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glitteringcrab · 4 months ago

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Frying his backups (part 3)

(part 1) (part 2)

Okay. After plenty of thought I think I can take a guess on how:

(a) the thin cables and (b) the chair and (c) the thick cables

in Rick Prime's control room work (provided the theories that Rick Prime had been puppeteering other Ricks are true).

1. I debated with myself for a long while whether Rick Prime sat himself on the chair or made his puppets sit there, one by one, each time they needed maintenance, while he stood over them (the back looks like it could recline; the feet? not so much).

However, considering the chair looks like a throne, I'm leaning towards Rick Prime being the one sitting on the chair under "normal" circumstances ("normal" being when you're an evil jerk puppeteering hundreds of other versions of yourself for the lulz).

2. The thin cables protruding out of the chair are indeed part of the puppeteering throne. The question is:

(a) whether they were indeed designed to go to Prime's forehead, or (b) whether they were intended to directly connect to the brain implants of the Rick Puppets

like so:

(pardon the lousy art lol)

If the thin cables were intended to directly connect to the brain implants of the Rick Puppets (option b) then this means the throne was only used for maintenance, updates and inspection. Prime's brain implant was wirelessly connected to the throne, the throne basically being an intermediate equipment connecting Prime with his puppets during software maintenance. (He could also, like, stand and walk around his puppets to inspect them while holding the tablet. The very long cables of the tablet point to this). Prime did not need the throne for the actual puppeteering though, only for maintenance, which does sound more versatile. However, I don't really dig the mental image of five Ricks looming over Rick Prime, and I think he wouldn't dig it either :P He'd want them to be beneath him literally as well as figuratively. In addition, it's weird that there'd be equipment for casual puppet inspection inside the control room of his superweapon. You'd think he'd have a dedicated room for the whole puppeteering thing, with medical equipment, stuff for brain surgery etc.

So I'm leaning towards option (a): the thin cables were intended to go to Prime's forehead, similarly to how Eyepatch Morty placed them (only without an intermediary fingergun, of course). In this scenario, Prime was able to puppeteer "only" five Puppet Ricks at once max, one for each thin cable (or maybe even more, if each cable can carry the data for several Ricks). The throne contains the transmitter, or a transmitter amplifier of sorts, effectively functioning similarly to Evil Morty's eyepatch being the intermediate equipment. (On a different matter: five puppets at once is extremely impressive. Eyepatch Morty had to pause what he was doing in order to shoot Security Guard Rick through Evil Rick.) I'd bet that Rick Prime's brain implant is normally able to puppeteer other Ricks wirelessly, without the need of the throne nor cables to his own forehead, but the Rick Puppets being in different dimensions (in contrast to Eyepatch Morty being in the same place as Evil Rick) means he has to take some extra steps to make sure the signal reaches the other dimensions. And these extra steps involve the Omega Device. And suddenly there is a very good reason that the throne is placed in the Omega Device control room: it uses the weapon's connections to the infinite dimensions to reach the Rick Puppets scattered across the multiverse. The thick, apparently compact base of the throne probably connects the puppeteering equipment to the Omega Device's control panel. And there is an extremely good (practical) reason that Prime chose the intermediary equipment to be shaped like a chair: it was so he could be seated, comfortable and relaxed, without in danger of keeling over if his concentration wavered at any moment, and puppeteer his victims. It's also possible he used time crystals to freeze or slow time, permitting him to drastically increase the number of Ricks puppeteered live at any given time. In this scenario I would bet that the Omega Device is an evolution of the puppeteering tech: Rick Prime would want to send his puppets in various dimensions, and he'd need a way to stay connected to them wherever they were at all times, therefore he'd need some sort of tech that keeps track of the infinite dimensions... Hey, while he's there, why not improve the design to allow for the simultaneous murder of someone across the as-of-now-constantly-tracked infinite dimensions? (and with the possibility of this development, I'm suddenly very skeptical about what kind of improvements Eyepatch Morty has in mind. Maybe he could use the connection to the infinite universes to uuuuh simultaneously teleport all victims to a specific location, or to simultaneously add an implant to all victims or something)

3. Rick Prime would use his tablet, which is directly connected to the chair, to swiftly choose which Rick Puppets he is currently connected to. The pretty significant length of the tablet cables and the thin puppeteering cables meant he could probably stand up and walk around if needed, e.g. to the control panel.

(Or, if scenario (b) is true, the tablet was supposed to be used as demonstrated by Eyepatch Morty: to oversee his puppets, update the software, check for malfunctions, etc. Both tablet and Rick Puppets would be directly connected to the throne, so it checks out)

It's possible both scenarios (a) and (b) are true or partly true; if, for example, there was relevant medical equipment embedded in the floor, revealed at the press of a button (there is plenty of empty space in front of the throne...) then it's possible all operations could be carried out fully and autonomously inside the Omega Device facilities.

4. The thick cables were not originally part of Prime's chair; they were part of the machinery embedded in the wall instead. They were part of the Omega Device, linking the control panel to the infinite dimensions. Eyepatch Morty puppeteered Rick Prime (lol) to get them out.

So the order was something like this:

Scenario (a) the throne was used for interdimensional puppeteering: Rick Prime (brain implant) > five thin puppeteering cables > Puppeteering throne > five Rick Puppets (wireless receiver in brain implant) alternating swiftly by manual use of the tablet

Scenario (b) the throne was used for direct maintenance: Rick Prime (via tablet) > Puppeteering throne > five thin puppeteering cables > five Rick Puppets' brain implants

I'm heavily leaning towards scenario (a).

Eyepatch Morty takes this whole thing and turns it around, right against Rick Prime:

Rick Prime sits on his stupid puppeteering throne, but he is the puppet now, because of the fingerguns. The throne that originally granted him infinite freedom at the expense of others' is now his prison. (nice)

His brain implant is connected to the five thin puppeteering cables of the throne, but once again, filtered through the fingergun. He can no longer control his puppets. Instead he as of now functions as part of the intermediate equipment of the throne.

Eyepatch Morty takes the thick cables embedded in the control room walls, which were normally used to connect the infinite universes to the Omega Device control panel, and hooks them up to the puppeteering throne. While the throne could previously connect with (probably) up to five Rick Puppets at a time through the Omega Device, Eyepatch Morty takes advantage of the entirety of the Omega Device to make a direct connection not with five Rick Puppets, but with ALL OF THEM. ALL OF RICK PRIME'S PUPPETS IN THE INFINITE UNIVERSES (that's probably why he had to connect all five thin cables to Prime's head; that's a lot of data)

Eyepatch Morty then stands over Rick Prime, taking advantage of Prime's own tablet, which was previously used to chose which Rick was puppeteered, to directly access the Rick Puppets' records and vaporize them all instead.

Or... I dunno. Does all this make any sense?

If I'm close to the mark, then no wonder Rick Prime was seething by the end. Eyepatch Morty did not just stun Rick Prime, kill his clones and steal his super-weapon; the addition of the puppeteering tech makes everything a lot more personal.

Eyepatch Morty beat him at his own inconceivably expert puppeteering game (five Ricks at a time!!), turned him into a puppet of sorts, desecrated his super-weapon, used Prime's own equipment, tech and symbols of power (the throne) against him, fried within seconds all of Prime's hard-to-maintain puppets, mocked him and finally stole the plans of his super-weapon.

#Rick Prime #PRick #Has anyone done this? Is it a thing?#I mean he IS a prick but he's also pretty epic and the name “Rick Prime” has a certain je-ne-sais-quoi... It just suits him so much.#eyepatch morty #evil morty #Prime Rick #Rick and Morty #frying his backups #omega device

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fryingpan1234567 · 2 years ago

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MALCONNOR HEADCANONS I FELL DOWN A RABBITHOLE WHEEE

As much as Connor loves it when Malcolm is serious and distinguished, he loves it more when he lets his walls down and acts like a teenager. When he laughs really hard at a joke Leo’s just told, without hiding his smile with a hand or his shirt collar. When his cheeks are all puffed out like a chipmunk because he’s just shoved half a peanut butter sandwich in his mouth. When Annabeth bestows upon him a pink feathery boa and he’s dancing around the Athena cabin with his siblings, singing along to the Disney Hercules soundtrack, spinning the littles around. Every time Connor sees a moment like that, he falls more in love

Speaking of singing!! They’re both actually decent lol but Malcolm is better— it’s not uncommon to wander past these idiots at any given point in the day and hear them singing some cheesy Disney duet shit like they’re already married

It’s been said before but the Hermes cabin is narrowly beating the Athena cabin for Best Zombie Apocalypse Survival Plan and Connor DOES NOT LET MALCOLM FORGET IT

Connor is more openly flirty, but it’s so easy to get him to blush Malcolm barely has to try

Literally all it takes is one wink from across the room or pressing a kiss to the underside of Connor’s jaw in passing (height difference my beloved) and Connor can’t function for like an hour

The shovel talk both of these two would get Jesus Christ

Malcolm’s favorite pillow is Connor’s chest

Also Connor is the only person who can get Malcolm to step away from his work for much-needed care

Because that dumbass will not sleep and eat for days at a time

Yeah they use pet names but they also call each other Con and Mal (DC and Descendants crossover? No way?)

They’re both fuckin Disney nerds smh (SAME HONESTLY)

Malcolm likes theater and musicals and Connor’s more into Marvel and Star Wars and things like that

Constant teasing, but no harmful pranks or anything like that lol

Malcolm is a morning person. Connor is not.

Most mornings, Con wakes up to Mal laying on top of him just like when they fell asleep, soft music coming from Malcolm’s phone on the nightstand while he reads some book waiting for Connor to wake up

Con is more of a no shirt + sweats kind of pajama person and Mal is more oversized shirt (probably Connor’s) and shorts/ nothing underneath

BOTH OF WHICH, I MIGHT ADD, ARE VERY ATTRACTIVE TO THE OTHER AND IT CAUSES SOME FOCUS PROBLEMS THAT MEAN GETTING READY IN THE MORNINGS TAKES FIVE TIMES LONGER THAN IT NEEDS TO

Malcolm doesn’t drink, but he does get all delirious and shit when he’s super sleep deprived

Connor definitely drinks, but he just gets (somehow) more affectionate than normal

PDA to the max

Sparring!! All the sparring tropes!! It fits them!!

(Pinned to the wall/ ground? Both of them breathing heavily, faces inches apart? Going ‘fuck it’ and making out? USING THAT DISTRACTION TO GET THE UPPER HAND? Please)

The older sibling shadow gets talked about too much but. It’s true

They’re both night owls but Connor lasts longer because Malcolm gets up earlier

Con’s got the longest most complicated coffee order ever and then Mal will just be like “iced black coffee” and Connor’s just. Astounded. Every time

”HOW DO YOU DRINK THAT SHIT?” “It’s good, you’re just not used to it.” “THAT IS SO NASTY.” “Sweetheart, that drink you have could kill you if you get it enough times.” “BABE. NO. THAT WOULD KILL ME AFTER LIKE ONE SIP.”

Coffee dramatics aside, their food taste is actually pretty similar

They like the same snacks and candy and everything, at least

When they’re doin the competitive thing they call each other by their last names

They both would trade each other for a corn chip to win Uno (“DRAW SIX BABY BOY” “I’M BREAKING UP WITH YOU”)

#malconnor #MY BOYS #I love them #riordanverse

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webtoon-related-tournaments · 1 year ago

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Ms Johanson is the director of the orphanage both protagonists are from.

She tries to get rid of the useless kids, trains the others to steal in order not to let the orphanage function but to line her pockets, she degrades the kids she doesn't like (the ones who are too honest to steal for example)...

Leland is the father of the three male leads

he pit his sons against each other competing for his affection, neglected his wife and youngest son, gaslit and manipulated his eldest sons into repeating the cycle of abuse with their own fiancées and is now trying to publicly humiliate his best friend because he wasn't there in his time of need twenty-five years ago or something

BUCKLE UP THIS MAN IS AWFUL basically he has secretly been in love with his best friend Jack for years now but Jack fell in love with a woman called Leelathae and Leland has never gotten over that. He has also never forgiven Jack for not being there for him at his parents funeral (i don’t remember why Jack wasn’t there but it was probably something to do with Leelathae). He decides to marry a girl called Isolde to make Jack jealous (which doesn’t work because Jack does not return his feelings) who he later becomes abusive towards and keeps in the dark on all future evil plots by placating her with expensive desserts. The evil plot in question is to have his three sons marry Jacks three daughters. When the plan eventually falls apart he literally TORTURES his children. Like he hangs Blaine and Lance upside down in a dungeon over a LAVA PIT and makes them do CHIN-UPS and throws Frederick into a massive PIT and just LEAVES HIM THERE. He eventually frees Blaine and Lance but only so that he can take them to the Pastel Palace which he is planning to INVADE so he can FORCE the princesses to marry his sons AGAINST THEIR WILL.

