#why do i love to add unnecessary problems to my life

[zeltqz]

I felt this needed to be sent as an ask. I know it's one of the hardest things to do (writing when your motivation is weighing) but you have to try your best NOT to listen to them (those who keep asking for updates with no consideration of what it's like for the author). Pressure ain't doing nothing but motivating negativity. I know the guilt, I've been there. At the end of the day I gave what I could and the fic ended up being discontinued a month ago. I permanently quit writing because I felt it was so overwhelming and stressful despite being something I absolutely love doing, I just couldn't take knowing people waited for my updates, I was disappointing them and that disappointed me. Talk about depression. Writers depression is very real. So eventually I unpublished my wattpad fics, deleted all my Tumblr fics, and stayed a silent reader, I wrote short poems or small works here and there for my private instagram, just whenever I felt like it. I honestly thought it was permanent. Until a friend of mine started writing which sparked my interest in it again. So I restarted my blog a couple days ago. Gave thought to what it was I wanna write and how I want this blog to be different. Atm I'm barely writing, I started 3 fics last week yet they remain in my drafts untouched with no further progress. But I can honestly say the nonchalance and freedom I have is quite nice, I try to write here and again. Or even if a single sentence or dialogue comes to mind I note it down, that gave life to another sentence and another and another until I put it together and it formed about a decent paragraph.. I'M RAMBLING. I lost track of what I was supposed to say. I don't even know the main point of this story. Forgive me. But seriously, the best advice I can give is to unburden yourself before you drown. Literally. Write what you want when you can, your wips, don't delete them!! I promise you some time later you'll definitely be inspired for them again. And when u do you'll be able to literally write more for it!! I have an idea from 2 yrs ago and it's pretty decent, with some editing it could be even better. So please don't delete them 😭😭 and don't let people push you to update. You can if you can and You can't if you can't!!! I'm here if you need any help 🙏🏻 I noticed that talking about your writing with someone who reciprocates your energy can ignite a full on passionate conversation that will lead to creating quality work!! Like new ideas or even roots to go for old works.. It's a good way to keep the motivation flowing when you're running thin 🤍🤍🤍

this is honestly the sweetest piece of advice soeone ever gave me. its so detailed and relatable too because i used to be a wattpad writer back in 2021 and then ppl kept on asking for update update update and it was so stressful so I just logged out of the account and to this day i havent logged back in 😭😭

as someone who used to be a silent reader i understand the frustration of needing an update. dont get me wrong i understand. i used to feel that exact way because fics were my only source of happiness at one point in my life when everything was shitty. but now im actually writing them, i know why some writers dont want to update so fast because its so much pressure when theres 5-6 ppl in ur inbox asking for update update update

ik how hard it is to finish a story but also how desperate it can get for the readers waiting for said update. which is the reason im constantly trying to keep writing but now i feel like i just cant. im such a perfectionist i dont post anything i dont feel is my best but rn i feel like none of my works are and its making me slack a lot and i feel like if i dont stop feeling this way then i might stop writing as a whole because its making me frustrated

writing genuinely makes me happy bc i feel like its an escape from reality (which i desperately need bc i hate my life) but i cant write good enough which is making me annoyed because i need that reality escape sooooo bad

and the reason i asked yesterday which fics of mine were peoples favourites, most of them were the series that i had deleted from my page because i reread them and hated it so bad. now im rewriting it but with this lack of motivation its one of the hardest things ive had to do in a while

and i barely talk to ppl about my fics because idk i barely recieve comments about them except for PT 2 PLS. like as much as i would LOVE to write part 2 3 4 5 6 7 etc its not motivating enough since i dont have anyone motivating me to write.

ugh this is a lot i dont except anyone to read this but THANKS FOR THE ASK <3

[ay-chuu]

Thank you, next? (Ex!)

Obey me boys (brothers + dateables <except simeon>) past lovers hcs and thoughts about why mc is different from them. <AKA why they fell for you> (By the way i didnt specify any gender in ex's because i talk about all genders!!) Mc is gn too!

(Warning: kinda suggestive. Talking about one night stands and pls, pls spare my grammer mistakes eng. Is not my first language 😔🤙🏾)

Notes: idk why but i couldn't write for my fav, simeon. Maybe i will add him to this post in future

Lucifer

I dont think his pride let him date someone ever. He stayed in the line of courting and flirting. Like really a lot. He just wanted to see if they were going to gain his affection or not. The persons im actually talking about is always... prideful like him. He never gave a chance to people like Diavolo. (So diavolo was his first in this category AHEM!) Loyals to noble, citizen to high society. It didnt matter to him. He flirted everyone who catched his attention (which is really hard...) and when it happened it just ended with some one night stands. He never felt love. He just liked them for fun, passion or just to... experience. Witches, sorcerers, demons, angels... it really didnt matter to him.

Personas like Mc was out of his lines naturally. His pride didnt even make him thought about it. But as his brothers started to be fond of you, he realised what he misses. The real sincerity he wants, the real experience he aches... that was the first realization of his love for you.

Mammon

He dated people that mostly like him. careless, luxury-loving, praise-loving and boastful... you know the starboys, stargirls, star people like 'amazing' as him. Models, actresses, actors, singers, idols... and even though he never dated a witch he had some one night stands. Sorry for bad example but until meeting mc, dating for him was like leanardo di'caprios love life 👋🏼😭 (HE DOESN'T HAVE THE AGE PROBLEM PLS)

The reason he fell hard was how he actually felt some really careness from mc unlike some fake praises or just you know... unnecessary exaggerated sentences. But with mc, he really felt like being listened. Being cared, being not put the role of some jerk.

Leviathan

None. Except you count his 3 months virtual lover lolol?? He was just jealous of his brothers and wanted to experience it but he just really felt like doing some lovers rp in that time. Even his brothers doesn't know this too.

Does he really have to explain? You always acted him nice. Never saw him as a key of something. You really loved to listen his yapping. And never judged him for a something that he actually screwed. Yoy accepted him as a friend, and he did too. But as some time passes... he realised he was in love with his true friend.

Satan

Dating? No. Courting? No. Flirting? For some fun and lust, yes. Just these. Except that he loved to be unique socialite. He loved to feel the 'i want to be with you' eyes on him. He never admits this too. But like a cat, he just loved to gain it. His social connections are everwhere so from witches to sorcerers, models to artists, lower demons to nobles he always got the attention he wanted. But like i said it was just some fun. A passion that lasts as long match. Thats all.

You accepted the challenge of peeling his barriers. And the first time you did... he was really angry. (The moment you declined his pact offer) he really didnt like to fail his achieves. But you didnt like it either. He loved that. But all aside, you found his existential crisis a solve. And you just did it because it became right to you. Not because you wanted to impress him... or lucifer. He felt this in his long life for first.

Asmodeus

... do you really need me to explain? All people. He tried every kind, sort, type, every! As long as he felt like a new kind of challenge, a new kind of lust and being worshiped. When i say everyone i mean it. From the devildom to human world. Even when he was an angel. He was just a bit more careful and less playful then.

Not being able to charm you? Challenge accepted. Being x2 times AND emotionally charmed by you? Take it back. TAKE IT BACK! He always loved to being attached not to attached to someone! But as he knows you more, he realize this is also a new kind of feeling! He always thought live long loves were going to make him so bored and prisoned at some point. And he was right about being prisoned. But did he care? Not anymore.

Beelzebub

Nahh even he did tried to date [he was just curious] it backfired. Whenever the person asked for some alone time or date he always declined because of some kind of planned event with his brothers. And with some time this caused the relationships end naturally. His family was always first for him.

And thats the reason. His family is always FIRST for him. And you, who saved his brother and made his family all happy and together again also were a family member. You were just new in it. You did what he couldnt. He was so grateful to have you... and his admiration for you turned to love. Because he realized how perfect you personality was. Because he realized how his family was healed with you.

Belphegor

He probably always made fun of this topic like an emo boy 🥲 whenever he felt some urges like lust he just had some one night stands. He was so focused on his self hatred side and that made him always look down on love.

And now he also hates about himself for this too. He always felt guilt how this way of thinking made him hurt you. How someone like you, just a human, free him from lucifer and... his own prison. He killed your trust. He literally strangled it with his hand. But still, you found a way to find a new trust again and show to him. He really believed he really didn't deserve you. And when he realized that, he knew what he was feeling.

Diavolo

He did it for learning duty. As the prince of devildom he must know how to court a lady, gentleman or anybody. So he really courted lots of person. He was really kind to them. Even though he was forced to do so with some of them (ahem politic reasons) he never dropped his perfect act. But problem was here. It was all act. He never felt like saying the things he actually said. Or when he spent the night away with them he always felt so weird after with it. Still knowing he was going to marry a demon someday and going to do that anyways, he did not think so much on it.

