#we are ok but tbh ok is our default

[blitz0hno]

Dissociative episode? Nah dissociative hour-long special

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/730572795212398592/what-is-up-with-all-the-trans-men-on-this-hellsite?source=share

As a trans man, I might have some insight into this one. I'm a lot older than the standard uwu sparkle anti, but I was in my mid twenties for the first wave of weirdness about trans boys on Tumblr about a decade ago, so I was just too old for it then, and I saw a lot of guys my age and a little younger get swept up in it.

OTNF rightly points out that young trans men are a particularily vulnerable demographic. This is part of it, but we're also a demographic that doesn't sit comfortably with our identites (gender identities or otherwise) and are told by everyone (on every side) that we are Doing It Wrong, that our existence harms others, and that we must be this specific way to be good people.

I'm sure you've seen the "trans men are better than real cis men" rhetoric. It's meant to be inclusive and to reassure us that we're not bad people just because of our gender, but it also denies us our entire gender identity.

So basically, you've got a bunch of young guys, most of whom were socialised like girls and learned to never be too assertive, many of whom are straight up suffering from dysphoria and stress, being told by people both within and outside of their communities that the are Wrong and Bad and Harmful just for existing. It makes sense that a lot of them would would find a movement based on moral posturing that will accept them if they perform correctly and will use their real name and pronouns. That's what Antis are; they say "use this vocabulary, send hate mail to that person, put these terms in your DNI, don't be caught reading that story", and, unlike other groups that police people's tastes and performance that hard, they're not overtly hostile to trans identities. So you can spout the right rhetoric, use the right tumblr icon, and they will actually accept you (on the surface, for a time, but we're talking about young and desperate people who aren't looking at the long game).

Helping them harass those badwrong horrible NOTP shippers or aces or middle aged women or some random artist who got caught drawing the wrong age gap or whoever is the fashionable target will prove that you aren't a horrible monster for being a man, you're moral and upright and correct.

And yes a lot of it is internalised misandry (that word has a lot of dumb baggage, but how else can I describe a boy who hates himself for being a boy?), or self-loathing born of dysphoria and just plain having to live in a world that's hostile to trans people.

Being an anti is a way out. It's a way to manufacture acceptence. And they're too young and too hurt to realise that that acceptance is as temporary and hostile as the people who accept them only if they pretend to be girls; the antis will turn on them the moment they start acting a little too manly or if they're caught liking the wrong ship.

(I've seen something similar happen to young cis queer guys and trans girls, too, but it isn't as pronounced since being raised as a boy means you probably already learned that standing up for yourself is ok sometimes)

--

I'm sure it also doesn't help that tumblr is absolutely full of BL/slash fandom. There's certainly plenty of gender diversity in these spaces, but it's inescapable that the majority of participants are women. So for a young, insecure guy trying to assert that he is a guy, it's easy to fall prey to "Waaaah, I need to reclaim my hobby for me!" gatekeepy nonsense.

Sure, it's going to be turned on nbs even harder than on cis women and will be used to misgender other trans men in the end and misogyny isn't cool anyway, but that's not what your average traumatized young fool is thinking when they first join up. They're thinking "I hurt."

TBH, though, probably the largest component is that all of us—all of us—have a mental image of a default human for a given context. It's rarely a trans man. And so anything a trans man does stands out and is A Thing Trans Men Do.

This is true even if you are trans. It is true even if you are not a transphobic dickhead. Unlearning the 'why girls are bad at math' xkcd strip is extraordinarily hard because recognizing patterns and having mental defaults is just how human brains work.

There are shittons of cis women who become antis, but they're just not notable in the same way.

Are trans men more vulnerable to becoming antis? It's possible, and the reasons you outlined above are likely why. I think it's an interesting question to discuss if we are specifically discussing why the trans men who do become antis do so.

But we don't actually have any hard facts to support that they are more prone to it than anybody else. My guess would be that vulnerable people are more likely to become antis, so any cis woman with a strong source of vulnerability like a shittastic home life is similarly vulnerable to a young trans man with no support network, but who knows.

Maybe only 5% of trans men on tumblr are antis and 50% of cis women. Maybe it's 90% of trans men and 20% of cis women. Maybe it's 1% and 1% and they're just all very loud.

We have no data. We just don't know.

And we will never be able to trust our own brains on this until trans vs. cis is such a nonissue that we don't even notice it.

[rudolphsb9]

Both Harkers and Renfield are both absolutely going THROUGH IT today!

"As I must do something or go mad, I write this diary." You and me both, my guy.

Is the attendant who keeps falling asleep under Dracula's spell?

Oh good! They're talking to Mina again after she's gone through some of the most horrific trauma in the book so far. (Man alive this back and forth about keeping her in the dark drives me up a wall.)

Van Helsing has a suspicious amount of experience with breaking into people's houses. (Such is life in Moscow the vampire hunting trade.)

Also I was yesterday years old when I noticed the kukri is integrated into the Dracula Daily emblem. P sick emblem design tbh.

Mina has said "Unclean! Unclean!" twice now. Except this time we all know what's up.

"To one thing I have made up my mind: if we find out that Mina must be a vampire in the end, then she shall not go into that unknown and terrible land alone. I suppose it is thus that in old times one vampire meant many; just as their hideous bodies could only rest in sacred earth, so the holiest love was the recruiting sergeant for their ghastly ranks." DAMN! (The book features a post about how this is very affecting, and marks Jonathan Harker as the gothic heroine of the novel which, yeah. But also I think this comes up later too. But we'll get there in a few days I am sure.)

I love how much hope they have that this'll all be wrapped up by sundown, when something tells me it's not gonna be that easy.

ARTHUR has a suspicious amount of experience with breaking into people's houses. (What did they all get up to in their shared backstory? I think they were in the army together or something like that?)

Imagine smoking so as to not attract attention. I know everybody smoked back then but damn.

I knew it wouldn't be that easy.

"In all our hunting parties and adventures in different parts of the world" OK so it probably wasn't the army, these guys were just traveling and shooting at things. I mean it doesn't fully explain the breaking and entering experience a lot of these guys have but still.

I know that the Count thinks he is by default better than everyone and therefore it is his right to rule the world but it sounds so pathetic.

I've heard of looting the corpse but this is ridiculous.

Mina has a point. Wrath is a deadly sin and though Jonathan has every right and reason in the world to be angry, giving in to it during this perilous battle against supernatural malevolence could have disastrous results in the long run.

Jonathan is firmly in the "tired in a way that needs peace" category.

"Hush! there is someone in the corridor!" IDK quite why but this gave me chills. It's fine, it's Quincey, but still. This entire middle of the night sequence is getting to me a bit.

[bronx-bomber87]

No better way to end a Friday than with a review. We are in the home stretch of s1 still crazy to me. Excited each time get to write up my reviews. So thank you all for your interest and support as always. Lets dive in to the third to last ep shall we?

1x18

Homefront.

After having a non Chenford ep always happy to have them back together. Loved dissecting Lucy and having insight into her family life but I missed them. They don't have a ton of content in this one. Pretty Talia driven one but what they do have is really good. Underrated moments in this ep for them IMO.

Our first shot of our fav duo is at the hospital. They’re visiting a released convict they were assigned to check up on. Tim makes a comment about filling his hours when not studying. To him it makes the most sense to fill his dead time with work. Lucy is immediately all over that comment. Because Lucy don't play around at all when it comes to Tim. She knows that isn't healthy for him. She starts probing as to why he doesn't have a hobby. She's genuinely surprised he doesn't have a way to decompress/recharge.

His first answer cracks me up it’s so Tim. Also how he adds in for her not to give him shit cause it has 'work' in the title LOL He knows her so well. He tries to combat her answer before she even says it. Lucy doesn’t deny she thinks that anyway. Goes on to say he needs something for himself. A way to decompress. Maybe even have a little fun. Gotta love her for trying to get him out of his comfort zone. He’s a creature of habit and doesn’t like that to be upended. Lucy is very aware of this and can't help herself but to challenge him on it.

