#who can do no wrong and is absolved of all fault

[thegoldencontracts]

Every single time someone makes Azul out to be a pathetic easily bullied guy with no ability to defend himself whatsoever an angel loses its wings falls to the ground and fucking dies.

Please remember, Azul's overblot was the exception, not the norm. He's not a pathetic little crybaby. The thing about this portrayal is that it does insinuate the idea that someone is weak and "pathetic" for having a breakdown when it's this widespread, clearly genuinely belief that a character is pathetic as evidenced by one breakdown.

Same goes for Riddle. Yes, he had a breakdown during his overblot, but with both him and Azul, that was an exception, not the norm. There are plenty of scenes where they've both shown themselves to be smug and powerful characters.

Heck, even during Azul's breakdown, he did end up displaying his true power by sucking that literal magic and talent out of all the students nearby. Leona literally stated that his Unique Magic was forbidden. Riddle was known as the Crimson Tyrant because of the way he treated others. Azul isn't going to cry every time someone insults him, case in point, the way he behaves with Jamil, who makes a habit out of it. He doesn't run off feeling hollow after every interaction, because, well, he keeps coming back! And his enthusiasm is never hankered!

Even when dealing with physically stronger individuals, like Floyd (and most twst characters let's face it most of the cast has six packs), Riddle is never afraid. It was once mentioned that he effortlessly overpowered Floyd during the opening ceremony in Beans Day. With his magic, he's not weak, and he's certainly not helpless.

Obviously, while you can write whatever you want, I just want to explain why I believe that characterization is inaccurate. I love writing fics myself, and I (a long with most fic writers I've asked) prefer writing things that seem like they could reasonably happen with the characters and/or au in question.

[teaboot]

Sometimes at work it's not my place to tell people the things I want to say, and I find I often go home at the end of the rougher days to stand blankly in my shower and tell myself over and over what I wish I could pass on.

This accomplishes very little, and mostly just gives me a tension headache, but through it all I think I've narrowed myself down to a few solid things I'd like to tell people the most.

You can't change people. Not permanently, not for anythig. You can support them, encourage them, love them, give them tools and opportunities and resources, but you can't make them change. They can change themselves if they want to, but they have to want to, and they have to want it for themselves, because they're the only one that's certain to be with them forever.

For better or worse, you make your own choices, and blaming bad choices on others doesn't only work to absolve you of responsibility- it also robs you of control. Because if you say you only did something because I did something, then you arent only shifting blame- you're admitting that you cannot control yourself, that you cannot truly make choices for yourself, that other people can control you- and as long as you truly beleive that, you'll keep facing the same problems over and over. You'll keep letting others dictate your choices, because you'll beleive that they can, and you'll never be free.

White knights on horseback are from fairytales. Nobody can help you if ou're not willing to help yourself. To try, to put the dirty work in, to belive you're worth that effort- Act as though nobody is coming to save you. From a struggle, from pain, from bad relationships, from yourself. And when you do save yourself, because you will, because failure here isn't an option if you want to survive, you'll never find another dragon that can keep you prisoner.

Don't say anything to anyone that you wouldn't want them remembering forever.

Doing the right thing in bad circumstances is hard. It's the hardest thing. But if you make the choice to do that hard thing anyways, despite your fear, you'll go on the rest of your like knowing that you're the sort of person who did something.

The present only seems the hardest because the past I over and the future hasn't happened.

There's so much joy ahead of you, the kind you can't possibly understand until you see it yourself.

The responsibility of consequences is often disguised as the power of permission. "I won't do this if you help me", "I'll work on my anger if you do this for me", "I promised you I'd quit, but can I have just one?". The unspoken question is, "Can it be your fault if this goes badly?"

You cant make someone love you the way you need to be loved. Someone can love you very much and still be bad for you, even if you love them very much in return. Two people can love each other very, very much, and try their very best, and still be wrong for each other.

Sometimes being near to someone changes you, even in good ways, and the people you become don't fit together as well as the people you were.

Caring takes work. Even if it's real. Especially if it's real. And the most important gestures aren't the grand, poetic, songs-and-flowers-and-tears moments; they're getting out of bed even though you don't want to. Paying attention to things you don't enjoy. Scrubbing pans, or opening a window, saying "thank-you", or helping carry groceries into the house. The small things fill the big things- without the small, boring, mediocre things, big things feel hollow.

Thrre is honour and dignity in humble work.

If you are a cruel and spiteful person, then you will find every place you visit to be full of the same cruel, spiteful people. This is not because the world is as cruel as you, but because everywhere you are, you will be disliked. This is the curse that comes with being persistently cruel and spiteful.

If you are a kind and ppsitive person, you will repeatedly encounter kind and positive people, because as they grow familiar with you, they will be happier to have you near. This is the reward of being a kind and positive person.

When splitting paths with loved ones, briefly or forever, aim for your last words to always be "I love you".

[moniquill]

So there's a post going around that I'm not going to engage with because my point is entirely different than what the discussion is covering there...

It's this thread: https://www.tumblr.com/galileosballs/783607164314976256/some-of-the-responses-to-this-have-been-in

(I will not be weighing in on that thread)

Here's the thing about schooling and Kids These Days from the elementary to the college level using generative AI (which is Bad for many reasons; I am not defending it):

School (for the purposes of this discussion, public school in the US because that's the only kind of schooling I personally have extensive experience with) is not designed to promote learning.

Lamentations about the ethics of the students who do this, about how this is devaluating education, about how it's frightening that future doctors etc are cheesing their way through medical school with AI all have their eyes on a particular symptom of a much, much bigger and deeper problem. That problem is ULTIMATELY capitalism, but on the way there it's about pedagogy.

I, from the perspective of not having been beholden to school for many years, can confidently say that I did not learn a single fucking thing in school between fourth grade (age 9; I learned how to do long division) and college (age 18, learned a lot of different things, absolutely none of them particularly relevant to any paid work I've ever had). School was a six to eight hour time sink (plus however long homework took) in my day that actively got in the way of me learning things WHILE piling a bunch of stress and trauma onto me that I had to spend years recovering from.

School, in the US, is designed from the ground up to train children into compliant workers. It's about showing up on time, being willing to follow arbitrary and often unfair rules, doing as one is told by figures of authority, and giving the desired answers to direct questions (while asking as few clarifying questions as possible). Curiosity and creativity are actively punished by public school.

"Does saying things that are true and that you know are true only matter when someone is giving you a little prize for it?" Literally yes, that his how the system is built. Under capitalism, there is no motivation to say true things that are true that you know are true. It is likely, in fact, to get you punished! If you want to change that behavior, YOU HAVE TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM THAT PRODUCES IT.

This quote, in particular, seems to miss the point hugely:

"Some of the responses to this have been, in essence, "well, it's not our fault for being raised in a bad educational system that prioritizes grades over comprehension". And you're right, it's not your fault.

But you freely admit the system is bad. That it values the wrong things.

So why do you limit yourself to only achieving what it values? Do you not aspire to be better than a system you know is wrong? Don't you want to change the world?" with a post script of "the system is bad and that fact absolves me of moral responsibility to be a good person” is CEO rhetoric frankly"

It should be noted that absolutely no one in the thread has espoused a belief that 'hat fact absolves me of moral responsibility' - they are all talking about ways that the system is rotten from the ground up and needs to be dismantled and rebuilt. Many, many people reblogging the chain are ascribing malice/excuse-making to people who are merely correctly identifying the problem. Explanations are not excuses; sorry that someone taught you that at some point.

No one in that thread has said "I use AI, and think that it's a good and laudable thing to do!" - that is not a position that anyone seems to be holding.

There are a lot of people in that thread who are indignant that anyone is going to college who isn't deeply invested in learning, as if that's the goal that sends people to academia.

We do not live in a world that rewards learning. We live in a world that awards the possession of credentials.

We do not live in a world where people pursue careers because they are inherently important and meaningful to them - they pursue them because they want to survive under capitalism. Most people are not going into healthcare, for example, because they genuinely want to help heal people who are sick or injured; they're doing it because it's a stable career that generated a livable income. I say this as a person who works in healthcare and deals with others working in the field.

"If you're using AI to get through your education you've not fucking earned your qualifications. That AI did."

No one has ever 'earned their qualifications' re: possession of a college degree. They have merely shown a capacity and willingness to jump through the required hoops.

Do you think that you can shame people into not using shortcuts?

I want readers to look at this thread:

which has a much more coherent idea of what the problem is and what can be done about it. I want readers to look into pedagogy; check out these old-ass videos:

And just... just go watch every Ted Talk by Sugata Mitra.

I think we as a society need to be far more honest in what the goals we have are and how they're best achieved. Most of the jobs that people end up spending their lives doing should not be asking for college degrees. Most people do not want or need to go to college. Most people in college, in school at all, are there under duress and the threat of destitution.

