#Empathy Map

[gracielas-photography]

The "Ideal" Customer persona/ Empathy map

The ideal customer for my photography business is a small business owner based in the Niagara Region who is looking for help creating high-quality visual content for their brand. This customer likely runs a retail shop, café, or online business and wants to improve their online presence through professional photos. They would value a photographer who understands their brand, communicates clearly, and can work with them to create consistent, eye-catching images. Ideally, this customer is open to collaboration, can provide insight into their style and goals, and is looking for someone local, reliable, and creative to help tell their business story through visuals.

Below is an empathy map that i have created:

and for those of you what would like to use this format you can click on this link below and download the document. i used a drawing app to erase the questions and added my answers to it.

https://futurpreneur.ca/en/resource/customer-empathy-map-understanding-your-customer/

[dongw1]

Week 3

Good dayyy everyonersss!!

We were supposed to have a class on February 5, but Sir Carl had an urgent matter to attend to, so he assigned us activities instead. These tasks were due on February 7, along with Chapter 1 of our study manuscript, which was due on February 8. One of the tasks was creating an empathy map, which required us to pair up and interview each other. For the manuscript, we had to team up with our group members again to ensure we produced quality work and completed it on time. Despite facing some challenges, especially with balancing tasks from other subjects, we still enjoyed the process and managed to submit everything by the deadline.

It was an insightful activity that offered us many viewpoints.

[joesssupdaetes]

Week 5

On February 19, we first start with a reporting about the topic we didn't finish. Then, topic 3 was discussed in preparation for the diagrams we have to make in our website system. Also, our empathy map activity was returned to us by that day.

[cfrog]

gonna start using the skills im learning in marketing class on my tumblr blog but not in the ways im supposed to. gonna make an empathy map for my ocs.

[wmnylander]

in regards to your elections post the filtering system would be a lot more effective at weeding out the stuff you don’t wanna see rather than just hitting not interested (i have a hunch that pressing not interested is still counted as a interacting so you still get shown more of that content bc it really does not work lol)

i also would like to just mention that as much as you might be sick of hearing about it the wellbeing of millions of american people are on the line this election and they can be in legitimately dangerous situations if this election does not go a certain way, i understand why constantly seeing and hearing about it gets old pretty quickly but there’s a good reason why people are being loud about it and if you’re tired of hearing about it imagine what the people who are worried about their livelihoods feel

if you think america is the only country where there is life or death issues happening well buddy do i have news for you

[nikki101421]

Exploring Empathy: Week 4 Insights and Climate Action Shift

Weekly blog- March 10, 2024

Source: Pinterest

During week 4, we really dug deep into understanding each other by playing the Empathy Map game. Sharing our experiences and feelings helped us see things from different perspectives and understand our own desires better. We even created a character named "Joshua" after one of our group members, which made the game even more enjoyable.

In addition to the game, we also had an online progress report for the week. During this time, our team decided to make a significant change. Instead of focusing on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 6, which is about clean water and sanitation, we shifted our attention to SDG number 13, which is about climate action. We all agreed that it's crucial to tackle climate change now by reducing pollution and taking action.

As part of our new focus, we discussed proposing smoke filtering devices that could be attached to vehicle mufflers. However, we wanted to stay focused on the problem first before jumping into solutions. We wanted to assess where we could make a difference and what we could provide to address the issue effectively.

WEEK 4 SELF-ASSESSMENT

Source: Pinterest

This week has been eye-opening for me. Despite our differences, my groupmates and I connected deeply through the Empathy Map game. This experience showed me the power of empathy in understanding others' perspectives and desires. It's a lesson I'll carry forward as we engage with potential customers. We'll prioritize understanding their needs and concerns, ensuring our solutions truly resonate with them. This shift in focus towards climate action also taught me the importance of being adaptable and willing to change direction when necessary. Overall, I'm proud of the progress we made this week and excited about the positive impact we can have moving forward.

Nikki Love C. Opiso-ME3A

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering-3A

[seungyeonlee]

CTS B-Week 6

Critical Self-Reflectivity: How Do I Think About My Thinking Processes?

In this class, our team visited Sim Lim Square, located near the school, to identify design-related issues and propose solutions. I worked with Liza, Eqa, and Haewon. When we arrived at Sim Lim Square and started exploring, we quickly noticed that there weren’t clear signs or maps, making it difficult to navigate.

From what we know, Sim Lim Square is a well-known electronics mall in Singapore and a popular spot for foreigners and tourists. However, since it’s hard to find where specific stores are located, we realized that this could be challenging for visitors, especially foreigners and tourists.

As a solution, our team proposed installing interactive directories inside the mall. These directories, commonly found in larger malls, have the advantage of providing more accurate store locations and directions, helping people shop more efficiently. However, a drawback could be the high cost of installation, and it may be slightly difficult for elderly people to use.

Through this activity, I realized that as designers, we must first empathize with problems from the users' perspective. Similar to Week 3, solving problems requires awareness, and designers need the ability to address those problems through design. According to one study, a designer’s empathy can significantly impact the usefulness of a design. It also emphasized the importance of using appropriate customer research methods tailored to the conditions and situations of design problems and that improving empathy skills can lead to more useful outcomes. This made me recognize once again how essential this skill is for designers and reinforced my desire to become a designer who can empathize with people's situations and social issues.