#tournament poll #cursed princess club #the iluvian cycle

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listlesswhistle · 2 years ago

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So, I made a thing. As I mentioned, I’ve been having a lot of fun making up my own rain world stuff, y’know, like an entire custom region. Well, you may have noticed that the bonus pictures of my notes included information on a couple things that didn’t show up in the forest. Namely, my iterator oc, One Thousand Silent Eyes.

Well, I’ve been possessed by the need to write a short ficlet about them discovering what happened to the canon iterators through finding broadcasts as they attempt to reestablish their long range communications.

I’ve discussed Silent Eyes in more detail over on @nerdydowntherabbithole‘s blog, and I don’t won’t to go over everything about them again, so here’s the main thing you need to know before reading: Silent Eyes operates as a sort of hivemind. They have multiple different bodies, each with their own unique copy of Silent Eyes, but they think and act as a single entity when together. This does become relevant occasionally in this ficlet, most often when they switch between “themself” and “themselves,” depending on whichever is appropriate. They will also occasionally reference actions performed by different bodies happening at the same or similar time, as they see themselves as being in both of those bodies at once.

With that clarified, the story can be found below the read more. (Please be gentle, I’ve literally never written a fic before)

They let out a thoughtful chirp from their speakers as they hovered up to the antenna of the decrepit relay station; a habit they’d picked up from time spent around their citizens. On instinct, they went to store the information in their general memory banks, only to stutter in their flight as they failed to connect.

They were... still getting used to that. Silent Eyes knew that these long distance missions were necessary for reestablishing communication with the other clusters, but that didn’t make it any less uncomfortable to be cut off from so much of themselves.

At least the sensation eased up somewhat when they hunkered down in the MMSP to wait out the rain. Some of their citizens had come along for the ride, even after the extended nature of this outing was explained to them. Truthfully, they were grateful for the company. Tending to the needs of the adventurous group of slugcats served as a much appreciated distraction from the concerns that plagued them lately.

And ah, there was the crux of the issue, wasn’t it? The thing that they’d wanted to pass off to the rest of themselves while they focused on documenting what material components they’d need to fabricate in order to get this ancient transmitter back up and running: the broadcasts. They’d been found stored on the station’s barely functional servers and the contents were... distressing.

They weren’t stupid; they’d heard the rumors. Those were all on public chatrooms, after all, so they had made it much further out than any encrypted private conversations. But Eyes had treated them with a hopeful skepticism. They hadn’t know Unparalleled Innocence very well, and the rumors were just that: rumors. They’d helped iterators handle cases of rot before, they were sure Five Pebbles could handle himself. And losing contact with Looks To The Moon doesn’t necessarily mean anything bad happened to her. Everyone’s communications were breaking down. Heck, they’d had to repair their own communication arrays before they could even talk to the iterators right next to them! Their neighboring cluster was most likely perfectly fine. They probably just needed a few new antennas, a couple fresh dishes, a good rewiring and bam! Problem solved.

Except, well... these old messages paint a slightly different picture.

It’s probably nothing! They’re probably just overthinking things, making false assumptions because they’re working with much less information than they’re used to. This will all make much more sense when they get this relay back to working order, so they can take a new look at this data with all of their processing power at their disposal. The ARU that they’re piloting wasn’t exactly built for complex thinking, after all, with its internals mostly full of sensors and data storage. That’s why ARUs are always accompanied by an MMSP; its large computing system dedicated to housing Silent Eyes picks up the slack for its smaller cousins.

They’re just maybe, slightly freaking out because even with the additional processing power of the MMSP parked right outside, the messages are still setting off all kinds of alarm bells in their brain. Contents aside, just the fact that they’re seeing these messages at all is frankly concerning.

Silent Eyes has become intimately familiar with the inner workings of an iterator’s communication arrays. They know, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that incoming messages are not meant to bounce like this. The different systems for incoming and outgoing information are completely separate, only connected in that they are both part of communications. The fact that they found the messages here, in a relay station almost halfway between the two clusters, is indicative of a catastrophic malfunction on Looks To The Moon’s end. Her systems would’ve had to be physically rewired for them to broadcast a message in its entirety to a random recipient immediately upon receiving it, rather than download its contents for Moon to read. It’s honestly a miracle that the header and group name were the only things lost in the process.

It would be a different story for a public communiqué sent to a group discussion- long range broadcasts are sent along multiple relays, so that there are redundancies in case one breaks down- but these were clearly meant to be direct communications between iterators in the same cluster, with their names listed directly beneath the missing group: “No Significant Harassment, Big Sis Moon.” It should’ve been impossible, and yet here it is, scanned directly into Silent Eyes’ internal storage.

As for the messages themselves... there’s not much to be said. Two short chatlogs between users “No Significant Harassment” and “Big Sis Moon.” NSH is the only one to speak. He is unsure if his messages will reach Moon, citing an unknown amount of damage to her systems. Five Pebbles appears to be uncooperative, and NSH seems to be planning something. All in all, it sounds like a grim situation.

But, well, it’s only two messages! Maybe NSH’s plan worked, and Moon’s communication arrays stopped sending messages here! Or, maybe they can find more messages once they restore power to the upper floor! Oh, and what if-

Plink! Silent Eyes jolted at the sound of something hitting the base of their wings. Oh, the rain is coming. It seems they weren’t doing a very good job of focusing on repairs.

They spur themselves into motion, abandoning the various tasks around the station that they’d been idling at for the last half an hour. It seems they’ll have to wait until the next cycle before they can reconnect with the rest of themselves.

As they settle themselves down to charge in the vast hanger of the MMSP, and their large, armored form prepares to weather the rain, Silent Eyes takes comfort in the fact that all of their citizens appear to be fed and accounted for. They flutter their wings in amusement as the slugcats begin to bully them into the quickly forming cuddle pile on the floor, adjusting themself slightly to support the one that’s already fallen asleep on their back. They don’t appear bothered in the slightest by the rigid metal form of the ARUs, seeming perfectly content with the fact that all four of them together provide a comfortable amount of heat.

Surrounded on all sides by warm bodies, with the sounds of purring echoing off the walls of their hanger, Eyes feels their fans start to slow as the worry that had been eating at them finally begins to abate.

The messages are concerning, and Eyes is still concerned at the apparent state of their fellow iterators, but they will not let their fear dismantle them. With a clearer mind and a new objective, One Thousand Silent Eyes finds themselves wishing they could tell NSH the same thing he tried to tell Looks To The Moon: “Hang in there. I’m coming to help.”

#rain world #iterator oc #One Thousand Silent Eyes #My writing #I have no idea if this is actually good #I tried my best ok #i THINK i got everything into the proper tense #im so obsessed with Silent Eyes you have no idea #i was just POSSESSED to write this

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postcardsfromheapside · 27 days ago

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No. I wasn't missing the point of most criticism. Literally, I saw post after post of people saying they wished the characters could be mean to each other. Some posts were more specific, like "I don't like Taash," (and I'm sure you can imagine what THAT'S about) and some were more ambigious but cited DA2 and how everyone was bitchy toward each other.

I honestly don't care where you work and what you do, because hopefully most of us after the age of 30 have experienced an adult job where we have to be reasonable with our coworkers, even if we strongly disagree, or outright dislike them. I had the suspicion that most people who think that there is "no conflict," or "low conflict" or "bad writing" in this game haven't experienced this kind of setting in any capacity. What I'm now hearing is that you might have, but you didn't absorb any of the dialogue, or switch out your party to listen to banter, which is an essential function for picking up information in any DA game.

I walked around Arlathan with Lucanis and Harding, and they have a whole ongoing conversation in which she threatens him with one of her special arrows. And he agrees that if Spite should take him over, she should do something about it. Harding isn't frightened, because Harding isn't a pushover, but she's not taking any shit either. Did you walk around with just the two of them right after recruiting Lucanis? Did you frequently visit the rest of the companions so that you could see just how much Lucanis and Davrin *didn't* get along? Neve mentions what sounded like a knock-down drag out fight.

**Just because this isn't explicitly mentioned to you doesn't make it bad writing - it means you haven't had the time we had with Inquisition to play the game over and over and switch out your party so you can see everyone's interactions with each other. You will actually have to play the game multiple times and switch your party out a fair amount in order to see these interactions. Or wait for people to post them to tumblr. You can complain about how unfair this is, or remember that Inquisition has 10 years on this game, and it's been out for just shy of a month.**

Why in the absolute fuck would Davrin manufacture conflict between himself and someone he could easily conjecture isn't pro-slavery based on the fact that within five minutes he could find out she's from Dock Town, she's a private investigator working with the Shadow Dragons, and LITERALLY WHEN YOU GET ONTO THE DOCK WITH HIM, her first priority as she's running back to Minrathous is to say "if the dragon wrecks havoc, the Venatori will take over." Davrin isn't an idiot, he could pretty well surmise that she's not "pro slavery" with only the barest of interactions and Rook saying "yeah Neve's cool."

Why would Neve yell at you? Why is it bad writing for the writers to give Neve a personality you don't agree with, because you're uncomfortable with how she reacts? Neve's an adult who is used to working on her own and people not showing up for her - she says this MULTIPLE TIMES - it's actually a large arc of bonding with her, as a friend and a lover. She's not going to scream at you, she's so far past the point of being loud about disappointment, she's on the other side, for one, and for another, she does in fact understand that the entire North of Thedas is on fire and blighting Treviso is pretty fucking bad when it has no major defenses. Rook doesn't endlessly apologize. She came back after a short pause and while I didn't have her healing abilities after that, it didn't take long for me to boost my bond with her back up and feel like we were friends again.

This honestly feels like you're having a personal reaction that you need to examine, and it's not something to do with the writing, since the game mechanics and the dialogue don't actually bear out what you're putting down here.

All of the companions who have conflict initially have to figure out how to trust each other and it sometimes takes most of the game for them to do that. If you didn't spend the time listening to their banter as they work their way through it, that's not Bioware's problem. That's you. And...I don't want to have repeated conversations where I go into Emmrich's (my romance) room and "vent"? I didn't do that with Cullen. I didn't do that with Anders. Why would it suddenly be a thing here? But if you listen in to people's conversations, they do express dismay and doubt and fear about the various quests they've been on. Again, it feels like you didn't spend the time eavesdropping or taking people out and listening to banter.

I have no idea what you're talking about with flirting. I flirted with every companion at first even though I knew I was running for Emmrich, and all of them responded according to their personality. I romanced Cullen in Inquisition, and he was pretty quiet initially, until you get to Skyhold, and similarly, most of the companions here retain a certain reticence until the game progresses. But if you're looking for people who get flustered - Lace and Bellara absolutely do! And Emmrich isn't flustered, but he's taken aback a few times before he collects himself and flirts back - though whether you'd actually recognize it for flirting, I'm starting to wonder. The fact that you can't tell with Neve is actually making me tilt my head at the screen, and I say this as a self-confessed disaster who is very very bad at knowing someone is interested. Even I can tell what's going on in DA romances.

This is probably a lost cause, but I urge you to either spend time playing the game again, or watch someone else who really loves DA (and is Veilguard positive) play so that you can watch without being in the thick of it, and hopefully experience more dialogue and different choices.

No, I'm not done yet, I'm house sitting and she left me snacks and soda and not even god could keep me from venting my spleen at this point.

"I wish the companions were meaner to each other in this game, like in DA2."

While I think there's a larger argument to be made discussing the similarities between DA2 and Veilguard, I need everyone to get so close to me right now about a glaring difference:

DA2 involved a ragtag group of assholes with their own agendas coalescing around Hawke's personality or exchange of favors. There was no larger "goal," except maybe Varric's expedition - everything else is encountered as circumstance. You wend your way through your companions' stories while a city winds ever tighter into itself, a spring about to literally explode.

There's zero reason for these people to be nice to each other. They have no point in being around each other except Hawke. They can bitch at each other all they like.

Rook becomes Varric's second in command (I've seen one post say it's about 6 months before the events of the game) with an explicit purpose: find and stop Solas. Harding and Neve are recruited as experts in their respective fields for this particular goal. When it all goes to shit, Neve recruits another expert, Lucanis, to deal with the fallout, and Harding finds Davrin, *also* an expert in his field (monster hunting). When Rook has to make a particularly consequence heavy decision, two more are added to the crew: Emmrich (Fade expert) and Taash (dragon expert). All of these people are extremely competent, and know from the jump that they have one particular goal in mind.

They join ready to work together on Day 1 because if they don't, there's simply no other alternative. It's lights out. Even when they mistrust each other, the direness of the situation is not lost on them. Infighting serves no purpose. That's why the struggle is directed inward: clean up your own house, so we can move as a single unit.

Honestly the fact that what people took away from this game was "I wish my friends were meaner to each other" and not "wow, I wish we all worked together to keep evil dictators from taking over" is fucking mindblowing when I sit back and reread this.

#fandom critical #datv #dragon age: the veilguard

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white-horse-brainrot · 2 years ago

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Something that hasn't (to my knowledge; I don't read the short story anthologies) cropped up in the Heralds of Valdemar universe is the line of succession to the Valdemar throne.

