#actual belief in the world being something people can change? nothing more positive than that in my world

[atlanticsea]

Hi first off I love your quiz! This quiz hit HARDD. I wanted your thoughts on this: I’m kind of ashamed I got poet. All I see about poets are that we reject duty and are free, and can say pretty words. I secretly wanted so badly to be the soldier but I knew no one would take me seriously bc I’m so obviously a poet. I want desperately to be strong and to protect those around. I want to prove I can handle duty. I have always considered myself not a hard worker and am genuinely shocked when someone tells me I am. I’ll never be as hard working or dedicated as the other 2. I’m “so kind” but if us poets are not the comedic relief or therapist of the group then are we worth anything at all? Sorry this got so deep LMAO, but I see like nothing super positive about poets lmao.

Hi! I'm glad you liked the quiz, but also really sad you feel bad about your result!

None of the archetypes are a bad one or good one to get, and none of them are a condemnation of who you are. I explained here my thinking behind the Poet archetype (and, sorry to say, this ask is giving peak Poet vibes in terms of wanting to affect the world in tangible ways 😭), but I also added in this answer and in this reblog that my writing for three archetypes is only true about said archetypes, and that I can't actually tell you anything about yourself -- your reaction to the quiz is what you can actually learn from. In the end while I love S/P/K as a piece of writing and as an interactive poem that gets a lot of people thinking, it is also just a piece of writing. You getting Poet is not a condemnation, just like it wouldn't be a consecration, just like getting any result wouldn't be either. It's just one of three options I wrote -- and I'll just add for your sake that none of them are really about being hard-working. I mean if anything I wrote Poets to be the most "hard-working" because they're so desperate to find a way to do things effectively. But again: that's just my writing.

I'll say, though, even though I don't know you: people in your life telling you you are hard working is probably a much better indication of what you mean to people than whatever people on social media interpreted from a quiz a stranger wrote for their friends three years ago. A quiz result, no matter what you think it means, can't stop you from being strong or hard-working or from protecting people -- that's fully up to you. Also, being kind is a good thing. Making your friends laugh is a good thing. People thinking you give good advice and are worthy of trust is a good thing. Being the "group comedian" or "group therapist" as long as the group genuinely values you and does not just take in the give-and-take is not a bad thing. Wanting to do good is normal. Nobody, especially not a stupidly large group of people that all got the same result on a random quiz, is worthless. You're a human being and you're alive. That's always worth something.

I genuinely kinda don't know how to respond to this ask because it really has nothing to do with the quiz itself, just with you! I just hope you manage to find value in yourself and love for yourself beyond external assignations.

[ssentimentals]

seventeen members as love tropes: jun

arranged marriage

'i looked into your eyes and wished all of this was true'

very few things can faze wen junhui - blank stares and emotionless facial expressions are on top of the things he mastered since childhood, because not letting anyone know what you're feeling proved to be an effective tactic in his family. which, he guesses, says a lot about his family but junhui is not someone who gnaws on the fate. it what it is, he's too self-aware of how many people would kill to be in his position to ever feel sorry for himself. but right now? when he stares at the name of his future wife neatly written next to his in a marriage contract? he thinks he's allowed to feel just a tad bit sorry.

'she's a lovely girl,' he hears his mother say. he then listens to multiple benefits this marriage is going to bring to both participants and while junhui is loyal and will never betray his family or the role they gave him in their business world, bitter taste in his mouth doesn't go away. he kind of wants to throw up or break something, but all he manages is a short: 'understood' and a curt nod to his driver, signaling him that they should go.

he meets you for the first time one week later and turns out that you are a lovely girl. obviously not thrilled at the idea of marrying someone your parents picked for you, but at least you're too polite and nice to lash it all out on junhui. he lets himself relax and open up a little, which then turns to a lot because there's something about you that makes him feel.. safe. secure. like he can actually say what he really thinks, talk about his feelings. it's equally freeing and scary.