The eye roll she gives him is primo. She knows this is going to be an uphill battle per usual. Tim fights her on it because its his natural first instinct. He always fights her on it and she always ends up seeping in. Jolting his system and POV on things. I do love him opening and holding the door for her. Ever the gentleman even when they’re arguing hehe

This shot is just because they're so pretty just standing together haha. That's it really. I mean look at them. Their Tall/Small thing never ceases to make me happy. Also Tim's stance pretty damn appealing tbh. I mean look at dem biceps. It's a wonder Lucy gets any work done haha

They respond to a call at a paintball place. A guy named Jimmy has lost it and impaled another player with a piece of wood over the game. Go on to tell them he plays there every day. He'll be hard to find. They head off to find Jimmy. Lucy does not waste a second before she is giving him more crap. So damn sassy with him. Using this guy's obsession to prove her point about why its bad to be focusing on one thing too much. They were married long before they ever dated people haha Lucy is so smug in this moment. Makes me happy haha

Tim defaults to what he usually does when’s she got him dead to rights. Clams up. Tells her to shut it cause that’s the best come back he has at the moment. LOL The smile on her face when she says ‘Yes sir’ Lucy knows that ‘shut it’ is just him annoyed he has no witty comeback. Lucy is reveling in the fact he can’t fight her on this one. No leg to stand on and he knows it.

They start searching the paintball area for their suspect. Lucy makes a comment about it would be easier if everyone wasn’t wearing camo. Tim gives her his company line about this job isn’t meant to be easy. She instantly disregards it and asks him if he’s ever played paintball? Trying to peak his interest. His reply cracks me up. Not a doubt in his mind he would crush these people at this. Her face is what kills me the most. That’s the wifey face. Placating him like ok babe....

I also love her blowing past his TO line earlier haha Very early on Lucy would’ve said yes sir or nodded. We’re long past those days even in s1. Especially at this point in time. That rapport and comfortability has come to stay. She’s on a mission to find him a hobby to help him relax. Bypasses Teacher Tim without blinking.

Tim starts to explain why he would straight destroy these people at paintball. Using one of the players as an example. Also Timothy there is no need to lean so close when explaining strategy to her sir heh But he does it anyway and she’s grinning like a fool. I’ve always loved the magnetic pull these two have between them. Whether they’re aware of it or not. Personal space is word not found in their vocabulary. Clearly passionate about what he's telling her so he gets closer. I love it.

Look at the way she is looking at him. Goodness girl you are working. That look on her face. You know she’s indulging him right now. Letting him ramble about how everyone is amateurs. How he would go about it. Tim has no idea he’s giving her fuel to get him to play. Always looking out for him even when he doesn’t have a damn clue she is. Taking care of him and putting his needs first. I can not with them. I love it so much.

They end up going to higher ground where Jimmy would be. They find him and Tim is sexy af stopping his escape. Grabs a players gun and easily decimates him with paint. Don’t tell me she wasn’t the slightest bit impressed with him nailing that guy with the paint gun. But it’s also reinforcing her idea about paintball for him.

That little smirk of hers before she hooks Jimmy up. Just like in 1x15 Lucy is all smiles and heart eyes for him in this ep. She is also a little bit wifey like in her reactions. Like yeah he’s an idiot but he’s my idiot. That second gif above says it all for that for that.

Ahhh the hanging out, outside work begins ❤️ Look at her dragging him outside his comfort zone like only she can. I bet you she pitched it one last time to Tim as a hobby. Something he could do to destress/relax. That it would be fun. He probably didn’t have to twist her arm too much to join him. That he would only do it if she came with. I could see Tim doing this so he could show and or prove to Lucy he could smoke everyone at this like he said. A little flex on his part. Coming in armed with a plan ready to execute it with her.

He looks so happy. She did that. It's written all over Lucy's face how happy she is that he's enjoying himself. That little smile on his face as they’re gearing up to go in. My heart. He’s so excited to do this. It’s why Lucy is beaming. She got Tim outside his routine and into something she knew he would love. He’s smiling and ready to have some fun. Not that he will say as such but everything in his body language does. Once again that beautiful silent communication of theirs is a sight to see.

His half hearted 'No' has Lucy smiling and laughing. She is beyond pleased with herself for this. Anyone looking at them without context would be able to see how she feels about him. I saw this great post by relentlessescapsim had a collection of Lucy unabashedly looking at Tim. Being as transparent as she could be. It said ‘She’s a ten but she’s terrible at hiding her feelings. ‘ I died laughing cause it so friggin true. You just watch her entire body language around Tim and you know. You just know he’s far more than her T.O. to her. I mean its clearly her day day off and Lucy is spending it with him. She's doing his new 'hobby' with him. I love it sfm.

Lucy challenges and pushes Tim same way he does for her. Been saying this all season his growth is incredible. Look at this puppy of a man playing paintball with her. Once again doing something he wouldn’t have for any other rookie. Incredible. He's continually allowing her to influence him which is huge in itself. Its constantly seen through out the entire season. This was her challenging that bubble of his that rigid routine. Lucy pushed because in the end she knew he would benefit from it. What good it would do him. She was right.

Tim says 'No' when really he's so glad she got him to do this. He can't say it just yet but his actions scream it. They balance one another out so well I could not adore their dynamic more. Damn I just love them so much haha. How good they are for each other. The fact that it dates back to s1 for multiple reasons is amazing.