But never he did think he would fallen love with a human that he invited. At first he really tried to deny and reason himself. Like even though he did break all the 3 barriers and connected them, this didn't gave a permission to have you. Still, he didnt care. He always acted like a good prince and he still does. Doesn't he deserves some really sincerity. Doesn't he deserves your kind actions. Even if its a little bit, doesn't he deserves you?

Barbatos

This mf... bro is the kind of parent that did all kind of things but never let his son doing it. I mean it. When he was using his power freely he did lots of sins about love. Breaking hearts, seducing someone taken to have it himself, then leave them to start a new adventure... man was the owner of the song: heartless. But since he started to serve as diavolo's butler, he changed all of his personas about this. Even his one night stands was so rare. And he is acting like a such a parent about this too. Like when diavolo starts to say about his new courtship bro is yapping like "may i meet them first my lord?" . If there was a thing that didn't changed about him, this was how slowly he would give himself to someone.

And this happened with you too. When he sensed your interest, he hid himself pretty well. But the trouble was, Barbatos realized that your interest was more of a pure curiosity than the curiosity he had experienced in the past. In fact, many people had approached him like this in the past. The difference was that now he had really changed. Goodness, did many year let him forget what was exciting about this... but no. This was so much better. Because for a first time, he wanted to give in really. For a first time he wanted to last it long. Yes he changed a lot. And he wished he did it sooner.

Solomon

I do not think in game he had 700 wives and 300 concubine BUT i think he dated some people for benefits. Like more power, knowledge, etc. Also he had a loong life as human so im sure he had sone interests. But he never felt... the one for him. He just felt nice, giggly, also got the things he wanted. Thats all. "It was nice while it lasted" is the quote for him.

At first he was amused how every brother started to fall for you one by one. This got him curious. He actually thought you were like him and always found a way to charm someone to make them do the things you wanted. But he didn't expect you to be REALLY get attached to brothers because you love them. And it was this easy for you. He was all alone in his thoughts and goals almost in every inch of his life. But you came, didn't question him, just wanted to help him with his loneliness like you did the brothers. You didn't even asked more from him but he wanted to give you more. So he ofdered you to be his apprentice. For him, you were a diamond he had been searching in underground for decades.

[moralofallthestories]

CK s6 part1 spoilers‼️

This is going to be mostly my rant on ep5 and some plots from the previous episodes

- My heart BREAKS for Tory, it’s like the writers just decided to add more on top of the misery from her story last season. S5 the girl broke up with someone she loves and cares about for Kreese’s plan, ended up hurting herself badly and had no one by her side the entire season, and now they just decided to kill off her mom just when her life is starting to get better. What did she do to deserve this??

- Look how quickly Daniel and Johnny moved on to Hawk for their selections literally after they all learned about Tory’s mother’s death, like if you both are such good senseis, wouldn’t it be nice to actually give a shit about Tory and her grief?? Instead of making if about yourself, how about we actually go console her and making sure she’s okay or at least be there? Both of them are such bad mentors for the kids, first is how they handled Kenny’s situation after he got humiliated with the accident, Johnny only spoke up when he’s fighting for Devon and Daniel rlly favors his kids than his other students. If any of these two even showed the same attention and support to Kenny and Tory, I’m sure neither of them would actually quit Miyagi-Do so quickly on the spot. Some sensei they really are huh.

- Robby my man, I get that going to the Sekai Taikai is important for you but are you really gonna do nothing after your girlfriend’s meltdown about her mother’s death? At this point this show’s writing is so bad I don’t wanna hear about any “they probably did this off-screen” kinda bullshit no more. I swear if part 2 has any point of showing him standing on the moral high ground accusing Tory of switching sides like what he did to her in s5 imma riot, cancel my Netflix subscription along with my family plan :))

- Based on s5 and what we’ve seen so far, my headcanon for Robby & Tory is that he’s the one that usually texts her first and he texts more but she’s not good with it, she’s not good with expressing her emotions either so sooner or later they’re gonna face this communication problem in the relationship (of which the problem was clearly shown before in s5 when they “broke up”)

- While the privileged kids talking about their top colleges and applications, what Robby and Tory had was the Sekai Taikai - underdogs in the top 4

- Devon, my girl…not a good decision…why you choose to go on that path

- I can never like Anthony he really gets on my nerves

- Bad writing with all those conflicts overall, hated how they handled Kenny’s character especially trying to embarrassing him for the flag fight. I was hoping to see him and his brother in more action but you can never expect too much from Cobra Kai writers I guess

- The baby storyline continues…the most boring and unnecessary storyline that ruins Johnny’s character as a father and a sensei

- CK really has this type of half assed writing throughout all seasons why am I surprised lmao

The good part:

- Sam & Tory’s reconciliation and their apologies to each other, the sleepover pillow fight was so cute and I love seeing both of them are so done with Johnny’s instigating

- Robby and Tory’s promise of standing together

- How Robby found himself & his confidence again after seeing Tory showed up, this is what partners influence each other

- Robby & Tory’s little nod to each other whenever one of them is fighting someone else, no words but it means so much more

- Johnny & Mike’s fight - it has to be purely a fan service kinda fight but I’ll take it

- Hawk & Demitri’s fight, unnecessary but it surely was entertaining

- Kyler’s redemption, I’m actually happy they didn’t give him a glamorous redemption and try to change him completely to let him join Miyagi-Do, it’s nice to see that his frat boy personality is still there

- Kwon’s fighting skills are some real deal

[the-owl-tree]

I'm sorry if I've asked you this before, I genuinely don't remember, but why does everyone dislike yellowfang's secret? I like it a lot as a story, I find her powers silly but no one seems to have that issue... What is it?

It's been a while since I've read it so I'm going off of memory but my general reasons why I had so many problems getting through the book were:

Yellowfang herself isn't really Yellowfang? She's not snappy or grumpy and doesn't really act in the same way she does in TNP. She's just kind of the punching bag of the book without any of her signature sass to at least make her as a protagonist enjoyable.

The power in itself is an unnecessary retcon, it's only there to force Yellowfang into becoming a medcat and, well, there lies an even bigger issue: we are once again recycling the plotline of a cat forced to be a medcat when oooghgh they just wanna be average :( it's frustrating to me that Yellowfang gets so much of her own autonomy ripped away in this book, to the point where she can't even CHOOSE to be a medcat.

Her backstory in the original books was that she was a Warriors turned medcat and that's interesting. The life of the warrior is glamorized, it's the ideal life for Clan cats, so characters who CHOOSE to turn their back on it to heal are really interesting conceptually! The powers completely ruin this, it's a cheap cop out that's forgotten as soon as the book doesn't have to force Yellowfang into a job she should've wanted.

Why do books treat this position like a punishment or something embarrassing. It's Bad Writing above all because the position is important! It is a necessary part of the Clan to function, medcats should be treated with respect! But that's a whole other response.

That's also where Sagewhisker comes in, the mentor figure who, uh, pressures Yellowfang into doing something she doesn't want to do and yet the narrative continues to affirm is Correct.

I could go on but Bonefall has a good post on Sagewhisker that I personally agree with that adds screenshots and details.

It's just....miserable watching Yellowfang be dragged into a position she doesn't want and I don't know why they would choose the most miserable possible route with this character.

That's not even getting into Raggedstar, the good ol' abusive male love interest who's actions are swept under the rug as he guilt trips, berates, and generally treats Yellowfang like garbage! Despite an entire super edition of abuse and the website acknowledging he's abusive - his actions will never fully be held accountable and he will consistently be portrayed as the Nice Leader who just wanted what was best for his Clan <3

His own abuse of Yellowfang is never acknowledged and fuck's sakes the books play the Nightcloud card and go "well, guess what, it's a WOMAN'S fault that Brokenstar happened!"

In a book already swimming with misogynistic writing, the authors decided to up the ante and introduce Lizardstripe: the mean bitch mom who doesn't want to be a mom and that's all you need to be told to know she's an abusive evil woman.

The book will never actually show you scenes of her being abusive, they will literally just write scenes of her saying she doesn't want to be a mother as a shorthand of her being abusive.

I'm sure this definitely doesn't factor into the writing team's incredibly conservative ideology towards motherhood's and women's roles.

I'm gonna link Bonefall again, he's just good posts that really delve into the problems with this and I'd honestly just be reiterating a lot of his posts if I talked on my own lol

Yellowfang's Secret takes everything interesting about Yellowfang and just flat out ignores it or makes it worse. It's miserable to read, it's just page after page of Yellowfang getting beaten down.

