#-want to factor in as many things as possible to make an informed decision and the thing i'm picking will be like. bread or toast

[steakout-05]

if i were a splatoon character i would be the most annoying person in a splatfest ever because i would take so fucking long to vote for which thing i side with because my autistic brain loves to weigh every single little factor of an option to make sure it's the absolutely correct one to make in any given scenario.

"mayo or ketchup? hmmm well personally i'm more of a mayonnaise man myself but at the same time ketchup has many qualities that i find to be very pleasing when combined with certain flavours that mayonnaise just doesn't mesh well with. still though i find that i prefer the more eggy savoury taste of mayo compared to ketchup buuut-"

"OH MY GOD YOU'RE CHOOSING A CONDIMENT, NOT DECIDING THE NEXT 10 YEARS OF YOUR LIFE! JUST PICK ONE!!!" lmaooo

[cluescorner]

Some people: Kaeya’s bio father is an abusive monster who abandoned his son in order to achieve his own selfish goals. He is an evil man who deserves everything awful that might happen to him. 

Other people: Kaeya’s bio father did the right thing and leaving Kaeya in Mondstadt was the only way to give him a halfway-decent life. He is a better father than he is given credit for and should not be as hated as he is. 

Me: Kaeya’s bio father is integral to the general ‘war is hell and bad choices can reverberate across time’ thing that Genshin seems to be going for. He made unethical choices, but mostly because the ONLY OPTIONS HE HAD WERE UNETHICAL. If our understanding of the Alberich’s role in Khaenri’ah is accurate, General Alberich (my name for him until stated otherwise) was suddenly in charge of a hopeless and dead kingdom which begged to be saved. Assuming that there was a reason Kaeya specifically was chosen for this mission, General Alberich was forced into a position where he needed to choose between the lives/future of every Khaenri’an vs the life and future of his young son. Abandoning either is an awful thing to do and a horrible decision, but the bad decisions of Celestia and Rhinedottir have led to a scenario where General Alberich can only make bad decisions. In the end, he chose to prioritize his people and made his young son into a spy. We do not know the process for this, but knowing how much Hoyoverse loves to torment people (especially Khaenri’ans) we can assume that this process was horrific for Kaeya and could definitely be considered abuse. General Alberich is effectively making his son into a child soldier for a war that the majority of people never wanted or asked for, and one Kaeya was likely far too young to understand. At least, until he was forced to grow up far too quickly in order to fulfill his duty. General Alberich likely loathed everything about what was happening and even in his last moments with his son he asks for forgiveness. He knows that what he is doing is wrong, but to turn back now is to both abandon his subjects and make everything that happened to Kaeya in order to turn him into a child spy be for nothing. So yeah, General Alberich is a terrible person who made horrible choices. But war and the bad actions of others have created a situation where he has nothing BUT horrible choices and where being a terrible person is the only thing he can be. And that’s without considering how the curse/abyssal corruption could impact the scenario. 

[theladybrownstarot]

Pick-A-Card:What should you know about the situation you are facing?

𐙚˚ Here's my masterlist for more !

𐙚˚ Make sure you follow/like/reblogg/Comment for more pacs like these !

Pile 1. Pile 2. Pile 3.

˖⁺‧₊˚Pile 1.

Namaste pile 1 ! Let's begin with your reading:

˖° The situation you are in is very stilled and controlled by you only by this I can surely say that you are controlling the situation where eternal factors are being controlled but if you loose the control the situation will escalate into something else so you are being called up to analyse and shift your focus on the very details and take action slowly not fastly.

˖° I see that you are not the one who is controlling up everything or is the main person in the situation because I'm getting this very strongly you are actually being controlled or dictated by someone superior than you ; situation or person. You are maintaining up or controlling up the very small part of the situation so the situation will be only influenced by the the one holding more power but you can change the course of decision by playing logically or if possible by getting more people in it.

˖° I see that you want to show yourself different from others but you need to play smart in order to win rather than arguing or fighting up or being defensive.

˖° You could be possibly dealing up with issues related to travel , finance , property or settlement and visa related somewhere , colleague issues or something related to boss and education.

Short Guidance To Follow Up :

Be fearless and stand strong ;

Feel love and comforted;

Retreat and recharge ;

˖⁺‧₊˚Pile 2.

Namaste pile 2 ! Let's begin with your reading:

˖° The situation you are in says that you have backed off from it even though you didn't wanted to somewhere because you thought there is no chance to make it right but this is where you are wrong because forgiveness is there not to the person but to the situation and yourself .

˖° The situation involves many people or the third party interfering in and spreading the falsified information for same , Only few or one can be trusted with whom you had a quarrel . If there's no third party situation then stop explaining to others unnecessarily. You are also making or need to or will be made to make one choice out of two which seems to blind you because you feel stuck because of it but truly it's all a mental fog so take time and clear it up with yourself first.

˖° It could be possible that you are dealing something related to relationship or work .

Short Guidance To Follow Up :

Hold the space;

Be graceful in movement and action ;

Ignite your passions ;

˖⁺‧₊˚Pile 3.

Namaste pile 3 ! Let's begin with your reading:

˖° The situation is going to be on your side because you worked hard for it but this doesn't mean you will leave up everything because you believe it's the end . There are people helping you positively to make you win and themselves because of similarity and familiarity.

˖° The situation for few people might be taking more time because they are constantly working towards one same thing and not allowing themselves to rest out of high emotions running in so you are being told to get aside and let thing unfold themselves .

˖° For all the people who choose this pile you are being told to journal and show and practices gratitude to yourself and others too because this will change the energy of the situation.

˖° You could be possibly dealing up with some investment , mass protest & financial related issues .

Short Guidance To Follow Up :

Choose your path;

Be brave and honest;

Enjoy success and happiness;

──⭒─⭑─⭒────⭒─⭑─⭒──

©️ @theladybrownstarot 2023 all rights reserved. Any stealing or copying of work will be a punishable offence.

[ihaveverything]

Limitless manifesting for beginners

part I - basic concepts

part II - states, techniques, change

part III - mental diet, sats

ʚ part IV - daily life, time

part V - resistance, faith, the ''real'' world

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ

Daily life

The “hard” part of manifesting is not knowing where to get information. There are plenty of resources on the internet to help you get a decent understanding on the Law, as well as original work from source teachers like Neville. A fairly common issue is overconsumption of content, leading to having a jumbled mess of info and confusion on how to go about your daily life. It’s understandable to feel lost, so I will break it down as simply as possible.

You are always being someone. Let’s say you’re manifesting an SP. We know that you cannot occupy two states at once, therefore you’re either in lack or you’re in fulfillment. When you think about your desire (SP or anything else), notice where your mind goes. What thoughts do you have? How are you feeling? What do you know to be true as of this moment? An example of a lack state while manifesting would be thoughts like “I do not have my SP”, “I wish they were here”, “I want to reach out”, “I hope they haven’t forgotten about me”, and feeling rejected, apathy, guilt, fear, etc. Basically knowing they aren’t yours right now. The emotional reactions and intensity of negative thoughts you get may vary from person to person, but the common factor in lack is always the knowing that your desire isn’t here.

A more positive mental diet would be automatically making the choice that you feel as though you have something each time you think of it. It’s as simple as:

Step 1: Identify your desire, I want X.

Step 2: I have it. (Making this choice by utilizing the feeling of having it, this can be attained through techniques or merely a simple decision)

Step 3: Rinse and repeat

I often suggest people make examples out of negative things in order to understand how the positive might look. When you see something unfavorable in the 3D, what is your immediate reaction? Was there any strain or resistance to assuming or fearing the worst? Probably not. Your thoughts, feelings, and reactions will always be aligned with your dominant state. Your only job is to change your dominant dwelling state by entertaining the positive instead of lack. Manifesting is consciously guiding your mind towards where it needs to be, repeatedly making a firm decision that you are something right now, knowing that your desire being unseen right now does not mean it’s non-existent, but it is yours no matter what.

Manifesting is actually much simpler than it seems. Aim to become the person within, and you will see without. Change your 4D, and your 3D will follow. Live your life feeling like the person who has your desires until that state is dominant.