'this doesn't have to become a nightmare for both of us,' you say quietly, looking up at him with serious eyes. 'we are both mature adults, we can work this out, right?'

junhui absentmindedly thinks that he hasn't seen you smile yet. he has a high suspicion that it suits you much more than this serious look and he suddenly really wants to see it. maybe be even the reason of it? 'i have no intention in making this horrible for you,' he answers sincerely. 'if anything, i'm really sorry that you've been dragged into this mess. i'll try my best to make it work for both of us, i promise.'

and ah, there is your smile. it does suit you way more and it did make junhui feel something funny in his chest. 'we have one week, wen junhui. let's make it count, yeah?'

and make it count you did. jun is nothing short of purposeful and he dedicated all of his planning to making sure this week before official wedding will be perfect. perfect in a way of it just being him and you without any distractions, learning more about each other. he watches you, listens to you, makes an effort to dig deeper and open up himself too and no one is more surprised than jun himself when week later he's actually excited to go and sign the papers.

'one ice latte and cinnabon bun for a beautiful girl with a sweet tooth,' he announces, carefully placing both items on the table in front of you. your eyes light up and light blush dusts your cheek and jun has never been more thankful for his attention to details and good memory. if he can make you smile like that just by doing such simple things, he's fine with doing them for the rest of his life. 'how are you feeling, my future wife? ecstatic?'

'almost fainting from enthusiasm,' you deadpan but smile you give him is real. 'what about you, my future husband? happy beyond belief?'

junhui pauses. answer comes out of his mouth before he can think it through: 'i am, actually.'

he watches your eyes widen at this and atmosphere changes from funny banter to something heavy and serious. and maybe he can take it back, but he doesn't want to. he is happy. god, he's more happy than he's ever been in his life, so excited of the prospect of having all this time to spend with you, to get closer to you, to maybe - just maybe, cause a guy can hope, right? - turn this arranged 'fake' marriage into something real. and it's probably so stupid to think this way, to be this attracted to the person you know for one week only, but he can't help it. you are good, and nice, and thoughtful, and funny, and oh so lovely - junhui is a strong guy, but he's not a robot, he couldn't not fall for you. his mind runs a mile in a second but it all quiets down when you reach out and take his hand in yours. slowly, like you're afraid to spook him, you interlace fingers together, clasping them in a tight lock. junhui stops breathing. could it be that you-?

'i am happy, too.' you say and you're serious and honest, he can feel it. 'i was so against this whole thing at first but then i met you and.. i'm happy, junhui. i'm happy that it's you.'

very few things can faze wen junhui - but you? you are the only one who gets past blank stares and emotionless replies, you get to see the real him and you somehow liked what you saw. just for that junhui is ready to give you the world.

'i promise we will work this out,' jun says, throat surprisingly tight with emotions. 'i promise this will not become a cage or a nightmare for you. i promise it'll grow into something...' beautiful just like you? lovely just like your smile? '..real.'

the smile you gift him is brighter than sun itself. 'something real?' you stand up and get closer to him. 'i'd like that very much, wen junhui.'

very few things can faze wen junhui - but you? his hand shakes when he signs the paper and for the first time ever he feels...hopeful. he takes one look at you and sees you already looking at him with a small smile on your face. with confidence, he reaches out and you meet him halfway, locking your hands together. for some reason, looking into your eyes, junhui is more than sure that this 'real' will work out just perfectly.

a/n: i know everyone is used to me being more poetic but my brain kind of shut down and this is what happened. hope you still liked it, let me know, come say hi! - nini

my other works can be found here

[ludinusdaleth]

i need to preface this meta with a million versions of "i do not think ludinus is or ever will be a good person who deserves forgiveness or will have a happy ending", and it will take me a second to get to my perhaps bad point, but here we go:

as many (and myself) have noted, ludinus is blinded by his trauma. he cannot in any way shape or form see around it, and even though he is very wise, intelligent, and able to mediate almost any conflict of interest, he becomes childishly closed in when anyone challenges his idea, says that his crusade of warfare against the gods has hurt thousands of mortals. he is an active danger in his position of power by refusing to show care for anyone but himself, while convinced hes doing it for exandria.

