:

1. Self-Compassion is Your Superpower 🌟

I know it feels hard to love yourself when your inner critic is shouting louder than kindness, but you don’t need to go from zero to self-love overnight. Start with self-neutrality:

Instead of “I’m worthless,” try “I’m struggling, and that’s okay.”

Replace judgment with curiosity: “What made me feel this way today?”

���� Hack: Write down one thing you did well each day. Even if it’s something small, like getting out of bed or sending a text.

2. Break Down Connection into Tiny Steps 🪜

AVPD can make socializing feel overwhelming, but connection doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing.

Start small: Smile at someone during your day, or leave a comment on a post.

Pick low-pressure spaces: Online communities can feel less intense than in-person interactions.

💡 Hack: Practice saying “thank you” when someone gives you a compliment instead of brushing it off. Accepting kindness is a muscle you can build!

3. Rejection ≠ Failure 🚧

This is a tough one, I know. But here’s the truth: rejection doesn’t mean you’re unworthy. It means you were brave enough to try.

If something doesn’t go as planned, remind yourself: “This doesn’t define me. It’s just one moment in time.”

Learn to see boundaries as mutual: Not everyone is your person, and that’s okay.

💡 Hack: Keep a "bounce-back" journal where you write down times you overcame difficult moments. You'll see how resilient you truly are.

4. Take Care of Your Nervous System 🧘‍♀️

Living with AVPD can feel like your body is constantly on high alert. Here are some soothing strategies:

Try deep breathing (inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 6).

Practice grounding exercises, like holding an object and describing its texture, color, and shape.

💡 Hack: Create a “safe playlist” with calming music or nature sounds to help you reset when anxiety spikes.

5. Celebrate the Wins, No Matter How Small 🎉

Every step forward—no matter how tiny—is a victory. Did you text someone back? Show up for an appointment? Say no when you needed to? That’s amazing.

💡 Hack: Create a “win jar” where you write down small victories on slips of paper and revisit them when self-doubt creeps in.

You Are Not Your Disorder 💛

AVPD doesn’t define you—it’s just one part of your journey. You are so much more than your fears and struggles. You’re someone with hopes, dreams, and endless potential to grow.

Remember, healing isn’t about being perfect. It’s about learning to meet yourself where you are, with patience and love. You’ve got this.

Sending all the warmth and good vibes your way, 💛 Therapeutic ______ A Must Have Workbook for Overcoming AVPD !

[thelastunicornflipouts]

EDIT: thanks for the likes, comments, and reblogs! I am planning on doing an analysis on each of Schmendrick’s spinoff novelettes, since every single one of them adds layers to his character. I have a huge soft spot for movie-Schmendrick - he is the cutest patatino ever - but unfortunately he lacks most of the depth book-Schmendrick has.

“The Green-Eyed Boy” analysis. Was Schmendrick a neglected child?

Though it’s – maybe - not one of Peter Beagle’s masterpieces, I still think “The Green-Eyed Boy” does a perfect job in its shortness (it’s not even 20 pages long) in portraying Schmendrick’s character and in explaining his behaviour not only in the short novel itself, but also in the other works that feature Schmendrick, being them the ones that predate it (like “The Last Unicorn”) or subsequent ones.

“The Green-Eyed Boy” is a short story about Schmendrick’s apprenticeship with Nikos, the narrating voice of the novelette, and it opens the short tales’ collection “The Overneath,” which includes another Schmendrick’ story, “Schmendrick Alone.” Even though the latter it’s another interesting portray of the magician, “The Green-Eyed Boy” seems to be much more poignant when it comes to explain where Schmendrick comes from and why he acts the way he does.

GREEN EYES

Despite most people would remember Schmendrick’s movie-version, where he has light teal eyes - most possibly due to the overall blue palette of the movie, which would have made the colour green too much of a distraction, but at the same time his clear eyes make a nice contrast with the overall dark tone of the movie – he is described in the book version as having bright, almond-shaped green eyes. It is those green eyes that are his most defining characteristic (rather than his large nose, which it is still mentioned in the novelette but it’s not as notable as in the movie), hence the title itself. But, even though they immediately catch Nikos’ attention and are what ultimately make him decide to take Schmendrick as an apprentice, they seem to be more as a stigma than else, as Nikos mentions: “I don’t know where he got them” … “but no one in his family ever had eyes like those.” Immediately, Schmendrick is presented as separate from his family. His most striking feature is what cuts him off from them, doesn’t matter where the eyes come from. He is different, visibly different, and he is treated as such.