I really want people to reblog and reply to this with thier own thoughts - I know that's no longer vogue on tumblr, but I am trying really hard to bring it back. No, the replies will NOT be opened. Fucking reblog it.

[princesssarisa]

I've been having more Pride and Prejudice thoughts, namely about Elizabeth's relationship with Lydia.

I've repeatedly come across the idea that Elizabeth is a bad sister to Lydia: that she judges her unfairly, disdains her instead of trying to advise her, victim-blames her for falling into Wickham's clutches, and ultimately abandons her.

Did these people read a different version of the book than I did? Or is this based on the adaptations? Or since everything they accuse Elizabeth of doing is really what Mr. Bennet does, are they somehow confusing her with her father?

Since when does Elizabeth never try to advise Lydia? We're told that both Elizabeth and Jane have often tried to advise Lydia and Kitty, without any success. Older siblings don't have the authority of parents, so as long as their mother encourages Lydia and Kitty's frivolous behavior and their father doesn't care, it's a lost cause. But it's not for lack of trying on Elizabeth and Jane's part.

As for unfairly judging and victim-blaming Lydia, I've been searching the text to find a place where Elizabeth does any such thing, but I haven't found it. The closest I can find is her speech as she tries to dissuade Mr. Bennet from letting Lydia go to Brighton, where she gives him a harsh assessment of all of Lydia's faults – her wildness, ignorance, vanity, flirting, and lack of any self-control – and warns him that if he doesn't check her, she'll disgrace the whole family. I do understand how some readers might call that monologue "mean." But Elizabeth isn't saying that Lydia was born that way and will always be that way. On the contrary, she's warning her father to start parenting Lydia as he should before her ways become fixed.

Elizabeth knows that Lydia is a product of her young age, her mother's spoiling, and her father's neglect. After the elopement, when Mrs. Gardiner is incredulous that Lydia would willingly live with Wickham out of wedlock, Elizabeth's explanation is that Lydia "is very young" and "has never been taught to think on serious subjects."

It's also made clear that Elizabeth pities Lydia and doesn't want her to have to marry Wickham. But she reluctantly realizes that there's no other way to save Lydia's honor or the rest of the family's. If any reader blames Elizabeth for hoping the marriage will take place and for her very bittersweet relief when it does, they're probably the same readers who hate Darcy for making the marriage happen. Never mind that Darcy tries at first to convince Lydia to leave Wickham instead, but Lydia won't listen.

The harshest thought ever expressed from Elizabeth's viewpoint toward Lydia post-elopement is when the newlyweds come back to Longbourn and Elizabeth is "disgusted" to see that Lydia has no remorse for what she put her family through. But isn't that fair?

I suppose some people will argue that Lydia has no reason to feel remorse because she "did nothing wrong." She's a "literal child," she's the victim of Wickham's predation, she believed he loved her and was always going to marry her, etc. But to be honest, I think Lydia's defenders sometimes tend to infantilize her. Is she really completely unaccountable for what happens? She's sixteen, not six, and without absolving Wickham of blame, he doesn't seem to have cold-bloodedly manipulated and seduced her the way he did Georgiana; it's implied that she threw herself at Wickham, that she was the one who wanted to elope, and since Wickham needed to flee from his gambling debts anyway, he essentially decided ""Sure, why not?" Just from living in society, Lydia should have known that running off with a man, giving him her virginity, and living with him before marriage would have threatened to disgrace her entire family. I don't think it's victim-blaming to admit that she does behave thoughtlessly and selfishly, even if we do understand that she's a product of her bad upbringing and that Wickham, Mr. Bennet, and Mrs. Bennet are more to blame than she is.

Last, but not least, since when does Elizabeth "abandon" Lydia? Do people who have only seen the adaptations assume that after Lydia and Wickham leave Longbourn, Elizabeth will have nothing more to do with her? The book makes it clear that once Elizabeth is married, she frequently sends Lydia money, that Lydia occasionally visits Pemberley too, and that while Darcy refuses to let Wickham visit, he does assist him in his profession to ensure that Lydia is provided for. How can anyone call that "abandonment"?

I understand why there's debate about whether Austen's narrative victim-blames Lydia or not. But I don't see where these "bad sister" accusations about Elizabeth are coming from.

[sneakyneighboururchin]

Two big differences between Mythal and Solas is that Solas regrets all the terrible things he's done. That is, in fact, a major plot point and theme. He shows remorse and at his core he wants to fix his mistakes. Mythal, or at least the fragment you can speak to, doesn't regret her actions at all. If you call her on the blight being her fault she attacks you. She doesn't accept responsibility. Solas does. That doesn't erase the guilt or culpability, but it does make me respect him more than I do her.

The second difference is that Solas rejects the notion that he's a god. Mythal doesn't. Again, if you ask her to help you against the other Evanuris and state that the people don't need gods she gets angry and attacks you. Maybe it's just the anarchist in me, but I've got a lot more respect for someone who rejects worship and fights tyranny than I do the tyrant being fought. Because that is what she was, as much as any of the others. A benevolent dictator and slave owner is still a dictator and a slave owner.

Now, if I'm putting my character analysis hat on for Mythal *specifically* I'd say that it's possible she reacts like this because she does feel guilt. I know, that does contradict what I just said. But I do think it's possible that her anger and violent reaction is a defense mechanism and a shield against being confronted with the truth of the damage she caused. Admitting that you're wrong is one of the hardest things a person can do, even without having had centuries of worship heaped on you and going to your head. So when someone you see as lesser calls you out to your face? That's a hard pill to swallow. Again though. Solas does swallow it. Solas takes blame. Heaps it upon himself until it defines everything he does (which is another problem in itself but We Don't Have Time For That Right Now). Mythal, by contrast, rejects it. Right until she absolves Solas of his duty, and finally takes some responsibility herself.

[hypertechnica]

i’m going to make fiddauthor art with fidds wearing his wedding ring and you are NOT going to like it

big obligatory banner that says “cheating is bad don’t do it i just like stories with relationship drama”

closeted, internally homophobic gay men who are married with kids has to be the trope i’m weakest to. no person involved is escaping the despair brought on by a relationship built on a well intentioned, desperate lie, born out of a desire to be normal and good

he WANTED to love her so fucking badly. he felt no ill will towards her and he loves their son more than words can say. he thought the attraction, the way she felt about him, would come with time. it didn’t. he doesn’t want to hurt her yet was doomed to from the start, and he’s truly, truly sorry. this does not absolve him of anything whatsoever and she has the full right to never want to speak with him again. he lied! he pretended to feel the same when he never once felt anything but platonic affection! he’s been in love with someone else this whole fucking time! and their kid… he’s caught in the middle of it all, too young to understand why his father would hurt his family like this.

and then he disappears and never comes back. imagine you’re 5 and your dad goes to the middle of the woods with his buddy for science shit, all of the sudden your parents are yelling on the phone and signing papers, and then he goes MIA. for years.

imagine your husbands “buddy” was the one he was thinking of all this time, not you, never you. and the first chance he gets to run away from you, he takes, and you should have been suspicious by the rushed frenzy of it all, the phone calls getting shorter and shorter until it fizzles to nothing. he forgot to get you a christmas gift. he hand-made him two. there has to be something wrong with you, it has to be your fault. you wish you married the man he becomes when he’s in his presence.

he folded when you started questioning him directly - he’d been to neurotic to ever be a good liar. you thought he was the one. he thought you were nice.

by the time the divorce is finalized he’s different in a wrong way. confused, angry, forgetful, insane - if the giant homicidal robot pterodactyl you’ve been harassed by is any indication. (he’s had a bad habit of building homicidal robots when he’s mad since they met -engineer things- but it was never directed at her - thankfully it never actually does anything) he’s clearly abusing drugs - you’d feel bad if he hadn’t abandoned you with the burden of explaining why your son can’t see his father anymore.

it’s a rotten bit of your soul, but time heals you. you move on and no longer think of him. trust in your career. find a man who truly loves you with no motives attached. raise your kid to be a good man. and in a fashion not unlike shakespearean dramatic irony, this makes him move to gravity falls to find and take care of his father. you couldn’t care less what hee doing now, but damn it, it’s his father, what is the kid supposed to do? but its futile- he appears to have no remorse, hell, no memory of the incident in the first place. (this isn’t his fault but how are they supposed to know that?) so he grows bitter and cold just like his mother used to be.

imagine that.

all over a mans inability to do anything but live in denial. to force himself to live in a box and pine like a dying man over the right one at the wrong time, destined to crash and burn. to take denial to a new level- a cult, brain damaging radiation, a total ego death - just to take the edge off. take off that damn wedding ring

[besotted-with-austen]

Lost In Austen! Writer: but what if Wickham was actually a good guy? After all, Darcy completely glosses over his sister’s involvement with him and absolves her of everything! What about her part in the elopement-that-never-was, uh? What about that?

