#using this system as is would be very unbalanced so. dont do that. but this is. a start.

[niftukkun]

=The Skydiver=

[A being of the skies, though not by nature. Stranded with broken artificial wings, you must make use of both your cleverness and swiftness to thrive.]

[Little Gods and Passing Beasts AU, aka roleswapped rain world! ;; more under the cut]

introducing the scug version of my Chasing Wind! in Gourmands campaign!! hell yeah!!!

despite their campaign being more similar to Gourmands, the Skydiver has Rivulets movement mechanics. the swift speed not the extended underwater breathing. they also have Gourmands craft mechanic, but very specifically not the. pull random stuff out of your stomach mechanic? im not calling it regurgitation im fairly certain Gourmand doesnt. vore actively alive things. just to pull them out later. anyway, i think Skydivers crafting system would be different from Gourmands. i mean thered probably be some similarities but id say Skydivers is more. spear based? have i said that Skydiver has unique spears like Spearmaster does? different kinds though, not just one type. thered be the usual bomb and electric spears but i think Skydiver should be able to make like. idk rubbish spears which deal more damage than a regular spear. flashbang or singularity spears for shits and giggles. lantern spears that can glow in the dark but dont deal extra damage? i also think Skydiver should be able to hold two spears at once or store them like Hunter can but i think spear crafting plus Rivulets speed plus being able to hold multiple spears may be. a lil much. i think it sounds fun though but also very unbalanced whoops. Skydiver has their own version of foodquest!! hell yeah!! i call it the spearquest. essentially, theres a unique recipe that calls for specific materials in a specific order, something like a rubbish spear plus a vulture mask plus. something? i havent fully thought it out but in essence Skydiver is making a new Vulture Spear (aka gliding spear, look at the picture up top its that). its the same kind of deal with gourmand if you finish the campaign without making the spear nothing really happens but if you exit the campaign with it theres some extra art and maybe the craftable spears can start appearing in other campaigns randomly? or scuppies can show up like with Gourmand but theres like no correlation there so im thinking spears.

the Skydiver has always looked to the skies, always stood on high branches to feel the winds, always looked at vultures with some measure of envy with how easily they soared through the air. they trained, started moving quicker and jumping high enough to feel the winds as they fell but it wasnt enough. they needed the skies themselves. they needed wings. they know just how to get some, always having known their creativity and cleverness and drive. they make a spear, wrapped with stiff wings and outfitted with an odd device that mimics the pinkish gasses vultures flew with. they step off a tree and put their faith not in the hands of random gods or nature itself but in themselves their hands their /wish/ and and it works. they fly. its. its addicting. fulfilling. incredible and vast and they hope never to lose this ever.

so of course, they lose it.

a wing snaps, flight thruster broken. Skydiver can only catch a glimpse of a falling vulture and a pink slugpup? before they spin spin spin and fall far from home with broken wings like a broken heart. something within them wails at the very idea of never tasting the skies again and for a moment it feels all too much for the Skydiver to bear. it doesnt matter. they pick themselves up. they did it once, they can do it again. theyll find their way to the skies once more and dance in the clouds with bliss. they just have to find their way out. far from these walls and back to their tree. maybe theyll even find the time to see whats the fuss with these so called random gods while theyre here.

for a moment, while wandering, Skydiver thought they saw another slugcat, blue and heavily scarred and moving with determined purpose. they never saw whoever that was again. Skydiver hopes that wherever they are, theyre doing okay in these vulture infested lands.

[alienjock]

in a ttrpg system for avatar i think id want the following classes

earthbender: tanky. specializes in shaping the battlefield in their favor and building up walls of defense.

metalbender: this user has broken earthbending down to its core components. going to such a small scale allows for the bender to manipulate metal and other things found in the earth. in battle, this can help disarm an opponent or trap them. advantages in the battlefield can be found through the sharpening of steel and the bending of iron. employing skills similar to the power of magnetism, personal shields can easily be made and just as easily destroyed with a well-timed clench of the fist, crushing opponents protection and even possibly damaging them with their own armor.

groundshaker: the complete and absolute honing of ones earthbending abilities connects them with the ground under their feet in such a way where, with enough skill, they could level mountains and raise cities. this allows for environmental manipulation and increased defense options. groundshakers can split the earth and cause powerful quakes, along with manipulate the ground below them to move them, and throw boulders with the ease of pitching a stone. 

seismic senser: again, this specialization goes small scale and is developed through a benders ability to feel the earth beneath them. sensing subtle vibrations in the ground, a seismic senser can feel something coming their way before they seem them. this makes it nearly impossible to catch someone off guard. this specialization allows for the most support, and works extremely well with allies that excel when given a heads up.

waterbender: magey. specializes in support and simple but highly effective offensive moves.

bloodbender: yeah. not only has this bender learned how to manipulate others through the water in their blood, this specialist can strip water from the air with absolute ease, purify water, and even feel the heartbeat of someone near them. that last ability gives this person an advantage both in keeping track of their allies, and targeting weaker opponents.

wavewaker: the complete and absolute honing of ones waterbending abilities connects them with the vapor in the air, the push and pull of the tide, and the roar of the ocean. with enough skill, a wavewaker could send tsunamis, freeze large bodies of water, and drown everything in their path. wavewakers have the ability to manipulate large amounts of water with incredible detail and focus. this specialization makes the element not just something to use, but an extension of the self. waves break with the step of a foot, tendrils move like large limbs, and nothing can stand in the way of you.

gifted healer: healers of this caliber are incredibly skilled and uncommon among waterbenders. their ability to draw upon the life-giving properties of water allows for the quick and painless healing of injuries and ailments that could take weeks or even months to recover from. as a healer grows in skill, they begin to sense the health of those around them. both people, animals, and even some plants.

firebender: fightery. the most offensive and destructive of all the elements, this bending style is deadly even at lower skill levels.

combustionbender: channeling the air around them, a combustionbender is able to perform specialized attacks of high-damage explosions from a distance. breaking barriers, drying up reservoirs, and absolutely annihilating opponents are these benders specialities. to be a combustionbender requires immense focus and inner balance, and the skills they learn to control their abilities are often taught by airbenders. without these skills, they could be deadly to themselves.

trailblazer: the complete and absolute honing of ones firebending abilities turns them into the perfect fighters. this level of skill is so powerful and so intense that it even elevates the heat of the fire to degrees otherwise impossible to achieve. creating jets of flames, raging fireballs, and other unique attacks means that a trailblazer can take on multiple opponents at once. these firebenders have a draconic rage to them, and are equally as terrifying. trailblazers may be able to harness some skills of other firebending styles, but their will and chaos means that they’ll never reach a level of inner balance that is required for suspended lightning redirection or combustionbending.

lightning conducter: similar to combustionbenders, this specialization is acquired through the study of fluid, emotive waterbenders. the most supportive of all the firebending styles, lightning conducters can block and counter attacks, use their flames to increase speed of motion, and yes, bend lightning. 

airbender: i wouldnt call airbenders the rogues of the bending world, but...that’s as close as i can get to a comparison. airbenders are, as weve seen, mainly pacifistic, and use their bending abilities to achieve of a higher sense of being. that being said, that doesnt mean that airbenders cant be incredibly effective supportive fighters.

flier: airbending emphasizes freedom, and this specialization of the embodiment of that freedom. freeing oneself both from the earth and the limitations of gravity, fliers can move at speeds impossible to others, and can easily dash in and out of battle without fearing attacks of opportunity. light on their feet and always ready to move, these rare benders have achieved their unique skills through releasing themselves from the things that tie to them to the earth, such as worldly possessions and emotional connections. 

windracer: the complete and absolute honing of ones airbending abilities means that this person has achieved the ultimate goal of all airbenders: the complete realization of self. these benders are always in control, never caught off guard, and never let their emotions take control of them. they are conscious of each breath they take, each step they walk, hyperaware of everything around them. but beneath this practiced calm lies a tornado ready and completely willing to unleash itself, no hesitation or fear. these benders can just as easily gift fresh air as take air from the lungs of an opponent. the epitome of controlled, deadly precision. 

spirit crosser: with an achieved higher sense of self, an airbender can focus instead of on their physical powers, on their connection to the spirit world. this specialization allows one to move through the physical realm, completely unchained from their physical form. this ability allows those that employ it to do things such as cross through barriers and connect with spirits, along with letting the user remain connected to allies even when far away. while not much use in a fight, a spirit crosser can come back to their body with a temporary newfound strength and rush of adrenaline, feeling refreshed and free of stress. 

nonbender: those without the ability to bend the elements are able to be just as powerful as the benders they fight with/against. reaching a skill level that puts them on equal level with benders requires a certain degree of intelligence and physical prowess, however. 

strategist: these incredibly intelligent nonbenders prefer to play mastermind or lead the charge. powerful and inspiring, these players are able to boost the skills of their allies through quick thinking and the power of their raw conviction and determination. strategists can craft powerful weapons from scrap and powerful tactics from tough situations. whether they stay in the back, conducting others, or they stand in the front, initiating the battle, a strategist to never ever to be underestimated. 

battle master: battle masters can be both fighters who use weapons, and those who fight unarmed. through the study of bending techniques, these nonbenders have found a way to mend non-elemental martial fighting with the movements and stances of the benders theyve learned from. they cant control water, but they can lash at opponents with the same energy. they cant control earth, but they can still knock opponents off balance with the same force. 

chi blocker: this ancient technique of rendering opponents immobile is both an effective defense tactic and offensive maneuver. chi blockers move quickly, delivering flurries of blows with precise points of contact, disabling an opponent. this can stop attacks before theyre dealt and leave enemies prone. for those who rely on bending, chi blockers can be devastating. 

[lunarlagomorph]

would you be able to list some ttrpg systems that are best for specific things? or just some that you would recommend with a short little reason or something?

I'm like abt to go backnto bed lol so i dont wanna think out a huge list but here's 3 off the top of my head and ill add more later possibly

1. FATE is my go to reccomendation. It is essentially the open source software of ttrpgs. As long as you have a setting you can pretty much just drop fate into it and have a fun time. And it blends combat well with the rest of the game as opposed to having an entirely separate set of combat mechanics. And it allows for character creation that is flexible to any kind kf concelpt willbwork.

It has a few issues but its so extremely moddable that you can fix those if they bother you. I was even writing my own magic system for it back when i still had ppl to play ttrpgs with lol. But even without modding it's a ton of fun. Oh and also other ppl have written mods for kt you can use.

2. Blades in the Dark is a personal favorite of mine. I often find PBTA-based systems to be lazy but that is not the case here (if u dont know powered by the apocalypse dw about it).

The premise is you play a group of some variety of outlaw (smuggler? Assassin, cultist, etc.) uh idk what id call the setting. Like bloodborne but with ghosts instead of blood. Close to Sunless Sea, if you know that. And the gameplay loop consists of 'planning' heists or other jobs (but ill use heists going forward) going on them, and then working to expand your groups influence and goals in downtime.

I say plan in quotes because you do not in fact plan heists, mostly, though you can prepare for them. Instead bitd has a system i love where you can spend a resource to have 'flashbacks' to your preparation to the heist. So, instead of saying ohh ill bring this and that and this and that and do this beforehand you can be like. Okay flashback we agreed beforehand to have a signal for when ppl were coming. Or flashback i brought my wire cjtters along. It allows flr a heist to work without having to actually successfully plan a heist ahead of time wjich is uh. Basically not really possible to do in ttrpgs and still have an interesting heist. And if the system sound unbalanced trust me there are factors to mitigate abusing it.

Beyond that i do also just find the skill and rolling system fantastic. If you have zero idea what to do but fate sounds dauting to run i think this is rhe way to go

3. Finally this isnt the same vein as dnd but as someone who loves storytelling rpgs i strongly reccomend The Quiet Year. It's a small rpg (one 4 hour session). You take turns essentially simulating and progresding the story of along a small civilization which has been hit hard and is on the brink of collapse. It is very open as well to the point where you end up having created an entirely new setting when you're done with it. There's also games like Microscope but i havent ever actually gotten to play those with ppl lol.

Beyond those if you want a good place to find things Drivethrurpg.com is my go to source. Spend some time clicking around on there and u might find something. Bcuz tbh the real lesson i want to impart when i say dont play dnd isnt 'play this instead'. It's 'there are so many ttrpgs out there, don't just play only one' it's kind of like only playing one video game or board game. Sure you like it but theres so many to try.

Hope this helps! Like i said ill probably add more later.

[rigelmejo]

notes to myself basically, on how i study languages (so far, there’s always gonna be better ways i don’t know of yet lol):

learn 500-1000 common words asap, read a grammar guide that provides overview asap - like the first 3 months. If a full grammar guide doesn’t exist that’s concise (hi japanese ;-;) find a basics grammar guide at least and read that (pimsleur, websites, genki, tae kim, youtube). Specifically within the common words, at least look at the ‘300 common word tumblr to say things’ language vocab list. That list is good for me starting some kind of active vocab/expressing ideas.

if its got a different writing system, look up the alphabet in 1st month (kana for japanese, cyrillic alphabet for russian etc, pinyin for chinese). listen to pronunciation guides, and write and/or mnemonics to learn those asap.

if its got characters (like chinese, japanese), learn 300-500 super common characters ASAP (first 5 months). 