Time

Everyone wants their desires fast, which is completely understandable. It’d be a disappointment if desires had to take an absurdly long time to show up. Many people will say that it’s not good to think about time, because it pulls you away from living in the end, and you focus on the process, which is true. However, it’s also beneficial to acknowledge how time in manifestation works, so that people can have more faith. Like always, your biggest improvements will always come from your own experience and application of the Law, but sometimes knowing why things don’t have to take months or years to reflect is helpful to people’s faith in going all in.

“The time it takes your assumption to become fact, your desire to be fulfilled, is directly proportionate to the naturalness of your feeling of already being what you want to be – of already having what you desire. The fact that it does not feel natural to you to be what you imagine yourself to be is the secret of your failure.” – Neville Goddard, The Power of Awareness

The time it takes to manifest something depends on how natural your state of awareness is. The state of the wish fulfilled is basically you identifying with a different probable reality where your desire is already yours, and you are utilizing feeling to make that decision to occupy a different state.

We live in a world that is expressed in 3 dimensions. A 4th dimension would be adding on the concept of time, but this does not mean that time is linear. It doesn’t flow in a straight line from birth to death. There have been many scientific studies on the theory that the past, present and future may exist simultaneously. Life could be compared to a movie, because you are watching (experiencing) one scene (event) at a time, but all scenes (events) exist in the present. Just because you are watching the famous deck scene from the Titanic movie right now, it does not mean the ending credits of that movie don’t exist. Creation is finished as a spirituality concept explains that all infinite probable versions of yourself, others, and realities already exist in the present. Every moment of the day we are experiencing a frame, and we move through these frames smoothly enough to maintain a sense of reality and balance so it doesn’t seem like we’re glitching through life, but every event you want to experience is already an existing thing. That’s what people mean by “it is done”. By identifying with an alternate probable version of yourself and whatever you want to manifest, you are selecting a different reality to experience. No circumstance or anything in the 3d can change an existing reality. If that reality already exists right now, then there’s no such thing as the universe acting like a factory and somehow manufacturing and remaking your circumstances so that they align with your new identity. It’s not a process of creation. It’s not a 2 month process for your person to conform, or a 7 month process for you to become wealthy. The version of you that is in a loving relationship already there, your money is already there, etc.

Make your state natural. When I say you can get your stuff fast with discipline, I do not mean that you need to affirm 10k times a day or visualize 500 times and “saturate” your mind to the point of being burnt out. It doesn’t have to be that hard. The discipline is only entertaining the states that align with having your desire, and not returning to lack. If you can just be 1 version of yourself, and stop jumping back and forth between 2 contradictory identities, then your dominant beliefs and state will change. This should be simple to understand because habits stick easier when you're only moving forward without taking a few steps back every couple of hours or even minutes. When you’ve made your new state completely natural, meaning your beliefs have truly changed (not just you think they’ve changed because you’re in a decent mood today), your desires will reflect fairly quickly. Additionally, for the people who spent months or even years to gain success, they were most likely wavering during that time. The solid chunk of time where they were fully committed to a disciplined mental diet and had conviction / faith was most certainly nowhere near that long. It was probably much shorter.

When people express disbelief in faster manifestations, it’s evident they believe things will take time, perhaps the “bigger” things take more time, or manifestation itself is a completely unpredictable process of blind faith. Knowing things can happen fast is not controlling. It’s not setting a time limit on yourself either, because anyone who has truly manifested something in days will know that when asked about their success, the first thing that comes to mind is definitely not “I wanted my stuff fast, so I tried to control the time”. How fast you get your desires should not be the focus of your attention in any case; people can feel free to be motivated with buying the Pearl of Great Price with the Law since there is a possibility of success being right around the corner. Above all, Neville and Seth have said that most desires do not take over 30-40 days to see significant movement or even reach the full manifestation. Proper mental dieting will give you results within a reasonable amount of time, so there’s no need to wait in impatience and fear for months or years.

source tba

[fantasy-anatomy-analyst]

heyo! i was wondering, do you have any general guidelines or tips on how to make goatfolk/goat-like humanoids? like, things that based on your judgement should be essential to their physiology and/or society. your opinion is highly appreciated and valued! ^^

sure! I'm going with a really standard domestic goat as reference here, but there are many breeds of goat with their own distinct features, so don't take this as the only way to design goat people. some goat breeds don't really have horns or the little beard, or they have floppy ears instead of tall ones, etc. sheep and goats are also very closely related and have a lot of features in common! sometimes what you think is a photo of a goat is actually a breed of sheep! So you kind of have to decide which specific goats you want to use as a reference point.

image description: faded photos of a goat and some close ups on a goat's face and hoof, all outlined in red. notes on the photos point out specific features. horns, short body, horizontal pupils, cleft lip, and even toed hooves. end description.)

I think the facial features here are probably the most important to keep in mind, as they'll be the same for any goat breed. they all have eyes with horizontal pupils and they all have that upper lip with the cleft. I tried to look up another word for that, because cleft lip also refers to a congenital condition in humans and animals where there's a split in the upper lip and possible the palate of the mouth. a lot of animals like goats and rabbits and cats have this sort of line dividing their upper lip into two parts. it's also called a philitrum, but we use that word for the dip between a human lip and nose as well. unfortunately an internet search for "what do you call it when animals have that separated lip thing going on" mostly turned up information on the congenital condition and how to treat it in livestock and pets. so i don't know if there's a better term for it other than a cleft lip. either way, it is a very recognizable feature on goats and I think it helps make a goat humanoid look more goat-like.

(image description: sketches of an anthropomorphic goat, with a close up on their face. They are short and chubby. end description.)

This is a design that leans heavier on the goat features, but you can go for something more humanoid, like a satyr. depends on what your end goal is for the design!

as for their social and cultural aspects, here's a couple of articles on goat behaviors:

article 1

article 2

important details to keep in mind:

goats are foragers, they wander around to find food and they're well known to have very broad diets, including the ability to eat some things other animals avoid, like tough thorny vines.

goats tend to have a lead female, also known as a doe, guiding the herd. a lead male, known as a buck, will usually bring up the rear. the lead female makes decisions about where the herd will go, the lead male guards the back and is very defensive.

a herd of goats usually has a hierarchy going on and they will defend their own places in that hierarchy. age, sex, and horn size are common determining factors.

goats are climbers, and they'll climb anything including each other. baby goats are especially active about this.

goats headbutt each other for various reasons. this includes establishment of hierarchy, defense, and play.

so goat people might have a matriarchal system, with males as guards while females are guides. they may have a culture centered on fighting as a form of social communication and entertainment. they could be nomadic as well. their dance style is probably very acrobatic, jumpy, and reflective of their fighting style.

those are just a handful of ideas off the top of my head! i hope it's helpful and i wish you luck and fun as you design your goat folk!

[justanotherwriter140]

Kung Fu Panda 4 - Edited

A really, really long discussion post.

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve expressed an explicit opinion on anything, hasn’t it? Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever done a hot-take post. I guess now is as good a time as any to write my first one, given our current situation...

So, the elephant (panda?) in the room: CinemaCon.

While we’ve hardly even had twenty-four hours to process this new information, I know that there are already a lot of strong opinions out there, and many of which are displeased. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone who’s necessarily happy about the news we received yesterday, and while everyone has differing reasons as to why they’re not thrilled, I think there are a lot of common factors among the skeptics. IMO, all of the concerns I’ve heard since the announcements have been understandable. Here’s a list of the most significant concerns:

Chen/Fox Warrior

A replacement for the Dragon Warrior

A villain whose “power” is (potentially) resurrecting past villains from the dead

The Furious Five and their relevancy

Director Mike Mitchell

Many fans are finding themselves confused with this alleged plot, mainly because (to put things bluntly) it doesn’t make any sense. I have a plethora of questions in regards to the second bullet alone, imagine how many I have in total!

You won’t have to imagine, actually, because I’m doing you all the favor of writing down my every thought. Strap in, folks!