Lost in Austen! Other Writer: right? That always rubbed me the wrong way!

Lost In Austen! Other Writer: think about it, what if Georgiana lied and it was her that wanted Wickham and he said no because, hey, she is sixteen and he is actually a good guy?

LIA!W: and so she ruined his life because she is a spoiled little brat! It was never the guy’s fault, it was the girl’s fault! Man, that is truly subversive!

LIA!W: but hey, if Wickham is such a good guy, he would never elope with Lydia, right? Who is Lydia persuading to elope with her?

LIA!OW: what about Bingley?

LIA!W: *weirded out* what about Bingley?

LIA!OW: he is so spineless that Darcy can make him do whatever he wants, eloping with the love of his life’s younger sister is something he would absolutely do!

LIA!W: *nodding sagely* you are so right-but hey, how can we make him marry Jane afterwards? Because he is marrying Jane in the end, yeah?

LIA!OW: of course he is- we are sticking to canon, that is the whole premise of the story where our modern girl ends up married to Mr Darcy!

LIA!W: right, right-I almost forgot myself.

LIA!OW: no, Bingley still gets with Jane because he and Lydia never had sex-since she is still a virgin everyone will forget that she eloped with a guy!

LIA!W: right! Jane will be able to marry him after ditching Mr Collins because they never had sex either!

LIA!OW: see? We are even doing a parallelism between the storylines!

LIA!W: we are so smart!

LIA!OW: we so are!

[pruneunfair]

Rating female leads in manhwa.

Navier

6/10, I absolutely hate her writting and has devolved into a mary sue who only reacts to everything around her while her mass of supporters never shut up about great she is. Her synopsis claiming her as someone who loves all her subjects gets contradicted when its shown she doesnt really care about the slaves.

BUT in season 1 she wasn't bad, I liked her resolve and it was when she actually cared for her people, I feel like if we got to see a clear backstory beyond "she wasn't allowed outside when she studied to be empress" I would understand her total apathy more.

Ariande

7/10, I adore villains, especially villainous protagonists and at first I liked the idea she wouldn't be any better than her family but still had a soft spot for Arabella, she loses a few points because it turns out she's excused for killing people before in the name of "love" and is viewed as someone who can do no wrong.

Adelaide

10/10, she's like Navier but better, she has more noticeable flaws and while she is a kick ass warrior during the tower arcs she still is human and can't always take it alone without consequences, she acknowledges Diane's struggles and makes an effort not to be her enemy and is proof that you dont need to make FL overpowered gods to be strong women. A beautifully made FL in a underrated story

Robellia

1/10, She doesn't divorce her husband despite the title literally being "I will divorce my tyrant husband." But that's more of a problem in most other manhwa. She's too much of a perfect epic goddess for me and most of all she does the whole "buying all the slaves but giving them a home." to make her look even better, what is with manhwa and inserting slavery for no other reason other than to make the FL look better?

Arianna

0/10, there is nothing good about her. Other than being a mary sue and a personality that only revolves around the latest sexy man, she legit forces another guy to join her haram by threatening diplomatic war on his kingdom and bodyshames her fiance but all of a sudden wants him more than ever when he loses weight, it took a random chick being inserted with a 🍇ist persona to make her look "better."

Yerenica

6/10, in any other story, this girl would've been despised by the fandom for being a homewreaker/pick me. She gives me so much second hand embarrassment but she's not terrible, I actually really like her design too. Not a fan of the kidnapper-hostage relationship she and the ML have though.

Pereshati

10/10, the best one here. She feels so much more human than the others on this list, she's got flaws, a relationship with the ML Therdeo that has both realistic progression, blunders, but overall healthy love, she also has relationships outside of her husband which I really love, I actually get scared for her when shes in danger instead of the usual "oh great, heres the typical kidnapping trope", a great motherly FL

Hestia

5/10 I will be easy on her since I just started reading my derelict favorite but I've only heard bad things about it through spoilers so I don't have much hope, also girl, please acknowledge that just because your favorite character did it for love doesn't mean he's absolved for murdering 2 people, thank you

Edith

9/10, my 3rd favorite on this list. You do not know how happy I was when instead of immediately viewing Rhyse as a rival to defeat, she was actually nice to her and the chapters of them were so sweet, she even acknowledges that it isn't anyone's fault for acting out but the author who is pulling the strings.

Layla

8/10, I feel so bad for this poor girl. For some reason I noticed on reddit and tiktok that she's getting hate for not standing up to herself or just not being the usual "girlboss" protagonist, did it not occur that she cant do much to a duke!? Layla deserves so much better and she needs to be far away from Matthias, I don't care if it's "dark romance" he is torturing her for his own pleasure.

[agirlisnoonesdoppelganger]

I'm going to actually poke the bear today by saying how I really feel about Sansa and Arya's relationship. That is to say, I think it's a bad relationship, and I think that the main issue is how Sansa treats Arya. Sansa's behavior absolutely crosses a line, and she 100% should be apologizing for it.

For reference, I have an older sister, we are very close now, but we weren't always. One time, she choked me out for wearing her socks outside, and I still think that Sansa's behavior is over the line. The reason that my sister and I are able to have a genuinely close relationship is because the choking out wasn't a pattern of behavior on her part. This was not something she'd done before, not something she did again, and it happened under abnormal circumstances. We had a period of a few years where we generally didn't get a long and fought a lot, but even then, we would still willingly spend time together, playing games or watching movies, sometimes because we didn't actually completely dislike each other.

This is patently untrue for Sansa and Arya. Sansa does not like Arya the way she is and actively wants her to change. She looks down on the activities Arya enjoys, like horse riding, and makes no attempt to connect with Arya on that level. We have plenty of evidence that Arya feels insecure as a result of things Sansa has said or allowed her friends to say. AGOT has quotes like "Jeyne used to call her Arya Horseface and neigh whenever she came near. It hurt that the one thing Arya could do better than her sister was ride a horse," and "She went to the window seat and sat there, sniffling, hating them all, and herself most of all. It was all her fault, everything bad that had happened. Sansa said so, and Jeyne, too," and "'Lyanna was beautiful,' Arya said, startled. Everybody said so. It was not a thing that was ever said of Arya," and somehow people are unwilling to see how deeply Sansa's actions affected her. This is not how someone would act if their sibling called them ugly once or twice. These are the thoughts of someone is has been thoroughly berated by their sibling their entire life to the point of genuinely believing the horrible things said about them.

I feel the need to cover some potential counterarguments before they get brought up, so here we go. First, I know Sansa is only 11 years old when the books start. Contrary to what some of you believe, being 11 doesn't magically absolve of any wrong you've ever done. Believe it or not, teaching children when they've messed up and having them apologize when they've hurt someone is how they learn to be good, kind adults who take responsibility for their actions. 11 is absolutely old enough to know when you're being mean and what is an acceptable way to treat someone. The only characters who can use the "they're a child" excuse are toddlers and babies, who actually might not know better. If you use this excuse, you are severely underestimating the intelligence of children. This also completely ignores that there are several other children in ASOIAF who do not treat other people the way Sansa treats Arya, some of whom are younger than Sansa.

Second, I know there's going to be some people insisting that both of them have done bad things to the other, but I'm going to be honest, Arya mostly seems to be reacting to the way Sansa treats her. The most common example I see brought up is Arya throwing an orange at Sansa, so I'm going to quote the scene with the additional context here:

“Arya screwed up her face in a scowl. 'Jaime Lannister murdered Jory and Heward and Wyl, and the Hound murdered Mycah. Somebody should have beheaded them.' 'It’s not the same,' Sansa said. 'The Hound is Joffrey’s sworn shield. Your butcher’s boy attacked the prince.' 'Liar,' Arya said. Her hand clenched the blood orange so hard that red juice oozed between her fingers. 'Go ahead, call me all the names you want,' Sansa said airily. 'You won’t dare when I’m married to Joffrey. You’ll have to bow to me and call me Your Grace.' She shrieked as Arya flung the orange across the table. It caught her in the middle of the forehead with a wet squish and plopped down into her lap. 'You have juice on your face, Your Grace,' Arya said. It was running down her nose and stinging her eyes. Sansa wiped it away with a napkin. When she saw what the fruit in her lap had done to her beautiful ivory silk dress, she shrieked again. 'You’re horrible,” she screamed at her sister. 'They should have killed you instead of Lady!' Septa Mordane came lurching to her feet. 'Your lord father will hear of this! Go to your chambers, at once. At once!' 'Me too?' Tears welled in Sansa’s eyes. 'That’s not fair.'" (A Game of Thrones)