It's why they’re so good in s5 once they get together. That beautiful base is already there and solid as hell. I love the idea of them playing paintball and having fun. Its lovely to see such beautiful depth and development for them. Such a good episode for them top to bottom. *chef kiss*

~~~~

Side Notes Non Chenford

Cute Wes/Angela stuff I always enjoy them so much.

Stuff with Jackson's dad was also very good. Watching him stand up to his dad was awesome.

Percy asking why Grey didn't stick Jackson with Tim. My god that boy wouldn't have made it without Angela. He has no idea. Tim would've washed his ass out so quickly. Hell Tim might not even be around cause of his bullet issues in the beginning. So very good he was not. Everything happens for a reason and all that.

Thank you all again for you likes/comments/reblogs. Every time I get a notification for them makes my heart smile for real. See you all in 1x19 :)

[bita-bita]

As I said, my doctors are panicking abt my medical test results. And I'm still in the process of having more tests done.

Um.. so last night I was really depressed cuz my doc literally said I might die ://// idk if he meant it FOR REAL or if he just wanted to make sure I know it's a serious case and I should keep getting checked just to make sure it's nothing. Ok Idk, my body feels alright tbh, I'm really surprised they're suddenly saying that sort of stuff- ANYWAY.

What I wanted to say is that I believe anything that happens is connected to our inner feelings and thoughts. Like.. idk, illnesses can be a sign of oppressed emotions, jealousy or long-term anxiety, holding a grudge, envy or fears and stuff like that. Um, so when I was faced with this situation, I tried to find a lesson in it. And sometimes "bad things" that happen can actually help push us in the direction we desire.

For example, I'm a very anxious person. I have anxiety. And I'm hard on myself in the sense that I think I'm responsible about how I make ppl feel. (And yes that's true to a certain degree, I shouldn't go around kicking ppl. But do I need to overthink my every word and tone and action to the point of being extremely anxious? Do I have to hold such a high standard when it comes to every move I make?) I KNOW it's not good. It bothers me. It feels bad. But it was never bad enough to make me wanna make a serious change, yk? It's easier to just.. let it be and have the same familiar thoughts and feelings.

And so, the importance of the situation made me FORCE MYSELF to take some time and direct my thoughts in a way that I intended, not just some default patterns that cause me anxiety. Not to go with the familiar flow.

Cuz if I keep being the same person, having the same thoughts and feelings, doing the same things, how can I create something different? How can I expect to be a better, healthier, happier Bita?

I actually thought about it, cuz I was forced to! And I'm glad I was. Cuz otherwise I probably wouldn't have. and I realized, well I am gonna die someday, whether now or years from now, really doesn't make a difference, but thinking about the possibility of it all coming to an end, made me realize I don't want to live a life filled with worry and anxiety. I noticed I have goals and dreams. There are things I wanna experience, as Bita, in this time space reality. I know it doesn't end, and I know my experience of existence isn't limited to 100 years in Bita's human body. but still, there are things I wanna do AS Bita. And so I've decided nothing is worth getting mad at, and nothing is worth worrying over or getting anxious about. It's not worth it, not if it's going to cause distress to my lovely body. It's serving me well, it's doing its best, how can I put so much stress on it? How can I be so hateful towards it? How can I not be gentle and appreciative with it? It deserves all the love! It connects me to the physical realm! It lets me taste delicious food that's only possible in this amazing physical world! It helps me breathe, it pumps blood and life through my vains, and it moves me around the world, to beautiful places! Yeah nonphysical is cool and all, and yeah, I'd love to go back there and get the answers to my many questions, but.. but this world is soooo cool too! It's limited in a sense, yes. Things take fucking long to get created here, yesss. BUT CAKE! I WANNA EAT CAKE! You can't grab a piece of cake and bite into it in the nonphysical, you can't tasteeee the sweet taste on your tongue, it's not a concentrated feeling, it's great yeah but it's vague and it's... it's not physical!! I realized I LIKE physical! I still want to be physical! I'm not done with this world yet! And more importantly, I refuse to go out with an illness!!! I want a cool way of going *wooosh* back to nonphysical!

I mean if it's nothing and I'll keep living, I'd like to live a better life here for now! And if I'm to die, then I'd like to die with a good feeling, not like a miserable saddd person :/

Surely I still feel anxiety about the situation, and other things. but that's just a pattern that's familiar to me. it will take some time to change, but if I hold onto this feeling, this memory, this awakening, I'll eventually grow out of this habbit.

Mom is complaining abt something I did? Not worth getting upset about.

My friend did something I didn't like? Why get mad when I can keep my heart open and see people as.. just people. they are trying too, they have challenges too, not everyone wants to harm me, not everyone has ill intentions. I should love, for my sake. Not because they deserve it or don't.

I am my responsibility. I'm willing to let go, to forgive, to trust, to love, because of myself. Because it feels good to ME. It feels better than hating and criticizing.

To put it simply, I'm gonna chill out y'all!!! Everything has a solution. Everything can be fixed or replaced. Life is not a big deal. It's really not.

Pt. 2

[avianii]

FELLOW TENNIS BESTIE. i have questions as someone who’s been repressing this special inchrest to be normal for 11 years of my life:

best/favorite stroke

preferred serve (kick/slice/flat)

doubles, singles, or mixed

serve and volley?

i-formation/australian or default doubles formation?

do. you. like. the. net. (this one’s the dealbreaker btw)

TY OMG I LOVE RHIS ASK!

ok fav stroke has got to be the slice just because it's always been something I'm good at. and it drives people insane when balls just don't bounce up lol. backhand or forehand doesn't really matter but forehand is what I go for most of the time. BUT my down the line forehand shots are def a close second. screwed up my shoulder a bit recently so I haven't been able to make them as much as before tho 😔

flat serves!!! they just make more sense to me tbh, and are also the only ones I can actually aim with lol.

I mostly play doubles and have been stuck at 2nd doubles on my school team for the past 2 years but singles are so fun when you find those people who are just challenging enough to play. I don't think I've ever played competitive mixed tho so idk about that. probably would be fun tho

yes. 100%.

I usually play default because we usually don't have enough time to figure out serve formations during our tennis season and also I have yet to find a doubles partner willing to stick with me :/

and HELL YEAH I LOVE THE NET honestly I'm probably a safety hazard up there considering the number of people I've hit by accident (gave a girl a concussion swing volleying into her face freshman year 😭😭😭) but it's so much more fun than just chilling at the baseline for the entire match

[lietpolski]

i'd love to hear more about your yugotalia ocs, especially the ones you haven't talked about before! ps: i looove your characterisations of serbia and slovenia, i haven't seen anyone in the fandom capture our ✨Vibe ✨ so well :) sending love from slovenia!!

aaaa first of all thank you soso much!!! it makes me so happy to see someone from slovenia liking how i portray him!! :DD he's my favourite

and i super agree with u on serbia!!! i think he can be grumpy but even then he's the kinda guy to joke about it :,) i see him more as the opposite, struggling to be serious or genuine with his thoughts & emotions!! we have p much the same view of serbs here in greece, the loud & fun little brothers up north and all that, so i wanted to give him that sort of feel :)

i should add that!! ok so i came up with serbia, slovenia & montenegro before having seen any yugotalia content (which is wild because serbia + slovenia are quite similar to the popular fanon!!) but the rest i made after becoming more familiar with yugotalia, so my other ocs are mostly revised versions of those!! a few thoughts on the lot of them:

macedonia - i see her as a sweet person who's also a bit stubborn and clumsy. like, a plain sort of girl (in a good, cozy way if that makes sense!) who likes to just chill in nature! i also see her as the sort of mediator, "can't we all just get along?" pacifist type. she'd rather bake bread for church or go on a walk by the lake than sit there and argue (a rare trait among the rest of these guys haha) she's closest to serbia and has a kinda complicated relationship with bulgaria who i see as a brother to her (in the weird hetalia way which doesn't really reflect healthy human family dynamics)

croatia - a new fave of mine, although i find him THE hardest to portray :,) i think the heavy austrohungarian influence for the grand majority of his life is so interesting!! it might have made him a biiiit... not stuck-up, in the way slovenia can seem at first, but if he doesn't know you well he might default to being polite and impersonal. but once he's comfortable with you i think he's a really fun guy! sporty, loves swimming and good food, he's hard-working but not serious! i think his relationship with slovenia would be really interesting too, because there have been a lot of recent arguments between the two, but slovenians online always seem to call croatians their best friends. he's a bit hard to get close to unless you've known him for a long time too