Like, okay, in Arrows there was some tension over whether or not Elspeth would get Chosen, but that wasn't ever really leaned into, and most of the time that we see anything about the royal family, we see it operating on a pretty normal hereditary basis, parent to child. Good parents (they have to be; they're Heralds) have good children, who in turn become Heralds.

But that doesn't sit so well with me; just because someone is a morally good person doesn't make them a good parent, and the parent's nature isn't automatically the child's.

What happens if the monarch's only child doesn't get Chosen? Okay, logistically, they start going through the lines of relationship til they find the most closely related Herald, sure -- but man. Imagine growing up with that. You're the royal child, and you're about the age that most people get chosen, late tweens or early teens... and you aren't Chosen. Okay, there's no time limit, maybe the Companion who will be yours is still a little young. There's no cutoff. Maybe next week. Maybe next month. Maybe next year.

And next week comes. Next month comes. Next year comes. And the next, and the next. And you aren't Chosen.

You're still growing up in the Palace, literally surrounded by Heralds and by Trainees. Your own fucking parent, at least one of them, is a Herald, and their closest bestest friend who is always at their side is a Herald. And people are looking at you. They're wondering, even if they aren't saying it. And you know that they are saying it, just (maybe) not to your face.

What's wrong with you? Are you weak? Are you evil? You obsessively monitor your own thoughts for any trace of impatience, anger, resentment, anything that might make you less than the perfect paragon of justice and morality that Heralds are supposed to be. Every petty temptation becomes a stain of irreparable degeneracy. You haven't been Chosen because the one time when you were five you stole a pastry from the kitchen. Because you don't pay attention to your tutors. Because you think that this courtier is ugly (what an unworthy thought!) or that one is a jerk (and to be fair, he is). Could each of those thoughts be the stain that drives the Companions away from you?

Maybe you try your very best to be an exemplary human being, to always be kind and courteous and diligent and gracious even in the privacy of your own mind -- which is of course no privacy at all, not in the heart of Valdemar, not surrounded by mind-readers and Companions. Tradition says that Mindspeakers don't listen in, but is that really true, or is it only a polite fiction? (Is that the thought that makes you unworthy of Choosing?)

Maybe you decide, at some point, that there's no point. You haven't been Chosen, you won't be Chosen, why tie yourself in knots to please some damned white horse who doesn't even want you anyway? Maybe you choose for yourself -- choose defiance. Choose to be the ultimate dissolute courtier. Lose yourself in carousing, become a rakehell of the first order. After all, you're a dead end. Why not enjoy the life you can?

Maybe you decide to leave Haven. After all, your royal parent will need to find their heir, and that's the person they'll bring to court to stand beside them at Palace functions, to stand in for them when they're indisposed. If you go far enough from the center of the kingdom, you'll find somewhere that no one will recognize you. You can find a life -- maybe in a little local temple somewhere. Maybe in a town just large enough to support trades other than farming. Surely you can learn to support yourself with an honest living, right? You'll try to forget you were ever royal, try to forget everything about Haven, try to forget staring at the Companions' Field wondering which of them might possibly be for you. None of them are, so it's best for everyone if the monarch's disappointing child makes it easy and just fades away out of memory. Someday the history books will forget you ever even existed.

There's a lot of possibility there -- a lot of bittersweet ache, a lot of tension, and a lot of openings for someone to take their future in their own hands. And Lackey's so good at putting the reader right in the moment, in the character's heart as much as their mind. I'd really like to see her tackle this.

#heralds of valdemar #mercedes lackey

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catcatb0y · 2 years ago

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I have a lot of shit going on irl, so I am really sorry to anyone if I come across as crass, rude, or an asshole. I come onto Tumblr in order to escape the shit I am going through irl, so I already have very little patience when I am online.

I whole heartedly support TAG CULTURE and ao3. 'Don't like; Don't read.' I don't read a lot of dark(er) fic, because I don't like it, but it's not my place to tell others what to write. It is my place to block and filter out that content.

Please learn about censorship history before you try to push that as a good thing. Especially on Tumblr. The "they banned tits and everyone freaked out" webbed site. The site regularly mocking unalived and k!lled. Please spell out your intentions, so I can use the blacklist function properly.

1f y0u typ3 l1k3 th1s, c3ns0rsh1p 1s n0t my 3xp3ct4tion, but 1 w1ll r34d 1t 4nd sp34k y0ur l4ngu4g3.

Censorship is, and always has been, a slippery slope. The moment you argue something not being "family friendly" or say "think of the children," step back and remember that the same things have been and are still said about queer existence. It's the same thing that led to the fandom purges not too many years ago.

Please think before you regurgitate very obvious conservative and TERF takes (especially of you claim to be against them). If you are or agree with any TERFs, transmeds (people who say that trans existence is purely medical/trans people need medical intervention to be trans), or ""gender critical"" literally just go away. Science and history are against you.

With that out of the way, I don't blorbopost often (save random bursts of fanart or occasional theories (except currently I have a few vent posts)), but I am a BakuDeku fan.

Before that, though, I am a Bakugou fan. I care more about his development, treatment, and character more than I care about his importance to/part in any ship (which is unfortunately even more rare in newer fandom)

If you post jokes or memes about the current Hero Academia spoilers, deadass just block me right now. I don't want to see [redacted] and I don't fucking care. Even if it's just a softblock (assuming I follow you), I'm done. I don't want that shit on my dash.

Otherwise, I'm into a myriad of different shows (mostly anime), but I think I'm honestly done with fandom as a whole? Never be afraid to fandomtalk with me though! I'm very open to asks and DMs and post replies! This post is very harsh, because it's made after dealing with most of the shit I talk about, but I really am nice and approachable as long as you don't come into my house with terminally online takes calling me terminally online.

It's sad and pathetic.

Other than that, I (usually) don't reblog guilt-trip or anger-activist posts with the intention of agreeing with them. There are a lot of issues out in this world today, and nobody has the ability to care about them all. We certainly don't have the power, and 'privilege' isn't some Pokemon game of type weaknesses; it's a case by case issue at best and it can be easily weaponized.

My last pinned post had a better description, but honestly I've just started unfollowing people who guilt trip too much. I come here for fun.

I don't fuck with reactionary bullshit. Please stop and think for five fucking seconds. This is the internet, we have that luxury, and yet people seem to throw it out the window at the nearest chance.

Also if you make fun of (me specifically, but anyone) for writing long posts, you are cringe. Sorry you can't process more than three sentences, but I can. I keepy posts as nuanced as possible and explore man angles.

If I write too much for you to understand (non native English speakers, neurodivergent people, and anyone who has genuine difficulty reading), I will happily break down my points into smaller groups and discuss each part in a civil manner.

But if you say "I'm not reading that" I am putting your clown shoes on the other side of the door and locking you out of my house. That's cringe. Get better reading skills or go away.

#pinned #about me #this one is updated!

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halfeviltotty · 3 years ago

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My favorite thing about ososan is that zaimoku hate each other so much. Like they're exactly alike but they go to opposite ends of the spectrum in order to make a starker contrast. So they look more different than they actually are.

Karamatsu has to be a macho man even though in reality he is a very quiet anxious person with a much softer demeanor. Todomatsu has to perform femininity beyond what clearly is his preferred threshold when he actually is more futch than anything.

Karamatsu wears loud attention grabbing outfits because he wants people to approach him. Karamatsu asks women out in giant displays but he also wants women to go up to him ask him out. Karamatsu wants to be a statement piece, he wants eyes on him, he wants to draw people into his personality, he wants people to look at him and go "What a cool guy, I should talk to him!" Karamatsu is performing yknow? Todomatsu on the other hand wants to appear normal, he wants to blend in and pretend he isn't the same as his brothers. That he's the cute social butterfly of the group so he wears clothes he canonically doesn't even pick out himself. The store clerks dress him and he buys what they sell him specifically because Todomatsu doesn't want to draw negative attention to himself. He doesn't want people to go, "Who is this creep talking to me?" because of his appearance.

The two of them are the most vain of the group because they need to be in order to stand out. It takes the same hint of affection to make Karamatsu fall in love as it does for Todomatsu. Their true selves meet directly in the middle and both Karamatsu and Todomatsu hate that.

I've been thinking about at what point in universe did their relationship start seriously degrading and I think it was pretty early in s1? Todomatsu's love language for his brothers is definitely nagging. He scolds people very often, he doesn't want his brothers to do weird stuff because Todomatsu has experience with how isolating it is to be seen as abnormal without the sense of security that the other five bring.

Todomatsu is probably the only one who's been shown to be rejected multiple times and walk it off. Even in the benimatsu mixer episode Todomatsu left by himself in the dark and walked home without crying. This is implied to be a regular thing for him because we've seen Todomatsu at mixers before and we can only assume he goes home the exact same way. Osomatsu collapsed both times he was rejected. Todomatsu off screen has had to deal with that way more often because he's always putting himself out there.

And in the Star of Hope Todomatsu said when he figures out how to lose his virginity he'd come back for the rest of his brothers. He's been doing a trial and error run for a long time and so imo Todomatsu's nagging is him trying to teach Karamatsu how to function in society without becoming a pariah.

Like the entire family nobody is especially empathic in the Matsuno household. Especially not Todomatsu who is very logic over emotion based, he needs things explained to him when it's supposed to be about feelings. Totty is very low empathy but he's a very compassionate and sympathetic person. He really cares!

But for Karamatsu this was literally just Todomatsu mocking and belittling him. Not making excuses because even if Todomatsu intended to help he still was insulting his brother harshly and without prompting. Todomatsu is 10000000% in the wrong for that and Karamatsu is justified in being resentful.

Another thing in the ESP kitty skit Todomatsu laughed when Karamatsu was kidnapped as well as joining in throwing objects at Karamatsu. My understanding of this is that Todomatsu chooses his alliances based off of his own survival rather than trying to help others who he doesn't deem important enough to risk his neck for. Osomatsu in s1 provided the most protection and Todomatsu sincerely respects Osomatsu. You can see it in their s1 designs and the fact people still confuse the two of them. Todomatsu tries very hard to emulate Osomatsu and tries to be his duo partner so it's a monkey see monkey do situation.

This is still 10000000% wrong of Todomatsu. More examples is Todomatsu emotionally manipulating Karamatsu when everyone else was doing it because Karamatsu offered.

But!!!! Karamatsu does horrible and imo more traumatic things to Todomatsu as a group with the other 4 brothers. Karamatsu played a hand in getting Todomatsu fired, laughed and participated in Todomatsu's public sexual humiliation, kidnapped Todomatsu and tied him up and sent him out to sea, mocked Todomatsu viciously and enjoyed seeing Todomatsu homeless, joins in frequently if Todomatsu is being assaulted, has robbed him as well and did not step in when Todomatsu was literally dragged by a bike battered and bruised away.

In comparison Todomatsu being a bit mean, hitting Karamatsu during group brawls or not caring about the kidnapping isn't as serious as what Karamatsu has done to Todomatsu as a group.

There's this mutual animosity between the two of them and you can pretty much tell both of them are constantly thinking, "Somebody tell this man about himself before I do it bc I'm gonna make him cry." and then Ichimatsu without any prompting does it for them. Literally.

And now getting to my favorite part without all the angsty shit, I just think they're so funny because if they actually communicated their perspectives openly and honestly it'd end with the two of their mutual destruction. I think they'd explode each other to death. I think they hate themselves and hate how the other hates himself and I think the two of them would take their cynade capsules immediately after reaching a point of understanding bc they hate that guy.

The two of them get shitface drunk the next day and look a hot ass mess cruising for clit but they're each others perfect wingmen. Ichimatsu's there too because somebody's gotta keep them from stabbing each other and also for balance and also he wants to go out and also because I think 110 is so funny and cute. Ichimatsu is literally the missing piece for zaimoku to get along, they need someone who will say "shut the hell up and each your fucking food. Bastards." in order to function as a cohesive group.

Thank you for attending my ted talk

#second banana syndrome #assigned unlovable at birth #This went off the rails #Catboys union and their honorary mutt of the week

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studiojeon · 3 years ago

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troubled outsiders | intro - jjk

| summary | - how you two end up pining for each other.

warnings: none :)

content: idol!jungkook x student!oc, friends to lovers (because it’s THE superior trope okurrrt), jungkook is quiet and shy but a social butterfly when needed (and when it comes to oc but you’re not supposed to know that yet), oc is both a badass and a socially akward queen, she has TWO friends and only because one is dating the other (like... same), the Lee Charyeong is her bestie, oc works at bighit and feels like everyone either fears her or hates her, author nim is a crackhead and has no plot planned for this series whatsoever (doesn’t know if she’ll keep this up, we’ll see).

words: 1.93 k

His presence was overwhelming, to say the least. Even if he were surrounded by six hundred other equally handsome men, somehow, to you (and the majority of the female population, at that point) he was as captivating and magnetic as they come. Jeon Jungkook didn't pay no mind to no one, but sure as hell everyone became hyper aware of his existence and essence in time. And that didn’t exclude you.

