#the energy could not be more diametrically opposite

[twinkpoll]

Merlin vs Howl:

Link vs Luke:

[fatherfigurefusion]

“Galactic Melancholy”-esque talentswap KG fic?? PLEASE tell us more, pretty please!

Alright!

So, like Galactic Melancholy, “Danganronpa: Atlantic Sorrow” is a talentswap fic with a mix of characters from the game! It takes place in a mysterious underwater facility, and is headed by a mysterious mermaid known as Monohina, heading by her crab and fish sidekicks.

The primary twist is that these talents are taken from Danganronpa Another and Danganronpa Another 2!

Our protagonist is Komaru Naegi, the Ultimate Pilot! Thanks to her having an Ultimate talent, I’d believe that she would be a far more confident person, without her losing that good ol’ Komaru charm. In spite of her hermbo energy, Komaru’s shocking moments of intelligence and craftiness could help her survive in the diametric opposite of the sky!

But she is not alone in her endeavors, for she also has the help of:

Toko Fukawa, the cowardly and distrusting Ultimate Police Officer as well as Komaru’s support, with a hidden free-spirited side!

Sayaka Maizono, the charismatic and cheery Ultimate Merchant/famous advertising personality with a million-dollar smile!

Leon Kuwata, the burnt-out prodigy Ultimate Actor who wants nothing more than to step out of the limelight and follow a different dream!

Chihiro Fujisaki, the timid yet superbly-kind-hearted Ultimate Cheerleader who wants nothing more than to assert himself as a real man!

Sakura Oogami, the wise and contemplative Ultimate Psychologist, who’s a firm believer in a healthy body equalling a healthy mind!

Kazuichi Souda, the Ultimate Billiards Player who wishes to reinvent himself as a tough assertive person, but can’t shake his natural cowardice!

Hiyoko Saionji, the cute-looking yet mean-spirited and competitive Ultimate Painter, who is the latest scion of an influential family of traditional artists!

Peko Pekoyama, the stoic Ultimate Journalist with an analytical mind and a pair of sharp eyes that no piece of information is able to evade!

Nagito Komaeda, the gentle yet self-deprecating Ultimate Professor whose soft baggy eyes and dorky demeanor belies a hidden “zealous” side.

Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Lawyer who is the definition of a “bunny-ears lawyer” and has mysterious delusions of being the “fangs of justice”.

Shuichi Saihara, a guilt-stricken young boy who refuses to share his Ultimate talent, claiming that he doesn’t deserve it and “failed” at it.

Kaede Akamatsu, the optimistic yet hard-headed Ultimate Boxer, whose muscular body belies a dorky love for shonen manga and cake!

Angie Yonaga, the class’s foreign exchange student and the Ultimate Soccer Player who has weird and forceful methods for promoting “teamwork”!

Gonta Gokuhara, the nature-loving Ultimate Guitarist who is big in both body and heart and wishes to share his “songs from forest family”.

Ryoma Hoshi, a former ex-convict who is currently the Ultimate Priest and wishes to find solace and atonement for his past deeds in the form of “God”.

Can this cast of characters successfully evade the grasping hands of death, or will despair force them down into even deeper depths?

If you wish to learn more about this AU, please don’t hesitate to ask!

[rarepairnation]

6, 13 and 22 for the ask game?

hi friend!!! thank u for sending these<3 i was gonna ask you if you wanted to send different questions bc there’s a couple repeats from the last ask but then i came up with new answers. if you still wanna send diff ones though i will answer them as well

6. which ship fans are the most annoying

ACTUALLY LMFAO I LIED IN THE LAST ONE. i think (hope?) you’ll find this one funny lol well the 0.5 people in the denethorongil ao3 tag who are just there for crack. girl the psychic situationship. that is so fucking interesting. this is like the reverse answer. which ship NON fans are the most annoying. Anyway. i think it just pisses me off whenever a dynamic that could be so thematically (and dramatically) intriguing gets dismissed or made into a joke bc like. come on is that the best we can do? perhaps i just frequently lack a sense of humour about this kind of thing. or maybe people mostly are not funny…who can say.

13. worst blorbofication…TWO!

now is my time to SHINE baby….little pathetic baby faramir is SUCH a textbook fucking case of blorbofication. that shit is ridiculous. yeah the idea of a punching bag dad to take shit out on and/or guy bending over backwards just for his dad's approval appeals to you. unrelatedly how is your relationship with your dad. but i swear to god i KNOW that there are other characters out there that fit this archetype better. there are PLENTY of sad little people pleasers out there. dont take one of the greatest bitchest craziest men in the whole wide green world and make him your little crybaby. if you read the denethor faramir relationship as abusive you gotta also understand that he is right there punching back at it all. goddamn. he had gone on the orders of the lord of the city indeed. peter jackson im gonna fucking get you. this is a guy that first blamed his brothers death on their father and THEN promptly forced said father to order him to his probable death for the sake of his own moral code he has never once laid down and taken it in his LIFE. he’s been arguing back since he was like seven years old or something. in MANY THINGS he displeased his father! he is not a doormat he is a motherfucking doorstop and he WILL make it your problem! also i don’t have anywhere else to put this opinion so it’s gonna go here. it hit me sometime yesterday that the desperate-to-please faramir narrative almost works better with canon denethor. i mean film faramir is a totally different guy so like im not even sure if he would have the same history with his father but like just bear with me here. if he knows that his father trusts him as a commander and yet cannot (seem to express, although failing to express for long enough is basically equivalent) love him as a son…that he has memories of… actually just kidding this doesn’t fucking work at all. because the POINT of it all is that denethor and faramir are the same until they’re not. sly and tactical and cunning and so so so numenorean that elros tar-minyatur would WEEP. while i think film faramir and book denethor are - if not diametric opposites, at least not. so similar. i mean peter jackson literally blorbified him himself. here is my new guy with maybe one of his key traits preserved. man when i reblog a film faramir gif im just imagining book faramir’s personality. i hope you all understand this. i just. i DO love david wenham’s faramir face. he put so so so much 100% home grown bitch energy into the capturing frodo and sam scene faramir and i am simply imagining him translating all that onto "on one occasion at least your counsel has prevailed, not long ago. it was the lord of the city that gave the errand to him." now THAT…oh captain my captain. do you get it

22. your favourite part of canon that everyone else ignores

on one occasion at least your counsel has prevailed not long ago/stir not the bitterness in the cup i poured for myself. people LOOOVE you wish now that our places had been exchanged but read two more lines girlypop IT GETS BETTER. i mean people smarter than me have figured it out already but "restraint"…the idea of faramir having been holding this back for a long time. perhaps even since he first realized boromir was dead and thinking oh. oh, father sent him, or agreed to let him go, or however it went down, and now he is dead and it is father's fault. jesus christ that makes me crazy. and denethor basically saying what else do you think i have been thinking about for weeks. do you dare to think this is new news to me im not the heartless bitch you think i am. of course i blame myself. ARE YOU KIDDING? this is like the entire dynamic contained in two lines of dialogue. i had a runner-up answer but im too sleepy to write it all out but ill tell you what it is and its how WEIRD denethor and faramir are. theyre so weird you guys. i am psychic and prophetic and i WILL make it your problem.

[writer59january13]

Umpteenth heat wave since onset of summer

sizzles Delaware Valley today July 16th, 2024

Said geographical area composed of counties

located in Southeastern Pennsylvania,

South Jersey, Delaware, and

Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Sweltering temperatures

figuratively grip human zoo

bipedal hominids (yours truly,

an olive - garden variety simian)

seek much sought after shade under whirled wide webbed yew

offering protection from the sheltering sky, which heavenly reflection within

shining sea witnesses wahoo, whereat fisherman angling

to encompass vantage point to view

how flora and fauna cook née stew scorched wildlife

postpone impossible mission

to search and rescue

despite bucket brigade lined in a queue to stanch imminent wildfires sparked by lightning striking

dry as kindling tinder

linkedin with El Niño and climate change omnipresent phenomenon offered preview

Weather records

(one for the books) chart mercury

rising hot enough to melt tar,

which indicates global warming

quite evident I fear,

what with mean temperatures

from January – July 2024 (thus far) noticeably above norm for this time of year prognosticators foretell forecasts

per this third planet from the star, which inhabitants upon Mother Earth

burden of responsibility must bear

billions of people wanton pollutants

ratchet up barometric millibar dialing up greenhouse effect,

which serious scenario scientists fear correlation from profligate offal ways

traced from freed genie in the jar, no longer stretch of imagination

affects mankind did sear since day of reckoning,

whence Prometheus set stage for war pitting mankind against Gaia

urgent messages we fail to hear.

