#Core Concepts for Good Health

[moremaybank]

best-friend!!jj where he has just rearranged your guts and he’s all chill while you’re there hanging on like your life depends on it and I love the idea that he’s like “oh yeah the group wants us to meet them on the boat” and you’re like “???? You just fucked everything out of me please give me a moment” and he’s all smug and cocky about it

you're still shivering post-orgasm just minutes after the final time jj had made you cum. your core aches from the loss of him inside you, throbbing wildly and spasming as you come down. your cheat heaves, and it takes entirely too much energy to keep your eyes open. "you with me, babygirl?" jj's lips move against your temple after he dots a few kisses there. "mm— mhm. yea," you reply. it's clear to him that you're on another planet, but you took everything he gave so well. you'd surely live to be his personal toy another day. he kisses your cheek this time, "good, 'cause the group wants to go out on the marsh. they're on their way." your eyes shoot open despite the lack of lucidity. "what?!" he nods, littering love all over your jaw, neck and clavicle using his kiss-swollen lips. "relax, angel. you still got five minutes." you nudge him off you, "j, i'm like, pretty sure that you fucked all my organs out of place, so you better call 'em 'n cancel." and then he's moving down your torso, spitting onto your puffy core despite the fact that his cum was still dripping out of you. his hot breath fans over your core when he speaks, and you can't help but flinch from your sensitivity when he licks at your swollen cunt. "take my phone 'n do it yourself, baby. 'm gonna spend my time nursin' you back to health."

concepts ; concepts (ii)

[sightseertrespasser]

This was fun last time so I’m going to do it again

What are some detail(s) in your fics that nobody has noticed yet or that you want to draw attention to?

If there aren’t any, what are some headcannons you have? (Could be apocalyptic ponyo or mecha au)

Have a good day!!

Ooo thank you!

Some side details for Apocalyptic Ponyo:

- Blurr doesn’t really know shit about animals and he knows he doesn’t know, which is 90% of the reason he hasn’t realized Swerve is fully sentient yet. Every time he sees Swerve do something smart it falls under the blanket of “This is weird but I don’t know enough to question it.”

- Swerve meanwhile has definitely come around to treating Blurr as effectively sentient, but doesn’t realize mers as a species are sentient. As far as he’s aware, Blue is an outlier and a magic fish man.

- There’s a reason why:

a) They haven’t seen any other survivors (minus the kids).

b) They haven’t seen any more bodies since the first night.

It is two different reasons. It will come up in a later installment.

- Spam is a very popular food around the pacific isles! I don’t have a real life location in mind but I generally think of the island the story takes place on as somewhere between New Zealand and Hawaii.

- People have caught on that Swerve is not doing so hot anymore, but Blurr is also developing health related symptoms from the extended stress.

Mecha AU tidbits

- Flyts can brumate! Meaning they go into a sort of stasis when their core temperature drops and flyts can stay in this state for years at a time. This coupled with their fairly easy care requirements and friendly non destructive disposition makes them one of the few organic peta popular with cybertronians.

- Since cybertronians are effectively giant walking engines and computers, their ships are kept pretty cold. A room with an active cybertronian inside isn’t too bad, but an empty room with the AC running can easily hover near freezing temperatures.

- I’m a big fan of Humans Are Space Orcs as a concept, so outside of Cybertronians and quintessons, Humans are bizarrely dangerous compared to the rest of galactic society.

- Velocity hasn’t done anything “wrong” to end up on the Lost Light, she’s just very new to the medical field. One thing she’s gotten down pat is keeping a cool head. Velocity could crack jokes about Jazz being a “talking corpse” but internally she was going “What the fuuuuck. What the fuuuuuuuck.” The whole time she was examining him.

Imagine coming fresh out of med school and your first ever patient is Frankenstein’s Monster.

- Bluestreak is on the Lost Light because Prowl figured Elita would be the commander least likely to kill him out of annoyance and the most likely to make it quick if she did.

Thank you for the ask and hope you have a good day as well!

[yanderelionwrites]

In Sickness and In Health - Yandere!Ruggie x Reader

I like the concept of a yandere making their darling take care of them, so I tried it out with Ruggifer. Cuz as much as he loves to take care of his partner, I think he'd be extremely desperate for them to take care of him too.

Content Warning: yandere, captivity, force feeding, Ruggie weaponizing his illness, he’s also clingy af, slightest hint of Stockholm Syndrome

Word Count: 1.4k

Reader is implied to be Yuu/the Prefect

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That damn hyena.

If he didn’t work himself to the bone every day, he wouldn’t have gotten sick.

And now you’re stuck taking care of him, nursing him back to health, while he acts like a clingy, helpless cub.

“(Name)... I don’t think I have the strength to pick up my spoon…” Ruggie whines, giving you sad puppy eyes that disgust you to your core. 

You stand next to his bed, having just set a tray over his lap so he could eat the soup you prepared. Your fists clench as he stares at you expectantly while poking his spoon in your direction. This guy… 

“You could walk yourself to the bathroom just fine earlier. You don’t need me to feed you,” you grit out, resisting the urge to roll your eyes at his ridiculousness.

“How am I ever going to get better if my cruel mate won’t even take care of me?” Ruggie complains. “And after I provide you with so much…”

You wouldn’t have to if you didn’t keep me here against my will, you thought. Still though, Ruggie is the only provider of the house, considering he refuses to let you out. Without him, there’s no income.

You could try to leave while he’s weak like this, though you wouldn’t get far. It’s not just Ruggie you have to worry about; the whole hyena beastman community would be out hunting for you too. They’d do anything to help the beloved boy they’ve watched grow up, who has helped them in the past numerous times. They would only be returning the favor to him.

You hate to admit it, but you have to rely on Ruggie to survive in this world. At least until you have a solid escape plan.

A sigh escapes your lips and you reluctantly sit down on the bed. You grab the spoon and scoop up some soup, boredly lifting it up to his mouth.

Ruggie gives you that mischievous grin of his before gladly opening his maw. He clamps down around the spoon, slurping up the soup and humming.

“Mm, tastes good. Your cooking has definitely improved since last time,” he remarks while you grab another spoonful.

“...Thanks. I was just following a recipe your grandma gave me, though.”

“Ah, I thought it tasted familiar. Granny would always make this soup when I was feelin’ under the weather.” Ruggie smiles at that, and eagerly consumes more of the soup when you feed it to him.

He gets about halfway into his meal before he stops your hand. You’re confused until he takes the spoon from you and lifts it to your lips instead. Before it can touch you, however, you jerk away.

“No way, Sicky! You’ve already eaten from it, it’s got all your germs on it!” you exclaim.

Ruggie frowns and leans forward anyway to bring the spoon closer to you. “You should have some! I know you haven’t eaten anything today.”

While that was true, you weren’t about to eat the same food a sick person has touched. “I don’t want any. Finish it so you can get some rest afterwards.”

The hyena huffs, and you think you were able to convince him. Yet before you can react, he swiftly grabs hold of your chin. Squishing your cheeks under his fingers, he tugs your face closer to him. You try to squirm out of his grip, but he doesn't let up. Liar. He does have the strength.

“Say ‘ahhh.’” Ruggie pokes your closed mouth with the spoon, some of the soup spilling off and onto your lap. Good thing it’s only lukewarm now.

You press your lips together and shake your head, determined to avoid even a single drop from entering your mouth. Ruggie’s determined too, though, as he only continues to force the tip of the spoon in between the seam of your lips. A low growl emits from the back of his throat at your defiance yet his expression remains one of sickeningly sweet affection.

“Don’t be stubborn, babe. One taste won’t hurt.”

“Ruggie, stop-”

You just barely part your lips to mumble out a plea, but it’s enough for him to shove the spoon in while you’re speaking. You have no choice but to swallow the little amount that is left on there. He continues to feed more soup to you, grinning all the while. You can’t tell if the red on his cheeks is from him being ill or not, but you could hear the sound of his tail thumping against the mattress. He’s enjoying this.

Watching you eat is addicting to Ruggie. He’s the one that’s directly making sure you’re well-fed and full. He’s the one who’s doing such a good job taking care of you. Using the same spoon is just an added bonus to the whole process. It’s like he’s giving you an indirect kiss with each spoonful you take in. It’s so very intimate, wouldn’t you agree? It’s not like he’s trying to get you sick on purpose or anything.

You are forced to finish the rest of the soup, and you heave a sigh of relief when Ruggie finally lets go of your face. Wiping the excess liquid from the side of your mouth, you glare at the hyena, who is now giving you an innocent look.

“What? I have to make sure my mate is taken care of too.” He shrugs off the whole interaction. “Even when I’m sick.”

“Well, now I’m probably gonna get sick cuz you made me eat that!” you rebuke, but Ruggie only replies with an uncaring yawn.

He sets the tray off to the side and crawls underneath the covers, pulling the blanket up to his chin. You stand up from the bed to clean up the soup mess, but Ruggie grabs your wrist before you can leave. His bluish-grey eyes look desperate again, and you would say he almost looks cute with the way his ears twitch slightly. Almost.

“Wait, don’t go just yet.” His hand drops from your wrist and intertwines with your fingers, pulling your hand up to his cheek. It’s warm.