SCHMENDRICK’S PARENTS

What follows next it’s Nikos meeting with Schmendrick. Or, more precisely, Nikos interacting with the boy’s father while the latter gets abandoned at his place. Schmendrick’s father is immediately presented as a rough man, obsessed with his work to the point that he could only measure his kids’ worth with how much they could help with the cooperage. He never directly addresses Schmendrik – except for when he leaves, where he simply gives him a slap on the head and tells him to work hard – and he is always dismissive, when not downright emotionally abusive, calling Schmendrick – who, let’s not forget, is twelve years old in the novel – “useless”, commenting how he cannot help with any of the family's trade, his uncles' included. He does not allow Schmendrick to talk on his own, not even when the boy has to tell his name, and argues with Nikos when he does not accept any fee, in fear that the wizard would send the boy back home.

There’s plenty of information – if indirect – about Schmendrick’s mother as well. She is never seen, only mentioned. In “The Last Unicorn” it is played for laughs, when a very drunk Schmendrick interrupts the head of a cursed village to comment how his mother never liked him. Here it seems clear that his mother has put a lot of expectations on him since his birth, giving him a high-sounding name (“… which was the name of an ancient hero, best remembered for slaying a many-headed sea monster, but dying himself in the battle.”), a name his father immediately objects on, commenting on how it was his wife insisting on giving the baby boy such name. Yet, she is nowhere to be seen, even though Schmendrick’s father comments that she “sends love.” She will never visit Schmendrick, as if he is something she wishes to forget, a boy she put many expectations on which he then failed to comply. I would not be surprised if she is the one who has begun to call the child Schmendrick, a name the boy is so used to that he would not answer any other, as he himself admits, bitterly aware of the meaning and implications of such nickname.

NEGLECT

Schmendrick, as already said, seems bitterly and acutely aware of his nickname, to the point that he can give Nikos a way too much accurate definition of it (“The boy who is sent to do a man’s job” … “The person utterly out of his depth, far beyond his pitiful capacities.”). Nikos himself is shaken both by the name itself and Schmendrick’s self-contempt. There is another one key element, though. This is the first time Schmendrick speaks. And he speaks clearly, with a pretty articulate vocabulary for a boy his age. Until now he has kept quiet, staring in front of himself, apparently even unable to tell his own name without his father’s intervention. It might sound counterintuitive until you realize that Schmendrick is simply doing what most neglected and emotionally abused children do to keep safe: he is trying to avoid to attract attention on himself. Until his father speaks, Schmendrick keeps quiet, staring at nothing, and acts anxious when he is addressed with a question, even if said question is as simple as “What are you called, boy?” He knows far too well – and Nikos notices too – that if he attracts attention, he will get insulted or dismissed as a fool, so he prefers to stay silent. More painfully, he keeps quiet until his father leaves. Only then he speaks freely, in front of a stranger – a potentially scary stranger, being Nikos a wizard.

Immediately after, Nikos comments that all he has done for Schmendrick for the first days was feeding him, musing that maybe his parents had not given him enough food. Schmendrick, still in Nikos’ words, seems to be overly focused on food for a while, something that it’s hinted even later in the story as one thing that might stop Schmendrick from leaving after he has caused a mess with magic (“Go, put your things away and see what’s left of yesterday’s potato stew.”). Given that Schmendrick’s dad seems to be pretty obsessed over work and that Schmendrick’s two (or three, since “Schmendrick Alone” mentions three brothers, but it might be just a mistake since the story is a few years following “The Green-Eyed Boy”) older brothers are said to be trained to take over the cooperage, it is perfectly plausible that Schmendrick, being seen as the most “useless” and expendable child, is given less food, to the point that, at twelve, Nikos is even convinced that the boy has been starved and it is canon that also adult Schmendrick has a very thin frame. Might it be a consequence from childhood, when he was so used to be hungry that he is not bothered by feeling it? In “The Woman Who Married The Man In The Moon” – which is by far the darkest among Schmendrick’s short stories – he is about to refuse Sairey’s invite to dinner, before he accepts and comments: “Many thanks. I sometimes forget that I am hungry.” This might be a clue that Schmendrick is used to hunger pains, both because of his vagrant lifestyle and his childhood.