Yet, as nonchalant and indifferent as the man could be perceived, in reality he was more considerate and friendly than the aura he exuded. You knew this because working in the same company had to teach a thing or two about the people who literally carried said company and the whole industry at some point, still you barely knew four or three people, including your assistant and Jungkook, whom you had met once.

The opportunity of working at the company had come to you out of the blue, quite literally, you were attempting to send one of your assignments in when an email appeared in your notifications during your sailor moon study break.

HYBE Entertainment

We’re glad to inform you that you’re being recruited for the position of Logistics Manager in one of our sub companies, BIGHIT Entertainment. We’ve thoroughly looked through the CV you’ve submitted and are very interested in your capabilities and what you can contribute to our organization. One of our other managers will gladly meet you on a day you can both agree on. Make sure to answer this email to get more details about your interview.

“Nani!? THE FUCK?” sure as hell that your eyes and cognitive functions were deceiving you (ADHD) you went over the text a little over three times in a row before the message settled in your mind. This was sus.

Before even considering a reply you made a quick call. “Fucking Lee Chaeryeong” you spat on your end of the line. “You did this, didn’t you?”.

Her silence was more than enough to have you cursing her under your breath. “I don’t know what exactly you’re talking about but it most likely was me. Does it have to do with a sex toy in particular?”

“No” you denied almost monotonously, guessing the pile of boxes in the corner of your room with her names on them was what she referred to. “Does anything come to mind if i mention BIGHIT FUCKING ENTERTAINMENT?”

It was her. All those conversations during the summer about how badly you wanted to work in the entertainment business as marketing staff of some sort had their effect on your friend, who, despite all your excuses and denials, knew you better than you and your mom combined did, and because of this, was sure as hell you were not making a move towards that goal whatsoever. So, being the boss bitch she was, she took matters into her own hands, was what she explained.

You concluded that was the reason you had reached a point in your life where you had more experience than most recently graduated kids in your field, because Chaeryeong had you moving every summer break. You had been the manager of a coffee franchise and convenience store during you junior and senior years, and also figured a way to improve the marketing management strategy of a fucking restaurant while at it. Not to toot your own horn, but you were kind of cool.

Or not. “I hope this job satisfies your workaholic ass for once, I’m running out of ideas”. Chaeryeong spat before hanging up.

Sure as hell it would.

On friday afternoon, you made your way to the HYBE INSIGHT building and introduced yourself to your recruiters who promised to give you a call at some point. “It went fine” you told Chaeryeong once you were in your car. And it was the truth, however you weren’t so sure if they would actually hire you at some point since well, you were a girl in a male dominated industry and, in your opinion, there were always better people than you. “Wanna go grab coffee?”

“I want to. But, I have practice today. I’m actually on my way there. Please avoid driving through Hongdae today, this shit’s packed.” You sighed and thanked her for the heads up. You missed your friend, badly. You hadn’t seen each other in three weeks, and you didn’t even live so far away from each other (you did, but it had been worse before). You two had very agitated lives to say the least. Chaeryeong was a kpop group member, and well, you were jumping from job to job and getting your phD in Business Management at the same time. It was hard to find moments to spare together during some periods of the year, but you guess the anticipation made your encounters better.

“Talk about anticipation” you slammed your forehead against your desk, taking a breather after such an anxiety packed situation. Short story: you got the job (for some fucking reason). And you had gone through a whole week of expectancy and anguish. Not getting that job would have broken your heart, and ego at the same time.

You guessed the law of attraction tactics Chaeryeong had taught you had sorted their effect and were what led you to your current position in life.

“Miss _____, your presentation’s ready” your work assistant gave you a comforting pat in the back as she took a seat somewhere next to you. You were nervous, shitless. It was your fifth week at the job, and being the proactive woman you were, you had collected lots of data in order to come up with a resources management plan.

It was a Thursday afternoon, and more than a hundred people sat in front of you, waiting for your speech. Including him, who you’d once bumped into accidentally during one of your data recollections runs inside the building.

You hated having the need to impress others yet, hence your anxious behaviour. But this was a decisive moment in regards to your validation in your new job and how you’d continue to be perceived during your work stance (no reason to panic at all)… you needed to get it together.

“I think I just pissed off a bunch of old men right now,” you told your assistant right after you got off stage. “I need a bathroom break”. Linh gave you a reassuring smile, one she always had plastered on her face.

“Take as long as you need to. I’ll give you a call once the rest are done”.

The commute to the bathroom was unnecessarily complicated in your opinion. You had spent a little over a month rushing through the hallways of the building and you swore every single day your spatial orientation got a bit more fucked up. There was no way there wasn’t a single bathroom on the floor you were in, that would just be atrocious. “It’s not completed yet” someone said beside you as you stared at the half empty map the company had projected on a wall next to the elevators. “Where do you need to go?”

Kim Taehyung of all people in the world was talking to your ugly and unworthy ass. Your breath caught in your throat and after staring for at least five seconds your body finally reacted to your orders. “Oh, um… the bathroom. I’ve been looking for it for a good ten minutes” you explained with a nervous laugh.

“Trust me, I get it. I still get lost over here” he smiled gently. “It’s in the hallway in the middle of the next hallway”

You laughed at his very ambiguous explanation. “Thank you” you bowed your head and made your way to said destination.

It was in the hallway to your left, not your right, and it took you a while to figure out that new piece of information. Once you were staring at yourself in the mirror, you realized that you looked considerably tired and exhausted from all the social interaction you had undergone throughout the day. You were used to the side stares and whispering you’d get whenever you entered a room at that point, but some days you just wished you could get a break from them. After all, it wasn’t your fault you didn’t look Korean at all, and that you also didn’t fit the stereotype of a foreigner.

You got that from your mom, both the non Korean features and social fatigue. But that wasn’t even the problem most of the time, it was your friendly and smart nature which she had also passed onto you. Some would consider it a blessing, but to you it was a burden, like a clear glass that shielded you from introducing yourself into other people’s realities. You had few friends and people to trust, but in your everyday life you had to deal with the pressure of standing out too much and that came with a lot of negative energy from others. You sigh as you spray your favorite fragrance on yourself. You could be feeling like shit, but no one will ever catch you slipping.

But that excluded him apparently. You hadn’t noticed that on the other side of the hallway was the men’s bathroom and the realization hit you as you were calmly getting some tea from the vending machine. “Good afternoon” the man greeted you as he made his way out the hallway, but stopped in his tracks right after he noticed you. “_____! Hi” he smiled at you and you wanted to die, suddenly forgetting what you were ordering in the first place.

“H-hi Jungkook” You smiled back, poorly attempting to put your wallet back into your backpack.

“Need help there?” he noticed your agitated state and held your bag for you. He smelled just as heavenly as you had expected, somewhat between big dick energy and flowers. Oh, and he also remained as kind and polite as you remembered him.

Seeming as if he wasn’t planning on continuing his path to wherever he was heading to in the first place, he stood quietly by your side, waiting for you to be done with your deal. “How have you been?” you break the ice for him.

Quickly, you grab your tea and start walking back to the auditorium together, unaware of your surroundings or the suspicions that could arise. “Busy, but very good. How have you been? I saw your presentation earlier… I wish I understood half of what you said but you still sounded amazing”.

And you would never admit it out loud, but you were positive you were blushing (and falling in love too - platonically, of course). “Oh god, you think so? I basically told them they’ve been doing things wrong all along so maybe you’re the only one who’s appreciative of my work” you handed him the second can of iced tea you bought without him noticing. You swear his eyes lit up like stars in the night sky. “Payback for the other day” you smile at him.

The first time you two had crossed paths you didn’t look nearly as glamorous as you did now. In fact, you looked incredibly disturbed and in pain, carrying a huge pile of paperwork in your hands. But as soon as sweet Jungkook noticed your state, he offered you a hand and somehow ended up helping through your multiple data collecting trips that afternoon. It was a nice day.

“Anytime” he took the can in his hands with a shy look on his face. “Unless I’m practicing, you know…” you look down at his feet, with huge black boots engulfing them, and you smile due to their contrast with his personality. “Here, i’ll give you my number so you can call me whenever you need to put all those papers back. Hopefully I’ll be around” he added as he pulled his phone from his back pocket.

Way to get a girl’s number, my god.

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themagnuswriters · 4 years ago

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Writing a Muslim Character

The Mods of the Magnus Writers discord server and community are putting together a variety of resources for Magnus Archives fan creators; these have been collated from articles on the topics, our own experiences, and the experiences of the members of the Magnus Writers discord. These are definitely not comprehensive or the only viewpoints out there, and are by no means meant as a way to police fanworks, but as a way to support and inspire fan creators in creating thoughtful and diverse works. Please note that external links will be added in a reblog to outsmart tumblr’s terrible tagging system, so make sure to check those out as well!

This resource in particular was put together by Mod Jasmine: hi, all!

While there are no canonically Muslim characters in TMA, Muslim headcanons are common in fanworks—particularly for Basira, and sometimes Jon (which I love to see!). I have cobbled together this post from my own experiences to help support and inform fans in these areas, and as part of my diabolical plan to get more Muslim!Basira and Muslim!Jon fics to shove into my brain.

First, two gigantic caveats:

I was raised Sunni Muslim in Egypt, which is a majority Sunni Muslim country, and still live there. This means my experience will be very different from someone raised in a majority Christian country like the UK, and different again if they are not Sunni and not Arab.

I am currently ex-Muslim. This does not mean I bear any ill will towards Islam or Muslims, just that it wasn’t for me, and I felt it was important to be upfront about that. I’ll be linking to resources by practicing Muslims in the reblog to this post, whether to add to my opinions and experiences or provide you with a different opinion. I am not here to put my voice over that of Muslims, just to do some of the work so they don’t have to. Obviously, if any Muslims have any additions or suggestions for this post, I’m happy to accommodate them.

Alright. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get started with the basics of writing a Muslim character.

(Warning: this is absurdly, absurdly long)

Basics:

Muslims follow two main sources of religious instruction: Quran and Hadith.

The Quran is the holy book, considered to be dictated by the angel Gabriel to the Prophet Mohammed, who then relayed what he was told to his followers. It is composed of surahs, or chapters, which have individual ayat, or verses. There are no varying versions of the Quran, later additions, or anything considered lost in translation. Any Arabic Quran is considered to be the same text that the Prophet Mohammed relayed, unchanged. As a result, while Muslims can debate interpretations of the Quran (although that’s often still left to the scholars), none debate the actual words of the text.

Hadith, meanwhile, are the sayings or teachings of the Prophet Mohammed. Their validity can be disputed, as they were written by his followers after his death, and mainly depend on having several witnesses for a specific saying or situation. The more witnesses there were, the more valid the hadith is considered to be.

When in doubt or should there be any contradiction between the Quran and Hadith, Muslims will always refer to the Quran first and foremost.

Denominations:

The bigggest (but not only!) divisions of Islam are Sunni and Shia, and both of those have separate madhabs, which are the separate thoughts and stances of specific Imams. When writing a Muslim character, a good first step would be to decide where your character’s family might have come from, as that could help inform which denomination your character might belong to. This will in turn inform things like the beliefs they grew up with, how they pray, their holy holidays, and so on. Obviously, all denominations fall under the bigger umbrella of Muslim, but can vary in practice.

Background:

The intersection of culture and religion affects a character beyond which denomination they likely belong to, such as whether they call prayer salah or namaz, the foods they might associate with Ramadan or Eid, and their community’s stance on things like hijab and alcohol.

One thing to keep in mind is that being Muslim is not synonymous with being Arab and vice versa. Not all Arabs are Muslim, not all Muslims are Arab or even Middle Eastern. In fact, the largest Muslim country in the world is Indonesia. That said, depending on your character’s race and backround, there is the potential they may have faced Arab elitism or other strands of racism within Muslim circles. Please see the reblog of this post for an article about one Black British Muslim woman’s experience with racism.

And, of course, your character and their family do not need to have been immigrants at all. They or their family may have been converts instead. According to most Muslim schools of thought, all that’s required for a person to be Muslim is stating the shahada in Arabic, honestly and with intent. It goes, “Ashhadu an la ilah illa Allah, wa an Mohammadan rasul Allah,” which translates as “I bear witness that there is no god but God, and that Mohammed is His prophet.” Shia Muslims, I believe, have an additional section, but otherwise that’s it. Recite that in front of witnesses with sincere belief and that’s all you need to be Muslim.

Pillars of Islam:

These are the duties or cornerstones of a Muslim’s faith and considered to be acts every Muslim should strive for. What the pillars are can, I think, differ between denominations, with Shia Muslims having additional ancillaries as well (any Shia readers, please feel free to correct me!) but both denominations agree that the following are important:

Salah—prayer

Sawm—fasting during Ramadan

Zakat—giving a certain percentage of income to charity or the community

Hajj—pilgrimage to Mecca

In all cases, these are considered mandatory only for those who are able. A person who cannot perform hajj, whether due to not being physically able to or lacking the funds to travel, is under no obligation.