The way he’s looking at you reminds you of how he used to be when you both attended Night Raven. He’d give you that soft expression that made you cave in to his whims every time. He wasn’t as possessive when you first started to date, and he wasn’t obsessed with keeping you glued to his side.

You guess he was just really good at hiding those parts of himself.

“What else is it, Ruggie?” you ask quietly, tired of his requests.

He pats the empty side of his bed, saying, “Rest with me, yeah? I don’t think I can get better if you’re away.”

You want to leave and have time to yourself for once, but with the way he’s squeezing your hand, you know Ruggie isn’t going to take no for an answer. You hesitantly make your way over to the other side of the bed, pulling back the blanket to get in. Once you’re laying down, Ruggie scooches his body over so that his back is pressed against your chest. He tugs your arms to wrap around him, effectively forcing you to spoon him. He releases a content sigh once he’s comfortable, and you can faintly hear a low purring sound emitting from him.

A small smile quirks up on your lips, despite it all, but you immediately will it back down. Even if you think it’s endearing, you cannot forget your priorities.

* * *

Ruggie’s recovery is quick; he’s right as rain just a few days later. He still insists he stay at home for just a bit longer, though, to make sure he’s fully well-rested.

You, on the other hand, have been feeling off all day, ignoring the minor symptoms thinking it was nothing. Turns out it is something because now you’re dizzy and leaning against the wall for support.

Your body feels hot and your skin is clammy from sweat. The task you were doing beforehand is forgotten as you try to regain your balance. No… You can’t be-

“Whoa, you alright?” Ruggie comes up behind you and shifts your weight so that you’re leaning against him instead. He feels your forehead with his hand. It’s hot to the touch.

He almost seems excited when he realizes what’s wrong, eagerly hauling you towards the bedroom. “You’re burnin’ up, sweetheart. Let’s get you to bed.”

You try to fight him on it, but Ruggie all too easily picks you up and places you on his bed. He makes sure you’re as comfortable as you can be before sitting down beside you.“I’ll getcha feelin’ better in no time, (Name),” he assures while petting your hair. “It’s my turn to play nurse now~”

[bloomzone]

GLOW UP DIARY #5 : FIND YOUR PURPOSE

"pain is a price to pay for happiness"

-kim seungmin (straykids)

© bloomzone!!

#5:FIND PURPOSE

✉️:Finding a meaningful life purpose is a profound journey that many people embark on at different stages of their lives. It involves discovering what brings fulfillment, direction, and satisfaction. Identifying a purpose can help guide decisions, inspire actions, and provide a sense of meaning in both personal and professional aspects of life.

1.Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to Finding Your Life’s Purpose

﹙ 💌 ﹚ we will explore the concept of Ikigai, a Japanese term that means “a reason for being.” Ikigai is important to know because it offers a pathway to finding purpose and joy in life. It involves harmonizing four key elements: what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be rewarded for...

2.EVERYTHING ABOUT IKIGAI

Basically, ikigai is seen as the convergence of the following four core elements:

1. What you love (your passion)

2. What the world needs (your mission)

3. What you are good at (your vocation)

4. What you can get paid for (your profession)

The word ikigai, that space in the middle of these four primary elements, is seen by the Japanese as the source of value or what make one's life truly worthwhile.

THE 10 RULES OF IKIGAI

1. Stay Active, Don’t Retire:

- The idea behind this rule is to keep your mind and body engaged in meaningful activities. Retirement doesn't mean stopping all productive work. It encourages finding activities you enjoy and continuing to contribute to society, which can provide a sense of purpose and satisfaction.

-Benefits: Staying active helps maintain cognitive function, physical health, and emotional well-being. It can prevent feelings of uselessness and isolation.

2. Take It Slow:

- Embrace a slower, more deliberate pace of life. Instead of rushing through tasks, take time to savor and appreciate the process.

- Benefits:This can reduce stress and anxiety, improve the quality of your work and help u enjoy life more fully. It encourages mindfulness and living in the present moment.

3. Don’t Fill Your Stomach:

- The 80% rule, also known as "hara hachi bu" advises stopping eating when you're 80% full, rather than completely sated.

- Benefits: This practice promotes better digestion, prevents overeating, and can lead to a healthier weight. It’s associated with longevity and reduced risk of chronic diseases.

4. Surround Yourself with Good Friends:

- Build and maintain strong, positive relationships. Spend time with people who uplift and support you.

- Benefits: Good friends provide emotional support, reduce stress, and enhance your sense of belonging. Strong social connections are linked to better mental health and increased life expectancy.

5. Get in Shape for Your Next Birthday:

- Regular physical activity is essential for maintaining health and energy. Aim to improve or maintain your fitness level each year.

- Benefits: Exercise boosts physical health, mental clarity, and mood. It helps prevent chronic diseases, improves sleep, and enhances overall quality of life.

6. Smile:

- Adopting a positive attitude and smiling can improve your mood and the mood of those around you.

- Benefits: Smiling releases endorphins, reduces stress, and promotes a positive outlook. It can improve social interactions and relationships.

7. Reconnect with Nature:

- Spend time outdoors and appreciate the natural world. This can involve walking in parks, hiking, gardening, or simply enjoying a sunny day.

- Benefits: Nature exposure reduces stress, boosts mood, and improves mental health. It can also enhance physical health and encourage a sense of wonder and connection to the world.

8. Give Thanks:

- Practice gratitude regularly by acknowledging and appreciating the positive aspects of your life.

- Benefits: Gratitude enhances happiness, reduces negative emotions, and improves mental health. It can also strengthen relationships and foster a more positive outlook on life.

9. Live in the Moment:

- Focus on the present rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Engage fully in whatever you are doing at the moment.

- Benefits:This practice, also known as mindfulness, reduces stress and enhances enjoyment and satisfaction. It can improve mental clarity and emotional regulation.

10. Follow Your Ikigai:

-Discover and pursue your Ikigai—the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. Let this guide your life choices and actions.

- Benefits:Finding and following your Ikigai leads to a fulfilling and meaningful life. It helps align your passions with your skills and societal contributions, resulting in a sense of purpose and happiness.

3.Discover Your Ikigai: Guided Journal Prompts for a Meaningful Life

Ikigai journal prompts can help you explore and clarify your purpose and passions. Here are some prompts to guide your reflection:

Exploring Your Passions

1. What activities make you lose track of time?

2. What did you love to do as a child that you may have forgotten about?

3. What topics or activities are you naturally drawn to?

4. When do you feel most alive and engaged?

5. If you could do anything without worrying about money or other obligations, what would it be?

Identifying Your Strengths

6. What skills or talents do you excel at?

7. What do people frequently ask for your help with?

8. What accomplishments are you most proud of?

9. What feedback have you received that highlights your strengths?

10. When have you felt most competent and capable?

Understanding What the World Needs

11. What issues or causes do you care deeply about?

12. How do you want to make a difference in the world?

13. What problems do you see in your community that you wish you could solve?

14. What do you believe the world needs more of?

15. What impact do you want to have on others' lives?

Finding What You Can Be Paid For

16. What professional roles or careers have you considered?

17. How can you monetize your skills or passions?

18. What services or products can you offer that others would pay for?

19. What industries or fields are you interested in exploring for potential income?

20. What value do you bring to your current job or any job you’ve held?

Integrating Ikigai

21. How can you combine your passions, strengths, and what the world needs into a potential career or hobby?

22. What small steps can you take to start aligning your daily activities with your Ikigai?

23. What changes can you make in your life to focus more on your Ikigai?

24. Who can support you on your journey to finding and living your Ikigai?

25. What would a typical day look like if you were fully living your Ikigai?

Reflecting on Progress

26. What have you learned about yourself through this journaling process?

27. How has your understanding of Ikigai evolved over time?

28. What obstacles have you encountered in pursuing your Ikigai, and how can you overcome them?

29. What successes have you experienced in aligning your life with your Ikigai?

30. How can you maintain balance and avoid burnout while pursuing your Ikigai?

ıllı ⠀ : ⠀Let ur passion be your guiding star, leading you to a life filled with joy, purpose, and unshakable fulfillment.stay healthy I love u <143 ❛ ⠀ ♡ ⠀ !!

© bloomzone

[absolutebl]

Best 24 of BL 2024 - Quirky Awards

ONLY shows that ENDED their runs in 2024 are up for awards.

SHOCK & AWE AWARDS

1. Biggest BL surprise of 2024:

Cherry Magic Thailand. TayNew's version was truly a lovely experience and very much its own take on the original, an adaptation rather than a remake. I'm so relieved and grateful that GMMTV managed to pull it off, and sad it wasn't more widely available.

2. The “that country did WHAT?” award:

Meet You At the Blossom from China. From start to finish it is exactly as it claimed to be, wuxia BL, including more than the expected amount of sexual claiming (dubious consent to the point of rape) and actual kisses, wife language, floaty sleeves, you name it. FROM CHINA!!!

3. Biggest casting whoa! where did you come from? award:

Up & Poom in My Stand-In. I mean, WHERE did you two come from and how did this happen? Holy smokes. My goodness are we grateful!

4. That studio did WHAT now? award:

Youku putting Unknown out wide and easily avaiable on YouTube (for most of us). It's just really rare for a Taiwanese BL to get any kind of distribution. And to do that with arguably the best TaBL of the year and not some sad little mew mew? Amazing.