(267 words)

Jaehee Jung. "DBpia." Journal of Industrial Design Studies, vol. 13, no. 2, 2019, pp. 71–82, www.dbpia.co.kr/Journal/articleDetail?nodeId=NODE10727017. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.

--

Generative AI was used for grammar checking.

[cmu-printsone]

The Bridge Between (Interview)

There is a total of 11 questions in the PrintSONE team's empathy map.

Identification

#1 and #2 – Students from BS Psychology 2

How are the services in your available printing facility in terms of efficiency?

It is not that quite efficient as there are times that they are not available. For example, their printer is not working or they are close for the day but you needed to print your file already.

I'd say the efficiency of my go-to printing facility is excellent. They deliver high-quality prints quickly and use the latest technology.

Have you noticed a printing facility near the center of the campus?

Aside from the printing facility in the market, none.

Yes. It's technically inside the campus, but it's quite a distance from my usual routes.

Did you avail any printing services today? How was the experience in terms of costs, time consumed, and travelled distance?

The distance is quite far and the price is not that friendly.

Yes, I did use a printing service today. In terms of costs and time consumed, it was quite efficient - the prices were low and the service was quick. The only downside was the distance, as it's quite far from the main building where I usually have my classes.

Do you have a separate budget for printing of handouts (student outputs, modules from teachers, etc.)?

None.

No, I don't have a separate budget specifically for printing handouts. Instead, I directly deduct these expenses from my regular allowance. It's a part of my overall spending plan.

Does your instructor/s require you to print handouts?

Yes.

Not really.

Do you print your own handouts or ask your friends to print them?

Sometimes, I need to ask my friend to print it. Sometimes, I need to walk a distance to accomplish my task.

I prefer to print my own handouts. I find it more convenient and it allows me to manage my own time and resources better. Plus, it gives me the flexibility to print exactly what I need when I need it.

Do you know or have you heard of anyone with the same sentiments about printing as you?

Yes.

Yes, absolutely. It seems like a common sentiment among us students.

Have you ever heard your friends or blockmates complain about printing your handouts?

Yes.

Yes. It seems like the issues of cost, time, and distance are common concerns among us.

How do you feel about needing to print a document that needs to be printed immediately in a particular moment?

It is frustrating to be stressed on that kind of thing.

It can be quite stressful when I need to print a document immediately, especially if it's for a class or a submission. The pressure of making sure it prints correctly, coupled with the worry about whether the printing facility is available or not, can be challenging.

What would you probably be worried about if your activities or handouts are not yet printed?

The deadline.

If my activities or handouts are not yet printed, I'd probably be worried about not being prepared for my classes. I might be concerned about not having the necessary materials for studying or for completing assignments.

How will you solve your problems concerning printing and photocopying?

Not sure, but the best thing (but expensive) I guess is buying your own.

I'd make sure to prepare and finalize my documents well in advance so I don't have to rush at the last minute. If distance is a problem, I might look for closer alternatives or even consider investing in a personal printer if it's within my budget.

[lisablack000]

Left, right and center: mapping emotion in the brain

According to a radical new model of emotion in the brain, a current treatment for the most common mental health problems could be ineffective or even detrimental to about 50 percent of the population.

Since the 1970s, hundreds of studies have suggested that each hemisphere of the brain is home to a specific type of emotion. The neural system for emotions linked to approaching and engaging with the world – like happiness, pride and anger – lives in the left side of the brain, while emotions associated with avoidance – like disgust and fear – are housed in the right.

But those studies were done almost exclusively on right-handed people. That simple fact has given us a skewed understanding of how emotion works in the brain, according to Daniel Casasanto, associate professor of human development and of psychology.

That long-standing model is, in fact, reversed in left-handed people, whose emotions like alertness and determination are housed in the right side of their brains, Casasanto suggests in a new study. Even more radical: The location of a person’s neural systems for emotion depends on whether they are left-handed, right-handed or somewhere in between, the research shows.

“The old model suggests that each hemisphere is specialized for one type of emotion, but that’s not true,” Casasanto said. “Approach emotions are smeared over both hemispheres according to the direction and degree of your handedness … . The big theoretical shift is, we’re saying emotion in the brain isn’t its own system. Emotion in the cerebral cortex is built upon neural systems for motor action.”

The study, “Approach motivation in human cerebral cortex,” appeared June 18 in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. The paper’s first author, Geoffrey Brookshire, was a doctoral candidate in Casasanto’s lab at the University of Chicago and a visiting doctoral student in Casasanto’s lab at Cornell.

The idea for the researchers’ theory, called the “sword and shield” hypothesis, stems from Casasanto’s observation that we use our dominant hands for approach-oriented actions, while nondominant hands are used for avoidance movements.

“You would wield the sword in your dominant hand to make approach-related actions like stabbing your enemy, and use the shield in your nondominant hand to fend off attack,” he said. “Your dominant hand gets the thing you want and your nondominant hand pushes away the thing you don’t.”

The researchers theorized that approach and avoidance emotions are built on neural systems for approach and avoidance actions.