Prayer:

Prayer is performed five times a day while facing the Qibla, which is the direction of Mecca. Prayer is formed of units, called rak’at, which consists of a set of actions done in a specific order. The “How to Pray Salah, Step by Step” article linked in the reblog of this post provides fairly good prayer instructions for beginners, so check it out for details! These include bowing, prostrating, and reciting some surahs.

Each of the five daily prayers has a different number of rak’at, as well as its own name and allotted time of day, as follows:

Fajr, which means Dawn and can be performed at any point until the sun rises (two rak’at).

Dhuhr, which means Noon (four rak’at)

Asr, performed in the afternoon (four rak’at)

Maghreb, which means sunset and can be performed at any point until it’s dark (three rak’at)

Isha, performed at night and can be done at any point until dawn (four rak’at)

The specific time of prayer will differ day to day and place to place, according to the sun, but those are the rough timeframes for each. It’s generally preferred that a Muslim does their prayer on time, but in practice some Muslims find it difficult to wake up for Fajr, for instance, and just try to make sure they get a morning prayer in before noon.

On Friday, there is a congregational Friday prayer at Dhuhr in a mosque called the Jumu’a prayer (which, fun fact, literally means gathering and is also the Arabic name for Friday!). Only men are required to take part in the congregation, however.

In Muslim majority countries, the time for prayer is announced by the adhaan, the call to prayer, from mosques and in media. This won’t be the case in the UK, and the character will likely have to rely on an adhaan app or looking up what time prayer should be.

There are various requirements for a prayer to be correct, chief of which is facing the Qibla and purity. Before performing prayer, a Muslim must purify themself by performing wudu, or ablutions, which basically involves washing the hands, arms, nostrils, face, head, and feet a specific number of times using clean water. The way I was taught these must be performed in a certain order, and the person shouldn’t speak during or after until their prayer is finished. This may be different for others.

Wudu is considered valid until nullified by bodily functions such as urinating, defecating, vomiting, flatulence, or any sexual activity. For Sunni Muslims, it’s also invalidated by going to sleep. If none of these have happened, a Muslim can perform more than one prayer using the same wudu.

Notably, a Muslim cannot pray if they’re on their period, as they’re considered in a state of impurity.

Another important requirement is that a Muslim be dressed modestly for prayer. The general guideline is that Muslim men should cover the area between their navel and knees with loose, non-revealing clothing, and that during prayer it’s preferred that they cover their chests as well Muslim women should cover everything except their face, hands, and feet. This means that a woman who isn’t hijabi would still wrap a hijab for prayer. For nonbinary Muslims, I don’t think there are specific guidelines yet, although please feel free to correct me.

If praying at home, a family may choose to pray together. In this case, the male head of the household usually stands at the front and acts as Imam, leading the prayer. Other men will tend to be in front of or beside women, as generally women should not pray in front of a man. This is the case even, especially, if he is not praying.

Children aren’t required to pray, as they’re considered innocent and have no obligations, but may want to take part early on or may be encouraged to practice.

Praying is one area you’ll find denominational differences. For example, while Sunnis fold their arms in prayer, Shia keep their arms to their side, and while Shia Muslims make sure their foreheads touch a piece of clay or earth when they prostrate, Sunnis do not. If you write your character praying, keep these details in mind.

Fasting:

During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from Fajr (dawn) until Maghreb (sunset) every day. This means they abstain from consuming anything—yes, even water, cigarettes, and medicine. They should also abstain from sexual activities and cursing. Most importantly, they must have the intention to be fasting. This means that not eating and drinking because they were asleep for that entire period of time or just lost track and forgot does not count as fasting.

Generally, the idea is more to try to be more pious and avoid sin throughout the month. It’s thought that the shaytan (or devil) is chained up during Ramadan, so any temptation or sinning is a person’s own doing. The way I was raised, I was taught that sawm/fasting is invalidated by sexual thoughts and raising your voice as well. Many people also try to dress more modestly during Ramadan, with some women opting for looser clothing or a headscarf. Many Muslims will try to read the whole Quran during Ramadan.

After Maghreb, Muslims break their fast with Iftar (which means breakfast, hah) and have a late night meal called Suhour. Since the Muslim calendar is a lunar calendar, Ramadan is 11 days earlier every year. Depending on when Ramadan falls in the year, there can be barely any time between iftar and suhour in certain parts of the world, as the sun is up for so much of the day.

Given the length of time and difficulty involved, there are exceptions and allowances for fasting. A person is not required to fast if they are:

A child (up to puberty)

Ill or has a medical condition such as diabetes

Pregnant

Travelling

On their period

In fact, if they are on their period it will not be counted, even if they do fast. That said, sometimes people choose to fast while travelling anyway, as travel is less strenuous now than it used to be. If they’re crossing time zones they will have to consider which time zone they’re breaking their fast to. As far as I remember, it’s based on the time zone of the place they just left or started their fast in.

If an obstacle to fasting is temporary, such as their period, they’re expected to make those days up with additional fasting before next Ramadan. Otherwise, they are allowed to make up for the lost fast in another way, such as by donating money or feeding fasting people. Whether due to societal pressure (which is formidable in Muslim-majority countries) or out of consideration for others who are fasting, those who are not fasting for whatever reason may often choose to hide this and only eat in secret.

If a person forgets they were fasting or accidentally consumes something, it does not invalidate the fast , and as soon as they remember or realise the mistake they can have the intention to fast again and continue with their day.

While children are exempt, many families will start them off by fasting for half a day so they can build up to a full day when they hit puberty.

Ramadan traditions vary wildly from country to country and culture to culture, but generally it’s a time for family gathering and celebration. Often there are special Ramadan-specific food, drink, and decorations, and it ends with Eid ul-Fitr which has its own specific foods and celebrations. Basically, imagine if Christmas lasted a month. That’s how big a deal Ramadan is.

In my experience, the first few days are usually the hardest. Water is what I tended to miss the most, even if I managed to stay up long enough or set an alarm to wake up to drink just before fajr, followed closely by swearing. Anyone who drinks caffeine or smokes cigarettes will likely find abstaining from those more difficult than water. By the end of the month, though, it gets much easier and I often got to the point where I barely noticed. I will say, however, that the longest I’ve had to fast has been maybe 16 hours. A summer Ramadan in the UK would be more difficult due to the much later sunsets.

Halal and Haram:

Halal means “permissible,” while haram means “forbidden.” You might have heard these words in passing before, such as halal food, but they are used for many areas of life.

Things that are considered haram include:

Consuming, serving, or trading in intoxicants, such as alcohol

Consuming improperly slaughtered meat or meat from forbidden animals, such as pork

Extramarital sex

Tattoos

Gambling

Men wearing silk or gold

A Muslim woman marrying a non-Muslim man (although it’s fine for a Muslim man to marry a non-Muslim woman)

Being immodest

Modesty is expected of all genders, including men. If you’ll recall from the section on prayer, the general guideline for male modesty is that they should cover the area between their navel and knees with loose, non-revealing clothing. Note that for women, modesty does not necessarily involve wearing a hijab. There is actually a ton of controversy as to whether the hijab is a fard (requirement) or not, as described in the following section.

The Hijab:

To be hijabi takes more than just throwing on a headscarf. As a word, hijab means “barrier” or “veil,” and a hijabi person would be expected to cover everything except their face and the palms of their hands, and to ensure that their clothes are loose and non-revealing. It all comes from an interpretation of two verses in the Quran that many scholars nowadays agree to mean the hijab is required, and that some say actually call for a face covering as well, which is called a niqab.

This wasn’t always the case, however, and these days there is still the occasional controversial scholar (I remember a few kerfuffles coming out of Egypt’s Al-Azhar mosque recently) saying it isn’t and has never been required at all. At least in the Arab world, this is largely due to the wave of Wahhabism (which is a specifically fundamentalist interpretation of Islam) that’s taken over the region in the past half a century. Before that, the idea of a hijab being a religious requirement was less widespread.

I’m not here to argue who’s right or wrong, just to make you aware that the hijab as we know it today hasn’t always been considered a requirement for a Muslim woman. Most of the women of my family never wore any form of head covering, but more and more they are an exception rather than the norm.

The choice of whether to wear a hijab can mean very different things, depending on the surrounding culture. For instance, my grandmother, the strictest woman I have ever known, got married in a very cute sleeveless dress that went just under the knees, and when she grew older she wore a head-covering more as a cultural indication of age rather than any religious reason. In my generation, in a country with a Muslim majority, lack of visible signs of devoutness have become almost a class marker, with some upper-class women using their lack of head-covering as a sign that they are “more Westernized” or “modern.” And again, I want to emphasize that this is the case for my country only.

This will be completely different for Muslim minorities, where the hijab can become a symbol of pride and unity.

I will say that it’s very rare for women to be forced into getting veiled, whether in Muslim minority or majority countries. I’m not saying it never happens, just that it’s not the “oppressive tool of the patriarchy” outsiders sometimes think it is. Women may face some societal pressure, but by and large it is considered a choice and often an empowering one. In fact, I have friends whose families discouraged them from wearing a hijab too young and emphasized only taking the decision when they were sure they wanted to. If writing a Muslim character when you’re non-Muslim, I strongly suggest not trying to tackle the story of someone forced into a hijab, as there’s a lot of nuance there and it’s very easy to fall into harmful stereotypes. The hijabi woman who gets “liberated” and takes off her hijab is also overdone and harmful. Please don’t.

Everyday Life:

Muslims are not a monolithic entity, and some will be more devout or religious than others. There are those who will pray their five a day and others who only pray during Ramadan or Eid, some who don’t drink and some who do, hijabis who dress only in loose clothing and those who wear tight trousers or show some of their hair, some who have tattoos, and some who may date or even have sex before marriage. However, this isn’t a carte-blanche not to do research when writing a Muslim character, because even if they break a rule of Islam, they will be conscious of it, may be concerned about their community’s response to it, and in any case will be affected by it.

For instance, I know many Muslims who drink alcohol. Some interpret the text differently, saying that since the sin is getting drunk then they won’t drink enough to get drunk, just buzzed. Some only do it on special occasions or on vacation, saying they know it’s a sin but it’s fine on occasion and they’ll repent later. All of them would probably dive under a table if they thought their family was nearby.

For more opinions on Muslims and dealing with alcohol, take a look at the “Islam and Alcohol” article linked in the reblog of this post.

Here are things that a character who is a practicing Muslim might do or be concerned about in their day to day life:

Checking ingredients to make sure they’re all halal. This goes for things like food, drink, medicine, anything consumable. Things like gelatine capsules are only halal if the source of the gelatine is itself halal, for instance.

Keeping up with their prayers. With five prayers a day, some will inevitably happen while they’re out of the house. Some Muslims prefer to just group their prayers when they get home, but since it’s preferable to do prayers on time, others may try to pray while out and about This means considering the following:

Finding a bathroom for wudu. Part of wudu involves washing feet and the head, which isn’t feasible in a public location or if the person is hijabi and doesn’t want to unwrap and rewrap their hijab. In that case, they can generally wipe a wet hand over their socks and top of their head covering.

They may carry a prayer carpet or have one stashed in a convenient location, but it’s not a must.

Finding a clean and secluded place to pray. Generally, it’s not done to pray in a place where someone will pass in front of you, and a woman must also take care to pray away from men’s eyes.

Figuring out where the Qibla is. Luckily, there are apps for that.

If a woman is not hijabi, she would have to carry a veil and, depending on her clothes, something to cover up so she can pray.

If they’re hijabi, they’ll probably have to adjust or re-wrap their hijab throughout the day, depending on the material and their activities. This would typically happen in bathrooms or any other space that doesn’t include men, as they can’t reveal themselves to any men who aren’t of their immediate family. For more on the hijab, and the day to day realities of wearing and wrapping one, take a look at the links provided in the reblog of this post.

A Muslim woman may choose not to accept handshakes from men who aren’t family. She has probably considered how to deal with that potential awkwardness.

If they’re fasting, they might carry some dates or biscuits or something in case they need to break their fast while on the go.

If making plans, they might say, “Insha’allah” which means “God willing.” I was always admonished to do so to acknowledge the future is entirely within God’s hands.

If asked how they are, they might reply with “Alhamdullilah” which means “Thanks be to God.”

When starting to eat, they may say, “Bismillah,” which means “In the name of God” and when done eating may say “Alhamdullilah.” These can also be invoked silently.

As you might have noticed, Allah’s name is invoked pretty often. While it’s not preferable to swear using God’s name just to make a point (“Wallahi”), there’s nothing against it, really.