5. I’m sad you were ignored award:

Sugar Dog Life - such a charming JBL, so hard to find. I'm so sad it didn't get distribution. It's charming, one of my favorites of the year, worth tracking down if you can.

6. 2024 BL That Actually Made Me Lose My Mind Award?

I gotta be honest, it was The Sign. I was such a chaotic mess of a show but never once was I bored. It was the only one that drove me into memes and captions and silliness.

I did go a bit feral for a while over Love for Loves Sake and Wandee Gooday not to mention The Only One (until it went tits-up).

NARRATIVE AWARDS

7. Best story 2024:

Cherry Magic (Thai remake). I know, but it worked just as well in another country, if not better. I always enjoy this kind of magical realism concept (after all Color Rush is one of my all time favorite BLs) and despite the increased length, the pacing was solid on this one... even from Thailand.

8. Best narrative structure 2024 award:

Love For Love's Sake. A KBL isekai about a man who must win a game by convincing a reserved teen outcast to fall in love with him. Of course, that teen represents himself and his own unhappiness. I drowned in this show and liked it that way.

9. Best 2024 dialogue (script) award:

We Are, it was just so much fun. And so FUNNY.

10. Favorite scene 2024:

Like anyone needed to ask. Unknown, of course.

11. The most rewatchable BL of 2024 award:

We Are

It's just all the couples are so cute and the core friendship group is so charming and endearing.

ACTORS & CHARACTERS AWARDS

12. Best performance of a queer actor in a leading role:

no award this year, yeah the whole damn industry should be thoroughly ashamed of itself

13. Best pining 2024:

The Time of Fever. That feeding him orange while lying on the floor scene ALONE.

14. Best wingman 2024 (The Namgoong Award)

Yai in The Sign.

15. Biggest OMG I LOVE you boys together, YAY!

SailubPon from Pit Babe & This Love Doesn't Have Longbeans, from the softness of one to the health code violations of the other. Sure their shows are bonkers, but man are these two good at bonkers (and bonking).

With a nod to BigPark from Monster Next Door.

16. Most unexpected return of a BL pair? award:

OffGun. There were rumors that Off was out at the beginning of 2023. And then they came back with 2 shows in 2024 (Cooking Crush and The Trainee)!

17. Well aren't you two just the prettiest? award:

I dithered a lot (Babe's damn waist and OMG The Sign's sex scenes hawt), but in the end it had to go to GreatInn. They were just so good at showing their characters having FUN together. There is a lot of beauty in enjoying sex and another person's company. It's so rare to see that portrayed in a BL (and it shouldn't be rare).

18. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

I'm actually giving it to OffGun. Ya know, where others falter, these two just keep going. It's kinda amazing.

RANDOM PICKS

19. Favorite Linguistic Moment of 2024:

The general flirtatious banter from Last Twilight.

20. Biggest disappointment of 2024:

Addicted Heroin (Thai version). Some of the very best original material + one of my favorite Thai actors (who I've been waiting eons to see in a BL again) and THIS was the result? They could have fixed China's worst BL mistake, instead the made everything worse. I'm gonna be bitter for a really really long time.

I gotta sat The Only One comes a real close second tho. And I'm still mad about Last Twilight, too.

21. Best Wardrobe/Prop Use 2023

Meet You At The Blossom - I love a pretty boy pissing contest over who has the biggest sleeves. Twirl you beautiful bastards, TWIRL!

22. Best Queer Rep 2024

Again, not great this year. I loved the fun sex and play in Wandee, but there were precious few femme characters, and in general it felt like we took some steps back from queerness this year. So I'm gonna give it to Deep Night, because at least they gave us honest poly for the first time.

23. Best Meta Trope call out

Love for Love Sake - Korea taking to task the Dead Fish Kiss when they are often the worst offender was...... amusing.

But Deep Night having male sex workers having to act like they were in a BL for a couple chicks...... literally gay for pay depicting gay for pay and just, well, that's frankly a gut punch. There was some sarcastic clapping on my side of the screen.

24. Well aren't you getting all Live Action Yaoi retro with your bad self?

Dominant Yakuza and Wimpy Corporate Slave gets my vintage af award. I flipping LOVED it. Would I recommend it? Only if you, yourself, are a bit vintage.

Final question: which of the 24 was the hardest for me to pick?

20 Biggest disappointment of 2024. Look I had some pretty high expectations of some returning pairs, some great ideas, and some intriguing remakes. 2024 was full of disappointments.

2022's Version of the Quirkies

2023's Version of the Quirkies

Remember I only pull from shows that were completely finished by the end of 2024.

(source)

[darkacademiaarchibist]

I couldn't add more tags I hope this will suffice (I could write more)

can I ask for the Tommy, Dream and Quackity try home-made therapy wip?

You sure can! So where do I begin ..?

Basically Tommy decides to visit Dream again, to get closure (because that went so well the last time). He finds our favorite teletubby in truly pitiful state (happens when you're tortured for months) and decides that he can't let this injustice continue! After calling Sam every vulgar name in the vocabulary, he takes Dream and in a moment of great brilliance decides to fix him!

It's truly genius! Two birds with one stone! Two flies with one blow! Two hares-! You got the idea. He will reform Dream and help him be a better person, which will not only help the server as whole but also ease Tommy's own anxiety! (Not to mention that Dream himself is currently pretty traumatized, could use some therapy and who is a better candidate than Tommy? He's an expert at therapy! Best therapist ever! Puffy is not helping him, he is helping her!)

And it's going perfectly (despite Dream's consistent insistence that he does not need therapy) for maybe ten minutes. Tommy will very quickly realize that he has no idea what to do with Dream. Despite everything he has no experience with this kind of trauma and he's actually not so comfortable around Dream to be alone with him. But it's fine! He got it under control! The solution is simple! (No Dream, you're not fine and you can't go)

He needs help! (Not because he's not good enough therapist! It's just that talking to someone with at least distantly similar experience might help Dream!). Tommy's second brilliant idea of the day brings them to Las'nevadas, much to Dream's dismay (too bad for him that he needs Tommy's support to walk, running is not an option and all his attempts to convince Tommy to change his mind were in vain)

Quackity is as happy as you'd expected when those two show up but before he can complain Tommy starts a 2 hours long ramble about how terrible Sam is for doing this and how he's disgusted. Well, Q can't really spill out the whole torture thing now, can he? So he has to play the part and be nice. The moment Tommy is out of sight he makes very clear that the last moths are nothing compared to what he'll do to him if Dream spills.

Dream for his part is too weak to try and escape and unable to tell Tommy about Quackity as he knows what the duck would do to him. He needs to recover first and that means playing along.

The main story is mostly Quackity coming up with elaborate schemes to indirectly convince Tommy that Dream is evil while Dream comes up with similar schemes to either unlive or at least expose Quackity. All while Tommy is sweetly obvious to it all, spilling random psychological terms that he heard Puffy say and thinks are cool (he also has no idea what they mean).

I don't have snippet for this one but if you'd like one feel free to send another ask or dm me and I'll write something ;)

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Word List: Psychology

psychological concepts as reference for your poem/story (pt. 1)

Acute stress - Results from the sudden onset of demands or events that seem to be beyond the control of the individual. This type of stress is often experienced as tension headaches, emotional upsets, gastrointestinal disturbances, and feelings of agitation and pressure.

Barnum statements - Generalities or statements that could apply to anyone. A good example is the astrology column published in daily newspapers.

Core conditions - According to Carl Rogers, in client-centered therapy, 3 core conditions must be present in order for progress to occur: (a) an atmosphere of genuine acceptance on the part of the therapist; (b) the therapist must express unconditional positive regard for the client; and (c) the client must feel that the therapist understands him or her (empathic understanding).

Daily hassles - The major sources of stress in most people’s lives. Although minor, daily hassles can be chronic and repetitive, such as having too much to do all the time, having to fight the crowds while shopping, or having to worry over money. Such daily hassles can be chronically irritating though they do not initiate the same general adaptation syndrome evoked by some major life events.

Eye-blink startle method - People typically blink their eyes when they are startled by a loud noise. Moreover, a person who is in an anxious or fearful state will blink faster and harder when startled than a person in a normal emotional state. This means that eyeblink speed when startled may be an objective physiological measure of how anxious or fearful a person is feeling. The eye-blink startle method may allow researchers to measure how anxious persons are without actually having to ask them.

Frustration - The high-arousal unpleasant subjective feeling that comes when a person is blocked from attaining an important goal. For example, a thirsty person who just lost his last bit of money in a malfunctioning soda machine would most likely feel frustration.

Global self-esteem - By far the most frequently measured component of selfesteem; defined as “the level of global regard that one has for the self as a person” (Harter, 1993, p. 88). Global self-esteem can range from highly positive to highly negative, and reflects an overall evaluation of the self at the broadest level (Kling et al., 1999). Global self-esteem is linked with many aspects of functioning and is commonly thought to be central to mental health.

Hostile forces of nature - What Darwin called any event that impedes survival. This includes food shortages, diseases, parasites, predators, and extremes of weather.

Identity foreclosure - A person does not emerge from a crisis with a firm sense of commitment to values, relationships, or career but forms an identity without exploring alternatives. An example would be young people who accept the values of their parents or their cultural or religious group without question.