First of all, who is Chen (?) and why is she relevant? While these are things that will, without question, need to be answered in the upcoming film, I’m still feeling apprehensive. Why would Po choose her as the next Dragon Warrior, a title that for three consecutive movies has been regarded as the highest possible title that any living being in this universe can achieve? What makes Chen the next Dragon Warrior, what makes her eligible? The Dragon Warrior is essentially OP at their full potential, and if we’re assuming that this title can in fact be passed on, why would Po give this power and influence to someone he meets in the same movie in which he makes the life-altering decision to seek out an heir? Why wouldn’t he at least choose someone he knows closely, rather than someone he initially doesn’t get along with (as stated in the plot description) and likely doesn’t trust? In my mind, the movie could only justify that choice with some sort of “message from the universe” making itself known to Po and telling him to choose Chen as his successor, but if that’s the road the writers end up going down, then I’d have to reiterate: why?

Backtracking for a second. We have never had any reason to believe that “another” Dragon Warrior existing is even a possibility, forget the concept of them co-existing with the current and original Dragon Warrior. Didn’t the initial significance and nuance of the title come from the fact that there is only one person who can be the Dragon Warrior, because the concept of the “Dragon Warrior” isn’t so much a title as it is Po himself? The universe (Oogway) must choose the Dragon Warrior because they are a singular being of legend. It is one person, and that person is Po. Wasn’t the point of the first film that the title ultimately doesn’t really matter because there is no “secret ingredient,” so to speak? The title doesn’t actually give Po anything. “It’s just you,” Po says, and that was the resolution.

Let’s set all of that aside for a moment, because I have a follow-up question: why in the world would Po be finding a replacement so soon? Yes, the alleged plot states that he’s been given a promotion and therefore wants someone else to fill in for him as the Dragon Warrior, but that doesn’t make sense to me. Why would Po’s new status (as something along the lines of the “Spiritual Leader/Master” of the Valley of Peace) hold him back from being the Dragon Warrior? If there’s something else behind him wanting to leave the role behind, I’m listening, but right now it feels very unbelievable. Why is he doing this so early in his life? He’s been the Dragon Warrior for four or five years at most, why is he throwing in the towel so soon? He’s young and has so much ahead of him, especially after all that he’s done. He’s built prestige and respect over the years and he’s so proud of his role as the Dragon Warrior. I’m confused!

One could make the argument that Po wants to settle down, which I’ve seen a few times on different social sites as a suggestion. However, he has shown no interest in such things in the past. He’s always excited to travel and see new things, so to see such a sudden change in attitude and priorities would likely have to be the result of a drastic occurrence. Po is not giving up his title as the Dragon Warrior, at least not with the way things are now. I’m not necessarily adverse to bold decisions being made in sequels, but this is probably too sharp of a turn for me to be okay with it. 

Is it even possible for Po to no longer hold the title? If we reference what I stated earlier, about the title being not so much a title but rather just Po himself, could we even consider that Po can just spontaneously decide to not be the Dragon Warrior anymore? He was chosen by the universe; can he UNO reverse card the universe? 

So many paragraphs, and I haven’t even gotten around to discussing the villain or the Furious Five. Let’s see how long I can write before my passion-induced rant starts to fizzle out!

In regards to the villain, I’m conflicted. 

On the bright side, I’ve been rooting for a female villain for as long as I’ve been in the fanbase. A female villain could add something really new and fresh to the series, giving fans a new perspective and experience altogether. The only canonical female villains in the KFP universe as of right now are the Wu Sisters, who are some of my personal favorite villains to ever come out of the franchise.

Additionally, rumors suggest that the chameleon can shape-shift. The idea of a shapeshifting villain (who potentially possesses dark magic, or something similar) is admittedly really cool. In an unreleased (unfinished) discussion post, I go into detail regarding the advantages of a manipulative villain. If the chameleon is as manipulative as her shape-shifting powers suggest, she could actually be pretty interesting to watch. Of course, being me, I’d prefer emotional manipulation over anything else, but that’s still a possibility!

In the plot description, it’s stated that the chameleon has the ability to “summon” villains from Po’s past. While it’s been assumed that this is in reference to full on resurrection, there’s still some wiggle room for speculative variation. There are disagreements and conflicting information on whether or not the chameleon can actually revive Po’s former adversaries, as some claim that she has the ability to resurrect the dead (perhaps via dark magic), while others state that she simply takes on their form to mess with Po.

Let’s assume that the chameleon is legitimately able to bring back villains that Po has done away with in previous movies. Isn’t that an incredibly easy way to make it seem like Po is going to experience difficulty in defeating this movie’s opposing force? While I’ll admit that coming up with someone/something that will make Po falter and struggle was never going to be an easy task, especially at this stage, I can’t help but feel as though there’s a bit lacking in the creative department. It’s also a bit insulting, to be honest, because if this new villain has to rely on the reputations and powers of previous villains to put up a fight, then is this a villain worth paying any real mind to? Does she pose any kind of true threat?

Personally, I hope that the whole resurrection theory is false. I don’t think it would be in the best interest of anyone if the past villains were to come back in any way that’s not a flashback (even then, I’m not sure I’d see the point). In all honesty, I thought that the whole point of the villains was that they died and stayed dead. They were defeated by Po once and for all as a testament to the idea of establishing Po's character growth and journey as a person through the bad things he’s able to overcome. It’d be highly contradictory to the messages of the other films if these villains were to suddenly come back.

For a while, there were theories floating around that suggested that Kung Fu Panda 4′s villain would have some significance to Tigress. The thought process behind this follows a “villain formula” of sorts; each movie villain so far has been connected to a main character through that respective character’s past. Tai Lung was Shifu’s failed prodigy; a fallen angel archetype. Shen killed Po’s mother and led a genocide on his people in a feeble and desperate attempt to save himself from his own fate. Kai was Oogway’s former fellow warlord and brother-in-arms, seeking revenge for the betrayal he felt had been enacted upon him.

I am a full-fledged supporter of the next villain having a connection to Tigress. Unfortunately, though, it doesn’t seem likely given the information we currently have. This chameleon, from what we know at this point in time, has absolutely no connection to Po or anyone in the main cast. I’d even go as far as to say that there’s more of a reason to believe the chameleon will have a connection to Chen; mainly because I think that if Chen needs to be integrated into the main cast, that’s the way the writers are going to go. The problem with this, however, is that it doesn’t make that much sense given how significant of a character Tigress has become in the franchise.

Take everything I say with a grain of salt, though, because in truth, we really don’t know that much about our new villain. This chameleon could very well have a connection to Tigress! We won’t know until the time is right, I suppose.

I’ll use Tigress as a segue to talk about the Furious Five, because unlike in the third film and god-forsaken TV shows, they’re actually relevant here! Personally, I think that the Furious Five still have a bit to offer as characters, for found family feels and to act as nostalgic plot devices if for nothing else. I love the five, and while I can understand if the upcoming film's story doesn't call for their involvement as frequently as in KFP 1 and 2, I would still very much appreciate their presence throughout the movie instead of being totally cast aside like in the third movie.

That said, though, I have a different opinion regarding Tigress. She has always stood out as the most significant member of the Furious Five (to both the audience and Po) and has been very impactful to Po and his journey; she was especially important in Kung Fu Panda 2, during which she was shown coming out of her shell and showing something akin to affection towards Po. Their interactions were later described by Guillermo del Toro (who I believe worked on the movie as a creative consultant) as possessing “the hint of a romance.” Whether or not the fourth movie will decide to capitalize on this idea is fully up in the air. It’s been stated by former directors that the theme of romance in KFP would only ever be applied in a comical fashion, but those directors may no longer be involved at all. I’m a Po and Tigress enjoyer, but I’d much rather KFP 4 be a good, solid movie than it being weak and trying to hold itself up with a shallow romantic subplot with Po and Tigress. I would also hate (with the fury of a thousand suns) to see Tigress’s character reduced to that of a love interest; she’s strong, capable, independent, and totally awesome. If she has a larger role in the fourth movie, I’d watch her being a cold-hearted badass a thousand times over before I sit through two hours of her being overtly out-of-character for the sake of a “classic romance” with Po. A relationship between them could work, and I’ll be supportive of it if it’s done well, but it doesn’t and shouldn’t have to happen for the movie to be emotional and impactful and mean something.

