#that maintaining that connection becomes much more difficult for them

[chisatowo]

I think itd be funny if Tate and Lisa couldn't actually communicate telepathically or could only in a limited capacity, just them rehearsing a bunch of call and return lines during their free time and then they're forced to actually have a social interaction that lasts longer than a couple minutes and you can taste the violence in the air as one of them says smth the other wasn't expecting or that they don't know how to finish

[ladies-of-fortune]

Control your body language, control the world

Why is it so important?

Body language is everything. It’s the silent superpower that influences your success in every area of life. If you can't connect with people, progress becomes impossible. Whether it’s a first date, a job interview, or making friends, your body language does the heavy lifting. It’s not always what you know but who you know. Even if you have a one in a million idea, if no one likes you, it will stay stuck at zero.

We all unconsciously give off subtle signals that reveal our true thoughts and feelings. A mere twitch of someone’s face is all it takes to express displeasure. Mastering your own signals puts you in control of how others perceive you.

The resting bitch face conundrum

If your neutral expression looks angry, sad, or afraid, you have two options:

Adjust your behaviour to compensate - Put your energy into making sure your first impression negates the vibes your resting face gives off. Once you're on more comfortable terms, you can relax and people will know that expression is just your face.

Surgery - This is an option but it's a risky one. If you go down this route, I recommend getting a procedure to fix your mouth into a neutral position rather than a permanent smile. There's a chance you'll come out looking like the joker, and your range of emotions will be restricted.

Fake smiles are worse than not smiling

Please don't fake smile, it doesn't fool anyone. I've seen a fake smile directed at me that gave the distinct impression of an ape preparing to attack, and it's haunted me ever since. A genuine smile reaches your eyes and lights up your voice. It's an infectious, unconscious energy. If you can't muster a real smile, it's better to remain neutral and true to your emotions than have others detect a falsehood from you.

Be open with your body language

Don't mute your expressions and gestures. For some this may have arisen as a defence mechanism, but in adulthood it can make you appear unapproachable. Unlearning this takes time, but its worth it. Once you feel safe to express your true feelings, your authenticity will shine. Being yourself, regardless of others’ expectations, commands respect and attracts people who genuinely like you for you.

(Of course, being authentic doesn’t mean being a public menace. There’s a line.)

Win people over with your body language

Lean in slightly during conversations to show interest.

Nod or smile occasionally while the other person talks to encourage them to keep speaking.

Use your hands when you speak to display enthusiasm.

Don’t hide your hands—it makes people subconsciously think you’re up to something shady.

Maintain good eye contact. Too little, and you seem disinterested; too much, and you risk coming off as intense. Strike a balance by aiming for natural, consistent eye contact about 70% of the time, and break away occasionally to keep it casual.

Respect personal space. Standing too close can make people uncomfortable, while standing too far might seem aloof. Aim for about an arm’s length of distance and adjust based on the other person’s comfort level.

Learn to read others

Once you master your own body language, you can start picking up on what others are saying without words. Spot their tells, mirror their movements and like magic, you’ll become “one of them.” Without quite knowing why, people will feel comfortable around you. This makes any requests or difficult conversations you'll have with them in the future much easier.

Context is key

Body language isn’t one-size-fits-all. What works in a casual setting may not translate in a formal one. Leaning back in a chair might show relaxation with friends but could come across as disengaged in a job interview. Similarly, an enthusiastic wave is great for greeting friends but may seem unfocused in a serious business meeting.

Tailor your approach to the environment and the people you’re interacting with. A little adaptability goes a long way in ensuring your body language sends the message you want it to send.

[randomness-is-my-order]

thinking about the “single-plank bridge” and how wei wuxian’s circumstance becomes all the more heartbreaking when we contexualise the kind of person he is. wei wuxian is never shown to be an isolated entity from the very start of his story. even when he lived on the streets, he had a way of connecting with those around him and wheedling shopkeepers into maintaining his daily sustenance. quickly after he came to lotus pier, he formed bonds with jc and yanli. wei wuxian was genuinely interested in people and forging friendships with those he liked. his junior disciples loved him. he was canonically one of the most popular young guys in the cultivation society. he frequently interacted with the common folk in yunmeng or anywhere else he happened to visit. at the guest lectures in the lan sect, wei wuxian was able to inspire multiple disciples (not just nie huaisang) into following his shenanigans. he is also able to befriend some of the wens, prime among them are ofc wen qing and wen ning. for a story as heavy in interpersonal conflicts as mdzs is, it is a given that people and their relationships will be centre stage and wei wuxian isn’t in the least lacking in these relationships. we see this even after his reincarnation that wei wuxian, even when he tries to stay disconnected, forms new bonds with ease. the juniors that are first wary of him soon come to deeply admire him and wei wuxian in turn becomes protective over them.

in short, wei wuxian is defined by his relationships as much as he is by his actions and convictions and thoughts. never once are we made to believe that wei wuxian’s ideal choice would be the “single plank bridge”, that he would be completely at ease with his isolation, that he would ever want to pick that option as a preference. in fact, the single plank bridge ideology has never been one that wei wuxian is shown to inherently gravitate towards or recommend/preach to other people. but that ideology is a last resort.

it is a choice made when his hand is forced, when no other comfortable option is allowed to him, when every door is shut in his face and isolating himself from the people he has known is the only avenue left with him. the single plank bridge is about sticking to his beliefs and not giving up, about doing the right thing no matter what because someone needs to take that stand and wei wuxian has never not been that someone.

i think that it is so crucial that the single plank bridge wasn’t so much a choice that wei wuxian made than a choice that was made for him simply because he refused to give up on the wens.

he was denied alternatives. he was denied help. sometimes, the anti-culture discourse overcorrects itself into painting every heroic act that happens to be sacrificial as a default ‘hero complex’ and self-sacrifical tendencies, ignoring the build-up of those difficult decisions and how, in this story, in mdzs, wei wuxian wasn’t foregoing the crowded broad road but that the crowd on the broad road had foregone him.

[cipheramnesia]

Capitalism makes it difficult to attribute agency, in a lot of ways. The reasons for decisions at a corporate level are a closed book, usually jacketed by a market and public friendly piece of writing disconnected from the actual decisions. Possession of large amounts of wealth and power comes with ability to protect against bad decision making, failure in one area simply corrected by drawing success from another. Wealth is also innately protected against criticism, through worth being a more abstract value less connected to the material world. It's not a perfect closed system, but a single person or corporation can make near endless bad decisions while also appearing successful in the eyes of other people / corporations. There are both vast concentric circles of individuals whose less significant personal existence depends on maintaining enormously wealthy centers, and circles of people who have little or no choice in the matter. There are also various market forces that turn on being convincingly confident as an individual, or showing a front value of "worth" which coule be entirely fixtional.

It's very easy, with how all these hyperwealthy forces interact, to become convinced that there are conspiracies everywhere, and diabolical manipulative CEOs behind it all. Certainly, hyperwealthy people and corporations cooperate to the fullest extent then can under laws, and as much as they think they can get away with in additon, but these are not conspiracies per se. So this is a gentle reminder that on balance, things that happen with wealth and power are nothing else besides: "what will most easily and quickly gain the most wealth and power for me/this corporation, and what is the easiest lie I can tell about it." And that the many hyperwealthy CEOs so often presented as secretly brilliant economists, politicians, businessmen, etc are simply people who are in a position where their nearly complete lack of any substantive knowlege is careful shielded from consequences.

In brief, decisions derived from vast strongholds of consolidated wealth are not secretly clever, or part of deeply layered strategies. These are choices that come from simplistic avarice, made by the ignorant, with outcomes that are only successful to the extent their wealth shields them from failure. Don't let yourself be convinced the capitalist oppressor is uniquely qualified or trained for success. Don't do their work for them.

[crookedkryptonitebeliever]

Ok regarding that “can i make Yves do my homework if I give him my childhood pictures” ask, exactly how much access does Yves have to our lives? Does he have images or videos from when we were still a baby or would they be new information to him?

A bunch of my baby pictures and videos are lost because my dad lost the computer that had them but we recently found my aunt’s old camera filled with our childhood pictures, it was a pleasant surprise for us but would it be for Yves too?

It absolutely is. If Yves was there with you while your aunt showed you the photo gallery of her old camera, Yves would momentarily lose a bit of inhibition and let his pupils dilate to a maddening degree before instantly constricting it back to appear normal. It's a rare, super deluxe edition photos of you, there isn't anything else like it out there as they're most likely not uploaded to the internet or a cloud based service, where he could easily hack.