bosnia & herzegovina - to be honest i still don't know what to do with bosnia :,) not even sure if i think of them as having two representatives for each half (third?) haha, i think it's a cool idea but tbh i don't know as much about bosnia! i think them being the one dude in the balkans who doesn't think sadık is that bad, actually, is fun! and i think of them as a bit less outgoing than serbia & croatia but other than that i just default to the yugotalia versions for now! although for some reason smth about bosnia is giving woman swag to me i could see them as a girl

kosovo - not too many hcs here that arent obvious, but i think it's fun if kosovo is physically the same age as irl kosovo, so 15. does it make sense with the hetalia canon.... no. is it fun to have this irritable balkan teen boy character? yes and i love him :)

thanks for letting me ramble for so long, my hair is almost done bleaching by now :ρ

[flyingcookierambles]

Good news!

Last night I finished endwalker on my birthday, it only took playing from midnight to 4 am lol

Bad news I forgot to log into genshin and I didn't get my birthday cake :/

Lmao

Anyways I love zenos k onwards to the endwalker patch msq and dawntrail yay yippeee!!!

Nov 17th edit: some 7.0 screenshots of my WoL, Cyril, with the great glow up graphic update. au ra enjoyers, elezen enjoyers, we WON!!! YIPEEEEEEEE!!!

also a small comparison of no reshade and reshade also. my color saturation is turned up and the bloom is a bit warm, i love the color. he looks so soft. like, sorry, but even with the wonderful 7.0 looks, the base game is so washed out still. like, maybe i'm used to the photo-realistic and saturated landscape of for example, horizon zero dawn, god of war 2018, also more anime/cartoon-y saturated colorful landscapes of genshin, but ffxiv base game is so faded out to me.

also, although im still a bit miffed at myself for taking literally two years and 6 months to finish endwalker, enough time for the latest expac to come out, at the same time, i'm glad i waited for the 7.0 graphics. ultima thule is amazing! the skybox is amazing! also, the elezen glow up helped the scions a lot, urianger and g'raha look so soft and cute. the twins also have cute cheeks that i want to pinch lol. truly the wol's little brother and sister lol. the elf/elezen ears textsures and the light also going thru the skin a bit helped soften them. just. 7.0 was so good lol.

i will say though, idk what it is about my bloom and keepUI settings. like, maybe i just haven't really set up keepUI/mask UI reshade filters very well, but sometimes in night scenes, also ugh most of the ultima thule area except the omnicron area, the brightness of the dialogue box in cutscenes will make the rest of the screen kinda darken to compensate the bloom effect or soemthing. a bit frustrating tbh.

but anyways beautiful 7.0 crystal mother above!!!! i loved her. QAQ......

the bloom and 7.0 eye updates really helped her eyes pop out and glow.

oh, also i kinda wanna steal pint's reshade settings. i think his settings is technically public, but you have to join his discord?

but also, now that i've caught up, i can see some streamer's reactions and VODs to the end of endwalker. since many of them didn't delay like i did, i see the old graphics and i'm like. oh god. OH GOD, THEY LOOKED LIKE THAT????? (weird default shaders, angular elezen, etc., lol) crazy how you can just get used to the new stuff in such a short amount of time, seeing the stuff i was used to for like 2-3 years, it's really like that dang bitch you live like this meme. lol

oh yeah, here's a screenshot from july when dawntrail first released. truly the fate farming craze!!! incredible.

also, me, two of my friends, and one friend's younger sister all partied together to complete the coils of bahamat. we unsynced to carry my friend who is still in ARR/level 50-60 ranges. like literally just zooming thru the combat as 3 lvl 90 players and our baby level 50 friend to get to the dialogue and cutscenes lol.

oh yeah rip huiton. BUT ALSO THE ULTIMA THULE SKYBOX AND STARS OOOOOOOGH THAT IS BEAUTIFUL!!!

also, nastrond. also spineshatter dive. also eye of the dragon buddy system. just. oof. i know i' not a very high level dragoon, i think only mid 70, so i didn't even get to all the fun full rotation level 80-90 stuff, but god dang. bruh moment. sorry for your loss, other dragoon mains and enjoyers.

(note, i am an healer main, astro enjoyer, and i also loved plunge for dark knight. i get it uuuuuu QAQ....)

also! bloom vs no bloom.

OK, NGL, THIS WAS A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL, RIGHT ISHIKAWA???????? YOU LOVE YOUR CATBOY SON OC. YOU MAKE US LOVE YOUR CATBOY SON OC. I GET IT, HE'S THE SPECIALEST BOY EVER. UGHREAUGHEOGAHOUH. I LITERALLY WAS WATCHING THIS PART OF THE CUTSCENE A BIG DOPEY GRIN ON MY FACE, SQUEALING UNCONTROLLABLY. AND LIKE ALL THE STREAMERS I WATCHED VODS OF ALSO WERE JUST LIKE AWWWW. G'RAHA.... :D

oh also some gpose with the kiddos during Forge Ahead companion MSQ walking up the path Raha made for us. also ngl, it was so so funny to me whenever i got "this NPC is now following you" quests lol. like, SE was really like. LOOK! LOOK AT OUR LATEST ESCORT QUEST TECHNOLOGY! lol

so my reaper was lvl 89, not enough for the final lvl 90 msq lol. so, as i always planned anyways, i switched to white mage for the final msq. like, my first class and job were conjurer/white mage, so it only felt appropriate to end with that job.

So, i'll be honest also. i knew some plot points of endwalker. on social media and such, it's kinda inevitable to see spoilers, especially when everyone is literally 2 years ahead of you. however, i did not know the full context or the order in which some snippets and events would happen. also, the only two things i really kept for myself was listening to flow and close in the distance. like, i succeeded in skipping them or tabbing out and stuff whenever i heard the first few notes. so, hearing both for the first time was great. close in the distance playing in the background and slowly revealing itself and more instruments as the msq and scions' sacrifices went on was beautiful. using the instrumental for the dead ends dungeon was good too. i also loved seeing the alien worlds in the dead ends. of course, im sure that it may lose its magic when i have to play it like a thousand times to get my starbird minion.

also ZENOS MY ENEMY, MY FRIEND!!! :D

so also if you got me at 3am in jenova/ EST time, i am so so sorry lmao. i died like 6 times to the stupid planet throwing and somehow got 1 commendation. i'm sure it was a pity commendation lmao. QAQ i've never been so embarrassed in my life i stg!!!

OOPS ONLY 30 IMAGES ALLOWED PER POST LMAO OK, PART 2 INCOMING. THERE'S ONLY A TINY BIT OF MSQ LEFT BUT I KINDA HAD A GPOSE PHOTOSHOOT WITH MY BESTIE/WORSTIE/HUSBAND ZENOS AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE BEFORE WE BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF EACH OTHER LOL

[m1ckeyb3rry]

Ok I’m just gonna merge and put my response to both responses here so I don’t keep double sending stuff into your inbox LMAO

Tbh from what I’ve seen he’s still a pretty volatile player (maybe he’s got brother trauma too) so your kiyora probably cooks LOL

TRUE I do enjoy the Prince yuki duo…imagine Chris giving him tips on training to help him build up stamina so he doesn’t get as tired and strain his eyes as much I’m crying….pause Chris cameo in yuki oaeu….youre onto something

FS I lowk forgot about kurona for a min (sorry bro) but Reo’s physicality esp after the training with Chris would seriously up the plays that Isagi could make too omg I have to admit I’m mainly in it for the character development though LMAOO like Reo and Isagi becoming besties /hj Id honestly love to see them interact more on good terms because a good chunk of what we’ve seen now is Reo being like “Isagi give me back my loser” I dying with the nagi slander hiori would totally be like “if he can haul his ass out of bed to kick a ball maybe I should start moving too” but LMAOOOO I actually laughed out loud the “your mom” comment is BRUTAL I can totally see it happening like Kaiser crumples on spot gripping his next and Nagi’s just standing like wtf is “your mom” that powerful maybe I should try “deez nuts” next time (imagine he does and Kaiser just stares at him like wtf are you 12) Noel noa and Nagi being the ceos of no thoughts brain empty to the point that they have no other option and it forces a Nagi awakening…

I’m just imagining a mean girl powerpuff trio….i guess by color default Rins buttercup and hiori is bubbles so Nagi’s gotta be blossom LMAO I see the vision though

I can imagine asks being distracting especially since our convo is always so long LMAOO (I live for it though) Mira on that grind…flashbacks to your mention of that one baby Justin Bieber audio (I love how I can remember this but not whether or not I’ve sent in an ask)

OH IM WALKING ALRIGHT let’s go grab coffee while we’re at it I think you’re gonna wanna sit down for this convo…ok but wait this is actually dangerous you can’t just drop this thought into my mind and dip!! Yotd x bllk crossover…hold on….im ngl it has been a bit since I’ve watched but imagine aiku or Otoya as jaeha too…both personality wise and color…

Ok now kiyora notes response response LOL

OFCCC and tbh I figured you’d be on the mark with his character (as usual) LMAOO miraverse just too powerful…

Ok wait I think the street fighter thing fits with him perfectly…like he’s always raring to go with breakdance battles and whatnot so I can lowk see it? He lowk would be a street dancer I feel in bllkverse so not that far off in terms of vibes I feel…we also saw him straight up squaring up with Nagi (soccer wise though) in epinagi LMAO so definitely a relatively combative character