After month 3, learn up to 2000 common words (hi srs flashcard programs like anki and memrise, common word lists, graded readers), and up to 2000 characters. Not all these need to be done with srs flashcards/focused study, but get TO recognizing this many as soon as u can. Goal is get to this by month 8-10. But depending on how much i can overall understand without doing this, i may not learn All of these words by then (but ideally i should).

By 500-1000 words (and 500+ characters if needed), so after 3-5 months, start trying to immerse in what I WANT to do - so reading, watching (maybe listening, maybe games). I don’t have to do it much, but do it a bit to remember what I learned and also motivate myself to study more.

Months 5-8 somewhere between 1000-2000 words, start trying to write/say basic things to myself or on apps with others. Probably will be a mess, don’t have to do it much. Do it enough to have motivation to study more - see where I’m lacking skills. I may need more grammar explanation, or more vocab, or notice a big issue in my pronunciation etc.

Around month 8-10, around 2000+ words studied (although it may be less or more depending on what I’m comfortable with), ramp up immersion a lot. As soon as its mildly tolerable, ramp it up a LOT. Look up words when immersing as often or not often as desired, goal is to always follow at least the bare minimum main idea (and more details if possible/if I wanna put in the effort to look more up). Now I can start learning new words primarily from this. 

Reading skills - during immersion do intensive reading to learn more vocabulary quicker, extensive reading to improve overall comprehension. Do SRS flashcards/focused graded readers/word-list prep for stuff I read as needed, to speed up how much vocab I learn (if I’m learning too slow for my preference lol). Ways to make extensive reading easier: read graded readers, read show subtitles in target language while watching show, textbooks built to increase info taught in context, read stuff I’ve read translations of first, read stuff I have prior context for (I saw the show/heard already with english transcript etc), Listening reading method, read extensively what I’ve read intensively before etc.

Listening skills - start extensive listening to audio (for overall comprehension improvement). Start intensive listening where I hear words and lookup definition and/or learn word pronunciation with explanations. So start listening to audio flashcards for building a base of learned words/phrases (chinese spoonfed audio files, japanese core 2k audio, japaneseaudiolessons.com, SRS flashcards if they have audio only ones too, Coffee Break French, audio for Francais par le methode nature etc). To make extensive listening easier: start with watching/listening to shows I’ve already seen subs for, shows in general (visual context helps), comprehensible input audio (like comprehensible input french youtube, Learn Korean in Korean youtube, Dreaming Spanish youtube etc), listen with a transcript then listen without, Listening reading method, listen to things I have prior context for like audiobook of something i read/audio drama of show i’ve seen. Do some shadowing (shadowing audio flashcard files is easy and reliable tbh). 

Production skills (I am not here yet) - in general I’ve found making myself write more, talk more, to myself (like journals and practice convos) and to others, tends to improve my active vocabulary. Especially when I try to communicate about topics i’m bad at (so making myself look up those words and write/say them to put them back into active vocab). At this point I’m guessing more explicit grammar drill practice might help, people correcting me, shadowing a lot. Maybe practicing translating to that language/from it, to practice building active vocab? I’m not sure what will help most here tbh as I’ve never gotten far in this area. (For chinese, studying pronunciation more in depth and doing more listening/shadowing, and pronunciation apps, helped a lot with pronunciation itself but not active production yet). 

---

i’m currently mostly just doing 8-9 for chinese right now - building reading skills, building listening skills. Varying what i do. For production skills i’m guessing there’s a ton of varied things i can do right now or later, i’m just not entirely sure what they’d be. i have not tried/troubleshooted those skills much before when studying. All i know for sure is the more i make myself use the language in Varied topics, the more i get an active vocabulary (aka writing journals, making self-convos, and doing language exchanges help in a basic way). No idea how to improve grammar though in ways that’d work well for me. so right now my skills lean heavier toward comprehension, less skill in any production. Studying chinese taught me a lot about how i learn listening skills though...which is valuable as i barely had practice learning HOW to study them when i studied french or japanese before.

troubleshooting wise - this is the rough trajectory i went through in chinese, that has worked okay for me. looking at it helps me see where i ‘slowed down’ my progress in other languages i studied.

for french - i did very LITTLE listening practice, and had few ideas of how to work on it at the time. Now I would probably do listen with transcript then without, and shadowing, to work on listening skills. And watching shows/videos with subtitles (if possible), then without subs. And very little speaking practice - same deal as listening, i did a little at some point realizing it was a weak area but not enough work on it. I also did very LITTLE production practice like language exchanges. i had few reasons to produce language, and so the few times i needed to i could mostly rely on super common words or look things up when writing. i know i’d need to do more to work on production. so i was very unbalanced - large reading comprehension, low pretty much every other skill.

for japanese... i did a lot in retrospect i wish i’d redone different. and i do it different now. i did not read/watch a grammar guide - and i still freaking need to (or at least get clear grammar exposure like nukemarine’s LLJ course’s tae kim portions). japanese has grammar i find very hard to figure-out through exposure so this holds me back a lot. and lack of immersion to both motivate me to study MORE and to practice reading/listening skills. ALSO lack of common words - i learned like 800 hanzi rough-meaning through RTK, and maybe 500 words in genki... and no wonder it wasn’t enough lol! i think nukemarine helped back years ago, because it forced me to study grammar and vocab, listening and reading, in a structured way (similar to how genki helped me in the very start before i quit using it). and japaneseaudiolessons.com helped because it made me practice listening and gave me comprehensible listening with definitions. that in combo with me really starting to immerse and TRY to read/listen at year 2+ is when i finally made some progress because i was doing things that work for me - finally. and now that i’m coming back to japanese, i’m starting to apply all those things again that were finally working. 

---

anyone have any tips on how to improve production skills? Both active vocabulary, and how to both practice speaking/writing broadly AND how to fix grammar errors. 

For active vocab and general writing/speaking I know just talking more/writing more helps. But I can only tend to catch grammar errors if I run it through a translator first to compare how the translator phrases it to how I did (which can create a LOT of errors if the translator is Wrong), or if someone corrects my grammar error (which relies on other people - and preferably a tutor since i dont want to bother people who aren’t paid to correct - so what can i do on my OWN?). 

The big thing is with grammar, I can only think to either go through beginner courses Again from the start and do the writing drills and copy the patterns to internalize them? So I could correct my basic writing/speaking but not necessarily when I start speaking/writing creatively, unless I find textbooks/workbooks that eventually go into intermediate material (and of course finding textbooks/online exercises that provide correct answers so i can compare my attempts to the correct ones). Aside from either a tutor, or trying to find well made free online courses with exercises with answers provided, i’m not sure how to improve grammar production. If I write out sentences i read, would that internalize being able to ‘copy their grammar correctly’ when i write? if i shadow correctly said speeches/videos, would that help drill ‘correct grammar’ when speaking? (And be less boring then doing FSI speech drills). Basically I’m trying to find some ways (creative or not) to improve grammar in production. Improving active vocabulary seems pretty straightforward to me (make myself use it, look up words until they come natural to me - but if u got any other fun ways to improve active vocab i’d love to hear!). But I don’t know how to improve grammar when you are NOT in a class structure, have no teacher/tutor, and already have a base level of comprehension. As in like? I can read fine, but when writing I can’t tell if what I produce is grammatically correct or not - and again I can run it through a translator sometimes to try and ‘check’ but since translators make errors, my ‘corrected example’ isn’t always reliable to use as something to emulate for ‘correct form.’

[taichissu]

In light of the eng a3 server getting shut down, do you have any (preferably mobile) game recs besides the jp server? Hope you have a great day :)

i'm not the right person to ask that bc i mostly just rotate between 5 apps nndbfbdnnf

keep in mind i dont really like games like a3 which are wholly story-driven and have no actual gameplay other than card collection, so you're gonna have to ask someone else for recommendations on that, but if you're open minded here's some recs from me

rhythm games:

love live is a long-running franchise so there's A LOT of content and many various characters to work with, the game is rather polished, if not a little cluttered bc of the updates over all those years, the gacha mechanism has become very generous too so thats refreshing, and as for songs you can find music of various genres but all within similar quality so its nice, i would consider the art style its biggest flaw, but we cant have everything

project sekai is fairly fresh (the en servers were just opened in december) and i very much prefer the gameplay of it to love live sif, it feels very clean and satisfying to play, the art style is also lovely, as is the music which additionally gives many great indie producers a better platform, the worst thing about it is the gacha though (the odds arent very high and the pity system is as ridiculous as on a3)

titles i dont play regularly but still think are fun: arcaea, dynamix, uta no prince sama, deemo

team-building games:

love live school idol festival all stars is a spinoff of sif, it focuses mostly on building your team and making your girls stronger, the gacha is pretty generous in my opinion, as it tends to be in this franchise, i find art much better here than in sif, the MVs are a lovely part of this game, a HUGE plus of this game is how easy it is, sometimes you just need to play a game casually and still do well bc you cant afford to use upore of your energy (i can assure you you can get every event UR just by doing your dailies, ive done so multiple times before)

revue starlight re:live is a very addictive team-building game which i'm pretty sure was based of magia record, the mechanics of it are the exact same so if you've played magia record you know what to do; you collect stage girls, make them stronger and fight monsters/other stage girls, i have to say i pretty much only play this game because of nana and fumi anymore; the gacha and the related to it pvp are awfully unfair and unbalanced, the game keeps releasing new game-breaking girls every few days and it's simply impossible to pull every single banner if you're f2p, so pretty much everyone in pvp ranks above S is p2w

grand chase is another one that i havent played in a while but its a huge comfort game, the music is super nostalgic and the modern re-designs of all my favorite characters are so high tier

thats it for my main apps and now on to time-killers if youre not bored yet

idle games my guilty pleasure:

masketeers has been my most recent addiction, the art style is lovely and its not littered with ads whenever you touch your screen, their there but its Actually optional

other idles i used to play a lot but i took a break and now the sole thought of opening the app fills me with unreasonable dread: legends of idleon (top tier), afk arena, pet idle

other games i dont know how to categorize but good games for killing time: evan's remains, data wing, fantasyxrunners, magic survival, meow tower, old friends dog game, post knight, sky children of the light, sonic forces running battle, world flipper, zen koi

[floralkittygambler]

RadioDust is the Healthiest Toxic Ship for Angel so far

@honesthazbinarchives​ Briefly. I’d like to go into this more in the future BUT these are the main points I said I’d do. Heh ‘stay tuned’ for why HuskerDust is toxic [haaaa funny fuckin reference n shit like Viv herself aint overdone it]. Yer dont even wanna know the lack of enthusiasm in tryna do a playful ‘cringetopia’ joke - wasnt as fun as anticipated. Anyfuckinways, the shit. Before we begin, disclaimers n whatnot, no hate intended, dni if you’re a bit of a knobhead [either stan or extreme anti], an all that nonsense. I dont own the characters no shit.  In this I’ll discuss how RadioDust aka SpiDEER (thats right, yer stuck w my shit humour now) is both the healthiest ship for Angel we’ve seen so far but still rather toxic. Idc if you hate me for it but dont fuckin waste yer time telling me. Great. I dont care. Yer fuckin hard n whatnot for harassin strangers online. Big dick energy to you. This will be slightly messy, my apologies, it’s a quick summary of many points.