SCHMENDRICK’S APPRENTICESHIP

Aside from mourning on Schmendrick’s difficulties and mistakes, Nikos is extremely adamant that his student was a hardworking, smart, and mindful one. Schmendrick studies an awful lot and practices incessantly, giving the reader a much different portrait of him from the one anticipated by his father. The boy is far from stupid, and he seems to be – even though Nikos never says it directly, only hinting it through sentences that inform the reader that he had let Schmendrick the run of his private library, or that Schmendrick was an extremely attentive student who not only understood but also could elaborate the lessons – the best student the old wizard has ever had, aside from the natural power Nikos had sensed. Schmendrick is capable and clever, as other stories hint (it is said that he is quite good with riddles and charades, can cipher, knows multiple languages and is wise beyond his years), still it is his motivation to do all this that seems to be his worst hinderance. Schmendrick does see the underlying theme of magic, he knows that nothing is forever, and everything yearns to be something else. So it is his desire. He has been seen as a worthless fool for all his life, and now he wants to be seen as something different, more powerful, and more respectable, such as a wizard just like Nikos (a sentiment that it’s much better portrayed in “Schmendrick Alone,” where a 19yo Schmendrick constantly thinks about what Nikos would - or wouldn’t - do or say, in the circumstances he finds himself into, to the point he even conciously mimicks some of his tutor's mannerisms). Schmendrick is doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, wanting to prove others and himself who he really is and what he is capable of. His most annoying, and notable, characteristic in “The Last Unicorn” is his attention-seeking demeanour and his tendency to brag to whomever interacts with him long enough to let him do so. He alternates moments of incredible wisdom with comical lack of style which are only apparently at odds. Schmendrick is a very smart and capable individual who yearns for praise and attention, a child who has always been measured for what he is not able to do instead of his real capacities. This, however, in a twisted self-fulfilling prophecy, is exactly what makes difficult for him to perform magic, despite all his genuine effort. He sees magical talent as instrumental for him to be recognized – to be seen, and this is what it’s causing him so much trouble and failure.

SARDANA

In the last pages of the novelette, the reader is introduced to the only (acquired) family member who comes to visit Schmendrick, to “see if he was happy and treated well,” an apparently throwaway sentence that it’s instead very telling about Schmendrick’s parents and brothers’ consideration of him, since they have apparently forgotten about him or do not care how he is doing. Sardana is one of Schmendrick’s brothers (the middle son, from what it’s told in the story, which lets us know that Schmendrick has at least two adult brothers while he is still a child) wife and she is very vocal about her worries about Schmendrick. She too has felt an outcast in the cooper’s household - since, as she says, hers was a combined marriage for business reasons - and Schmendrick was the only one who was good to her. Not much else is said about their bond, but it is safe to say that young Schmendrick has seen himself mirrored in poor Sardana. Later, it becomes apparent that Schmendrick, who should be 13 or 14 years old around this time, has a strong infatuation for Sardana. This is extremely telling. Schmendrick, who has never received love or, simply, care and affection, is unable to tell the difference between romantic love and platonic love. He mistakes Sardana’s concern with love, a very common reaction among people who had been emotionally neglected and abused, who might think that the person caring about them is in love or become extremely clingy to those who show affection to them. Very telling is Schmendrick’s reactions. He pesters Nikos for guidance on what to do for Sardana. Schmendrick has been considered a helpless fool until now and puts his personal value in what he can do, not who he is. He cannot think that Sardana might appreciate him for him – which she does – but only for what he might be able to do for her, which will lead him to perform a very dangerous spell that might cost him his sanity.

ESCAPISM

Another thing that can be inferred from “The Green-Eyed Boy” is very covert in the story itself, but it gets clearer in every other Schmendrick’s spin-off short story. In “The Last Unicorn” Schmendrick is the character who appears to be the most genre-savvy about stories and fairytales, while in other novelettes, especially in “The Woman Who Married The Man In The Moon,” it’s obvious that he possesses a wealth of tales he tells others or himself. Most importantly, in the same novelette, he tells these stories right in the moment in which other characters need comfort and soothing, being them lost and confused children or a grieving widow. This might be a sign that Schmendrick is well into the habit of escapism, which might have begun from a young age. Being a lonely child, neglected by his family and – safe to assume from a comment from Nikos – bullied by the rest of the townsfolk, it is very likely that child Schmendrick might have begun to read and invent stories he then told to himself to keep himself company. As previously said, Schmendrick appears to have the tendency to space often in “The Green-Eyed Boy”. While his family considers this a sign that he might be just a simpleton or tossed in the head, it might also mean that he is dissociating from the situation – in “The Green-Eyed Boy” Schmendrick is shown to do that right when his father is insulting him. His might be a coping mechanism to feel less alone and to protect himself when others attack him.

[prncssie]

im sorry but ahh Kyojuro !!!!! he literally has my heart ! he's the sweetest most precious babyy !! can you give us some hc's for modern era Kyojuro x reader who has bpd ? >< it is kinda umm difficult and tricky to write about something like this so its understandable if you ignore this >< but ah thank you for reading this ! and have a good day! <3

hi baby! ik ik i said i was gonna be mia for a few and i still ammm. i have hella hw and exams coming up but this peaked my interest a little bit. i’m gonna approach this w caution bc i do not have bpd but i know someone who does so im gonna do my best based off what ik from her. just know that you’re always safe here. everyone is, no matter what — the bpd i’m referring to is borderline personality disorder so i’m hoping you didn’t mean the other bpd 😭

kyojuro is always and has always been a super, super patient guy. it’s just a part of him that he cannot get rid of at all. you know i think of his as the perfect partner, my little golden boy.