And you could argue that's the point, that Yellowfang believes she deserves her troubles, but I don't think that's the case. I think the book is just troubling in its handling of motherhood and abuse, it handles them poorly.

Bad Book i guess. sucks! i think Yellowfang as a character could fill up an entire super edition, but the one they wrote is miserable garbage.

I can't even remember the plot outside the medcat stuff. Idk mean clan cat invasion time for no reason?? Uuhh kittypet attack?? i don't find it memorable outside of the stuff that actively upset me.

[hetalia-club]

Stark Family Tree

This is only immediate family.

House Stark

Not my favorite house at all. But they are the subject of the main character of my main story in my AU.

Why exactly does Ivan think Peter is his bastard? Well probably because Amelia told him that, why did she do that? She's not even totally sure. She also told him that he was never born and she drank moon tea to get rid of it. Which is what she was SUPPOSED to do with Arthur’s kid but she didn't really feel like it. She lives for creating unnecessary drama in her life and pinning powerful men against each other and watching them fight over her like rabid dogs a girl needs a hobby I guess. Not like she can play Nintendo or something.

Not to mention if he just thought about it logically for a second, which is asking a lot here. He would realize the time lines don't even add up. But 'not using their brains' is what got both he and Arthur into this situation. Poor Amelia just wants to go to Essos...just someone drop her off there already and forget about her she causes so many problems. Abandon her in the Dothraki Sea she would be fine. She would be married to a Khal in a week and have them all convinced she’s their moon goddess. She would be fine.

Lovino actually doesn't care about any of this and he's off at Casterly Rock dicking around. Which is his favorite thing to do.

Now I can explain this situation a little bit. Amelia was engaged to Arthur first. 2 years ago before the story starts he snuck her away one night and took her sailing, this is where Peter comes from. When he was born her father shipped him away to Pyke to 'hide her shame' assuming when they got married they could just brush it under the rug and legitimize him and then no one would care. Which she was very upset about as you can imagine. She did get to name him at least before they sent him away. She would ask Arthur about him a lot in letters. This left Arthur at an Impasse, he had zero desire to raise a kid. But allowed Peter to just exist in his house basically because he was his key to Amelia. She started showing a lot more interest in him romantically when he had her son at his house.

After Arthur broke a treaty her father called off their engagement and set her up with Lovino Tyrell. Amelia didn't want to marry him because she thinks he's boring and instead started messing around with her cousin Ivan because she really just wants to fly his dragon across the sea. So she sets up this whole murder plot to kill his sister and Ivan is dragging his feet about actually doing it afraid for you know 'getting caught' which is a very big deal and would end them both being killed. So, Irritated with that Amelia starts up sending love letters to Arthur. I mean she doesn't actually mean what she's writing in them and it's more just to get him worked up and make him mad. Again she just wants his boats. Om her side that’s all this is and all it’s ever been, while Arthur genuinely believes she is madly in love with him and revels in it. He does not necessarily ‘love’ her in the traditional sense and she is mostly a status piece for him. She very beautiful and a lot of the high lords want her as matches for their sons, so it’s like a “haha look who I have” type thing for him. He does think she’s beautiful and he does think he’s in love with her. But again it’s more of an obsession than actual love. So she sets up an elaborate kidnapping for herself by him. He takes her away to Pyke. He wants to get married basically the second she steps off the ship and she just rolls with it. But she kind of hates him a little bit because he's a prick and always drunk but he's a pirate so what can you expect. But he's also like crazy about her, like actually crazy. Like 'If you try and leave me I'll lock you in a cell, but don't worry it would be a nice cell.' crazy. So now she's stuck there. Too bad so sad, play stupid games win stupid prizes. But she is pretty happy to have her son back, so that’s one win I guess.

[books-and-dragons]

Ik it's been awhile since I have dropped a HC on you, but consider: Akira doing some unnecessarily dangerous stunt in the Metaverse and feeling so proud of himself... and then he's shocked when the team gets angry/worried that he risked his own safety like that.

"Guys, it's fine, only I would have gotten hurt!"

And then they just get even angrier and he's confused and startled they're so worked up about it. He's not used to people worrying about him.

omg june, hi!!! aaa i yelled when i saw your user pop up, hope you're doing well!!

your brainworms are angsty as ever and oh how i love it

i'm such a believer in the akira-is-passively-reckless-about-his-own-life concept, you'll have to rip it from my cold, dead hands

considering the in-game clues we get about how he's not great about keeping himself well-fed and has an automatic tendency to throw himself aside for the sake of other people's safety, akira's probably got a huge lack of self preservation to add to that (maybe even, a complete lack of care for his own wellbeing) (i'm absolutely blaming his home life for this)

which works well enough for someone in a leadership position, he'd make sacrifices for others very easily and yeah!! he's just so used to not putting himself into consideration- he doesn't even think about his own safety. nobody else ever has, so why should he?

it trickles into everything he does. the last healing item goes to a teammate, whatever funds he makes from part-time jobs goes into the phantom thieves (nevermind that he's living on sojiro's patronage curry and instant noodles, that's unimportant, he's unimportant), he offers unconditional support and a listening ear to every confidant he meets, and helps them with all their problems- even if it is to his own detriment. on the battlefield against a new enemy, joker will do his best to find the weakness- because if they repel anything, at least then he carries the brunt of the backlash. it's natural, instinctive, and therefore he sees no wrong in it.

and for a long time, he gets away with this reckless abandon for his own safety.

except he goes a step too far, maybe he decides to distract another hoard of shadows on his own? or makes what should be an impossible zipline move to cross to the other side of a chasm. against a rampaging enemy, he throws himself in the firing line. after months of excusing the passing recklessness, this is a step too far for the phantom thieves.

when they're reunited with joker, he's not greeted by praise for his dramatic flourish, or impressed and spirited cheers for carving a path deeper into the palace, but instead worried frowns and scolding reprimands. flurries of hands which search for his injuries and want to heal, and he doesn't need it he's fine-

and oh you're so right it would hurt so much because akira would be so confused by their concern!! at first, he probably assumes they're talking about anything but him. did he accidentally break a treasure on his landing? for some reason, had the thieves not wanted that shadow hurt? what was it this time, what had he done wrong- because he had to have done something wrong he always does something wrong, eventually

when it gets through to akira that no, they're worried about his safety the boy blue-screens there and then.

it's not something he's ever been used to- care, affection....attention. nobody's cared enough to look close enough before, and suddenly akira doesn't know what to do with this worry, with this obvious sign that people care about him, that someone values akira kurusu....he's in a bit of a fugue as the diarahan washes over him, so much do he can't even scold what he'd deem an unnecessary use of energy

they call it a day in the palace not long after.

learning to value your own life isn't something that's easy, but akira's surrounded by people who care about him now- they can be patient. this time, they're taking the lead to help akira, not the other way around.

maybe makoto challenges him to find a more safe plan, that doesn't involve reckless action. ryuji helps him be more open about his feelings. ann teaches akira how to appreciate himself. futaba shows him how to trust in what people promise. yusuke guides him through self-appreciation in his own, artistic style. haru helps akira define himself, outside of the parameters his parents set for him. morgana stays at his side through it all.

in their own way, they'll help akira find some self-worth, and hope to see the fruits of their labour in akira guarding a bit more often in battle, turning to his teammates instead of charging in headfirst and bearing the weight of shadows' attentions himself. they'll wait patiently for the day he asks for help, and be proud when he does.

for now, they'll accept the occasional willingness to head back to a saferoom, or retreat from battle. they'll mentally cheer when he uses one of their few healing items to patch a gash in his side. it's all about the small steps.

[esperr]

My thoughts on the new trolls movie (me ranting about trolls 3 for way to long)

Disclaimer: I am aware this is just a kids movie and it’s not supposed to be a cinamatic masterpiece. I am mostly just writing this for my own entertainment

I absolutely love doing these movie reviews, my first one being on the nimona move (I will link it at the bottom for anyone who is interested)

Now I will start this off by saying that I did NOT watch the 2nd trolls movie so some of the plot holes I might mention in this post could be things I missed because of that, but most of these are specific to this particular movie

The first thing I noticed are the many inconsistencies, such as when Gristle gets his eyebrow pulled off but only a second later he is shown with both eyebrows fully in-tact. Although, the main problem I have with this movie in in fact NOT the inconsistencies, so I will leave those at that.

At the begging of the movie we see branch as a baby. His family is separated and he is left with his grandmother who is eventually eaten by a Bergen. After this is the wedding scene. During this scene poppy expresses how badly she wishes she had a sister. This whole bit of dialogue just seems so forced. It’s as if the writers were trying to figure out how to make a movie centered around branch about poppy. This is where we get into the main thing I disliked about this movie: The sheer amount of side plots.