Him coming across media from your childhood or at least during those early days where people still go to and get their photos developed, is like winning the lottery for him. Because, although he tries to collect everything relating to your existence, there is only so much he can do in a day. He rather prioritizes the present and the future, as the past is the past; neither you nor him can change it, he can only understand or connect it to your current behaviours or thought patterns.

He does have some information about you as a baby or a child, but that is if they're "readily available" to him. (I.e., it can be found in predictable places like in your childhood home.), that is why, Yves would try to build a good relationship with people you grew up with, to extract information.

Despite being reclusive as he is, Yves would never fail to attend every and any family gathering he is invited to or expected to come. Encouraging that drunk uncle to drink more if he knew he has something to say about you, bribing your relatives with gifts and career opportunities, perhaps even drugging that really difficult and combative cousin to make them more bearable to interrogate.

As soon as he knew your aunt could be another goldmine of your data, he would get to work. Wasting no time building a rapport with her, it's a piece of cake given how obsessive and manipulative his nature is.

Inevitably, your aunt will come to love him and see Yves as family. By extension, her relationship with you will skyrocket too, she will invite you to her place much more often even though she might not be the most sociable person in the first place. Yves will find a way to make her bend to his whims.

The majority of their conversations would be about you, only sometimes Yves would talk about something else if it meant he could keep the drive to spill more about your lore going. His sharp ears and mind will pick up on clues as to where he might find more pictures or writings about you. He would then break into your aunt's home to give it a thorough shakedown and leave without a trace. Yves would repeat this process until he's positive that she has nothing left to offer. That camera is getting fucking stolen and replaced with a duplicate.

It didn't matter if your aunt was a minimalist or a severe hoarder, he would go through all her things just to try and find pieces of your puzzle. He would wade through cobwebs, dust piles, rat droppings and mould if he had to, Yves isn't scared to get dirty to obtain what he wants, "squeamish" isn't in his vocabulary.

When she is robbed of all your essence, Yves would become distant. Not hostile towards her, just cold and indifferent. He would still maintain some sort of relationship with her though, in case she becomes useful again later. As of now, he either puts his entire focus on your current peripheral and direct life, or start to hunt other members down- from his snooping, he had learned of other people who may have valuable input about your childhood.

All of this is happening in the background. You wouldn't suspect a thing, there wasn't a dip in his attention for you. In fact, he may have gotten a lot more smothering, as Yves would be shaking at the thought of testing out his new theories and hypothesis that were birthed from his new knowledge.

He just loves you so much that he couldn't help himself but to get greedy. Yves wants all of you; past, present and future. And any version of you that could have been.

[meinkatzchen]

Hiii! I love your OC so much, it's so cute 💖

I would like to see more art of her and Ren together, they are very cute together, they look like siblings 😭💖

AWWWW THANK YOUUUU!! 💗💗💗💗💗

I'm currently drawing a small collage of sketches with them :D

Yes, actually! Despite the fact that I have R18 arts with the two of them, however, in my head they also behave more like an older and more cautious brother and younger sister at home (in reality, their age difference is only a few months, and if we take the headcanon that Ren is a Libra, then their age difference is only a few days). I don't see anything bad in such a connection, it rather resembles a feeling of greater naturalness than béguin. Béguin is a bright and strong passionate feeling, but the affection of…soulmates? I think, is closer to this: a calm, gradual strengthening and deepening of friendship into something more.

I often prefer to omit violent actions in the house, they are just…there. I am more interested in considering a more peaceful life, in those moments when torture and violence are temporarily absent and there is time for various little things.

So, it seems to me that Mist constantly runs after Ren, like a tail, when she more or less adapts. And she can be very clingy, and when he is not around and when Strade takes him with him, to the basement or somewhere else, she becomes restless and fearful. Ren can feel a strong responsibility for her, as a friend, as a mate, as another pet of Strade, that, if something happens to her and she dies, then Strade will be very angry (the same thing if something happens to Ren, although Mist doesn't realize this responsibility). And all this puts a lot of pressure on the fox-boy, so much so that, it seems to me, it is precisely because of the pressure that he can constantly be near her. And when he is near her, he at least calms down. And he can sometimes be strict and harsh with words towards her, because he is afraid that she will make the situation worse or hurt herself. Also Mist has a hard time with pain, so sometimes Ren can beg Strade to do something with him, not with her, and the cat-girl will not persuade the fox-boy (And Strade would have been amused by this situation in general).

But this is, perhaps, a little information from the negative. But I never tried to describe their relationship as ideal sugar. When you are under stress day after day, it is difficult to maintain control over your psyche and emotions.

And from the positive in general: caring for each other, joint leisure, treating wounds and heart-to-heart talks. Periodic feeding on the human flesh in the basement, which can also bring them closer-

[thatfrailsoul]

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P.s. See the full painting at the end!♡

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Slow down for a moment. Allow your heart to guide you, to tell you if there is really a message here for you... And whatever the answer is, feel free to listen to it or to let go. Remembering that when you will be ready or will have the need, your true message will find its way to you.♡

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For so long you took care of this connection, of this bond that each day grew between your hearts... You nourished each moment. You cherished each smile. And you worked hard to protect everything, from your own heart.

A heart that felt so safe, so accepted, so understood... that fell slowly and gently for them, for a person that knows this connection as something different from the one your heart more and more desperately wants.

Time passes, and the line between the reality of this connection and that more that you want becomes confusing. Harder to be aware of, once you are by their side. Harder to maintain, in this constant battle of respecting their boundaries, but also the calling of your feelings that veil your logic mind.

And you will not resist for much longer, under the pressure of this feeling, but also anxiety and fear of ruining everything, creating inevitably a wall between you... You feel already your limit, so close and heavy both on your mind and heart. You see it in the way it influences your connection, your ways towards them that start to change... But you don't see that they already know everything and understand as well.

As you discovered these feelings, learning so much more about the power of your heart, they saw it all, being always so close to you, knowing so well your soul. They saw it, they learned about it day by day as you were going through it, trying to hide it from their sight.

But you never spoke about it, you hid it, pretending that everything is okay and well. And they played along with it, knowing that you will find the courage sooner or later, and that they can wait.

And this moment is here, it's time to be open about what overwhelms your heart. Simply because otherwise you will explode, with all the feelings bottled up deep down and ignored in hopes that it will resolve on its own.

Even if you fear to ruin everything, even if you fear to loose them, even if they already know what is going on... You need to tell it. To allow your heart to speak up finally and freely, accepting fully your own feelings, accepting their reality by letting them flow out of you. You need to tell the truth.

Because you are good at hiding, but they are so good at seeing you for who you are. Because there is a reason why, knowing all fully, they still waited and stayed by your side. And it's simply because they know you, they see you, they feel you. And they already accepted your heart.

P.s. If you would like to receive a more personal message and guidance about your situation - find out all about it here!♡

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You both always knew that this connection was meant to be so different, much deeper than what it became because of the constant challenges of your life. You both know it, you always felt it, that pull that brought you to each other in that first day, first moment that you crossed your gaze and recognised a familiar heart.

But as time passed, as things became difficult, the situation too heavy and overwhelming, your conviction became weaker, changing the decision of your hearts. You followed both the logic, you both chose to protect yourselves, your lives, from a connection that seemed to only challenge it. But even if this was the right decision, it doesn't mean that there can't be any doubts or wanders, that your hearts can't miss eachother, like it is happening right now, after all this time.

It's natural to miss eachother, to come back to that decision, now that your life feels much more safer and calmer. Once you have finally that balance and the things you needed and desired, missing only that person that you never truly left behind.

It is natural to feel that calling once again, to see those memories and precious moments. And to wander if that was really the end or if there might be a second chance.

And indeed your story didn't end, it was only starting, and so many moments that are yet to be created and lived, were put on hold. Giving you both time and space to take control over your lives again. Giving you the opportunity to grow, to learn, to change in the way you face a challenge, in the way you hold onto what is really important for your soul.

There isn't any risk in coming forward now, there isn't any shame in looking for them once again. Not if this is what your heart calls for. Not if you finally feel ready to answer those questions that scared you so much back then.

A connection as the one you feel to them it's not imaginary, they felt and feel it too, it's real. And in the same way, after all this time, it still has a place in your heart and life - it does in theirs too. Those feelings that are waking up in you again, never went to sleep in their heart, that still wanders and waits for you.

We all make mistakes, we all feel at least once confused and overwhelmed. We all know too well the need to escape, hide, to protect ourselves. As well as the regret of harming someone that never doubted, contrary to our heart and mind that needed some rest. And they know it, they knew it from the very start. This is why they let you go when you run away.