I have an unfortunate yet strong suspicion that the Furious Five will be tossed to the curb in this movie, and I really hope I’m wrong, because they’re fun characters that help encapsulate the original feel of the franchise. They’re a key part of what gave Po his beginnings in the world of martial arts, and they’re also the people he desperately wanted to be like throughout his childhood (and young adult years). They’re his best friends, and while I want Po to have adventures of his own, I don’t want his origins to be forgotten in favor of new characters. I want the nostalgia, alright? Is that wrong? No, and if it were, I wouldn’t want to be right. Speaking of long-time characters, what about Shifu? I can’t help but wonder what he’ll be up to during this whole debacle. Meditating, perhaps? I hope nobody in the writers’ room decides it’s Shifu’s time to go, which has been a growing concern of mine since learning of Po’s ambiguous “promotion.”

The movie’s director, Mike Mitchell, has been involved with KFP before, but not to the extent of previous directors. While I know little information about him, I want to give him the benefit of the doubt and I’ll maintain that sentiment until the movie releases. A potential (confirmed?) co-director is Stephanie Stine, the director of Raya and the Last Dragon.

Final thoughts, summarized:

The plot is kinda off and contradicts both Po’s character arc and the other movies

A female chameleon is the villain, which is maybe the only aspect of the movie I can get behind

The Furious Five and Shifu may be completely ignored (again)

The whole “passing of the torch” storyline does not work given Po’s situation

Chen’s character doesn’t make sense

I’m not familiar with the director(s) 

If you took the time to read this post, kudos to you. I hope I was able to help you arrange your thoughts regarding this news, because I’m still a bit scatter-brained myself (which is a feeling that I think we can all relate to at the moment). I’ll likely add more to this post over time, whether it be via re-blogs or simple edits. I think of something new to add to this post every few minutes, which I’ve been doing for a few hours now...

Let’s end on a positive note, because I know I was a bit of a downer here:

The title looks pretty cool, I’m not gonna lie. I like the scale texture!

[kimiko24]

Talk about ya boyyy

Ahh! thank you!! 💘💕💞!!

I don't even know where to start or what I want to even talk about necessarily~ but imma just start yappin!!!

Think I'll choose to talk about my headcanons on how Bruno has functioned in past romantic relationships. I see so many interesting takes regarding him and relationships.

There's a lot of headcanons that portray Bruno as being this perfect romantic partner, and no doubt that I think he'd do his best! But realistically he's only a 20 year old that has spent most of his youth just trying to survive life within the Mafia. Attempting to pursue his goals with little focus or attention towards dating. Not that I don't think he's had his fair share of romantic encounters. But I don't believe he's as polished as some headcanons portray him.

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💭_So let's start! As I mentioned I believe Bruno does have some experience with dating/relationships therefore he's not completely clueless when it comes to romance. But in the past his relationships have failed to have longevity due to certain factors. Resulting in most of his relationships ending a bit prematurely due to his partners not being able to handle the pressures of his lifestyle. In addition of his lack of ability to balance, maintain, and manage time in those relationships (despite his best efforts too) and the general dangerous nature of his job. It's quite a lot for him to juggle.

💭_In the past he wasn't willing to let his partners get too involved with him, not giving them a lot of information about what he does exactly, and keeping things vague purposely for his partners sake. Due to the specific nature of his lifestyle as a mafioso.

💭_In a relationship I think Bruno was very by the book and emulates what he believes a romance should look like.(via movies, books, and watching other couples) Very old school, chiverous, and particularly good at courting women.

💭_Bruno is genuinely kind and willing to compromise for the greater good of his relationships, but he's also set in his ways and can be stubborn once he's made up his mind. He's not willing to budge on certain things which depending on what it is, could potentially be upsetting to a partner.

💭_In general Bruno is a pretty direct communicator that values the truth in both himself and his partner. I do think he sometimes has difficult expressing fully about what his needs and expectation are. Though, he tries to be as straight forward as possible and clear with his intentions. Also, he tends to instinctively handle emotional issues on his own rather than seek comfort from his partners.

💭_Lastly, I think his attachment style would probably be the secure attachment but with some traits of avoident attachment as well.

I think all of those factors lead him to focus less on love, and to focus more on his goals. Giving all his time and energy to helping others instead of dividing his attention between a partner and his duties.

____

💬❤️In my au with my S/I he's a bit more apprensive when she confess to him about her feelings. Because of all his past relationships that he may/may not view as failures, he warns her of how dangerous and difficult being in a relationship would realistically be and tries to get her to reconsider. But my S/I is a bit stubborn herself and determined to be his. They do eventually make the decision to go steady and there's a lot of ups and downs, far more then what my S/I was expecting. But ultimately! They overcome their hardships and make the most of their time together~

Thanks for the ask!!💕

[kermiethefroog]

Lessons from a Global Ecological Restoration Conference

I know this is not the usual thing I post on here, but I wanted to gather my thoughts in a place I know that I'll check in the future. I hope that this is somehow useful for others and provides insight to work in this field.

1. Ecologists do have hope for the environment!

If there's one main takeaway I've had so far, it's that people working to restore and protect our natural habitats is that they have passion and a deep hope that their efforts will make a difference.

This field is full of so many challenges when it comes to funding and politics, so it was inspiring to see that despite present barriers people from all over the world are trying their hardest to make things change for the better.

2. This conference has set a precedent towards integrating and including the input from Indigenous and First Nations peoples internationally

The entire theme of the conference was to center and uplift voices of Indigenous people from around the globe who are working in habitat and ecocultural restoration.

This is exciting! Many countries do not have formal systems in place to allow Indigenous voices to be major informants and decision makers on projects that occur on their land. It has been and will always be important to include those who are traditional stewards of the land when considering any sort of restoration or land management decisions.

I cannot be sure what the results of this initiative will be. It is a small step in the right direction though and I hope that this conference created opportunities for connections, lessons, and more conversations in the future.

We all have a part to play in recognizing the First Nations Peoples who inhabit or inhabited our land in the past (this goes without saying that this applies internationally) and working toward a future that creates proper access to funding, land, recognition, reparations, and true reciprocity for Indigenous and First Nations Peoples.

If you have not yet invested time in learning, now is a better time than ever. Research your area, connect with community, and raise your voice to make a difference.

3. Collaboration is Key

Most talks I went to and projects I read about lived and died by their ability to collaborate with a diverse group of people who have stakes in each restoration project.

It works best when implemented early, if all groups are equally represented at all levels of decision making, and if factors like environmental outcomes and the human/social dimensions of planning are considered first before the financial.

The most successful projects in ecosystem restoration were only possible due to connections that spanned industries, cultures, generations, and modes of work.

If we want our planet to thrive we need to be willing to have everyone in the room so as many people as possible can have a hand in creating a better future.

4. Things are still an uphill battle

While many of the presentations I witnessed were hopeful and fulfilling, perhaps just as many lacked a positive or negative conclusion that could wrap everything in a neat bow. Navigating government systems, changing climates, barriers to accessible and affordable resources for restoration etc. are all things that impacted various projects discussed this week.

It's also without saying that governments themselves, the policies they hold, and the rates they pass legislation will always create a delay in working towards restoration of our environment in order to prevent further harm and degradation. This of course goes for most policy making (though I suppose it depends on the country).

Climate change still presents unprecedented challenges and will impact all aspects of our livelihoods. That being said, no one atteding suggested any of the efforts being made were futile. I know it can be challenging to see any bright future with the way climate change is discussed in the media so I want to approach this subject with some cautious optimism.

Beyond policies and politics specifically, it is clear that so many people care about and for the planet that we live on. So much so that I think that it can be taken for granted at times or looked over. Yes the science is bleak, yes the outcomes are scary, yes things are going to change no matter what. We still have time to determine the trajectory of that change.

Scientists, government workers, NGO workers, nonprofits, citizen scientists, and many more groups of people at this conference had a staggering sense of hope that was unexpected and so refreshing. As one of the presenters I watched said, "It's better that we at least try. If the outcome isn't ideal we can at least say we gave it a shot." and I think that's a beautiful way to approach any uncertainty. In this field or otherwise.