The first side plot we run into is poppy’s yearning for a sister. We then see her father grimace and it is extremely obvious right off the bat that she most definitely has one. This was definitely a VERY strange choice considering this movie is supposed to be about branch finding HIS family members. Adding poppy’s sister into the mix is just completely unnecessary and it adds nothing to the movie overall. It essentially just takes away from the main focus of the movie, confusing the viewer.

The second side plot we run into is Tiny diamond wanting to seem grown up. This is just even more unnecessary. Like it’s ok to explore different characters in a movie but REALLY? Why him out of every character? Not to mention that despite trying to “explore” his character, we learned absolutely nothing new about him. They could have instead used this time to explore branch and his brothers a bit more, but alas we are left with these bland brothers who lack personality.

Once poppy finds her sister we run into yet ANOTHER side plot. Poppy’s sister and the other trolls that live in this area are still afraid of the bergens. This honestly just felt like filler at this point as it was a conflict that was already resolved in the very first movie. It felt extremely forced and again took attention away from the actual plot.

Although this movie is about branch and his brothers most of the screentime is used up on little things that barely add anything to the movie. So much in fact that the antagonists BARELY FEEL LIKE THEYRE THERE. Like honestly I forgot they even existed because they have so little screentime. They also tried to give vaneer a redemption arc but failed miserably. They essentially just showed us that he kinda has a little bit of remorse and that’s it. ALSO NOT TO MENTION ONE OF BRANCHES BROTHERS RANDOMLY HAVING A CHILD WITH ANOTHER SPECUES WHAT WAS THAT?? he also just left his wife with all of his children and no help?? Husband of the year award definitely goes to this guy…

The very last thing I found annoying about this blue was when branches brother died and came back to life in the same 2 minutes. They didn’t even have time to shed a single tear because right away he was straight back to life. His death didn’t even matter at that point. They didn’t even have time to use some power of love and family trope because he was alive again just like that.

This brings us to our very last sideplot that did not make sense: just when you think the movie is finally over branch randomly decides to announce that he was also in another band and these random sparkly trolls walk in out of NOWHERE for NO REASON. WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THIS?? WHAT WAS THAT?? JUST WHY?? Why?? I CANT WCEN ?? WHAT??

When watching this movie I kept thinking to myself: why didn’t they instead use all this time to explore the brothers and backstories or give velvet and vaneer ACTUAL arcs and personalities. But alas we can’t have everything

I barely scratched the surface of how absolutely Absurd this movie was in this post, but if I all about trolls 3 for any longer I think I just might lose my mind. If you made it this far I applaud you. You are very brave

[mehoyminoyyy]

My Thoughts after watching S1 & S2 of TSITP

Disclaimer: I will not be hating on any ships or saying unnecessary bad things about ships or the ppl who ship whoever. Thats not what this is about. This is just my own opinion and thought process and what I’ve taken away from watching the show.

————-

First off I want to say I’m so surprised how much I actually enjoyed this little show. I stumbled across it three days ago and have been throughly entertained.

I want to also say I wasn’t a book reader so I’m basing my opinions wholly based on the series.

Okay lets get into this,

I’m rooting for “Jelly” and here’s why.

Since S1 Jere has been very vocal about his admiration /crush on Belly. He has a positive & honest attitude toward life , which makes him a very likable character. Every time there was a scene with him in it I found myself literally cheesing no matter who he was with.

Something I noticed from the first few episodes in S1 alone was that Jere was almost always “Available” for Belly.

Which instantly established and showed me their dynamic.

I remember I said to myself while watching “Ah , that’s literally her best friend he’s her rock!”

Now at the time I felt like “Omg it’s so nice to see m/w platonic relationships being showcased like this.” I was honestly just so happy seeing that alone. As the show progressed , even in the flashbacks Jere just genuinely always liked Belly even platonically. He always includes her, makes time for her etc. It was honestly such a breath of fresh air seeing a girl actually being treated like an equal player for once . Also I want to add that, that this dynamic was actually balanced, Belly also did the same for Jere even though her head is full of Conrad at the start.

Back to Jere as a character,

Jere is seen as this happy go lucky guy that doesn’t have a care in the world. This isn’t necessarily the case though. That is his mask BUT he is not his mask!

( Thats important here)

All the characters in this show have a mask but I find myself relating to Jere’s the most. He is my favorite character right now( Also Steven) but I’m honestly going to try really hard not to be too biased and just state what I saw and what this show genuinely made me feel.

( I got so emotional watching this show and that hasn’t happened in a very long time 😂)

What I find interesting about Jere’s crush is that it feels more genuine. It grew organically. Not saying that Conrad’s crush didn’t either but its just different, Jeres crush grew from friendship… Conrad’s grew from him knowing Belly liked him.

What I noticed while watching is that Conrad needs to love himself. He needs to do that and work on himself before he’s with anyone. I do believe he loves Belly ( it’s obvious but..)he just cant love her the way she wants.

We see this with how his relationship with Nicole was just a mess and it wasn’t even Nicoles fault.. She like Belly wanted to be there for him. Wanted to love him, she also wanted to be loved. But he just cant commit to doing the work it takes to be in a relationship fully.( In this sense he is just like his dad … who he hates, and I’m sure he hates himself because he’s just like him. Maybe not in the unfaithful part but with commitment to be in a relationship )

Don’t get me wrong before the prom incident Conrad on paper is a really decent boyfriend. He understands Belly, they can talk for hours and once they are dating he does make time for her. but his main problem is not being able to communicate, he assumes and and shuts everyone out.. even the closest ppl to him and then wont even tell them why. Just like Steven said “ Your either up really up high or really down low” but they needed him to be in middle ground, and he just cant do the work to meet ppl half way.

That being said, Jere did the work or is in the process of it and so is Belly they’re moving forward … Conrad is stuck , he needs to be alone ( not forever) to figure himself out and then maybe fall in love just not with Belly … Because she has moved on. She’ll probably never love someone like the way she did Conrad but he also gave her so many important lessons.

Jere isn’t perfect but he’s literally perfect for Belly… When Conrad and Jere were talking by the vending machines I noticed one key thing that was different in their attitudes and this is what it was

Jere said “ I just want Belly to be happy, no matter who’s she’s with”

THAT right there this is not someone speaking selfishly.. Jere deep down doesn’t want to keep fighting and he’s willing to sacrifice his own happiness for someone he loves ( WHICH I MIGHT ADD BELLY IS LIKE THIS TOO! She is just manipulated more easily in s1 )

Because Jere knows happiness without Belly.. He does ..he’s his own person.. He knows it would be hard to let her go ( because he’s done it before) and it prob wouldn’t experience the same type of love but he would move on he knows he would. He also knows his relationship with Belly is strong enough that even if things went sour they always come back because their foundations were a super strong friendship. She’s his constant, not his stability. He even told her he’d be okay even if she decided he wasn’t the one for her.. he was fully ready to take that bullet all over again.

The way they “rebuilt”their friendship again in s2 was amazing to see ( take the romantic love out of it and love was never gone!) Like literally thats what they did..

Arguably Belly is also like conrad.. she never sees whats in front of her until she shes forced to see it, but when she does “ see” she doesn’t take it for granted. She Acts, she fixes, she makes amends , she actively trying to grow as a person.

When she realizes her constant is gone thats what cause her to be unstable.. BUT she’s also relentless, because she herself said she knows them .. tbh she knows the fisher boys better than she knows herself 😂. She truly is in love with both of them but only one relationship works romantically.

backtracking funeral : Something I wanted to add is that Belly got so angry with Conrad she said she hated him… she hated the mask he was showing her.( she hated him in that moment). When has she ever hated jere… ? (Again I’m from show perspectives so thats what I’m basing everything off of)

Even the very few times Jere and Belly fought she didn’t hate jere she aw through the mask, and he let her in.

Going back to the vending machine scene ,In that scene Conrad said something like this (srry if its not the exact quote)

“I cant live without her Jere,” ( I also think he hot into the physicality and mental aspect when the broke up and how it affected him)

He made it about him, not them and or what belly wants.