Alright. Firstly, out of the entire male cast Angel interacts with over all platforms, Al is given a fair bit of mercy in terms of sexual advances. In fact, a swift ‘no’ and Angel doesn’t do it again - unlike most of the other cast [pent’s is covert, husks is overt]. One thing I like is that Angel himself admits to their chemistry (claiming that whilst he thinks Al’s a prick, he thinks Al dislikes him which saddens him as he’d at least like to be friends as he feels they have good chemistry - according to the VA via Hunicast’s 1yr anniversary), there’s no further efforts to jump on his dick but a clear curiosity/interest in what Al can do.  Lets go to the basics, both are of similar age [allegedly in their 30s, though Ive heard Al may be up to mid 40s] as well as created near the same-ISH time (as in, Viv’s oldest characters, at least for HH). Likewise, Viv admitted to knowing fuck all on either of their eras (and to make that public wasn’t really a wise choice BUUUT if you felt the need, it’s better worded with interest “Right now I’m working towards educating myself more on their time periods to improve their portrayals” <-- crucial if yer want that ‘realism’). Because of their real-world ages, Viv confesses they’re her favourites (even if you didnt know, she makes it pretty clear). It could be a nice ‘homage’ to their impact in her life but not too relevant otherwise. It could fulfil the need for self indulgence that she’s unhealthily leaking into the canon - which will ultimately make the series shit. No sugarcoating there.  As for their ages, a relationship can work whether the gap is large or small HOWEVER there are many ethics and conflicts to each. And being an adult into kids is always fucked up. With that being said, studies have shown that closer ages often work better due to the often similarities in mindset, maturity and life goals (older folks are more likely to want to settle, younger often have more ambitions), likewise there tends to be an unbalanced power-dynamic if the ages are too far, which can lead to various types of abuse. Dont get me wrong, being with someone much older (AS LONG AS NONE OF YALL ARE KIDS) very much CAN work - but rarely. There’s much more hardwork needed as well as being in the right mindset for both, otherwise it’s bad. More on that in HD. Long story short, both are closer in age meaning both are more ‘relatable’ to one another. There’s common grounds, even in the eras there’s some higher understanding of one another. Notice how Vaggie and Charlie are similar in age? (Even though Charlie is far older, her appearance and mentality for her race is on par with Vaggie’s, making it far more likely to work out positively) One of the most prominent out of all of this however is their actual interests. So listing; Both like action/chaos/having fun (often at the expense of others), both love cooking and can be food snobs in their own right, both have sadistic AND masochistic tendencies, Al likes performance and theatre whilst Angel loves *to* perform, on that last point Angel was very intrigued and enjoyed Al’s song number/performance naturally, both really enjoy pranks and both enjoy liquor (neither show an actual addiction, but rather an interest in social drinking - no dependencies on it). Again, close eras mean both have a higher probability of understanding the other and their lifestyles better. Both are high on appearance and love themselves, implying self confident mindset (healthy BUT the narcissism isnt) yet enough consideration for how they are viewed. On the parent system, one adores his mama whilst the other hates his pops.  Now Ive gone on about how they’re similar. But similarities ALONE is not enough. If it was, then fandom’s would be a lil more harmonious~ A HEALTHY relationship needs compatibility, POSITIVE conversation flow, common grounds, trust, openness and understanding. Even then, some people click and some just dont. It’s like how you can just hate someone for no reason. It just IS. Common grounds and similarity is scientifically proven to be attractive to someone - be it good or BAD. People are drawn to those like their parents in some way usually, likewise we look for people similar to ourselves (from our interests, to humour, beliefs, goals, etc). Science itself states that ‘opposites attract’ solemnly applies in the real world successfully. Though similiarity plays a large role, there has to be some differences too - that person is STILL an individual separate to yourself. Too similar and it’s boring. Too similar and you’ll do everything together without some ‘you’ time. Both Vaggie and Charlie have similar interests/hobbies in dance and music, yet still have enough differences to be identifiable when together. Vaggie is more grounded than Charlie. Charlie gives some optimism and fun to Vaggie. Remember, a partner does NOT complete you - that’s a toxic mindset when taken too seriously, You complete YOURSELF. Whether you have someone or not, you must feel complete in yourself as to not slip into toxic dependency on a lover - to become them, a shadow of them or feel like you’ve lost your identity without them. Sounds harsh but it’s true. Chaggie compliments each other without a dependency. You stand alone yet uplift one another. You don’t always agree but in the end you always have each other’s backs. Love is often butchered in a toxic light in the media.  So taking that into consideration, how does spideer work? Well, here’s some examples of good, bad and neutral: - Angel loves animals, Al fears/dislikes dogs. Perhaps Angel could assist him in overcoming this? - Al hates being touched, Angel dislikes being squeezed. Maybe this could help them reach an understanding... Or cause a rift? - Angel was the only one to break Al’s composure, either Angel is the *key* to delving further into Al’s more raw self... Or just another obVOXious pest? (yeah, I said it-) - Neither respect other’s boundaries, meaning both may fuel the other to be overly disrespectful in this area. Not good. - Angel is a sarky/sarcastic fuck, Al loves dry humour. Both seek amusement and chaos. In relationships one needs to see how conversation flows and in the hunicasts, both keep up some good as well as toxic banter. Both could roast the fuck out of an opponent however. - Al is acro/ace, Angel is hypersexual (appears like a sex addict - now I say this as his book has a crossed out ‘fun stuff’ with ‘work shit’ written on it. He’s always fixed on sex from his job to his humour), this could either aid Angel ease up on the sex stuff OR make him overly push it onto Al causing major rifts and discomfort (aces can have sex, ref to ace posts that real asexuals put to understand more but no one wants to be forced into sex is the point here). And we’ve already discussed their lack of respect for boundaries. The positive is that maybe this will make Angel understand how Val is rubbing off on his own behaviour towards men [again, more on that in the HD post]. - Both similar yet different in a way that does suit their compatibility chances but that doesnt mean they will click, it just improves the odds. - Both have similar enemies in Val and Vox, they’re on common terms. Likewise, Al is against the ‘sexual deviance’ of hell meaning he may be oddly supportive and protective of Angel in terms of Val. I dont even think his sadism will override this either. - Al dislikes modern tech, Angel seems to use it as his job requires it. A nice little menial difference. - Only ONE is an addict. Take it from an expert, you NEVER put two addicts together. They’re very vulnerable and prone to slipping deeper into their addictions as well as depending on each other too much that they essentially become very clingy, suffocating and toxic to each other. Seen it in action, it’s ugly.  - Both could have a lot of fun and calm moments with each other. - He isn’t immediately smitten with Al but immediately shows a natural interest in Al’s powers and performance, embracing it openly. Leads for a good friendship turned lovers plot. - In Viv’s patreon, she confirmed Angel loves confident guys [sounds exactly like Al] We need to think about where both are mentally. What benefits would a relationship give both? How would they be good and bad for each other? For Al, aside from his outdated views and being a fucking murderer and narcissist, he actually seems in a good mindspace for a relationship IF he opted to be in one. Angel however has a very immature mindset, likewise is in a phase of life where hes bed hopping. IF he were to be in a relationship, I’d say he needs a male equivalent of Cherri - someone with a similar mindset yet some differences, willing to have fun and in touch with their younger side, down to cuddle, open to share and receive love as well as not afraid to publicly be affectionate with him, someone who sees him as more than just for sex, someone fun, someone who’ll let him embrace his cutesy side publicly without shame - Cherri is younger so maybe someone who’s his age or slightly younger perhaps? I think Angel’s not retirement home ready to settle and needs someone on his level that can cuddle and chill as well as feels free and youthful enough to go wild with him. In one sense, he’s got a teen girl sorta mindset (dont put him with a teen though, it’s fuckin weird-). He needs someone positive and raw, someone to let him be himself as well as someone comfortable to be themselves around him. He has a habit of latching onto unobtainable men (in psychology, this is self sabotaging subconsciously): Travis the client, Val a pimp, Husk (emotionally unavailable and needs HEAVY self work - interestingly far more than Angel - plus he’s still onto his last relationship and an addict to gambling and alcohol), Pent who’s the enemy he was currently fighting (inappropriate timing), Alastor who’s not interested in another but his own needs [selfish, VERY bad for a relationship]. Subconsciously he’s self sabotaging on purpose. There’s many psychology books as well as sources online for this, if you’re interested. Either way, Angel is drawn to men either like his father [who dislike him, shun him, or are otherwise cold, abusive or just blatantly dislike or otherwise dont care about him] or anyone with money to fuel his drug addiction/’debt’ to Val. Going with any of these men isn’t a good idea.  Preferably, Angel needs someone who he doesnt immediately crush and obsess over. Someone who he doesnt sexually harass or assault. Someone he can build a connection with quickly that can bud into romance (think how Chaggie started as a friendship which clicked immediately). Maybe even someone he doesn’t expect to fall for but does so anyways. It would be more realistic as Viv wants as well as more healthy. That for once he isnt sex or money craved instantly, thus doesnt sexually harass/assault and is given a proper chance to develop and grow a friendship and love. Someone who isnt an addict.  Someone with an on-par mindset where they click. Someone open to love. For any chance of a good relationship, Angel needs to be with anyone BUT who we’ve already seen. There’s too much toxicity that’ll be swept under the rug and justified otherwise. Too much shit to fuel homophobes in terms of gay stereotypes. Even though Ive focused a fair bit on Angel, it’s NOT just about Angel. That’s something fans forget. Some he depends on or someone who depends on him in the long term wont last and will be very dangerous to both.  Just because you suffer, you dont then deserve to be rewarded with ‘something nice’. You dont get to have everything youve ever wanted. Giving him any of these blokes [minus Val] gives him a pass. Gives him what he wants. I get Viv loves him but life doesnt work that way. True lasting growth comes from learning that. Acceptance and growth. You dont get everything you want and sometimes thats a GOOD thing. He’s not a spoilt kid who gets everything he asks for, he’s YOUR creation. If you really wanted what your creations deserve then you need to research and be realistic with it. Because hes starting to feel like a shitty Gary-Stu at this rate. I live with an ‘Angel Dust’ like person. It used to feel like life gave her everything and most times it did. Everyone loved her and she could get away with murder if she wanted to. But now she’s had to struggle and grow, let go of some ‘wants’ because they werent good for her and she’s becoming better for it. She has a long way but she’s more humble for it now [still got self confidence but it’s less narcissism now, which is more healthy for her]. Also, they make the word anal lol

[vampuuri]

/dsmp /rp

Okay so, I have a need to scream to the void that is called tumblr. None of my friends are into dream smp so I can’t scream at them, so I have no other choice. I’m way too giddy to keep all this in.

Of course, all the usual CWs: manipulation, abuse, death, torture, y’all know how dark dream smp is nowadays.

Everything else is under the cut, because I don’t want to flood anyone’s dash with my rambling. Buckle up; this is a long one.

First of all, Quackity’s lore stream, a goddamn masterpiece! One to rival the election, 16th of October, Manberg vs Pogtopia, the Disc finale. There is so much to explore and so many potential routes the story could take from here. I can’t wait for the next lore stream!

But, I want to focus on something @angelvaleria pointed out in this post. That being that now we have two sides: ones who want c!Dream dead and ones who want c!Dream alive for his knowledge of revival. And if these two sides don’t have a conflict in the near future I’m going to scream.

c!Tommy, c!Tubbo and c!Ranboo want c!Dream dead no questions asked. Even when only thing he can do is revive people as he wishes, he is way too powerful. The three are already quite a powerhouse as they are (especially when c!Ranboo, one of the richest people on the server, is getting them gear) but I wouldn’t be surprised if they managed to recruit more people to their side.

On the other side we have c!Quackity and c!Sam, who want c!Dream alive, for now. c!Quackity wants the knowledge of revival and c!Sam seems to be totally ok with big Q torturing c!Dream. The sides are little unbalanced, c!Quackity isn’t that skilled of a fighter, so it would be just c!Sam againts the trio of minors. I’d say c!Bad and c!Ant could also join this side, they are prison guards after all (even if c!Bad would totally be againts torture, maybe c!Quackity can hide the fact from him). Or of course it is possible that there is just c!Sam, and only c!Ranboo fights him just to keep c!Tubbo and c!Tommy safe with their last canon lives. Who knows.

And what about c!Dream? Ok, so, hear me out. I’ve read a lot of posts about how traumatic and horrible and basically torture it has been for him to sit in that cell for a couple of months now. And yeah I kinda agree, but we have to recognize that cc!Dream hasn’t really given that kind of vibe for his character. Of course he seems bored and wants to get out, but he is still his smug self. There is very little evidence that he is a broken man. Of course it is possible that he doesn’t want to show any kind of weakness to his visitors, but again, who knows.

But what we can agree on is that c!Dream seems to be genuinely afraid of what c!Quackity can do to him. It would be very dissapointing, if c!Dream just acts the same way he always does when we see him next time. This, endless physical torture, will be the thing that breaks c!Dream. He wouldn’t spill the beans of course, he is too smart and knows that if he speaks he loses the only thing that gives him any power, and most likely his last life too. He knows nobody would revive him.

So, when the conflict actually happens c!Dream will not have much fight left in him, just living from one torture session to another, basically given up. He will be part of the conflict, but for once, not fighting on either side. He is just an object, a prize for the winning side to claim. Other side wants him dead and the other wants his torment to continue. He can just watch everything unfold from afar, not knowing which side to root for. Every outcome is bad for him.

Of course, we can’t forget that c!Dream always have some cards in his sleeves. First of all, c!Ranboo. Would it be too farfetched to assume that c!Dream can once again trigger c!Ranboo’s enderwalk state? Consider this, the trio of minors manage to defeat c!Sam and c!Quackity, finally getting change to end c!Dream. And then, c!Ranboo turns around, empty look in his eyes, pushing his friends away. c!Tommy and c!Tubbo can’t really do anything for they would be risking their last lives. Can you imagine all the drama, c!Tubbo’s heartbreak, c!Tommy telling him they should have never trusted c!Ranboo. And of course the guilt c!Ranboo must feel after all that. Delicious, delicious drama.