Inhibitory control - Ability to control inappropriate responses or behaviors.

Source ⚜ More: On Psychology ⚜ Word Lists ⚜ Notes & References

[hyperlexichypatia]

While I’m saying things: I got into disability liberation through neurodiversity. I identify with the neurodiversity paradigm. I identify as neurodivergent. I believe that the core concept of the neurodiversity paradigm -- that all brains are different, and all brains should be accepted -- is integral to our liberation. But I’m really getting the sense that “neurodiversity” is becoming to “mad liberation” as “body positivity” is to “fat liberation.” “Neurodiversity” is being used by behaviorists, therapists, and teachers who are still practicing behaviorism and hierarchy. It’s being differentiated from “mental illness” that needs “treatment.” It’s being applied to plucky, cheerful people who can still contribute to capitalism in their own way, but not to people with extreme emotional states, people who experience voices and visions unknown to others, or people who score very poorly on IQ tests. It’s not being used to critically interrogate, let alone dismantle, oppressive concepts like “normalcy,” “sanity/insanity,” “competence,” or “general intelligence.” It’s not being used to challenge eugenics, or question whether “mental health” can have a useful meaning outside the pathology paradigm. It’s not being used to imagine what concepts like “happiness” or “good parenting” or “a fair distribution of resources” would even mean in the absence of pathologization, oppression, and hierarchy. We have to start using “neurodiversity” better if we want it to still have meaning.

[serpentface]

SPIRITUAL POLLUTION, THE GESTURES AGAINST EVIL, AND ABLUTION: A POST

The concepts of spiritual purity and pollution are central to the Faith of the Seven Faced God (and similar takes on the concept predate it throughout and beyond the immediate Wardi cultural sphere). There is no clean cut distinction between physical and spiritual health in this belief system (these concepts exist as a heavily overlapping venn diagram) and many methods intended to cleanse spiritual pollution address both realms.

The word for the concept referred to as spiritual pollution is 'mesechitse', which can translate to 'blockage' or 'severance' depending on the context (its underlying meaning is a pathway that has been stopped in some capacity).

At its core, spiritual pollution is a corruption of the living spirit (which is carried by/IS the blood). It causes both physical and spiritual problems. Polluted blood flows improperly and does not maintain the body’s natural stasis or integrity, causing or allowing disease or other bodily dysfunctions to occur. Many ailments are seen as wholly physical and internal in nature, occurring directly due to polluted blood flowing improperly and affecting key organs. Other diseases (particularly contagious or infectious disease) are known to be caused by dagi, which are harmful spirits that enter the body through orifices or wounds. A limited number of ailments (most notably pronounced schizophrenia-spectrum disorders or cognitive disabilities, unfortunately) are thought to be caused by possession by more powerful evil spirits.

At its worst, severe spiritual pollution is thought to impact or sever one's connection to God. Summarized very basically, severe pollution = blockage of flow between one's own living spirit and the greater spirit of God, which deprives a person of God's blessings and protection, severs them from the natural cycling of life and death (and prevents their necessary participation) and can put their afterlife in jeopardy.

Some degree of corruption to the living spirit is seen as completely inevitable and managed by the body, which physically expels some polluting agents via urine and feces, as well as menstruation (thus all of these substances are themselves dirty and polluting agents). It is reckoned as impossible for any living body to exist in a Completely spiritually pure state. The goal of cleansing (and broader practices revolving around spiritual integrity) is rather to maintain stasis of the body's natural cycling (and by extension a connection to God's living spirit) and to keep pollution contained and minimized.

If one's immortal soul successfully reaches the afterlife, it is then reborn into a spiritually pure existence incapable of being 'severed' from God in any capacity. God Itself is a spiritually pure being, but Its body and living spirit (the world and its cycles, manifested as Faces) is vulnerable. The purity of God's living spirit (and therefore the life-sustaining functions of the world that all beings depend upon) must be sustained, protected, and restored through right practice, which is what much what the public religion revolves around.

Spiritual pollution is a separate but overlapping concept with:

-Metaphysical vulnerability, the word for which is 'namne couyibase' (literally ‘lacking integrity of Being’). This is a state in which the body and living spirit is considered vulnerable to great change, for good or for bad. These states can have vital and positive uses (they are utilized in many rituals, and it is what allows for conception and birth), but must be entered with caution and intentionality. Uncontrolled namne couyibase can otherwise leave one open to forms of spiritual harm. -Curses, which are targeted infliction of harm (of all sorts- bad luck, evil spirits, etc) onto a person, place, or thing. A spiritually polluted body is has less resistance to curses, and curses can intensify this pollution. -Possession, which is when evil spirits attach themselves to or inhabit the body. In the vast majority of cases, possession does not mean an evil spirit is Controlling the body, merely harming it. A spiritually polluted body has less resistance to possession, and possession can intensify this pollution. -Ritual uncleanliness, which is a state of intensified spiritual pollution that requires complete prohibition from a person from entering sacred spaces or participating in certain rituals until they are made clean. The most common reasons for ritual uncleanliness are active menstruation, being in the mourning period, or having performed a known dirtying action without its required ablution (see below).

---

Multiple levels of religious-medical practice are centered around maintaining the body's stasis and cleansing it of mesechitse whenever possible. The methods are both active and passive.

Passive methods include the wearing of protective objects/amulets or having the motifs on household items or as decoration (the most ubiquitous are charms like the pelatoche (lit: '(ocean) eye') or odatochent (lit. 'Gods eyes'), the skimmer woman, or phalluses, and the wearing of gull feathers), in addition to other beneficial/protective iconography (guardian lions are most common, though physical representations of each Face of God have beneficial functions).

Active methods cover a broad swath of rites and behaviors (which is even broader in non-doctrinal folk practices). I'll be focusing here on the two main everyday methods of protection/cleansing (rather than more specialized rites) that are supported by core doctrine and may be performed by anyone, rather than being restricted to priests.

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Gestures against evil

These are the absolute most basic protection methods, comprised of three core gestures.

Purity of intent: the hand is held with the palm facing upward, the pointer and pinky finger extended and the thumb and inner two fingers pressed together. This is the most directly ‘cleansing’ gesture, it attempts to bind uncleanliness within the body and thus to prevent inevitable background level spiritual pollution from the body infecting a pure environment or another person. You mostly perform this gesture while entering/leaving a protected or vulnerable space (literal or figurative).

Protection of spirit: the hand is held with the first two fingers pointed together, held upwards for generalized use or pointed for directed use. This is the simplest of apotropaic gestures, aiming to protect the body and spirit from outside harm. This is commonly used before or while entering contexts seen as physically and/or spiritually dangerous, or to un-aggressively counter an evil eye curse.

Dispelling of evil: The hand is held with the first two fingers pointing together, touched to the lips, and flicked away from the body. In practice, this is most commonly used to prevent attachment by malicious or otherwise harmful spirits that may have been evoked (you might perform this after you speak of someone believed to be an earthbound ghost or refer to an evil spirit directly, or immediately after touching a potentially contagious sick person (ideally followed by ablution)). This will not help you if evil spirits have fully Attached themselves to you, but can remove ones that have been attracted to you. Doing this gesture and flicking in the direction of another person is very rude.

These gestures have separate uses, but will often be performed in conjunction (usually in the order given) as a quick means of protecting oneself and the spaces around them. It is not considered a doctrinal replacement for ablution as it does not actually cleanse the spirit, but it attempts to reduce harm (both sustained and produced by the user).

---

Ablutions:

Ablution is spiritually and physically cleansing the body with clean water. The metric for clean water is fairly expansive- ocean water, any flowing water, any clear lake, shallow water sources that are clear and free of (obvious) polluting elements such as animal corpses or unclean animal feces, any clear collected water.

The core requirement of an ablution is for the hands to be cleaned in all circumstances, and for other body parts to be cleansed in addition if the situation requires it. One must fully wet the hands/other affected areas and scrub thoroughly, and then use fresh water to rinse. If you have to clean other parts of your body, you save your hands for last (as they will be used for the cleaning).

It is appropriate to perform ablutions cooperatively, but the person assisting you should participate as well (ie- if you have someone washing your back, they should scrub and rinse their own hands after). Someone considered to be in a ritually unclean state that ablution will not immediately fix (the most common are actively menstruating or being in the midst of the mourning period) should not perform ablutions on others.

Note that there is no Hard distinction between bathing for spiritual cleanliness and bathing for physical cleanliness (there is a separate set of cultural standards for physical hygiene, but most hygiene expectations are Covered by ablution). In most circumstances, ablution is just a regular, sometimes tedious everyday activity rather than a solemn or special occasion.

The ritualized requirements denote that only the hands + any given affected body parts Must be washed, but ablutions will often be an aspect of a full-body bathing routine to meet other hygiene standards. (ie: someone performing ablution before making offerings or eating a meal is only Required to wash their hands, but will very often wash their whole bodies and clean their hair- offerings and a meal are (typically) daily activities, so this is a good time to just get a full bath in while you’re at it). It may additionally involve washing the skin with oil or soap, moisturizing the hair with oil, scraping away dead skin, and applying perfumes. This is not a ritual requirement and is performed because generally, people like to feel clean and smell nice.