“If this sword and shield hypothesis is correct,” he said, “then three things should follow: Approach motivation should be mediated by the left hemisphere in strong right-handers, as it has been in tons of previous studies. But it should completely reverse in strong left-handers. For everyone in the middle of the handedness spectrum, approach emotions should depend on both hemispheres.”

Casasanto and Brookshire tested this idea by stimulating the two hemispheres of the brains of 25 healthy participants with a pain-free electrical current.

The goal was to see if they could cause the participants to experience approach-related emotions – including enthusiasm, interest, strength, excitement, determination and alertness – depending on which hemisphere of the brain was stimulated and whether they were righties or lefties or somewhere in between. The study participants got zapped for 20 minutes a day for five days, and reported before and after the five days how strongly they were feeling emotions like pride and happiness.

The experiment worked – and corroborated the researchers’ first test of the sword and shield hypothesis using brain imaging. Strong righties who were zapped in the left hemisphere experienced a boost in positive emotions. So did strong lefties zapped in the right hemisphere. But when lefties are zapped in the left hemisphere – or righties in the right – “you see either no change or a detriment in the experience of these emotions,” Casasanto said.

The work has implications for a current treatment for recalcitrant anxiety and depression called neural therapy. Similar to the technique used in the study and approved by the Food and Drug Administration, it involves a mild electrical stimulation or a magnetic stimulation to the left side of the brain, to encourage approach-related emotions.

But Casasanto’s work suggests the treatment could be damaging for left-handed patients. Stimulation on the left would decrease life-affirming approach emotions. “If you give left-handers the standard treatment, you’re probably going to make them worse,” Casasanto said.

“And because many people are neither strongly right- nor left-handed, the stimulation won’t make any difference for them, because their approach emotions are distributed across both hemispheres,” he said.

“This suggests strong righties should get the normal treatment, but they make up only 50 percent of the population. Strong lefties should get the opposite treatment, and people in the middle shouldn’t get the treatment at all.”

However, Casasanto cautions that this research studied only healthy participants and more work is needed to extend these findings to a clinical setting.

The research was funded by a James S. McDonnell Foundation Scholar Award and the National Science Foundation.

[ozzgin]

Santa baby are you really there?!

*hears a voice in my backyard*

FUCK SKIN WALKER

- you make Yan skinwalker i’ll do anything to get a skin walker to love me … yes I am 100% mentally stable

I'm not sure if you had something horror-esque in mind, because my immediate idea was Reader accidentally getting cursed and continuing her life completely unaware with a ""dog"" everyone is freaked out by, but she finds it cute. So more like dark comedy vibes. You be the judge. :D

Disclaimer: I have changed the name to Shapeshifter as to not delve into potentially offensive takes on native folklore. Thank you for informing my European ass.

Yandere!Monster x Reader [Shapeshifter]

On your last hiking trip, you've stumbled upon a helpless, lost dog. Or rather, it stalked you down to your cabin and spent the night in front of your window. You didn't have the heart to abandon the poor soul and so you brought it home with you. Strange things have been happening ever since and no one knows how to tell you that the monstrous coyote-like creature might be to blame. You're oblivious to everything.

Content: female reader, dark comedy, monster romance, reader is cursed and proud

It wasn't your intention to return home with a new pet. Some might say it was written in the stars, this fateful encounter of yours. You had finished packing your supplies for a day-long hike, vehemently refusing to join your group of friends that would be guided around by a native. They’d warned you many areas of the mountainous forest were supposedly cursed or haunted, so you just scribbled the limits on your makeshift map and promised to stay on the main trails. After all, this was your chance to commune with nature. As the sun begun to set, you wondered if going by yourself was indeed a smart idea, given your lack of spatial awareness and difficulty to navigate maps. You flipped the piece of paper several times, deep in contemplation. Could it be that you’ve reached the forbidden lands? You quickly surveyed the area: based on the stuffed rag dolls hanging from old branches, and the animal skulls arranged in patterns among patches of burnt grass, it was very much a possibility. Perhaps the improvised slab that said “Stay away�� in dripping crimson letters should’ve been enough of a warning, but you assumed they’d just been creative with trail markers.

You didn’t have the time to panic. Just as you were furrowing your eyebrows in a final attempt to decipher the map (at the time upside-down), your ears picked up a faint shuffle of leaves. Further away stood a dog, its glossy eyes fixated on your form. A lost puppy? It seemed to be on the larger side, but then again some breeds grow rather fast. You lowered yourself and patted your knees, whispering diminutives in an effort to call the animal over. It remained in place, staring quietly. Alright, then. You focused on finding your way back instead. Every now and then you'd turn back and see the dog, motionlessly eyeing you at a constant distance. Oh, dear. Was it lost? Frightening affair.

Back at the cabin you told the others about your discovery, with a hint of worry in your voice. You hoped the little pup had found proper shelter. You'd expected a similar reaction coming from your friends, but one of them suggested: "What if it was some shapeshifting monster? There's many legends and stories from the area." Everyone laughed and you joined hesitantly, mildly annoyed by the lack of empathy. That night you barely slept, twisting and turning under the heavy feeling of being watched. You woke up tired and nervous, dragging your feet towards the window for some fresh air. That's when you saw the same forest creature, fully awake and tall in its glory, positioned before your room. This was no coincidence. You had been plagued by the guilt of abandoning a vulnerable quadruped and you weren't about to continue as a passive observer. You strode out without a word and lifted the large dog with a huff, carrying it back in to figure out the transport logistics.