I would be happy to discuss my experiences more or elaborate on any points made. I put this together hastily at the end of the conference to make sure I didn't forget anything important.

[yansimstorythatiwillnotworkon]

Mida Rana

Name: Mida Rana

Gender: Female

Class: 3-2

Club: N/A (Staff)

Persona: Lovestruck (Strict But Friendly)

Reputation:

Overall: +20

Liked: 0

Respected: +30

Feared: +30

Crush: Taro Yamada (Various?)

Strength: Carries Pepper Spray

__

I'm not entirely sure how well liked Mida Rana is, but if she's one of the more popular characters, then the decisions I'm making with her could be quite controversial. But for me, I think Mida could be the perfect example of someone you, as the player, want to kill or eliminate. This is because Mida is obviously a genuine creep. Not because of how she's drawn in official art or because of how she's executed in the rival introduction video, but because of how she's written as a character in general. Of course, those previous factors are completely valid things to be concerned about, but the matter of the fact is:

By all means, Mina (according to the website, Fandom, and official information) is a glorified pedophile. And minus the glorified bit, I plan to keep it that way. Sure, it would be nice if her personality could be something other than spreading her legs for teenagers, but I'm sure I'll be able to add to that.

Also, to add on, I've seen people constantly talking about how Mida is a fine rival because Ayano wants to kill her anyway. But in the end, Ayano doesn't want to kill her because she's a pedo. She wants to kill her because she's an obsessive, unstable, and selfish individual. By all means, she's barely below Mida at her worst. I want to keep Mida the same as she's presented for the sake of having someone that the player should want to kill (or in this case, someone people look forward to seeing eliminated in the story). More details under the cut.

Toga seems to be the suitor for Mida, which would be another jab at Ayano if she got the two together, since she'd be assisting a pedo to groom a high schooler. Fortunately for Toga, he's not stupid and more observant than Taro due to not having to go through everything he has to. I think several assets to taking down Mida will come in the form of help from the Photography Club, the guidance counselor, the bullies, and the student council, possibly. Since none of the other rivals are necessarily as antagonistic as Mida is, I think it'd be nice of Ayano to have to depend on other groups in the school to help get rid of Mida.

I don't think Taro will actually know that Mida is attempting to groom him. Rather, I think he'll just be under the impression that she's an affectionate teacher who wants the best for him. At the end of the week, she'll likely convince him to step out of school and receive private tutoring or homeschooling with her help. Considering she's such a "good" teacher and he's stressed with the school life, he'll likely take her offer. You can imagine how nightmarish that thought is for anyone else. It's even more disturbing when you realize that Mida could technically enter a relationship with him if he was no longer a student. I'm sure she's done the same to other kids in past schools as well.

Genka is, of course, a very dependable and caring guidance counselor. And a sharp one as well (for the most part- I think that if one student constantly came in snitching on one girl, one would be suspicious, but I digress). This is why Mida has to be sneakier and more manipulative in Akademi, not only because of the counselor but also because of so many students having an eyebrow raised her way. Since Mida is already on thin ice with the guidance counselor, I think it'll be difficult for Ayano to get any dirt on her. But I also think that two, MAYBE three suspicious accounts from dependable students will be enough for Genka to consider firing Mida. Additionally, a big hunk of physical evidence and accounts from another victim in the school could get her out of there real quick, but being arrested would be even better.

I'll look forward to thinking of ways to get Mida arrested.

[queer-ecopunk]

Hello, out of curiosity - I suspect you are based in the us - is it legal there to dumpster dive? Or what's the situation about dumpster diving there? Because where I live it's really illegal and if you're caught you'll get in serious trouble, especially when it's the dumpster of a supermarket, so I was just curious.

Yes, I'm on the east coast of the US and dumpster diving itself is legal in this state. I've also gone over the border into a state where it is illegal, without issue. However, there's a lot of gray area, especially in regards to what counts as "private property," which is technically illegal to dive. And even being legal doesn't prevent divers from dealing with many issues.

Unfortunately, in my experience, a lot of dumpster diving risks are highly dependent on people, regardless of legality. The big ones are: if people see you, will they harrass you or call the cops on you? And if the cops show up, how will they treat you? Your location and personal identity can help make an informed decision about if you're comfortable diving.

The attitude of the general public and specifically store workers can help people get away with a lot. But if people in your area dislike, look down on, or are actively hostile towards dumpster diving (and other activities associated with being poor), then they're much more likely to report, confront, or try to drive you away.

There is often a measurable difference in response from people based on if they believe you are homeless or not. If you are, or may be seen as such, people are much more likely to call the cops on you. Additionally, if you are visibly part of a racial, ethnic, or religious minority in your area, or if you are visibly queer or disabled, you are more at risk, especially if the cops are called.

While diving itself is legal in many places, people can still be arrested and charged with things like trespassing, loitering, dumping (putting your own trash in someone's dumpster), and other associated crimes. They may also face harassment from store employees and others. You can bet that POC and people perceived as homeless deal with these issues far more than others in the US and elsewhere.

I know some people who prefer to dive during the day for these reasons. They are more likely to be mistaken for a store employee, and appear less threatening in the light. Others, myself included, like to go at night way after closing time, when you're less likely to run into anyone.

To anyone who wants to start diving, concider your risk factors. They don't mean you can't dive, but it's important to think about issues you may run into and how you would handle them. If possible, start with very low risk locations and work your way up when you're ready. I'm very pro- "getting comfortable doing things that are illegal but shouldn't be," however, no place is worth your safety.

[lunaetis]

following the post i made about eden's changes in demeanor and personality, i want to write out what are the factors that contributed to this change. so i'm going to dissect her personality and development from the beginning and how she is at each point in time ( at least the major ones ) to paint a clearer picture. it's going to be a very long read, so i'll put it under a read more.

awakening - eden was awakened by having the stellaron infused into her. her personality was blank. she was a blank canvas. her first exposure was kafka. we know kafka used her spirit whisper to influence eden's actions and decisions after this but we saw eden show attachment towards her. i'd like to think that it came from her body remembering things her mind no longer did. we learned from kafka later on that she wiped eden's memory, but that process was still fresh, so while her mind did not remember, her body did. she reached out to kafka. to the only one she still had attachment to. after that, her second awakening left her at a blank state.

astral express / herta space station - the next exposure are the astral express and people within herta space station. during this time, eden was shown to be majorly expressionless. she was stoic, barely showed any emotions on her face. she was still learning about the world, about the people, about emotions. we saw her slowly becoming more animated, but she was extremely quiet and instinctual. all in all, this period of time had eden exposed to positive influence. this was why eden started off trusting. she saw people of the astral express helping others, and later on they accepted her as one of their own despite knowing nothing about her. this was a major positive influence to her. her personality was a curious one. she wanted to see and know everything.

jarilo-vi / belobog - this was where we saw the astral express' influence on eden quite clearly. while eden was still rather quiet and not expressive, we saw her slowly opening up. she was adapting what the astral express had taught her. to trust others, and to help others. people she met on jarilo-vi also influenced the same thinking and strengthen it. she felt accepted when she helped others. she felt that trusting others is the right thing to do. this was her decision to do it, to help people, to make sure they're free. and it paid off to have faith and trust in people even though she just met them. she started to gain more personality to be more blunt, forward, and honest. to speak her mind, and see the good in people. she was akin to a cheerful, hopeful puppy, if you will.

xianzhou luofu - this was where things started to get real. the events in xianzhou luofu exposed eden to many kinds of people. you still saw her employing the same mentality of wanting to help others as much as possible. accompanied by welt and march really encouraged her to do that. what shook her belief was when kafka revealed the truth that everything that was happening was planned from the beginning. this was the first seed of doubt in eden's mind. this was when she started to question EVERYTHING up to this point. what she believed to have been her decision was all lies. everything was orchestrated to achieve the best possible future. elio had foreseen everything, she was simply walking a path prepped for her. from this point on, eden developed an insecurity about herself, her identity, and her purposes. it was her first exposure to deception and lies.