The hard physicality of cleansing WITH WATER is KEY to this practice. Per core doctrine, there are no DIY cleansing methods that replace washing with water. If one does not have access to clean water for ablutions, they should not perform offerings whatsoever (but are allowed to pray) until they can be cleansed, and accept that they are receiving spiritual pollution by performing ablution-required tasks in the meantime. A blessing from a priest is the only doctrine-supported spiritually cleansing replacement for water ablutions. In practice many people will use the gestures against evil as a replacement (which is not supported by doctrine and is more common in folk religious practice), and virtually everyone will find ways to get physical contaminants off of their body either way (if you step in dog shit and don't have any water nearby, you're going to wipe it the hell off even if that doesn't make you ritually clean).

Times when such an ablution is generally considered a hard requirement:

Before bloodletting in prayer or making other offerings

Before meals

Before assisting in a birth

After menstruation ends

After receiving penetrative sex

After defecating

After urinating (this isn't as ubiquitously seen as a hard requirement, in a lot of cases people interpret it as 'only if you actually get pee on your hands')

After touching urine

After touching feces (many lines of thought make exceptions for the excrement of cattle and khait due to their clean and sacred status- this makes life a easier for the majority of people who have to use dry dung as fuel)

After touching a dead body (human or animal)

At the end of your mourning period for dead kin (traditionally as part of a larger ritual involving full body submergence in flowing water, rather than as a common ablution)

After touching someone else's blood (aside from rites that require it, in which the blood is expected to be clean and the cross-pollution of living spirit is intentional) (technically includes semen but this does not come up very often)

After touching most sick people (particularly with contagious diseases or any skin ailments)

After recovering from an illness (ablutions will be performed as an aspect of treatment as well)

Before entering most temple's inner shrines (and some temples altogether)

Also a requirement for participation in certain specific rites and/or festivals

The exact nuances on how hard these requirements are sometimes vary, particularly in instances revolving around touch. Official doctrine is that any unclean touch requires ablution, but in common practice this is sometimes reinterpreted as only a hard requirement when the touch occurs to the hands. Most practitioners do not perform an ablution immediately after an unclean touch occurs (if you're a field laborer and step in dung, you're probably going to wait to wash until you retire for the night), and not everyone performs ablutions every single time they 'should'.

Only drawing I have related to ablution under the cut (nudity)

This is one way to do it

[creature-wizard]

A Brief Introduction to Energy Work

Energy work as most of us know it was heavily influenced by certain beliefs that the body's health depended on a healthy flow or balance of vital force, and that said force could be manipulated through certain practices. The whole concept of qi energy and qigong were pretty big influences here. Other influences included persistent European beliefs in vitalism, the concept of animal magnetism, and a rising awareness of electricity and radiation, which to many people seemed to provide justification for many old paranormal and metaphysical beliefs.

Now of course, we now know that vitalism just isn't a thing and that flickering lights in your house have more to do with bad wiring than ghosts, but energy work itself continues to persist. (Although these days, it's often justified with terrible misunderstandings of quantum physics.)

I also feel that I'd be irresponsible not to mention that there is no evidence that energy healing can be relied upon to heal serious medical issues, and that many people offering energy healing sessions for sale are basically just scammers. If you ever find yourself in a position where you have to choose between paying for an energy healing service and paying for evidence-based medicine, put your money on evidence-based medicine.

With that out of the way, I do believe that energy work can have benefits. Like in my own experience, energy work can't cure chronic depression, but it can sometimes lift some of those heavy feelings. It might not completely cure your flu, but it can most probably help you relax, which will help your immune system work better. And I really can't argue with the efficacy of energy shielding so far as warding goes.

So with all that out of the way, how does one practice energy work?

Energy work is often practiced by visualizing energy moving and converging wherever you need it, often using your hands, fingers, or something like a wand to focus it. Let's say for example that you feel a sense of tightness or heaviness in your sternum area. You might place your fingers over it and visualize a white light clearing away the tension.

Energy work can also include drawing symbols. My go-to for banishing that sense of heaviness is to trace my finger over my sternum in a sun shape (a regular old circle with rays, much like this one 🌞), visualizing the lines in a bright sunny yellow.

It can also include breathwork. Here's one possible personal shielding technique using this: Take a deep inhale while visualizing protective energy from the earth coming up into your body and filling your core. Then exhale while imagining this energy pushing out of your body and forming a protective shield.

Also, while many energy work techniques involve using energy from positive emotions, you don't have to limit yourself to them. You can put your shitty emotions to good use. For example, if you're warding your space by tracing protective symbols on your walls, you might channel aggressive feelings into them to give them some bite.

Now of course, these aren't all the things you can do with energy work, or all the ways you can practice energy work. This is just a quick intro. But if you combine even just this basic comprehension with a broader comprehension of color correspondences and symbology, you'll find that it's pretty versatile.

Happy witchin'!

[kaedekolya]

awakening clarence: the inevitability of tragedy, and what it means to be human

Human or robot, cyborg or android — how is humanity defined, and where is the line that delineates it? Expanding upon my Clarence monster meta, which covered his Godheim, Eden, and modern routes, this analysis delves into how the theme of dehumanisation presents itself in Clarence’s Awakening route — and why tragedy is endlessly, inevitably, intertwined with his being.

[ SPOILERS: Clarence’s Awakening route and his Faint Night Light SSR story, as well as brief mentions of his Godheim and Eden routes. ]

“In my mind, I still consider myself human, but you are free to perceive me as you wish. I don’t mind and I won’t dispute that.” This is the faith that Awakening’s Clarence holds fast to — he thinks, therefore he is. He has a concept of his self, therefore he is human.

This can be chalked up to the impact of one’s environment; for example, Archmage Clarence was co-opted into a scheme and transformed into a mutation at a young age, causing him to grow up with no other concept of the self than the monstrous one forced upon him. In contrast, modern Clarence had solid support systems around him, allowing him to develop a reasonably well-adjusted core identity. Since the Awakening stories are not set in alternate universes, but a potential branch of the future that stems from the present-day modern world, it stands to reason that modern Clarence’s perspectives and attitudes would carry forth into his Awakening timeline.

It is this foundation that affords Clarence the fortitude to hold fast to his belief, even when MC counters it with her claims that he is not human. Then Clarence sees how grief-stricken MC’s expression is, and decides to “respect her decision, regardless of the reason,” “if she is so firmly against accepting his view.” He puts her feelings above his own, acquiescing to her opinion despite it contradicting his. Even so, he still hopes that “maybe one day [they] can reach a consensus on this matter.” Deep down, Clarence still yearns for understanding, for someone to view him the way he views himself.

Awakening’s Clarence is an interesting subversion of his usual dehumanisation trope, running counter to how he often perceives himself as a monster despite being biologically human. In Godheim, the Archmage refuses to see himself as anything other than a monster that isn’t human, even though others recognise his good intentions. In Awakening, MC initially refuses to see Clarence as anything other than an android that isn’t human, despite his protests to the contrary.

(As an aside, there are further parallels between Archmage Clarence and Awakening’s Clarence; both put on a stoic front to protect themselves from feeling further pain. Just as Archmage Clarence spent a century in utter solitude until MC returned to his side, Awakening’s Clarence waited for MC to wake him from an eternal slumber, while she wandered that same time in solitude until she found him again. Both stories end with the promise of eternity — or at least a long, long time — together.)

Clarence’s unwavering sense of self in Awakening makes me think of the Ship of Theseus — when parts of a ship are replaced, at what point is it no longer the original ship? For Clarence, his identity hinges not on his constituent parts, but his awareness of the self. Even if his body is damaged, he is still himself as long as his mind is intact. Clarence’s memories, his reasoning, his emotions, are what form his identity. It is this central focus on the mind and not the body that leads to a lack of regard for his physical wellbeing; his health and safety are secondary to his aims.

In an attempt to figure out the physical properties of his body — whether it is flesh and blood or steel and synthetics — Clarence wounds himself on purpose, cutting through the skin not covered by his mechanical skeleton. He feels the pain as blood flows out, yet the wound heals at an inhuman speed, rendering him unable to “determine if he’s an android, pain and flesh simulated by advanced technology, or a human injected with healing genes.”

Clarence’s readiness to harm himself in order to achieve a certain objective can also be seen in the Book of Tales event, when merman Clarence deliberately hurts himself in hopes of attaining the mermaid’s tear. To Clarence, the injuries sustained to his physical body are insignificant in the face of a greater goal. As long as he can preserve his sense of self, his memories, his purpose, then it is enough for him. Ultimately, Clarence views himself as a tool — as a means to an end.

Arguably, Awakening’s Clarence demonstrates many traits that could easily paint him as a monster. When a hostile drone poses a threat, he destroys it with his bare hand, bolstered by the enhanced strength of his mechanical augmentations. Combat is woven into Clarence’s being; he is innately capable of destruction, in the same way a monster is. His internal programming makes comments and observations as if it is a separate entity, creating a stark disconnect between Clarence’s consciousness and the programmed voice in his head — almost like it is a monster lurking within him.