And, most importantly, c!Technoblade. He still owes c!Dream a favor, and this has been talked about so many times that we basically have Chekhov’s gun in a pig-hybrid form. There is no way c!Techno wouldn’t be involved. So, this is how I imagine how it could happen. c!Techno watches the prison grounds for a couple of days, realising that c!Quackity is visiting every day. So, what better way to get in than chugging an invisibility potion and sneaking in at the same time as c!Quackity. Invisibility and fire res potions for c!Dream and it will be an easy escape.

Bonus points if all this happens at the same time. While the prison guards are fighting against the minors, c!Techno could easily use the chaos as diversion. even more bonus points if he uses a splash potion of invisibility on the fighting group to cause EVEN MORE CHAOS.

I must say, that would be absolutely epic event for April 16th.

And just a little bonus treat from me to you. I really don’t think c!Dream would be Harpocrates, but what if he was? Just imagine the next Syndicate meeting. c!Ranboo walks in defeated after his efforts to get rid of c!Dream ended up resulting in his escape. c!Techno stands up to announce that Harpocrates will be joining the meeting today. And c!Ranboo watches in shock, in disbelief, as the man he tried to kill just days ago walks in and takes the seat right across of him.

There we go, got all that out of my system. I really should have chopped this into several smaller post, but oh well. Also I dont know if c! tags are needed as I started the post with /rp but at least there will be no confusion now. I hope.

I really should write a fanfic, huh?

Anyway, can’t wait to see what happens next!

[wcoastboy]

overachieving

its very common to see threads on twitter critizing this culture of productivity, overachieving and workaholism created by our capitalist society. I agree in several aspects to be honest, many times one main example you get is miranda priestly and andy sachs. people often debate whether nate was just a toxic boyfriend stompinig in the middle of a promising career, others say miranda was indeed the devil and nate was just opening her eyes to the situation, and a third groups thinks miranda, like andy, was just another pawn of the system - given that she didnt actually own the means of production, she merely influenced them and set trends. I am very confused about all that, and this example often influences my whole view of the subject. I see myself demanding productivity a lot, and I dont really think its as bad as it sounds? like, obivously it can get unhealthy, but the moments im truly shining is getting things done (and as a good cancer, getting praised by it). its been a few semesters that im an A only student, and I will say it has been very gratifying, so when I think of the devil wears prada I cant help but idolize miranda. yes, I would hate working with her but I’d kill for that job (got it? haha). I cant help but find it amazing when I see those people who play several instruments, swim, speak many languages and rule the world, and I aspire to be like that, to partner with someone like that. I used to idolize miranda even more, but as we learn and learn, it is very obvious that this whole system is indeed not ideal for the human condition. I mean, thats why people are getting used to adderall by the thousands, its the constant need and demand for productivtiy. its inhuman, specially in the U.S. anyways, im just saying all that to say, I do think its the systems fault and that andy’s work was extremely unbalanced, but I am already inserted into the system in a way where I enjoy the competivity, the long study hours and now that Im in an internship I see myself more like an andy sachs, who kinda liks a boss like miranda. I will try to continue to write as much as I can, study languages, work and maintain my gpa, because I truly feel like I fit this modus operandi situation, but my issue begins when I am not producing shit. I need to try and fix this honeslty. I set myself a couple things to do during quarantine + summer, and im not even 1/3 done and I realized it this night that these past weeks have been youtube, documentaries, TV shows and social media and I feel so damn guilty about it, obviously many of this things have added to my pool of knowledge but still....I cant help but have this crushing feeling inside my heart.

this feeling - you probably felt it - became very intense when I was first applying to a couple universities in the U.S. I remember going to take the SATs and on the line I was talking to people, one of them spoke 11 languages, lived in 4 countries and was applying to yale. another one created an app (at 16 for god’s sake) who won a google contest and she got like 10.000USD for it. a third one was quiet, I expected her to be more ordinary like me, but she was a straight A student, spoke 3 languages, studied ballet in bolshoi and occasionally wrote to a column in a newspaper (the biggest in the state lol). we were all 16 y/o and its crazy that if I summed up all my shit it wouldnt add up to half of the impressive things they’ve done (I will say that tho, they were impressively weatlhy). the following years were all about trying to fix that - which I wont ever catch up with because I started way later, plus two of them are in yale and one in columbia lol. anyways, just a rant. 

[astrozones]

Sanders Behavioral Health, Chapter 4: Mother Logan

three hours bouta be gone

discord for only the truest Lads. gender dont matter- Astro’s Zone

Three hours.

Fifteen minutes.

Another hour.

Another break.

And so on and so forth, until it was exactly 8:45 p.m. and Logan would get ready for bed, and when 9:00 came around he would ideally be sleeping, no electronic devices in sight.

It was the perfect schedule for a weekend of study. And Logan sure did need it, he was only a couple months ahead in the curriculum, which was a month less than where he should be right now.

But just as Logan sat down to start, his phone chimed. Logan was 100% prepared to ignore it, but the voice told him he had to pick it up. The metaphorical voice, of course. Now that he knew how to identify it, he knew it was either his OCD or anxiety, and oftentimes both.

Logan stared at the book in front of him, not moving in the slightest. He knew it was stupid, he didn’t have to check anything. But, he could still anxiety rushing through his body.

He picked up the phone and went through his texts, feeling relief almost instantaneously.

FamILY!

{ We should all hang out today!!! }

[ Wait whend the chat name change ]

| like last night roman where were you |

[ Sleeping??? ]

| sleep? who’s she never heard of her |

[ And going back to Patton i am free today ]

{ Yay!!!! }

| my parents are gonna force me to do homework if I don’t, so sure |

{ !!!! }

{ Logan? }

{ We can see you’re online!! }

( I’m afraid I am busy today. I’m studying. )

{ I thought you were ahead in the class?? }

( Yes, I am. But I am not where I want to be. )

{ Aw, Logan!! You should take time to not overwork yourself!!! }

( I do. And I was under the impression that you were busy this weekend. )

[ And i oop- ]

| i can’t believe roman’s a vsco girl |

[ sksksksk ]

| that wasn’t an invitation. |

{ I am for most of the day!! I was thinking we could have a sleepover!!!! ^-^ }

| wait so i do have to do my homework? |

| i’m willing to do it if it means i get to punch roman when he acts like a vsco girl again |

[ Id like to see you try ]

{ I would very much prefer there to be no punching, but it’s great to see you’re both in!!! }

{ And Logan? }

( ... )

( I suppose I can think about it. )

{ OMG YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! }

{ We have the whole famILY :3!!! }

| huh I thought roman would’ve had something to say about that. |

{ I do have some bad news though ;-; }

{ My parents are repainting our living room and don’t wanna risk anyone messing it up :( }

{ So I was wondering if either of you were willing to host? Not Logan because he’s still considering it }

| ugh i should’ve been more picky about it and I wouldn't have to go through this |

| well my room’s too messy and it’d take more than the day to clean |

{ Well, Roman??? }

{ Roman?????????? }

[ Wait what ]

[ Sorry one of my posters fell down and i had to fix it ]

[ Lemme read through the chat ]

| lmao |

[ … ]

[ asdkfldsaihateyouvirgildksfl i suppose i can do it ]

| hey i see that |

[ My parents are out for the weekend so yea ]

{ !!!! YAY!!!!!! I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! }

-- --

Logan’s anxiety was yelling at him once more, telling him he needed to put the phone down. Ever compliant to the voice, he put it in a drawer under the desk. A little unnecessary, sure, but it made him feel better.

Logan shook his head, the voice driving into him once more. He was off-schedule! That’s 10 minutes of studying, wasted . He was certainly going to fail, all it would take was one set off his system and he’d get addicted to the freedom it promised.

He took out his pencil, and arranged the books around him to be exactly how he wanted. If it wasn’t, it would be unbalanced, and that certainly wouldn’t do.

Because everyone knows you can’t study unless you have a perfect workspace.

Right?

--

Logan was outside his house, door in front of his face. He huffed.

His parents had kicked him out for a couple hours, telling him he had to go outside for once instead of staying holed up in his study room.

They didn’t get it.

They didn’t get why it was wrong .

According to them, Ramona Steers, a staff from Sanders, had told them all the ins and outs of what they needed to help Logan get better, and that making him go outside was one of them.

Originally, they said he’d have to be out for 5 hours, but once he told them about the sleepover situation, they had agreed to take an hour off.

So, he was going to a sleepover, he had 4 hours outside, $100 to spend as he wished, and nowhere to go.

--

Logan walked into the popular local café, The Lolapad, known for it’s fantastic drinks, welcoming aesthetic, and it’s kind owner, Lola Adams.

Lilo was at the counter today, alongside her coworker… Patton?! Logan narrowed his eyes, Patton had never talked about a job, and Logan was a frequent visitor to The Lolapad. Logan knew he had to question him about it.

Well, once he got through this excruciatingly long line, anyway.

The only downside to The Lolapad was its popularity. With it being this early in the morning, it was full of daytime workers preparing for the long day ahead of them. Logan sighed.

He admired the decorations. The floor was a deep blue, to mimic water. The tables were designed like lilypads, and the chairs had a flower pattern. The walls were purple, with painted vines crawling up in some corners of the room.

The ceiling decor was the most impressive, though. Soft, blue lights and glass hung on wires from the ceiling, almost like bubbles flying towards the sky. There was no competition that would ever pass The Lolapad, at least not anywhere nearby.

He recognized a few students lounging in chairs, mostly consisting of the upbeat, extroverted club members.

And, if he was right, one Vanessa Cordill, with her boyfriend, Jace Lendell.

God, he despised Vanessa. She had been a huge bully in the past, only stopping after he stopped reacting to it. Logan hardly had anything to do in class, having learned all of this in his own time, and his teachers would yell at him the moment he picked up a book to study ahead of the curriculum. So, seeing what his classmates were doing was the only interesting option.

And oh, Logan saw .

He was never one for gossip, but he remembered so many things.

And most of it had to do with Vanessa.

Like that time she had snuck a gun into the bag of the boy beside her- Victor Jackson. Victor was taller, and larger, and had a mean-looking face. For anyone who got to know him, though, he was very sweet, and hated hurting people.

Victor was expelled the next day.

Logan had, of course, defended Victor. But Vanessa was convincing, lying her way through her nice girl act until the principal was convinced.

So, Logan did what he did best. He collected evidence. And, once he felt as though he had enough, he would report her.

But until then, he was forced to stand by and watch as Vanessa got to do whatever she wanted.

She was like a villain out of a bad movie, or a crappy fanfiction.

“Oh, Logan!” Patton’s voice dragged him out of his thoughts. Logan was at the front of the line, apparently. “I didn’t expect to see you here!”

“Neither did I,” he responded. “When did you start working here?”

“Oh, no, I don’t usually work here! Jessalyn asked me to replace her today, well, she asked last week- so I’m working here for a couple hours! Lola was okay with it, she’s really nice y’know? And-”

“Are you getting paid?” Logan asked. It would be rather selfish of Jessalyn to keep all of the money, at least in his opinion.

Patton shook his head. “Nuh-uh. But I’m okay with it though! I like helping people. Now, what can I get ya?”

--

Logan found himself on a swing at an empty park. He had finished his drink, and was now letting himself go back, and forth, back, and forth. He wasn’t the biggest fan of attempting to do anything… potentially dangerous, but he found softly letting himself go back and forth was a good way to collect his thoughts.

The birds chirped in the background as the sun shone above him. Everything was as it should be, but he couldn’t stay too long at the risk of getting a sunburn.

He heard a text come in, and he pulled out his phone.

FamILY!

{ If your son gets burnt by the sun, is it a sonburn? }

-- --

Logan smiled slightly as the replies came in from his friends, all exclamations of distaste as Patton sent a plethora of emojis, that mostly being-

Oh.

Wait.

His friends .

…

Hm.

Not that he was against that, of course, but the immediate reaction of calling them his friends was, well, a little unnerving. He had always been the quiet one, and had a few friends in the past, though they had all moved away to other towns or cities or whatever . He didn’t care.

And if his new friends did the same, he would be okay with that. Yes, he would definitely be okay with that. If they cared, they would contact him, and if they didn’t, he was okay with that. There was no use fighting it, after all that would only give him more time to study.

As it should be.

He put his phone away, no use replying, as he had already agreed to go to their sleepover.

He heard giggling from behind him. He was brought back to the real world, only to find that he had slowed to a stop. Logan turned his head around.

There stood a small being, maybe 6-7 years old, and definitely a child. He had a light brown mop of hair on his head, and donned a red-black-green coat and tiara. He stood to face… it.

“Hi! I’m Adrian!” the kid said, stuttering over the ‘r’. “What’s- did you just get done from a- a-

‘businesses’ meeting or somethin?”

Logan looked down at himself. He wasn’t even wearing a tie today… he had a simple black button-up shirt, and jeans. What about this screamed ‘professional’?

“No,” was all he said in response.

“Are you- are you gonna go to a businesses meeting?”