simulated universe / ruan mei's story quest - i'm going to group her exposure to herta space station into one section because they're all related. so, eden was recruited by herta to help test simulated universe in order to learn more about aeons. she agreed to do so because it was interesting and eden herself also wanted to learn more about aeons as well. herta and screwllum were also quite pleasant to be around. however, when she met ruan mei for the first time, the fact that she wasn't given a full information on what she would be facing, how she had to go down there alone, and to face a kind of danger that if it weren't for the creation disappearing on its own, she might not have made it out safely. for my eden, at least, that was another turning point where she felt used and manipulated. she was lied to in order to get results. the trust and faith she had been placing in people were starting to backfire.

penacony - and here we are, the triggering event to the change. eden was already treading the thin line of the concept of trust. up to this point, she had always been honest with her words, with her demeanor, giving people the benefit of the doubt, and being optimistic, being helpful, being hopeful. once again, that trust backfired greatly in more ways than one. the attachment she developed for firefly was, as i mentioned before, born from the fact that it was the first time that she felt normal. it was the first time she felt like she was bonding with someone without being influenced by the knowledge of her as the stellaron vessel. so it was a strong attachment because she felt like she had connected to someone as eden. losing firefly triggered her disassociation to reality for a moment, and the events that followed as she was told that everything was, once again, a game set by multiple parties and she ( along with the astral express members ) were pieces of the puzzle. now, they must learn the truth. the details were hazy for eden after witnessing firefly's death because ... lies. once again, lies and deception and manipulation. it never ends. and she felt like she couldn't trust anyone on penacony. at all. at this point, eden was proven by the loss of someone she grew attached to at her core, that trusting others blindly was a grave mistake. she cannot, and should not place her trust in people like that any longer, or else she would be used. like she had been multiple times before.

she had been so naïve to think that she could protect those she cared for if she tried hard enough. that as the vessel for the stellaron, she had the power to keep those she cared for safe. that illusion was shattered by witnessing death not once, but twice right before her eyes ( firefly and robin. ) it wasn't enough. she wasn't enough. the stellaron wasn't enough. faith, and trust, and hope, were nowhere near enough.

and it triggered the change as defense mechanism. i mentioned this before in the previous post, that her mind had decided to adopt the change in order to keep going. the journey was barely beginning. she knew she still had a long way to go, and being carefree and trusting aren't going to cut it anymore. she has to be more careful. she has to change. she has to grow up. to think more. to observe more. to watch her words. to know when to lie and when to not. to know how to protect herself in order to protect others. and to protect herself, she had to keep distance. she had to be more analytical. she cannot be driven by pure emotions anymore.

this change, of course, is still something that is subjected to change as story progresses. but with the exposures and experience she had up to this point, this was something eden felt she had to do to keep herself sane enough to go on without breaking. and, i also want to point out that the rare times the astral express weren't with her ( simulated universe / ruan mei's quest / penacony ) were the time that eden got hit by negative influence and viewpoint. i say penacony because they were separated and eden basically went through the events mostly by herself. basically, i want to say that the astral express is the one major positive influence and a sort of anchor for eden. without them, she's prone to spiral down a more negative path and development.

there are, of course, many other side quests, companion quests, and stories that could be included but i'm picking the trailblaze / main story quests as the main influences and exposures that eden had gone through. this is my own interpretation and how i choose to write eden, my trailblazer. it doesn't reflect what we see of the trailblazer in canon and only my own version of her.

if you make it this far and read everything, I LOVE YOU AND I APPLAUD YOUR PATIENCE for going through that ramble. thank you for tolerating my wall of china text on the ( traumatized™ ) space raccoon !

[tirsynni]

Possibly one of the most disturbing things about a current fandom trend is that I've seen the build-up to it. Right now, no matter where you look, you'll see a growing wave of characters needing a "diagnosis." They need to have a mental/physical health label. They need to have explanations regarding their behaviors, ie, the increasingly popular "I see this character acting this way and thus I am confident they were abused as a child." As I saw one person describe it, every character needs pathologized.

Mind you, if you want to write a character as autistic, ADHD, etc., that is fine. Perhaps you have a diagnosis and want your comfort character to have it, too. Perhaps you want to explore something or just mess around. Whatever. I don't care. It's when people insist on it, make a diagnosis mandatory, insist that their perception of the character with this diagnosis is correct, etc., that it gets disturbing.

While I'm aware that many people are frustrated with the social services and mental health field -- and I completely understand, as I work in these fields and I know how messy they can be -- and turn to the internet for assistance and self-diagnose themselves when official diagnoses seem beyond their reach, I'm also very aware how dangerous this practice is. I've seen this practice grow online to the extent that every behavior has to be pathologized. No matter what anyone does, there is a diagnosis attached ("Ah, this person is so distractible, so clearly they have ADHD") or a specific history (the ever popular "This person MUST have had an abusive family growing up").

I love whumping my characters. I love using them to explore different things, including mental health issues and trauma. (Hell, one of my current LoZ fics has some inspiration from some recent training and me wondering about the character's unique background and if that would increase or decrease vulnerability to certain things.) Sometimes, I'll do my research to try to have symptoms and behaviors at least in the ballpark of correct. This is all fiction, though. When everything is colored through these lens, including how one perceives fictional characters, things become dangerous.

One big rule in the social services and mental health fields is that you are not supposed to diagnose clients. Ever. If a professional looks at a client and arbitrarily decides that they have such-and-such diagnosis, that forever colors how they perceive the client and thus opens the doorway to them mishandling the case, putting their own biases on a client, recommending the wrong care, etc. It can lead to them dismissing many of the client's statements because it doesn't align with the perceived diagnosis. This includes the decision of "I have no actual information about this person's past, but based on their behavior, they must have had an abusive home environment." This can lead to the professional changing how they interact with the client, the client's supports, overlooking other -- possibly dangerous -- factors, etc.

Humans aren't that simple. If someone is displaying a certain behavior, many things could have caused it. Humans are too complicated to decide that "Oh, yes, obviously this occurred in their background." That's absolutely not how it works. That's the damned Sherlock Syndrome in action. Many, many factors affect how people act and react, and the insistence that obviously this behavior must be caused by this is downright disturbing.

When a diagnosis is being made in a professional environment (if the person is, in fact, a qualified professional and actually good at their job), part of the process includes ruling out other factors. Many children have been diagnosed with ADHD when, in fact, they are suffering from sleep deprivation and stress. By treating it as ADHD, they are allowing the other unhealthy behaviors to continue and give the child medication they don't need. Adderall affects people with ADHD and people without ADHD very differently, for example. The professionals are also supposed to have standards to increase the chances of the correct diagnosis. Is the patient tired and distracted? Did something happen this morning which could affect the client's normal behaviors and throw off the assessment? Is there something about the person doing the assessment which is affecting the results? It's like trying to do a medical assessment and constantly getting high blood pressure because the person is afraid of the doctor's office.

I've also seen people tag a character with a diagnosis, and not only is the character themselves unrecognizable, but they end up writing a crude parody of the diagnosis itself. They read less like a character and more like a caricature. The writer went online, did some quick research, and ended up with a character who might as well be a token character on a sitcom. It ends up being actively insulting by the end. In the instances where it's done well enough so it isn't 100% insulting, you still have an unrecognizable character due to the person preferring their perception of what the diagnosis would/should look like rather than the wanting to write the character in question. (Mandatory note: if you want to write someone OOC, no problem. Just recognize that, in order to make them fit your preferred mold, you did write them OOC and not insist that yes, they are completely in character and everyone else is in the wrong for saying otherwise. It's fanfiction. Write what pleases you. Just don't insist that it's something it's not.)

All of this also dramatically simplifies the mental health field. It simplifies the various issues into something you would see in grade school. It simplifies medication and therapy into miracle cures. It reduces the insanely complicated human brain into a child's puzzle. "Ah, this person has this, so they will display these behaviors. Makes sense." "Ah, this person is struggling with this. Give them a therapist and they'll be good as new!" Like, I can imagine that someone is dealing with Stuff in real life and want to write a fic where the character does find a miracle cure. As previously stated, no problem. Just don't insist that everyone else needs to perceive what they wrote as real life miracle cures. That's not how it works, things are more complex than that, and no size fits all, especially in the mental health field.