The thing is if their relationship was really deep, he wouldn’t say this he’d be okay with letting her go because he wouldn’t be losing her they still be friends. The way con asks is like he cant be friends with her now that they’ve been lovers… and thats a huge red flag. ( at least for me)

Conrad only agrees about Belly’s happiness after Jere said it .. and tbh he doesn’t even mean it.. Conrad only loves Belly because thats the only thing stable in his life.. he is not on good terms with his dad, mom is gone, things are rocky with Jere etc. He only wants Belly for his own “happiness “ and that’s horrible foundations… ( sure he loves things about belly but is very surface level its not as deep as their physical attraction to each other)

This is minor but it gave me the ick when he did this in the car, when jere asked if belly was cold, he was gonna turn the air down but Con just gave the jacket… he didn’t even notice she was cold like !?!? ( granted this is small because they were in the front but still, its the initiative that counts here .. Jere starts , Conrad follows )

I just I’m so tired of seeing toxic relationships exploited when healthy and actual loving relationships are what we should be celebrating…

Im not hating on Conrad ( I don’t think he’s a bad character in theory, he just needs work) On the flip side if he’s capable of moving on and dating other people why shouldn’t belly be afforded the same…?

I also don’t want to take away or diminish Conrads friendship with Belly either because I do believe they connect on like a nerd level and maybe physical attraction..But I don’t think their compatible because in every other area they fall short for each-other. Its more of a fantasy for both of them instead of something real? Idk , because when shit gets real they fall apart.. because Conrad chokes snd regresses nothing is solved.

Anyways I’m Team jelly , they’re relationship is sweet, fun, loving and sexy most of all though its easy.. they should feel safe. They understand life is short they leaned that and tackle it head on instead of wallowing in the saddest parts of life and letting that take over.

Its always going to be tough because of how things work ..the foundations are rocky but jere represents growth.. they can grow together.. I just idk jelly only feels right to me. It would be so odd for their characters to switch up like so odd and not truthful to who they are right now and the path their moving towards.

Also Taylor knew that too her best friends (besides the boys) even the debs picked up on if way before it was actually a thing…

So in conclusion Conrad deserves love but he needs to learn to live for himself first. He needs to learn how to live his life with out “thinking” about others ( not that he shouldn’t care) but basically stop manipulating himself and others into this toxic cycle of emotions. He needs to really commit and quite frankly grow a pair. He was the main one telling everyone to grow up… yet he did not.

He takes on these huge responsibilities like a martyr but really he just wants to feel important and needed to help his self worth…but part of growth is allowing people in and helping you when you need it. Also understanding that he will always be needed no matter what and he shouldn’t base his entire personality and values in wanting to be needed.

Belly represents his hope.. but without Belly is he hopeless? Can he still have hope.. Belly is teaching him hope but “he doesn’t love her because he wants to love her” not like Jere does. He loves Belly but he “needs” her to love him

Belly wants someone to want her…she wants to feel love and be loved at the same time. She also is a lover at heart she wants to give love , and she knows how to do this without manipulation. When she loves she loves hard…

Jere also loves hard… just saying he fought for Belly in his own way.. he sacrifices his own happiness for his brother time and time again, he sacrifices his happiness for belly time and time again… Honestly Jere really deserves better but I digress 🤣 Because Belly did become self aware somewhat and is active in being a better person.. no one is perfect as said before but being in love is about the path your working towards and how you go about it.. with said partner…Jere and Belly are on that path. Conrad is somewhere in the middle and he cant see his own cycles.

Im all up for a healthy and friendly debate , I don’t want to hate on any ships but this is my take away from the show alone not having read the book at all. idk if it’s different but As of right now having binged s1 & s2 in the past few days from the start as soon as I head Jere call Belly his future wife I was like damn… its him.

( plus she sees him first when it starts and thats a meetcute 👀 iykyk 😂)

[greenerteacups]

That reminds me of why I really dislike that the epilogue exists.... other than the fact that it's totally unnecessary and adds nothing of importance to the story, it actually portrays, in my opinion, a strangely stagnant and therefore bitter (imo) ending for these characters I truly loved through my childhood and teens... Like, the fact that they just...stayed the same... married the person they started dating in school (regardless of actual compatibility)...the same friendships and enmities.... I just remember reading that epilogue and immediately rejecting it cause I found it weirdly depressing and it also kinda felt like the author was kinda forcing the characters into a certain destiny beyond what was necessary, which sounds really weird but I do think there's a point where, as a writer, you have to let the story go and leave 'what happens next' to the readers' imaginations.

there's a reason for this, i think. i actually happen to like a lot of the endgame couples — i think that harry and ginny being straight-out-of-school/married-young-in-wartime sweethearts is cute, and makes sense for their characters. i like the idea of them naming the kids after harry's parents, Sirius, and Luna (Obvious Exception Notwithstanding!!!) because it ties in with the themes of family/love transcending death and also happens to be a real-life phenomenon that young couples do to commemorate the wartime dead! i think it's great that neville's a herbology professor — it's an ultimate triumph over Snape to become the exact opposite kind of teacher, one who offers support and understanding to slow-learning children — and although i hate what happened to Lupin and Tonks, the idea of Harry raising Teddy as his own son/nephew/younger brother/Unidentified But Beloved Family Member in the same way Sirius probably would have raised Harry, if he had the chance. it ties in very well with "healing past wrongs" as an underlying motif for the next generation.

and you know what, fuck it, i'm not ashamed to say it: I like the Third Gen kids. they are good character concepts and they have hints of interesting story arcs! I like the idea of harry's oldest son being this ridiculously high-energy, sociable, nosy-ass Fred Weasley type popular kid, because — yeah, that's what both of your parents are! of course you're like that! and I really like the idea of [REDACTED MIDDLE CHILD NAME] being a Slytherin with strong moral values, because that's an arc that frankly should have happened in the original books, and it reads like a graceful acknowledgement of how the author mishandled Slytherin House (even if it's kind of dissonant with their behavior in the Battle of Hogwarts, but whatever). Lily we don't have much to go on, but she reads a bit like a young Ginny if she were less shy. but none of that quality changes the fact that these characters shouldn't exist.

authors coming to the end of their first work have trouble letting go of it, especially when that work is long. (even though it was her seventh book, Deathly Hallows was the first time JKR ever had to actually end a "story" as such). they're scared of leaving something out, and I think these long-range time jumps are a reaction to the desire to hold onto these characters as long as possible — to delay the inevitable goodbye, and claim authorship of as much of their characters' lives as possible. the problem is that you don't want to undo the happy ending they've just earned, so you can't realistically portray the tensions and breakups and conflicts that would happen if the characters were left to develop naturally for nineteen years. which is why the epilogue feels false to me.

and the funny thing is, for fans of the "canon" epilogue ships, ending it after the Battle of Hogwarts wouldn't change anything! it's ironic, because in theory you'd want an author to confirm that your pairing gets a big happy wedding, but when a ship is endgame, it's assumed that they have a "happy ever after" anyways. we don't read Percy Jackson and assume that he and Annabeth have an acrimonious divorce in their 40's. we don't wonder (at least, not as serious analysts of the text) if Arwen and Aragorn need to get couples counseling. maybe they do, and maybe they would, but that's not relevant to the story that's being told, and the way the narrative frames it, the "ending" of their story is itself the end of the line for their pairing. the moment you stop writing, they exist in perpetuity as a loving relationship, and you don't need to tell us they get married! they have been immortalized as lovers! harry and ginny would be THE endgame couple of the series whether or not we knew their children's names. they are each others' destiny.

and the end of the day, the problem with the epilogue boils down to this: either their story ends at the battle of hogwarts, or it didn't. if it didn't, then it looks like you have another book to write. and if it did, then it's time to take your hands off the wheel.

[sassy-pistachy]

About the Three Body Problem

Books, Chinese and Netflix adaptations.

Bear in mind this is coming from a HUGE fan of the books. I've read the books twice, watched a chunk of the Chinese series, and finished the Netflix one. Also, this is just my opinion.

None of the Three Body Problem versions is perfect. NOT EVEN THE BOOKS. And it makes me sad realizing all the hate the Netflix series gets. I get where the criticism comes from, I was the first one hating on it before watching it. But now, boy do I love it. Is it perfect? No, of course not. But it's such a good fucking adaptation.

The books are obviously amazing, but even they are flawed. The characters are so plain and one-dimensional, they can be described with 1 sentence and that's their whole personality (with like, two exceptions) (and let's not talk about the blatant misogyny through the trilogy, that's a whole new conversation). I get that within the narrative of the 3 body world, individuals are not important. The important character is Humanity as a whole, not the specific individuals we follow. They are mere tools to carry the story, and the way they are discarded so easily shows their insignificance against a huge, dark universe. But honestly, IMO you can convey the same feelings of insignificance with well built characters. Hell, it's even BETTER if you do it with well built rounded characters, because the more you empathize with the character, the more it's going to hurt when they get thrown away.