LMFAOOOO that panel is so funny but FR thinking back on epinagi where Karasu insinuates that Kiyoras the weak link of the team and kiyoras like “you wanna go bro??” it all makes sense…makes me more excited for epinagi though I wanna see how they interact mid match!! Maybe Karasu and Otoya really were carrying their team (as expected) I’m also crying because from the clip I saw the HEIGHT DIFFERENCE the top of kiyora head reaches like the middle of Karasu ear they really said “ok time to really show how small he is”

- Karasu anon

HAHA i’m abt to post in the next hour or so i hope so you can see for yourself 🙂‍↕️ also side note i can’t stop using the head nod emoji JFNSKKS

AWW no because chris somehow getting involved and teaming up w aiku too?? he gives very blustery sweet but embarrassing uncle vibes where he def has no clue what’s going on but he’s doing his best…gasses up yuki whenever he sees reader meanwhile aiku is giving yuki tips to pull…absolutely insane combo LMAOAO honestly the best part of the oaeu is how many random combos that i can write about (for example i think the premise of the nagi one is going to be that aiku’s going on a double date and he needs another guy who’s going to make him look good in comparison so he picks nagi who’s like tall/cute/athletic enough to not embarrass aiku but uninterested and weird enough to not steal aiku’s thunder but then he accidentally DOES steal aiku’s thunder so he becomes aiku’s opp 😭 aiku turns into the anti wingman fr meanwhile reo and chigiri are like “nagi likes a woman???” so they’re beefing w aiku as well because they need nagi to touch grass FJDJSJSJ)

EXACTLYYY it would help isagi develop as a player and reo develop as a person >>>> no because hiori is def like hold on if THIS idiot can enjoy himself playing maybeeee it’s not thatttt bad 😩 PLS nagi thinks kaiser is just weak to fortnite insults so he’s like “kaiser do you know what happened to candice” and kaiser is like ? who IS candice ? and nagi’s like “candice nuts fit in your mouth 🤣” kaiser considers ending it because wdym he has the most fuck ass immature teammate ever 😰 also wait imagine wildcard kunigami but with nagi instead of isagi 😭 he’s all emo and traumatized and nagi is just like wow you have big muscles it reminds me of barou 👍 or he’d accidentally bring up how he beat him in the 3v3 and it would make poor kuni spiral 😓 also a nagi + kunigami bm vs rin + shidou pxg feels like such an ultimate second selection get back like they def wouldn’t win because plot but it would be insane!! LMAOOO forget nagi developing a new ego because he’s creative or curious he’s forced to because noel noa is NOT abt to help him in any way shape or form 😟

LMAOOO no i love our convos but sometimes i have to just lock in 😩 HAHA the justin bieber audio is a miraverse staple like that’s literally me writing about sooo many random characters it’s unreal (but very enjoyable!!)

i thought abt otoya for jaeha but i feel like jaeha is more extroverted than otoya (plus ponytail) so i thought reo fit better!! although i can def see the aiku vision especially because jaeha is much older than all of the other dragons…also lowkey kaiser kinda serves soowon (cunty blond) it’s too perfect HAHA i’m just thinking yk 🤭

miraverse always ends up connected to canon even unintentionally 🤫 i do agree considering he likes when people provoke him it just made sense to me to put him in that au!! and yeahhh bro karasu is actually kinda mean to kiyora but honestly that’s just the tabito signature like love him but he is top ten assholes in bllk (he’s just joking around though so it’s okay) HAHA okay wait kiyora and i are almost the same height (he’s 165 cm and i’m 163 cm) so that’s good to know for ah…research purposes…hehe so basically i’d barely even come up to the middle of karasu’s ear 🤗 that checks out though because i knew a guy who was 6’3 (nagi’s height) and i deadass had to actively look up to talk to him it kinda made things awkward though because even hugging was lowkey a gymnastic endeavor 😭 i’m perfectly alright w lime 5’9 that’s still tall to me (also that’s otoya’s height i believe…so basically more proof that miraeita 🔛🔝‼️)

[lindwurmkai]

hmm. i'm sorry to hear it's such a common experience - i don't know if you saw my tag, but i avoided most problems relating to extended family by just not having an extended family, which had its own negative consequences but obviously none as severe.

i have mostly met two kinds of people with families like this: those where the parents themselves weren't any better, and those where the parents did cut off contact with the abusive relatives. i also know plenty of people my age who don't have children of their own and simply cut off contact for their own mental health. the idea that so many people would choose to or be forced by circumstances to endure it, even when children are in the picture, seemed unlikely to me but perhaps there really is a difference between countries here??

"I would rather teach my children to lie to everyone as a general rule of safety, and then teach them which individuals is safe to be honest around, than to have them have to experience what I and many of my friends have lived through without any sort of guidance on how you're expected to behave."

that is understandable. i think we have misunderstood each other slightly because to me, the scenario described above with the game very much resembles what i have perceived as a "lack of guidance on how you're expected to behave" in my own life - i would be presented with nonsensical and even contradictory rules ("lying is wrong" vs. "saying the truth in this particular situation is also wrong"), be reprimanded for objecting to or even questioning those rules, have eyes rolled at me if i expressed confusion etc.

the idea of yet another rule being introduced through a game without calling it what it was seemed manipulative to me in such an insidious way that i literally broke down sobbing after reading the post, just from imagining the long-term consequences as the child grows older. manipulation is the main form of abuse i have experienced, and at the same time i was constantly accused of lying. sometimes it feels like i spent my entire childhood trying to prove i wasn't lying 24/7. so if someone had started teaching me to lie in one particular situation through a game without thoroughly explaining that it was ok instead of a horrible offense for once, i think i would have simply exploded on the spot.

the way you've put it, it sounds like it would come with an explanation. that's fine! all i ever wanted was explanations and for adults to actually answer my questions instead of cheerfully ignoring me or telling me to "stop playing stupid" (more supposed lying).

i'm really sorry about this, and thank you for responding patiently. i don't know how to describe the difference between the scenarios we each imagined. your version sounded to me like parent and child united against the world as co-conspirators (sad that it's necessary, but a good solution), whereas the previous posts sounded like yet more bullshit cryptic instructions packaged as a fun game.

on reread, "we discussed how we would leave that part out for our more sensitive audiences" does suggest a certain amount of explanation and focus on the "sensitive audiences" as a problem to be dealt with. i was too taken aback by the concept of a child expressing their feelings being characterised as "the wrong answer" because that is what has been happening to me all my life - i express my feelings, it's the wrong answer. even as an adult it still happens in therapy. "no, your problem is the opposite of what you think it is."

like ... it's not the wrong answer. it's the relatives who are wrong. but apparently there is a whole shared culture of people who are so used to this that they accept it as a given and think everyone's on the same page about a certain percentage of extended family just being abusive by default, which is horrifying in a whole new way. if it's an US thing, i'm so sorry. i barely know anyone who's still in contact with their biological family tbh, so it's not like i thought abuse was rare, but?? well, they all left.

"Look at this video of a child disappointed at their expensive gift! Children are so spoiled these days!"

That's cool. So, why did their parents upload their small child being upset online? In a public video, shared to the entire video? Why did they even save the recording?

Like. The kid in that scenario could be saying the most entitled nonsense in the world, and if their parents post it online to be publicly shamed, I'd still support the kid 100%. Thinking your child's life is a toy to exploit freely for #content is "spoiled"; when faced with mommy vlogers, kids should be demanding three PS5s and a new Bugatti, and we should be applauding them for it

[programmedtoexterminate]

My ONE complaint about my coworker is he's ALWAYS pushing the phone calls onto me. He Does Not want to call the customers or tbh even some of our coworkers and he'll basically by default hand it over to me. Idrk why he does this, like yeah he doesn't like calling customers (cause it's not really how we operate) but in the "we all do" way and he knows I don't either, but he doesn't seem like the dickish type to push off work he doesn't like onto me so it's like ??????? Also he lowkey shaded our co-op students for not taking phones calls which likeeeee..... 👀 ok....

[astrxlis-archive]

—This ask is for your reply that was posted on [ March 27 2022 ] !! (i apologize for replying this v late;; since we always tend to have a new topic every reply tbh 🤣)

First of all, i def appreciate you still replying to asks despite your busy sched 😭💖 i'll be always treasuring your messages so your effort wouldn't be wasted 🥰

I do think the reason why it's always mine is because there's a lot of asks that i have sent you with + tagging those posts with my alias— it's still interesting to me even after you told me that 🤭

For fridays, we only have half day classes however it's in the morning (vs. our usual sched in the afternoon) :DD and i'll do my best avoiding not sleeping 🤧 i just happen to not get tired always (but i got drained so fast)!!