They knew from experience, they recognised that overwhelming fear and tiredness that they too once felt. And they knew that you were strong enough to overcome it. They knew that it would be worth it, to believe in you and in the right moment that will give your story another chance.

They still remember you, they still wait, they would still welcome you. Because that tenderness and true affection, never really goes away.

P.s. If you would like to receive a more personal message and guidance about your situation - find out all about it here!♡

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Letting go of each other back then wasn't the only solution, the only option. There were many things that could've been done differently to save a connection that was so important for your hearts, for you and them, no matter how challenging it was starting to become. But the fact that it was possible to do more, doesn't mean that your decision was in the end a wrong one.

And you know it, you understand it very well now when you look back at everything that was happening, and everything that you faced and worked hard on in this period of time. You see and feel that it was all worth it, that it was the right decision to prioritise the health of your heart and mind. But you can't help but wonder, if they still feel the same. If they too have still that desire for more that you weren't able to create.

But what you are longing for is something that is already in the past, in those memories of moments and connection that you left behind. It's only in those hearts and minds of you and them that still didn't make that decision, that still had those chances to resolve everything if only they had enough patience and courage to try.

But time has passed, and while you were growing they grew up too. They had the same realisations, they gained the same understanding of what could've been if only you both tried more. And how, even if it was the right thing to be honest about each other's limits and letting go... It did change everything, being apart. It did influence those feelings, for which you both didn't fight hard enough.

It left you both with tenderness and affection for someone that you loved. Someone that you once already let go of, and that you need now to allow to continue on their path, while you continue on your own.

It is always a shame, to know what you missed, to feel the desire to try again now that you understand more, but being unable to do so. But what your decision gave you, that chance for your own self and the journey that you needed to do on your own... Is worth it. And it's enough to keep moving forward, leaving these doubts, wanders and decisions in the past, where they belong.

P.s. If you would like to receive a more personal message and guidance about your situation - find out all about it here!♡

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"The Proposal", William - Adolphe Bouguereau, 1872

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[saintsenara]

💚 💖 💀

thank you very much for the ask, anon!

what does everyone else get wrong about your favourite character?

that lord voldemort is legitimately emotionally intelligent.

i encounter a lot in fics the idea that voldemort doesn't have any idea how to understand or relate to other people's emotions - that he can't, for example, understand why one his minions is upset by a hard work day or a rude comment, since he considers both of those things to be unimportant if they occur in his own life - and that any interpersonal skills which he possesses are performative, a chameleonic mirroring of other people's emotional responses which he has no real knowledge of the deeper meaning of.

a lot of this is due - of course - to the idea that voldemort is a "sociopath" and/or "psychopath" [both of which are controversial terms]. and he's a great candidate for the pop-culture versions of these labels - which tend to present the person in question's "empathy deficit" as connected to a complete lack of understanding of how other people feel and a concomitant failure to appreciate or anticipate the emotional responses their actions will cause.

but, in many cases, the "empathy deficit" associated with antisocial personality disorder [the clinical umbrella term under which both "sociopathy" and "psychopathy" fall] isn't so much an inability to understand how other people feel... as it is an ability to understand this profoundly, use it for personal gain, and simply not care if this approach causes the other person harm.

[that is, they are capable of cognitive empathy - the ability to recognise and understand emotions in others, read social cues, and predict and influence others' emotional responses to their behaviour. this isn't a dangerous, abnormal, or disordered trait - it's what people who describe themselves as having "good intuition" or "good gut instincts" are talking about - but it can become so when it combines with other aspects of a person's personality to make them manipulative, exploitative, and entirely self-centred.]

and this - rather than an "empathy deficit" caused by an inability to understand human emotions - is what we see in the canonical voldemort. he is extraordinarily good at correctly identifying, dissecting, and influencing other people's emotions, and a failure to take this ability seriously often causes problems for the heroes of the series.

[dumbledore - for example - is caught out when the potion guarding the locket reveals that voldemort sincerely understands the power of love, grief, and guilt. his entry into the cave is hubristic - he dismisses voldemort's initial safeguards as crude, unimpressive, and not frightening, he then discovers that the final safeguard is extremely impressive indeed...]

the canonical voldemort is also someone whose own emotional performance isn't entirely fake, or entirely drawn from mirroring those around him. i talk a lot about how the fandom overlooks the fact that he's very, very funny - and how he's also [for narrative reasons, since the text needs him to deliver information to harry that neither snape nor dumbledore can if they're to maintain their cover until the end of deathly hallows] often found telling the truth in ways which render him considerably more authentic in conversation than many other characters in the story.

that his charm is performative [he's the centre of attention at the slug club, he's dull and subordinate when he goes to see hepzibah smith] is another example of him using his emotional intelligence to exploit other people for his own gain - and the fact that he's able to modify his affect so easily [and that, even when not performing, he doesn't have a reduced or shallow affect - he's someone who registers his genuine emotions very clearly on his face] is connected to his ability to understand, predict, and influence emotional expression.

and i do think that voldemort is more interesting - and his crimes much more difficult either to excuse or to dismiss as a monstrosity someone like us could never be capable of - when he's treated as something other than the caricature of the pop-culture psychopath, pretty and outwardly charming, with nothing beneath the surface.

and recognising that he understands other people very well - and still doesn't care about them in the slightest - is one way of doing this.

what is your biggest unpopular opinion about the series?

that - while its morality is individualist and its politics are neoliberal and both of these things are incredibly tedious - its central thesis, that redemption is possible, forgiveness is achievable, and love and mercy are triumphant, is a legitimately good one, and the vast majority of fandom arguments about which characters "deserve" to be liked become irrelevant when these basic, human principles are taken into account.

if you had to choose one major character to die, who would you pick?

i think arthur weasley should have died in order of the phoenix - not only because it makes my best girl nagini look like a flop that he doesn't, but because i think it would be really interesting to bring the experience of a grief to which harry is peripheral forward in the series.

in canon, this is the purpose served by fred's death - and it comes as part of the arc that harry undergoes in the last third of deathly hallows, in which he begins to get over his earlier belief that he's central to everything about resisting voldemort. but i think something really interesting could be done with forcing him towards this realisation earlier.

[otomes-world]

Longing

Hello everyone! I had a strange urge to write something, so yes.. AU belongs to @shiny-jr I'm just interpreting. This is also my parody to the five stages of grief. Another sentient twst works are here. Enjoy 0/

Upd: I've finally got permission to post this thing! But.. I forgot about it.. and I'm no longer like it.. and it's so small.. but, yeah, let it exists.

Disbelief.

It was the first emotion that began to creep into consciousness with a light touch from just hearing about the “shutdown.” The player just took a break, was busy, preparing for exams, tests, work, whatever. Causing panic out of nowhere was stupid. This had already happened more than once, but..

The hours merged into days. Days became weeks. Only the most stubborn began to count beyond the month. The mistrust and fear began to be felt stronger than before. More and more often insidious “what ifs” were spinning in head.

You were only gone for a short moment. Maybe a little longer this time, but you would come back. You would, except… Yuu turned into the doll they always were. A puppet whose only value was in you, who controlled it. When there was no point in denying, a storm broke out.

Indignation.

Anticipation caused hearts to experience previously ignored emotions and heads to question. What could be the reason? Could something happen in that inaccessible world? Do you feel the same confusion, unable to connect?

Could you become bored with their existence?

Did you choose them, him, over someone else? What exactly made you hesitate? A beautiful singing voice? Looks that could challenge the Evil Queen? Fame? Wealth? What?

Was the effort really not enough to captivate you, to make you pay attention? Place in your heart the desire to stay. Is it really his fault or is it yours?

Grief.

Bitterness replaced frustration. The one that was ripping chest, made him want to cut his own throat open if it would give any peace of mind. If it would strengthen confidence of your return.

When it seem that the empty vessel was about to break, hope still glimmers at the bottom. When the ear listened to every rumor, rustle, speculation, even if it was false. When the one he least want to see looked at him from the mirror.

When he didn’t want to, and most importantly, couldn’t stop. Gave up. Let every attempt, broken hope plunge him into the abyss of despair much deeper than the last time. Getting back on feet became more and more difficult. Sometimes the thought of acceptance flashed but gaving up the most desired thing was hardly possible. Even if the chances that no one would understand and that everything would burn out were higher every moment.

Longing.

Yearning invariably replaces suffocating pain. Very reluctant, denied by all means.

When there was nothing left in tired beating heart - not a single drop - only memories of the time spent with you through Yuu. Then he still did not understand other people's adoration. He thought that this would bypass him. However, like everyone else, he couldn’t resist the eyes, your eyes and no one else’s, looking at him in a special way. As if in the world of colored pixels he was worth something.