As much as his combat may be innate, though, so are his emotions. Clarence feels an instinctual trust towards MC, even if he cannot explain or understand where these feelings originate from. After MC falls asleep, Clarence reaches out to her but stops short of touching her face, empathy guiding his actions. “Have you spent all these years like this, slumbering alone in this barren world?” Clarence asks, not recognising that he too had slumbered alone in the hibernation chamber — only recognising her pain, and not his own. He apologises to her, despite not having done anything wrong, despite also suffering through the same solitude that she has.

Upon seeing MC injured, Clarence grows solemn and sorrowful, remarking that he thinks she is “strong, [admirably] strong.” “It must be tough for you[,] living in this world alone for all those years,” Clarence muses, extending her a compassionate kindness he does not allow himself — neither in this world, nor in others. “I don’t know why I [feel the need] to apologise,” he admits. “But I somehow feel that this should have been my responsibility. I should have stayed by your side. I shouldn’t have left you alone.” Once again, Clarence takes the blame upon his own shoulders, turning the guilt inwards. Even when it is not his cross to bear, Clarence nails himself to it, offering himself as penance for wrongs he has not committed.

Clarence is so accustomed to taking responsibility upon himself that he always chooses the simplest option, even if it comes at his own expense. Or perhaps it is precisely because it comes at his own expense, and not that of others, that he is more inclined to choose it. The Archmage did not open himself up to any other methods, staunchly refusing to entertain MC’s suggestions, because he was so firmly set in his conviction to sacrifice himself for his country’s future. The Falcon was ready to shoot himself, never considering the possibility of a third option in the dilemma, because his death was the most straightforward way to help MC achieve her goal.

In much the same way, Awakening’s Clarence dies to save others. His android selves were created both to “commemorate [the pioneer’s] sacrifice,” and for the express purpose of sacrificing themselves to keep his original body away from danger. Sacrifice is woven into their beings, just as it runs through Clarence’s veins. It is this enduring selflessness that leads Clarence down the path of a martyr, time and time again.

Awakening’s movie was a warning for Clarence that opened his eyes to the suffering that his selflessness can, and will, wreak in its wake. His diligent and conscientious nature often has him shouldering the weight of responsibility, but it can also lead to him losing himself in his duty. In order to fulfil his role to the best of his ability, he overextends himself, inadvertently letting himself be consumed by what he believes he ought to be and do. Clarence yearns to save the world, to protect the people that live in it, and so he offers himself up as a tool to be used. He gives himself over to his cause, devoting all of himself to it even as the burden of it devours him whole. A selfless sacrifice that saves countless lives, but that selfishly brings pain to those who care for him.

A good tragedy is at once avoidable and inevitable; avoidable because there are other choices to be made, and inevitable because its actors will always choose the path that leads to despair. It is written into their beings, into who they are as people and what they stand for. There is no other version of this tale, no better outcome, because they are human and they will not pick the rational option. They will pick the option that calls to their heart.

At that crossroads, faced with the risk of venturing towards the power plant and the safety of remaining with his companions, Clarence chooses the former. There is no doubt that he knows he is marching to his death; still, he bears the weight of this sacrifice, in order to fulfil his duty to protect his fellow fighters. Even though there is no guarantee that he will succeed, Clarence undertakes this lonely mission in an effort to do all that he can for the world that he loves. He opts to venture alone into the jaws of danger in order to keep others out of harm’s way, minimising the damage caused to the world and its inhabitants – even if, or perhaps so that, it deals the highest damage to himself. It has always been this way, and will always be this way, for Clarence. The core of the tragedy is that Clarence will always put the world above himself, his duty above his dreams, even if it comes at the cost of everything he is and will ever be.

There’s a parallel, here, with the story of Orpheus. You, as the uninvolved spectator, can criticise him for being irrational, for turning around and losing Eurydice. Yet Orpheus, in that moment, cannot possibly make any other decision. How can you fault a man for having a heart? How can you fault a man for being human?

For all that Clarence is an android, or a cyborg, or a mutant monster, he is also deeply, painfully human. It is impossible for him to be fully rational and objective, and so he pushes himself to his limits in an attempt to be, and berates himself when he cannot. More often than not, Clarence ends up dehumanising himself – both consciously and unconsciously – in order to fulfil his roles and responsibilities. Rather than having them guide his actions, he gives himself over to them, allowing them to shape the core of who he is. Clarence pushes himself to extremes that are rational in the logic of his worldview, but ironically irrational to the external observer that witnesses the depths of his pain.

One particular line in Awakening stood out to me: “What’s important is that you shouldn’t be sad. You should be happy and free. You should be the beam of light that penetrates the thick clouds.” While this line illustrates how Clarence prioritises MC’s happiness, it also illuminates MC’s role in his story. Her presence in his life teaches him that he can seek happiness for himself, too, rather than solely living in servitude of a greater purpose. She is the light that parts the fog, the sunlight that melts the snow. While she may always be part of Clarence’s motivation to save the world and the people who live in it, perhaps she may also become his motivation to save himself, too.

Clarence is always all too ready to be a martyr, because he often believes that his most significant contribution to the world is what he can do for it. As long as his purpose is fulfilled, then it does not matter much what happens to him afterwards; there will be others to fill his shoes. Yet MC, in Awakening, directly challenges this notion. “Clarence is irreplaceable. Even with the same appearance and body, no one could ever take his place,” she asserts. There can be a second Archmage, or another Falcon, or countless clones in his likeness – but there is only one Clarence, who is precious by virtue of who he is and not what he can do. Clarence, whose worth is not defined by his roles and responsibilities, no matter how much he believes it to be so. This is the arc of his growth – learning to view and cherish himself as a person, not a mere tool to be used.

thank you for reading!♡

if you have any thoughts about this meta post, i’d love to hear them! responses are always welcome, and my ask box is open~

for more lovebrush meta: here's my brief azure island analysis + theorising! nervously anticipating clarence's route tomorrow...

[dreambunnynotes]

my current glow up goals!

in order to grow and improve it is essential to have clear and easy-to-maintain goals! after a lot of procrastinating thinking i have finally narrowed down my main glow up goals so that i have something tangible to work towards. i have also written down the necessary tasks to accomplish these goals so that i can return to them whenever i feel stuck or demotivated.

1.) appearance and confidence:

one of my biggest glow up goals is to become confident in my appearance! i have never consistently felt good about the way that i look and i know that there are many lovely steps i can take to change this. i want to learn how to love myself and put in the work to show my body and face that i love them! ♥︎

shower + wash hair every morning to start the day off confidently

maintain a skincare routine that works for my skin

save up money to build a wardrobe that i love and feel confident in

learn pilates to improve my core strength and fix my posture

work out 3x a week and get to my preferred weight

put on makeup every day and learn what looks best on me

stretch every morning and night so that my body feels healthy

2.) studying and career:

having a career in something that i adore is absolute essential to me. i would ideally like to manifest financial freedom so that i can spend my days helping people through lifestyle blogging, coaching, and art creation under a trauma-informed/LOA/nondualist lens. i would also love to be a renowned musician who works with my absolute favourite artists in their projects, and be beloved in my music community. my main tasks in this category are studying guitar and piano to become the musician i know that i can be (which will be the "studyblr" part of my blog, and i'm so excited to figure out how i will track my progress with this)! i will also be focusing on manifesting financial abundance so that i can go to school for art therapy, which involves developing proper saving / spending habits until that sweet, sweet windfall of money comes in hehe ♥︎

practice guitar for at least an hour a day to start, and build this up to at least 4 hours a day once my guitar goals are more refined

practice piano for at least an hour a day, working on the same songs i am learning on guitar and working on technique

develop healthy spending habits until i have an abundance of money; focus on repaying my debts and saving for school

find a way to make more money in a way that is super enjoyable for me until i am able to manifest financial freedom

maintain a consistent manifesting routine and self-concept so that i can truly live my dream life and have my dream career!

3.) mental health and wellness:

it is sooo important to me to use my time in ways that are actually fulfilling and enriching. to become my dream girl, i must get rid of mindless activities and replace them with joyful and expansive hobbies and projects. i also must fix my sleep schedule to make sure i am getting enough rest, and learn how to overcome isolation through making new friends and nurturing the ones that i have! ♥︎

replace mindless scrolling with enriching activities and hobbies that i actually enjoy; create a meaningful + exciting list of projects

maintain a consistent sleep schedule and make sure i am getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night until my body adjusts

create a friend group that makes me feel loved and supported; nurture my relationships and nurture myself with socializing

get my drivers license so that i don't have to waste time on public transit anymore!

4.) self concept and self love:

deep down i know that i am worthy of good love, good friends, and an abundance of success and praise. however, it's time that i really internalize those feelings and learn to love myself the way that i deserve by changing my feelings of shame into feelings of love and compassion! ♥︎

journal about my feelings more consistently so that i can work through the shame and guilt spirals that come from RSD

learn more about "parts work" and "internal family systems" so that i can create a lovely library of all my beautiful parts, building them a home that they all feel safe in and where i have easy access to resources when i need them

learn how to be my vibrant and beautiful self around everyone without fear and without compromising my needs, so that i can figure out who i actually enjoy spending time with

continue practicing listening to my body, heart, and mind when something or someone doesn't feel right or safe for me

follow through on my goals and routines and adjust them when necessary so that i can build trust in myself that i can accomplish anything that i put my mind to!

thank you for reading lovely friends, i am so grateful for your encouragement and support and i can't wait to make you proud! hehe. if you have similar goals and want an accountability buddy, please feel free to dm me and we can encourage each other to do our best! love you lots and believe in you so, so much ♥︎

[genshin-hsr-rambles]

do you think the gems they’re named after can spoil stuff about the stone hearts?