I've seen it online for a while now: people enthusiastically putting their entire diagnosis up for everyone to see, people merrily slapping labels on themselves, people looking at every video and going, "Oh, I do this!" People insisting that everyone needed a diagnosis slapped on them and, if they didn't have a diagnosis, they were clearly in denial. They pathologize themselves, their behaviors, everything around them, and now one of the first things they do when discovering a new favorite character is ask, "What is their diagnosis?"

This post isn't meant to discourage people from researching their own needs and their own mental health. It isn't angrily forbidding people from writing characters how they want them. It is a statement that the mental health field, humans in general, human brains, mental health, etc., is far more complex than "Oh, I have this diagnosis, so I have these symptoms and here is what I need to do!" It's stating that there is a difference between being aware that someone has certain behaviors and responses and pathologizing everything a person or character does. It is stating that sometimes it is very, very easy to go from "I headcanon this character as this" to "If someone looks/acts/etc. this way, they obviously are this." If these actions are your go-to, then you might want to take a step back and breathe for a bit.

...it's also a tad frustrating as someone with a diagnosis, as someone who works in this field, to see someone tagged as ADHD and being a sitcom stereotype or seeing therapy solve everything. Write whatever you want, but have some self-awareness when writing.

...it's also funny that I see the tag "medical inaccuracies" but never see a tag about "mental health inaccuracies." Hmm.

[awritingcaitlin]

Antagonist: Thea

Thea is a half elf with brown hair and hazel eyes. Notably she never wears anything that exposes her midriff or really anything that exposes much of her chest either. This is different than many other Nidtrins who show as much skin as possible.

Her goal is to bring Nidtrix back onto this plane, which will allow the goddess enough power to theoretically fix what is wrong with this planet. The MCs can guess that this is her goal because it is the stated goal of many Nidtrins.

Thea's family is long dead by now and she has no children of her own. She does have a husband, which is actually rare in Nidtrin culture. She and Cael are in this together, believing that Nidtrix belongs on the planet and will fulfill her duty to fix it.

She has been technically alive for thousands of years. Her childhood happened during the Age of Intervention, which is very much over. But she was born into war and still feels she is fighting it.

Together, Thea and Cael technically command a battalion of people (Nidtrins) loyal to them. Thea does things the old way (as in, she doesn't think highly of Nidtrin brainwashing practices) and keeps people who think similar to her close.

Thea wants people to keep their autonomy and make their own decisions, hence she's generally against the brainwashing shtick and wants to promote Nidtrix by what she can do once she's back on the plane. Thea also doesn't want innocents to be harmed.

She does her very best to work within the law. When it comes to the laws of magic and religion, she has to lest she lose her power. As for governmental laws, she does her best to work within it. Until she's completely circumnavigating the laws, that is.

She doesn't monologue, but she isn't particularly quiet about her opinions either. She always feels like she must explain herself and get the last word in too if that is possible.

Thea can be impulsive amidst her long-term plans. She has been playing the long game for a long time and knows how to be patient. But when she starts getting impulsive in ways she shouldn't, her husband reminds her of their ultimate goals.

Thea is generally an open book. She doesn't really feel like she has secrets. She may omit information if she deems it unnecessary to the conversation, but that is more of a power move than a "let's keep secrets" move.

She would be really disappointed to find out that someone lied to her. She would ask why they lied and, depending on the reason, may forgive them, or may decide to never trust them again. Which means a loss of perks.

Thea considers herself an optimist. She plays the long game and accepts that there will be minor and temporary setbacks.

Thea has great control over her emotions. She can be a complete ball of iron nerves and not show any emotion, including anger. It comes with being an elf, thousands of years old.

She's an extrovert, which means she just likes being out in the open and center stage sometimes. It's a factor in her plans, but not a huge one.

She'll celebrate holidays. She's not really a grump or a grinch. She likes parties and holidays usually come with parties.

Thea's likes animals! Not that she keeps pets because she is constantly on the move. But she will stop to pet cats, dogs, and the like.

She likes baths and also playing strategy games like chess with her husband or Royal Will (which is a RTS board game whose best comps are actually MTG and Warhammer.) She knows that taking care of her mental health is important!

She is 100% self-conscious about her scars and wears clothes to cover them up. Her entire midsection is a knot of scars due to an injury from the war 3000 years ago.

Given the injury from the war, Thea has a ton of GI issues. She literally cannot eat a large meal. She has to eat smaller meals more regularly. She also deals with chronic pain that her passive theramancy can only do so much about.

As a mage, she will generally use magic as a weapon. But if she must pick a physical weapon, she's very excellent in the mainhand shortsword and offhand dagger. Because she's quick and can be brutal.

She's killed. She's ordered people to be killed. It's all part of the plan.

Thea is afraid of dying. But not just dying, disappearing. She has been alive for thousands of years and before that, she's been reincarnating with memories intact. She doesn't want to stop existing. As of yet, she has not faced this fear.

She wants to make amends to an old friend, who is holding a grudge until the end of time if she must. Thea's friend has asked her to denounce Nidtrix before she even considers forgiveness.

After a while, Thea begins to doubt that the way the Nidtrins are going about doing things is actually what is best for the planet. She is ashamed that her "little sisters" have missed the point of the assignment. She does not change her ways however.

She really does believe that she is working for the greater good and that if they can just *get* Nidtrix to the plane, all will be well.

Unrelated to her goals and everything else, Thea plays piano.

I've legit done my best to make Thea and Cael both as likeable as possible. And if not likeable, than at least understandable. They have reasons for their actions.

I love that she's not wholly evil. She has layers. She has regrets. She really thinks she is doing what is right.

[trans-axolotl]

Thoughts on voluntary institutionalization? Do you hold similar views on them as you do involuntary holds, or do you think they can be beneficial?

My issue with psych wards is how the structure of a psych ward is inherently set up to enable violence and violations of autonomy, and how the mental health system is created out of flawed ideas about health and illness that create barriers to healing and prevent mad/mentally ill/ neurodivergent people from actually getting care and support. I don't think that psych wards should exist, because the logic that they operate under--one that places a false idea of safety above literally everything else--enables the abuses that are commonplace in psychiatric institutions. I think we need to radically rethink the way we approach crisis stabilization and higher levels of support, and I don't think that can be done just by reforming psych wards into a place that is the exact same structure, but everyone is there voluntarily. We have to move beyond psych institutions into liberatory alternatives, and reforms that we do advocate for should be in line with those long-term values of dismantling psychiatric incarceration.

For me, the question of voluntary hospitalization in psych wards doesn't always feel particularly relevant, because in the United States voluntary hospitalization does not actually logistically work as a safeguard against forced drugging, restraint, strip search, and the threat of incarceration. Even when you admit to a psych ward voluntarily, once you are in that space you cannot leave voluntarily if the psych professionals in charge decide they want you to stay longer. On a regular basis, I see psych professionals using involuntary hospitalization as a threat to coerce "voluntary" patients into doing what they want them to do. When you admit voluntarily, you are still in a locked ward where you can't leave without permission, and the bureaucracy of psychiatry will often make it very, very difficult to leave, even if you are aware of your legal rights. I think that voluntary hospitalization would only be a meaningful distinction if it could actually act as a safeguard against psychiatric abuse, but in practice, we can see the many ways that once you are in the psych ward, you have entered into an institution of total control.

If you as an individual are put in a position where you're being forced to choose between admitting "voluntarily" and signing that paperwork or being committed, I would personally advocate for doing everything you can to stay as a voluntary patient, because it makes a few very particular things slightly less risky. It also can have a bigger impact on your medical record if you have a history of involuntary hospitalization on there, which is often used to justify future psychiatric abuse. So on a personal level, if you're put in that position, it can be worth trying to fight to stay as a voluntary patient. But there's a lot of factors that anyone needs to consider when they are making decisions about what levels of care they need and engaging with psych hospitalization, and that's not something I can make blanket statements about. Those type of decisions are always going to depend on your individual risks and possible benefits and I can't generalize that.