Thus started the unexpected companionship. To you, it's a lovely tale of two lost souls finding one another. Most people seem to disagree. Can you blame them? The rescued puppy you often speak of is, in the eyes of everyone else, a monstrous beast by all definitions. It resembles a coyote more than a dog, but even this description is too gentle. The fur is always raised threateningly and the protruding clusters of fangs remind one of the anatomical anomalies displayed in museums. The eyes, oh, the worst of all perhaps, bottomless depths that pull you in until you run out of air. The creature stares with the all-knowing gaze of a human. "Don't be rude", you snap at whoever dares to point these details out. "It must be a mixed breed or something."

Their persistence is truly ridiculous. You've even had guests run out in panic, claiming the dog stood on its back legs and whispered in a language unknown. Or that its shadow would morph into a grotesque man with claws and crooked antlers. Or that they've found it hunched over your sleeping form, its spine twisted outwards with jagged peaks breaking through the wild fur. Rubbish, all of it.

Strange things have been happening, no doubt, but your adopted fur-child has no blame to carry. You've been trying to distract yourself, going on dates and occasionally bringing potential suitors over. They all vanish overnight, nonchalantly leaving an empty, ruffled bed for you to wake up to. "Am I just unlucky?" You sigh, running your fingers through the coarse fur of your dog. It lowers itself under your touch, visibly enjoying the affection. For a split second, it glances out the window. By the time you come out of your depressed slump, the birds should've finished feeding on the remains. He made sure to tear and grind everything fine enough to not leave any marks behind.

That's how curses work, after all. He didn't expect, however, that you'd be utterly unaware of it. He has to give you the credit, not many people become stalked by an ancient curse and continue their life in blissful ignorance. Even more, for them to just casually pick up the haunting entity and bring it inside their home willingly...You're, uh, certainly a special one. Hence the change of plans. He was supposed to torment you into an early grave, but he's grown rather attached to your bizarre antics. And you do provide some damn good chin scratches. He's therefore satisfied with causing anguish and destruction to anything and anyone in your immediate vicinity instead. Since you've been complaining about the resulting isolation...

You wake up with a gasp, wiping your drenched forehead and checking the sheets. The dog is curled next to you, although its head is now tilted in your direction. "O-oh. It might be the loneliness talking...but I had the strangest dream." How troubling and embarrassing. Your beloved pet had turned into a deformed, monstrous man instead, pinning you down and hungrily grazing your skin with his sharp teeth. Your fearful protests eventually turned into shameless moans, your frail body at the mercy of the mysterious beast. It unfolded so vividly that your core feels sore. You stretch a sheepish hand towards your pet and abruptly stop halfway, noticing the marks diffused into your wrist, like violet smudges of watercolor. What the hell did you do last night?

The dog buries its head under the sheets and nuzzles its snout into your soft flesh. Heh. How many more disappearing guests will be needed for you to figure out your situation? He does find your obliviousness terribly amusing, as well as your willingness to clutch onto him despite his unsightly appearance. He was feeling particularly cheeky and thought of giving you a little scare, only to be once again taken aback by your neediness. He has to wonder who exactly is trapped in this situation, because your reactions to everything he does are frighteningly tempting. Maybe tonight he'll finally let you know, just as you're about to come undone beneath his heaving body. Something like, hmmm. "By the way, love, this isn't a dream." He could even add a little "woof" to tease you more.

[sh4nksslvt]

Giant Duck Incident

When Luffy mistakes a giant duck for dinner and ends up getting a kiss instead

LUFFY X GN!READER ౨ৎ💗 ONE SHOT

tags: fluff, sfw

a/n: this js me trying to write ffs, this is experimental and for fun only so expect this ffs a bit cringe

masterlist | ko-fi

words count: 1.1k

: 𓏲🐋 ๋࣭  ࣪ ˖✩࿐࿔ 🌊

The sun was high, the sea was calm, and there were absolutely no signs of trouble.

Which, on the Thousand Sunny, meant one thing:

Trouble was coming.

“LUFFY, NO—!!”

Too late. You watched in horror as Monkey D. Luffy, your idiot-slash-sweetheart captain, launched himself full-speed off the ship.

“THAT’S A HUGE DRUMSTICK!!”

He landed with a wet splat on what you now saw was not, in fact, a drumstick, but a massive, living, very not amused yellow blob.

A duck.

A giant duck. Towering, glistening, waddling angrily in the shallows.

It honked—a sound that felt more like a roar—and thrashed its wings wildly, trying to throw the rubbery parasite off its back.

Luffy clung to its neck like a child to a carnival ride, cackling madly. “SHISHISHSHI IT’S THE SIZE OF A WHOLE BANQUET!!”

You pinched the bridge of your nose. “This man has the survival instincts of a particularly reckless bread roll.”

You glanced at the rest of the crew.

Zoro was asleep.

Sanji was busy sculpting carrot roses for Robin.

Robin was reading, obviously not surprised.

Nami looked up from her map just long enough to yell, “Not it!”

Usopp and Chopper screamed something about curses and jumped into a barrel together.

Which left you.

Of course it did.