A smile involuntarily plays on his face, although he barely had enough strength to maintain an imitation of life. In moments of overwhelming loss, pride insisted: you were not worth it. You were not worth all the torment, all the tears he shed. You were not worth.. but this was a blatant lie.

When everything around him would merge into one colorless heap, when he himself would cease to exist. The only thought at the last moment would be dedicated to you. Therefore, as soon as the news of the appearance of an impostor who dared to pretend to be you reached the exhausted mind, remained only... rage.

[rainbowsky]

Hi RBS

Why gg is related to little prince in that little prince and rose story??

Hi Anon,

Fake, fan fiction, CPN.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry is a classic, exceptionally popular, beautifully told and illustrated story. Those who haven't read it can find it here.

In this previous post from 2021 I talked about The Little Prince and why it resonates with queer readers so much.

Standard disclaimer: This is my own personal opinion based on my own interpretation of tidbits I've learned over the years. Everyone is free to come up with their own.

If you ask a solo they'll give you a completely different story than a turtle would about how The Little Prince is connected to GG, but I think GG's (and DD's) connection to that story runs far deeper than anything any fan - solo or turtle - can claim.

The Solo Interpretation

The solo interpretation revolves around the prince's red cape and the many references to the red cape that GG has made in his art and on social media over the years, which many believe were in response to fan activity.

The first reference came during a live broadcast of XFIRE, where GG created a pencil drawing of a boy wearing a cape and holding a ball. Later he posted a colored version of the image on his social media, where it was revealed that the boy was wearing a red cape and holding a glowing moon.

His fans named themselves Xiao Fei Xia (Chinese for 'Peter Pan') after seeing the image. The name sounds like Chinese for 'small fat shrimp', which is why XFX are often called shrimps (or tempuras, in malicious references).

When his fans won him a solo song, he posted a photo of a boy wearing a crown and a red cape. He later changed his Weibo badge to The Little Prince in a red cape. In Nov 2019 he posted an image of himself on Oasis with a red cape and crown drawn on.

"But why do they think The Little Prince is about them, when they call themselves Peter Pans?" you might ask.

That is a somewhat ambiguous connection, but as far as I can tell it's because of the idea that he's their Little Prince and they are his Peter Pans. The song Satisfaction - which was meaningful to GG and his fans - was connected to the image he shared of the boy wearing the cape and crown. There is also the red cape connection. They wear a red cape, and 'their Little Prince' wears one too. Red is GG's color, and the color XFX identify their fandom with.

A Deeper Connection

In any case, like I said - I think GG's connection to the Little Prince goes deeper than fandom, and the simplest answer to why it has become so connected with him is that he loves the story. It means a lot to him, and on some level he really identifies with the character.

And it's not difficult to see why both GG and DD identify with this story. I actually wrote a whole thing about that a while ago on my blog but of course, I can't find it now. So frustrating.

The Little Prince presents a lot of themes about personal development, love, acceptance, self-acceptance, friendship and found family that resonate with queer readers, with artistic/creative people, and with anyone who has had to live with loneliness or isolation (such as incredibly famous people who are forced to live somewhat separate from the rest of the world). There are themes about grief and loss, and about different points of view.

To me, the story is about how wisdom comes through wonder. More than anything, The Little Prince is about maintaining one's sense of childlike wonder and sensitivity in the face of all the pains and trials of life, and in spite of all attempts to kill our spirit. No matter what we have lost and long for, we can find beauty in the love we have and the connections we make.

It is that spirit of wonder that makes everything special, and makes us special too. It's what makes us able to look beneath the surface and see what's really important.

This is something GG quite obviously values very deeply. He has referred to DD as a sweet, pure-hearted boy in the past, and has spoken appreciatively about the fact that DD has managed to keep a sense of childishness and guilelessness despite being in this industry for so long, and from such an early age.

And GG himself displays those qualities in abundance. He has a very light-hearted, sweet, wonderstruck, sensitive, curious, cute side that is a huge part of the magnetism of his personality. We see this come out a lot in his downtime, such as when he was at Universal Studios, or when he was wandering the streets of Europe. One of the things that is most compelling about him is his willingness to show that side of himself, even as a grown man.

This is - as I've said many times - part of GG and DD's incredible chemistry and compatibility. They share their own little world, and this world of fun, laughter, sweetness, mischievousness and curiosity - the spirit of learning, exploring and cackling together like gremlins - this is all very much aligned with the themes of The Little Prince.

Even the moments of loneliness and separation and coming back together again, the stars in the sky and the ringing of bells - all of this is connected to the story of The Little Prince.

And if you believe the CPN about GG's birthday letter to DD (which I definitely do), this is a message GG gives DD: grow up slowly. That idea has appeared in fake rumors and other references in the fandom. And it's very aligned with the themes of The Little Prince.

From the book: (mild spoilers for those who haven't read it). Slightly abridged.

...he looked at me steadily, and replied to my thought:

“I am thirsty, too. Let us look for a well...”

I made a gesture of weariness. It is absurd to look for a well, at random, in the immensity of the desert. But nevertheless we started walking.

“What makes the desert beautiful,” said the little prince, “is that somewhere it hides a well...”

I was astonished by a sudden understanding of that mysterious radiation of the sands. When I was a little boy I lived in an old house, and legend told us that a treasure was buried there. To be sure, no one had ever known how to find it; perhaps no one had ever even looked for it. But it cast an enchantment over that house. My home was hiding a secret in the depths of its heart...

“Yes,” I said to the little prince. “The house, the stars, the desert—what gives them their beauty is something that is invisible!”

As the little prince dropped off to sleep, I took him in my arms and set out walking once more. I felt deeply moved, and stirred. It seemed to me that I was carrying a very fragile treasure. It seemed to me, even, that there was nothing more fragile on all Earth. In the moonlight I looked at his pale forehead, his closed eyes, his locks of hair that trembled in the wind, and I said to myself:

“What I see here is nothing but a shell. What is most important is invisible...”

As his lips opened slightly with the suspicion of a half-smile, I said to myself, again: “What moves me so deeply, about this little prince who is sleeping here, is his loyalty to a flower—the image of a rose that shines through his whole being like the flame of a lamp, even when he is asleep...” And I felt him to be more fragile still. I felt the need of protecting him, as if he himself were a flame that might be extinguished by a little puff of wind...

And, as I walked on so, I found the well, at daybreak.

Bottom line: Be who you are, stay true to yourself, don't let the world destroy all the soft, sweet, fun, creative, childlike, insightful, open-hearted parts of you.

You are special because of what you love.

GGDD and The Little Prince

Both GG and DD have been repeatedly associated with The Little Prince, and both have been referred to as "little prince" by fans. The Little Prince and his rose have been beloved by turtles as a frequently occurring candy/CPN in the fandom for years.

This started for DD back in his Uniq days. There's an example of this in an early Uniq interview. At the start each group member is being introduced, and their group role is listed onscreen along with the names fans use to refer to them, DD's nicknames are listed as "White Peony, Little Prince." (They're all such babies here!! 🥺)

And he really is a Little Prince, both in terms of his youthful, pure-hearted wonder and in terms of his appearance. There are countless examples of Prince Bobo.

Both GG and DD have been associated directly with the story of The Little Prince, in that both have performed readings of the story - GG in 2018, DD in 2018 and 2019.

(Sorry, no Eng subs for that last one).

The brand Roseonly created many Little Prince themed items back when GG was endorsing them.

The recent photoshoot DD did for T Magazine was themed around The Little Prince, and people saw similar references in the photoshoot GG did for Marie Claire.

The Little Prince - CPN

There are too many CPN references to The Little Prince - or to elements from the story - to list them all here, but here are a few:

The Name

One of the things BXG get excited about is that in Chinese, The Little Prince is actually called 小王子 (Xiao Wang Zi - literally 'little king child'). While the character 小 (Xiao, meaning 'little') isn't the same as the Xiao character used in GG's name (his name uses 肖, which is a Chinese surname), they are pronounced the same*.

*Incidentally, 小 is the same character that connects XFX to the Peter Pan name, '小飞侠' or 'Xiao Fei Xia'.

I think it's also likely that it's a big part of why GG and DD feel a connection to The Little Prince - because in Chinese, it references/connects their names.

They both love word play and have connected their names in the past - in the BTS when they were filming the library scene and GG wrote WangXiao with the calligraphy brush, on DDU when they were asked to come up with a team name and DD suggested BJYX and GG suggested Yizhan instead. It's very much in keeping with their personalities to enjoy that connection.