i think that with a partner who has bpd, this is only heightened. he has to be extra patient because you both see the world (and your relationship) differently and he knows you can’t help it. there’s probably extra emphasis on open communication, no matter what. he doesn’t care what the problem is or what the conversation would lead to, communication just has to happen and it has to be thorough. you tell him how you feel and why, he takes it into consideration and responds accordingly. you’re worried he no longer cares? okay, what is making you feel this way? you think mayb this is overwhelming and you’re pulling away? he’s going to talk to you about it.

there’s also very clearly defined boundaries. it’s part of the communication aspect but it’s a whole separate thing entirely. they’re developed in the beginning in your relationship and have grown the longer you’re together and the more experiences you have. he endures your splits, knowing that you probably don’t mean it as harshly as you do but he lets you know he doesn’t appreciate the yelling. he always waits until you’re receptive to his words and holds in tongue until you’re generally calmer. this does nawt include him telling you to calm down. he’d never utter those two words a day in his life. i think he’s more likely to take his separate space away and remove himself from the situation because he has his own feelings too. he can get frustrated as well.

also therapy!!! big emphasis on therapy, but for both of you. you both go and see separate therapists. it’s necessary for both of you, regardless of what personal diagnosis either of you might have. there’s no stigma between you two. you have bpd, that’s just who you are. so what? it doesn’t define you in any way shape or form and means nothing until you, personally, decides it does. so you both go and work through your issues separately and uphold the whole privacy thing. there’s no at home conversations unless that person wants to share their own information.

i mean, the relationship is pretty normal. you still joke, you still kiss and cuddle and have intimacy the way everyone else does. he’ll still wake up in the early mornings and make breakfast, awakening you to the smell of bacon cooking in the frying pan. he’ll still shower you in gifts and constantly reassure his love and adoration. he’ll still treat you as though you’ve crafted his world by hand. i see him as being this soothing place of comfort. he doesn’t judge you and instead, validates your emotions. you’re allowed to feel however you feel. he just hopes you hear him out too.

oh oh oh! and he takes things very very slow. he knows you can get kinda . . . wrapped up??? in the feeling of love. not necessarily obsessive but he’s aware that you want to dwell in that emotion for as long as you can. he doesn’t want you to do things you otherwise wouldn’t have or even rush before reallyyyyy processing what’s happening to he takes it very slow. it’s agreed upon by both parties and he upholds that. if he says he’s going to do something, he’s going to do it. so yeah, that generally mean limiting coupley things you do before the time that you’re officially a couple. no sex or very little sex until you’re together together. until you’ve gotten each other locked DOWN.

idk, i hope this is what you wanted??? you’re right it is a very delicate topic and i’m doing my very best to tread lightly so pleaseeeee let me know if anything i said was incorrect or stigmatizing or contributing to negativity in any way. i’m always open to learn!

[secondhandsorrows]

Is Your Story High or Low Concept?

All stories are developed from an idea. In one way or another, they’re shaped from anything you draw inspiration from, from snippets of interesting conversation you’ve heard while sitting in a café, or a particular piece of art that captures your attention, or a character you’ve come up with that you just adore so much you just want a story with them in it. You may have a few general concepts in mind, but perhaps it’s not a story quite yet. In fact, you may not even have a premise. 

So how do you know whether your story idea is low concept or high concept?

First, let’s go over the two different types more in-depth…

Low-Concepts:

Low concepts are simple at first glance and tend to be broad and vague. They are mainly character-driven, usually centered around self-discovery, coming-of-age, or a relationship. They tell us of what the story is at its core — what it’s generally about and what to expect from it. It can be anything, from a widow learning to love again, or a girl beginning her first day of school, a detective solving a mystery. Because of its generic-ness, they can be easily identifiable and familiar to an audience. 

However, this doesn’t give us the exact story — just the basic essence of one in the simplest of terms. There’s no conflict or antagonist, yet, nor a definable goal. Rather, there’s no plot. In fact, this kind of concept isn’t easily explainable, as it could take on so many directions in many different ways. 

This doesn’t mean they can’t be interesting or that you shouldn’t write one. The main qualm with a low-concept is that they’re generally harder to pitch to agents or readers. 

Here’s a few examples that are low-concept.

- Jane Eyre

- Pride and Prejudice (in fact, most romance novels are low-concept)

- Lady Bird

Low concepts are usually fine on their own — you don’t need a grand hook or plot-heavy events to make make the story you want to tell. But what if you want to make it more compelling? What if you have a concept with a unique twist, goal, or setting? This is where high-concepts come in... 