Fundamentally, an important thing to remember is that Islam is a religion of ease and not hardship. This is an actual Quranic quote. What this means is, it may seem like there are a lot of rules to keep in mind, but there are also a ton of allowances for when those rules aren’t feasible, just like the case for fasting above. Other allowances include how an elderly or disabled person who may not be able to perform the motions of prayer can pray while sitting in a chair or even lying in bed. If there isn’t any clean water to purify before prayer or if using the water would mean lack of drinking water, a Muslim can use dust or sand to purify, and if no dust or sand is available then they don’t need to purify at all and can simply pray.

This means that, say, if your Muslim Jon wants to pray while kidnapped by the circus, he can, even without being able to perform wudu, even without knowing where the Qibla is, even without being able to move or say anything at all.

For more day-to-day tidbits, check out the “More on writing Muslim characters” link in the reblog of this post.

LGBTQ Muslims:

Needless to say, Queer Muslims absolutely do exist, and their being Muslim doesn’t cancel out their queerness or vice versa. While there are Quranic verses that have been interpreted as condemning homosexuality, there are also other interpretations, and queerness has existed in Muslim societies for ages. There was a ton of homoerotic imagery among Abbasid poets during the Golden Age of Islam, for example.

However, modern-day attitudes can be difficult to get around, and queer Muslims may have difficulty finding their place in both Muslim spaces and queer spaces, the latter which often expect them to reject religiosity.

Although I am queer myself, I don’t feel it’s my place to speak for queer Muslims and their relationships with their communities beyond this, so I’ll let some queer practicing Muslims speak for themselves. Please see the reblog of this post for valuable contributions from queer Muslims about their experiences.

Miscellaneous:

This is mostly for all the random tidbits I thought up while writing this that didn’t fit anywhere else and also because I don’t know when to quit apparently, SO!

Allah is just Arabic for God. Muslims can and do use these terms interchangeably, such as saying “God willing,” instead of “Inshallah,” even in an Arabic-speaking country.

Also, God has 99 names! Just a fun fact for you there.

The Devil in Islam is pretty different from his Christian counterpart. Referred to as Iblis or Shaytan, among other names, he is not a fallen angel and there is no great revolt story, nor is he considered a root of all evil. Instead, he is a djinn made of smokeless flame who refused to bow down to Adam, as he felt he was made of superior stuff and not about to bow to a creature made of mud. His disdain for humanity is what has caused him and other shayateen/demons to try and tempt humans.

A person’s right hand is considered purer than their left, so it’s encouraged to always eat with your right hand. Unfortunately, this does mean left-handed people face something of a stigma—or at least that’s the case here in Egypt. My cousins, both lefties, both eat with their right hand, though they do everything else with their left.

Similarly, it is considered better to enter spaces with your right foot, though only the most devout are likely to think of this all the time. This is especially considered for entering a mosque or new home.

A Muslim might say or write “Peace be Upon Him” whenever the Prophet Mohammed is mentioned, written as (PBUH), and “Subhanuh wa Taala” when mentioning Allah, written as (SWT).

The Evil Eye is mentioned in the Quran as “hasad,” and considered to be a very real thing. This jealous or envious energy is considered able to ruin good things in your life, even if the jealous person didn’t intend to. There are some surahs that are considered good to ward against it, as well as incense, the colour blue, the number five, and the symbols of the nazar (which is a round, blue-ringed eye) and the khamsa (an open five-fingered palm, also known as the Hand of Fatima). The nazar, khamsa, and belief in the evil eye aren’t unique to Islam at all. What is unique to Islam is that a Muslim might preface a compliment with “Masha’allah” which means “As God wills it,” to ward off their own evil eye.

Much of the Quran in Arabic rhymes and is very poetic, which can make surahs easy to memorise by rhythm. It can also make recitations by a skilled reader very lovely.

#the magnus archives #tma #writing resources #muslim characters

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annabellelux · 3 years ago

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Favorite Books of 2021📚

So, as anyone who has me on Goodreads has probably gathered, I read a lot. In 2021, I read 186 new books (far surpassing my goal of 120), so I thought I’d share my top 10 personal favorites and my thoughts on them!

In no particular order, and under the cut because this rec list is long:

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

synopsis: the Spare™ princess gets married off to a God King to save her kingdom (and her sister who was supposed to go in her place). genius plots ensue

none of the rest of these are ordered but THIS is my number one

honestly every single book my brandon sanderson i read this year deserves my number one spot. i’m only putting one of his books on this list purely because if not he’d be half the list

highest fantasy imaginable in the sense that the world is vivid and relatable but not in the sense where you’re bogged down with details. brandon sanderson just knows how to build a spectacular world

the jumping on the bed scene killed me. if you know you know

the kind of book that makes my writer self so envious that it’s a physical thing

if you aren’t currently reading this book i don’t know what you’re doing with your life

read when you want to actually be blown away by how perfect a plot is

Charm Offensive by Allison Cochrun

synopsis: dating show producer and dating show star accidentally fall in love while making me accidentally fall in love with both of them

i would actually and honestly die for Charlie, my awkward king

Dev needs to be my best friend yesterday

great mental health rep

this made me feel all the things

i squealed on more than one occasion

cute and charming and kept a smile on my face the whole time

the ending is honestly all i could’ve wanted and more

read when you want to feel like you’re watching a reality dating show “ironically” with your best friends and then find yourself overly invested in the storylines and somehow, suddenly, you’re out here actually believing in love

The Big Bad Wolf Series by Charlie Adhara

synopsis: secret agent and werewolf reluctantly team up to investigate werewolf related crimes while not trusting each other even a little bit

but also being like. damn, he’s hot

five book series (and hopefully more!? charlie i’m begging)

hot but somehow also adorable

Cooper is clueless and prickly and oh so gay

puts new meaning to the phrase “too gay to function”

man will be in a life or death scenario and be like “but does he like me back????”

Park is the baddest werewolf on the block AND a cinnamon roll

every other character: he’s so scary and tough

Cooper: that man needs a hug, stat

the mysteries are somehow ALL GOOD !? i can usually guess a plot twist but this had me screaming WHAT so many times but upon rereads i was like OHHHHHH

a masterclass in character and relationship development

they learn how to communicate in such a realistic way. they both have their own hang-ups but they slowly learn how to open up about them and it’s genuinely so realistic and heart-warming

ALSO made me care about a relationship that is ESTABLISHED for most of the series??? i cannot stress how rare this is for me

i read all five books in like 3 days, staying up until 4 am on multiple occasions to do so. take from that what you will

read when you want to explore the mysteries of love and murder

Reputation by Lex Croucher

synopsis: regency girl moves in with her aunt and uncle a bunch of cool friends who spend their time being hot, wild, and hilarious

the Mean Girls comparison is accurate in the most delicious ways

genuinely laugh-out-loud hilarious

Lex is a genius with the one-liners

but also insightful and poignant and gut-wrenching at times

there is NUANCE here

all the heavy themes were handled with expert care

Thomas deserves the entire world

amazing and varied queer rep

this book honestly made me feel like i could thrive in the regency era despite literally all the evidence to the contrary. it made me want to be mean and hot in a ballgown

read when you want to feel like the human equivalent of a glass of champagne and an expert hair flip

Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth

synopsis: prickly girl helps her nemesis out in a highly unconventional way and then ends up being the school’s resident Weird Favors Girl

a bunch of misfit teens doing stupid and hilarious stuff

every character was real

Aideen is the perfect kind of flawed character. she’s an extremely authentic and she made me like her and root for her even when i didn’t love what she was doing or saying

the romance was WELL DEVELOPED and made my sapphic heart explode

also the friendships were such a high point. i loved watching them navigate the complexity of it all

exactly what i’m looking for in a sapphic romance. i will read every ciara smyth book forever probably

read when you want to feel like you’re a teenager on a friday night having shenanigans with friends who feel like they’ll last a lifetime

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

synopsis: sapphic jock and cheerleader rivals-to-lovers AND fake dating

make this into a movie yesterday. this has cinematic gold potential

rom-com to end all rom-coms

relationship development I can get behind

teenagers who make mistakes but ALSO actually have enough braincells to find appropriately mature solutions

recovering from a bad breakup in a healthy, non-toxic way

when they finally got together it was like, perfect. it was so so so easy to root for both of the main characters

read when you want to feel like you’ve just looked out your window to see your crush with a boombox

Camp by L.C. Rosen

synopsis: boy changes literally everything about himself to get another boy to like him. but it’s at gay summer camp

i know i just said the main character does something pretty yikes to get a relationship going but hear me out

it is such a lovely exploration of toxic masculinity with such care and nuance

it’s really about learning how to love yourself

character growth all around

healthy sex positivity

also. did you hear me say GAY SUMMER CAMP. i cannot tell you how much this made me crave a gay summer camp

all the queer rep you could ever ask for

read when you want to feel wrapped in a blanket of queer culture

All For The Game Series by Nora Sakavic

synopsis: boy with literally everything to lose risks life and limb to play stick ball

i wish i was joking about how much Neil is willing to lose to live out his little jock dreams but i am unfortunately not

Neil, at all times: a little murder is not enough to stop my good time. fuck you

i am not going to lie to you. i hate-read all of book 1. i spent a majority of the time in absolute shock at what the fuck was happening. but i could not deny that i was thoroughly and honestly enjoying myself so i continued

by book 2 the author is ready to bring out the BIG GUNS and i honestly was hooked in a way that i did not see coming

by book 3 i knew that i had found a new obsession

to say there is a lot of trauma in this book would be a gross understatement. this series should not be read if you are not in a place to mitigate your triggers. please google a TW list beforehand if you are worried about this

BUT I did really enjoy a lot of what the author had to say about living with trauma. i loved how all the characters had such weighty backstories how that was what brought them together and helped them work as a found family

can we talk about andrew and his knives????? because that is honestly my favorite thing about him

you WILL spend several days/weeks/months/years in an ao3 rabbit hole afterwards. the fandom is alive and well and thriving out here

read when you want to watch the world burn and laugh in the face of chaos

You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle

synopsis: a couple has grown to hate each others’ guts, and are trying to passive-aggressive their way out of their engagement without having to be the one to lose the wedding deposit

essentially one big game of chicken with the person who is supposed to be the love of your life

i could not stop laughing at how ridiculous this couple was. at the beginning i genuinely was like “how the hell did these two EVER fall in love????”

BUT

the turnaround was so deliciously worth it because they had to work for it

they both needed so much character development that they should have been wearing “DANGER: PERSON UNDER CONSTRUCTION” signs

but that was what made the character and relationship development GLORIOUS

i went from not rooting for these two monsters in the slightest to literally wanting the world for them. and THAT is literary talent

Naomi is so dramatic in the funniest possible way and has some of the best one-liners of all time

Nathaniel grows on you as he grows on Naomi and she slowly understands him better and then you realize, hey, this man is actually lovely

get you a man who will learn from his mistakes

i literally know no one who has read this book and i want someone to so i can scream about how wild it is

seriously guys i’ve read it three times in three months. it’s my new comfort book

read when you want to see the power of communication and self-improvement

The House in The Cerulean Sea

synopsis: bureaucrat goes to Magic Orphan Island and learns the meaning of life

i know everyone and their mother already read this but i was a hold out for like a year because I was being weirdly contrary. i wasn’t really in the mood for this book for like, over a year

and then I read it and I Got It. the hype suddenly made sense

and now I would die for the World’s Best Dad, a constantly flustered rule-follower, a little girl with a beard, a blob that just wants to be a hotel concierge, a shy boy with a big heart and at times a wet nose, a small but mighty sprite child, a dragon who just wants coins, and the LITERAL anti-christ

i can’t really explain this book. you kinda just have to read it and let yourself feel things

read when you want to simultaneously be crying and smiling

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

synopsis: i hate my coworker but he's going to be my date/fake boyfriend at a a wedding across the globe anyways because my ex is going to be there and he deserves to rue the day he crossed me

Catalina is not actually vindictive. I am vindictive. I wanted her ex to rue the day

WORK RIVALS. TO. LOVERS. NEED I SAY MORE

Catalina says jump and Aaron says “when, how high, do you want me to get you a doughnut while I’m at it?”

basically he’s a simp. and men must always be simps for me to love them

i had a crush on this man. i’m brave enough to admit it

this won a goodreads award as it should

i was having fun literally every minute of this book. i could not get enough.

the banter was top-notch

read when you want your stomach to hurt from butterflies and from laughing

HONORABLE MENTION: I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston.

I only didn’t include this because it’s not out yet (i got it as an ARC) so I didn’t want to go on and on about something most people can’t read for over six months

But put that on your TBR immediately and circle back so we can scream about it together

If you got this far, I love you

#Book recs #Favorite Books of 2021 #some of these books are actual masterpieces #others are here based on vibes and vibes alone #basically the criteria was books i'd reread again and again because i enjoyed them that much

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maulusque · 4 years ago

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Clone genetic enhancement ideas

So the clones were genetically enhanced, but i don’t really see any writers (in fanfic or in published stuff) really exploring what that MEANS beyond “clone very stronk”. Here are some ideas that would actually make clones significantly different from just a regular-ass human in peak condition.