The Chinese adaptation. Honestly, I couldn't push past episode 10. This saddens me, because I was enjoying it, I really liked how they did the characters. But it's so damn long, it's unnecessary. They tried to be so accurate to the source material, they kinda failed. It's an adaptation guys, the things that work in a book might not work in a TV Show. Things must be changed. Besides, they DID change some stuff. There's things in the Chinese adaptation that don't show up in the books. And I couldn't understand the reason behind those changes, they didn't add anything to the story or fix anything.

The Netflix adaptation. Does it change stuff from the books? Oh yeah it does. But I UNDERSTAND the reason behind the changes. I know the books, I watch the show, and I get why they do what they do. It has it's flaws, obv. I wish it wasn't so whitewashed, there's no forgiving that. I wish it were a bit longer, so they could spend the time necessary for some concepts to really have impact. But the characters, I LOVE the characters. They have depth, life, true connections between each other (they also fixed the misogyny issue, yay). I'm getting so invested with them, by the time the second season releases and Some Bad Stuff happens to them, I'm going to feel the Cruel Dark Universe hitting them way harder than with the books.

At the end of the day, each version has it's strenghts and it's flaws. Different flavors so everyone can pick their favorite. But it kinda annoys me when people shit on the Netflix adaptation without watching it just because they hate the dudes that fucked up Game of Thrones. Do yourself a favor and give it a try. I did it, and I'm so pleasently surprised.

Peace!

[pop-pop-pop-popculture]

Idina Menzel: Take Me or Leave Me Tour

Idina Menzel is an absolute gem that must be cherished and protected at all costs. My love for her is infinite.

HER OUTFIT. It started as one big gown and then, one by one, each piece was stripped down to a basic, nightwear outfit.

The boots felt a little unnecessary just because of how high and wide they were, but I would not expect anything less from her.

The stripping of the gown was done so quickly yet effortlessly.

I was absolutely crying on the inside. 🥹🤧

Idina told us a story that correlated to the next song, and the way she transitioned into each song was done so smoothly. We love a good storyteller.

Idina talked a little bit about mental health. Just another thing to add on my long list of why I love her. The way she transitioned into the topic, though, was clever. As the band was playing the instrumental opening for "Twisted" (originally sung by Joni Mitchell), she discussed it, but she had a comedic approach. I, too, have anxiety, you beautiful human being.

Quote: "My mother's one, and my husband's one. So... I'm a little bit of a, uh, hot mess."

Idina and her never-ending love for cursing.

The story she told before she sang "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" was great. The moment she mentioned snowboarding, I knew what song was coming next. Basically, she tried snowboarding with her son and it did not end well for her.

Quote: "But the things I'll do, you know, to be a cool mom! [sigh] It's really hard."

Darling, you are a Tony winning, Broadway legend who portrayed the original Maureen Johnson and Elphaba Thropp as well as voice Queen Elsa from the global phenomenon animated Disney film Frozen. You are most definitely cool, and an absolute queen. 🤩🥰

Quote: I'm a real advocate of the 'Me Too' movement, but I also don't mind someone telling me my boobs look good in this dress and my ass looks good in these tights. It's just cause I'm over fifty and I just need to be complimented every once in a while! H.R. IS AWARE, so... if you have a problem with it..."

God love this beautiful, talented, hot mess.

As "Life of the Party" began to play, Idina talked about her 'raunchy' character, Kate, from her off-Broadway musical The Wild Party, which was "way before Elsa days", and then cracked herself up by admitting "I really miss her!"

I love when Idina makes herself laugh.

The next bullet is what Idina said was going through her head after John Travolta messed up her name:

Quote: "WHO THE FUCK'S ADELE DAZEEM?! WERE THE QUEUE CARDS SWITCHED?! This isn't helping, just let it go, bitch. Oh, shit! That's the song! Oh, come on, you're a pro. Just get ready, Adele. I mean IDINA!!"

*The way she just perfectly reenacted her reaction on that exact day (March 2, 2014) and easily transitioned into "Let It Go" was phenomenal. I actually don't recall watching the Academy Awards that year, so I didn't know this happened! However, the moment she said the date and then the audio of him introducing her began to play, I knew what song she was going to sing.*

She sang the (I think) off-Broadway version of "No One Mourns The Wicked" from Wicked and I had no idea what to think about it, but I love how she went hard with it to the point of headbanging.

I never saw If/Then but "You Learn to Live Without" is beautiful. I loved all of the slow, sentimental songs, especially her cover of "Why" by Annie Lennox.

Of all the songs on the setlist, my most favorite was "Everybody Knows". I enjoyed watching her sing all of them!

The only song I disliked, however, was "Buenos Aires". I love you, Dee, but why that song? She should have sang another song from her 2023 'Drama Queen' album! Which one? "Beast", because that is a bop, first of all, and so upbeat.

She sang two songs from her new musical, Redwood!

(She'll be back on Broadway next year, and the musical is being held at The Nederlander Theatre, which is where Rent took place!)

Finale: After she sang a cover of "No Day But Today", she said, in a monotone voice, “Goodnight, everyone, thank you.” with a straight face and then walked off. I was very confused and a little disappointed, because there was one specific song she didn't sing. As the audience kept cheering, I thought to myself, 'There is no way in hell she just did that. There is no absolute way she went through a whole concert without singing that song!' However, nobody was leaving, so that's when I realized "Defying Gravity" was the finale song. Oh.. so that's what an encore is.

My girl really wore her heart on her sleeve, and I could tell that she was enjoying herself. I just want her to be happy! I also love how interactive she was with the audience, such as, for example, having a few fans sing Joanne's part in "Take Me or Leave Me" with her. I cannot sing, first of all, but even if I could, if she asked me to sing with her...I would cry and then die. Overall, this was an incredible concert. It was intimate, humorous at times, powerful, upbeat, and just all around entertaining. Idina really knows how to put on a show!

🍂 September 5, 2024 🍂

[firstumcschenectady]

“Starting With Care” based on Genesis 2:1-3 and Matthew 6:26-34

We're going to start with the bad news: you can't control anything.

Or, at least you can't control anything important.

You can't control how long you'll live, what the quality of that living will be, what illnesses or injuries you will endure, how long your loved ones will live, if or when traumatic events will occur, nor how they'll be responded to.

I was recently a part of a conversation about suffering led by a medical professional who – rather appropriately I thought – was worried about the fact that patients sometimes assume their suffering is God's punishment. I agreed with him that this is just not TRUE, and it is awful to think that you are both in pain and that you deserve it. But, I am also aware that if pain and suffering aren't a punishment from God, another option is that life is a crapshoot and there isn't any meaning to be found in it – and for a whole lot of people that's MORE uncomfortable than thinking God wills it. Because if God's punishing them, or teaching them a lesson, then the suffering AT LEAST means something and maybe even has redemptive value. But if it was just a random thing, and it could have happened to anyone and just happened to happen to them – well, for a lot of people that's WORSE.

Because then it is entirely out of their control. If God is punishing them, then IF ONLY they'd acted differently, then they could have prevented this from happening.

Right? It is an awful theology, but the human desire to pretend we have control is really quite powerful.

And, let's be honest, we can't control things but we can …. impact probabilities, right? Cancer is MORE likely if you smoke, if you don't exercise, if you don't eat well. Even better, you aren't likely to get hurt falling off a rock wall if you don't attempt to climb a rock wall. Right?

That said, once I broke a toe because a container of chili fell out of my freezer and landed on it. No rockwalls involved. Another time I sprained an ankle horribly – at the ski mountain – on the INDOOR stairs when I was grabbing lunch. Probabilities aren't guarantees.

I find some comfort in the Matthew passage that tells us that worrying and trying to control the uncontrollable is in human nature. This one isn't a modern day problem and we don't have to blame the 24 hour news cycle, smartphones, or social media. This is a human problem. We are aware enough of the uncertainties of life to worry about what may happen.

Jesus seems to recommend not worrying about the little things – about eating and drinking and finding clothes. Which, funnily enough, were exactly things that most of his audience was worried about most of the time because he was speaking to people who often didn't enough enough food, or drink, or a change of clothes.

In the face of their daily struggle for survival, Jesus says,

“Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?”

And I get his point. Life is vivacious, nature takes care of itself, hoarding is unnecessary, and truly no one is as beautiful as a flower. But also, I don't get his point. Because it sounds a whole lot like saying, “Sure, there is a system of oppression out there that took away your family's land and livelihood, and now you are hoping every day to get hired back to work the land so that you can afford to eat tonight, and sure you are likely to die soon of malnutrition, but don't worry about it, God will take care of you.” And, while I TRULY believe that God does want to take care of everyone... well, deaths from malnutrition HAPPEN so it seems like that “promise” isn't one that often works out.

Compassionate people don't say to starving people, “don't worry about food.”