Dystopian forecast impossible mission to avoid

since doomsday thoughts pervade consciousness

after perusing newsworthy information

globe trotting correspondents riskily employed

imperiling their life and limb to acquire

truthful natural and/or human interest stories

occurring across all four corners of oblate spheroid,

i.e. world wide web,

whereby Earth situated within nebulous void.

I try mine darndest to maintain optimistic aire

all the while gleaning apocalyptic intimations

courtesy human engineered phenomenon

all the more rhyme and reason to beware

Homo sapiens on brink of armageddon,

especially when trustworthy cognoscere

painstakingly document their research

and without lacking hesitation declare

drastic paradigm shift away

from dependence on nuclear

energy and fossil fuels everywhere

else climate change could bitta bing

bitta bang hasten global warming,

where wicked watery wasteland

wreaks bleak soggy frontier

backed by popular demand

majority trumpets grandpoobear

for president, he who donned hair

actually he got bewigged courtesy fake

orange toupee, which got blown away

while he hoisted himself

with his own petard.

Imagine if ye will - one immense

ferociously diametrically,

and cosmologically phenomena

opposite that of Polar Vortex

(perhaps an apropos

nom de plume

would be Hades Furnace)

asphyxiating, clapping,

and encapsulating thee

entire oblate spheroid planet.

Judgement day could be similarly blazing hot on the saddles, or cold as a witch’s tit, which constant reminders during Spartan, slated singe shearing, stoic upbringing inured us Lutherans to bite the figurative bullet (which melted like caramel) during those scorching, sea-sickening, and sunstroke unbearable vaporizing winds.

No matter the temperature considerably cooler holed deep within man cave (especially with central air conditioning set at seventy degrees and a box and desk fan blowing pleasant air), nonetheless I still lose out viz zit head by exertion as a zero sum game.

[campbluelake]

I Will Carry the Weight of You

It is in that moment that Abbie’s eyes close once again, and she is left adrift in the sea of her own mind. In that ocean of thoughts are moments spent with all of the counselors here at camp. The visions of the time spent here, even if the paradise was as false as the love of the beast who gave it to her, are true. These are real. Even when she held no love for the people she thinks of, she can remember feeling.

With you all, she felt. She felt. She felt.

[♫♫♫]

Alice and her sense of resolve in the face of adversity, her worry for others even when her own health had been at risk just moments before. That sense of care.

Audie and her strength to move forward and welcome others into her heart in spite of the loss that she suffered. She’s suffered so greatly and still finds it in herself to want nothing more than to help.

Eri and her unbending spirit. Her heart is always in the right place, even if her actions lead to fumbling some attempts to follow through on her intentions. She’s stalwart, unmoving.

Hibiki and his sense of self. Even if Abbie herself had never liked it, his dedication to being unapologetically him was something to be admired, regardless of who happened to hold that trait.

Inés and her want of better. It takes a lot to recognize a wrong, and it takes even more to want to become better than your mistakes. To do so is to reflect your care for those around you, to display love as motivation for improvement.

Jacky-Bobby and his dedication to family, community. She will never be able to like him, not with their diametric opposition, but she will always respect the love he so clearly showed for his family at every opportunity–blood or otherwise.

Julio and his grounding presence. He was able to guide those within the lodge to find the truth, which allowed for this entire web to finally come unraveled. There was a lot of care that went into how he treated Niko then, too.

Kaede and his immense care for everyone around him. It wasn’t often that you found someone who was just so good, even in spite of the horrors he bore witness to. Others shunned him and he still found a way to open himself to new people.

Kyousuke and his unending warmth. He said that he wasn’t a good person, and maybe he wasn’t in the traditional sense, but he was good to her. He was good to people who didn’t have many people who were kind to them. It was difficult to be caring to poison ivy people.

Lydia and her boundless energy. Although they had very few moments together, she still remembered the first lore item hunt fondly, laughing and joking with the people who she would grow to call her friends. Lydia was part of that, and her joy was infectious.

Malyce and his…everything. At the end of this all, he’s who she’s certain she can still call her family, and her chest stings as she thinks of how she had been so ready to leave him to be the one left remembering despite knowing it was a crueler fate than death.

Max and his understanding. Showing her true form and colors hadn’t kept him from offering her words of comfort before and even after. Despite not having the full story, he sat with her on the Ferris wheel and offered her a sense of sympathy that she hadn’t…ever felt.

Niko and his dry attitude. It sounds insulting, but it really is one of her favorite parts of him. Few people could be as cynical as him and still bring a smile to her face, someone who was able to find beauty in a lot of things. He cared for her despite knowing her misdeeds, still felt for her.

Nora and her limitless personality. Maybe the idea of limitless has changed for them since the first time they spoke about it, but perhaps the most limitless a person could be is when they know who they want to be to others while being them. It wasn’t a matter of feeling what they wanted, it was a matter of being unafraid to feel.

Saya and her endless supply of passion. It was hard for Abbie to think of anyone with more presence than her former roommate, and she meant that in the best of ways. Even if they didn’t always agree, she’d never left a conversation with the other woman without a mind full of thoughts.

Suzy and her spark-filled being. Most of those sparks caused little brush fires Abbie quickly had to pat out on her friend, but others were a bit like what she imagines fireworks to look like without a fear of them, bright and brilliant and awe-inspiring. It’s why so many hold her in their hearts.

Tommy and her brilliance. The first time it was put on display was a bit of a silly and goofy murder (as goofy as homicide could be), but her mind was as sharp as her attitude, unafraid of stabbing close to the heart of the matter when others might shy away. It was all in search of the truth.

Warrick and his resolute protective self. Competition could be born from a need to protect one’s reputation or standing, and Abbie had a feeling Warrick’s selfless side showed itself most prominently in his belief and need to protect the people he cared for, even against themselves. She would never think the result of that storming night was stupid. Not when she knew why.

Yua and his free spirit. A grounded existence was what most would go for, but labels and expectations and the idea of being a number pulled Yua to a sense of freedom that was, honestly, admirable. Few people could decide to give up a base and live with wings as unclipped as him.

Even with the empty abyss of oblivion staring her down, its tempting song beckoning her forward into its embrace, Abbie turns her gaze to the being in front of her. Its form, though intimidating to most, surely, doesn’t phase her. She is a woman who has witnessed more horror than joy in her existence and one that has clung to the dismal and dire as a point of fascination in order to trivialize their effects on her.

Where there is horror, there is beauty. 

[rainydrops]

Day XVIII: Monster

"...Oh, so you're a monster hunter, are you?" coaxed the fae as they looked down at the feeble little hunter. The two stood on opposite ends of a magnificent gate, gilded in gold and jewels, diametrically opposed. From the gateway flows trickle and wisp of pinkish-lilac fog.

It surrounds both of them, and only the fae seems entirely unaffected.

"--something like that," the hunter grumbled, unsheathing a blade that glittered in the eversetting sun's light. "I was sent after a wave of missing person's reports all tied to this grove. I imagined there might be something more sinister tied to the place."

"Sinister?" they cooed, taking a few steps forward. The monster hunter backed away into the large trunk of an oak tree, looking up for a moment. The sunset's orange fluttered down through the leaves until it hit their skin. It was a nice color, one they focused on for a few long moments...it was more difficult to keep their thoughts all in order with that damned mist blowing all around them.