I wouldn’t say spoil per se, but it certainly gives some insight into their character due to it being the whole basis of their concept. Allow me to elaborate.

Topaz is generally associated with wealth, a perfect concept to introduce the audience to the IPC through. It is believed to heal and promote strength/vitality, tying into Topaz’s lore regarding her planet’s deterioration with the IPC restoring its ‘health’ and the strength of the people in turn. Also tying into her planet’s lore is the fact that in its natural state, common topaz is traditionally colourless. It is the heat or radiation treatment that gives it its colour, reflecting how the IPC’s grooming of Topaz and her entire planet’s citizens into IPC employees largely shaped who she is today. In Feng Shui, topaz is viewed as a stone of nobility, love, passion and purpose. These aspects reflect in Topaz’s personality, with her love of animals and passionate drive for work and customer satisfaction.

Aventurine primarily symbolises good fortune, again tying in with the core concept of the IPC. Green aventurine in particular is said to be a stone of opportunity and good luck, linking with Aventurine’s infallible luck and subsequent (self-destructive) gambling tendencies. More blatantly, it is known as the ‘gambler’s stone’ since it is believed to bring fortune in games of chance. Interestingly enough, aventurine is associated with the planet Mercury, named after the Roman god of wealth, good fortune, commerce, fertility, and thievery. These aspects tie into Aventurine’s ethnicity as an Avgin, the poor reputation of his people and their mother goddess’ blessing. Cruelly ironic, some believe it to represent self-love, and it is cheaper than most gemstones.

Jade holds symbolism of purity, harmony and protection, referencing Jade’s false guise of sincerity to seal her deals. It is a very valuable and sought-after gem, translating into Jade’s status. East Asia covet jade for its cultural and spiritual affiliations, serving as a metaphor for virtue, wisdom, truth, and Heaven and Earth. This is most likely where Jade Lilith/Eve dual symbolism was derived from. Jade is actually an umbrella term for two silicate minerals, nephrite and jadeite. Again, this seems to be inspiration for her two-faced nature. As of the time of this post, we do not know much about her past and as such it cannot be determined how interlinked it is with her stone.

From the three playable Stonehearts (as of the time of this post), we can clearly see that their lore is deeply interwoven with the symbolism of their gems. They are, in a sense, the embodiment of their Stoneheart namesake. So can it spoil the next Stonehearts? Without context, probably not. But we can still speculate, right?

Obsidian is heavily associated with blocking, absorbing and/or transforming negative energy. It isn’t actually a mineral, rather volcanic glass, typically classified as igneous rock or a mineraloid. For a long time, obsidian was primarily used in the creation of weapons, not jewellery. Referred to as the stone of clarity, it is beloved to release spiritual blockages and draw out stress and tension. Obsidian is naturally quite sharp, and as such some consider it to be capable of piercing into darkness to reveal the truth itself. Like her namesake, Obsidian could be one to cut through false pleasantries in favour of the raw truth, no matter how violent or unpleasant. She certainly seemed quite eager for a bloodbath in the Stoneheart trailer, perhaps due to having an affinity for the true nature of people being revealed and to tie into the primary purpose of obsidian being weaponry. The transformation and absorption of negative energy aspect could potentially relate to the vampire symbolism she seems to has.

Agate generally symbolises strength, protection and courage. It is believed to protect people from negative energy and enhance communication. Ironic, considering Agate is the only Stoneheart who doesn’t communicate at all in the Stoneheart trailer. In Greek mythology, it is linked to the earth mother, Gaia, and symbolises strength and stability. Interestingly, agate is formed within lava and is primarily found in areas with high volcanic activity. Its colour is dependent on the presence of other surrounding minerals. This is interesting because it seems that Agate and Obsidian share some common ground in terms of creation. Perhaps the characters will share similar views or characteristics too, explaining why Obsidian was allowed to vote on Agate’s behalf. The mineral agate being dependent on other minerals seems to further strengthen the idea of Agate possessing some form connections with another Stoneheart (seemingly Obsidian from the little information we have, but could be anyone).

Pearl signifies innocence and faith. It is believed to enhance personal integrity, inhibits immodest behaviour and bring truth forward. Pearl is often used in bridal jewellery as it can symbolise beauty and new beginnings. The gem is of organic origin but is not organic material, perhaps inspiring her existence as an Intellitron, alive but not technically living. We do seem to have enough information on Pearl to link her to her gemstone, another aspect being she seems to hold justice as a primary value. This seems to lie in the pearl’s symbolism of truth and integrity. Perhaps Pearl still believes in an inherent good in the world too, tying into the gemstone representing purity and innocence.

Sapphire is considered to be a stone of wisdom, royalty, prophecy and divine favour. It is a symbol of power and strength, often connected to religious symbolism. From what we’ve seen of Sapphire, this seems to check out. They value oaths above all else and exude an air of righteousness. Much like Pearl, they seem to have a strong set of morals. It is worth noting that sapphire is the second hardest natural mineral, second only to diamonds. So Sapphire has the potential to be one of the strongest Stonehearts in terms of raw power.

Amber is rather obviously associated with natural warmth, but also cleansing and renewal. As far as I have researched, its symbolism seems to revolve around protection and positivity. Consisting of fossilised tree resin, amber is classified as an organic gemstone and isn’t technically a gemstone at all (potentially similar to yet opposite of Pearl?). It was historically believed to bring good luck to warriors in battle and could be used to assist in creating balanced decision-making. The latest aspect may possibly have influenced Amber’s seeming neutrality in the Stonehearts trailer. Bringing good luck to warriors in battle could translate to avoiding conflict altogether, so all parties involved will not lose any prospects. Judging by the gem’s symbolism, Amber seems to be a bit of an outlier amongst the Stonehearts and perhaps that’s why she has yet to show her face.

Sugilite is a stone that drains unwanted connections and evil thoughts. Thought to be a nurturing gemstone, it promotes positive emotions and installs a deep satisfaction of freedom. In great contrast, Feng Shui depicts sugilite as possessing high Yang energy. It is full of emotion, passion and action. This could potentially reflect Sugilite’s personality, driven by passionate desires behind a mask of apathy. Regarding the satisfaction aspect, perhaps Sugilite lives in chase of fulfilment, hence the feast imagery in the Stonehearts trailer.

Opal is considered to be a symbol of hope, purity and truth. Since opal possesses most colours of other gems, the Romans believed it was the most precious and powerful of all gemstones. Indigenous Australians believed it to symbolise a bridge between the earthly and the divine. This seems to align with what we know of Opal so far. I’d wager he’s a little full of himself, tying in with the Roman view of his namesake. Opal also appears to be something akin to the right hand of Diamond, essentially the bridge between the emanator and the other Stonehearts.

Diamond symbolises strength, love and health. They are often worn by leaders and people in power to represent invincibility. The diamond is also considered a symbol of light and brilliance; unconquerable; treasures, riches and intellectual knowledge. We know very little about Diamond, but this all does seem to align with the idea of the leader of the IPC’s Strategic Investment Department. A powerful, untouchable figure, seemingly benevolent and caring but really only in it for the money.

Of course, I’m no expert on gemstones and so this information should be taken with a grain of salt. But that is my take on what I believe we can learn about the non-playable Stonehearts (as of the time of this post, have faith guys) from their gems.

TL;DR: No, information about the Stonehearts can’t be spoiled by their namesake gems. It can be speculated though.

[jayceofprogress]

(Can I ask why you write Jayce as cis but you roleplay with trans Viktor’s? Is there any reason you see Viktor as trans but not Jayce?)

(Hello! I'm putting my response under a cut because it got long.)

So first off, you've mentioned that the main Viktors I RP with are both trans, and that's correct, but I need to point out that my RP partners have written and developed their characterizations of Viktor themselves, and I honor that in my RPs with them. It's not quite correct to say I've deliberately chosen to write a cis and trans pairing, it's just so happened to work out that way, kind of like how it does all the time in real life when cis and trans people end up in normal, healthy, loving relationships with each other; the same way cis and cis people do, and trans and trans people do.

I love trans Viktors, I love trans Jayces, I love any and all interpretations and versions of all the Arcane characters and have seen plenty of trans Jayces that I think are excellently written and add a lot to his character. I also know there's been a lot of great discourse around the fact that fanon commonly accepts Viktor as trans more readily than it does Jayce, and how that's related to harmful stereotypes around what trans men do and don't look like, which also intersects with how POC are treated differently when it comes to their transness/gender conformity or non-conformity (Jayce as a Latino man, obviously being relevant). I'll clarify that I personally disagree with the (many, many) fanon versions of Jayvik that paint Jayce as an aggressive, tough, domineering manly man, and Viktor as a wilting, hyper-feminized submissive flower. I think treating them that way absolutely does lend itself to fetishizing, racist, transphobic and colourist rhetoric that totally contradicts both characters and frankly doesn't make a whole lot of sense in either canon or fanon storytelling. My version of Jayce, like canon Jayce, is sensitive, romantic, gentle, and an absolute bottom, regardless of whether his partner is cis or trans.