i think this stems out of the fact that no one has ever been able to reach him in a way he craves. he can get validation of trauma from the vanguard, but he made them thralls to his ideas; do they really mean it or did he manipulate them into it? he obviously cant be validated in his grief by vasselheim and their stranglehold on calamity history, who think any heretic outside of their worship of warlords deserved their fate. and he cant find comfort in fellow calamity survivors, either due to not knowing they were alive (presumably devexian, alyxian), or being angered and in disbelief they chose to pursue religion despite their torture (leylas). because no one starts with the goalpost of saying his people didnt deserve their fate and that his anger is valid, he has been losing his mind with the belief he needs to forcibly show everyone what he experienced and for the world to see him as correct, after an eon of being the only one in his mind with a semblance of a correct pov.

which brings me to my point, which people will react badly to initially, but god, i need to say it aloud: the most important line he has ever said, which has rung in my head like a bell since last episode, is:

"Speak your mind, and I will speak mine. But all I ask is a moment. To show you."

ludinus has refused to entertain anyone else's pov as long as we have known him. fearne mouthing off at him one too many times about the vanguard caused his calm demeanor to snap in favor of him snarling at her about what he had seen in the calamity. he made his speech at the key as everyone there was actively trying to kill him. he never asked a soul for their input on what he was doing. not one ounce of him wants another perspective. and that isnt because hes scared of being called a tyrant. he tells exandria to "make me your villain", and there are so many moments of self hatred in his interactions with others i think he knows damn well what he is. no, hes terrified that someone will invalidate what he went through.

and he has asked the bells to witness the calamity's trauma firsthand, and to judge it and him freely. that is.... a massive change.

before you react, no. ludinus cant be fixed. no persuasion check in the world could convince him to forgive the gods and no one would ever allow him to walk with no consequences and start anew - as if his body wouldnt fall apart before that anyway. but the bells are at the only moment in history where ludinus is completely stuck between reality and his hero complex. almost nothing has gone his way and the world is rallying against him and evontra'vir itself said the bells were destined to defeat him and that is more preordained than the gods deaths and he knows he must teach them the truth but what if his methods were truly for nothing? he needs someone, anyone, to tell him something, to ground him. he will do his best to convince the bells of what he thinks. but he knows he has to leave a decision up to them. the next generation.

he didnt consider what they thought until now. isnt that a sobering thought for him.

and while they dont owe it to him, if the bells actually start the conversation by acknowledging what he went through? i think for the only time in exandrian history, the only moment that it will ever be feasible.... that you could move his second goalpost by starting at his first. those abused & grieving due to him will finally be able to say that to him, by sating the need hes had for 1000 years. and i think he will absolutely accept whatever else is thrown at him if it means someone listened. he will never give up on killing the pantheon. but i think this is the moment that will define whether he dies by the bells hands, or at the bells side against another system. this is the only time that his fate is in flux. and this is the only time this old dog can learn a new trick: that the role of parent can be guidance, and defense for the children you hurt. and acceptance that has been the parent, who must step up, now, or never again.

[cellarspider]

22/30 An old man, allegedly

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We return once again to that movie I wish to send the gift of a single tribble, Prometheus.

Yes, the movie’s gotten around to a twist it’s been clumsily foreshadowing for much of its runtime: Ol’ Man Capitalism, AKA Peter Weyland, is in fact alive and on the ship. I’ve been informed this was a relatively late addition to the plot, according to the available script drafts. His inclusion makes a stab at some themes. Let’s see how they do.

Content warning for deliberately gross old feet, weird religious imagery, death mention, Holloway mention.