Now, without context, the middle bit where Sansa is lording over Arya and then Arya throws the orange at her could maybe be construed as "normal" sibling behavior. However, we have more context, and this conversation frankly doesn't do Sansa any favors. Arya only gets upset because Sansa is extremely dismissive of the death of her friend, presumably because he was a commoner and therefore not very important in Sansa's eyes. Keep in mind that this Mycah didn't just die; he was brutally murdered with his body so destroyed that his father didn't even know what it was at first. Considering that the Joffrey-Arya-Micah confrontation scene is told from Sansa's perspective, we can assume that Sansa knows full well that Mycah didn't attack Joffrey. Arya is right that she's lying. Sansa response to getting hit with an orange is to tell her sister that she wishes she had been executed instead of Lady, which is an insanely cruel thing to say. I feel like some of you don't realize that there's a difference between wishing someone didn't exist or wishing that you didn't have a sibling and straight up wishing for them to have capitol punishment enacted on them. Bear in mind, saying "I wish you'd never been born," or "I wish I didn't have a sister" are also mean things to say. I also don't think you should be saying that to your sibling on a regular basis, but saying something like that in the heat of the moment and realizing you were wrong later happens. The thing is, Sansa isn't sorry and doesn't seem to realize she's done anything wrong. She insists it's not fair when Septa Mordane sends both of them away and later in the chapter, immediately blames everything on Arya when they're brought to their father. Arya even apologizes without prompting from Ned, but it doesn't occur to Sansa at all despite, again, wishing death upon her sister.

I'm sorry, but if my sister straight up told me it was fine that no one was being punished for the blatant murder of my friend because he was poor and "attacked" some important, well-to-do person, I would do way more than throw an orange at her. Now, my sister would never do that because she's not classist, and she actually likes me. And even when our relationship was at its worst and even if it was unprovoked, I cannot imagine my sister ever telling me she wished that I would be killed because I threw food at her and stained her outfit. Also, as a note about the Lady incident, I don't know how anyone in Sansa's position could come out of that and eventually decide that the primary, and perhaps only, person responsible was their sibling unless they already genuinely disliked their sibling.

Sansa fundamentally does not like Arya and does not respect the things that Arya enjoys which is a huge reason why I don't think that they have a regular sibling dynamic. Never mind that Sansa's disdain is reinforced by both societal norms and people like Septa Mordane and her mother. Sansa would have an immensely difficult time re-evaluating her perspective because no one has ever challenged it. Catelyn and the septa are constantly saying that Arya should be more like Sansa, so Sansa continues to believe this. The only authority figure who seems to push back even a little is Ned, and Sansa just gets irritated with him for letting Arya "get away" with stuff.

I think a lot of people are missing that context. My sister and I said and did a lot of mean things to each other, but at the end of the day, we still had the ability to get along. We would pretend our Barbies were superheroes, or make parody films with stuffed animals, or pretend to be spies for George Washington. We still respected each other even when we acted like we hated each other. I could brush off a lot of what she said because I knew she'd still be happy to play with me later. We understood when we had gone too far and apologized because for the most part, we didn't actually want to hurt each other. Sansa does not feel this way about Arya. At some point in AGOT, she won't even speak to Arya without being forced. She would never willingly choose to spend time with Arya because she can't even begin to consider that what Arya does might be enjoyable to someone. Sansa has no respect for Arya and thinks that she deserves to be treated poorly.

[goyurim]

was just thinking about the moment in whc1 ep 7 where after sieun fights those bullies in place of suho, that secretary dude finds beomseok hiding in his closet and notifies him that sieun has decided to drop the entire incident on the grounds that "beomseok is my friend" and the look on beomseok's face? like, even after everything, sieun is still trying to save both his friends and it's like that one statement dissolves all of his anger, all his frustration dissipates and he resigns, completely giving in to his grief and pain. he realises he was in the wrong and stops trying to fight it. what used to be his entire body shaking with rage ever since his fallout with suho now falls heavy with the fatigue of realising the consequences of his actions. but you know what happens next? you know what shatters my heart to pieces?

it's that very moment, the time where beomseok was beginning to open up himself to the possibility of righting his wrongs, is when his trashbag of a dad comes in and starts stomping on him like a bulldozer. and he still takes it! beomseok takes all of that beating with the same resigned demeanor, as if not only did he expect it, but for the first time he felt like he deserved it. if only getting hit would absolve him of his crimes. but then his dad says that he should prepare to transfer schools, and to be careful not to ever mention that he had anything to do with him again. as if the biggest victim in this situation is his dad and his reputation. and that makes me think about how the real villains of weak hero were actually all the adults that failed these kids, because with that statement all of beomseok's attention shifts back to his bully of a father, his bullies from his old school, and everyone who picked on him just because. "it's not your fault" sieun had told him when he told sieun and suho about his experience in his previous school. and now it's all he can think about. "who asked you to raise me?" he snaps back into an empty room, his dad long gone after his dirty remarks.

and i can't stop thinking about what if his dad, for once in his pathetic life, paid attention to his son. albeit with the anger. if he'd just yelled at beomseok for betraying his friend. scolded him, heck even beat him but with the intent of punishing him for his son's mistakes, not for the sake of worrying about his own reputation. how that was such a golden opportunity to guide his son, to make him realise that broken things can fixed, that there's still a chance to make ammends. but beomseok's dad immediately squanders that potential for growth. because he simply doesn't care. and all beomseok ends up learning from that event is some people are just born wrong. there are no second chances, no salvation, no redemption. fate picks it favourites and he wasn't one of them.

[babygirlphil]

https://www.tumblr.com/babygirlphil/788375958644277248/why-does-someone-always-feel-the-need-to-chime-in

i would argue that you are wrong only because it feels like dan and phil again and again are telling us that it wasn’t our fault? they say our invasiveness was difficult and at times wildly inappropriate, but they never really blame us for their lives being anything negative at any point. the shipping was largely bad for them because they weren’t ready to admit things about themselves to themselves let alone the public. the invasion of privacy was bad for them but they always frame it as frustration with the lifestyle they chose, like when talking about how fans would crowd them and follow them outside the bbc they talk about bbc’s failure to provide adequate security rather than us needing to know better. they’re always the first to say that the people who were particularly perverse were such a small minority that they were always overshadowed by the millions of lovely people. so more than dan and phil saying they forgive us, it feels like they’re telling us there’s nothing we need to be forgiven for and all the past troubles are just that - past troubles.

I agree that they don't blame all their difficulties back then on us and that they know that the ones who harassed them and their families were a very small percentage of their audience. However, the idea that the invasive shippers were a tiny minority is a bit of revisionist history imo. I remember screenshots of dan and phil's airbnbs and hotel rooms with thousands of notes. I remember when centipede gate happened and my entire dash was people screaming about how it was proof that dnp share a bedroom. I remember phan proof compilations with more views than some gaming videos get nowadays. You're lying to yourself if you say that those things weren't invasive. Playing detective and trying to out them was a fun game to a lot of people. It's a huge reason why they were so popular. I participated in it too, and I regret how I acted at times, but there's nothing I can do about it now. All I can do is be careful not to cross the line again.

I don't think the point of TIT was to absolve us of our guilt, but to be forthright about how our actions hurt them and to acknowledge that some of theirs hurt us as well. Dan very intentionally baited us into apologizing to them at the end of TIT when he said "maybe they'll say sorry to us". So clearly they felt we had something to apologize for. You are right though that all of that it is in the past now and Dan and Phil want us to move on from it and stop beating ourselves up for the way we behaved back then. So there's no need to mention how terrible we were every time the past gets brought up. They've moved on, we've moved on and it's all good, healthy fun now for the most part. It's just ex-phannies and casual fans who are stuck in the past.

[zundely]

One thing that annoys me to no end about how Aveline's involvement and inaction im "Prime suspect" questline pans out is that they basically took the worst of both worlds.

Like you could want Aveline's inaction to be part of her development and a character flaw- which is very consisten with how she usually prioritizes the guards safety and overall image over literally anything else including their duty to protect the people. Like the investigation wasn't going anywhere and it made the guard look bad so she is dropping it because to her the smallest chance that Emeric is in fact right and people are in danger isn't worth the damage to the guard in case he is wrong. This is also good foreshadowing for when this worst trait of Aveline results in Qunari invasion. The only thing that makes me doubt this was the intention is that Aveline never gets the "Oh shit, I am not meant to protect the guard- I am meant to make sure the guard protects everyone else" moment, which was dierly needed if that's what they were going for. It was direly needed in Aveline's case in general because considering all the characters get their "Questioning beliefs" moments... Aveline's questioned beliefs are the most vague.