The Huang Ziteng post

Back in 2020 Huang Ziteng made a social media post that referenced The Little Prince. It consisted of a photo of a Little Prince figurine and thank you card with a rose pin. The text of the post read, "The child told me he received a gift, so happy. "The most important things cannot be seen, but must be felt with the heart." It was posted on September 13 at 18:23 (Yizhan - Yibo Loves Zhan).

The Birthday Cake

When DD rode his motorcycle out to spend GG's birthday together back in 2018, the birthday cake was Little Prince themed.

There was also a restaurant scene from Gank Your Heart where a Little Prince cake topper randomly appeared on the table. Does anyone else remember that? I can't find the actual scene, but it was very 👀.

EDIT: here it is!

On the plate in the foreground.

A Dream Like A Dream

When A Dream Like A Dream premiered in Wuhan, the theatre plaza was overrun with flowers for GG, and he had to make a statement asking fans not to bring flowers. Fans got together and gave flowers away all over the city. GG posted a photo of a single rose, which turtles believed was sent to him by DD.

The caption: "With love, the sun warms the spring." The kadian "Love Zhan, My Bo."

Day Day Up

DDU was a source for a few Little Prince-related CPN. There was a Little Prince figurine on the DDU set, next to a skateboard,

and of course everything surrounding The Brightest Star in the Sky.

DD has frequently been referred to as the 'lonely star', and there is a great deal of CPN about GGDD and stars.

There's also a fake rumor that after DD's motorcycle accident back in 2020, GG was overheard recording a voice message for DD and saying, "you always shine brightly."

There are too many star references to mention. Also too many moon references to mention. There is a LOT of CPN that connects to The Little Prince. It comes up quite often in the fandom. I'm not going to try to gather them all here. Suffice it to say that it's very well solidified as something turtles feel a deep connection with.

Either/or is such a bitch

One of the things I find really frustrating about fan culture is that it is so warlike. Never is this more apparent than when talking about things like this. Solos believe The Little Prince references are for them. Turtles believe GG and DD are referencing each other.

Just a reminder to everyone - it's quite possible for BOTH to be true.

It's quite possible for GG and DD to find all of these things significant at the same time. It's quite possible for us to allow all those significances to coexist without making them into a battle.

More than anything, the references are for and about GG and DD. We can share our excitement for them because we're all their fans. We all love them. It doesn't have to be a fight.

[starkenobi]

JAMAISVU | matt murdock x reader

masterlist — warnings: soulmates; hanahaki; angst with no happy ending.

Summary: Like it or not, every choice has a consequence. And no matter how much Matt Murdock and Y/N tried not to acknowledge its existence, the connection of the red thread was there all along.

The wedding took place on a spring day, with flowers decorating every corner of the hall and matching the huge garden of the house. But, despite the festive atmosphere illuminated by the sun, there was something tragic about the whole situation. The forced smile that didn't reach the groom's eyes and the pale face of the bride as the maid of honor (the groom's best friend) ended the toasting session right after the best man.

I just wish you two a lot of happiness because your happiness warms my heart, Matthew Murdock.

Matt and Y/N have always been very close, a friendship so strong and in such harmonious harmony that it was hard to imagine the two of them being apart for long. Until Elektra, an old and turbulent romance, returns on a stormy night, and from that moment on, absolutely everything changed.

Matt's focus became on helping Elektra, the two of them getting even closer than when they were dating. It all happened very quickly. What at first was just helping solve a case, suddenly became wedding planning.

To the surprise of many, Y/N kept supporting Matt - even becoming a bridesmaid alongside Foggy - and taking part in the organization of the big event. Ignoring Frank's silent looks, denying Karen's offers so she wouldn't be alone, smiling when Clint tried to talk about the subject, even laughing when Natasha tried to corner her to find out how she was really doing. The answer was always the same: Matt being happy made her equally happy.

However, the reality was very sad, no one seemed to understand the extent of the seriousness and Matt knew how to pretend that everything was fine. Not even Y/N seemed to notice at first, but the signs were right there. The month that was supposed to be for the honeymoon and for the couple to take advantage of getting closer was canceled halfway through. Elektra was getting sicker and Matt started working overtime to pay the hospital bills.

It didn't take long for the pretense to be exposed, and the truth came out that Elektra had found her soulmate but that it hadn't had the positive results she had hoped for. Her soulmate was in a relationship with someone else and had no interest in forming a romantic bond or maintaining contact. The worst part about finding your soulmate is creating expectations and plans, but not preparing or accepting when the opposite happens.

Of course, the group of friends pretended not to hear the newlywed couple's argument; no one dared to give their opinion on the irresponsibility of the two in making a hasty decision. What would be the point other than making everyone even sadder and more worried? Y/N made a point of donating her time to help pay the bills, even if it was for food or medicine. She made sure to make sure Matt was eating right, getting enough sleep, and always offering a hug as a form of comfort.

Until, after a few months of marriage, the worst happened: on a sunny Sunday morning, Elektra was found dead in her hospital room. The bedroom floor was covered in red-stained white lily petals, and on the bed was a destroyed bouquet of striped carnations, purple hyacinths, and white tulips with a crumpled card that said 'I'm so sorry'.

Matt was devastated. It was extremely difficult to get him out of the hospital. Foggy and Karen took care of Elektra's funeral in his place. While Y/N chose to stay with Matt. They didn't talk much. Matt was immersed in grief and guilt, repeating that he hadn't kept his promise to help Elektra as he should have. After the funeral, things didn't seem to get any better; on the contrary, Matt seemed to lose himself even more in his grief.

Y/N's attempts to reconnect with Matt were increasingly unsuccessful. No matter the moment or the affection, the result was the same: Matt would remain silent, an empty expression contradicting his pain-filled eyes, and then he would withdraw and lock himself in the room.

Until Y/N finally understood the reason, and in the worst way. Foggy, Karen and Frank had just left, after a dinner at Matt's house. Everything seemed calm after a night with friends, until Matt took a deep breath and coughed hard, as if he had choked on something. Bringing his hand to his lips, he coughed for several minutes, a strong pain in his chest making him almost fall to his knees on the floor, if it weren't for Y/N holding him by the waist. When the coughing fit finally passed, Y/N noticed his lips dirty with pollen and blood... And a single lily petal in the palm of his hand.

Like a switch, things between Y/N and Matt changed even more drastically. He started to avoid her completely. It didn't matter how many times she invited him to share a meal, called or sent him a message.

In fact, after a few days, she discovered that Matt had blocked her on all social networks and on his cell phone. Attempts to visit him were also frustrated, the lock was changed and both Froggy and Karen were forbidden from letting her into the office. Y/N was no longer welcome.

Their friends noticed the change, however, no matter how much they asked and tried to understand Matt's reason for making such a decision... He just ignored it. All that was left was for them to split up, they knew there was a connection between the two of them, but if Matt didn't want it anymore, they needed to support Y/N.

What they failed to notice, even with her warning, was the speed at which the disease was taking over Matt. Y/N began to prepare for the worst, created a shock plan, she would face him and find out why she was removed at such a difficult time. However, life had its own way of playing with fate.

"Miss L/N? This is Metro-General Hospital, you are registered as Matthew Murdock's first emergency contact. He arrived unconscious and was taken to emergency surgery due to the advanced stage of hanahaki. Please, we request your presence here."

Maybe, if they had talked, if Matt had been honest about what he felt and Y/N were more obvious, things could have happened differently. Matt wouldn't have gotten sick, wouldn't have pushed himself to the limit, and gotten sick during work. He wouldn't have had to undergo surgery because his respiratory system had been compromised by lilies.

And Y/N wouldn't have gotten on the bike even with an anxiety attack, wouldn't have forgotten to tell her friends because she was nervous, would have paid more attention to the traffic and wouldn't have gotten into an accident. However, the possibility of things being different was almost zero. At some point, the disaster would happen. They both lost the opportunity that life had given them. And that's how everything changed definitively.

"Karen, who gave me that book?" Matt murmured, frowning thoughtfully.

Karen, who was packing one of the moving boxes, turned to see what exactly the other was talking about, her eyes widening automatically. She stood up quickly and went to her friend, taking the personalized book from the other's hand, the card written in braille 'To my favorite lawyer. From: Y/N L/N' previously stuck to the cover falling to the floor. "Hm, it was Y/N."

"That name is not strange to me." Matt tilted his head, Karen felt as if he was looking into her soul. "Did she fight with our group? I don't think it was a client, you speak of her fondly even though you try to keep me from hearing."

Karen stared at him for a moment in silence, her eyes shining with a sad look. "She's just not here anymore, Matt."

"From the way you talk, she seemed like a good person... I wish I could remember it too." Matt finally commented, a sad smile taking over his face, but he soon went back to taking the books out of the box and putting them on the shelf.