High-Concepts:

On the other end, high concepts convey fresh, intriguing, or original ideas in just a few words or sentences. They can even put twists on original ideas, offering something completely revamped or unexpected (such as Titanic, taking a Romeo-and-Juliet love story onboard the famous ship). 

High-concepts deliver a prime situation, conflict, and a character arc, all luring its audience in with a hook. There’s a differentiating factor that acts as an attention-grabber that makes it high-concept, allowing the audience to have an idea in their heads of what the genre is and how the story might go, while also leaving room for bigger questions to string them along and leave them wanting more. 

Here’s some examples considered high-concept. 

- Lord of the Rings 

- The Maze Runner

- Mortal Engines

The main takeaway here is that the former is more focused on plot and a unique hook, and the latter has less of an emphasis on external events and more on character and emotion.

High-concepts can even be built off of low-concepts... or even work together in tandem. No matter which one you choose, both sides need at least some balance between internal and external — character and plot, I mean. Significant external events need to happen in a character-driven low-concept, and engaging characters with emotional changes and arcs are needed to experience the story through in a high-concept. (Whew, that’s kinda tough to explain. I’ve included a helpful link on this topic below, for clarity sake.)

Which one is right for you? 

At the end of the day, what matters most is the kind of story you want to write. Are you more interested in stories with high-stakes, a realized villain/antagonist, and immersive settings, driven by a sequence of events? Or, are you more interested in cozy reads focused more on character and growth; something less action-packed or plot-heavy?

Don't let one kind of concept turn you off from the other. Both are valid ways of creating the foundation or heart of your story. Try looking at the stories you love, and try to identify which ones might be considered high concept or low concept. What is it about them that draws you in?

Happy writing!

[missingn000]

tpg character mini-analysis: hajime kashimo + honor

i wanted to talk a bit about one of kashimo's defining traits that no other tpg character has: honor. after gojo meets them, he trudges away thinking kashimo has no moral structure, but this isn't...quite true. this quality shapes how hajime views the world as they evaluate others' actions based on a certain standard of conduct.

take a look at this line of theirs:

“What [the sorcerers] did back then in order to execute [Sukuna]…I can’t think of anything else so honorless. It doesn’t matter how many sorcerers he took down. There are some things you just don’t do.”

sukuna's yet-unrevealed backstory is incredibly devastating and tragic. in most people, it would evoke intense feelings of sympathy, sorrow, and anger on sukuna's behalf. others would say the people who did That to sukuna were heartless.

but instead kashimo says it was honorless. to them, this is the equivalent of the visceral reaction other people would've had. it's about perspective and priorities.

more below cut!

hajime continues to say:

They shake their head. “If the stories of what the sorcerers did to him back then are true...as far as I’m concerned, they deserved it.”

they deserved it. they DESERVED it? even mahito says he's surprised hajime would take sukuna's side. i'll say this conclusively about sukuna's backstory: the myth that after his failed execution, he wiped out an entire prefecture upon becoming a curse is true.

but hajime still thinks that punishment was deserved. what the sorcerers did to execute sukuna was so far beyond their rigid standard of conduct that such a fate was an appropriate punishment to them.

further, something that significantly annoys them about mahito is that he kills people who can't fight back. tpg 37 got long as hell, so i cut a few things, including this short snippet:

It’s not the violence that repulses them; that’d be illogical for someone whose body count is in the triple-digits. But there’s no honor in it, just slaughtering people who can’t even put up a fight. Kashimo’s fought more than their fair share of unsatisfying, ultimately one-sided battles, but that’s what they were: battles. Reciprocated killing intention. Of course weaklings deserve to die, but that’s a retroactive punishment.

they're repulsed at the idea of killing someone who's done nothing at all for no reason. killing the storehouse guards had a purpose: those people were in the way of their goals and actively fought back to try to stop them. but mahito frequently kills innocent people just for fun, which is completely honorless to them.

four hundred years ago, when sorcery was all about duels and death matches, honor existed in the place of laws or a legal structure. since death was a permitted end to a fight, there had to be something to keep sorcerers from just going around slaughtering people. honor is a form of social currency that earns respect and dignity within a community. conducting actions that fall outside its definition result in being hated and shunned.

however, despite mahito's misgivings, mahito is still rapidly becoming someone important to them -- the first person ever to be important to them. this does not fit in their current moral structure. take a look at what kashimo says when gojo is surprised they'd lay down their life to protect mahito:

Hajime flinches. “I made a promise,” they try. The glow beneath their eyes flickers, a store sign that can’t decide if it’s open or closed. “Breaking it would be honorless. I’d rather die than not be able to live with myself.”

Honor? No one has done anything strictly for honor in hundreds of years. “Is that really what you’re worried about?”