I also think that an important piece of the conversation is about children and teens in psych wards, and how a lot of times they will be labeled as "voluntary" patients because their parents agreed to have them committed. That is in no way actual, meaningful informed consent to be in that space when you're a teen and have no control over whether or not you want to be there, and your parents are the ones making decisions. I think that psych hospitalization as a teen is particularly traumatic in ways that can be even worse than some adult wards, and the fact that on paper, the teens are there "voluntarily" does not do anything to change that fact.

anyway, this is kind of a long answer but to sum it up: I don't think that the status of being a "voluntary" patient in psych wards in the US really does much to act as a safeguard, and the fundamental violence of psych wards prevents that. Individual decisions about higher levels of care is always going to depend on your own risk + benefit analysis and is not something I can make general statements about.

still waking up today so please ask more clarification questions if this doesn't make sense!

[criminallyvenomous]

Fighting Leads To Fxxking

Masterlist

Chapter Three - He's Not Exactly Human

Ship - Loki x Stark! Reader

Word Count - 1,015

Tw - Angst, Mentions of an Abortion

Plot - Stark! Reader get stuck watching Loki after the events of 2012. Moments of weakness and bad decisions involving the world's most hated man lead to the worst possible outcome, pregnancy.

It was official. You were pregnant, the six different tests you took confirmed it. Nat just held you as you cried softly. How were you supposed to tell your father that you were intimate with a convicted murderer? Now, that's a head scratcher. How were you supposed to have a child when not only their father is in prison, but he's on another planet?

"It'll be okay. I can take you to the clinic if you want. Only if you want to and you've thought this through. If you want to keep it, we can figure something out. At least it's with Thor, he's a good guy, Y/N." She gave you a hug as you sigh, wondering how much longer you can keep this charade going.

~

Over the past two weeks Nat has been helping you hide your secret and make sure you're taking care of yourself. She wants you to talk to a doctor, though. You agreed to see someone, but Tony can't know, meaning you couldn't use your insurance. Hence why she brought Bruce over to your apartment in the tower.

"So, what's going on?" He asked, looking back and forth between you and Natasha.

"Well, we have a situation that really needs a doctor.” Natasha explains, being as vague as humanly possible.

“I do actually need some sort of information to go off of here, guys.” He looks confused and you can’t blame him. You decide to just rip the bandaid off.

“I’m pregnant.”

“Oh. Uh, does Tony know?” He asks after a moment of silence for processing, looking at you with his soft eyes and kind expression.

“Not yet, she’s still trying to figure out this whole situation. We don’t really know what to do because of the father. I don’t even know if she can get an abortion or what with all the factors.” Nat leans the conversation towards you, hoping you can tell Bruce about the father.

“What does that mean, Y/N? I’m not really following, which is a rare occurrence.” He always finds a way to bring up his PHDs.

“He’s not exactly human.” You spit out, looking at the floor, not daring to make eye contact with either of them.

“Oh, well, I guess that’s why you’re looking to me for help. Not exactly human here myself.” He says, lightheartedly.

Soon, you were in a medical office and Bruce had a wand to your stomach, giving you an ultrasound. Natasha was sitting in the corner of the room, her hands on her face, trying to prepare herself for any possible result.

“Oh.” Bruce let’s his expression slip through his lips. He hasn’t really asked any prying questions, other than how far along you were. He was avoiding anything about the father, as if he already knew who he was. Or maybe, he could just sense the tension in the room over the father.

“‘Oh?’ What does that mean, Bruce?” Nat asks for the both of you.

“The fetus is triple the expected size. You might want to act soon if you’re not intending on keeping it.”

“Do I really have an option at this point?”

“I don’t really know, kid. This isn’t like anything I’ve seen before. There are so many factors I have to analyze first. Do you mind if I take a tissue sample for testing?”

“No! No samples!” You yell, surprising the two of them. You couldn’t risk them finding out that this wasn’t Thor’s kid, it was Loki’s. Sure, Odin cast a spell that made Loki appear Asgardian, but there isn’t anything put on his kids, right? Maybe things would be okay and the kid would come out all Asgardian-looking. Unless they had blue skin. Fuck, what if they had blue skin? What if the tissue sample is blue? Is that possible?

“Hey, kiddo. Come back to me.” Bruce waves his hand in your face, snapping you out of your overthinking trance.

“We’re going to give you some alone time. I’ll be back in five minutes, okay?” Nat exclaims, pulling Bruce with her into the hallway.

You were alone. You needed this. You needed to think and to compile all the pros and cons and every little factor.

“Hello, little Stark.” You look up and he’s there. He’s standing right in front of you.

“What are you doing? How are you here?” You question him, yelling.

“It’s an illusion, darling. I had to make sure you were doing alright, carrying a frost giant and all.”

“You knew?”

“Of course. No mortal pill can stop the power of a god.”

“Was this on purpose, Loki?” You start to get defensive.

“No, of course not. I’m not an actual monster. There was only a ten percent chance it would survive anyways, I figured it was worth it.”

“You knew there was a chance and you still slept with me?”

“Oh, my dear, there’s no better act of rebellion than sleeping with the enemy.” He smirked and you began to frown, anger rising through you.

“You did this to get back at my dad?”

“No, it was simply put, a lovely side effect. A very pleasurable, lovely side effect.” You’re shaking your head, frustrated with the situation you’ve found yourself in.

There’s a knock on the door and before you knew it, he was gone without any explanation.

"Are you okay?" Nat asked, sitting with you on the table as Bruce took the scans into his laboratory room.

"I think so. I just needed to ground myself. I don't know if I'll keep it right now."

"You don't have to. You just need to think about it, okay? I called Thor and he's coming back here as soon as he can. I didn't tell him you were pregnant, just that there was an emergency we needed him for. It will be alright, kid. He can help you decide, but don't forget that it's your choice." She squeezed you tightly into an awkward side hug. You were internally freaking out over the idea of Thor coming to Earth soon. What would you even say?

hope u liked! next two chapters go from wholesome to heart wrenching so stay tuned (might be released at the same time 👀) don't choke my little guttersluts - kat.

Next Chapter

[suburbanwildernessdeity]

for any sci-fi/dystopia writers out there (or any other writer who has reason to include a fictional prescription/pharmaceutical drug in their story) who care vaguely about certain degrees of realism:

There are actually perfectly understandable legal reasons that pharmaceutical drugs have such weird names, both for generic and brand names. It’s not just random. This post for now is only about generic names but if people show any degree of interest I might make a followup with information about brand names.

First, generic names are made to be the same worldwide so people traveling to other countries can still ask doctors for prescriptions. Generic drugs also have to have a two-syllable prefix (which helps with identification) and a suffix that indicates how the drug functions. For instance, “-cycline” (ie doxycycline) indicates that something is an antibiotic, and “-etine” (ie fluoxetine) indicates that something is an SSRI. Here is a list of pharmaceutical suffixes and their meanings. The prefix of a drug’s generic name also can’t contain letters in the English alphabet that aren’t used in many other languages, like Y (except I think when it’s used for a more common vowel sound), H, J, K, or W.

The name of the drug also can’t be considered marketing. This is my biggest pet peeve in fiction when authors are trying to semi-realistically depict the pharmaceutical industry and if I’m being honest it’s the reason I bothered making this post at all. Companies can’t even name their drug something that’s an ANAGRAM of a marketing claim. They submit three potential drug names to the USAN, an association of pharmacists, doctors, and related regulatory professionals, and the USAN will run all possible anagrams of the name as part of their decision-making process. If they think a drug name sounds too much like marketing, they simply don’t allow it and send back a list they create of 3 names to choose from.

Companies cannot name a drug “Joy” (looking at you, resident evil netflix adaptation) or “Phalanx” from world war Z. It’s heavy-handed and shows a lack of research in what are sometimes otherwise well-researched media. Pharmaceutical companies can cause devastating damage with legally-named drugs. If you wanted to make a movie about a fictionalized version of the opioid epidemic, you would look stupid if you named the oxycodone analogue something like “painkill” or “insta-relief.” It can take away from the weight of the story in a subtle but notable way. It’s a small factor, but I know there are writers out there who really care about things like this and might not realize they have no idea why pharmaceuticals get named the way they do. If you’re trying to write something that depicts pharmaceutical drugs at all and you don’t want to beat your audience over the head with what you’re trying to say, don’t name your fictional drug something dumb.