Unfortunately, when they looked back down, the faerie stood over them with a kind smile. "I'm nothing like that, darling. I only help wayward souls find their true way home." they laughed softly, a lilting melody that made the hunter's knees tremble just slightly; just for a moment. But it's enough.

"Bullshit!" cried the monster hunter, pulling out their sword fully now and pointing it menacingly in the direction of the fae. "You're twisting these innocent people's minds to your will! Making them believe this is their home, making them believe--"

But before they could continue, the fae took another step forward. And another, gently pushing down the point of the blade as they stared the hunter down. The monster's eyes were iridescent, swirling with every color imaginable and more. Yet another color the hunter struggled to look away from with every passing moment.

"I don't make my thralls believe a thing, little knight. I only help them be free of the pressures that weigh down on them, forcing them into a mold. I only allow them to relax into their natural forms...as subservient, and vulnerable." they murmured, drawing closer. It felt as though as they took each step towards the hunter, the fae's voice echoed in their mind, bouncing around and sticking evermore.

"The judgemental, cruel authorities that send you gallivanting all across the land, asking that you expect nothing in return. Putting you in danger every day without a care in the world..." they easily took the sword from the hunter's hands by the hilt and let it clatter without care to the grassy knoll beneath their feet. Their eyes seemed to glow even more as the vibrant sun was disappearing behind the hills in the distance. They were only able to stare, shaking their head.

"N..No, that's not it, it's my duty-..."

"Is it?" they tilted their head just so, lips pursed in an inquisitive expression. "Is this really what you want to do? Work yourself to the bone forever, work until you drop?" they moved behind the hunter and laid their hands on their shoulders with an iron grip that felt more calming, more gentle, more loving than the poor knight had felt in longer than they could recall. "As my thrall, you wouldn't need to waste allll that energy...you could just relax and let yourself finally rest. Wouldn't you like that~?"

"I...would...well, I...uhm..."

"Shh, shh, you don't need to think too hard about it," cooed the fae, wrapping their lithe arms around the hunter's body and unbuckling piece after piece of heavy armor, letting them thud to the ground as they watched the hunter's knees lock and tremble. They stared thoughtlessly into the gates before them, into the mist, into the shadows of bodies wrapped together, giggling and moaning and cooing without a worry in the world... "You just need to give in, and I can take all of those silly worries away. You'll be safe here...I'll take very, very good care of your mind, my darling. But you can rest, and relax, and obey."

On their word, the faerie pulled their newest thrall close, hands sweeping over their feverish skin, and pushed their lolling head down to their chest. "There we are, darling. Wasn't that so easy?"

"...yes..." came the thoughtless murmur from the hunter.

The fae giggled as they guided their pet by the shoulders back into the gates, letting them swing shut forever behind them. "Things will only ever be that easy from now on, pet."

[the-whatcherof-89]

Stand Name: The Devil Came from Georgia

Destructive force: D(start) A(within 10 meters of the user). Speed: B Range: A(activated) D(deactivated). Permanence: C Precision: A-D Growth: D

The Devil Came From Georgia (or Georgia’s Devil) is an automatic-long range stand that targets a specific individual. The user must know what the target looks like and other details even via words or photos (the more the details the more the stand is precise). To activate the stand, both the user and the stand must be at diametrically opposite locations (North & South, Eats & West etc) distance is unimportant. The Devil will then teleport to the target and declare the beginning of the race between the stand user and the victim; the stand can be heard only by the victim even if the individual is a non stand user. The Devil will choose a destination which must be at least 3 days of travel from the starting point and the method of transportation to that location. The devil will declare other rules that can be placed by the user and that both him and the victim must follow. Finally, before disappearing he will say that infractions to the rules will be punished. The power of the devil manifest the more the victim gets close to the user: the more the user gets close, the more the victim will be considered a menace by other people forcing said person into hiding or outrun mobs of angry people. The devil will also intervene creating false data on the victim: labeling it as a criminal or spreading false rumors among non-stand users and even animals. To further add insult to injury, every day from the start of the race the devil will spawn and remind how far he is from the user and how much time they have left putting pressure into the victim. However, what makes this stand REALLY dangerous is the fact that the more the victim becomes infamous, the more the victim becomes weak as his energy is slowly but inevitably fed to the devil(stand included). If the victim fails the race, it perishes and his soul is collected by the devil canceling all the effects of angry mobs and false data as if they never existed. The same occurs if the victim or allies of the victim break the rules imposed during the race. During the period of the race the user cannot use the stand but knows the general direction of where it must go, the remaining time and remembers the rules of the race at perfection including all possible altercations that they could involve to his advantage. If during the race the stand user is stopped, or slowed down the devil will help the user by stalling the victim by offering a “respite”. Finally, all effort used to locate the stand user are redirected to the victim allowing the user to put the victim in a sticky situation where even if he causes problems, other people will believe it was the victim and not the user to have caused it.

[vampyr-game]

Oh, I like these thoughts!! I've definitely been mulling over the possibility of a shadow god, but I hadn't considered exploring whether Myrddin and Morrigan had more immediate family members to draw from... Actually, I've always found this odd: Blood strikes me as the broader of the two domains, within which Plague would only be one part? But in Vampyr mythology, it's the opposite: the domain of blood is subordinated to the domain of the plague. Why is that?

Could the progenitor deities of this pantheon draw from a "four horsemen of the apocalypse" archetype? And Morrigan is the Pestilence to three siblings of Death, Famine, and War? 🤔 I'm not sure how those could fit into the existing Vampyr "magic" system, but it would give Morrigan a better reason to be above Myrddin, and it could be a rich angle of exploration...!

I think Morrigan + Shadow God = Myrddin, as well as the gods of Skals and Vulkods and etc, could be promising! Though your observation that "shadows are everywhere" puts me in mind not of a spouse or partner deity, but a diametrically opposed force, you know? Like shadows so deep they can't be reached by the light of a blood moon (tho it could also be giving bitter divorcee energy... 👀): a ubiquitous yet unknowable-by-its-very-nature void/shadow/darkness god. Maybe its name is unknowable? Or it doesn't even have a name?? Does it have a conscious will, or is it just... a kind of atmospheric magic inherent to Night???

Whatever the shadow god's nature, it seems to have distinctly fewer expectations of its progeny (from what we've seen -- but who knows, maybe Skals get their share of unsolicited poetry?). Myrddin and Morrigan intervene purposefully to create chosen champions every hundred years, and then they go to sleep... But what kind of progeny is made outside their purview? Ekons by Ekons, or Skals by Ekons, or Skals by Skals (Less is known about Vulkods but I like to assume they can be made by Ekons as well as each other). Given the way shadow powers function (any species of vampire can have them), it almost gives the impression this theoretical shadow god takes responsibility for ALL creatures of the night, and when they are disfavored by the blood gods, the shadows give them the bit of juice they need to get by without blood powers. 🥺

Not sure what to do about Blood Ekons and Shadow Ekons, but maybe there's like. classism about it.

not sure if i've raised this question to the symposium yet, but if the blessing of a blood god is what allows Ekons to manipulate blood (and I believe they are the only species of vampire that can) (this makes sense if they are Myrddin's chosen form of Progeny, and all other species are derivative mutations of some kind), then where do you guys think vampires' shadow powers come from? (shadow clones, shadow-stepping, shadow tentacles, etc.) (various Ekons, Skals, and Vulkods have been shown to possess these powers, though it seems not all species of vampire have access to all of them)

[bookish-enneagram]

Anakin Skywalker | Sexual Type Nine | Full Profile

Basic Fear: Of loss and separation; of annihilation

Basic Desire: To maintain their inner stability and peace of mind

Superego Message: "You are good or okay as long as those around you are good or okay."

Focus of Attention: on others, on what is going on in the environment, and on avoiding conflict and achieving harmony.