“Of course it is,” Hajime replies, after a delay too long to be entirely convincing. “I have no interest in forming bonds with others, least of all him.”

they're still pretty in denial regarding caring about mahito, so they're trying to convince themself it's about honor, because they can tie that to their existing values. since caring about someone is new, it's far more grounding to sort it into a value structure they already possess rather than face the horrifying ordeal of creating a new one that goes against their current worldview.

in that quote, they say they'd rather die than not be able to live with themself. honor is so important to them that the idea of acting without it is worse than death; they couldn't sleep at night. extreme, right? but i actually got this idea from canon.

take a look at this panel from hakari vs kashimo:

this. why did no one talk about this?? kashimo is someone who exists for fighting strong opponents. they let kenjaku brutally mutilate their body into a cursed object to incarnate four centuries into the future with the sole purpose of fighting sukuna. if hakari killed them here, that goal would not happen.

and yet.

they ask him to kill them. or rather, they think hakari should kill them. it was a fair fight. a fair loss of which they accept the outcome. therefore, they believe it is hakari's right to kill them. that's so, so interesting to me, and it really stands out against the backdrop of their otherwise shallow personality, so i just couldn't resist expanding on it.

their character will continue to develop throughout the story, so stay tuned. thanks for reading!

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

Title: Brutalism

Author: Glenn E. Abrams

Rating: ½

BUT WHAT IS BRUTALISM?

You see the question mark, which means there's no answer.

This book describes how the architectural movement which aims at making buildings that are "spare and massive and precise and geometrical and striking in their inhuman, rock-like, machinelike beauty and roughness" started and became popular. But it never tries to define "brutalism." It presents a bunch of different perspectives on what "brutalism" means, to the point that there seems to be no single "brutalist perspective" on "brutalism" to defend.

Well, let's try to define it. There is no such definition to be found in Abrams's book, but let's try to dig one out of these quotes and excerpts. Most of them seem to me to be invalid, but let's see what we can find:

"The word brutalist refers to architecture and city planning that appeared in the 1950s in the UK and many other places, such as Scandinavia, the United States, the Soviet Union, France, Belgium, Spain, and Germany. […] Generally the word has been used derogatorily, to denote roughness, massiveness, jagged or sharp shapes, industrial materials such as concrete or reinforced steel, plus a sober, somber, or monstrous quality."

"Brutalism, in a derogatory way, meant buildings that were brute or brutish, that resembled béton brut and reinforced concrete, of course, but also featured sharp corners and angles, giant blocks with sparse ornamentation, and often rebar exposed."

"Brutalism describes inert, uncompromising, and non-joyful building."

"The new brutalism, on the other hand, that built on the 1950s efforts, was sweeping the world in the 1960s. The New Yorker's Susan Sontag described it as 'techno-spheric. Its key architectural element is a cube or a slab.'"

"When the term brutalism, or beton brute, has been used for some time, a dictionary defined it as meaning 'unsympathetic; harsh and raw. […] A term for raw and rude modernist architecture in which concrete is exposed and used in innovative ways.'"

"What is now known as 'brutalist' is a style of architecture in which one can recognize the inherent expressive power of concrete, the most malleable of the building materials."

By 1991, the term brutalism had left architectural criticism behind, to become a common word in the social discourse of the land, one whose meaning shifted so swiftly it was impossible to keep up with. […] 'Brutalism' may best be thought of as a way of saying, 'Fuck you.'"

The brutalist [beetle] is mass-produced, cheap, soft, blunt, and innocuous, and can be killed easily. It also tends to be unimaginative and doesn't know how to have fun, though, like the brutalist hotel, it is beautiful in its own way—in its sleek and simple geometry, with its basic form and function and lack of frills or flourishes."

"If the brutalist hotel is anything, it is anti-German, the building equivalent of a blank stare, or of a mute, uncomfortable presence, something uncommunicative that is going to take a long time to come to terms with, but in the meantime refuses to relinquish its edge."

"In the center of the box—precisely in the place where that smooth enclosure should have ended—is a vast opening. A vast opening, an indentation that cuts through the building, an indentation covered by a glass structure of complex form, a glass curtain that rises in a sharp angle and opens to the outside, breaking out of the enclosure. A glass curtain that opens the envelope, an indentation, a void, a break, the dismantling of the volumes, the cracking of the building. A void with no walls. Just an opening."

"The Brutalist monolith is dead and decaying. But we were never allowed to bury it."

"There are a lot of definitions for brutalist, depending on whether you are from the west or the east—but no matter where you live, it is always clear when you are in a building that could be described as brutalist. In a brutalist building, there is no limit to what you can do, and this includes being brutal."

"Brutalist buildings are aesthetically visceral and socially odious."

"What is really amazing is that people used to look at their own buildings and see the fact that they were brutal and think it was a good thing."

"The third stage of brutalism is about to begin, and will be even more disastrous than what we have seen before, because the reaction against the current post-Brutalist buildings will create even uglier architecture."