i do see your point about xiao being confused that you don't seem to be like the people who goes like "omg an adeptus 🤩🤩" (ngl i cracked up reading this 😭😭) maybe because you treating xiao just like a normal person to talk to will ease his heart 👀

My shyness, hmm it's always been there actually 😌 but i try to not be shy when i have to seem confident. This is one reason why kokomi is quite a relatable character to me?? She's an introvert, however as a leader and divine priestess of watatsumi she have to act confident around her people.

If you do think you need to learn from me on that aspect, i do think i have to learn about how you get in touch with people using your ~emotional intelligence~ which i lack,,😔

Very much relating to how we become a hypocrite of our own words too, but well i think we just don't have enough motivation to be a man of our own words 😩 but it's nice to know that you're still trying your best!! That's one of the things that matters ngl 💗💕

About my diagnosis... I have informed you about this earlier so i see no need to put it here again 😌👌i think you asking more about this isn't intruding since i think you just wanna be more aware you know 😤💕 and thank you for your kind words, Fox!! Around this week, i'm starting to get better too! :D I can function little by little now + i have told our class adviser about this too (bc i think one of the side effects of the meds can cause sleepiness?? + I slept so late that i was sleeping like a log) yesterday since i failed to attend our friday classes 😌 i woke up at 12 nn around that day.

Truly, my reaction to you saying i have a way with words is the first time i heard of that compliment towards me??!? 😤😤😤 So i of course need time to process it and see my self at your own PoV 😅🤭

MOST IMPORTANTLY: when i was reading this message before, i cant help it but smile and giggle(?) due the fact that you said you kinda considered me as a friend echoes in my brain for days 😩 like i was just sitting in piece and then i remembered this part of your message reply— it made me go like "omg,,, they called me a friend??🥺 their friend,,,😳 omg,," i feel so honored 😭😭 i'll do my best as your friend 😤💞

Interesting to know you had a uquizzes phase too 🤣 i feel so sad i have taken almost all quizzes that's interesting to me,,,,, yandere bnha quiz 😱 that's wild 🤔🤣 the description must be very detailed 😰 i'm sorry for finding this funny 😭 hmm i don't draw anymore because... The flame of the candle has long been burnt out ever since. Meaning that my passion for it have vanished, yet i still posseses the creativity skill within me. And i hope the moment i join genshinblr, i would not quit writing too, given the fact that i would usually pick a new hobby then suddenly abandon it <///3 i dont really do fanarts back then but before i do original and half-assed random artworks 👌

i'm also glad that you have read a new take or perspective about noelle's situation 🥰 i do wonder about that too..

it was nice knowing that you're getting comfy with me as well 😌 💖

me 🤝you

Having trouble with the opposite "x" aspect in the "INxP".

Ngl your messages gives me so much warmth (in a good and loving way) like i think to myself how you connect with others 🥺💗

Ooooh pediatrics ?? Now that's another interesting thing,, but i'll be looking forward to what field in medicine you're going to choose in the future !! 😚 Im just here cheering up on u! 🤔 i can't give you any tips in dealing with kids if i were to recollect my hazy memories when i was a kid bc im a well behaved kid b4🤩😭 what i can only remember is that i had tantrums outta nowhere lmaos 😔😭

same with what you said, i think infp and intp are quite a good pair of friends 👀💞✨

Please do share stuff you've learned in your class/es!!🤩🤩🤩 i'm very much in for what you had learned, so you can let your med student self to talk about those :> i, of course, cannot relate much but i try my best to understand it as much as possible :D

Also, don't think about not explaining stuff or defining some words, google got my back !!👌

i definitely enjoy your questions especially that they help continue the flow of the conversation 🥺♥️ it's obvious that in my replies i just really answer your questions and not ask anything 😩 i just have no idea what to ask ;; it may not seem to you that you're thankable for it but i feel like telling you these simple nice things you've done that made my heart so warm <33

here it is again 😩😩 "i like talking to you" guest what, me too!! 🤩😤🥰

Please kindly break it to me about the accounting and business stuff 👀 i wanna know about it more 😩 once again me 🤝 you in terms of getting rich by doing absolutely nothing 😌✨

Also i didn't expect that reply 🥺 thank you for considering my safety and privacy (even if i wouldnt mind but still thank you for being do considerate 🥺)

one thing i have to say about the stroganoff in your reply is that: i dont know how to cook 😭😭 shh i cant also explain why i cant because i also dont know 🤣 but maybe i should overcome my fear of turning on the stove- 😌 idk i always feel like if i handled the stove our house might explode 🤔 and i have experienced being blamed so many times (especially as the eldest) and is so tired of it 😌

i've also viewed the IG acc you follow 👀 the page is full of so many fluffy pets 🥺💞 i get it now why it is named jupiter and friends 😤 idk but,, jupiter surely got so many friends to accompany it😂🥰

thank you for your support too!! I'll be sure to let you know (i might forget btw;;;) if ever i have joined the genshinblr community 😚 let's grow together and support each other!! ♥️

Well i may not be knowledgeable about the html stuff in here,, but i could give you a few ideas based on how you would like things to look like, things you are interested in (like Nier) or your favorite kind of aesthetic and vibe >:3 i remember trying to plan what theme i want my blog to be remembered of, or how can i be unique from the rest of the blogs,, because my theory for this is that if your blog is unique or nice looking you have more chances of getting remembered. 🤔🤔

And yoimiya 😳 (i have to admit i love her as a character ) that's really interesting to me!! 😳 I get your point of associating her with me too, but one thing i could assure is that: im not good with kids unlike her 😂 dont worry about not being very good at understanding, because i feel the same way 🥺and do let me know if you have another character you associate me with!! i'm very curious about it 🤩

I haven't seen turning red yet, but i've seen many people are talking about it👌 i might watch that when i have the time!! Very glad to here that you took a break from studying to watching a movie instead😚🤩 it's like treating yourself too for working hard in your studies💗

Abt that quiz, even if i chose the same answers i have selected before i got jean too(so many times) and idk what on earth happened bc my actual result there was supposed to be diluc- 💀 this is the start where i question if i do kin him 😌

Idk how it is for your sisters but maybe we do relate about being the eldest/elder one 😂

Take care Fox!! 💕💕💕

— 🍰.

hellooo 🍰!!!

first of all, thank you so much for still replying to that 😂 it’s alright if it’s late, so dw!! we somehow keep the conversation going 🥰

yep, i agree with you! it’s probably because of that, but it’s also a comfort to me? like, you’re a consistent person around here and that means a lot. thank you! 💕💕

oh gosh, days where classes only happen in one period are such a blessing. i’m so jealous, even if it’s in the mornings. also, i cracked up too, especially because i keep reading the “omg” like the third vine, so i’m just here like 😂😂😂 anyways… i just want my little xiaoxiao to be happy 🤷

okay so i finally did kokomi’s quest (because the new event MADE me do it, not because i planned to – the things i do for primos and xingqiu istg) and i can def see your point clearer now. maybe it’s a good thing i took a while to reply. she’s also overworked, much like jean, because she has such an important role in watatsumi… i swear i wanted to let her sleep for a while longer 😔 maybe (hopefully) we can teach each other a little bit more about our types of intelligence! ☺️

i was really happy to read you were feeling better, and it still warms my heart to read it again 🥰 i still haven’t checked dan’s blog for your diagnosis, but i will! it’s in my to-do list once midterms are over. i’m glad you told your class adviser! having someone know what you’re going through, even if it’s just medication side effects, can help a lot. and dude?? you absolutely do have a way with words?? like, how come no one has told you this before? 🧍🧍🧍 this fox is too stunned to speak

about doing your best being my friend, all we gotta do is be honest about our feelings and talk things out, you know? i think it’s the best way to support each other! 💕 but let me know what you think abt this!

no worries for finding it funny LMAO tbh i was a bit creeped out by the results and i giggled like crazy bc dang, the person who made that quiz went all out 👀 my uquiz phase come and go tbh 😂 since you sent me those two quizzes i've been sorta checking the website for new ones 🤭🤭

and yeah, i can relate to that – the passion for something burning out. i’m sorry you went through that with drawing, but it’s nice to know you still draw sometimes instead of dropping it completely. and hey, even if you do end up joining and quitting, what matters is that you were here! and i’m sure people would be delighted to have you around as a writing blog as well. 💖💖

about my specialty – i’ll let you know 😂 and thanks for cheering me on!! tbh not even i can give myself advice on how to deal with kids bc i’m not good with them but it makes me so happy when i wave to a random kid and they wave back or say hi fkndkssn 🙈

aw man 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 look, i’m just really glad you take time off your day to come here and talk to me, so like– yes!! please tell me stuff!! related to me or not 💖