Passion: Sloth

Anakin lived a life that was entirely for other people. Specifically those close to him; his mother, Obi-Wan, Padme, Chancellor Palpatine, Ashoka, and eventually Luke. Anakin was known for how much he loved and cared for these individuals, and in reality he merged with them and their needs. All Nines need to merge with something on account of their passion, which I will explain. Unlike a Self-Preservation Nine, who merges with physical comforts and routines, or a Social Nine who merges with the group, Anakin merges with specific individuals, like a classic Sexual, or One-to-One Nine.

We will start by acknowledging his greatest fear, and what drove him to the Dark Side; his fear of loss. Anakin had this fear going back to when he was a child. His mother was his whole life and, like any child, it pained him to leave her, telling her he’d come back for her. This sense of loss extended to Obi-Wan, Palpatine, Ashoka, and Padme. We see in the Revenge of the Sith novelization, which I highly recommend, how much he worries about Obi-Wan and Palpatine. With Padme, it’s much more obvious. He was willing to do anything, even monstrous things, to avoid losing her. This was a product of his disintegration to Six.

To start this section out, not all Nines disintegrating to Six will commit mass genocide and kill children. Rather this is a fictional event. However, the causes behind the action are definitely from his disintegration. At the beginning of Revenge of the Sith, he is at Level 4 of type Nine’s Levels of Development. He is accommodating to his friends and the Jedi council and somewhat lacks a will of his own, which we will discuss more later.

When he has the dream about Padme, he starts freaking out and goes into frantic action. The only way he’s okay is if she’s okay. It is unbelievably accurately stated in this excerpt by Don Richard Riso:

“At Level 4, Nines are busy accommodating themselves to the wishes and expectations of others. They put their own agendas on the “back burner” and comply with other people’s demands in order to reduce the possibility of conflicts. When circumstances cause their anxieties to increase, they may well go to Six and engage in lots of “organizational activity.” Like average Sixes, they attempt to stabilize their environment and their relationships in order to make them safer. They may get into intensive periods of work, investing their time and energy in activities they believe will enhance their security, and thus their peace of mind. These actions are guided not by positive intention, however, but by anxiety. They also begin to identify more strongly with protectors, supporters, groups, or ideas that increase their self-confidence and give them a feeling of purpose and direction.”

He works so hard to prevent Padme’s death, so far as joining the Sith, to enhance his security and peace of mind by having the power to keep her alive. It’s all guided by a sense of anxiety fueled by a fear of loss. Now, regarding his self-confidence. I believe what looked like arrogance near the end of the movie was part of his move to Six. He began to identify more with Palpatine and his beliefs and less with the Jedi. This gave him purpose and direction by giving him a sense of justification for all that was being done. As if he was doing the right thing. “The Jedi are evil”, “I’ve brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new empire”, and “if you’re not with me, you’re my enemy” are some examples of this self-confidence. You could say he even merged with Darth Vader.

Another extremely important thing to mention which I vaguely mentioned earlier is the Passion of the Nine. The Passion is one of the most important things in finding a person or character’s Enneagram type. For Anakin, the Passion is Sloth. This may seem odd, considering he is a human. But Sloth in this regard is an inattention to self, not the animal. Now, this plays out in various ways depending on the subtype, whether Sexual, Social, or Self-Preservation. For Anakin, a Sexual type, his attention is focused on close relationships, as I said earlier. He completely merges with those close to him and they become his focus of attention, not his own wants or needs. He does seem more willful and assertive than a classic Sexual Nine, but that is due to his Eight wing, which conflicts with the Nine in that it gives Nines with an Eight wing more of an instinctual drive, as stated below:

“Nines with an Eight-wing are more sensual and instinctive than the Nines with a One-wing, and tend to operate more on feelings and hunches. They tend to embody more the easygoing demeanor associated with Nines, but also give the impression of being more “physical,” more grounded. This is one of the most difficult subtypes to understand because the component types are in such diametrical opposition to each other.”

Darth Vader. The typing is exactly the same and I will tell you why. Nothing has changed about him. He just has no one, no purpose. He deteriorates to an extremely unhealthy Nine, specifically Level 9, and it takes him finding out about Luke to bring him back. Some lines from Riso about Level 9 Nines below:

“They disintegrate as persons into the most extreme state of dissociation from who they are. As we have seen, their receptive orientation to life has facilitated their flight from self-awareness. Now, they completely flee from themselves. In most cases, neurotic Nines unconsciously abandon themselves as whole persons, reinvesting consciousness into various fragments of themselves, each of which may represent an aspect of the self which has been repressed and denied and undeveloped. Memories, dreamlike trances, and emotional reactions seem to come and go at random. It is as though the very structure of the personality has come “unglued” or broken apart, and only its constituents remain to interact with the environment. To abandon themselves as persons, retreating into complete dissociation and fragmenting their personalities, is a “solution” of sorts, because then it is not really they who live but someone else through whom they can live. We have seen that average Nines tend to live through the other; now we see that they live through the other-self, the fragments of the self which are little more than the disconnected identifications and relationships with significant others from the Nine’s past. The core self has been so traumatized that it is as though in a dream without a dreamer. This can hardly be called living. Furthermore, because one of the subpersonalities can do harm to other people or to itself, this is neither a safe nor truly adaptive way to live. Moreover, Nines who so feared losing or separating from others have not only psychologically done so, they have also separated from and lost themselves.”

As well as:

“Unhealthy Nines with an Eight-wing are capable of violence with little concern about the consequences of their actions. Aggressions and id impulses are strong in people of this subtype, and when they are emotionally unstable, there is little ego strength left to regulate these forces.”

Basically, Vader lost who he was. It isn’t him, he’s broken and dissociated from his true self; the helpful, caring friend, mentor, and husband. His whole outlook changes when he finds out about Luke. He is given purpose again. He tries to have him join him and have them rule the galaxy as father and son. His last act is saving the son that brought him back to the light, and all of this makes him a pretty damn good character all around.

[alternianative]

Time seemed to move like molasses. Slow, heavy, it weighed on his body in ways that made moving around feel difficult. His hands lagged, slow to grasp the cup of hot cocoa he’d just finished pouring - mixing? yes, mixing - but the sensation of heat on his palms was soothing and for a brief moment, he thought he might be able to shut out all other sensation and just focus on that.

The warm, comforting heat in his hands.

When he opened his eyes next, five minutes had passed. The cocoa was cooler, but still warm. If he had the energy, he might think it funny how time refused to march forward when he wanted it to, but the moment he stopped paying attention, it zipped by.

He took a sip.

Moving back to the living room took a little more concentration. The pathways built between piles of discarded projects, comfort items, and used dishes were narrow now. It brought some sense of shame to him, honestly. Static had tried to tidy up, but it had only lasted a few perigees before the disarray was worse than it had been before. Though his mind was wide awake (and pointedly mocking his inability to keep things straight), his body was anything but… He did make it to the couch, though. He settled onto it, more or less collapsing, only just managing not to spill his drink. Sleep would probably not be coming here, but he could at least close his eyes and drink.

Normally he tried to avoid sugary foods. Avoid caffeine. Avoid cold foods. Avoid this, avoid that, add this, add that – none of it really did anything, though. The tea from Sephos helped sometimes - it at least eased his mind in the right direction of winding down - but he was, admittedly, afraid to use it too much. Afraid his body would adjust, like it had to the other things he’d tried - and that when he needed it most, he’d find it useless.

So the cocoa would do, for now. Removing one hand from the mug, he felt around for one of the many blankets strewn over the couch, fingers eventually grasping the edge of fleece fabric and then tugged it over himself… and then felt out once more for another - and another - until he was effectively cocooned in warmth.

Still, his mind raced. To nothing in particular, though. Thoughts flitted through his mind faster than he could really decipher them. A half-baked idea on where to go mapping next - a gift idea for Mahmud - what was that sound outside? - there was an ache in his left ankle - cepheid: a star whose brightness is used to measure the distance of neighboring stars - why was the tv screen blank?