"Damn it, you can't achieve the sublime, or the truly modern, without brutality."

"The argument goes on, still in my mind—and how could I ever get past it, when, if I stand at the core of my being, that core is a brutalist block of concrete?"

But, still, I'm not sure this is exactly what Abrams's book is supposed to be about. Yes, he collects these quotes, but they don't seem to him like a solid argument for a particular position -- even for "brutalism is ambiguous," which was basically the thesis of part one. It's like the book is treating "what is brutalism" as an open problem, and then throwing in all these different definitions and dissertations in an unorganized way, without trying to pick a winner.

Because, uh, I guess I don't see the point of making a book about brutalism if the brutalism isn't going to be defined in any way. No matter how much of a book you want to write about a topic, it ought to have a thesis, right? You can't talk about something without having an opinion. (Which is just as true of the problem as of the solution that the book proposes.)

Or maybe I'm biased, because the concept of "brutalism" fascinates me so much that it feels like a weakness to write a book about it without definition being a part of it. But it's hard to explain how I feel about this. It's like somebody did a wonderful, exhaustive study of ants, and instead of talking about all the wonderful things that they learned about ants, just said "Yeah, there's just ants, I guess." It's true, but incomplete.

Which is the problem with this book -- it's like it's a volume of the Oxford English Dictionary, but of "Brutalism." For the words which it defines, it lists quotes, and it has footnotes with references to essays in other books. But when it comes to the one unifying question -- what does the book think is the phenomenon we are talking about? -- it is silent.

[ivomagus]

As I sit here, looking at the over exposed photos from the long forgotten roll of film, I can't help but feel a surge of nostalgia wash over me. It's incredible how a simple collection of photographs can hold so much power, encapsulating moments frozen in time. Memories, suspended within the tiny frames, waiting to be rediscovered.

I remember that warm July day, when we embarked on our walk, hand in hand, oblivious to the world around us. The sun kissed our skin, and laughter filled the air as we explored the hidden corners of our favourite park. We were in our own little bubble, basking in the beauty of each other's company.

I had taken my camera along, eager to capture the essence of that blissful afternoon. With every click of the shutter, I believed I was preserving our joy, our connection, our love. But somehow, as life swept us away in its relentless flow, those precious memories became buried beneath the weight of daily routines and responsibilities.

Years have passed since that summer stroll, and now, as I stumble upon these forgotten snaps, I'm overcome with a mix of anticipation and trepidation. What secrets does it hold? What glimpses of our love are waiting to be unveiled?

I hold my breath as I flip through each image. There they are—the snapshots of our laughter, our stolen kisses, our shared moments of vulnerability. Each photo a testament to the love we shared, frozen in time, as if the universe wanted to remind us of the beauty we once possessed.

It's funny how life can sometimes derail our best intentions. The photos I never published, hidden away until now, serve as a poignant reminder of the importance of cherishing the moments that define our lives. They remind me to slow down, to savour the present, and to never take for granted the love that intertwines our souls.

And so, as I look at these forgotten photographs, I realise that their existence goes beyond a mere collection of images. They are a testament to the power of love, the resilience of memories, and the beauty of revisiting the past. They are a reminder to appreciate the fleeting moments and to hold onto the people who make our hearts come alive.

In the end, it doesn't matter why these photos were never published before. What matters is that they have found their way back to me, serving as a tangible reminder of the love we shared on that summer day. They are a testament to the undeniable connection we forged, a connection that continues to shape who we are today.

And as I reflect on this serendipitous discovery, I can't help but smile. Life has a way of leading us back to what truly matters, even if it takes time. These photos are not just mementos of a forgotten past; they are a celebration of the love that still exists, anchoring us in the present and inspiring us to create more beautiful memories in the future.

[paragonrobits]

while i was always a fan of the Alchemicals from Exalted’s very first edition, i think the thing that made me absolutely OBSESSED with them was a particular comic in their source book in the second edition, and I would argue it’s also an EXCELLENT example of an establishing character moment.

This, to be clear, is a big moment where a character does something or experiences something that very strongly makes an impression that tells you the most important things to know about them; it is one of the most effective tools in writing, and while you can do a lot of stuff to further define the character, this is a great way to fully solidify that character for an audience, and for me, its one of the early comics before a particular chapter.

In this comic, we see a group of Autochthonian children who have fallen afoul of a disaster, the walls caved in and everyone is horribly hurt. One of them wakes up and gets the attention of our focus character, an Autochthonian boy who is impaled on a pipe or rebar. He complains that she woke him up when he was almost passed out, and cynically remarks that they’re all going to die down there anyway so they might as well just let themselves pass out so it doesn’t hurt too much.