—

The duck, still honking its fury to the high heavens, stomped in circles while Luffy attempted to bite its side. You sprinted down the ramp and into the shallow surf.

“LUFFY, GET OFF THE DUCK!”

“I’M TRYING TO TASTE IT!”

“IT’S A SENTIENT CREATURE!”

“BUT IT LOOKS SO CRISPY—”

The duck, insulted on a deeply personal level, launched itself upward in one majestic leap and sent Luffy flying through the air like a flailing meat meteor. He landed beside you, face in the sand, limbs splayed in defeat.

“…Ow,” he mumbled.

You sighed and knelt beside him. “You good?”

He gave you a thumbs-up, still face-down. “YUP! SHISHISHI”

You helped brush sand off his hat as he sat up.

“Luffy,” you said, trying to be calm, “you can’t eat random animals just because they’re big and vaguely drumstick-shaped.”

“But look at it!” he whined, pointing. “It’s got those golden thighs! The rotisserie energy! The juicy potential!”

“It has a name, probably. A family. A job.”

He squinted. “Maybe it’s an orphan with a deep desire to fulfill its destiny as dinner.”

You blinked then laugh at this. “… pftt! did you just create a duck backstory to justify your cravings?”

“Yes!” he said proudly. “That’s called empathy I think! SHISHISHI”

You stared at him, completely deadpan. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

He blinked. Then beamed. “You think I’m cute?”

“…That was supposed to stay in my head.”

“TOO LATE!” he yelled, springing to his feet and throwing his arms in the air like a victorious meat wrestler. “Y/N THINKS I’M CUUUUTE!!”

“Luffy!”

“I’M CUTE! I’M CUTE! EVEN CUTER THAN THE DUCK!”

The duck, now perched like a war god on a rock, glared at him with pure malice.

You sighed. “We’re gonna be hunted by poultry assassins. I can feel it.”

—

Back on the Sunny, after Luffy was physically restrained from offering the duck “one little nibble,” peace was finally restored. The sun dipped low, painting the sky in soft golds and purples.

You sat on the deck’s edge, feet dangling over the sea. Luffy flopped beside you, hat tilted back, grin wide.

“Hey, Y/N,” he said suddenly.

You braced yourself. “If you ask me to cook duck—”

“No, no,” he chuckled. “I was gonna say... I like when you laugh.”

You turned to him, surprised.

He was watching you. Not in the usual Luffy way — not like when he spotted meat across the room, or stared down an enemy. This was the kind of look that made your chest feel warm and your brain do a little somersault.

“Earlier,” he said, “you laughed when I said something about empathy”

“Thats not... I was mocking you!,” you replied. “I thought I was about to watch you get pecked into a new time zone.”

“But you still laughed,” he said, all sunny and smug. “You always do.”

“That’s because you’re ridiculous.”

“You like it,” he teased, nudging your shoulder.

You bit back a smile. “I tolerate it. Barely.”

He tilted his head, expression soft. “Zoro said it’s obvious.”

“…You talked to Zoro about me?”

“I asked if I could kiss you,” Luffy said bluntly. “He said ask you, not him.”

Your brain fizzled. “Wait. What—”

“So,” Luffy continued, turning fully to face you with that open, earnest joy you’d come to adore, “can I?”

“Can you what?”

“Kiss you,” he said like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Your breath caught. This was the same boy who just tried to eat a duck like it was a buffet item. Who once got stuck inside a vending machine trying to retrieve a stuck candy bar. Who sometimes forgot his shoes and didn’t notice for an hour.

And yet.

Your heart fluttered like it hadn’t gotten the memo about logic.

“…Yes,” you said, quiet.

His face lit up like a festival. “Yeah?!”

You nodded.

He scooted close—awkwardly but gently—and cupped your cheek, his hand warm and calloused. The kiss was clumsy, sweet, quick. His nose bumped yours, and when he pulled away, he had that stupidly big grin that made your stomach flip.

“WHOA,” he whispered.

“Yeah,” you whispered back.

He leaned back on his hands, practically glowing. “Gonna tell Zoro it worked!”

“LUFFY—NO—!”

Too late.

“ZORO!! I KISSED Y/N!! AND THEY SAID YES!! YOU WERE RIGHT!!”

You groaned and dropped your head into your hands as Zoro’s muffled “I don’t care!” echoed from the crow’s nest.

Sanji’s head whipped up from the kitchen door, his cigarette dangling dangerously.

“WHAT?!”

Luffy turned mid-skip. “I kissed Y/N!”

Sanji's eye twitched. “I leave you alone for ONE romantic sunset and you SNEAK AHEAD?!”

You, now partially hiding behind the mast, groaned. “Oh no.”

“Luffy, you absolute—! That was supposed to be MY kiss! I was going to bring you a fruit parfait! HOW DARE YOU KISS MY Y/N~CHWANNNNN!”

Luffy skipped back to you, unbothered and beaming. “Wanna kiss again?”

You peeked through your fingers. “If you promise not to announce it like a seagull with a megaphone.”

He nodded. “Fineee!. But I will write it in my logbook shishishi.”

“…You have a logbook?!”

“It’s mostly meat sketches and battle doodles. But now it has you.”

And your heart, traitor that it was, somersaulted again.

You sighed. “Fine. Just… no more trying to eat ducks.”