So lets imagine this is not what they were going for for a moment which honestly I find plausible considering the game tends to frame Aveline as mostly reasonable and how the talk afterwards goes if you do point out it was her fault. Lets imagine that Aveline wasn't supposed to be the one to blame here, the game just needed a reason for why Hawke got mixed up with the investigation- I still to this day do not get why they didn't use the perfect reason we later learned they had.

The investigation was constantly being poisoned by Orsino. Since we learn in the end that Orsino was aware of Quentins existance but keeping it under wraps to not justify Meredith's methods, he could also do what he can to make sure he was untraceable. And obviously he wouldn't know exactly what Quentin was involved with, he wouldn't believe the rumors that were cirrculating- they make every other apostate sound like a bloodthirsty killer after all.

Aveline would notice something is off and official ways of investigating are being stopped in their tracks. So she goes to Hawke with "listen this may be nothing but I feel someone really doesn't want us to find out anything in this case, and I have a bad feeling."

This way you kill two birds with one stone- you absolve Aveline of all the responsibility for what happens and you give a hint Quentin had some powerful friends.

Now I know this would put Orsino in a worse light were in the game he just turns the blind eye, but at least to me it doesn't make him necessarily a bad person? Just a man under immense amount of pressure who is very aware of how one bad thing a out one mage puts all of them in danger. I think this would also potentially make his relationship with Hawke absolutely heartbreaking especially if Hawke supports the mages. Like how do you tell the one most powerfull ally you have that you are indirectly responsible for the worst thing that happened to them.

While I personally think having Aveline be responsible for what happened and take some time to think on it would be better for the story and for her character growth I think the second option also had a good narrative potential- but instead they sort of took both of those but not really. Aveline's inaction hurts the one she swore to protect... but not really. Orsino knew about Quentin and is therefore to some extent responsible for what happened... but not really. Hawke's mother is dead and we didn't even get a churro out of it.

[ilikekidsshows]

Memory-wiped Alya at the end of Revelator: "the burden must to be too much for her" (more or less, don't have the episode in front of me) reminds me too much of the 'this is too much for her she's only 14' and 'it's not her responsibility to tell him' rhetoric across parts of the fandom.

Yes, tell me more about her self-inflicted burden of carrying a secret she herself chose to keep (and kept others from sharing) and how we shouldn't want her to be "punished" (fam I know this might be hard to understand, but it's not *about her*). Maybe it's "too much" because what she's doing is *wrong* so she should be feeling immensely guilty, actually???

Believe me, I'm not unsympathetic to how miserable guilt can feel, so that sucks for her, but dear god please stop coddling her by absolving her of all consequences because she "feels bad" or was "well-intentioned." She's still the instigator of said consequences and is thus responsible for them.

Loved Alya's anger in this ep, but am disappointed that she was memory wiped into only caring about Marinette's immense "burden" (when a non-wiped Alya point blank said she wasn't keeping that secret, assumably at least in part for Adrien's sake). Don't know if I trust the writers ever let Alya move beyond 'Marinette is upsette' ever again, but we'll see, I guess.

---

I’ve been seeing an increasing number of people who, while not actively criticizing Marinette, are also becoming tired of how the show expects them to constantly sympathize with her over characters who have it just as bad or worse than her. Even the critical side can acknowledge that Marinette is going through some hard things, but we’re just done with constantly being expected to direct all of our compassion towards her in every single situation, especially in situations that aren’t as bad as Marinette is making them out to be, or wouldn’t be so bad if Marinette stopped making things worse for herself with her constant carelessness and deceit.

It’s kinda like The Boy That Cried Wolf, if you constantly claim a problem that doesn’t exist, people won’t believe you when you actually need help with that problem. Similarly, the writers constantly demand we coddle Marinette over the pettiest concerns, so, when it comes time for the actually big stuff, we’re numb to it. Marinette is upsette, must be Tuesday, or Wednesday, or any other day of the week, really.

And, I have no doubt that Alya was only allowed to stay mad at Marinette because they intended to undo it by the end of the episode. This way it won’t have any real consequences to Marinette, but will just serve as an easy way to milk sympathy because oh, look, Marinette is upsette because Alya is done with her bullshitte, isn’t it so tragic that Marinette is now scared her loved ones will hate her (read: be justifiably miffed at her) for her continuous lies, deceit and cowardice? Gosh, Marinette's life is just so hard due to no fault of her own! She's the real victim here!

Pre-mindwipe Alya was too good to last. The writers of this show hate giving the audience actually good things, instead of cheap bargain-bin ideas they try to insist are fun and creative.

[hibou088]

Is the emancipation of the spirit caused by self-responsibility?

I. What is self-responsability / accountability ?

Being afraid of taking responsibility is very common. So common even that it has an actual name  : hypengyophobia. Taking accountability for our choices means choosing freedom. When we feel responsable for ourselves, we become the master of our life. Once an individual takes back the power she has been giving to others or external influences to control how she feels, she finally finds freedom. Whether you suffered childhood trauma or not, your life can change only by taking ownership of it going forward ! 

In Clear Thinking, Shane Parrish writes :

'Self-accountability means taking responsibility for your abilities, your inabilities, and your actions. If you can’t do that, you might never move forward.  You might not have someone in your life who holds you accountable, but that doesn’t matter. You can hold yourself accountable. Others might not expect more from you, but you can expect more from yourself. No one else need reward or punish you into it.'

Having defined what self-responsability is, I will try to explain how and why feminism is counterproductive and totally kills women's self-growth.

II. How feminism holds women back

A) A culture of apology

We know that majority of our core beliefs come from our childhood. How we perceive the world, others and ourselves is based on the beliefs that were implemented in our minds when we were young. Adults, on the other hand, are able to use and to rely on experience to make decisions. They are able to withstand pressure from their peers and to use their judgement.

Unfortunately, this difference is not something that feminists accept. They indeed always resort to infantilizing women and using "socialization" as an excuse. It does not matter how feminists identify themselves (liberal feminist, radical feminist, black /white feminists...), they all have the same goal : absolving the collective of women of any responsability. While nobody can deny that socialization DOES play a huge role in shaping people's perceptions, it is NOT an excuse, at least not when you are a fully grown adult. I am always dumbfounded anytime I hear a woman who is more than 25 years old telling that she is a victim of the "patriarchy", that she has been manipulated by the men around her, that she is not to be blamed for her choices... Imagine being 50 and saying that your shitty life is men's fault or society's...

B) A hidden contempt for women

If you do not take accountability for your life and own your mistakes, no self-growth is possible. Absolutely NONE. Unfortunately, feminism works hard to make sure women, as a collective, never try to better themselves by telling them that nothing is ever their faut. 

Feminists want society to feel pity for women. They desperately want to portray women as poor victims who are always wronged AND cannot possibly do anything wrong. And if they do anything wrong, it is OBVIOUSLY because they have been brainwashed or coerced into doing it... right ? It reminds me of the time when Billie Eilish posed in lingerie for Vogue Magazine in 2021. Dumbasses all over the Internet were screaming that we should not blame her for objectfying herself because she is "a VicTiM oF ThE PaTriArchY". Classic example of infantilizing and deresponsalizing women... If a woman does something cool, she is a "GirL BosS" but if she does something embarassing or that contradicts feminism (whatever it is), it is "MuH PaTriArcHy" that is to blame, as always. Adults make adult choices, period, stop whining.

However, I undertand why feminism/women are using this strategy : there are tons of social and emotional benefits to portraying oneself as a victim. First, it totally absolves the individual of the burden of personal responsibility for improving her circumstances or character AND it also provides the feminist / woman a sense of community with other women who have similar experiences or beliefs, which satisfies an emotional need. If someone or a group tries to portray you as a victim, they are not doing it because they want to help you, they are most likely doing it because they DESPISE you and/or to fulfill a narcissistic need (feeling superior to you and appearing righteous by supposedly "caring" about your situation.)

Staying a victim is for the weak, strong individuals work on themselves to make their life better.

C) The solution : killing the double moral standard

The only way for women to do better on a collective scale is to bring back SHAME. Yes, I said it. SHAME ! "Shame motivates learning, growth, and a desire to change the self (Kelly & Lamia, 2018). Shame also has a social purpose : the prospect of experiencing shame can keep us from behaving impulsively and doing something that might be considered socially inappropriate."

Men are more respectable than women when it comes to holding each other accountable :

'Keeping your brothers accountable is a product of love, not hate. Pointing out your friend’s flaws has the goal of bettering them, not judging them for the sake of antagonizing them. Men have a duty to one another to lift each other up by highlighting each other’s shortcomings, whilst actively assisting one another in their battle with evil. Without men keeping one another accountable, there would be complete and utter chaos. You should love your brother as yourself, so keep him accountable.'