Yes, David’s discovery of a living Engineer has meant it’s time to take Weyland out of the tupperware and reheat him for a bit. And it means we get to see Guy Pierce in the flesh, under a pile of old man makeup.

Weyland looks no less weird than he did as a hologram. In fact, he possibly looks weirder, because we no longer have that excuse for why he looks like this. Weyland is very frail, and very frail people’s appearance can change rather drastically in ways that aren’t usually put to film, but frankly, he looks more like Grima Wormtongue has been giving him investment advice.

Weyland is here because he thinks the Engineers can stop him from dying. I’m not certain he’s not already expired, and I’m also not sure where he got that impression. There’s a missing step of logic here, which the movie never mentions, but it’s likely related to the assumptions of christianized worldview: if something is the creator of humanity, then it must also have ultimate power over human life and death. Therefore, appealing directly to it can grant you eternal life. The cosmic watchmaker can replace your gears and keep you ticking indefinitely.

I will go along with this framing for just a bit, particularly because this scene is obviously reaching for some biblical imagery I’ll try and tackle in a moment. When the movie remembers to have characters engage with its themes, there are various reactions to the potential of meeting humanity’s creators. 

Shaw is positioned as a true believer, but what that actually means to her is extremely unclear. She has some curiosity about the details of creation, so she’s not buying tickets to the Ark Encounter or whatever. She assumes welcoming and benevolent intention from the Engineers, but there’s never any indication of what she intends to do here, beyond prove herself right. 

She’s also christian, and she thinks the christian God ultimately created the Engineers. How does that fit into her cosmogony? She has to be the sort of christian that takes Genesis as allegory, but what does it mean that humans were shaped by another species in their own image? Are humans more faithfully created in the christian God’s image than the Engineers were? Does she think the Engineers have souls? Are they angels?

We get no opinion on any of that from her. We don’t even see much of anything about how her apparently strong faith affects her life, beyond having a family keepsake and having belief in things. Holloway at least had an explicit goal in mind–it was a hubristic goal, but it was a goal. He wanted to get all his questions answered about life, the universe, and everything, answered personally, rather than letting anyone else get there first. Finding out the Engineers were dead immediately took the shine off of that, seemingly because he’d thought they were omnipotent and omniscient, despite being positioned as an atheist in the dialog. 

Holloway’s position here was odd, particularly for an alleged scientist. He expresses that the creation of life turned out to be “nothing special” during his drunken funk. This echoes common misconceptions by deeply religious folks about how atheists and/or scientists think: the idea that if you’re so set on finding natural, rational explanations for everything, you’re doomed to view the world without wonder or beauty, just chemicals bouncing around for no purpose. That to seek the logic behind the world is to fling yourself into total anhedonia.

As many others have stated before, that’s not what comes out of it, what they’re describing is in fact called “clinical depression.” Understanding more technical details about how the world works doesn’t take the awe out of it, it makes it even more amazing. I’ve excitedly rambled to people that if sequencing tech was cheaper and easier, I’d love to study the genetics and epigenetics of weeds growing on dirt roads, to find out what makes them different from their cousins living only a few feet away in less crappy soil. The existence of a tuft of grass in dusty gravel is endlessly fascinating to me, and I know just enough about them to want to know more.

But no, Holloway’s behavior is common in depictions of atheists by religious people who fundamentally don’t get that one can exist around religious folks without secretly thinking the same way they do. It’s doubly weird, given how surface-level Shaw’s faith is, in a way that also seems to be written by somebody who doesn’t understand the concept too well.

In any case, Holloway got pre-disappointed in the answers he didn’t get, to the very basic philosophical questions he wanted to ask: why were we made? Do we have a purpose? Those sorts of things. Honestly, he could have had more complex things to say about this, even without dislodging his bro persona. Being a bro does not negate the possibility of thoughtfulness, it just means that thoughtfulness might be expressed differently. I didn’t see the movie doing that with him. 