He blinked - that last thought more prominent than the others. He’d forgotten to turn it on, that was why. He felt around for the remote, eventually finding it among the blanket catastrophe around him. He’d left a documentary in his playing device - a comfort film, really. He’d memorized it by this point, but it was nice to listen to something familiar while he tried to drown out his own mind. Let someone else do the thinking and talking - he could just listen.

His eyes slid shut, feeling heavy and like they might never open again - wouldn’t that be something? - and he sipped again. Warmth pooled within him, and he sighed. It wasn’t sleep, but it was restful. The narrator droned on about solar systems and far away galaxies, and Deimos really did try to listen - but it was difficult to hear over the volume in his own head.

That’s not right - must be some kind of mockingbird - was that a horn? - nadir: a point on the celestial sphere directly below the observer, diametrically opposite the zenith - the ache in his ankle was growing. He shifted so that his legs weren’t curled up nearly as much beneath him, alleviating the ache, then resettled his head back against a pillow leaned over the armrest of the couch… another sip.

When they’d first met, Cerpin had asked if his trouble with sleep was physical, or mental, more or less. He’d answered both, but really he’d just not had the words, perhaps. Now that he was older he knew it was a mental thing - how could you sleep if your mind never shut up? But what was a safe way to make it shut up? Nothing that would lead to dependency - he loathed the idea of being dependent on something outside of himself. It was difficult enough to put so much trust and weight on the relationships he’d been forming. Mahmud smiling - a bright halo behind his head - safe - Cerpin laughing at his own joke - the thunk of his mace connecting with an ally, unintentional friendly fire - blood spraying as shears sliced off the head of a drone standing before him, Ephias’ dead-yet-frenzied eyes coming into view–

He sat up, suddenly wide awake in every sense, eyes wide and searching the hive - his every nerve on edge. It took a moment before he calmed, both hands now gripping the mug, almost desperate for something concrete. Shadows moved in the corners of his vision - he ignored them, pointedly. The room was silent - how long had he been not-dreaming? The documentary was back on its menu screen.

He sighed, feeling his rapidfire pulse slow as reality sank back into him. Was he meant for this? Fighting, really fighting, dealing a life-ending blow or witnessing such a thing, to someone that probably didn’t even have a choice in what they were doing. No, very likely did not have a choice. It gnawed at the back of his mind, surfacing in moments like this, when he’d thought perhaps he was fine.

But really, was he meant for this?

He had known what he was signing up for, at least in theory, Forera had not sugar coated her experience for him. She almost seemed to have been trying to talk him out of it, upon reflection. Was he meant for this? He sipped again, now finding his drink to be cold, he made a face and set it aside on the coffee table that barely had any space left for such things. What if you aren’t? - It’s too late now, you’re in too deep –

“I wouldn’t want to leave anyway.” He spoke aloud, to himself, no one else was around after all. Whether or not he had the stomach for direct violence - more than just playfighting, wrestling for fun - for practice - for growth - nonlethal injuries – didn’t matter. He was in now and had no intention of leaving, of abandoning- this train of thought was stupid. He grabbed the remote, starting the documentary over again, intentionally derailing it.

Maybe that tea would be a good idea, after all. Maybe a dependency on something would not be so unbearable, if it let him turn his mind off for a few blissful hours of nothingness. Maybe processing would be easier if his mind weren’t constantly stacked with things to go through.

Maybe he would give in, and go to a doctor.

[a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit]

Book Review: Battle Royal (Palace Insiders #1) by Lucy Parker

Battle Royal has sealed my love for Lucy Parker's writing with a *pastry chef's kiss.* Already a fan of her London Celebrities series, I was excited to spear a fork into this book to sample the mouth-watering decadence a rival bakers-to-lovers romance by her could produce, and I have to say I wasn't disappointed. This was scrumptious! A delectable Grumpy/Sunshine treat, honestly. It's a bon appétit feast for romcom lovers like myself everywhere! The story takes some time to find its pulse, but once it does, everything unfolds with the creaminess of whipped icing. It's funny, it's sweet. It's even emotionally stirring in ways that adds denser flavor to the plot as well as to the characters' backstories. Sylvie Fairchild and Dominic De Vere are a delight. Opposites, they approach the art of baking in diametric fashion. Where she's all glitter, color, and unicorns, which makes her unafraid to push the decorative envelope, he pushes more for classic design, technical skill, and neutral tones. They're different in personality as well. Sylvie's more of the free-spirited, sweet-tempered, I want to paint the world in sunshine type who does whatever she can to make everyone feel comfortable, loved, whereas Dominic comes across as gruff and stoic. He's an unforgiving perfectionist who is always fair, always honest, but brutally so. Their "difference in artistic aesthetic" is the major reason for their contentiousness with one another at the beginning. (Well, that and because Sylvie shoots a unicorn hoof at Dominic's head during her stint as a contestant on Operation Cake, smattering his face with an explosion of vibrant glitter and embarrassing him on TV. Hilarious!) Not long thereafter, four years to be precise, they are business rivals. Now they not only have rival bakeries open on the same street but they're also competing to win commission of the royal wedding cake for Princess Rose and Johnny. In other words, it's aprons on, spatulas up, and hearts out on the table! The side characters are great, too. Distinctive. Engaging. It was wonderful getting to see so many members of the staff from both Sugar Fair and De Vere's. Mabel is terrifying in a lovable way and a true scene-stealer. (She has one particular moment near the end that just radiates chaotic good energy, and I love it so much.) Rosie and Johnny are lovely. They have unconventional tastes considering the "prim and proper" life they're supposed to lead. Their relationship has a forbidden element to it, since she's royal and he's not, which gives things between them weight. His nervous stutter is so endearing, too! Jay is Sylvie's business partner and best friend of twenty years. And Pet is stylish, infectious, yearning. She comes to work for Dominic, hoping to cultivate a relationship with the brother she barely knows. I'm particularly looking forward to her story in the future. This had everything I wanted from a baking romance - the cuteness, the competitiveness, the battle of wit and whisks that, of course, ended up mixing in feelings that started sour but became oh, so, sweet. There was tension and development. There were good characters. The love story was believable, without "drama for the sake of drama." This also managed to go beyond aesthetics, beyond surface level attractions, to explore the concept of family in both the biological and found sense, which was something I wasn't anticipating. I liked that so many different characters were able to bond over meaningful experiences they'd had like loss, like regret, like emotional distance and feelings of abandonment. The gravitas that added to the plot was a nice surprise. It made this feel like more than just a contemporary romance. Trust me, you'll want to eat this up until you reach the last drop. It's too delicious to leave untouched! Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

4/5 stars

**Follow me on Goodreads

[drnikolatesla]

Nikola Tesla, aka “Mr. π / 2 ( c )”

v = π / 2 ( c )

v = average velocity of Tesla’s electrical current round earth (miles per second)

(you can plug in any metric and get same results)

c = speed of light (miles per second)

v = π / 2 (186,300)

v = 1.57 (186,300)

v = 292,491

While experimenting in Colorado Springs at the end of 1899, Nikola Tesla sent electrical currents around earth faster than the speed of light. In his patent No. 787,412, filed May 16, 1900, titled the “Art of Transmitting Wireless Electrical Energy Through the Natural Mediums,” Tesla expressed that the current of his transmitter passed around the earth’s surface and back to his reciever with a mean velocity of 292,815 miles per second. In his patent he says:

“The most essential requirement is that irrespective of frequency the wave or wave-train should continue for a certain period of time, which I have estimated to be not less than one-twelfth or probably 0.08484 of a second and which is taken in passing to and returning from the region diametrically opposite the pole over the earth’s surface with a mean velocity of about 471,240 kilometers per second [(292,815 miles per second)].” Charles Wheatstone first theorized this velocity, but many electrical experimenters have proven this velocity, including Jonathan Zenneck and Arnold Sommerfeld.