so, this is me breaking it out to you: you’re so so so wrong about not having to work in that field 😩😮‍💨😩😮‍💨 THEY WORK SO HARD— listen i took two (2!!) months of business management and i quit because sweet jesus the amount of theory they have backing their practice???? just. no. not for me at all. and sometimes i think people in that field are overworked. but it’s a major that opens doors, absolutely. you can work anywhere. about accounting, my mom has a degree in it and there’s a lot more theory than i ever thought; it’s like business but with math. sorry if i crushed your hopes ☹️

if it helps, i only recently learned how to cook 😂😂 which is why i go to my sister’s for food sometimes. take your time overcoming your fear, though!! the stove is not going anywhere (and it’s not going to explode 😂) and maybe you can blackmail your sibling into cooking with you so if stuff goes wrong you’re not alone 👀

juniper’s account gives me life sometimes 😂 the fact most animals are (unreleaseable) wild animals is very informative about what they’re like too. and i’ll remind you to let me know when you join! consider this your first reminder! 😂😂 let’s goooooo 💖

i’m not very knowledgeable with html either, so we’re on the same boat, but please tell me your ideas!! you’re absolutely right about your aesthetic being how you’re remembered (along your writing if you're a writing blog–)

about yoimiya – getting along with kids was not the first thing on my mind tbh 😂 especially bc i remembered you saying stuff about your sibling 👀 and after kokomi’s quest, i started to see the ways i can associate you with her, but i still need a better grasp on her personality 😅 let me know what you think of the movie when/if you do!

so, as requested, i’ll send any questions i have in my reply for the next ask (probably tomorrow) 😩

i hope you’re doing well, 🍰!! 💛💛💛

[thedreadvampy]

some sort of....new religious movement? I'm wondering hmmmmm is there any way that new religious movements can go wrong or cause harm? naaaahhhhhh.

[tuulikki]

I have a problem with that list of things that make a person 'culturally christian' as the post couples it with the implication that one can cease being culturally christian while still doing some of the things on that list.

I'm probably misunderstanding shit but it bugs me. Several things on that list are unavoidable in daily life, and thus my Jewish friend (and the Jewish poster who made the list) fall into the culturally christian category because they use a christian calendar and buy chocolates on valentine's day. And yet the poster says 'those of us who are not culturally christian' which contradicts their own argument? No? I'm an atheist and I'm absolutely aware of other religions, but the world around me doesn't care, I have to say it's 2022. And it doesn't bother me, tbh. I don't say AD anymore, that's on purpose. But that post...I don't get why it assumed the OP didn't understand that these things come from christianity. The assumption that all victims of religious abuse are living in culturally christian environments, or that they don't know other religions are different from christianity...i really don't like that attitude. It sounds like implying that they haven't found the better religions yet and that's why they're atheist, but not even fully so because their culture remains influenced by christianity. It's condescending. (be gentle, i'm not looking for a fight, and it's ok to not respond if what I'm saying pisses you off because it misses the point.)

Hey, thanks for the ask! I hope I can explain things, and if there’s anything you find frustrating at the end of it, please send another ask and I’ll try to do better—it’ll likely be due to my not being coherent 🥲

The key misunderstanding here is how massive “culture” is.

Using a Christian dating system or observing aspects of Christian holidays doesn’t inherently make any person culturally Christian. Those are byproducts of dominant Christian religion in a culture. But the person who has never felt their own culture subordinated and othered by that culturally Christian default is the cultural Christian. Many culturally Christian people may be deeply alienated or flat-out hate religious Christianity, but the culture we inhabit is culturally Christian and it is our culture. It can be hard to spot how much you’re a product of your culture, but the fact of it remains.

It’s like being raised by a family: it defines what you think “family tradition” means but will also affect little things like what food you want to eat when you’re sick. It’s not that who you are is determined by your family. But you are shaped by the experience of being raised in that family. You can’t erase that history: what you choose to reject or continue from your family legacy is a conscious choice informed by what you’ve experienced. And you can’t assume that the way your family works has any universal applicability, or that that cutting your family out of your life makes you a blank slate, or that your way of rejecting your birth family is universal.

If you are from a culture that is historically Christian, you exist as a part of that culture. People who aren’t culturally Christian can of course be members of a culturally Christian society because participation (and belonging!) in the society is not defined by adherence to the religion. The culture is, however, shaped by centuries of that religion. And people who aren’t culturally Christian are forced to accommodate the majority culture in ways which people who are culturally Christian will not. (The classic example of cultural Christianity is the culturally Christian neopagans/witches who try to argue that the winter solstice is “inclusive” because it’s not Christian. As if “Christian” or “not Christian” are the only ways you could measure exclusivity and inclusivity!)

The OP of that post wrote the phrase “being an atheist is a valid belief system.” That’s some raw cultural Christianity. It presupposes the following:

religion must have a deity (how else atheist?)

atheism is primarily defined as an absence of belief in a deity (rather than omitting a particular act or social practice)

atheism and religion are both defined as being determined by personal belief. The belief in question is in a system of some kind.

adherence to a system of belief determines a specific identity label, which an individual will apply to themselves. This label marks them as a member of an identity group whose members are defined by such individual declarations of belief.

belief systems can be valid or invalid (and it’s worth arguing about)

None of these things are universally believed by all cultures. But a culturally Christian society absolutely assumes those things to be true.

So my point is that atheism in culturally Christian societies is overwhelmingly defined in dialogue with and in reaction to the core tenets of the various Christianities that have dominated those societies. That’s what we’re trying to say when try to tell culturally Christian atheists that they are culturally Christian. I don’t want to be condescending, but the fact that some culturally Christian atheists don’t seem to be aware that they are products of their culture and that they enjoy a baseline level of membership privilege in that culture is… very challenging to me? We’re not accusing them of being crypto-Christians, but since their definition of “religion” is still so Christian, that’s what they hear. They use a narrow, culturally-bound definition of religion when they say “l’m not religious”—and they assume their definition isn’t derived from that culturally Christian experience.

You can’t surgically separate the history of dominant religious traditions from the cultures that practice/d those religions: the culture shapes the religion, the religion shapes the culture. A culturally Christian atheist from England is a different kind of atheist than a culturally Buddhist atheist from Mongolia. You can’t exist in a vacuum.

Deprogramming yourself in this context means acknowledging the fact that you have privilege. This privilege is something you get by default whether you want it or not. It’s not merely knowing that other systems of belief exist or writing “C.E.” at the end of the year. It’s accepting that you are the product of a certain culture that is not universal, even though its dominance can make us feel like it’s a natural default.

Culturally Christian privilege doesn’t invalidate any person’s religious Christian trauma because culturally privileged people can be abused within the social structures they benefit from at the same time. There isn’t a moral binary here. No one is assigned a static moral category. Someone telling you you’re benefiting from cultural Christianity is not them saying “gotcha, you’re irredeemably problematic! #cancelled!!” It’s an invitation to ask yourself if you’re being held back by what you’re trying to reject. To put it in terms we all understand too well: “cultural Christianity” isn’t a sin, there is no shame attached to it, and there is no pressure to be pure and cleansed of it because that would be impossible as that’s not how people and cultures work. And the fact that some of the worst of it still lives in our heads does not mean that we are bad, because there’s no one judging our thoughts, only our actions. The fact that we have a term to describe what lives our heads—which allows us to be aware of it—is a gift, not an accusation.

[7thcirclebaker]

Lex Luthor trying to be like a not terrible dad and be supportive but is definitely off the mark;

Tim and Kon get married, he is there like unsure how affectionate to be but is like, here's the original Luthor farm because idk he doesn't use it and they clearly have a place in Gotham but Connor loves Smallville so maybe they want a place there and mercy and several parenting books are like sentimental things are good though, this is a good idea. And it is tbf. Connor can still do farm chores at the Kent's and stuff but they have their own space and can like add to it. It becomes like less haunted by the terrible childhoods had there over a few years.