He tilted his head. “What if it asks nicely?”

You groaned, flopping back dramatically.

And somewhere in the distance, a vengeful honk echoed over the sea.

[dopaminetreasurehoard]

Meriadoc Brandybuck moments in the book that I wish we saw in the films

Merry solves the riddle of the ithildin door into Moria.

He was quick on the uptake in most situations, including when he anticipated Frodo's need to leave the Shire due to something involving Bilbo's ring.

In Rivendell, he studies maps to plot their journey.

Before the quest, he took charge of the chaotic distribution of Bilbo's gifts after he left for Rivendell, including handling the infamous Sackville-Bagginses.

He was quick-witted.

I've always remembered Lobelia shouting at Frodo that he's not really a Baggins, but a Brandybuck. Frodo says, "How do you like that, Merry? That was an insult, if you like!"

Merry shoots back, "It was a compliment. And so, of course, not true."

His "gentle loyalty", arguably something each of the hobbits possess, but not as emphasized in the films in Merry's case. I love the passage in RotK that describes Merry's courage arising from empathy for Eowyn's plight:

"suddenly the slow-kindled courage of his race awoke. He clenched his hand. She should not die, so fair, so desperate! At least she should not die alone, unaided.”

All the main hobbits play a significant role of their own in the Scouring, but it struck me that Merry is really the one who takes the strongest leadership role to rally their fellow hobbits and challenging the ruffians.

And to all this I love that Dominic Monaghan added hints of his own cheeky, devil-may-care energy.

[jewish-sideblog]

If you say shit like “Palestinians should die” or “Gaza should get wiped off the map” on my blog I will block you just as fast as if you had said “Jews should die” or “Israel should get wiped off the map”. This blog believes strongly in the safety and mutual respect of both peoples, regardless of the actions of their governments. If you think differently, I hope you find empathy. In the meantime, fuck off.

[thewatcher727]

Writing Description Notes: Mental Pain

Updated 3rd June 2024 More description notes

The hallucinations were the same as being tortured for real, all of the emotions, all of the trauma, and none of the empathy that would come with such a real life ordeal.

There was something in that shout, a pain behind it. John watched. He watched Jane’s eyes. Then he knew. The anger was nothing but a shield for pain, like a cornered soldier randomly throwing out grenades, scared for his life, lonely, desperate. He breathed in real slowly. What if nothing blew up? What if there were no consequences? Wouldn't John have to calm down? Wouldn't the shield clatter to the ground and let the pain tumble out?

John sees Jane. He does. He sees pain in her eyes. It has sat there for her lifetime, trapped in the confusion we all carry. He sees love too, the love she would have given were it not for the scars. It's still there, and one day he will set her free. John is not perfect, yet he loves her, and he knows what love means. He asks for a chance to find his feet, to stop his own head from spinning, and he will prove it. There is so much of her life that is a hell for her soul, and she stays there from strength rather than weakness, he knows. So he wants to join her in that pain, walk with her, feel the same torture he knows she bears. And one day, he will find just the right way to bring her home, his love.

Jane's emotional pain seeps out in her words, and it hurts John to hear them, hurts to read them. He senses what is inside that troubles her, yet also there is so much goodness there too—bravery, tenacity. She holds on like a fighter, every morning rising at the ringing of "the bell." All he can offer her is a brighter horizon, a hope that one day she will be free of all this. One day there will be choice, freedom, and security of food, shelter on a healthy Earth. 

Emotional pain leaves invisible scars, yet they can be traced by the most gentle of touch.

Nobody wants to hurt, yet if John's pains can be used to help others, he feels blessed. Anyhow, perhaps his scars are his road-map; maybe he would be lost without them.

He turned towards him, a pained expression plastered across his face, teeth clenched as he tried to steady his breathing.

Gripping the ground as hard as he could to take some of the pain away.

It was as if a thousand needles of doubt and self-loathing were piercing her heart with each passing moment, leaving behind a tapestry of scars that only she could see.

It was as though a veil of sadness had been draped over her eyes, distorting her perception of the world and casting everything in shades of gray.

The weight of sorrow was a constant companion, pressing down on his shoulders until he felt he might collapse under its burden.

Her mind was a battlefield, each thought a landmine ready to explode with memories she wished she could forget.

The storm inside his head raged on, a relentless barrage of thoughts and fears that left him feeling exhausted and defeated.

It was as if a dark cloud had settled over his soul.

Her chest felt hollow, a yawning emptiness where joy and peace once resided, now replaced by a gnawing ache.

His mind was a prison denying him the freedom to live fully.

She felt like she was drowning in an ocean of despair, every attempt to surface met with another wave of hopelessness.

Every laugh felt hollow, every smile forced, as if she were playing a role in a play she didn't want to be in.

She felt like a ghost, wandering through life unnoticed, her pain invisible to everyone but herself.

The nights were the worst, when the darkness outside matched the darkness within, and sleep was a distant dream.

It was like a fire burning within, consuming all that was good and leaving behind nothing but ashes of what used to be.

The pain was a silent scream, a cry for help that no one could hear.