Tesla held, however, that our present “wireless” technology (ex. Internet, WiFi, radio, etc.) are not true Hertzian waves, but act more like sound waves. They travel close to the speed of light and are purely radiation while his energy transmission through the earth gives off no radiation because they are longitudinal current waves traveling through a conductor. Also, his energy is completely recoverable while today's wireless technology is not. It's like how the energy from your phone charger charging your phone is completely recoverable while the signals from your wifi router to your phone are not. This is how Tesla theorized that he could send any amount of electrical energy through the earth to power the world’s machinery and technology.

So… Mr. "π / 2 ( c )”, aka Nikola Tesla, was, and still is a mind far ahead of his time!

[campbluelake]

A Bigger Cage | Jacky-Bobby 6.6 | Reflections

Rather than participate in the proceedings, witch hunter Jonathan Robert's content to play the part of a silent observer. Unlike with Malyce, he held no murky feelings of hesitation when it came to Abby. They'd been diametrically opposed from the very start.

Even under their veils of being what they both thought were modern renditions of a stuck-up preppy boy and a Garfield-loving artsy girl, their true instincts won out. They could never get along, with their inveterate opposition, something at their core of whatever counts as their souls.

What stayed his hand from burning Abby alive was his incorrect belief that she was some harmless fool who liked playing with plants and trinkets. Spilling the blood of some herbal witch wasn't worth his time nor energy. His curse needs a more sure-fire remedy than that. It'd take hunting down the right curse maker to break himself out of the agony of eternity.

But after all that's happened here, he's realized that he needs to expand his witch hunting criteria expeditiously. He's been far too conservative in his practices. Magic, the blight that it is, must be eradicated. It poisons the hearts of gullible men; it deceives and it destroys. There's no such thing as a 'good witch,' that's never been so clear.

The vision of the barbaric massacre of Briarwood fails to garner sympathy from Jacky-Bobby. His opinion doesn't sway. If anything, the wasteful methodology of the hunters (they're actually not worthy of that name) annoys him. Hundreds of years of progress have benefited his profession, refined it into a sophisticated art.

He'd have found her, vanquished her, and reduced her to ash. No innocent people would've died as long as they stayed out of his way.

Abby's memory of Vual, forced into his head like the last flashback, only serves to sicken him. Cider won't taste ever taste the same. It'll reek of cloying artificiality, just like this made-up environment and the witch that runs it. Jacky-Bobby's sure, after laying eyes on the demon, that he can take him.

He chafes at the restraints that his distance from Hell brings. One day, he'll take a hard fall off of his immortal coil, the shackle that it is, and he'll turn that Duke into a pauper. A demon of nothing, of no-meaning. He'll do it for Malyce and all the misguided dreamers like him. Hell will be his, no matter how long it takes.

It's a mercy for Vual that Jacky-Bobby's trapped on earth.

At Abby's offer, he audibly scoffs, the most noise he's made in a long while. Staying might mean more time with his son, but it wouldn't be right. Buddy deserves peace. They have to let go and be grateful for what they had. That's the reality of life—the love in a goodbye, and how it persists and transcends above all else. It's a shame that lesson can't get through to Abby.

He'll gladly take on the burden of suffering. Eden be damned, Jacky-Bobby will live on his own terms.

[talks-refined]

Why azula, in my opinion, shouldn’t have had a redemption arc

i know it’s a complicated subject in this fandom but i wanted to give my two cents on it! i promise this isn’t me just going “booh evil”

okay so here’s the thing. the reason this is so complicated to answer is because it needs to ask pretty existential and complex questions like, can everyone be redeemed? how is evil made? how much of you is really only your upbringing? is it possible to be inherently bad? what do we fundamentally deserve? can you separate yourself completely from what you’ve been since birth and if so, what’s left?

now if you walked up to me and asked those questions, my answer would probably be something along the lines of “i don’t know, i just got here”. so that’s not what i’m gonna try to answer here

notice how i said “shouldn’t have had” and not “deserved”. i can’t tell you what azula “deserved”— probably a nicer childhood and therapy— but i can also say azula didn’t “deserve” anything. she’s a character, she’s words on paper, animation and voiced acting. there isn’t a real azula, an actual 14 years old child soldier out there awaiting to turn good. characters are story arcs, development, goals... what makes their value isn’t morals but what they bring to the story. and azula brings so much that, in my opinion, being ultimately redeemed would cheapen

first off: zuko. i’ve seen people say azula shouldn’t get a redemption arc because then her story would just be the same as zuko. it’s... not true, obviously, they’re different characters for a reason, but there is a part of truth i wanna point out here:

zuko and azula’s stories are diametrical opposites. two siblings, a boy and a girl, a firebending prodigy and one who’s average at the very best, one favored by his mother, the other favored by her father, one impulsive and one calculating. At the beginning of the story, one angry and unstable, the other calm and confident, one banished, desperate and without honor, and the other a princess and leader, acclaimed by all, who radiates regal energy.

“(ozai) said she was born lucky. he said i was lucky to be born. i don’t need luck, though. i don’t want it. i’ve always had to struggle and fight and that’s made me strong. that’s made me who i am.”

( zuko, to aang, season 1 finale )

that first sentence was the hook that told the viewers azula would come in the picture in season 2 and it tells you exactly the opposite dynamics their characters would develop on. azula is perfect, zuko is a failure is the message we’re supposed to get, at least that’s how they view each other and themselves, because that’s what their father taught them. but here’s the thing: luck is by definition elusive, and perfection is by definition unattainable. azula spends her life building herself around the vision that failure is inexcusable. because she’s at such a high place, because she’s so perfect, she can never fail, because she can’t and because she’s not allowed to. that mentality is bound to doom her, it’s inevitable. it’s a direct opposition to zuko, who builds himself in the fact that he’s failed so many times, that he made so many mistakes, that each taught him lessons. when zuko fails once, he knows he can get up because he was miserable for so long that it taught him he can survive anything. when azula fails once, she crumbles. azula is a cautionary tale of perfectionism, and cautionary tales can’t have happy endings. zuko’s approach of life has to reach a happy ending, because he’ll always look for one, it has to reach a redemption arc because he’s not scared of the mistakes he’s made in the past and he is always trying to better himself (the redemption comes when he realises he was trying to meet the wrong standards). azula’s approach of life guarantees a downfall because she’s convinced that failure is the end.

both their stories mirror each other, backwards. when we meet zuko, he’s failing, always, and when we leave him, he finally won. when we meet azula she’s winning, always, and when we leave her, she finally (by which i mean that it’s inevitable, not that it’s good) fails.

and there’s another reason (let’s pretend this is structured, okay?), that’s a little more complicated, and it has to do with ozai.

you know how ozai is barely present in the series? i’ve seen some people argue that azula is a better villain because she’s scarier or because we see her more. here’s the thing:

when you’re trying to portray something that’s really, really awful, it’s easier not show it. when you show something, in it’s entirety (in that context that would mean making ozai a deep, 3 dimensional character that we see develop) it’s... small. to define is to limit (- oscar wilde). when you only show small things tho, details, in movies it can be shadows, think the beginning of stranger things when you don’t see monsters, but can feel a threat, that’s when it can get scary as shit. because whatever limited, physical (or character-ial? is that a word) form you chose for the villain isn’t there in people’s minds, it’s only their own imagination trying to comprehend what you made them feel. and what people imagine based on only fear, or anger, is easily scarier than any five headed monster you can put onscreen.

that’s what ozai is: a looming threat. hell, i’m not even sure we see his face until season 3. he only has a handful of scenes. but i hate him. i hate him so much i could scream into a pillow and he’s so vicious it sends shivers down my spine. you know why? because of what he did to zuko and azula.

when you wanna keep your main villain mysterious, it’s good to give the audience characters that he’s interacted with. characters that he’s close to enough to have had an effect on them, so they can perceive a part of him. and boy did he have an effect on his children

( to be fair here: that idea and most of what i’m saying about it came from Overly Sarcastic Productions video on minions as a trope. it’s really good i love their whole channel, red is amazing)

season 1: meet zuko. he’s a sixteen years old. he’s a bad guy, but written so that you sympathise with him to a certain extent. then comes the Tragic Backstory Episode and you learn that he was challenged to a duel as a thirteen years old by his father after he spoke without permission in a meeting, begged for mercy, got half of his face burned off at the hands of his father, and was banished from his home to search for the avatar, who was dead as far as anyone knew.

now you’ve seen very little of ozai after this episode, but you’re ready to fight that guy, right? i know i am.

it gains a level of depth with azula. after being introduced to a character who is starving for his father’s love and approval, we’re introduced to a new character, who seemingly has all of that. azula is zuko’s ever winning rival. she has everything he wants, her honor, her title, her father’s favors.