So, what the heck is Jesus doing?

I think I did a bad job in picking this passage, particularly that I didn't look at the verses PRECEEDING these ones. Namely, “No one can serve two masters for a slave will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” These lines are a big deal in the Bible. For a world in which people thought being wealthy was a sign of God's favor, it really turns the tables. This passage encourages the poor while challenging the wealthy. And it is placed before the bit about the lilies of the field.

And I wonder if Jesus is at this point talking to wealthy people. The ones who DO have enough to eat, but are worried about it anyway. The ones who do have clothes, but fret that they're not enough.

And I wonder, too, if Jesus is doing one of those really deep teaching things where he is saying to the poor - if you work together you'll have enough, but when you have enough don't worry about getting more like the rich people do. Trust in each other and God, don't horde.

Furthermore, I think maybe Jesus wants those who are oppressed to look up long enough to see they system that is oppressing them, and that it isn't God's will. God made a world of abundance, PEOPLE are keeping each other from accessing it. Part of the problem of trying to survive is that you can be so pre-occupied with it that you don't notice you shouldn't have to fight that hard.

God made enough. It was true then, and it is true now, just as it is true that people died of not having enough then and people die of not having enough now. God made enough, people have distribution problems. And I think it's OK to worry about the distribution problems.

I really appreciated this week's essay from We Cry Justice. I'd like to read a little more of it to you:

God creates human partnerships. In short, God created a system whereby all material and emotional life is tended to. So if we are to be fruitful and multiply – if we are to add to creation – the systems we create must extend the provision of care.

…

Within us lies the potential to create and re-create a system that revolves around and produces care, a system where needs are met. We will need each other to do so. We will need to be in partnership, working together to be fruitful and multiply.1

We can't CONTROL anything, although we can do a lot of damage trying. We can, however, be in partnership with each other and God and seek to “extend the provision of care.” We can choose to notice that care is inherent in creation, and that God's care hasn't changed. We can remind ourselves that there is ENOUGH, and that's good. We can remember the lilies of the field – when they're useful – that creation is beautiful and awe-inspiring.

(Image of mutual care: Ellis Nurses with supporters picketing for better care for their patients, and for each other. Photo by Sara Baron)

We can remember that things aren't now as they should be, but they CAN get better, that God is working with us to make them better, that we're working together, that many people are in this together. That we want a world where no one has to worry about what they will eat or drink or wear, because the resources of the world are abundant there is enough for everyone – and in the kindom of God the resources are shared with the abundance of God.

It is a dream worth holding onto, and remembering, and seeking. We can start with care. And every little bit helps. We can't control it, but we can shape it. Thanks be to God. Amen

1Solita Alexander Riley “In the Beginning, There Was Care” in We Cry Justice (Minneapolis, 2021), p. 145.

Rev. Sara E. Baron  First United Methodist Church of Schenectady  603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305  Pronouns: she/her/hers  http://fumcschenectady.org/  https://www.facebook.com/FUMCSchenectady

May 26, 2024

[sotwk]

I have a theory.

Life is so hard these days. Like not just an individual person struggling but just life in general seems to just be turning even the simplest task into this unnecessary swamp which just drains even the hardiest person.

(bear with me)

I think fandom - being, of course, made up of people - suffers not so much from not appreciating fanworks - art and writing and moodboards and edits and all the other things we love to make and share - but from this perpetual drain.

Let me explain: A new fan to a fandom might be very active and excited and involved at first, especially if they're a little neurodivergent and hyperfixating (or are the kind of person who takes rules literally like "reblog stuff!" and they thikn Yes! Rule! I can follow rules, look at me!)

But the problem is they've come into a fandom filled with people who are drained, like everyo else, and who are not new and fresh and overly excited, and here is what I think happens.

They follow The Rules(tm) as they understand it. Reblog stuff. Comment on stuff. Be exited. Be supportive. But they kind of start to notice they don't really receive that same level of support in return.

They don't really see a lot of people reblogging their own stuff. (Maybe it's because they're new and not a lot of people know them yet, maybe they just haven't found their niche, maybe a lot of things) but the excitement starts to kind of... wear a bit.

And maybe they still share their stuff but start to lose energy on being that engaged. Maybe they don't reblog as quickly as they did before. Maybe they don't bother commenting as often. Maybe they kind of feel worn out with wanting to be part of something exciting when it doesn't seem there is much excitemenet.

And they become one of the people that is exactly why everyone feels so drained and unenthusiastic and doesn't reblog or comment.

Everyone is so tired. Everyone wants to know someone enjoyed their stuff. Everyone wants to share. Everyone feels like they came into fandom "just a little too late". Everyone.

I think the problem isn't people don't care, I think it's that caring took so much out of them and they felt they got so little in return that they can't put that much effort in any longer.

And hoestly I don't blame them I'm right on that edge right now. I want so much to be the fan that everyone *says* they want but it doesn't feel like all that many people are doing it and it wears you down and then you find you are aslo not doing it because you just don't have the energy to read another 50 fics when yours gets like 3 comments.

But I want to just tell the whole fandom - maybe if we *all* tried just a little bit harder to be excited again we could all help one another feel more engaged and appreciated and maybe we could all get that support we all want to receive because we have just a bit more energy to give it.

When people ask for readers to comment or reblog or for art appreciators to reblog or send in notes or for people who spend hours making moodboards to get reblogged and "wow this vibes so well!" what we are doing is helping lift everyone up just a little more out of that swamp of apathy and loss of energy so maybe we can all feel better about it again.

100% agree, my friend! Thank you for saying so, and I am happy to share this for the rest of the class!

Everyone is so tired. Everyone wants to know someone enjoyed their stuff. Everyone wants to share. Everyone feels like they came into fandom "just a little too late". Everyone. I think the problem isn't people don't care, I think it's that caring took so much out of them and they felt they got so little in return that they can't put that much effort in any longer.

I don't have much to add to the Truth my friend dropped above, except for this Gentle Reminder: Let's all be understanding of each other's struggles, and support each other however we can. Every little bit of kindness helps and matters so much!

[cy-cyborg]

Any predictions about what they're going to do with Toph in the live action Avatar? I actually kind of like the changes they made like making Sokka no longer sexist. The story feels more real, honestly, I think Toph is a bit of an overdone character. Like she's super strong because she's blind, that's not good writing. I hope they make her better.

Ironically, I got the notification about this ask while I was talking about this very subject with my partner lol.

I'm only a few episodes into the live action Avatar so far, so take what I say with a grain of salt i guess, but I'm honestly a bit concerned. While I'm glad you enjoyed it (and legitimatly no hate on anyone who does), I'm finding so far that the creators of this version have attempted to "fix" a lot of things that either didnt need fixing, or they didn't really understand why they were issues, so they have ended up "fixing" the wrong things in a lot of cases. I worry this will be the case with toph eventually, too.

I'm planning to talk more about og toph soon (I'm working on the draft for the post atm) but basically, I agree, I absolutely love og toph, but she does have issues that its important to acknowledge. Its worth keeping in mind though the context of when the og show aired. the fact that she's a good bender specifically because she's blind/a bit over the top is, in my opinion, an overcorrection from the kinds of disability rep common in fantasy (and other genres but especially fantasy) at the time: chatacters that were mostly just sad or helpless who were left out of the action and/or used to show how sad a world is.

If they were to make changes to toph, it's important to recognise that this isn't really the case anymore, and what made toph work back then might not work as well now. Now characters like toph are so common it has become a trope in and of itself (the supercrip trope, to be specific, something ive already talked about before). to move away from that, they need to do a better job of recognising her blindness as a disability outside of her bending and maybe not necessarily toning her down, but adding layers to how her blindness effects her daily life and lean into the idea of her earthbending being used as a kind of disability aid rather than a cure for it.

The problem is, I don't think they will. I think they'll either add some (unnecessary) sad undertones to her character and backstory to match the "darker tone" they seem to be going for, or they'll lean into the supercrip aspects of her character even more that the og did and kind of forget she's blind at all.

It's a pessimistic take, and like I said, I haven't finished the series yet, so my thoughts might change, but from what I've seen so far, my hopes aren't super high.

[fivekrystalpetals]

So freaking this happened and

me immediately: his waist looks real huggable

*ahem* me: I was scared for no reason ofc they'd have a plan!

also me:

do you know how long I waited for an actual fight scene for Break??? It's been said several times that he is the strongest and best swordsman in the Pandora yet we have only two or three fights: one, with Cheshire which is overruled bc Cheshire was a chain and no match up against Break's Mad Hatter anyway,, and two, against Fang which lasted for too little and gave me more heart attacks bc idk which one of them is gonna die I couldn't even enjoy it properly but here..... I know he isn't gonna die bc Sharon and Shirley are here as his lucky charms so!!!! I am here with popcorn and screaming you go Break!!!!