[deservedgrace]

#hmmm yeah#i feel like this is actually touching on something deeply fundamental to the whole endeavor#and why talking to them about whether or not people deserve fundamental human rights feels like speaking a different language than they are (via @winged-thinged)

yeah exactly. i think part of it ties into sin doctrine and the correlation between sin and harm.

because if sin is harm to god, a lot of things that are harmful to other humans aren't sin as long as it's in the service of god who is greater (e.g., the belief that slavery was justified and good because it brought enslaved people to god (yes i literally heard this growing up)). i also often see it in tandem with, "when you're sinning you're not actually sinning against each other, but you're sinning against god." so you get this worldview of, as long as i'm doing it in a "godly way", i can't be harming people, because sin is actually harm against god and not other humans.

but if sin is harm against other humans, then of course bigotry is a sin. of course refusing to see the humanity in others is a sin. of course denying fundamental human rights to everyone is a sin. when it's based on what is actually causing harm, homophobia is what causes harm, not simply being gay. transphobia is what causes harm, not simply being trans.

it feels like speaking a different language to me because the first group's definition of harm is something that upsets god instead of actual harm to other humans. and when you tie in original sin doctrine and the belief that non-believers deserve to be tortured for eternity by nature of existing, well, you really can't harm anybody on earth in a way that matters.

I left a comment on one of your posts about this but I think it’s worth more discussion. Have you noticed how a lot of these Christians HATE concepts like self love or self acceptance and make essays ranting about modern films or shows promoting it? The whole concept is that you are an evil broken sinner but Jesus still loves you so of course they hate that. They also love to frame LGBTQ affirmation as selfish, entitled or narcissistic and demanding Christians accommodate you or claim we are wrong for asking them to change their religion while promoting Christian love as selfless and self sacrificial and that denying yourself is good and love films that promote that.

i've definitely noticed that. my old church would point to people talking about "self love" and "self acceptance" as signs that the world is evil and sinful and doomed to hell. they believed that the only true way to love yourself in a healthy way was through jesus, anything else was just worshiping sin and evil. because why should you love yourself? when you believe in original sin, when you believe the world and the people in it are inherently evil, when you wholeheartedly support verses like "for i know nothing good dwells in me", "the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked", "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us", self love and acceptance doesn't really fit into that.

it ties into something i've noticed but have trouble explaining well: in the version of christianity i and many others grew up in, you're supposed to be "broken", but only in the way they want you to be broken (or the way they've broken you). being queer is being the "wrong" kind of "broken" to them. and any kind of self love or acceptance that affirms queerness is... ungodly at best.

and when you're called to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow god, when earthly things don't matter because your "real life" is in heaven, when god calls all of us to sacrifice ourselves anyway, when you're called to be "the perfect servant like jesus"... it's really, really easy to lump loving yourself in with things that don't matter, things you can just give up.

[demigodsanswer]

His mom had been confused when Percy told her that Grover was coming with him and Annabeth on their cross country journey.

"You know you two don't need a chaperone, right?" She'd asked. Percy appreciated having a cool mom. She was cooler than him, really.

"Yeah, but it's about old times sake," Percy explained. "And he can smell monsters at a distance," he added, "and we need him to rent the car." Grover was thirty. They were not.

"Ah," his mom said, "that makes sense."

Grover's nose ended up being something of a liability. Or at least, a wrench in Annabeth's itinerary. But she was used to Percy and Grover, and, well, even herself, disrupting her own plans.

Annabeth had planned the whole trip of course. Every meal, every motel, every road side attraction she had penned down in her time table. And she'd found some really cool places along the way. There was one night they got to stay in an old train caboose. They were all pretty excited about it.

So it wasn't ideal when Grover yelled: "Stop!" At a volume Percy was tempted to call total pandemonium.

Thankfully that long stretch of county road on a late Sunday afternoon was empty. Percy was able to put on his blinker and pull over fast, while yelling "What? What? What?!" in harmony with his girlfriend.

"Animals in trouble," Grover said, before climbing out of the back.

"Well, let's go," Annabeth said, un-clicking her seat-belt and opening the door. Percy pouted. Their next motel was one of the few places they had the budget for two rooms, and he was hoping to get there sooner rather than later.

But he wasn't one to leave his two favorite people alone with the corn and whatever threat lurked in it. He took the keys out of the ignition and locked the door before following Grover and Annabeth.

Percy heard Annabeth's soft "aww," which mean baby animal close by before he heard the kitten squeaking for help.

And then he heard Grover's enraged: "Who would do this!?"

Percy looked at Annabeth, and saw the little gray kitten climbing her pant leg. She gently pulled it off of her, before cuddling it close.

The single kitten's cry for help was suddenly several kittens all looking to them. Percy counted seven -- no, eight -- no, nine. Nine. All little babies. All looking for help.

Annabeth and Grover looked back at him, and Percy didn't need an empathy link to know all nine were going in their car.

Not that he'd protest at all. He might be a bit burnt out on hero-ing, but kittens didn't count.

Before Percy could even really think, he was taking off his hoodie and gathering as many kittens as he could. Five, it turned out, would fit. Grover did the same. When they got back to the car, Annabeth was behind the wheel, and Percy and Grover were in the back with nine new babies.

"That's all of them, right?" Annabeth asked.

"They said three have already faded," Grover said, sadly. Annabeth looked about ready to cry, "but these are all the rest of them. They're from three litters."