(i think it’s worth noting that making your children compete for your love is already a red flag for noticing pieces of shit)

but it’s not enough. azula has everything, she is everything ozai values (cunning, strong, ruthless) and even then it’s not enough to please him. nothing will ever be good enough. and you see two children fighting, breaking themselves to please a father that is seemingly incapable of love, but keeps baiting them, giving them impossible standards to reach so they’ll always keep trying to please him.

okay, now you hate him, right?

but here’s the thing: because azula was a firebending prodigy, she got a taste of her father’s approval. he saw himself in her, where he saw too much of iroh and ursa in zuko. he was proud of her.

he was never proud of zuko. too soft, not strong, or fearless enough. because of that, zuko was never close to his dad. all he got was disdain. because of that, he forms bonds with other people (with his mother and uncle, at first) that expose him to another vision of life. and in exile, after chasing relentlessly, part of him is pushed to the realisation that he can live without his father’s approval. because he had to.

azula on the other hand, quickly becomes all ozai’s. from flashbacks you can clearly tell each of them gravitates around one parent, zuko around ursa and azula around ozai. even in her other relationships (zuko, tylee, mai...) she behaves according to what her father taught her, how to manipulate and hurt others

and ursa has flaws, god i’m not saying she doesn’t. that deserves a post in itself. but she values things like kindness, softness and love. ozai values strength, power and cunning. childhood is a formative stage: you often build yourself on the way you were raised. zuko had those conflicting values, because ursa, and ozai more indirectly, both taught him. but ozai isolated azula from other (adult) presences. this is more speculation but i really think it’s true, for what it’s worth. we rarely ever see ursa and azula interact, and when we do ursa is i think always? reprimanding azula for something that ozai taught her. it doesn’t seem like they spend enough time together for her to teach her daughter a better way.

that’s the thing. ozai’s “love”, or at least approval, was azula’s curse. zuko thinks it’s something he has to aim for, and later realizes it’s only ever going to be conditional and manipulative and stops trying. because he knew another way. but azula always lived with it. it isolated her, prevented her from ever finding a better way. his “love” is what did this to her

so yeah. none of this is saying that azula could never have been good. she was 14, she had a whole life ahead, i’m not some psychology master that can tell you exactly if it’s even possible to unlearn so much manipulation and abuse- i want to believe it is. but this is a story, and to me it’s the more nuanced, more interesting, better story they could’ve written. i think having those two very different and very paralleled stories, for a show that doesn’t shy away from complexity the way atla does, was very important.

while i was writing this, i showed it to a friend, who can speak for toxic households better than i can, and gave me a new perspective and the best conclusion: when in an abusive parental relationship, there’s always a tearing hesitation between ‘breaking free’ and doing what’s best for you, and staying loyal to your parent, someone you’re supposed to love and who’s supposed to love you. zuko is a message of hope ; azula is a warning

[vilefeather]

Theorycrafting: The "Old Blood” of the Church vs. The “Rotted Blood” of Cainhurst

The Vilebloods of Castle Cainhurst, in order to become what they are/were, imbibed a form of “rotted blood” that granted them potent and superhuman powers such as enhancement of their weapons, extreme physical endurance and strength, and unique blood-sorcery (see my first post for more detail). This form of blood, originally stolen from Byrgenwerth by a rogue scholar, was denounced as ‘heretical’ by the Healing Church, and the Vileblood nobles who partook of it became sworn enemies of the Church.

But what were the specific differences between this “tainted blood” and the supposedly sacred “Old Blood” and “Insight” that the Church researched and worshipped so fervently? By comparing the hunter tools and weapons from each faction, we can deduce several facts.

It can be confidently stated that the purpose of the “rotted blood” of Cainhurst was direct physical augmentation; put another way, the “rotted blood” is meant to turn the person who receives it into a powerful warrior and prime physical specimen, capable of enduring incredible amounts of harm while also accomplishing feats far beyond a regular human’s capacity. Though there is no way to know why the Byrgenwerth scholar chose to steal this blood and bring it to Cainhurst, there are several reasons why the nobles would have readily accepted it:

1) As Cainhurst itself is a relatively inhospitable environment, the nobles and their servants would have gladly made use of a substance that enabled them to ignore such harsh conditions, and even thrive under them.

2) The tainted blood could have simply been a way to place themselves apart from and above the Yharnamites, creating the image of superhuman warriors and noblemen from a more refined land.

3) When the Church declared Cainhurst heretics and dispatched their hunters against the Vilebloods, the physical enhancements of the tainted blood would have been incredibly valuable, allowing the Vilebloods’ own hunters to counter the Church’s superior numbers with sheer individual power.

This final reason is the most important as we then assess the nature of the “Old Blood” and “Insight,” as well as the magics that the Church/Byrgenwerth/School of Mensis created via those two sources. Upon looking over the hunter tools and their various effects—namely, the Executioner’s Gloves, the Empty Phantasm Shell, the Blacksky Eye, the Choir Bell, the Augur of Ebrietas, and A Call Beyond—we notice something interesting: every one of these tools are more akin to what we would consider ‘magic,’ doing such things as firing magic projectiles, healing status effects, summoning various eldritch entities, and so forth. None of them provoke any change within the user’s own body, with the Empty Phantasm Shell merely summoning arcane energy and coating the user’s weapon. Whereas the “rotted blood” directly strengthens a person’s body and allows them to channel their life essence into other objects, the techniques of the “Old Blood” and of “Insight” are completely separate from the physical plane, instead drawing upon the powers of another realm.

Why, then, was the “rotted blood” so heretical in the eyes of the Church, and why is it so different in effect from that of the “Old Blood?” 

Because whereas one focuses on the body, the other channels itself through the mind. 

The “rotted blood” and the “Old Blood” are polar opposites, emphasizing the two halves of the human form. While a devotee of the Church would find their mind and eyes truly ‘opened,’ enabling them to call forth eldritch magics from an eldritch world, a knight of Cainhurst would become a paragon of earthly form and function, rejecting the arcane path of the Church in favor of something rooted firmly within the human body.

Small wonder why the Church found the “rotted blood” heretical, an anathema to its own views: because it was so diametrically opposed to the “Old Blood,” something that not only completely reversed the methods of the Church, but even made something else in its place, and formed a power to rival the very thing that the Healing Church viewed as sacred.

[mbti-community1789]

ESFJ x ISFP is not ideal relationship.

💝I don’t say this couple is failing. It just means there are many difficulties and you can get close anytime if you try and care. If you try to be considerate, you will create a compatible compatibility.

🛑Most of the compatibility charts circulating on the Internet have been discussed by Facebook Group and analyzed in detail, and it is judged to be false because there is no solid basis. Therefore, you can ignore it and move on. What I want to say while writing this is that I cannot give clarity to this logic.

��Please refrain from excessive blind faith. It relationship hard, but it doesn’t really make your relationship that way. Relationships are determined by the environment and the situation, and the theory of relationships does not fully explain them.

ESFJ and ISFP are not ideal match. And their real relationship.

This is observation, experience, analysis. I don’t want to hurt you with this article. I just want to tell you the truth. I’m talking for you, for false knowledge. We must realize this and we must not neglect it. We must seek and dig the truth.

urgently notifying you because the wrong information has been leaked in Google search.

I’m ready to respect them even if they disagree. Google’s personality page says, “ESFJ’s natural partners are ISFP and INFP.” That’s actually wrong. In the theory of Socionics, ISFP and ESFJ are the contrary relationship.