(I am gonna put up the whole of Retrace 86/87 here and nobody can stop me)

So, I got my answer to the origins of the Mad Hatter. I assumed this might be the case, but the dimension was breaking apart while she was stating her wish so.... I didn't think it likely that she could have provided him with a chain at a time like that. Also, to think she gave him a 'destroying' chain to destroy herself, who is a creature of the Abyss </3

Shelley was such a sweet person (no, to be honest, all of the Rainsworth ladies are genuinely so sweet and caring,, I am sorry I had placed you ladies on my list of suspects as well in the beginning)

I wish we could have seen more of her, she must have made quite an impression on Break if it's her name he utters in a fatal situation;-;

Break, put this baby Sharon in your pocket for good luck :)

And now onto what I had been waiting all along--

--watching Break go all BAMF mode fjskjgkslla;me chanting: iwantthisanimatediwantthisanimatediwantthisanimatEDhfjsgjksl PLEASE I WANT THIS ANIMATED :(((

HE IS SO FAST OMG LOOK AT ALL THOSE ACTION LINES AJJGSKL

ok this was ruthlessly hot of him, he just chopped off a guy's head just like that not even bothering to look back at him ;-;

realizing how dangerous Break can get in situations like this-- he goes full Kevin Legnard mode

also this panel of Break is 🔥

hehehehe including my ship here because yay!! they are trying to kill each other!!! yay!!!!

the problem with shipping enemies-to-lovers is precisely this:

you are cheering for both sides of the conflict yet want neither one to die yet want both of them to win yet you know it's impossible and one is gonna die unless they ally for some reason but no reason exists and neither one relents yet--

in any case, can we talk about how smart Lottie is? (I had to go back and add this to my Lottie appreciation post because I was so impressed lol)

Had it not been for Shirley, Break might have lost here, died even,, because what she says is right. He is fighting but he has not at all healed from his previous injuries from his unnecessary fight against Fang (which, thanks to Vincent, got aggravated, seriously what's the sewer rat's problem?!),, so he is fighting for and with his life. Using his chain only adds to burden that his body can't take. lol, and so what a simple logic she uses-- just stay away from him by a certain distance, out of Mad Hatter's range and don't throw your chains against it either. He would self-destruct by himself ;-; (Break looks so annoyed here, he must have realized that her logic would work.)

Now...... I understand why everyone calls her the scariest lady in the Pandora omg the dangerous look in her eye (she has grown into a sort of mature beauty now compared to her young, childish and fresh beauty back then lol);

also, I love how his family doesn't treat his increasing disability as a handicap instead try to make use of whatever resource they have at hand to aid him regardless

He really killed all the Baskervilles except for Lottie, Lily and Doug who have Endgame-Stop-Glen-sama-Plot-Armor ig? (or...... no ha not possible right? I am getting too delululu and no I won't elaborate lol) poor those new Baskervilles,, they were only brought to be cannon fodder for Break's badass fight scene lmao

and then, we get Echo/Zwei appearing on scene with Ada as hostage and more at 10--

but I do have a complaint: I feel like Break knew/realized that Echo was Zwei? Had he let Oz and co. know of his suspicions at least (the way he did for Vincent) Uncle Oscar could have been alive....... ;-; or maybe, it's just my delusions ;-; Uncle Oscar should have been alive,, he should have the chance to be with the kids at the end ;-; at least he got to let Oz know his heartfelt wish and passed with a smile on his face so..... that's something? 😭😭

[tirsynni]

I was just reminded of something and thought I should share, although I feel like I’m inviting wrath by doing so:

Always remember that when it comes to mental health, there’s no singular answer to anything. Also remember that, when it comes to mental health, you’re not looking for something which is going to SOLVE your mental health: you’re looking for tools which can help you deal with it. As such, those tools tend to be highly individualized, because mental health is, by nature, highly individualized.

Medication is helpful because it can have a direct impact on neurological/chemical/etc. issues. For some people, it’s a literal life saver. However, for some people, it can be tricky to use or obtain. In many instances, it can help only partially, especially if you are limited regarding what medication you can take and use and access. 

When it comes to mental health, just think of everything as tools in your toolbox. Everyone’s toolbox will look different. I remember a while ago on tumblr (and honestly, it might still be a thing, but I’ve worked hard to avoid unnecessary online stressors) that there was a furious backlash regarding people suggesting things like exercise and meditation to help with mental health issues. Part of the reason for the backlash was idiots pushing these things as a cure, like that fucking meme showing a picture of a forest as medication. There have been so many studies on how being in nature can greatly assist physical and mental health. In some cases, if the mental health issue isn’t because your brain hates you but because your life circumstances suck, changes in lifestyle and being out in nature and such can dramatically help. However, not only is it not an option for people, it is an insane simplification of an issue and ignores the diversity of neurological issues.

(For some people, they reacted so angrily about it because they wanted to minimize their participation in their own mental and physical health. Claiming that medication and medication alone was the answer is a great way to avoid actively addressing the issue. It’s a type of protective helplessness: if the problem can’t be solved or can only be solved in one singular fashion, then they are free from the responsibility of changing their actions/lifestyle/etc. You also see this in people who complain about their phones being monitored but want to keep Facebook/Instagram/Tiktok/etc. apps on their phone because it’s easier. If it’s just how it is, then they are free from personal responsibility regarding the problem.)

Medication for some people can actually solve a problem, depending on what that caused that problem. For many other people, it can be a tool. Exercise for many people, especially individuals with ADHD, can be an excellent tool. Meditation? Diet changes? Yoga? All excellent tools. When someone recommends something like exercise, don’t snap at them immediately. Find out their thought process. If they’re recommending it as a tool, cool! Maybe they’ll have more insight! If they recommend it as a cure? Try to be brave and not smack them. (Unless they have a Nazi tattoo. Then knock them the fuck out.)

As these are tools, though, they can only be helpful if you can use them. For some people with ADHD, running is fantastic. ADHD brains love it! If you have a physical impairment, though, it’s a useless tool and needs to be discarded. Find individualized tools which work for you. Find good resources which offer objective suggestions for tools. My doc recommended the book ADHD 2.0 for me and it was amazing for offering different tools and why they were helpful. Make sure the person isn’t pushing for something, though, and that the person actually knows what they’re talking about and isn’t some variant of a Titktok influencer. 

Does being surrounded by plants help you relax? Great! They’re a good tool! Knowing you need a certain amount of alone time to recharge? Excellent. Add it to the list. Exercise helps but you can only do limited kinds? Figure out what kinds. Gardening? Writing? Whatever. Know what tools work for you.

Also, know what tools, no matter how popular they are or how well they work for others, don’t work for you. Having a healthy diet is awesome! But it’s far too easy for people to make it into a noose. It should be about giving your body (and mind and mood and whatever) what it needs, not as a form of punishment or self-harm. If having a healthy diet helps but you have a history of eating disorders? Then in the end, it’s more harmful than helpful. My body hates medication, so people love suggesting things when I can’t even take Nyquil. There are also times when something is a helpful tool but you have to be careful about abusing it. You need alone time for your mental health? So do I! Having too much alone time opens you up to depression, anxiety, etc.? You need to monitor it.

If possible, try to figure out how much of your mental health problems are based on external factors. Right now, many people are struggling with depression and anxiety, among other things, due to external factors. In some cases, you might be able to address it. For example, is the problem caused by a toxic person you can cut out of your life? Good time to explore how to do so. Is it an economic issue? Might not be as easy of a fix, but at least recognizing the source is helpful. There might be solutions or helpful paths but they’re more long-term than short-term. Recognizing that something is a long-term problem and won’t be solved immediately is a helpful mental health tool: it lets you remind yourself that yes, it’s going to hurt you today and tomorrow and next week and such, but you know that and you know to prepare for it and you won’t be as badly hurt tomorrow when the problem is still there tomorrow when you really hoped that you would wake up in the morning and it would be gone. It lets you build resilience, which is one of the most important mental health tools of all.

Personalize your toolbox. What works for you might not work for others and vice versa. Keep your toolbox up-to-date, as a tool that previously worked might not help now. Be wary of when a tool becomes more harmful than helpful. It is also helpful to make sure you have back-up tools and a good understanding of your resources, just in case. Always remember that just because something is trendy, popular, etc. doesn’t mean it’s helpful. For example, the sheer amount of people who damaged their internal organs, endangered their lives, and endangered the lives of their loved ones because they were anti-vaccine but pro-horse medication.