The same girl that called out to him (who is pinned and can’t get free) says not to lose hope; the Great Maker will save them. The boy gloomily replies that the Great Maker is in worse shape than they; what can he do? This in turn also sets up the point that Great Maker is very, very ill, the disease that defines him having grown out of control and consuming him like the transcendant cancer it is. These dying children dwell upon a world that is their god, and he is even more sickly and close to death than they are?

What can the Great Maker do?

And at this point, there’s a slamming sound on the walls.

they ask what that noise is, and the boy impaled to the floor remarks it’s probably just another cave-in; who cares?

Another crashing bang, and the caved in wall is torn away, revealing the gargantuan form of an Alchemical Exalted, the Champion heroes of Autochthonia. It is specifically Stern Whip of Industry, the iconic Jade Alchemical Exalt, a hero of the people, tirelessly working the hardest jobs and doing any task no matter how menial or difficult; he stands an enormous stature, a towering colossus tearing the wall down and rescuing them all with Charm-enhanced arms

The Great Maker may lie in sleep, slowly fading away and succumbing to his sickness. The Great Maker might be sicker and closer to death than even the most injured human, but the Champions he gave the power to create, to protect the people of Autochthonia and safeguard their civilizations, are still there, tirelessly being the heroes they were built to be.

So speaks Stern Whip of Industry: “TAKE HEART. HELP IS COME.”

the boy’s cynicism completely drops into genuine surprise and relief, and so ends the comic, and we get one HELL of an establishing moment for the Alchemical Exalted as a whole, even if we technically got a more extended one for Whip himself in the comic that opens up the book about a couple chapters previously.

[grassberrymattressindia]

Memory Foam Mattresses: A Gentle Remedy for Aches and Pains

Pain has a way of weaving itself into our days, whispering reminders of restless nights and neglected comfort. For those battling aches and stiffness, every movement can feel like a negotiation, every stretch a plea for relief. Yet, there exists a quiet miracle, crafted not only for comfort but for healing — the Memory Foam Mattress.

Understanding the Burden of Pain

Chronic aches and pains are no strangers to many. The National Institute of Health reports that nearly 20% of adults live with chronic pain, and the lack of proper sleep surfaces, like an ill-suited mattress, often exacerbates their discomfort.

Pain that lingers through the night leaves its mark — tired eyes, sore muscles, and days that feel heavier than they should. It begs the question: How can sleep, meant to rejuvenate, become an accomplice to suffering?

The Memory Foam Difference

Enter the memory foam mattress — a haven for those yearning for solace. These mattresses are not merely beds; they are therapists, engineers, and caretakers, all rolled into one.

1. Personalized Comfort

Memory foam adapts to your unique body shape, embracing every curve and easing pressure points. Whether it’s your lower back, shoulders, or hips that ache, this mattress ensures you’re supported where it matters most.

2. Motion Isolation

For couples, shared discomfort can be a nightly battle. Memory foam isolates movement, allowing one partner to toss and turn without disturbing the other. This uninterrupted rest promotes deeper healing.

3. Therapeutic Support

The foam’s contouring ability not only soothes pain but encourages proper posture, reducing stress on joints and muscles. It’s as if the mattress quietly promises your body, “Rest now, I’ll take care of you.”

Science-Backed Relief

Research underscores the role of memory foam in pain management. A study published in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine found that memory foam mattresses significantly reduced chronic back pain and improved sleep quality.

Its viscoelastic material absorbs body heat, softening to cradle your form while maintaining firm support — a balance that traditional mattresses struggle to achieve.

Grassberry Mattress: Your Comfort Ally

In the realm of memory foam excellence, Grassberry Mattress emerges as a trusted name. Their mattresses are crafted with precision and care, designed to transform restless nights into tranquil sanctuaries. For those battling persistent aches, Grassberry offers not just relief but renewal.

An Emotional Revival

There’s something transformative about pain-free mornings. You wake with a lighter heart, your body no longer weighed down by the echoes of discomfort. Every movement becomes a celebration of freedom, every step a testament to what restful sleep can achieve.

A Worthwhile Investment

A memory foam mattress isn’t just a purchase; it’s a statement. It says, “I choose to heal.” It’s a step toward comfort and a future where aches and pains no longer define your days. It’s an investment in not only comfort but a future where aches and pains no longer dictate your days.

Conclusion: A Rest That Restores

Life doesn’t have to be lived at the mercy of pain. Relief begins with choices, and few are as transformative as the decision to prioritize your sleep. A Memory Foam Mattress offers more than a night’s rest — it promises mornings filled with ease, evenings steeped in comfort, and days defined by joy.

What if the key to a pain-free life was as simple as changing where you lay your head? Could this be the comfort you’ve been looking for?

Contact Us: +91 95002 05226 , +91 95004 34077.

Visit Our Website : www.grassberrymattress.com.