“No. I’m still in high school.” At this, the miniature human named Adrian grinned, and he could practically see the metaphorical sparkles.

“That’s so cool! I’m only in firs’ grade, but Mommy says I’m gonna be 7 in-” Adrian started counting on his fingers. “15 months!”

“What… do you mean 15 days?” he asked, it was either that or 15 weeks. Adrian nodded excitedly. What he was excited for, Logan couldn’t tell.

“YEAH! I’m gonna be so smart!” Adrian boasted, causing Logan to smile slightly. “Do you wanna come play wif me?”

“I- er-” he was cut off as the 6-year-old grabbed his hand and tugged him along towards a large willow tree.

“I’m gonna show you my friend- her name is Joy! She has two dads, isn’t that so cool! Some people make funs of her for it- but I find it cool! She’s really funny, there she is!” He pointed towards a girl, presumably 6 as well, in a princess costume, and very red hair.

“JOY! I FOUNDS US A FRIEND FOR OUR TEA PARTY!” hold on, tea party ?!

“It’s Princess Joy now,” the girl stated, surprisingly strict for someone so small. “Who is he?”

“Dis is Logan!” Adrian said, adding in a whispered, “he’s a buisnesses man”

“Hold on-” Logan tried. He suddenly found the purple princess in front of him, eyebrow raised. Was he about to get judged by a child?

“Hmm,” Joy said, looking him up and down before nodding. “He may stay.”

She turned around and strutted back to where she was sitting before. She dusted off her skirt before plopping down on the ground, gesturing for them to sit near her.

“We don’t have an actual table, so we gotta pretend.” Adrian whispered to him before skipping over and sitting near Joy. Logan reluctantly joined them.

“Princess Adrian, may you please pour the tea?” Joy instructed. Adrian nodded, miming the actions of pouring.

“Princess?”

“Yes, Peasant Logan,” Logan jerked his head back, this kid - “Princess is longer than prince so’s it’s better than a prince. Princess Adrian and me are both princesses.”

“Prince and princess are equal titles.” Logan said. Joy actually looked offended .

“Impossible.”

“Yeah!” Adrian chimed in, sitting himself down in his spot. “Everyone knows that.”

“But-”

“Princess Adrian! That’s rude, Logan’s a peasant so he didn’t know.” Joy said, taking a ‘sip’ of imaginary tea.

“Oh! Sorrys Logan.” Adrian’s voice lowered, and if Logan was right he was on the verge of tears?

“Er… It’s okay Adri- Princess Adrian.”

Adrian brightened. “YAAAY!” he cheered, getting up and bouncing around him. Logan didn’t know what to do-

“That is not princess behavior, Princess Adrian.” Joy said, turning up her nose. Adrian looked confused.

“It isn’t?”

“Princesses are more quiet. I’m 7, so I know better.”

“I’m 17,” Logan cut in. Joy turned to him.

“And? You’re still a peasant, Logan. I don’t makes the rules,” Joy put her cup of tea down. “I only knows them.”

Logan was about to respond, when-

“Woah, hey what’s going on here?” another voice said. Turning around, Logan saw Roman enter their little… area behind the leaves. He sighed.

Adrian gasped from beside him, nearly tripping over his feet in order to get to Roman. He peered up at him.

“Are yous a prince?” He asked, practically vibrating where he stood. Roman scoffed.

“Of course I am, I’m Prince Roman! I just lost my crown.” Roman announced. Adrian glanced at Joy, who nodded, causing Adrian to smile.

“I’m Princess Adrian! That’s,” he turned back around to point at Joy and Logan. “Princess Joy and Peasant Logan.” Roman, the bastard, hid his giggles behind his hand. Logan glared.

“Peasant Logan didn’t knows that princesses are higher than princes cause princess is longer. That’s true, right?” He asked, dragging Roman along to sit with them. Roman looked at Logan, smug.

“Of course! It’s common knowledge! For shame, Logan!” Roman exclaimed as he sat.

“For shame!” Adrian repeated. Logan groaned, shoving his face into his hands. This is not how he thought his day would go.

He felt a small hand pat his knee, and he looked up to see Joy looking at him with a sympathetic frown.

“It’s okay, Logan. Not all of us can be royalty.” She said, before returning to her princess persona and commanding, “Princess Adrian, would you may please pour Prince Roman some tea?”

Adrian nodded, standing up and dashing around the ‘table’ to give Roman his… ‘tea’.

“Thank you, Princess Adrian, I am forever in your debt.” Roman mock bowed from his sitting position. Adrian giggled before returning to Joy.

“Once we are done with our tea, we shall help you find your crown, Prince Roman.” Joy said before taking another sip.

“Of course. Thank you, Your Highness,” Roman faked taking a sip of his tea. “I must say, this tea is quite delicious! I commend your skills, Princess Joy.”

Joy preened at the praise, resituating the tiara on her head. “Thank you, Prince Roman. It is greatly appra- appre- appreciated.”

Minutes of his free time went by as they all mimed sipping tea and making small talk. Well, all except Logan. That quickly changed once Joy prompted him to start drinking, with Adrian and Roman piping up in agreement. Begrudgingly, Logan followed through.

Eventually, Joy stood up and announced that they had all finished their tea, and had to search for Roman’s crown. Logan argued that Roman’s crown didn’t exist. Joy said he was just a peasant and didn’t know what he was talking about. That shut Logan up pretty quick.

So, he was dragged around on the search for a crown he was certain didn’t exist. Joy separated them into teams, Roman and Joy on one, Logan and Adrian on the other. She said her reasoning was ‘one to search and one to protect’, with both her and Adrian on the search side.

Logan silently followed Adrian around as he set out to find it, looking in the places it couldn’t even be at times.

“Logan!” Adrian whispered, tugging on his sleeve. “Logan look! Issa bunny.”

And it was. A cream colored rabbit was frozen staring at them, ready to move at any sudden movement. Hm, that reminded him of Virgil… or was that rude?

He watched as Adrian slowly crept up on the rabbit. Logan looked around to find Joy and Roman. He saw Joy’s bright purple dress… in a tree? Roman was right next to her, carefully following to catch her if she fell while she was searching the tree.

He turned once more to Adrian, only to find him cuddling the bunny. Odd… if it were wild, it would have bolted the moment he came too close, so this one must be socialized. He walked towards Adrian and the rabbit.

Adrian smiled at him as he approached.

“I named him Jerry!” Adrian whispered, extending the rabbit towards Logan. “Wanna pet ‘im?”

Logan reached out to Jerry, only to jump back when it tried to bite him.

“Bad Jerry! Don’t bite people!” Adrian reprimanded the animal, as if it were a dog and not a clearly aggressive rabbit.

Well, at least when they brought it over to the other two it attempted to bite them, so at least it wasn’t exclusively Logan. It seemed to only like Adrian, to Adrian’s delight and Joy’s distaste. They were quickly corralled into a game of House by Joy, the quest for Roman’s crown forgotten.

Joy claimed herself as the father, saying, “I have two dads so I have to be the dad!”. Both Roman and Adrian nodded in agreement at her claim. She pointed to Logan.

“You shall be the mom!”

“ What- ”

“You act like a mom so you are a mom.” She cut him off, turning to Adrian and Roman for confirmation. They both agreed, Roman looking amused at Logan’s sneer.

“I’ll be the kid!” Adrian announced. Joy nodded and pointed to Roman.

“You can be the dog! Because you remind me of the golden dogs.” She said. Logan would’ve laughed if he hadn’t been put in a worse situation. Roman nodded, looking determined.

“Woof,” was all he said. Joy nodded once more.

“Perfect.”

—

So Logan found himself playing a game of House, something he hadn’t done in years . He interacted as little as they would let him, dear god if another student came and saw him like this, he wouldn’t survive.

He ended up there for far longer than he had wanted, a total of 6 hours since he was kicked out. Yet he was reluctant to leave, he knew it would break the kids hearts if he did.

He was finally freed from his metaphorical prison when a voice called,

“Adrian! Come on, we gotta drop off Joy at her dads’ house!” A woman called. Logan glanced at Adrian.

“Is that your mom?” he asked. Adrian nodded, turning to the two older men. He gave them both hugs, first Logan, then Roman. He even gave Roman his tiara, saying he was sorry they couldn’t find his crown, and he had more tiaras at home. He turned as Joy stood up and they both sprinted towards Adrian’s mom, well, only after Adrian had picked up Jerry.

Both of the remaining boys watched, amused, as Adrian seemed to argue with his mother before she gave up and let Jerry in the car. Before Adrian got in the car, though, he turned to the boys.

“Bye-bye Logan! Bye-bye Prince Roman!” he shouted, before disappearing into the car.

“So,” Roman started, and Logan mentally prepared to be poked fun at.

“See you at my house in a couple hours?” Logan blinked, once, twice, before he realized that he wasn’t being made fun of for playing with children for several hours. Well, he supposed that made sense, as Roman had done the same.

“Uh… sure.” Was all he said before making his way back home.

—

Logan was stressed, to say the least, when he got home. His parents were happy that he stayed out for longer than they had offered, but all Logan’s mind would acknowledge was that he went off schedule. He was going to be so behind, this is why you don’t go off schedule, Logan! You get looped into it, and you’ll never get out of it.

He dedicated the rest of his free time to studying.

As it should be.

[blookmallow]

whos up for a 

✨COMPLICATED LUMENIA LORE POST ✨

i know, i know, try to contain the excitement

theres... a big spoiler in here but i cant figure out how to talk about this without it lmao so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ i dont think it rly matters to anyone anyway but the section its in is marked. this is still a work in progress but here it is anyway

All soul collectors (and familiars) have two alignments: life or death and light or darkness 

these do Not mean “good” and “evil” however, and all collectors have some connection to them all (and magic can be learned, as well)

--

Life aligned are often immensely powerful, but at times difficult to control without proper focus and discipline. They have high stamina and heal quickly, often have skill with healing and protection magic. Often have very high magic levels. They are often able to create small forms of life, with lesser sentience - such as Venus’s plants, Chris’s robots, Mayzie’s sugarsprites, etc. Shuri is an exception - she is a Death aligned, but studied extensively under Mother’s guidance and has learned (and even mastered) Life magic. Life magic at that level (creating forms of life) is inaccessible to humans, though some Antis in very rare circumstances can use it (though creating sentience is only possible to soul collectors). Lumeni who are not soul collectors often have life magic as well, but do not have the power that soul collectors have. Creating little motes to help out around the house (which disappear after a while) is a fairly common ability, but creating a lasting, real living creature with sentience would not be possible for those who are not soul collectors. 

Death aligned generally cannot make life (at least not without extensive training), but are very perceptive and empathetic, often skilled in divination and prone to visions or premonitions. They are very good at communicating with the dead - all soul collectors can do this, of course, and all can see ghosts (thats. Their Job) but Death aligned are particularly good at it, and often will pick up lost or abandoned souls that were not claimed by their collectors (either through unusual circumstances, negligence, or whatever the case may be) or will take over for others when dealing with particularly volatile souls. Souls of children are often transferred to Death aligned as well. Humans with Death magic in them can almost always see (or at least sense) ghosts. Premonitions and visions are common as well, often stronger in Antis. Most Antis can see or sense ghosts regardless of alignment, but Death aligned will have greater skill (and a better sense for the situation - a Death aligned Anti or human will be much more likely to figure out what an angry spirit wants, while a Life aligned might be able to see it, but not know what it is trying to communicate). Death aligned tend to have a higher comprehension of Time and Mortality. 

i havent sorted out Light and Dark as clearly yet, but 

Light energy is very strong and focused; can be difficult to control, especially in children, but can become highly powerful when used correctly. Often very physical, such as manipulating environments or elements. not well defined yet

Dark energy is chaotic and often destructive, frequently involves psychic abilities or altering the flow of time in small ways. also not well defined yet. probably even more undefined right now, :’) 

---

All soul collectors have these alignments, again, they all have a little of everything but will naturally be drawn to one side or the other in both aspects, and the abilities they have also depends a lot on what they study and what they practice. 