"Poor things," Annabeth said. "We need to take them somewhere, and fast."

They dropped Grover off on the side of the road and drove about a mile up while he checked Google maps and called some other satyrs for help. The last thing they needed was Percy's proximity to a cellphone bringing a chimera down on their nine new babies.

"Good news," Grover said when they picked them back up, "there's a satyr nearby who fosters kittens. He can take them and get them to a vet."

The little gray one had fallen asleep in Percy's lap. It was the same beautiful dusty color as Annabeth's eyes. It had been the first one to call out for help, the brave one who was near the road, who climbed up Annabeth.

"All of them?" Percy asked, scratching the kitten behind its ears.

"Well," Grover said, "he has room for all nine. Unless ..."

Percy met Annabeth's eyes in the rear view mirror.

The gray kitten started purring in Percy's hand. Now he was pretty sure he was going to cry.

"Your friend will make sure they get good homes, right?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, of course," Grover promised. "Of course, you two would be a good home."

"You can't say shit like that," Annabeth said.

"And please, not when she's driving. She's only got her learners permit," Percy reminded Grover, wiping the tears from his own eyes.

"Wait, so letting you drive right now is super illegal?" Grover asked.

"Oh yeah, for sure," Annabeth said. "So don't make me cry."

"As protector of this cross country quest, I am going to need Percy to take over," Grover said. Annabeth put on her turn signal and pulled over.

There wasn't much farther to go to get to the satyr who would take the kittens. But Percy took over driving anyway. The little gray kitten screamed when he tried to move, though.

"She doesn't want you to leave," Grover said.

Percy pulled his arms into his hoodie so that he could turn it around, getting the hood in front. He plopped the kitten in his hood, and she stopped squealing.

"It's a girl?" Annabeth asked.

"That one is," Grover confirmed, petting the kitten between her ears. Percy looked at Annabeth, and he had a feeling they were on the same page. He looked at Grover, and Grover got the memo too. "She's decided you're her dad," he told Percy. Well, that did it.

"Well, good," Annabeth said, "because she's sticking with us."

"Does she have a name for Annabeth?" Percy asked. Nope had named him Alley Boy, so maybe this time she's be the one who --

"Mom, just mom," Grover said.

Annabeth cried for real that time. Percy wiped her tears, kissed her gently, hardly even annoyed that she didn't get a crappy nickname, before saying, "I better get us to this satyr fast, before we end up with nine kittens to take care of."

~

Neil Sapling actually had a very robust kitten room set up, and he seemed completely prepared to accommodate eight new babies into his life. He also made sure the one who had adopted Percy and Annabeth got fed, had food for the road, a litter box, a collar, a carrier, and good bed to sleep in. Although, she did prefer Percy's hood.

"She's a bit dirty," Neil told them, rubbing her down with some no-rinse shampoo quickly, so they could get back on the road. "She's actually a diluted tortie it looks like," he said, pointing to some spots of brown and white on her. "That's a rare coloring! Be careful though, she'll have an attitude."

"She's perfect," Annabeth said.

"Birds of a feather," Percy teased. Annabeth didn't even protest. She just nodded and picked up the little baby.

"Are you okay sticking with us?" Annabeth asked her.

"She said yes," Neil promised. "As long as I promise to find good homes for the rest of them. Which I will. I swear to Pan, your brothers and sisters are taken care of." Their kitten squeaked again. "Alright, she says she's ready to go then."

Percy plopped her in her little carrier, and they said good bye to the rest of the gang.

When they got back in the car, Annabeth took the front seat again, and let the kitten out to sit on her lap.

"Oh my god," she said, looking at the little thing, "we have a cat!"

"Never thought the two most dog people I've ever met in my life would have a cat," Grover said from the back.

"Well, with a lady so perfect, how could we not?" Percy asked, scratching under the baby's chin.

"Is that her name?" Annabeth asked. "Lady?"

"No," Grover said, "she's not a fan."

"Let's get back on the road," Percy said, "and see if we come up with something good."

"Does she have a name?" Annabeth asked Grover.

"She said no, but she'll let you know when she approves."

"Annabeth Junior," Annabeth suggested.

"I might want to name our human daughter that, try again," Percy said. Annabeth turned bright red and smiled, while Grover made a barfing noise in the back.

"What was the name of the cat who lived in your bodega?" Annabeth asked.

"Not sure," Percy confessed. "Everyone just kind of called her 'here kitty kitty,' or 'good girl.'"

"Well, 'good girl' won't work," Annabeth mumbled.

"Too much! I know too much about you both!" Grover said, obviously full of regrets.

Percy just laughed.

After a minute of uncomfortable quiet, Annabeth said, "What about 'Bodega'? Maybe 'Boo' for short?"

"Huh?" Percy said.

"Her name," Annabeth said. The kitten was fast asleep in her lap, purring as she rubbed her belly. "If we called her Bodega, you'd always have a Bodega cat, even out in California."

"I really like that," Percy said with a smile and a warm feeling in his chest. "Of course, it seems like it's up to her," Percy said, nodding towards the kitten.

"What do you think?" Annabeth whispered to her. "Do you like that name? Should we call you Boo?"

The kitten purred louder.

"She likes it," Grover confirmed.

Percy smiled wide and drove on towards their motel with his little bodega cat in tow.