So with that out of the way, onto your actual question: the version of Jayce I personally write and headcanon is cis for a few reasons.

The main one is that a lot of his characterization and the dynamic between him and Viktor is built around a pretty core imbalance of privilege and a misaligned understanding of the necessity of autonomy and self-determination. There are certain lived experiences Viktor has had that Jayce has not: growing up in extreme poverty, growing up physically disabled, growing up socially ostracized—he was excluded from the other children even within the fissures, which meant he experienced multiple layers of marginalization even for a Zaunite. Jayce experienced hardships of his own, but they weren't the same. Jayce is physically strong, able-bodied, conventionally attractive and in a flexible enough position that he's able to finagle a little of his upward mobility into the way he presents himself, getting a good education, and convincing the Kiramman family to sponsor him, which is all indicative of his relative ease in navigating Piltovan social rules.

While Jayce struggled with plenty of different things, in my interpretation he didn't personally struggle with physical disability or gender dysphoria, and that's important because when he later makes certain decisions on Viktor's behalf against his wishes related to his body and his health, it comes from a place of complete ignorance. While he deeply loves and accepts Viktor unconditionally, he fundamentally does not understand him in many ways. He had no way of appreciating Viktor's perspective based on his lived experiences as a disabled (and, in many interpretations, trans) man, because for Jayce, he'd never been in a position where his own bodily autonomy had ever been in question. It's also why, when Jayce later becomes disabled himself, it's such a significant change for him and his worldview. The concept of intent vs. impact is core to Jayce (and Viktor), and personally is one of my favorite things about the pairing.

Finally, I use they/them pronouns and don't identify with either a strictly feminine or masculine gender expression but that doesn’t mean I necessarily want to exclusively write about or from the perspective of characters that share my experiences. And what's gender-affirming to write about for one person might not be for another, and that should be respected too. If it gives you gender euphoria to write from the perspective of a person with the same or a different gender or physical attributes than yours, then you should absolutely do that.

I think the discourse is good and appropriate, but I think it can also sometimes scare people away from writing about what they want to write about because they're so focused on adhering to morality that they lose some of their ability to think critically or to accept nuance. Jayce is not perfect, and I'm not trying to write him to be perfect. Friction creates good, interesting storytelling, and that's what I like so much about Arcane as a source material. I could probably also go into the fact that demonization of cis men can be a little bit of a slippery slope into TERF ideology, but I've already written an absolute novel so I'll stop there.

I'm hoping this was asked in good faith and that I've covered it with this answer, but also, if you'd prefer not to read about a cis version of Jayce, that's cool and I would completely understand if you’d prefer to unfollow or block and to find another version that you vibe with better. ❤️

[utilitycaster]

I saw you reply to an ask saying Tiberius player sucks, but I never saw anything about conflict between the cast. Granted I didn’t join until campaign 2, so did something happen to make them kick him out?

I'm going to link the iconic r/hobbydrama post because I think it's genuinely excellently written and a thorough rundown, and please note that I also started with Campaign 2 so this is mostly secondhand for me. The tl;dr is that the actor for Tiberius immediately began hogging the spotlight inappropriately, avoiding things that might put Tiberius at risk thus screwing over everyone else, cheating on dice to make his character seem cooler, and ultimately in the course of one episode dominated the conversation and tried to bypass a core aspect of Percy's arc and said something sexually inappropriate in-character regarding Vex, Laura's character. He left not long after. If you watch the early C1 episodes it's very much stated as him needing to leave for personal reasons (he was also I believe legitimately dealing with some health issues), but it became clear later he'd been asked to leave.

It later came out that the actor had been hostile a few times while on the show towards fans in inappropriate ways, was frequently hostile and abusive towards many people afterwards, and stole and scammed from his own crowdfunding and employees regarding a spinoff of Tiberius's adventures.

For a bit of background, the vibe when I started Campaign 2, at least while avoiding most of social media, was pretty neutral even though Matt had definitely said some stuff that indicated this had gone badly, and TVTropes (look, I was trying to avoid spoilers and at the time it had episode-by-episode updates) honestly seemed to have been written by fans of Tiberius and was pretty sympathetic towards him. If you're not experienced with D&D or are listening by podcast it is hard to tell how bad things were until episode 27 (his final one and the one where the conflict is really apparent), especially if you have no other baseline for the cast. Tiberius's heroic death that comes out in 1x64 was, I believe, arranged by Matt to be fairly respectful, and coupled with the cast's requests to respect everyone's privacy I think it just wasn't much of a point of discussion during C1, though I could be wrong. The crowdfunding scam news came out right when C2 was in its early episodes, and I think that's when the fandom started to become more aware.

Anyway if you watch early C1, I think it is worth it despite him (and honestly while the actor sucks the character was a good concept and would have had immense potential in the hands of someone who was an honest and generous D&D player, particularly if the fall of Draconia was pre-planned even before his departure), but as many other people have said, if you haven't seen episode 1x27 you do not know what the cast looks like when they're actually fucking angry at someone. Like even when they've been upset with each other it's been a "talk it out" situation, rather than that.

[srbachchan]

DAY 5974

Jalsa, Mumbai June 26/27, 2024 Wed/Thu 12:56 am

🪔 ,

June 27 .. birthday wishes to : Ef Ravi Patel .. Ef Diyansh Kumbhat from Chennai .. and .. Ef Ayush Mishra from Bilaspur .. 🙏🏻❤️🚩

💍 .. wedding anniversary greeting to : Ef Rajesh Kejriwal from Kolkata .. completing 35 years of togetherness .. on June 26 .. our wishes and more .. 💐🙏🏻❤️🚩

..

Birthday - EF - Ravi Patel Thursday, 27 June our wishes for this day and the best ever .. love ❤️

Resistance .. its many forms and values and dimensions and usage .. so it became urgently important to apprise the self of it from sources ..

"Resistance is a multifaceted concept, encompassing physical, psychological, social, and political dimensions. Its definition and application can vary significantly depending on the context in which it is considered. At its core, resistance involves the act of opposing, withstanding, or striving against some force or condition. This broad definition can be applied to various fields, including physics, medicine, psychology, and social movements.

In physics, resistance is a measure of the opposition to the flow of electric current in a conductor. It is quantified by the unit ohm and symbolized by the Greek letter omega (Ω). The resistance of a conductor depends on its material, length, cross-sectional area, and temperature. For instance, materials like copper and aluminum have low resistance and are therefore good conductors, whereas materials like rubber and glass have high resistance and are good insulators. Ohm's Law, a fundamental principle in electrical engineering, states that the current flowing through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage across the two points and inversely proportional to the resistance. This relationship is crucial in designing electrical circuits and understanding their behavior.

In medicine, resistance often refers to the ability of microorganisms, such as bacteria and viruses, to withstand the effects of drugs that are intended to kill or weaken them. Antibiotic resistance is a significant public health concern, as it makes infections harder to treat, leading to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs, and increased mortality. Resistance can develop through various mechanisms, such as genetic mutations or the acquisition of resistance genes from other bacteria. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals accelerate this process, making it imperative to use these medications judiciously and to develop new treatments.

Psychologically, resistance can manifest as a reluctance or refusal to accept certain thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. This concept is particularly relevant in therapy and counseling, where clients may resist discussing painful or traumatic experiences. This resistance can be conscious or unconscious and can hinder the therapeutic process. Understanding and addressing resistance is crucial for therapists, as it can provide insights into the client's internal conflicts and defenses. Techniques such as building a strong therapeutic alliance, using motivational interviewing, and gradually exposing clients to difficult topics can help in overcoming resistance.

In social and political contexts, resistance is often associated with efforts to oppose and challenge established power structures, policies, or social norms. Throughout history, resistance movements have played pivotal roles in advocating for social change and justice. Examples include the civil rights movement in the United States, the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, and the women's suffrage movement. These movements often involve a combination of nonviolent protest, civil disobedience, and sometimes armed struggle. The success of these movements typically depends on various factors, including leadership, organization, public support, and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

In contemporary times, resistance continues to be a vital force in addressing issues such as climate change, systemic racism, and economic inequality. Activists and grassroots organizations worldwide are mobilizing to resist policies and practices that they perceive as unjust or harmful. Social media and digital communication have transformed the landscape of resistance, enabling rapid dissemination of information, coordination of actions, and amplification of marginalized voices.

Resistance, in its many forms, is an essential aspect of human experience and societal development. Whether in the realm of science, health, psychology, or social justice, resistance challenges the status quo and fosters progress. It embodies the struggle for survival, dignity, and betterment, reflecting the resilience and determination inherent in individuals and communities. As such, understanding and engaging with the concept of resistance is crucial for addressing the complex challenges of our world. "

... and at times the sources do not even address the most common of them all in the resistance ..

It be the pen and paper writing ..

When the pen has a resistance to the paper quality it is being written on the writing experience is determined as good bad or average ..

When the holding posture of the pen is conveniently comfortable to write, it produces the quality of writing exhibited ..

When the nib and flow of the ink on the pen is of desired like , the paper may be of the best resistance quality, the writing shall never be of the desired ..

paper same .. nib different , pen different .. sign same , but all different in form and appearance ..

GN 😴

Amitabh Bachchan