-enhanced senses: eyesight, hearing, etc. I’m talking eyes like a HAWK

-better reflexes

-quicker information processing

-can hear sounds of higher and lower frequency than standard humans

-can see light of a broader spectrum than human standard

-learn quicker, retain information and skills better (potential problem: if you learn something the WRONG way, that way might stick really well)

-photographic memory (really useful for memorizing layouts and maps)

-immunity to various diseases

-can tolerate a wider range of temperatures and environments

-increased stamina and strength baseline. Clones can just run full-tilt for hours and hours and be like “ah a nice stroll”. Over long distances, they can out-pace jedi in the same way that humans can out-pace horses.

-higher tolerance of certain poisons/toxins (clones can straight-up drink ethanol, and get maybe a little tipsy)

-bodies respond quickly to physical stress, and slowly to the absence of it (basically, this means that physical conditioning results in stronger muscles and a stronger cardiovascular system really quickly, and it takes MUCH longer for a clone to lose strength and conditioning due to not exercising than standard humans. Think how much valuable training time is saved if they only have to go on a run like, once a month in order to stay in shape)

-increased ability to function through intense pain and acute injuries. Basically, semi-disabling the pain system so it’s less distracting. Probably not good for the survival of the individual in many situations, but an advantage on the battlefield.

-heal faster and better, with fewer long-term complications. Clones can dislocate their shoulders and NOT have the joint be permanently fucked up, because the Kaminoans re-designed the whole damn thing to suck WAY less.

-actually, unique internal anatomy. There’s probably a lot about the human body besides the shoulder joint that is actually just really stupid, and something no intelligent designer would actually build. So the Kaminoans can fix a lot of that stuff. Better knees, maybe. Stronger ribs. Maybe Cody punches droids not just because he’s a mad bastard, but also because his metatarsals are literally as strong as steel.

-Hearing loss/hearing damage? No problem, your ear can regrow those little hair-thingies that help you hear.

-Of course, it takes energy to maintain muscle mass, which is why human bodies lose it if we’re not using it. Clones need significantly more calories than standard humans. However, their digestive systems are enhanced to extract calories and nutrients from food much more efficiently, so food goes much farther. Potential weird side effect: maybe clones only have to poop like, once a week?

-You could probably extend that into increased ability to tolerate long periods without food/on low rations, despite the increased need for calories.

-wouldn’t it be NEAT if the kaminoans somehow designed self-repairing DNA. This would mean that others couldn’t take a DNA sample from a clone and modify it to create their own clones (basically, it protects their product. It’s like DRM for clones). This ALSO means that clones couldn’t get cancer, and that they’d be immune to radiation poisoning. So a clone could just walk up to a sphere of uranium at critical mass and pick it up. Maybe with oven mitts on if it’s hot. (this would also make it harder for a rapid-aging cure to be developed, but uhhhh fanfic writers find a way)

- “bred for obedience” I think most of this would have to be accomplished through tightly-controlled messaging and cultural norms as the clones grow up- basically, enshrining obedience as a desirable and almost sacred trait, to be prized higher than anything else, including the lives of your brothers. In the same way that we hear stories of people sacrificing their lives to protect their loved ones, the clones would grow up hearing stories of soldiers sacrificing their brothers’ lives to obey an order from a superior.

-SOME of the “obedience” thing could be engineered, though. Humans are already super social, but it would probably make sense for the clones to have an even greater need for social bonds. This would make for greater teamwork and coordination, and better unit cohesion, since the clones would be more inclined to prioritize friendship/agreeing with someone over winning an argument. It would also make it so they’d bond with their natural-born generals more easily, so they would obey them not just because they’re supposed to, but because they’d be much quicker to see them as a friend, and someone who’s trust they want to earn, someone they want to incorporate into their group and make happy.

-consequently, clones who find themselves alone do NOT do well. Isolation has a much more profoundly negative impact on clones than on regular humans.

-Originally, clones designed to operate alone or in small teams would not have the social enhancement- ARC troopers, spec-ops teams, etc. There wouldn’t be much of a noticeable difference in everyday interactions, but they’d also be vaguely weirded out by what they interpret as aggressive friendliness from their brothers, and their brothers would think they’re a bit shy and standoffish.

-actually this social modification would make it MUCH harder for clones to kill people. REGULAR HUMANS are already super bad at killing people- i remember reading this article about how as soon as soldiers have to point their weapons at actual people, their aim gets mysteriously much shittier. Even when compared to situations that are exactly the same, except they’re not shooting at other humans. So reconcile this how you will, idk.

-I imagine a lot of these enhancements would be accomplished not through DNA, but through microorganisms. Retroviruses could explain the DNA resistant to modification, and the increased healing speed, and possibly some disease resistance (do i know anything about retroviruses other than a vague concept of what they are? no i do not. will that stop me? also no.) Their metabolism can be partially explained through specially engineered gut microbes.

-not sure how they’d go about making clones “resistant to any stress”, because you can’t exactly turn off the trauma response in the brain without breaking a bunch of other things. They could probably do a bit of fiddling to make clones more resistant to chemical imbalances, and therefore more depression-resistant. I think most of the “stress-resistance” would have to come through training. Either they train the clones to basically suppress everything, which might work alright in the short term. OR they actually have systems in place that help prevent the development of things like PTSD and help treat trauma. Meaning the clones are literally trained in self-care, positive self-talk, talking about their pain with their brothers, and having community rituals around things like death and grief. I don’t think that’s super likely because one thing that’s integral to those concepts is the concept of “i am a person and i have worth, and if i feel angry about something bad happening, that is ok and valid” and considering that a whole lot of bad things happen to the clones all the time and their childhood is a whole boatload of bad all happening at once, i don’t think the kaminoans would want the clones realizing “hey wait a minute i’m a person and i don’t deserve to be treated this way and it’s ok for me to be mad at you”.

- the clones were supposedly engineered to be “less aggressive” but i think there was literally nothing more to that than a cover story for the control chip. The clones wouldn’t be raised with a lot of the aggressive western concept of masculinity, where anger is the default reaction to like, everything, and your personal pride is extremely important and also fragile (no offense lmao). So you wouldn’t have clones posturing and getting angry over perceived slights and fighting each other all the time, like everyone in-universe apparently expects to be the case. Anyway, why would you want your soldiers to be less aggressive? they’re literally supposed to fight and kill the enemy. You want them fully capable of getting angry, anger is the human response to fear and danger that lets us DO something about it.

-obviously the biggest component in how they behave would be how they are raised, but that’s an entirely different post

-Specializations! I imagine that initially, the Kaminoans had different clones with different traits engineered specifically to fill certain roles. However, as the war went on, they struggled to keep up with demand and had to start shoving clones into whatever roles were needed (hence Fives and Echo becoming ARCs, despite not being engineered as ARC troopers).

-Command clones would have better abilities in the executive function parts of the brain that deal with extrapolation, planning ahead, spatial reasoning, etc. They’d also have increased visual pattern recognition (like a pigeon)

-search-and-rescue troops would also have the pigeon pattern recognition abilities. The coast guard literally strapped pigeons to helicopters who would tap a button when they saw orange in the water, because they were better at spotting it than humans. Pigeons can detect cancer in microscope images of cells, because they’re that good at pattern recognition

-Pilots would have hella reflexes, excellent spatial awareness and spatial reasoning skills, much greater ability to process visual information, stronger hearts and blood vessels (to resist greater Gs of force), and they’d also be much shorter, to better fit into a cockpit. Which reminds me of Axe, that poor bastard from Ahsoka’s squadron over Ryloth who was almost eight feet tall. rip poor Axe, how did you even become a pilot, you long bastard.

-medics who can smell certain diseases. If you want to get a little bit out there, make the medics able to purr so they can sooth stressed-out patients.

-infantry would have even greater endurance than everyone else, as well as greater tolerance for, and ability to, remain constantly on alert.

-ability to fall asleep at will? that would be super dope.

-maybe more efficient sleep, so to an adult clone, 4 hours of sleep is genuinely sufficient.

-concept: clones can sort of turn down their bodily functions- slow their digestion, heart, lungs, the whole nine yards- to last longer in adverse conditions. Sort of a half-hibernation (or quarter hibernation- they’d still be able to talk and think, but they’d feel very lethargic). They wouldn’t be able to function very well, but it would be great for things like enduring intense cold, periods without food, low-oxygen environments, and it would be especially useful if you were wounded and waiting for help, since you could slow your circulation, meaning it would take you a lot longer to bleed out. This state could be triggered by a combination of physical actions such as sitting or lying still, breathing slowly and deeply, and focusing on slowing the heart down (humans can actually slow down their hearts consciously if you practice at it, this is basically that, but turned up to like 1100).

-one thing that never made sense to me was the whole “we’re running out of jango fett’s DNA, all the new clones won’t be as good, and we have to stop ventress from stealing the original DNA” because like, can’t they just, get the EXACT SAME DNA from the clones?? you know, the exact genetic copies? With all the enhancements already done? But now my idea is that the kaminoans have engineered the clones so their DNA straight up can’t be copied. The clone’s own body can obviously replicate it, but if you take a sample and try to extract the DNA, it just self-destructs or something. This is to protect their intellectual property, but also means that they literally have to use a couple of Jango Fett’s actual human cells for every single clone they make (and the fact that they then have to do all the above enhancements to every single embryo helps explain why there’s so many small mutations, such as hair color and height). So they kinda shot themselves in the foot with that one.

-of course since things like ADHD and autism have a strong genetic component, the kaminoans could theoretically engineer those out of the clones, but actually FUCK THAT so for whatever reason, that’s just not something they are able to do, and neurodivergent clones are absolutely a thing

#maulusque's stuff #meta #clones

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variousqueerthings · 3 years ago

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some musings on the dynamics between the girls of yellowjackets

I'm fairly certain that one of the main points of yellowjackets is portraying all these different versions of hyperintense homoerotic girls' dynamics that sometimes veer into an actual romantic relationship (tai and van), but crucially Do Not Need To in order to be authentically queer dynamics

jackie/shauna and misty/nat and tai/shauna and lottie/laura lee (and I think next season whatever dynamic lottie/van/misty are gonna have and probably lottie/nat) and more I haven't remembered or will probably appear in s2, they're all queercoded

it's not queerbaiting, it's a series of intense dynamics that you don't often see represented, even in stories that ostensibly are about girls and women. it's letting them be this intense, rather than falling for a sort of heteronormatively acceptable distance you see in... too many things about girls and women... --

jackie loves shauna more than anyone and also tries to "own" her, shauna looks up to/resents/thinks about more than anyone/loves jackie -- that is just canon, that's not in dispute

christina ricci said about misty and nat: “As far as the group goes, Natalie was the best version of an outsider and Misty very much identifies as an outsider, so for her, ‘this is another outsider like me but she’s so cool and she’s an outsider but by choice.’ She represents the best version of what Misty could be but isn’t capable of being, so she sort of covets Natalie’s time and affection. She sort of wants to possess her in a lot of ways.”

tai and shauna having a shorthand of understanding and comforting each other -- the attempted abortion mirroring the baptism -- the attempted bacchanalian orgy/ritual murder -- shauna having literal visions of jackie's ghost -- etcetc -- they're intense and queercoded

the fact that tai and van are the only relationship to have sex/be in a specifically romantic relationship means they're the only ones confirmed as lesbians (although interestingly van is played by liv hewson who is non-binary and I wonder if that will play into the text -- might not, but who knows)

it doesn't mean they're the only characters with intentional queer dynamics -- it's basically the story of a sisterhood/cult/survivors of trauma, of course it's gonna be queer -- they're a seriously messed up found family with one adult functioning unwillingly as parent who is also explicitly gay in the text

when jackie is left out in the cold, she's broken up with shauna, yes, and wants shauna specifically to come out to her and bring her back in, but in the death-dream she has she's not just dreaming about shauna... she's dreaming about all of them. All of them wait with blankets, give her hot chocolate - dream!shauna says it first, but then they all say: "We all love you Jackie"

I can only imagine these relationships will continue to develop in ever more messed up -- and loving -- ways come next season

TL;DR while I get people can feel nervous about queerness in text, in this case writing the characters with messy, not-easily-definable relationships to each other aren't bugs, they're features, especially as there also are multiple canonically queer characters present

this story isn't queerbaiting. it's a five-course meal

#yellowjackets #yellowjackets spoilers #spoilers

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fuckyeahisawthat · 4 years ago

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Greek is the only language they have in common when they meet. Neither of them has a huge vocabulary to work with; it’s ordering-at-the-taverna Greek, but it’s better than nothing. Having a way to communicate that isn’t stabbing each other is useful.

Once they decide they’re no longer enemies and may in fact be something like soulmates, they start learning to speak each other’s languages. Slowly, the way children learn, walking around the markets in Damascus and naming food, clothing, parts of buildings. So Yusuf learns to speak Genoese Ligurian (a language called Italian won’t exist for hundreds of years yet, and they’ll learn it together) and Nicolò learns in fits and starts to speak both the derja that Yusuf uses at home in Tunis and the Damascene Arabic around them. He mixes them up all the time but he does well enough to be understood.