'Being accountable means being willing to accept the consequences of your actions, both good and bad. It's important to make good choices, but realize that sometimes you will make mistakes. What matters is how you respond to your mistakes. own up to them, apologize for them, and learn from them so that you don't repeat the same mistakes in the future.'

That is what the collective should do towards WOMEN ! A small victory was achieved when somebody coined the expression 'pickme', which rightfully shamed women who behaved like carpets in front of men and threw other women under the bus. Unfortunately, this necessary shaming has obviously being criticized for being 'SeXisT', as too many women interpret rightful criticism as persecution / 'MisOGiNy' :

'How do feminists critique women’s harmful internalized sexism without engaging in the same sexist tactics they are trying to put an end to ? How do they address pick-me behavior without humiliating or degrading other women ? A compassionate approach likely means first recognizing that demeaning other women isn’t useful to the feminist movement, even if it is done in retaliation or to make an important point.

Although calling out pick-me behavior might feel good, perhaps even validating, it seems to only further the divide among women. It is not likely there will ever be true sisterhood in feminism (and, arguably, sisterhood shouldn’t even be the goal). That shared purpose is to put an end to structures that uphold and enable sexism and sexist oppression. That work starts at the root cause, not with individual women within that oppressive system. 

BOOM ! Once again, the classic argument of "DiviDiNg wOmeN" has been used. To the average feminist, pointing the finger at a shameful behaviour is what is WRONG, not the behaviour itself ! And once again, what is the ROOT cause of enabling sexism if not the women who pander to men ? The pick-mes, the handmaidens, however you want to call them ? This mentality is in direct contrast with the linked article telling men to hold each other accountable by pointing out their flaws ! It is precisely because feminism and society, in general, have coddled women and used "a compassionate approach" that society got worse ! By claiming that society is the cause for women's miserable state is a LIE that has been preserved for way too many years. Women ARE the cause of their misery, not men or society. Women can ONLY blame themselves for the Hell they have created and birthed on Earth. It is time to hold everybody accountable and stop feeling sorry for the wrong individuals !

It’s your life, you get to decide what to do with it. —Danielle Bernock

And a little tip for the average 'feminist' :

[stilljuststardust]

My journey with manifestation is very similar to my journey with self love, the only way out is to decide for yourself

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ

Disclaimer, please read:

This may be really uncomfortable to read because it seriously challenges negative self-concept. As I say many times in this, self love is something you can only give yourself and unfortunately some people who aren't ready feel discomfort with the very idea of it, and that's ok.

The language is blunt because this is based on my own journey and that's what woke me up.

Nothing I say is meant to inspire shame. DO NOT read this post to shame yourself. This is mostly revelations and self callouts from a couple years ago when I first realized that even though it wasn't my fault I was still the one doing it to myself.

It isn't your fault you hate yourself, it's likely something that was instilled into you in childhood, but you are the only one with the power to change it.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ

Both are only something that you can give yourself.

The moment that mattered most was realizing it didn't matter what was told to me, once I believed I had it nothing could ever take it away.

I have full control of how I think about myself and regardless of what other people think or what I look like I have power over my own perception.

When I first started on self love I came to the realization that it didn't matter what happened if I never changed the way I thought I'd be stuck hating myself forever. How many people do you know that do everything to love themselves but treat themselves with love?

I realized that all I had to do was decide I was good enough. Who the fuck was anyone else to say otherwise? And why the fuck would I ever in a million years let them change how I saw myself.

It wasn't benefiting me to hate myself.

If I wanted change I had to change.

Accepting I'm smart enough, pretty enough, good enough, was hard at first because I wanted validation. I wanted something outside of myself to confirm that I was, but the truth was unless I gave it to myself it would never be enough and it wouldn't fucking matter.

I chose to think of myself as good enough because I realized that leaving it up to fucking NOBODIES is pointless.

"Being enough" is something I can only ever give to myself.

You are an ever present force in your own life, who else is by you every step of the way, who else sees and understands everything you do?

Self love is the purest form of love because it comes not from a place of idolization but from true understanding.

You have to be the one to give it to yourself. You have to accept that you are enough. If you want to love yourself you have to be ok with showing yourself love.

You know yourself better than anyone will EVER be capable. You have the potential to love and provide for yourself in a way no one else can so why do you choose to be cruel? What it is getting you?

Many people might think it gets them repentance or it makes them a better person. And this is a tough pill to swallow but, self hatred doesn't absolve anyone of any wrongdoing, it doesn't make us better people, it's not the repentance you think it is, you have no real reason to do it.

I know. I know. You've been raised to think you deserve pain and punishment every time you misstep but that doesn't actually help anybody. Taking accountability, a willingness to change, and doing differently in the future, is what DOES matter when you've done wrong.

You are more than the worst thing you've done.

Many of us deep in self hatred will even argue with those who think positively of us. What sense does that make? WHY defend your self hatred of more passionately than you've ever actually defended yourself.

Where's that passion when others question your worth? Why will you accept one but resist the other?

You are the one person you can guarantee is always in your corner.

You can claim you want to love yourself but look at your actions. Arguing with people who challenge your negative beliefs, berating yourself, etc.

If it was another person, if you claimed to want to treat them with love and then you turned around and did all of this to them would that not be contradictory?

It's so deeply uncomfortable to love ourselves because we can no longer use

So what does this have to do with manifestation? (+more advice for both)

Much of this mindset where you look for validation outside of yourself, you're too scared to stand your ground, you're too afraid of being wrong.

In both there's this deep seated fear of "what if I do accept it and then someone/something else proves me wrong :("

And that's why they're both so difficult because it's something only you can give to yourself. You have to actively put your opinion above everything else that's shown to you.

This is why I often describe it as deciding and then saying fuck everything else. Because that mindset was what created radical change in me.

Because fuck those other people, I'd rather like myself than have some asshole like me.

What is giving in to the 3D or the cruelty of others going to do FOR you?

Radical self love is life changing because for the first time you just decide that you and you alone get to decide what's true.

The fear of other people viewing you different than you view yourself and the fear of the 3D being different come from the same place and you get past both by putting your opinion first.

Your opinion of yourself is the only one that truly matters. What makes a random persons opinion of you true? Nothing. They don't know you.

FUCK anyone who tells you you're not good enough, FUCK the 3D, FUCK anything that doesn't align with what you want.

The 3D is no different than some toxic friend who parrots your insecurities back to you.

Fuck that bitch why would you listen to what she has to say over YOUR OWN DAMN OPINION.

The same way so many people will argue tooth and nail with anyone who says they're pretty some people have the same angry/uncomfortable reaction to being told they have what they want, despite the fact that they both crave that same external validation they will actively turn it away.

The same passion and energy you put into arguing why you can't have it, why you're not good enough, is the same energy you need to give when you are faced with what you don't want.

So many of you are GREAT at persisting and defending your assumptions as if they are fact, unfortunately you don't realize because the assumptions you choose to defend with your life are the ones that hurt you.

Rejecting compliments from people? That's persisting. Looking for reasons to think it hasn't manifested? That's persisting in your old story. Treating it as if it's an undeniable fact? Congratulations you're persisting.

I need you to adopt the mindset that anyone who doesn't see your worth can get fucked, anything in the 3D that opposes you can get fucked, you know the truth.

I know it's so uncomfortable at first, I know it's so weird and feels like the opposite of everything you've ever known, THATS OK. It's going to feel weird or unnatural. Keep going anyway.

You are worthy of love. You are worthy of your desire. And all you have to do to have either is give them to yourself internally.

[mashiraostail]

Presentation Mic, Eraser and Sek accidental confession?? Maybe you guys are arguing or reader did something stupid that worried the boys? Cliffhanger NSFW-y ending?

You already know what it is. I missed presentation microphone the most tbh hes fun

Present Mic: "You can't do things like that-" He's following you, lately it feels like he's always following you. "I'm not going to argue with you right now Hizashi." You hold your hand up, not even turning to face him. "What?" He sounds perturbed, "I'm not trying to argue with you!" "Oh perfect! I know I'm always wrong in your eyes but this time I'm glad to have screwed it up! So I guess that's solved, I'll see you tomorrow." If your mood had been even slightly more sour Aizawa poking his head out of his bedroom door and making a mocking angry feline sound at you would have made you deck him. Dorming as staff had created much more drama than anticipated, he was loving it. You had a feeling Nezu wasn't going to stick to this set up long. You weren't a teacher and didn't live in the dorms, however you were working closely with Hizashi and upon decided to come check on him after the fight you were instantly met with criticisms of your performance.