It was a lie to take the weight off his friends' shoulders, who seemed full of fears and fear of hurting him. A big lie. Because the memories were all full of Y/N. He remembered, even though he missed some details. The surgery was only to remove the disease and the seed that caused it. It didn't matter if he moved to another apartment, the work routine, and his friends tried to avoid talking about Y/N.

Matt lived with sweet memories mixed with melancholy, what could have been a maybe became a never. It was all his fault. Guilty for once again putting the obligation to help others above his own feelings. He took it for granted that she would always be by his side and that everything was fine with the way they acted towards each other. He wasted time making mistakes that he had made after meeting Elektra again and lost the chance to be honest by diving into the feeling of guilt. So when he felt a small twinge in his chest again and coughed with a taste of pollen... It was a comforting feeling.

Flowers Meaning:

lily: innocence, pure love.

striped carnation: regret, unrequited love.

purple hyacinth: sadness, forgiveness and regret.

white tulip: forgiveness.

comments, likes and reblogs are welcome and appreciated! thank you for reading and supporting my writing 💜

[theambitiouswoman]

First things first, I love your blog- I started my healing journey a year ago when my breakup opened my eyes. This blog has given me gems throughout my process, so thank you! I want to ask, how do you actively get rid of ego? I'm getting more comfortable with letting go of things that don't serve me, but when it comes to relationships (platonic/romantic) I find it a bit difficult. I hope this makes sense

Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m glad the blog has been helpful for you.

Our ego can lead to negative behaviors like defensiveness, create attachments, control, or fear of loss but it can also plays an essential role in our lives. The ego can also help us establish boundaries, maintain a sense of self and navigate the world confidently. It’s our ego that helps us define our identity, set goals & assert our needs.

The key is balance. The ego becomes problematic when it’s overly dominant or when it leads us to act from a place of fear, pride, or insecurity. But when we recognize and integrate the ego in a healthy way, it can serve as a source of strength, resilience, and motivation. Which is where you want to be, i'm assuming

In relationships, for example, the ego can help us maintain self respect and create healthy boundaries, while also allowing us to be open, vulnerable and compassionate. So, rather than completely letting go of the ego, it’s more so about managing it, so it doesn’t control us.

To work on letting go of the negative ego, we need to become more self aware. Recognize when the negative ego is at play—defensiveness, judgment, or the need for validation—and choose to respond from a place of calm & self compassion. This isn't an easy thing to do from one second to the next. My advice would be to start by catching yourself before reacting, take a step back to process your thoughts and feelings- and then return when you can make a calm decision that is not emotionally charged. Shifting from the attachment of how things should be to acceptance is key. Acceptance is not about accepting whatever is in front of you, you are not a doormat. Acceptance means more about acknowledging the actuality of where you are in the present moment. If you notice most people want to ignore realities, and expect them to change. Versus accepting the reality in order to then be able to make a change.

Focusing on the present moment is also important. The ego pulls us into the past or future, but grounding yourself in the now helps you stay connected to the relationship. Letting go of expectations is essential. The ego thrives on control, but releasing expectations allows relationships to unfold naturally. Forgiveness also plays a big role. Holding onto past hurt keeps the ego in control, but forgiving yourself and others frees you from that hold. Sometimes we think we have fully healed and moved on, but it isn't until we expose ourselves to a similar situation that those unresolved issues pop up again.

Try shifting from focusing on what you don’t have/want to what you do have/want, this helps detach from the ego’s desires.

[the-cosmic-cauldron]

𝒫𝒾𝒸𝓀 𝒜 𝒫𝒾𝓁ℯ: 𝒲𝒽𝓎 𝒯𝒽ℯ𝓎 𝒢𝒽ℴ𝓈𝓉ℯ𝒹 𝒴ℴ𝓊 & 𝒲𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒯𝒷ℯ𝓎 ℛℯ𝓉𝓊𝓇𝓃 👻

Welcome to 10 Days, 10 Posts from The Cosmic Cauldron! Over the next ten days, I’ll be sharing a blend of astrology and tarot posts, each designed to spark your curiosity and guide your journey. If you find my content interesting, fascinating, or engaging, be sure to click the follow button for more! Ready to dive deeper into your personal journey? Head to my homepage and book a reading — you won’t regret it.

ᑭIᒪᗴ 1

The person ghosted you because they did not want to continue on the path you were pursuing. They wanted to divert and follow a different direction, one that doesn’t align with your desires. They are emotionally closed off and not truly invested in the situation.

Something you said or did likely overwhelmed them, causing them to take several steps back. They feel that moving forward with you is too much of a risk. They worry that continuing to engage with you could lead to recklessness, immaturity, or toxicity. They believe the relationship would become too volatile and that maintaining civility between you both would be difficult.

Despite this, they want to preserve a positive relationship with you. Because of that, they feel it’s best to step away and follow their own path. They believe that pursuing a deeper connection with you would place them in an unhealthy situation, which they are not willing to risk.

Additionally, they are not in a place to be emotionally vulnerable. They are not ready to open up or invest themselves emotionally. They need time to process what you said or did, as it had a significant impact on them. For now, they prefer not to communicate because they want to avoid saying the wrong thing or coming across as mean or harsh.

Ultimately, they feel that pursuing this relationship would lead to a dead end, and they are not willing to entertain that outcome at this point in their life.

Although they ghosted you, I believe they will go through a period of overthinking the situation. They’ll be in their head, feeling nervous and afraid to approach you. It’s possible that they ghosted you and are aware that this period of silence affected you emotionally. As a result, they’re overthinking how to reach out to you.

However, they will eventually come back. They’ll emerge from that nervous, overwhelmed state and calm down. When they do, they will be in a better emotional space and actually want to pursue something with you. They’ll return, more emotionally available and ready to engage in something deeper. They’ll be in a happier, more balanced place, where they feel capable of talking to you, pursuing you, and reciprocating some of the emotions you’ve shared with them.

ᑭIᒪᗴ 2

It seems for this pile that some of you may have been in a relationship with the person who ghosted you. You could have had a relationship that you perceived as healthy and happy. This person may have seen it that way too, up until a certain point. Then, things changed, and that’s when they cut contact with you.

I strongly feel that this person does have feelings for you. They care about you and have a tenderness towards you, but they’re indecisive. They don’t really know if they want to fully commit to you, and that’s a big reason why they ghosted you. They may have been talking to or entertaining other people, and when it came down to choosing you, they froze. They became uncertain and couldn’t decide if they wanted the same level of commitment you were seeking. They thought the commitment was good until they started considering other ways they could live their life, and now they’re unsure if they want to be fully committed.

If you’re already in a commitment with this person, they could still be indecisive, unsure of how they want to proceed. They have a lot going on in their mind, and it’s making it hard for them to gain clarity about you. They’re conflict-avoidant and didn’t want to argue or create tension. This could indicate that they are a Libra, or they may exhibit passive, docile traits and dislike getting involved in drama. They didn’t know how to approach you in a way that aligned with what they thought you wanted, so they became hesitant.

This person may have focused on themselves because they didn’t see a clear future with you, at least not one that felt certain and decisive. If they did envision a future, you may have just been one of many options, a potential person they thought could be a future partner, but they weren’t fully committed to pursuing it. The situation was ambiguous for them, up in the air.

Despite this, they likely felt that you made a good pair, admired your independence, and appreciated how you held your own. They liked your goals and how you lived your life. They saw potential in the connection and felt a lot of positivity coming from it. However, they struggled with balancing the pros and cons and couldn’t make up their mind. They weren’t sure about fully committing, and that’s when they started to drift away. They became less present, and you may have noticed this shift. As you tried to engage and talk to them, they couldn’t bring themselves to respond. They were afraid and insecure, unsure of what they wanted, and that led to them cutting contact.

Although they think highly of you, this person just didn’t know how to decide on what they wanted with you. They overthought everything, feeling like there were other options they could explore, and they didn’t want to focus all their energy on just one thing. Ultimately, they pulled away because they’re conflict-avoidant and unsure of how to move forward.

I don’t really see this person coming back. I generally feel like they don’t know what they want, and that uncertainty is likely to persist. Because they don’t know what they want, they aren’t going to put in the effort to come forward, talk to you, or discuss where things left off. Since they ghosted you, they won’t want to address why they did so. They won’t want to have a conversation about it or work through the lingering issues. I think they might hope that things will somehow resolve on their own without them having to say anything or fix anything, believing that things will just blossom naturally.