Familiars will almost always have the same alignment as their masters, but often will mirror in one aspect and have different tendencies in the other (like, SC has Light/Death, familiar has Light with Life tendencies, etc), and the souls in a collector’s possession will often have traces of the same alignments as their collector. this manifests in really weird ways with antis sometimes. more on that later

Soul collectors are born from eggs that form in an underground spring, drawn from the magic in the planet’s core (which is why their magic levels are so much higher than anyone else on their planet - other Lumeni bear children the same as humans. They are deeply affected by the planet’s core, but not born from it) 

there’s a lot of debate as to whether this is a strictly natural occurrence, or if the core has some kind of sentient will to intentionally create the eggs (or, if this core is possibly controlled by some higher being) (or if the core IS a higher being)

the First Egg was a twin egg - a single egg containing two collectors (and their two familiars), this being Rachna and Shivari (who would later come to be known as the Great Mother)

these two represent a perfect balance of the alignments - Rachna as Death and Darkness, Shivari as Light and Life. Again, not “good and evil” - there’s no evil twin (and they’re not remotely identical either lmao) and no conflict between them, they work Together, always, neither of them ever takes action without consulting the other first 

their familiars mirror them, “Muffin” is also Death/Darkness, and Jacinda is also Light/Life

Twin eggs are not exactly “siblings” the way humans think of them - they can look drastically different and have very different powers/attributes/skills, but will usually see themselves as akin to siblings 

Shivari created, over time, all the plant life on Lumenia. the legend goes that she also created all the animals and the first Lumeni themselves, but she won’t confirm it either way. she probably did not create the lumeni, though, in any case

Lumeni look up to her as their high queen, and some worship her as a mother goddess as well; she has temples across the planet 

Rachna is said to be the first to have realized the ability to create Underworlds and the whole system of soul collection and judgement. The extent to which this is actually true is unclear, but probably more likely than the “mother created lumeni” theory.

*** this is the part where the spoilers happen ***

the second egg was another twin egg - this time containing an unbalanced pair: Kadri and Nahbi. Kadri is a necromancer - she is simultaneously Life and Death at once, with Dark energy. Nahbi was Death aligned, with both Light and Dark at once, and therefore incredibly powerful, but very, very dangerous though he never intended to be. 

Nahbi is dead. The story goes that he was murdered by an Anti, but the truth may be that he was in fact destroyed by his own power (which destroyed his familiar in the process, and destroyed the Anti’s body). He has a statue in the tomb beneath Mother’s temple garden, but is rarely ever spoken of now. Kadri cannot talk about him without getting extremely distressed. Not many people know about him at all. 

after that, the core produced another egg - this time, the first single egg, containing Kali and Dasa, a Death/Darkness aligned pair, though Kali has some light tendencies as well. This is said to have been the universe attempting to rebalance itself again after the last egg. They were the first born without a twin, which possibly may have influenced their eventual decision to join together - a sense of missing a twin that never was. 

*** ok the spoilers are over ***

Shivari, Rachna, Kadri, and Kalidasa are known today as “The Ancient Ones.” They are the only collectors hatched from single eggs forming one at a time - after this, the core began producing batches of several eggs at once in varying amounts, now referred to as “cycles.” The new cycles are highly varied and much more balanced, though twin eggs have become increasingly rare. 

----

alignments and notes about them if i have them but this is already getting to be way longer than it needs to be. also some mentions of their souls where i remember them bc i dont want to look up who everyone was assigned to right now lmao

Shivari (”Mother”) || Life/Light --- Jacinda || Life/Light

- Bee and Dan are both Mother’s souls, both tending toward Life/Light too 

Rachna || Death/Darkness --- (the unspeakable name only the ancients can pronounce) (”Muffin”) || Death/Darkness

- Lex has a high Death alignment; he’s good with ghosts and has a very strong sense for bad vibes and such. sometimes gets premonitions about things, not straight up visions of the future but just strong “I really should not do this” or “something bad is going to happen if I do that” or “there’s bad energy in here something really bad happened here” senses. his origin has it too but denies it violently and thinks its influences of the devil - which might be why lex trusts it and embraces it, as her opposite

Kadri || Life-Death/Darkness --- Skrab || Death / Darkness 

Kadri is an exception: she has a command of both Life and Death. Her powers are in fact weak necromancy - she can’t literally bring someone back from the dead (though it might not be impossible), but she can reanimate corpses and create skeletal minions with lesser forms of sentience. any zombies or skeletons she creates do not have souls and will just go back to being dead once she stops powering them, they’re basically just puppets, but a lot of collectors (especially Death aligned) think this is a complete abomination just on principle. kadri does not care. she has not spent any time honing her Death magic skills, so her ability with time/divination/etc is basically nonexistent even though the potential is there

- kadri’s souls tend to be especially chaotic because of that power imbalance and that’s why we have people like laelia 

Kalidasa || Death/Darkness

Venus || Life/Darkness --- Dahlia || Death/Darkness

Celina || Death/Darkness with some Light tendencies --- Cesare || Death/Darkness 

Shuri || Death/Light, with Life tendencies brought out through study --- Stasia || Life/Light

- dreyden has death alignment but is completely oblivious to it. he could probably see a ghost but wouldn’t notice it at all, or wouldn’t notice it was a ghost. he thinks he just has really bizarre luck sometimes and has no idea whatsoever that its often actually premonition - “i got off at Brookton because i just felt like it i guess, i dunno” actually ended up being the place he met his future boyfriend, made the best friends he’s ever had, finally found a place to live, etc, but he would never even consider “I had a premonition about this place” as like, even a Possibility 

- Skye seems like the last person you’d expect to have a Death alignment but he actually definitely does; he’s incredibly empathetic and sensitive to the energy and emotions around him, he can see ghosts, he’s had actual direct prophetic dreams before, he trusts instincts when he gets them because they’re usually right. He also has a very high Light affinity. this manifested COMPLETELY backwards with damian, possibly Because skye’s alignment is so solid and strong - damian’s powers are literally darkness, and despite being a piece of shit murderer obsessed with death, he actually has basically no skill with Death magic at all. he’s barely aware of ghosts. he acts on impulse and self interest, he ignores Vibes and Energy because he feels he’s above it and knows best himself regardless. he has No empathy. he loves to kill but he does not understand death. he doesn’t see himself as a person who can die. the dead want nothing to do with him

Chris || Life/Light --- Phoebe || Life/Light

chris doesn’t seem to match his alignment - telekinesis seems like it’d be a Dark magic, but it’s actually highly physical, you can actually see it manifesting as light in his eyes when he uses it, and it’s all about physically manipulating objects in his environment. He cares very deeply about his souls and has learned to communicate well with the dead, but struggles to connect emotionally in a way that makes sense to others around him. He cares fiercely, intensely, with everything in his being; he stores collected souls in a mechanism he integrated in with his own actual physical heart, but he has a very difficult time expressing and showing it, so he still often comes across as distant and emotionally oblivious, especially to Death aligned people 

- Gavin and Kayzee both have strong Light tendencies too. kayzee especially is a definite Life person 

Mayzie || Life/Darkness with some Light tendencies

mayzie is very very very bad at Death magic, which is. probably a big reason she dropped out of her training

[catalina-infanta]

Fantastic Beasts meets Star Wars

I was watching the Fantastic Beasts movies and one thing I love about those films is their use of the main character (the protagonist and Hero) being a bit different than the regular hero, and showing traits of someone with autism (he won't look other characters in the eye for long, his very specific interests of caring for animals to which he has developed specialized expertise, and his comments about how people “often don’t like him”). I, myself, love seeing heroes who aren’t your cookie cutter male alpha, punching people while making sassy remarks. I think Ben Solo/Kylo Ren kinda fits this mold too, as did Luke Skywalker. They just aren’t your usual alpha dog, they have emotions, they are real people.  

Yet, there seem to be some other trends where the writing of the Star Wars sequel trilogy and the Fantastic Beasts series are concerned. 

Black and White Thinking

One is the theme of black and white thinking as being portrayed as evil. Maybe this is even more pressing today. Of course, this is coming about out of Hollywood, as Americans are experiencing more and more the pain and dangers of bipartisanship within their government. Yet on the world stage, however (as I am not American) the insidious effects of how we consume media through computer and search engine algorithms (which gather information particular to our interests and worldviews) means we rarely leave our own information bubbles or read news with which we may disagree with. This is separating us further from others more and more, forming divides and even black and white thinking (us versus them) when we are unable to tolerate or understand other people’s opinions.

In the movies, these topics are being stressed with good versus bad, us versus them and with fascist, totalitarian thinking at play. Even visually this is being represented. For instance, the main villain of Fantastic Beasts, Grindelwald, is repeatedly wearing black and white. Conversely, however, the hero Newt Scamander is shown wearing colours, blue and yellow. And this is not the first movie to make colour an important feature in expression ideas about characters:

 This is showing Grindelwalds polarized, thinking of purebloods against those who are not is black and white (read: wrong). Indeed, in the films expresses this as flawed further when it has the main protagonist, Newt, express distaste at how American wizards cut interaction with muggles out entirely and see them as lesser beings, probably commenting on racism in America and its enduring systemic ills. 

Of course, we all know that black and white is traditionally part of the Star Wars good versus bad, but even this is changing, with Rey moving into greyer garbs from her earlier whiter clothing. 

Forbidden Attachments

Also, much like Jedi were forbidden from attachments, Muggle’s can’t be with magic folk in America (its illegal even). Much like dark force users were taught to fear the dark and stay away from light jedi. There is no middle ground, just bad and good, no learning from each other or expanding, just lines which cannot be crossed. So of course, where you have a plot like this which the writers think are constrictive or wrong, you have your main characters crossing this line (in the case of Fantastic Beasts, to show its wrong and backward, and in the case of Star Wars to show its worth expanding outward and understanding the other side, forgiving and letting those who have fallen back into the fold to repent and redeem and that even they can be good nd have souls worth loving). 

In Fantastic Beasts, one of the main love stories is one between Queenie and Joseph, a witch and a muggle. Like Rey and Kylo Ren, a lightsider and darksider union (we think..but c’mon its pretty obvious they are romantic!). So both movie trilogies have 2 protagonists who are braving this divide, but finding it casts them out, or jeopardizes their union. Rey and Kylo cannot bridge there divide (nor should they with how dark kylo is right now), and in Fantastic Beasts, (***SPOILER***) the American witch Queenie, in the end of the Crimes of Grindelwald has even joined the evil cause of Grindelwald because she (misguidedly) believes they can help her relationship with the Muggle Joseph come to be allowed. 

The Evils of Repression

So above we have two themes, black and white, polarized thinking as being shown as wrong, and main characters attempting to breach these divides between two worlds/belief structures through love. 

But there is one more similarity. In the Fantastic Beasts 1st movie, there is a dark phenomenon known as an Obscurial. According to Wiki fandom, an obscurial is a young wizard or witch who developed a dark parasitical magical force, known as an obscurus, as a result of their magic being suppressed (often through abuse or fear of showing their powers). According to Dumbledore, an Obscurial can possibly be healed by replacing their feelings of alienation with a sense of belonging. 

Repression has long been seen of as something akin to evil in western film and storytelling (often you see priests in TV and movies going through this, self-flagellating, or whipping themselves for their nasty sinful thoughts – and these characters tend to be evil, think of Paul Bettany’s character in Dan Browns Da Vinci Code, or the evil guy Frollo in Hunchback of Notre Dame). 

Something Star Wars has been dealing with since the advent of the prequel trilogy is this idea of repression leading to evil. One of Anakin’s, and I argue Ben’s, troubles was with the repression of their dark natures, or even repression of just their good emotions such as love for Padme or Shmi, causing them to become unbalanced and leading them to evil. I get it, if someone told me I couldn’t love I would grow angry too, and I am pissed with the Jedi – it seems Luke was too. 

The idea that balance is necessary in the Star Wars community is pretty self-evident though, so I wont take too much time explaining this. Ben and Anakin are emotional guys, constantly told to keep it all in, only let the light out, repress your feelings and any darkness that may be felt because that’s “bad” (Yoda’s advice to Anakin when he was fearing for Padme’s death to “rejoice for her” for becoming one with the force sucked, and we are meant to be frustrated by it, because I can't believe George Lucas would expect us to agree with Yoda and believe it was OK for Padme to die and that Anakin should just move on). Indeed, to repress and deny the good and bad inside us is damaging and something we should all avoid – this is the Jungian notion of accepting and resolving yourself with your shadow self, instead of ignoring it until it explodes, much as the Obscurials do when they cant hold it in any longer and they die at a young age. 

As a side note, I was really happy to see Credence didn’t actually die at the end of the first Fantastic Beasts film, because he was obviously an abused and unloved child looking for his parents (sound familiar? Rey?). Although sadly, I’m not sure he will survive the series of films now that he has joined Grindelwald, or that the writers care enough to give this character anything more than redemption equals death scenario and not bother to give him a happy ending or find belonging and peace. 

Conclusion and how these movies should wrap up

Anyways, I guess I just thought it interesting that both films were dealing with similar themes, probably because they are issues we are dealing with in society, but they are issues society deals with all the time in one way or another at all times but perhaps we feel they are more pressing today?

The importance of these themes to these movies, however, means they should be in some way resolved at the end of each series because they aren’t going to reinforce these notions by punishing the characters who act out of the bounds of societies black and white framework. 

With Star Wars, I think there will be a better way to look at how Jedi will go about their business in dealing with the dark side (i.e. with more understanding of what it is instead of fear and rejection), and how individual Jedi will deal with the darkness inside themselves in thier own personal journies to avoid the worst. This will hopefully include some resolution on how future Jedi will deal with attachment - rather than just repressing everything and forgetting about it. I dont think this is something that is valued today in the west, because no one wants to abandon those things about human life that make it most worth living.  