Timeskip, slightly

They've been married like over 3 1/2 years and Lex while getting better is still lacking some like emotional intelligence and awareness, genius doesn't mean smart in all ways. So he's always given gifts on theme to the classic wedding anniversary themes which at 4 years is fruit or flowers which is stumping him to plan. Because like sure he could gift them like enough trees to plant a sizeable orchard but that doesn't seem like it's hitting the mark and Bruce can definitely gift them that with like extra oomph from Dr.Isley (because obviously, the gift giving is still in a way a competition between inlaws) So he's looking over the files he has on both of them, and a parenting book, and as he flicks through the files there's like the closest thing to a baby photo Conor has, which is a small tube with a blob. But this sparks a train of thought that goes through several stations and none of them are common sense ville in Lex's head right. Fruit > Fruitful Loins > Children > Expertise in Kryptonian human blended clones > A gift only I could easily do for them > Average time in a marriage before having kids > current public opinion of the couple > increase in public standing for them and me by having kids > ?? > Wins all round tbh!

It's not necessarily hard for lex to get both their DNA, but it takes some time and then getting viable clones is another little bit so he's delayed on getting it to them. So they get an anniversary card ( hand delivered by mercy who's so happy to not be around "Soon to be a grandfather" Lex Luthor) and it says something along the lines of sorry your gift this year is slightly late, my plans were going perfectly so I blame their tardiness on the Kryptonian" So they call Clark to be like Hey, did you bust any of lexs more morally dubious plots recently because looking at this card it seems like you did, not mad though, just let us know. He's like no, I didn't, I'll like scope it out though, btw here's a weird Kryptonian house plant for the apartment that I got Ivys help to grow, happy anniversary. Tim is slightly worried because Clark comes back being like nope, it's all a-ok, totally fine. But like he can't do much because him and Connor have a Hawaiian holiday booked to just relax and be themselves, nice anniversary present from Bruce (While he brings several hundred trees to the farm and Ivy to plant them so a surprise orchard appears when they get back - let's see lex top this) they come back after a week and the next day...

Meanwhile Clark went to go talk to Lex to be like I hope you're not doing anything too weird because like co-parenting is weird but don't scar our son anymore right. Only Lex is like at yet another secret lab checking final development on the fraternal twins so when Clark finally tracks him down (mercy ignored him for a solid 5 hours because she had too much cover work to do and also no patience for this) he's standing in a classic evil pose watching a pair of growth chambers with babies in them. (He says it's just a power pose and it's kind of a default for him after years in board meetings) Clark is immediately like dude what the actual fuck! Why did you try and make more clones when your parenting at the moment is freaking out the son we do have?? "Aah, but these aren't our children, they are our grandchildren." Pauses for dramatic effect "Do you think Kon-El and Timothy will appreciate the gift of children the way their parents have not?" Clark bluescreens. Reboots. Thinks really hard at super speed. And then starts politely asking Lex questions to find out why, how, have you talked to anyone else about this plan at all, why again, etc. Lex's train of thought finally gets diverted for an emergency service in common sense ville. Communication is a thing, that he has not done. But at this point it will ruin the surprise and this way you can say you knew about the grandchildren before batman "The worlds greatest Dective" so please don't tell them.

A definitely not misty eyed Batman steps out of the shadows of this lab "We won't tell them, that's for you. Though I will make sure Alfred prepares the nursery" He will say he found it through detective work and careful following - he tracker tagged Clark and once it took more than three hours for him to find and talk to Lex, Bruce was prepped to Zeta wherever he found Lex and provide backup because he was also sus of the in-law. Clark goes home and tells Lois and she's like, normally parents just complain and guilt you into having kids like yours did, not decide it was taking too long so I'll make them for you and hand them over wrapped in a nice blanket. But this is Lex so she isn't as surprised and also excited because babies.

Batman and Superman have totally been acting weird this whole week which only like a dozen people noticed but one of them was the Flash so there's a JL betting pool on why. The only thing they can for sure tell is that it's good news. Tim and Conor get called for a Titans mission as soon as they get back from holiday and even though it's short it's tiring but like Bart fills them in afterwards about the Goss while they wash up before heading back to the Gotham penthouse and neither of them have any idea about why their dads are acting weird, it disturbs them.

Next morning they're having a slight lie in, or that was the plan if not for them hearing the intercom buzz and the faint sounds of crying babies while Lex asks politely to be let up. Tim doesn't actually hear this, being an insomniac who needs sleep and cuddles, but Connor does and him getting up to let Lex+ in disturbs Tim. They get dressed and make coffee while Luthor is in the elevator. Tim is drinking gods nectar when Connor moves to let Lex in who comes in with a pair of the fanciest nappy bags slung over his shoulder and a file folder. Mercy (the ever tired absolute boss in need of a payrise) is behind him pushing a double buggy which she pushes into the apartment and then leaves to let them have privacy while she gets the rest of the stuff. Tim starts drinking the coffee faster when he sees the buggy because he's not awake enough yet. Connor asks whos are the kids. Lex is like "Yours, I informed you that your gift for your anniversary would be slightly late. You'll need to pick names for them in the next three days and fill out the forms located in this file to register the birth. Don't worry we've got paper work to show they were created as part of an experimental surrogacy program for LexCorp so no one will know they're created with cloning technology" He's said this barefaced to try and not give away that he's nervous about their reactions. Tim does a spit take and Connor Bluescreens.

--- more to follow maybe at some point. Free to a good home if someone wants to actually write it out and make English good because accidental baby aquisition and TimKon parenting is a fic we all need more of ---

[whitepadi]

Character as a Companion: Nathandra.

Was tagged by @fenrisprime2003 and also using his template here!

Character's Name: Nathandra Bahri Pangestu

Alignment: Light.

Class/Weapon: Shadow/Saberstaff

Restrictions: Jedi Knight (Class Story), in KotFE he can be recruited by anyone via a story (Onslaught)

Role: Mix of DPS and Healer but healer by default.

Recruited: After Chapter 1 for JK, on onslaught for republic character/reunion, after Mek-Sha for empire character.

Where they stay: Near Holocal for JK in the defender, in the Military hangar for the alliance.

Bio: After 5 years of self-isolation, Jedi Master Nathandra returns to the order to take his one last padawan. After the invasion of the Eternal Empire, he once more went into hiding in order to slowly rebuild the order. After the order fell once again, he went to find his friend's apprentice to no avail, until he eventually decided to help the refugee and slowly rebuild the order.

Gifts:

Favorite: Republic Memorabilia.

Love: Technology, Military Gear, Delicacies.

Like: Trophy, Weapon.

Indifferent: Anything else.

Likes: Kindness, Protecting the weak, Following the (good) order, Compassion.

Dislikes: Cruelty, Cooperating with the dark side, acting for money.

Allies: Orgus Din, Satele Shan, Kira Carsen, Scourge.

Enemies: Darth Vitiate and Darth Malgus.

Storyline Roles: For JK, serve as JK's guardian after Din's death. He's reunited on Ossus as one of the Jedi Masters protecting the refugee, and with help of both Kira and Scourge, he helped to destroy Tenebrae.

Notable Conversations: After his companion quest, he will ask JK to talk privately on the defender, and he will say something like.

"Looking at you it really reminded me of someone and something that I really love, our difference is uncanny, I know, but your presence here gave me something that was lost years ago, hope. I'm really thankful for the chance you gave me, my dear. I might not be able to stay by your side forever, but I cherish every moment we have, thank you."

Companion Mission: In JK's storyline, he will ask for JK to help him get some of the memoirs of his old life back in coruscant, before his family's demise. While JK can't deny the request, they can see this mission as a burden for them (looking at you, Kresna) and causing Nat to apologize to the player.

Romanceable: Nope, can be flirted, however. He will act like he doesn't get it when flirting even though he totally understands the intent.

Romance Arc: (Ok I know he can't be romance but if he can it might be after Jedi Under Siege)

Major Approval Decisions: Anything regarding sparing someone's life would give major approval to Nat, including Sith lord.

Major Disapproval Decisions: Almost anything Darkside-related and not showing mercy towards those who surrendered. Executing Sith lord, however, only gives him a "Slightly disapprove"

Desertion/Death: None.

I don't really have any idea who to tag tbh so anyone feels free to join.