"Fuck off." Instead of decking him, you just push Aizawa by his forehead, away from you. "Why won't you listen to me?" Hizashi closes Aizawa's door as he walks by it, still chasing you. "Because you're not the boss of me!" You turn to face him, "I swear you think-" "I'm not telling you this because I think I'm the boss of you! I'm telling you this because I-" He furrows his eyebrows, "I'm telling you as a concerned friend, your lack of self preservation is-" "None of your concern!" You can hear Nemuri gasp at that, Aizawa must of alerted her to the brewing argument. It was your mistake for accidentally venting to him about Hizashi's sudden change in attitude. You forgot how much he enjoyed being a spectator to conflict. It had actually been Hizashi's fault for telling Nemuri the way he felt about you, even though he knew she thought misunderstandings were a spectator sport. "It is my concern!" Hizashi asserts, "please just hear me out, I'm begging you here!" He throws his hands up, "do you want me to get on my knees or something?!" "God I'm a masochist." you turn around. "Fine. Tell me how stupid you think I am, how I never think, how you would have done it better!" You jab his chest with an accusatory finger, "absolve yourself of all guilt when something happens to me, because you warned me so it's not your fault that they're just culling the weak-" "When did I ever say that?!" Hizashi sounds terrified, "is that what you think of me?" Your heart is pounding, your eyes are watering, "What?! No!" You leer back, "Hizashi I think the world of you! Ever since I came here I've just wanted to impress you! For you to tell me I did a good job, that you were glad to have me here, god anything!" You scoff, "instead you always tell me all the stupid things I did wrong!" Hizashi faulters at that he looks at you, your heaving chest and rising shoulders, he could practically hear your heart pounding. "What? I'm standing here, I'm listening, I'm hearing you out and you're just going to stare at me?" "I didn't realize you saw it that way." He holds his hands up, his hero outfit was discarded after the fight, his hands were bare of his usual gloves. "Of course you didn't." You laugh, "you can never do anything wrong, only me."

"Oh, holy shit."

Vlad was standing at the end of the hall but quickly dissipated into the nearest room. You'd amassed a small but subtle crowd of teachers, poking the heads around corners and out of rooms. The only one who was in direct sight was Aizawa, probably wondering if you were going to punch Hizashi's teeth in. "I wish I never moved here." You scrub your face, "this was such a dumb idea." "Don't say that." Hizashi looks different than you'd ever seen him before, "don't be mean." He looks at a loss for words. It felt mean to say, even this small misunderstanding couldn't hold a candle to your relationship with Hizashi to this point, you became fast friends. He wsa your closest friend and confidant since moving to this side of the country, he met you on a patrol and showed you the ropes. It went beyond work, you had him over weekly, to talk about music, his teaching, American reality shows, whatever you wanted to talk about Hizashi proved a very attentive listener. It was easy to admire him, and even easier to fall in love with him. He was there for you always, when you were homesick, when you failed, and when you succeeded, to say you wish you never met him was a deep and intentional cut. "I'm sorry I didn't...tell you what you wanted to hear." His eyes scan his surroundings looking for something better to say. "Oh fuck you." You scoff, "fuck you so much Hizashi. What a shitty thing to say." You wish you had something to throw at him, "you're so fucking patronizing." "Stop! Why do you always assume the worst of me?" He holds his hand to his chest, "I don't even know what to say right now, I'm fucking grasping at straws here! I didn't know you felt this way, I wish you told me sooner!" "It's always my fault." I'm wrong again. You laugh, "god." "No! It's my fault!" Hizashi takes a step towards you, "it is completely my fault! I was stupid. I am stupid! I was so worried about keeping you safe I didn't let you do your job! I didn't want you to!" He shakes his head, "you're a great hero and that's what freaks me out!" "What?" You blink at him, leering back as his voice raises a bit. "When I saw you laying there, I fucking freaked out!" He gestures back to the courtyard where a villain had laid you out. "I wanted to keep you safe, so I picked you apart, I wanted to close every opening-" He's holding your shoulders, "you aren't weak!" He shakes you a little, "all this stupidness is my fault. I'm falling in love with you and I let it make me throw reason out the window-" He's going, he's still talking, you stopped listening. You're just staring up at him.

"Hizashi-" You're trying to cut him off, "Hizashi stop-" All you can think to do is pull him down into a kiss. It's confused, stiff for a moment until he leans into it. His hands hold onto your wrists by his jaw. "I'm sorry I....must have misunderstood-" For the first time since knowing him he whispers. "It's okay." You shake your head, "I'm sorry too..I didn't think you felt that way I assumed you were getting sick of me.." "I-" He falters, "no. God I, I'd lose it if anything happened to you, if you left me." Your eyes scan his face, his eyes, you knew he was genuine but still your stomach lurched with uncertainty. "I'd never.." You look down at your feet, "can we talk somewhere more...private?" Aizawa's surprised face reminds you of your lack of privacy. "Come with me?" You don't really do that much talking once you're in private. A few words are exchanged, mostly in disbelief, 'are you sure?' "you mean like...?' They're quiet, quieter than you thought he could be, though you figured you'd taken him by surprise.

Shota Aizawa: You felt taken advantage of. He must know how you felt about him, he would be stupid not to. He was your Achilles heel, he could get you to do whatever he wanted. He knew that. Everyone did. "Aizawa will be there." Nemuri would coax you into meetings, outings, whatever. "Do me this favor, please?" He'd look right through you when he said it. You would still do it. Press conferences, public speaking, all the things he hated. You were bent to him, he was a weakness that only you could feel, but everyone else could see. This had just been the last straw. Endeavor was not someone you felt fondly of, everyone knew it, yet you'd spent the whole fight being berated by him, just to "Do me this favor?" Maybe your quirks paired well, that didn't matter, did no one care how you felt? You were strong, you didn't upset easily and yet you felt like your resolve was being chipped away slowly, and today Endeavor had taken a jack hammer to it. Your stomach was a pit, of course you didn't feel like talking to him. You'd thought about it all, the countless failed dates, your desire to build a bridge and get over it. You can't see a future for yourself where you feel fulfilled, lavishing in free will and a heart that's 2 tons lighter. You worried he'd have this hold on you forever, never loving you at all. You were okay with that, which was most crushing of all.

Did your feelings push him away, had he only wanted someone to take under his wing, a friend and teammate but not a lover? Was this his idea of putting distance between you? "Hey." Aizawa holds a hand up to you, "I appreciate what you did today." When you don't stop it makes him tilt his head, he came all the way here to thank you and you couldn't even stop and give him a curt nod? "Hello?" He starts to follow you, he isn't sure why. "Yeah whatever, you're welcome. Thanks for trusting me." It's curt, it's fast and quiet and he barely caught it. "That's it?" He catches you as you wait for your elevator, you decide to take the stairs, "why are you running away from me?" "I'm not running I'm walking." These 8 flights were going to be painful, at least you wouldn't have to stand toe to toe with him in your elevator. "Stop it." "I don't want to talk right now." You shake your head, "Endeavor was too much today. You know I don't like him." "Let's get dinner," He's trying to catch up to you, "let's talk about it okay? I'll get you something to eat and we can talk about, talk about everything." "I'm not hungry." You turn the corner, your voice echoes through the cemented stairwell, making it impossible to mask the way it trembles. "Drinks then, come get a drink with me. Tell me why you're upset, please. We'll have drinks and I'll listen. Tell me what he said to you." "Why do you care?" You clutch the strap to your dufflebag, you didn't even bother to stop at UA to change out of your hero costume, the tight fabric making you feel exposed and silly. "I looked for you at the school and you weren't there. I figured you were upset." "So? I ask again, why do you care?" "Well-" He seems taken aback, "he has no right to make you upset or to be mean to you. I don't want to see you upset because of him. He's just an asshole, tell me what he said I can set the record straight with him. Let's go get drinks, you can tell me and you can cry if you want and say you were drunk and I won't hold it against you. I'll be nice all night and I'll say I was drunk too, so you can't hold it against me." You won't turn back to look at him, if you do your resolve would crack. "Right, only you can be mean to me. Only you get to make me upset." You're resisting the urge to bound up your stairs and lock yourself in your apartment. "What? No, I don't want to make you upset, have I upset you? Tell me what I did." "Why did you make me do this today?" You grit it out, "and everyday, the press conferences, the meetings, the stupid team ups-" "What?" He sounds lost. You slam into every door you come across, you wished they closed faster, slam in his face. "Why do you ask me to do it? Why, when you know I'll always say yes?" "I don't-" "You do!"