On that note, I also expect the two pairs of lovers of both Star Wars and Fantastic Beasts to be reunited, in order to visually and narratively show a change and love for the other side and repair the longtime split between the groups. Its more than just a sappy ending, it’s a metaphor for how we should think about the “Other” that we are told to fear or belittle by a society that has gone too far in its black and white thinking. So, Queenie should marry Joseph even though Muggles are thought beneath wizards, and Kylo and Rey should both come towards the centre and be together and find their belonging they so desire, thereby resolving their loneliness. (However, this is a whole other question of Kylo’s redemption, etc.). But the notion that Jedis shouldn’t marry be damned! And this is the PERFECT way to show that stupid rule was dumb and resolve the very thing Anakin struggled with in some way. And, for that matter, the notion that forgiveness shouldn’t be given to those who have erred or fallen by the wayside be damned! 

No, in the end, the lesson is that black and white thinking sucks, and love and forgiveness is what matters for those who find it in their hearts, to love, and not fear the other side is what our heroes are showing us, with a multitude of colour to express the variety of people, and emotions, that life can give us. 

[goatedman13]

Overview Of Course (Reflection)

Dylan Decker

Eng-3298/Wgs3298

07/27/21

CP Book Reflection:

Welcome to my commonplace book assignment, where I will talk about themes and main ideas that I have learned throughout the semester. To start off, I want to talk about my posts that I have selected, (shown below). For primary research I analyzed my classmates' posts from throughout the summer and picked the ones that best focus on my theme. One theme that I believe is real and evident throughout our class is women equality as well as discrimination. I enjoyed reading and getting a better understanding of this theme throughout the semester, especially because I notice these issues in sports all the time. I am a big sports fan and have been following the news about inequality when discussing men and womens sports. I have reblogged multiple posts below that talk about inequality in pay, attention and  popularity. The highest paid male in their given sport is making double or even more than the highest paid women in the same sport. One popular issue that most people have heard about is the controversy between mens and womens national soccer. The US men's team accumulates to over 38 million in total salary whereas the women only totals to 4 million. There are many words that I can use to describe this situation but to be honest it is simply unfair and cruel. Not only because they are doing the same exact thing, but the women have gained more press and popularity than the men due to their success. Not only have they outscored the men in viewership year after year, but they have also won more World Cups and have been overall more noticeable and appreciated. You may be asking why they aren't being paid the same as the men? Well they eventually had enough of the unbalanced system and filed a lawsuit towards the District Court of California. The case consisted of alleged  gender based pay discrimation which blatantly violated the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. They had hard evidence that the men’s team was making way more than they shouldn't have, in 2015 the women won the world cup and got paid 1.73 million in total bonuses for the players. When the men didn't even come close to winning and still earned 5.38 million in performance based bonuses. If you would like to read more I found a fantastic article that lays out what exactly happened. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/03/12/us-womens-soccer-team-is-better-than-men-thatll-help-its-case/)  

Although there are many other cases of discrimation towards women there are also good things happening to improve our equality. Fortune 500 came out with a graph that shows an overview of the number of women CEOs in the 500 from 1999 to 2020. In 1999 there were only 2 total. Fast forward to 37 in 2020, it shows that we are making changes in our society and letting the old traditions slowly dwindle with time.  Although 37 women may not seem like a drastic change, who knows what the total will be in 2025. I find this to be inspiring and interesting to me, especially because I am a Business Administration major. After school I want to earn my job in the most fair way possible, I would never want to be told that I only got the job because of my skin color or gender. Gender pay gaps are also a massive problem in our world. The issue of gender pay is a problem in everycountry not just ours. I looked at a graph that shows the pay gap between men and women in each country. After analyzing the graph it was evident that worldwide change was necessary. In Estonia the pay gap is 21.7% which is the highest in any country. Which means no matter how powerful or talented you are, if you live in a country like this it is very difficult for a woman to be successful. This deeply saddens me because it's as if they dont even have a chance, this is all due to cultural traditions passed down for many years.

Throughout the semester we have read as well as watched videos on women discussing discrimation towards them and other cultures. One thing I realized overtime is that support is one of the best and biggest things we can do to continue towards an equal society. One tumblr post from sdunk43 stood out to me and best describes empowerment towards women. I believe that inorder to keep this momentum towards women empowerment men have to play a role also. Women helping other women reach their full potential is a great thing, and us men should try to do the same for them. We are not in our grandparents' generation anymore where men “rule the world”. We are in 2021 and it's time to make massive strides towards an equal society where a woman can have and be as much as men. This discussion can go into much more detail, because not only have women been affected from this but peeople of color or a different gender face discriminattion everyday. Throughout the month of June our class focused on issues with the LGBT community, and how to better understand what they deal with regularly. Earlier in the semester our class read and discussed Under the Udala Trees. Although it wasnt exactly accurate it gave us a sense of how difficult it was to fight and struggle for change. I am sad to say that Ijeoma struggled and told her story hoping Nigeria would change for the better, but the country still struggles with this issue in the present day. The LGBT has worked so hard to adapt in different cultures, hopefully if we work together and support them every month instead of one we can make a change thatll benefit our society in the future.

To wrap things up, It is important to keep what we learned this semester and to actually support and do things to make our society better, instead of just saying it. It's one thing to say you want change, it's a whole other thing to actually be a part of it. I personally will continue to follow the news in other countries as well as indulge myself into supporting other people in any way possible. I never was a member of tumblr before this class and was unsure what exactly it was about. But after this class I have realized it's a safe place to share aswell as express how we feel and try to work towards a change. I plan to expand my profile and continue to post and hopefully bring awareness to these situations we have encountered throughout the semester. I wish you all the best of luck and hopefully we can think about this class 5 years from now and notice massive improvement to our society,  and strides to full equality.

[teddy-feathers]

I think this is a very sad thing to say

and unthinking

and, in its unthinkingness, cruel

Perhaps you would not benefit from it - though I'd argue that most people could benefit from a good shrink at least once in a while as we are not, generally speaking, taught how best to deal with anything emotionally speaking, and those methods we comeup with for ourselves are not always unharmful in the long term to ourselves and others - but the entire field exists for people who demonstrably do not only benefit from it but need it.

On a personal level I can say:

I have needed it for years, and had I access to it from a younger age many of my serious life traumas- and I do not use the term lightly - could have been avoided. I would not need help now if I had had it then probably.

More recently and worse still, I have gone without therapy, hanging on to my sanity - and i wish this was hyperbole - with increasing desperation since last june. six months of telling myself not to drive my car off the road. six months of making sure i go to work without fail. six months of wishing i could hurt myself and it make me feel better however temporarily and harmful in the long term that would be and regretting that pain does nothing for me so theres no point. six months of fighting panic attacks with and without medication that make it physically hardee for me to have one. six months and going on 7 years of having to teach myself mindfulness (a tool in a shrinks arsenal) and scrape myself together from self loathing and a desperate need to prove myself not the absolute shit stain of a person i felt myself to be after an emotionally abusive relative got done with me. a relative i have had to see since most recently the month around christmas. Ive lived with untreated adhd which has in the eyes of society and family alike made me a failure as a member of society and fucked up any future prospects i might have had despite my privileged life.

i have gone without therapy when ive desperately needed it because i cant afford it.

"a total stranger" who is at best trained and on your side and can tell the difference between unbalanced brain chemistry and harmful learned mindsets that kill people every day and knows how to deal with both. a person who again at best is on your side and will help you when you are desperate and alone and a damger to yourself and others. a person who well help bring you back from things that scar your mind as well as help you over come obstacles that it seems no one else has and are ruining your life.

I'm lucky that i CAN go without therapy and i desperately need help - everyone needs some sort of help and sometimes people you know and love and trust will only hurt you with their help with you both unknowing - but there are people who cant. there are people who see shot there are people who struggle not to kill themselves ever day there are people who are so terrified of everything they cant function at all. there are people with innumerable conditions that make them unable to function in society or bare to go on.

there are people suffering in a thousand different ways and we have a whole profession built on helping them specifically and our society as a whole and understand how our minds function

and no I'm not arguing that there have not been issues and problems with the system itself but thats not the issue here - there are ossues with the regular medical practice as it stands as well - the issue is that you want to say "fuck this whole idea" and for what? because it doesnt benefit you? because you dont understand it or the problems it works to help?

god i shouldnt have gone off on a rant I shouldnt have but im so fucking blindsided but the ignorance, the absolute lack in empathy the the idk the audacity to sit there and say "this cant possibly be worth it" like living in the north and saying that air conditioning is a stupid usless idea

Do you have - i doubt you do that you could possibly - any idea how how much of a stigma there is, even today when its the most accepted its ever been, in getting mental health treatment? Do you have any idea just how large the population is in EVERY social class there is that NEEDS not just could benefit of which would increase the total but NEEDS treatment either of medication or just talking

just talking like thats all there is

like there arent tools as real as math formulas- hell there ARE math formulas weirdly enough ive seen them - that they give you to teach yourself to help yourself to build yourself out of whatever rube goldberg machine your brain has you trapped in

i hope you read this nonsense

i hope you think "my word, theres something wrong with this crazy asshole" because there are. there are many things wrong with me and just about everyone you know and not everyone needs help with them from - fucking seriously? - simply talking to a shrink or but theres an entire fucking profession built out of helping people that do just like there are entire glasses companies and prosthetics and diabetes medications but yes because its not tangible its obvious it has no intrinsic value and we're all being scammed

god the amount of fighting to get to the point where even if its only done mockingly and inadequately to get people to add mental health to company policies because people still despite it being a science and tested and continuing to be tested and built upon practices against what a therapist does just so you can sy youre against the whole concept of therapy when having talked to a shrink for a few months had very really saved my life is astounding

and im rambling again fine whatever

im a complete and utter asshole and im furious but this comment is just unthinkingly unkind and i do not like it and here is some of a rant of why

[robertjameshomeservices]

When it comes to a balance between family and business, I don’t believe I have all the answers. Nobody does. I do, however, believe I know the questions that need to be answered to get that long-term healthy balance that is just right for you. Both my business and personal experience have brought me to this point.

Let me explain.

Powering ahead

I have to tell you, there was a time when I thought I had all the answers. It was 2005. I was in my mid-thirties and had four awesome kids: Hayden (15), Cameron (13), Nadine (11) and Rohan (2). I had a beautiful wife, Regan (the mother of Rohan and later on Luke), who – at the time – I believed would be my life partner. Hayden, Cameron and Nadine were from my first marriage, to my childhood sweetheart Alison. (Alison and I met when we were just 15 years old, and spent 15 years together. We were two kids in love, who grew apart and realised one day that we weren’t a real match for each other.)

At this time,Robert James and James Home Services like many ‘blended’ families, we had all moved into a very functional situation. On the business front, things were powering! I had grown my ‘one man’ car cleaning business into a national home services franchise network of 400-plus franchisees. Our group, James Home Services, was totalling more than $25 million in home services annually across Australia. We had all the trappings of success: ashy cars, a beautiful home on a horse stud in the Mooloolah Valley, a team of show jumping horses, great holidays, no shortage of funds, and a huge network of great friends and colleagues.

The business success had not been by accident. A combination of vision, entrepreneurial spirit, smart risk taking and a passion for small business, along with a good serve of hard work and determination, got us the results we wanted.

I thought I had it all worked out, that everything was perfect! Then one day, without any warning, my world was turned upside down in one single heartbeat.

The moment it all changed

Hayden, Cameron and Nadine were all very capable horse riders, and we spent many weekends competing in show-jumping events. One very ordinary Saturday morning we were all at the Gatton Agricultural Show. We had been at Gatton since the previous Thursday, camping in our truck. e kids were competing in their events and having an amazingly fun time together. Only Cameron and Hayden had events on Saturday, and Nadine had negotiated going home early with a girlfriend and her family.

It was all very normal.

I was sitting watching as Hayden warmed up to go in to compete. Cameron, having just finished competing, was heading back to our truck. Nadine ran up and gave me a hug, saying, ‘Love you Dad … see you later!’ She turned to head back towards her friend’s truck, her ride home. I returned my attention to Hayden.

Then, just seconds later, at 11.28 am, I heard the most terrifying scream of ‘Dad!’, and instantly recognised the voice of Cameron, who was running towards me at full speed, his face full of fear. He screamed again, ‘Dad … Nadine is down!’

‘Has she been kicked?’ I asked. This was my first thought.

In tears, he said, ‘I don’t know, she’s just in a heap.’

I ran as fast as I could towards the commotion, and the first thing I saw as I got to Nadine was a woman in riding gear doing CPR on my daughter! The woman was screaming, ‘Get the ambulance, get the ambulance!’ to a gate attendant. She said to me, ‘I’m a nurse – she’s in cardiac arrest!’

At that moment, a man started working with her. He turned out to be her husband, an off-duty police officer.