However, I still feel that they will be mentally conflicted. They will continue to deal with mental strain, preventing them from jumping right back in or moving on quickly. If they do return, I see them trying to move past the issues quickly, but I’m not sure they’ll offer much clarity. Instead, they might try to push forward with an overly optimistic attitude, using positivity to block out what you perceive as unresolved issues. I don’t see them coming back in a respectful or clear way, but rather in a way that glosses over the problems, as if everything is fine and we can just move forward without addressing the past.

ᑭIᒪᗴ 3

Pile 3, you were ghosted because the situation became too intense and overwhelming. By that, I mean there was a lack of a strong foundation in the connection. I feel like this person felt like you two got along well and worked well together when things were good. However, they also felt like you weren’t the person who could help them move forward. They may have felt that being with you led them into bad habits or distracted them from focusing on their own life. They became preoccupied with you and what you were doing, and possibly there was a lot of jealousy and possessiveness in the situation.

This created insecurity between the two of you, and things started to feel strained. You both had a tendency to fall into arguments and disagreements quickly, as one person tried to control things while the other didn’t, or both of you were being overly controlling with one another. Neither of you gave the other enough space to breathe or simply exist in peace. There were ego games at play, with one person trying to one-up the other, or making the other person mad, and the other feeling attacked.

While you did have moments when you worked well together, these were often overshadowed by difficult times when neither of you was willing to compromise or be on the same page. Insecurity, jealousy, and possessiveness played a big role in these struggles. There was also an imbalance, where both of you were focused on the connection at the expense of other aspects of your lives, like self-care and responsibilities. This neglect eventually led to burnout, making the situation feel overwhelming.

I feel like this person walked away because they were exhausted. They were frustrated and felt like it was too much to keep engaging with you or maintaining the connection. For their own well-being, they needed to step away and focus on their own life and health.

I don’t really see this person coming back. I feel like they just needed a period of rest and time away from you, and they’re still struggling with direction and decisiveness in their life. They’re very unclear about how to approach you, and they don’t feel confident in doing so. They lack confidence in both the situation and themselves. I believe they need to work on certain aspects of their life, particularly material, physical, and responsible matters, before they feel ready to re-enter your life. So, I feel like this connection is at a standstill, and they’re not coming back anytime soon. They need time to sort things out and are dealing with insecurity and a lack of confidence in the situation.

ᑭIᒪᗴ 4

I feel like the person who ghosted you did so because they didn’t like the way you were acting. They felt like you were being petty and had too much pride. They also thought you were boring and didn’t reciprocate the energy they brought to the table. They felt like they brought cheerful, joyful, fun energy, ready to have a good time, and they emotionally invested in you and cared deeply for you. However, they felt like you were immature and that it was hard to have a conversation with you. Because of this, they decided to ghost you instead. They believed you wouldn’t admit to anything and didn’t see the problematic behaviors you had. It also felt like they weren’t getting the same energy in return, so they started seeking what they wanted from someone else.

It seems like this person will try to come back, but they have a lot going on in their life and are dealing with personal issues. They’re trying to manage a lot and get through their own hardships. When they do come back, they’ll still be frustrated and overwhelmed. It might be too much for them, and they could withdraw again. They’re very defensive now and have their walls up, so they won’t be easy to talk to. If they do come back, they’ll still be dealing with their personal issues and trying to organize their life. They will likely be frustrated and uncertain about keeping the relationship in their life. Their return could be brief, just checking in or trying to talk to you. But if you say something they don’t like, they’ll probably quickly become defensive and may try to attack your character. So be prepared for that.

[black-arcana]

ARCH ENEMY's ALISSA WHITE-GLUZ On Touring The World On A Vegan Diet: 'It Is Totally Possible'

In an interview with Metal Magnitude at last month's Metal Hall Of Fame in Anaheim, California, ARCH ENEMY singer Alissa White-Gluz, who is vegan and straight edge, was asked if it's difficult for her to maintain her lifestyle while she is on tour. She responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've been touring for about 20 years and I've been vegan for 25 years and vegetarian before that, so I've definitely seen it become way easier. I've done it all across the world, with language barriers and cultural barriers and lack of time or money or transportation, and I'm still able to do it. So I have to say it is totally possible.

"Moby, obviously, is a well-spoken animal rights activist as well, and he's a friend of mine, and so he did this documentary ['Punk Rock Vegan Movie'] sort of diving into the connection between the punk mentality and, by extension, the metal mentality and veganism. And I think it's a really cool aspect and an interesting facet of the movement."

Apart from her musical acclaim, Alissa is a passionate advocate for animal rights. She has been vegetarian since birth, and vegan since the 1990s, and her dedication to animal rights is evident in her collaborations with various animal welfare organizations and her outspoken stance on issues related to animal exploitation, aligning her musical career with a fervent commitment to creating awareness and promoting compassion for all living beings.

Alissa's distinctive blend of artistry and activism has garnered widespread acclaim, earning her recognition as a trailblazer in the realm. As an influential figure in both the metal community and the animal rights movement, White-Gluz remains steadfast in her commitment to creating a more compassionate and just world for all beings.

During the 2023 edition of the Tuska festival in Helsinki, Finland, Alissa was asked by Kiki of the "Bleeding Metal" podcast if her activism is part of her identity. Alissa responded: "Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I am an activist before I'm a musician even. That's really what drives me forward every single day, is hoping that in some way my existence on this planet can make it a little bit better for everybody else who is currently existing on the planet and who will exist in the future. And that's first and foremost animal rights."

Asked if she would describe that as her purpose in life then even, Alissa said: "I don't know if people have, like, a purpose in life. I think it's nice to think that we do. I don't really know if we actually do. I think someone's purpose in life can just be whatever they attach themselves to — you know, whatever drives them forward. It doesn't have to be some big grandiose thing. But with that definition, then yes, I would say that it's my purpose. Yeah."

As for what her activism entails, Alissa said: "For me, I mean, I don't look at it as a job or something that I can really detail out because if I did, I would do that and not this. So it's really just… Deep down inside, I love animals. I think it's amazing that we share this planet with so many different, uncountable species in the sky, in the water, on land, these amazing creatures. They look different than us. They have different abilities than us. I mean, a fish can just live underwater; we would drown. You know what I mean? Like, just even simple things like this. A bird just flies. They just jump off a building and then fly. I still have this childlike awe over animals that can do this. And I think it's so sad that we have built an industry that doesn't care about that and actually only cares about profiting off of exploiting animals. And so as much as possible, I like to just show people that you don't have to take part in those industries. You can actually still have all the things that you wanna have in life — everything that you like; your food, your makeup, your whatever — you can still have all those things without involving animals at all. And now, actually, I've been more and more involved in the tech space when it comes to this. So there's some really cool innovations happening in the tech space when it comes to the future of food and also just reducing animal testing."

In 2022, during a question-and-answer session at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany, White-Gluz was also asked if it's difficult for her to maintain her lifestyle while she is on tour. She responded: "It super easy, actually, because I still party; I just don't intoxicate myself when I do it. But if other people wanna do that, that's their choice — it's up to them. Smoking, I'd like them to stay away 'cause I don't wanna breathe that in. But otherwise, it's really, really easy, actually. It's not even something that I think about. And actually, we have… In our tour bus, in our band and crew, I'm not the only sober one and I'm not the only vegan either, so I'm surrounded by a lot of different kinds of people and we all get along beautifully."

Two years earlier, White-Gluz explained why being vegan is definitely metal, telling the Mercy For Animals Facebook page: "So, I've been vegan for over 20 years now. I was vegan before I ever started in music. I've never eaten meat in my life. I grew up in a completely vegetarian household, so going vegan was just like the logical next step. And when I started doing music, there was nothing that I wanted to talk about more than animal rights. And so I was now using this heavy, passionate form of music to sort of convey a message that I wanted to. When I'm screaming in my band, I feel like I'm screaming for the voiceless. And I can't imagine being that loud if I had nothing to say.

"Being female, being vegan and also being straight edge in the metal world is just a combination of targets on my forehead that make it really easy for me to get singled out or pushed around," she continued. "But those are just things that are so much a part of who I am that I couldn't change them even if I wanted to. And I wouldn't — I wouldn't change for anyone.

"In my opinion, metal is all about rebellion — it's about carving your own path, thinking against what everyone's trying to make you think," Alissa added. "And veganism is the ultimate form of rebellion, because you are literally taking things that people have told you are normal that deep down inside you don't think are normal that you've been conditioned to accept about your day-to-day tasks, like eating or what you wear or what you choose to buy. Everyone says that that's normal, that you need to exploit other living beings for those things, but you don't. And so taking a stand against that is what veganism is. And that is really metal."