"Please," He sounds genuine, almost pleasing, "let's go get drinks, let's talk about it. Somewhere quiet, just me and you." "No I don't want to." You were so close to being there, how could you get a big enough lead to lock yourself up before he could stick a foot in the door? "I don't want to go out with you right now Shota." "Why not?" He's gaining on you, you hate the idea of looking at him right now, even his voice was chipping away at you. "I know you're used to always getting what you want from me but I just need to be by myself right now." "Getting what I want- what?" He sounds bewildered, lost and almost offended, "I'm not understanding you, please stop let's just talk, we don't have to get drinks or food, or even go up to your apartment if you don't want to! We can talk here in the stairs okay? I want to understand, help me understand." He reaches you, his hand is on your arm, "I don't want to upset you, that's the last thing I want. Tell me what I did, yell at me, be mad at me all you want, but tell me what I did so I won't do it again." "You're just always making me do things and everyone is and they just hang you over my head like I'm a dog or a little kid-" "What?" His hand falls off you once you stop in your tracks. "And it's embarrassing!" You shake your head, "I feel stupid, I feel like a fan not your colleague!" The tears are adding insult to injury and you urge them away. "It's always 'Shota needs this, Shota will be there, well think about Shota-' and you. 'Please do this for me' like I ever say no because you know!" "Know what?" He holds his hands up as you spin around. "Everything has been such a wreck since I met you." Your lip quivers, "and I'm so stupid, you could make me do anything and you know it and maybe you just wanted a friend but that's all you had to say!" "I think one of us is misunderstanding something-" "I know!" You drag your palm over the offending tears, "it's not a misunderstanding! I understand!" You're sniffling like a child, "at first it was just an admiration, infatuation, whatever. I'm sure you noticed, it would be impossible not to." You drop your bag too, the extra weight makes you want to crumble. "I didn't even have the resolve to ignore you for 8 flights of stairs. I thought it would go away! I went to see other guys, I met up with tons of guys, heroes, civilians, whoever!" "That's great, it's good that you're branching out I'm just not sure what-" "And there were romantic dates, lovely nights Shota, and- and...I was scared to death the whole time that I'd say your name instead. I was thinking about you, what you would order, what you like to drink, what kind of movies you like. Expensive, perfect dates, and I was thinking about hanging out with you in the teachers lounge." You push him back, he stumbles, he lets it happen. "And everyone is treating me like a fucking teenager about it, and you don't even have it in you to let me down!"

His normally brooding eyes look sympathetic, even when you shove him, "I think I misunderstood." "Misunderstood what? That I love you, and you treat me like a lovesick puppy to run your errands? I love you so much, I don't think I'll ever stop loving you. I'll love you more than anyone I ever meet! You could find me in fifty years when we are wrinkly and old and- and I have 40 grandkids and you could come to me, ask me to leave, to ruin my perfect, perfect life to be with you I would go. And it would be easy Shota." "I thought you were going on dates and branching out for your own..reasons, why would I assume you felt that way when you were going out once a month I didn't-" He looks at a loss, "of course I care about you. I didn't want to get in your way." "What?" You look at him in disbelief, "don't do this to me, don't hurt me Shota please this isn't a game-" "I know it's not- I'm not, I swear I wouldn't-" He sounds almost earnest, "I do care about you, I...enjoy all the time we spent together, and I wouldn't chase just anybody up 7 flights of stairs like this. And the others were..just trying to get us together, they were pushing me to say something to you, do something about the way I was feeling. At first I thought you were just infatuated with me sure, I wrote it off. But you stayed, you were genuine and kind and I liked having your help and I loved having you around, and I'm sorry I made you go out with Endeavor today. You're right, I know you always say yes to me, I should have been more mindful of the way you felt. I was never trying to take advantage of you. I would never want that, I do love you, I wanted you to come to it on your own but this all got so fucked up. So let's go now, okay? I don't want you to stand in this stairwell and cry, let's go get something to drink and we can talk about everything." His eyes never leave your face, "everybody adores you, especially me. I don't want you to think that's not the case-" You kiss him, you practically launch forward at him, like it was the easiest thing in the world. He accepts you just as easily, using the brief moments of reprieve to speak again, "or we could just go upstairs." "Let's just go upstairs."

Sekijiro Kan: "It's all-" you're shoving him, "your fault!" You shove him again, "you always do this!" Again, "why don't you trust me?!" Again, "I had it all under control!" He's nudged back but never off balance, letting you vent your frustrations into his chest, looking down at you a bit annoyed. "You were hurt, you were pushing yourself beyond your limits and I just stepped in-" He holds up his hands, "I do trust you." "I'm not hurt!" Your obvious injuries said otherwise, bruises and gashes scattered your arms, your nose was broken. The villian had gotten away when he stepped in to stop you, you would have broken your ribs or worse. "You were in pain you didn't have a clear head." "How do you know what was going on in my head?!" "I did know! It was nothing!" He finally snaps, "you get tunnel vision-" "So what?! I'm doing my job and who are you to call me dumb?" "I'm not calling you dumb-" "You are!" "Oh god." he rubs his eyes. "Sorry I'm just sooo much for you, it sucks you have to deal with me!" A dig at his choice of wording in the heat of the moment, Nemuri pointed out the struggle, wrapped up in her own, Kan had said he would "go deal with you." It was poor wording even he can admit that, he didn't know it would set you off. "Oh stop." He holds his hand up, "don't throw that back at me you know how I meant it." "I don't! I'm such a burden, I'm so stupid and weak and impulsive and I just want to help Vlad why can't you see I just wanna help?" "I know you do! But you're hurt, you did help! You got hurt though, you can't help anyone when you're out of commission! I was there, I had to stop it, we can catch that guy another time, I'll give it to you-" "you think this is about the arrest?" You leer back at him, "I don't care who arrests him, he's still out on the streets-" "But you're okay-" "It's my job to protect these people, and your's too!" "It's not so black and white." He warns you, "what was I supposed to do, let him kill you?" "Why do you think he would have? Why am I so weak to you? I'm sorry I'm smaller, I'm sorry I'm-" "That's not it, you would do the same for me!" "You're always butting in, always keeping an eye on me, like I'm a fucking chore to you!" "When did I ever say that?!" Sekijiro had been a good friend to you, you aren't sure why but you clicked, you liked the same foods and the same movies and you had the same idea of a good time, when you had a free moment to spare it was Sekijiro you were looking for. Everyone expected it, one day you'd be spotted together hand in hand, he'd mention you in a romantic way, you went together and the tension was palpable sometimes. Maybe you were a bit oblivious, or hot tempered with him at times, you knew about your flaws and you couldn't see a guy like him settling for someone with the issues you had. That being said, you still would chase your tail to impress him. "Please." He holds up his hands as you shove him again, "please be resonable. You know I don't feel that way about you. I don't want to fight I don't want to argue. I was worried about you, I'm sorry." "God now I'm the asshole, perfect."

"No!" He groans, "no I'm not trying to spin it like this. What's really the problem? I know you don't care about the villian, tell me what's the matter, please I can tell it's something else." He even sits down in a chair so he's looking up at you, "I don't want you to be mad at me like this, tell me why." "I just want to impress you! I want to be someone who is just as good as you are-" "You are! You're just as good as me! You're better than me, you're better than the best of us! You know that! Why do you think I don't feel that way?" "You're always jumping in, trying to save me to get me away from the fight to stop me from doing my job and you-I don't wanna be a chore to you!" "You are not a chore!" He sounds exasperated, not angry, "I love to watch you work, and to be around you I love seeing you do what you do and I love to help you, I'm sorry if that makes you think I see you as weak, I don't!" He even feigns crossing his heart. "I want to work with you, beside you because I think you're the best of us, really I do. I'm sorry I let the way I feel about you get in the way of your work." "What do you mean?" You look surprised at him, "what way do you feel?" "What?" "Sekijiro you just said the way you felt about me-" "I..." He looks like a deer in headlights, he furrows is eyebrows, "I guess..I just. I'm always on your case because I like to..be with you, and I can't even think about what I would do if something happened to you. Not because you're weak but because this work is dangerous and unpredictable. If it's too much I'll stop, I don't want to be in the way of your work, you do amazing work, I'm just enamored by it, by you." He shakes his head, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you in the right way." "I'm confused-" Your face is hot, "stop it this isn't funny.." "I'm not being funny, really I'm not. I'm sorry this got so out of hand. I didn't think you'd be so upset with me." "Of course I'm upset with you, why would I want you thinking I can't hold my own why I think so highly of you? When I feel the way I do?" "Are you saying you-" You laugh, "oh I'm sorry." You rub your face, "I'm sorry this is all a big misunderstanding." Your hands move to his shoulders, the side of his neck, "I didn't think you felt that way about me." "You couldn't tell I was falling in love with you? You're all I ever want to talk about." "I'm sorry I shoved you.. a lot." You rest a knee on the chair between his legs, "I'm sorry I got upset before you could explain, I'm thankful you're looking out for me." You don't let him reply before kissing him, he guides you into his lap, hands holding onto your waist. "I'm sorry I was hovering, I'm sorry I doubted you abilities-" "It's fine." You shush him, "We can make it up to each other I'm sure."