The ambulance arrived quickly from the arena, but the officer seemed way too casual as he got out – perhaps he was assuming it was a minor fall? A scream came from the nurse: ‘She has no pulse! She is in cardiac arrest!’

With that, the whole world turned into a surreal living nightmare. Police cars arrived, a second ambulance arrived with a paramedic on board, crowds gathered, and our whole family rushed to the scene. Friends took little Rohan away. We were all in complete shock.

I couldn’t believe it. Was I living every parent’s nightmare? Could I be watching my daughter die? This living hell went on for 15 excruciating minutes – 15 minutes of fighting to get her back, then Nadine’s heart started to beat again on its own. She was stabilised and taken to Gatton hospital.

At the hospital, I was left waiting in front of the emergency room with absolutely no idea about Nadine’s condition. Then a nurse walked out holding the little gold crucifix that Nadine always wore around her neck. In that moment, I was sure my daughter was gone.

My face must have shown it because the nurse quickly said Robert James and James Home Services, ‘No, no! She’s still alive. We had to put her in an induced coma to stabilise her for transport back to Brisbane.’

My daughter was ALIVE!

I went in to see her, and was shocked but also relieved at what I saw. She looked terrible, but she was alive. Not long afterwards, she was flown to Brisbane Mater Hospital. I could do nothing but watch as the helicopter took my baby girl into a grey sky.

It’s a 90-minute drive from Gatton to Brisbane. A friend drove as I sat, waited and hoped that I would see her alive again, her words still ringing in my head: ‘Love you Dad … see you later.’

‘Take everything, just give me my daughter back.’

Those first few days in Brisbane were terrifying: Nadine was in and out of consciousness in the ICU and it was impossible to evaluate any damage to her brain. Would she ever walk, talk or function normally again?

The worst was the early morning hours, between 1 am and 3 am. She had horrible night terrors and would wake up screaming, ‘I hate you, I hate you, you are not my father!’ I remember putting my head down on the bed and crying, believing that I had lost my beautiful daughter forever. That night, I prayed: ‘Take everything, just give me my daughter back.’ My despair was unbelievably overwhelming.

About a week later, Nadine was moved over to the heart specialist ward at the Prince Charles Hospital to have a defibrillator implanted, to manage any other arrests.

When we did get Nadine in front of the cardiologists, I was desperate for a glimmer of hope. Like all parents in this situation, I wanted to know how this was going to end. I remember asking the cardiologist, ‘What is the likely outcome?’ I also remember the very factual answers from the doctor: ‘Well, the survival rate of adult cardiac arrest is only 5%. For paediatric cardiac arrest, it is only 5% of that 5%! So, you can understand that to find ourselves in this situation is extremely rare …’

You can imagine how tormented we were. As well as this grim outlook, Nadine was showing all the signs of major head injury: rocking back and forth, she was clearly not mentally present, and she could not walk unassisted.

Then on a Friday afternoon, nearly two weeks after her heart attack, the surgeons implanted Nadine’s defibrillator. The doctors told me that she would be groggy after the procedure, so I went home for some much- needed rest. The next day, when I returned to the hospital, Nadine was sitting there watching television as if nothing had ever happened – she had just ‘woken up’. I couldn’t believe it: my daughter had returned.

In the following weeks, it became clear that there was some memory loss. She had forgotten how to write, which she relearned very quickly, but her math skills were not up to her previous very high standards. Within five weeks, she was back at school

It is the ‘extremely rare situations’ we find ourselves in that can be the most awakening and unsettling. We all believe we have our act together. I believed I had always run my business for my family; I was Dad and partner first, then business owner. I didn’t know it at the time, but that ‘ordinary Saturday morning’ would have a major impact on my family and my business, forever. The systems that grew the business would become vitally important.

The cardiologist’s professional and pragmatic evaluation of the situation also stayed with me said Robert James and James Home Services. The acid test came from the ‘extremely rare situation’ that I found myself in. We all face daily acid tests of our priorities. Constantly balancing family and business life in an unbalanced world is a true challenge.

Hopefully it doesn’t take an ‘extremely rare situation’ to make you evaluate your current position.

Originally Posted:- http://www.robertjameshomeservices.com/dont-wait-until-life-rocks/

[sour-gummi-kiwi]

hey here are some Shitty post-game troll kingdom ideas

I had a cool convo with @sparkliee so im gonna unlock the secrets of the universe via copy paste

There are only 4 (four) colours of blood, Cerulean, teal, jade, (all jade bloods are rainbow drinkers now, but whether or not they Activate is their own choice) and Candy Red. The population is about equal between them all, 35% red, 21% for the others. The difference is because hybrids exist, and as ppl got older and Libidos came into creation, prospitians, dersites, and humans all have red blood, changing the balance a bit. If a Teal blood and a prospitian were to make a baby, it would have red blood to support the prospitian features. It would be far more unbalanced if the species had been resurrected more than 20 years ago, but the balance will tip largely eventually. There are only four blood colors b/c the trolls that had them lived, and everyone else died to hard to get the genetic material back. (it  has to be jizz, unfortunately) and no one  wants to EVEN THINK abt gamzee here, lets b real.

The hemospectrum hierarchy can't even exist with so few blood colours, especially since the population amounts per colour are so even. Should things shift enough, or purple bloods return so there's more colours, the hemospectrum won't come back because it's Shitty, and the Kungeys would kick ur ass into the nth dimension if u tried to bring it back.

Before terezi hoofed it to find vriska, she oversaw the justice system in the trollian kingdom, and helped improve others elsewhere!!!! She was on earth for 5 years and set up all the laws, and how to deal with people that break them.

No Murder. Its illegal, just like it is in the rest of the world. No matter what, you cannot assist in a suicide bc thats murder!!!! if someone does you dirty, and not in a kissmesis way, u tell the Cops in your CH or area!!! (they can be found where the info gatherers are)

No Stealing. things still belong to people u stupid head, just barter with them for it!!!! Refusing to give service for something also counts as theft!!! if its not up for sale, or its in their h o m e, fUCK OFF!!!!!!! the punishment for this ranges, depending on previous arrests and the importance of said item. IF YOU STEAL A  P E R S O N YOU CAN BE HELD TO THE SAME STANDARD AS A MURDER!!!!!!!!!!!

Attempting to Bring Harm to another person is illegal, Unless That Person Is Your Kissmesis. You cant just assault someone if you’re in a bad mood!!!! Get ur kissmesis and a bucket, Dave’s sake. 

Attempting to Spread Ideals that Contradict That of The New State is Illegal. this might sound like "don't criticize the government or u go to jail" but its just dont bring back shit like the hemospectrum, anything like that. No nazis in our country.

Those are the big 4, basically anything else falls into one of those. (rape is #3 but even if its ur kissmesis its illegal.)

The jury Was, at first, the best lawyers terezi could find, but as time went on, actual Trolls took those places. Its 7 people, a prosecutor and defence lawyer, and the judge.  Since there's so little crime (b/c ppl are happy and don't feel the need to do Bad Stuff) Terezi herself is the Judge (while she was gone it was Rose), and shit gets INTENSE!!!! Its innocent until proven guilty on paper, but terezi is far more "guilty until proven innocent"-minded, so these trials can get S P I C Y. there was a small spike in crime for the first, like year or so, while terezi was gone looking for vriska. Once she was back, things changed back to normal. There has only been about 375 cases in the whole 20 years, most disputes over if something was "paid off" properly. Those are solved pretty easy. There has only been a couple dozen reports of #3, two of #1, and none of #4. There has only been about 375 cases in the whole 20 years, most disputes over if something was "paid off" properly. Those are solved pretty easy. There has only been a couple dozen reports of #3, two of #1, and none of #4.

Its been abt 20 years since the kiddos arrived on earth, and the trolls took their new kingdom to like, northern africa and the whole kingdom is no bigger than iran

It's just barter instead of money, and since money doesn't "exist," ppl just sort of, do stuff like build roads and stuff at the request of the Kringles, and they give them stuff in return. When dealing with other cultures that use currency, trolls kind of do that "if u give me a free coffee i'll clean your kitchen for u" thing. Other countries are p respectful abt the whole thing. 

Jobs are abundant, as trolls can do Lots of stuff humans can't (psiconics, animal communication, mind control) but they also do regular stuff in their society, like cook, clean, and do service jobs.

There are Communal Hives along with the regular 1 troll hive. Communal hives are like, first nations log houses (idk if u know what that is but its VERY accurate to what im going for here) but REALLY big buildings. There can be anywhere from 60 to 250 trolls living in a single communal hive. Once a troll turns, like 10, they can make the choice of going to a CH (communal hive) or staying on their own. This decision can be changed at any time, but all the stuff u have to do to get in a CH (like proof of identity, ur passport, the stuff u got) is more complicated the older you get. People still got lussi, but there are far more rules on what types of creatures can even be lussi (Vriska's for example, just wouldn't happen), and one would also get to take your lusus with you when you enter it. It’s the school and living space of most trolls.

Politics don't really exist for trolls?? Whoever is incharge of your CH tells "info collectors" what the deal with stuff is, then its overseen and sent off to the royals (kanaya+karkat) so they can do stuff. Ppl that live on their own have info collectors assigned to an area, and if u live there u tell them the deal. 

Cities in Troll Town (i dont got a name yet r ip) are basically just out door malls? like they got hotels ("u sleep here but u gotta fix it after, capiche?? and do ur own dishes, for Dave's sake") and stuff, but they're mostly hUGE barter places, where u trade stuff for other stuff. Things like libraries are in CH's but u can find more expansive ones in cities, there are universities, places u go when u want to learn more, and they're just university but Good, and most cities have a couple CH's in the area (like half a mile away or so) so ppl can actually. Go there. 

Trollian cities like Captor, Medigo, Ampora (yes i named them after the dead kiddos b/c they need to be remembered somehow) are H U G E attractions to other races. 

Ampora is a coastal town, big in fishing, and you can take tours of the waters there in submarines and stuff, theres lots of resorts.

Captor is mostly technology based, with Universities creating Cool New stuff all the time. Imagine troll tokyo.

Medigo is right in the desert, and has the biggest population of non-trolls in the trollian kingdom, humans mostly, b/c theres lots of stuff about history there, and the most expansive shows telling the tales of the gods (basically a play of all of homestuck) are there.

Knowledge of the gods and their stories are treated as history lessons all over the globe, and knowing what to do should you be chosen to play the game is knowledge as universal as knowing what friendship is. U gotta know this stuff, just in case. 

[punkzombieblog]

Todays rambled thoughts

that sense I was feeling? the suspense building up? what if it’s aliens LMFAO! wouldn’t that be something? 

Today I don’t feel good. very uneasy. Like i”m trapped in a bubble of badness and it’s surrounding me and there’s nothing I can do. I suppose like being trapped in a house that’s on fire? that would make a better analogy. 

But I feel off! It’s definitely not me. It’s in the universe. Unbalanced. Something catastrophic is coming. not good stuff. I feel it okay. 

I know I’m right. I’m kind of scared. Honestly. aliens? I wouldn’t be surprised at this point. I wonder what they’d be like. Similar to Scary Movie where they pee out their fingers? Tiny litte things like ET? Do THEY LOOK LIKE HUMANS? 

THEY DONT EVEN HAVE TO BE HUMAN. THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT TREE OF LIFE. DIFFERENT ATOMS AND PARTICLES THAT COMPOSE THEIR BEINGS. 

THEYRE NOT EVEN BEINGS.

THEY DONT EVEN HAVE ATOMS AND PARTICLES THAT MAKE THEM UP.

THERE’S SO MUCH UNKNOWN. No one knows what an alien looks like. no one knows anything.

unless the government is lying to us, of course.

Do I really want to live through this upcoming bullshit? Who said humans were the  superior species anyways? Damn cavemen starting fires and learning how to make tools. 

It’s such an unsettling feeling outside. When I go to the grocery store (yes i wear a mask) I feel ashamed and as if I cant make eye contact with people. So uncomfrtable! Sometimes people walk by and they’re like “Hey how are you doing today” and it kind of shocks me. As if I hadn’t heard someone talk to me in so long. Off guard. very off guard feels. What has happened to humanity!

We’re doomed. This is the end. this will be in history books. well are there even going to be history books? we’ll all be dead.

unless this is a simulation. unless the aliens have been watching us as a test. and we will be in their history books. the downfall of humanity on planet earth will be somewhere someday. crazy to think?

unless, of course, i’m completely wrong and we’ll get through this pandemic and healthcare system will be fixed and the pharmaceutical company gets destroyed and humanity is fixed and swans are always in the water in venice. everything will be fine! oh and the damn glaciers ON LAND stop melting.

glaceirs in water. the water is already displaced from the mass of the ice and stuff. when it melts, it’s not really adding more volume. WHen glaciers and snow caps and shit melt ON LANd, then we have a problem. 

hope I described that well. I know what i’m talking about. im smart and almost college educated. really smart ok. 

a genius in fact.

I’m not christian but I love jesus.