All of these errors began with the distortion of the theory of perspective. They saw in the Socionics that the mirror relationship was the best in the middle, and the Socionics type and MBTI type were so similar that they misinterpreted the contrary relationship as a mirror relationship that they made the wrong information.

Socionics contrary relationship is ESFJ and ISFP.Socionics type ISFp — SiFe psychological functions use= MBTI ISFJ type.Socionics type ISFj — FiSe psychological functions use= MBTI ISFP type.

quote from the following article.https://www.socionics.com/rel/cnt.htmhttps://www.crystalknows.com/personality-type/relationship/isfp-esfj

1. Personality is different because the functions are different. This difference can cause many conflicts.

Psychological function of ESFJ (harmonious)

Primary function (dominant function, highest ability): extroverted emotion (Fe)

Secondary function (a function supporting primary function): Introvert sense (Si)

3rd function (a little bit less, but soon more usable when developed): extrovert intuition (Ne)

Quadratic function (too low function=too low critical weakness): Introverted thinking (Ti)

​

Psychological Function of ISFP (Artistic)

Primary function (dominant function, highest ability): Introverted emotion (Fi)

Secondary Function (a function supporting primary function): Extrovert sense (Se)

3rd function (a little bit less, but soon more usable when developed): Introvert intuition (Ni)

Quadratic function (too low function=too low critical weakness): extroverted thinking (Te)

​

​

Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that the contrary relationship is true in Socionics theory. Their four functions are all the opposite, so their minds and values are different. This difference is likely to cause many conflicts. Also, their psychological functions can misunderstand and distort each other’s thoughts because of different languages.

2. In the theory of socionics, ESFJ and ISFP are diametrically contrary relationships. In other words, they belong to a bad relationship.

3. This relationship is very insufficient and bad. Because they can complement each other’s weaknesses a little bit personally. But it’s just a little bit. This relationship’s each personality is also the opposite.

4. In these relations, it is difficult to achieve full understanding. Despite mutual interests and common ground, partners often argue about petty details, to which they tend to pay too much attention. These relations are called “extinguishment” because partners extinguish each other’s initiatives — sometimes by highlighting their shortcomings, other times by their inability to further and support such initiatives. With such a partner, it is difficult to find considerable support for one’s projects, but it is always interesting to exchange opinions, suggestions and requests. Contrary partners get along better when they work separately, since together they pay too much attention to minor mistakes of each other. Such criticism are received especially painfully in the presence of strangers. Third partner upsets this delicate balance even more. If someone’s personal interests have been infringed upon, these relations can fall apart. They are more tolerant at a certain distance. With close and prolonged contact, fatigue and irritation set in due to protracted disputes.

5. Here, provide four identical functions in different directions to two people on the same channel. And, simultaneously — not a single identical communication function for the same function. This means that these partners do not have an important area to have the same perspective.

If attention is paid to external processes through extroverted functions, the other focuses on internal states through introverted functions, and vice versa. As a result, it becomes difficult for these partners to understand and agree with each other, if they intentionally intend to look at the same problem from the opposite perspective — this is sometimes beneficial for creative research.

​

So during the meeting, they are attracted to each other’s “mystery.” This often leads to hasty union and marriage among people in this relationship. Not surprisingly, the lives of spouses in these families can be quite tense and difficult, often in danger of breaking up or divorce.

​

5. ESFJ and ISFP communicate well when interacting one-on-one, and sometimes they are amazed at the ingenuity of each other’s insights and approaches. However, the third participant often breaks this balance. Partners see the same problem from a completely different perspective. If one person observes the external characteristics of an object, the other person observes its internal characteristics. Because in the case of another person, the function is directed in a completely different direction. It’s as if they’re speaking different languages. Therefore, communication becomes somewhat superficial. It is very difficult to do something together and coordinate behavior because even the details lack attention. Partners often feel attracted to each other, mainly because of the mystery that fuels their mutual curiosity. In assumptions formed between opposing types, we find it difficult for partners to reach an agreement, which strain these relationships.

ESFJ and ISFP is Socionics contrary relationship Description

These are relations of an unstable psychological distance. Both partners experience difficulties in establishing and keeping a stable psychological distance between them. The only chance Contrary partners have to get on together well with each other is if they are left alone. In other cases partners usually compete over their strong sides. The reason for this is when somebody else is present, each partner tries to capture the attention of the listener by showing off their strong side. Contrary partners may like some elements of the other partner’s behaviour. This often helps the partners to begin a more close relationship. However, when they are in company, their interaction can change dramatically. The introvert partner usually becomes distant, relations lose warm feelings and become formal and cautious. Both partners may start regretting that they became too trustful.The extrovert partner normally gets the false impression that the introvert partner is deliberately acting against them. This can bring a great deal of misunderstanding and surprise into these relations, as both partners are convinced that before everything was fine. The introvert partner usually starts suppressing the activity of the extrovert partner and may reproach and criticise them. The extrovert partner in return can behave in the same way.The most vulnerable position in these relations belongs to the extrovert partner, who may feel as if they are being betrayed. As a result the extrovert partner could start to worry excessively about their next step so as not to make any mistakes and may therefore become very suspicious. Unfortunately the extrovert partner cannot see that their introvert partner is not as bad as they have begun to imagine.

Relationship Guide

CommunicationHow can ISFP and ESFJ types communicate effectively with each other?ISFP and ESFJ personalities both possess the Sensing and Feeling traits, meaning they are present-focused, conscientious, and enjoy communicating emotionally. However, ISFPs are also more reserved and adaptable, while ESFJs tend to be charismatic and organized. ISFPs should listen to and connect emotionally with ESFJs, while ESFJs should give ISFPs space to be alone when needed.

Resolving ConflictHow can ISFP and ESFJ types resolve conflict?Since ISFPs and ESFJs are both Feeling personalities, they should address conflict by sharing how they feel and showing sensitivity to the other’s emotions. Though neither type enjoys addressing conflict, it’s helpful to keep in mind the benefits of fixing a tense situation. To avoid some of the stress, ISFPs should share their perspective honestly, rather than keeping it to themselves, while ESFJs should be conscious of ISFPs’ need for personal space, allowing them to be alone and process if conflict becomes too tense.

Working TogetherHow can ISFP and ESFJ types work together?ISFPs offer open-mindedness and flexibility to a workplace, while ESFJs bring energy and organization. ISFPs can help ESFJs adapt to unexpected circumstances, while ESFJs can help ISFPs accomplish their personal goals.

Dealing with ChangeHow can ISFP and ESFJ types deal with change?Due to their Perceiving trait, ISFPs tend to naturally accept new situations. ESFJs may struggle a bit more with change, as it interrupts their plans. ISFPs should help ESFJs process and understand change by encouraging them to create a new plan or routine, which may provide ESFJs with a necessary sense of control.

Managing StressISFP and ESFJ types need to seek to understand what brings stress to the other type and should try to avoid causing it when possible.

ISFP types are easily stressed by…

Complex and hypothetical ideas

Repetitive schedules and routines

Criticism from those they value

Large groups of unfamiliar people

ESFJ types are easily stressed by…

Harsh criticism from others

Being forced to make quick decisions

Communication that lacks connection

Lack of quality time with friends and family

ISFPs should avoid being too last-minute with ESFJs; instead, they should try to make loose plans in advance, so ESFJs can set expectations.ESFJs can help ISFPs by spending one-on-one time with them to connect emotionally.

Encouraging and MotivatingISFP and ESFJ types can encourage and motivate each other in their personal and professional lives.

ISFP types are motivated by…

Unexpected and exciting experiences

Learning about how things work

Creating something new and beautiful

Connecting with close friends and family

ESFJ types are motivated by…

Unexpected and exciting experiences

Learning about how things work

Creating something new and beautiful

Connecting with close friends and family

ISFPs can motivate ESFJs by communicating positively and staying relatively organized in their workspace.ESFJs can motivate ISFPs by allowing them to work at their own pace.