Nicolò had never had much need or desire for reading and writing at home. His time as a priest means he can struggle his way through reading and copying out a little Latin but he can’t say he enjoys it. But Yusuf is educated and well-traveled, from a prosperous merchant family in a part of the world where literacy is much more common than in medieval Europe. He can read Arabic, Persian and Greek; he does calligraphy and composes poetry. He is the first person Nicolò has met who is literate in that way, for whom reading and writing is not just functional but pleasurable. And the Arab world is full of books--science, medicine, philosophy, literature--and full of writing, the name of God written out over and over and made into art. So, he says to Yusuf, teach me.

It’s slow going. Learning to hold the pen with enough control while not smearing the ink writing right to left is at least five lessons on its own. Learning the fusha vocabulary needed to read and write is like learning yet another new language. (“You realize I’ve learned Arabic three times for you now,” he says in a moment of frustration when Yusuf is literally moving his hand for him to show him how to connect the letters. “Hmm. I must be something special then,” Yusuf mutters without losing concentration on the word he’s writing. It’s a wasted effort because the line is totally smudged when Nicolò drops the pen to turn around and kiss him.)

It’s frustrating and it makes him feel stupid more often than he’d like to admit, and 800 years later he still has the penmanship of a 10-year-old madrassa student, but eventually he can write well enough that he feels confident actually saying something. He’ll never be a poet, but he starts writing little notes and hiding them places Yusuf will find them--in his coat pocket when he isn’t looking, in his saddle bag next to the waterskin, between the pages of his sketchbook. They’re simple, practical things. “Good morning, love.” “Stay safe.” (He’s just going out to get bread but finding that one in his greatcoat pocket on a frigid London morning still makes him smile.) Sometimes they just say “I love you.”

Eventually Nicolò learns to read and write other languages (turns out Romance languages are much easier for him, who knew?) and even to enjoy reading for pleasure. But Arabic is the first language he wanted to write, and he still always writes his love notes to Yusuf that way. He isn’t always around when Yusuf finds them but sometimes he is, and the way his entire face will light up when he unfolds the little scraps of paper makes it all worth it.

#the old guard #nicolò di genova #joe x nicky #language #arabic #headcanons #that are also sorta #tumblr fic #look if you have ever studied arabic you know that saying 'i will learn arabic for you' is a true declaration of love

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occultfolk · 4 years ago

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Lets talk: chakras!

in this post, we'll talk about chakras! what they are, why its important to keep them balanced and how they can aid/hinder our spiritual journey.

FAQs |

I. what even are chakras? Chakras points of energy throughout the body where the physical and higher selves meet.

II. what do they do? each chakra corresponds to massive nerve centers and major organs in the body. each of the 7 chakras also contains our spiritual states of being.

INTRODUCTION |

so what ARE the 7 chakras? glad you asked! let's break them down, one by one, because in order to begin to unblock or even open our chakras, we need to understand them throughly.

before we begin, let's do a little meditation lesson. lie down on a comfortable, flat surface. now, using your pendulum, hover over each of your chakra points — if the pendulum moves with the flow of the position of your body, the chakra is open. but if it does not move, it is blocked.

now, this comes with a grain of salt because while it can be a useful simple way to check the chakras, it cannot be the only way you check them.

SEVEN CHAKRAS |

1. Root Chakra (Muladhara)

The root chakra represents our foundation. On the human body, it sits at the base of the spine and gives us the feeling of being grounded. When the root chakra is open, we feel confident in our ability to withstand challenges and stand on our own two feet. When it's blocked, we feel threatened, as if we're standing on unstable ground.

Location: Base of spine, in tailbone area

What it controls: Survival issues such as financial independence, money, and food

Mantra: "I can't grow from an unsteady foundation."

Color: Red

Element: Earth

Stone: Hematite

2. Sacral Chakra (Swadhisthana)

The sacral chakra helps inform how we relate to our emotions and the emotions of others. It also governs creativity and sexual energy. Those with a blocked sacral chakra could feel a lack of control in their lives.

Location: Lower abdomen, about 2 inches below the navel

What it controls: Your sense of abundance, well-being, pleasure, and sexuality

Mantra: "I always honor others but not before myself."

Color: Orange

Element: Water

Stone: Tiger's Eye

3. Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura)

The third chakra, the solar plexus chakra, speaks to your ability to be confident and in control of your life. Think back to the last time you had butterflies or felt a pit in the stomach: That's the Manipura chakra at work. If your solar plexus chakra is blocked, you might feel overwhelming amounts of shame and self-doubt. Those with open sacral chakras are free to express their true selves.

Location: Upper abdomen in the stomach area

What it controls: Self-worth, self-confidence, and self-esteem

Mantra: "Self-love starts when I accept all parts of myself."

Color: Yellow

Element: Fire

Stone: Amber

4. Heart Chakra (Anahata)

The heart chakra is the bridge between the lower chakras (associated with materiality) and the upper chakras (associated with spirituality). As the name suggests, this chakra can influence our ability to give and receive love—from others and ourselves. Someone with a blocked heart chakra will have difficulty fully opening up to the people in their life. If someone's heart is open, they can experience deep compassion and empathy.

Location: Center of chest, just above the heart

What it controls: Love, joy, and inner peace

Mantra: "When I love myself, loving others comes easily."

Color: Green

Element: Air

Stone: Rose Quartz

5. Throat Chakra (Vishuddha)

The throat chakra gives voice to the heart chakra and controls our ability to communicate our personal power. When it's functioning at full capacity, it allows us to express ourselves truly and clearly. Someone with a blocked throat chakra will feel like they have trouble finding the words to say how they truly feel.

Location: Throat

What it controls: Communication, self-expression, and truth

Mantra: "I speak my truth, always."

Color: Light Blue/Turquoise

Element: Sound/Music

Stone: Aquamarine

6. Third-Eye Chakra (Ajna)

As we move up the body, we're getting closer to communion with the divine. The third-eye chakra controls our ability to see the big picture and connect to intuition. Think of it as the eye of the soul: It registers information beyond the surface level. Visions and intuitive hits are not uncommon for someone with an open third-eye chakra.

Location: Forehead between the eyes (also called the Brow Chakra)

What it controls: Intuition, imagination, and wisdom

Mantra: "I am open to exploring what cannot be seen."

Color: Dark Blue/Purple

Element: Light

Stone: Amethyst

7. Crown Chakra (Sahasrara)

The crown chakra, the highest chakra, sits at the crown of the head and represents our ability to be fully connected spiritually. When you fully open your crown chakra—something very few people ever do!—you're able to access a higher consciousness.

Location: The very top of the head

What it controls: Inner and outer beauty, spiritual connection

Lesson: "I am a vessel for love and light."

Color: Violet/White

Element: Divine Consciousness

Stone: Clear quartz

BLOCKED/OPEN |

now that we have a better understanding of the chakras, what they do and more important where they are, we can talk about the reasons we might have blocks, and the things we can do to reopen those blocks and therefore progress in our spiritual journies.

i read a book about charkas a while ago, and then i feel it explains the reasons better than i could, here is an excerpt from that book.

"A blocked chakra means energy is stuck or hindered. You might think of it as a blocked artery. In order for energy and information to flow, the channels through which they flow must be open. You will have difficulty getting to work on time if the roads are blocked by traffic. In the same way, the chakras cannot work at optimal levels when the pathways have blockages. These blockages can be physical, emotional or psychological, spiritual, karmic, or energetic.

The blocks can be physical, in the literal sense, such as fatty deposits in the arteries, a tumor, a cyst, or excess waste. We can create blockages in the physical body through poor dietary choices, lack of exercise, overexertion, and lifestyle choices such as overwork, drug use, or lack of sleep.

Blocks in the chakras can also be emotional or psychological, such as stored emotions from the past or mental illness such as anxiety, depression, or addiction. We accumulate emotional toxins and residue from not properly processing and digesting emotions and experiences. These toxins result in blocking the energy flow of the chakras.

Blocks can be spiritual in nature. They can come from outside spiritual forces or from within. If we refuse to honor the spiritual side of who we are, we block the higher chakras. Being spiritually rigid and strict can also restrict the flow of energy. Remember, whether the forces are external or internal, without your conscious awareness they can create harm.

Blockages can also come from our karma. The word karma in Sanskrit literally means “action.” In life we perform actions that are good or nourishing, bad or harmful, or neutral. An example of a good action might be giving money to charity. A bad action might be intentionally lying or deceiving. A neutral action might be making the bed (which, if you dig deeper, can also be considered a good action, depending on the circumstances). In the East, certain religions and philosophies adhere to the principle that we accumulate karma throughout lifetimes, and we carry it forth into our current life. The definition of karma, in this sense, assumes a belief in reincarnation and asserts that karma is not simply the action performed but also the consequences of that action. Good karma carried forward can give us favor in our current lifetime. Bad karma is a debt we must repay in this or future lifetimes.

Finally, the blocks can be energetic. I explained a little about energetic blockages when I spoke about my astrological chart. We are a part of this earth, our solar system, and the universe. The influence of the earth’s energy and elements, as well as of the energy of the sun, moon, and planets in our solar system, is strong and undeniable. Ayurveda, the five-thousand-year-old medical system from India, recognizes these energetic forces and acknowledges them as a means of healing. You can learn more about Ayurveda by reading my book The Wheel of Healing with Ayurveda: An Easy Guide to a Healthy Lifestyle. Ayurveda works on the principles of the five elements — space, air, fire, water, and earth — which work together to create the three doshas, or mind-body types, of Vata (space and air), Pitta (fire and water), and Kapha (water and earth). These elements and mind-body types are relevant in recognizing energetic blocks within your body and the chakras. This awareness will give you more tools toward your healing of the chakras and provide a superspeed highway to creating energy flow." — CHAKRA HEALING FOR VIBRANT ENERGY by Michelle S. Fondin.

so how do we unblock them then? well, its more complicated than can be explained in a single tumblr post, but i will tell you how to get the energies moving whilst you work through the blocks and figure them out.

we need to understand, that we are all different, and our spiritual journies will all be different. the same goes for things like chakras.

1st Chakra (Root)

Element: The root chakra is associated with earth, so walking barefoot in the sand, grass, or dirt can be beneficial. Any time spent in nature is helpful for this chakra.

Nutrition: Eat healthy red foods like tomatoes, beets, berries, and apples.

Wear and Decorate: Use accents of red and wear red jewelry, clothing, or shoes.

Sound: lam

2nd Chakra (Sacral)

Element: The sacral chakra is associated with water, which means swimming or spending time by bodies of water like lakes and oceans is beneficial.

Nutrition: Eat orange foods like carrots, oranges, melons, or mangoes.

Wear and Decorate: Surround yourself with orange accessories or tones.

Sound: vam

3rd Chakra (Solar Plexus)

Element: The solar plexus chakra is associated with the element of fire, so enjoy sitting around a bonfire or soak up bright sunlight.

Nutrition: Eat yellow foods like bananas, ginger, turmeric, pineapple, and corn.

Wear and Decorate: Wearing yellow clothing, jewelry, and accessories would be beneficial.

Sound: ram

4th Chakra (Heart)

Elements: The heart chakra is associated with air, so breathing deeply will help to clear the energy at this level. Drive with the windows open, fly a kite, or take a boat ride.

Nutrition: Eat green foods including broccoli, avocado, and leafy greens like kale or spinach.

Wear and Decorate: Accent your life with all shades of green.

Sound: yum

5th Chakra (Throat)

Element: The throat chakra is associated with ether (similar to spirit), so sitting in an open space under a clear sky is a fabulous way to get this energy flowing appropriately.

Nutrition: Eat blue foods like blueberries, currants, dragon fruit, and kelp.

Wear and Decorate: Use all blue tones.

Sound: ham

6th Chakra (Third Eye)

Element: The third eye chakra is associated with light. To balance and open this chakra, sit in stillness in the sunlight or relax in a window as the sun pours in.

Nutrition: Eat indigo foods including purple kale, grapes, and blackberries.

Wear and Decorate: Wearing indigo clothing or jewelry and decorating with accents of this color will be useful.

Sound: sham

7th Chakra (Crown)

Element: The crown chakra is affiliated with all the elements, so connecting with your wholeness rather than a single element is the recommended practice. Spend time in meditation, chanting, or prayer.

Nutrition: At this level, the nutrition is no longer for the physical body. This chakra is not nourished with food, but with spiritual practices. Practice self-reflection and curiosity.

Wear and Decorate: Wearing violet clothing or jewelry and decorating with accents of this color will be useful.

Sound: om

CONCLUSION |

hopefully you all understand chakras a bit better now! but, if any questions are to come up that you can't seem to find an answer to, my ask box is always open! (like my chakras).

#chakras #witchcraft #pagan #magick #witchblr #bruja #spiritualgrowth #spiritualhealing

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