[scoobydoodean]

Actually I'm about to take this little exchange between Dean and Cas and Sam in the opening of 6.03 seriously, because why not? The conversation in the hotel has been an example used by deancrit casgirls for years to sell a story that Dean is always inconsiderate and demanding things of Cas.

Except Dean hadn't asked Cas for anything in a year as far as we know. He hadn't bothered him once. He hadn't asked him for anything. We know Dean was doing research on how to get Sam out of The Cage over the entire gap year (6.01) but we aren't told that Dean asked Cas to help him. As far as we know, he didn't "bother" Cas—much less demand his aid.

For many, that isn't necessarily the issue though. The issue is the lack of communication in of itself—the lack of "checking in". Setting aside that this isn't Dean's sole responsibility in the friendship and that Cas controls the means of communication between them, when Cas left at the end of 5.22, he spoke as if he was going off on his own solo adventure. Bolstered by a second resurrection, he planned to pursue his faith (and he and Dean clashed briefly over faith). Cas was excited by the idea of becoming "the new sheriff in town" up in heaven, and he didn't give the impression that he planned to maintain a relationship with Dean. He flew off without saying goodbye as if it didn't even occur to him that their connection was important and that parting deserved any sort of recognition, and I think that's how Dean received it—that Cas was at the very least, going away for a while and didn't care to be bothered.

At the same time, Cas didn't give the impression that he thought taking charge in heaven would be difficult. When we next see Cas a year later in 6.03, Cas echoes this sentiment, saying, "I expected more from my brothers". He thought he'd have more help from the other angels in creating (non-apocalyptic-leaning) order. To be honest, I don't think Cas or Dean expected Raphael to be a problem for Cas when they parted ways in 5.22. The Raphael that Dean and Cas had met in 5.03 was tired—barely past neutral in the apocalypse. In fact, Raphael didn't seem to actively take a role in making anything with the apocalypse happen. His only role seemed to be to guard The Prophet Chuck. He seemed like he just wanted to be left alone and outright said he didn't want to be in charge anymore.

"[God] ran off and disappeared. [He] left no instructions and a world to run. [...] We're tired. We just want it to be over. We just want...paradise."

I would guess that Raphael's attitude in 5.03 (and the fact that he never actually came after Cas between 5.03 and 5.22 as he threatened) left both Cas and Dean with the belief that Raphael was weak—beaten down by life, and unlikely to be a problem—that if someone came along and said they wanted the keys, he'd just say, "Whatever" and hand them over and ask to be left alone. Even if he'd fought, Cas hoped to organize the angels on his side first according to his reflection in 6.03, and he believed God would be on his side (even the fear of that possibility was enough to scare Zachariah). God brought Cas back to life twice after he was killed by an archangel—once in 5.01, and again in 5.22. This likely bolstered Cas's confidence as well, made him feel he could gain the favor of devout angels, and made Dean believe Cas would be safe.

What's more, the Cas that Dean is familiar with from season 4 to season 5 isn't shy about asking for help. All Cas did all of season 4 was come to Dean asking or telling or demanding Dean do things for the angels. He was never shy about it. He was nosy and lacked any sense that he might be bothering anybody or even intruding on personal space when he came wanting help with something. He was more likely to show up unannounced and threaten and guilt than he was to think he was being a burden or that he had to handle everything on his own (though he was certainly happy to handle certain things on his own when he thought it would be easiest not to consult with anyone in advance). In 5.03, Cas showed up out of the blue asking Dean to be his meatshield against Raphael. In 5.04, Dean had to explain the concept of sleep when Cas wanted to pick Dean up to help him with a search for The Colt. When Cas needed help, Dean helped—practically and sometimes also emotionally. There were no questions about putting Dean at risk—the mission always came first.

So Dean between 5.22 and 6.03 has no reason to believe Cas would not come to him if he was in need—emotionally or practically. He simply assumes Cas is busy in a healthy way—busy governing with his angel buddies—busy with other relationships and his faith.

When Cas arrives in 6.03, it's because, for the first time in a year, Dean prayed to see if Cas had any ideas on their case. It wasn't a big deal—but seemed like it might be up his alley. It wasn't a demanding request. Hell—maybe Dean sees being on a mission for the first time after a year as a good excuse to get in touch. However, he also finds out just now from Sam that Cas had ghosted Sam when Sam was resurrected and prayed over and over. Over an entire year, Cas never took the time to show. Even if they don't consider each other friends, Dean figures Sam is owed a response at some point over the course of a year after sacrificing his life for everybody.

So when Sam and Cas start squabbling about Cas suddenly appearing (it seems at first) just because Dean prayed instead of Sam, Dean picks Sam's side—and when he says, "When Sam calls, you answer", I don't think he's trying to give orders—I think he's trying to quickly end an unproductive squabble between two more-volatile-than-usual parties who are already prone to butt heads by addressing what he thinks is the root of the issue: Cas simply not grasping the basics of communication and human courtesy.

Dean's had to explain that it isn't okay to fly people places without their permission. He's had to explain that humans need time to eat and sleep and can't assist you at a moments notice at any time day or night. He's had to explain personal space. He's had to explain that watching people sleep is creepy. He's had to explain that showing up in people's rooms or bathrooms out of the blue is startling. This is just one more thing he feels he needs to explain based on his assumptions about Cas ghosting Sam—which are also built upon Cas's own claim—that he ghosted Sam for an entire year simply because he didn't have an answer to his question and for no other reason.

Cas then proceeds to make it clear that he didn't come because Dean called, but because of why Dean called. Cas is interested in the staff of Moses. Cas then proceeds to say "I need your help", and Sam and Dean help him instead of holding a grudge or demanding more explanations. As the case progresses, it becomes more and more clear that Cas isn't going to explain anything and he just keeps darting around and doing things like torturing a kid. So Dean finally demands to know exactly what's going on with Cas. Getting Cas to explain is really difficult—Cas doesn't want to. His responses are short and scattered—he doesn't want to take the time—he's still darting around while he talks.

When they finally get the picture that there's Apocalypse 2.0 brewing, Dean asks outright why Cas didn't ever tell them. The implication here is clear when you realize that up to this point, Dean knows Cas as someone who isn't shy about asking for help when he needs it.

Cas admits,

"I was ashamed. I expected more from my brothers."

He's still using Dean while he talks—literally yanking his wrist over to cut Dean's palm open and use his blood for a spell without asking.

[sepublic]

What if we had episodes on the other four coven heads who were never properly introduced; Vitimir, Osran, Mason, and Hettie Cutburn? Plus some other storylines, dynamics, and ideas I'd have liked to see.

What follows is a canon-compliant set of four scripts, each comprising a hypothetical episode of its own. These are set between O Titan, Where Art Thou and Clouds on the Horizon. Luz, Eda, and King find themselves on an usual road trip in the final days before the Day of Unity, helping the CATTs' and other people's objectives along the way; It begins and ends in Latissa.

I didn't just want to write fanfics; I wanted to draft hypothetical 'lost episodes', I wanted to play with the idea of the show getting four specials to introduce the remaining four coven heads, and elaborate on other ideas that didn't get to be explored. So I wrote scripts, and I designed them to feel as much like TOH episodes as possible.

I realized there are 'rules' to TOH episodes; If there are separate A and B-plots, they must be connected in some way. They usually stem from a common premise, diverging and eventually converging; Sometimes in the next episode, as seen into late Season 2B! These episodes want to convey ideas, themes, lessons, etc. And perhaps most importantly, Luz is the main character; She has to have some sort of presence and involvement. Labyrinth Runners stands out as the exception, and so I tried to maintain it as the one and only exception.

The original plan was to write out these scripts, and then keep cutting them down until I fit within the 22-minute format; Because these definitely go past that length, especially if you want these Lost Hoots to have a breathable pace. But I decided to just show all my ideas as is, because it's not as if these scripts will ever become actual episodes.

Perhaps in the future I'll do TV-length versions of these, but my point is: I already had a lot of respect and consideration for how difficult it must've been for the writers to fit in as much as possible, while operating by their standard rules, and still having the episodes themselves be good and not at a breakneck pace where it's more quantity than quality; That respect has grown even more. I haven't even taken into account when the cut to the commercial break happens!

Not only are these Lost Hoots meant to fit into canon, but they even have titles and codes meant to fit into Season 2's hidden message! These are by no means hidden, but it's a fun treat to consider; What if I made these episodes in such a way that if they were produced, a new viewer wouldn't be able to tell the difference unless a veteran explained it to them? I wanted these episodes to feel seamless; They cap off prior ideas, while leading into future, canon events, who in turn feel like the payoff to the setup within these hypothetical Lost Hoots.

With all that in mind, I thank anyone who clicks on this, and I hope you enjoy!