The only other potentially intentional thing it was doing with him is using the sum total of his behavior as a negative example: don’t question these things, it’ll lead you to despair and death. Not sure if they meant that, but the rest of the movie uses the punitive morality of some slasher movies as part of its basic structure, so it’s not an impossible read.

Skipping over David for now and going to Weyland: he’s all about what the Engineers can do for him. It’s a gesture toward people who approach christianity from a transactional angle. Faith in exchange for something. There are definitely people like that out there. A lot of premillennial dispensationalist evangelicals fearfully cling to the belief that, as long as they say the right words, they’ll bodily ascend to heaven and leave everyone else behind for the Antichrist, conveniently skipping that unpleasant “death” thing they don’t want to face.

For those who grew up with that stuff or those brainrotted enough like me to remember it, yes. Yes, I am comparing Peter Weyland to Tim LaHaye. The dialog in this movie is bad enough that it makes me think of Left Behind.

All of this stuff positions the Engineers as either equivalent to the christian god, or to the imperfect gnostic demiurge who is mistaken for a god. But frankly, the Engineers seem more like they were trying to make a sourdough starter, but the last time they opened the fridge, it’d grown fuzz and smelled awful. They were ready to throw out their project. 

Was there a heavy ritual aspect involved in their actions? Sure. But the movie hasn’t sold me on the idea that they are themselves acting as christian allegory, only that christian allegory is being placed on them by others.

Speaking of Weyland and more christian stuff, he’s getting his feet washed by David.

Must be maundy thursday. Foot washing before entering a dwelling is a practice that started as a practical act in a sandal-wearing culture, and became one of power dynamics and religious symbolism. Water would be provided, or a host would wash the feet of a guest themself, or, if they were rich enough, a servant or slave would do the washing. This is very much the dynamic as far as Weyland is concerned. Weyland believes in souls, David, by his estimation, does not have one, therefore he serves humans.

Of course, foot washing also has connotations of humility, and is strongly associated in christianity with Jesus washing the apostles’ feet after the Last Supper. David has certainly and consistently shown himself to be more competent at everything he does than the other characters, and they wouldn’t have gotten this far without him. He’s working on a level they aren’t, even if he’s still forced to be humble about it. If this is the reading we’re meant to reach for, David’s managing a complicated double-act as Jesus (he’s going to be killed for the sins of man yet rise from the dead pretty soon), and also Judas (he is hella jazzed to betray somebody to their death).

In any case, Shaw tries to convince them not to wake up the Engineer. In response, Weyland essentially goads her about Holloway’s death and her beliefs: “And what would Charlie do, now that we’re so close to answering the most meaningful questions ever asked by mankind? How can you leave without knowing what they are? Or have you lost your faith, Shaw?”

Yes, indeed, Weyland, WWCD. Once you determine that, you do the opposite, and you’ll never be steered wrong.

So of course Shaw decides to go with them.

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Alt-text rambles

https://wheelchair.spinergy.com/collections/wheelchair-everyday/products/lite-extreme-lx 

https://youtu.be/7h8zJHywjAw 

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2015/11/05/left-behind-index-the-whole-thing/

https://www.slashfilm.com/503786/first-photo-and-video-footage-from-robert-zemeckis-a-christmas-carol/ 

Overflow Ramble #1

I’m in wait-and-see mode on Fallout one right now. I’m not personally a FO:NV person, so I don’t have special attachment to the West Coast stuff, but I see what they were *trying* to do, even if it didn’t land with me at all (TL;DR playing a queer character felt especially bleak thanks to a lack of underground queer culture in the face of the homophobia). 

The trailer looks good, there’s conflict between the BoS and NCR, which hopefully means both factions are going to be the absolute, incurable disasters they should be. Goggins playing a ghoul who helped sell the lie of the Vaults is good, and he’s a damn solid TV and character actor. Dale Cooper and 80s!Paul Atreidies himself Kyle MacLachlan plays the vault overseer, so that’s fun. I’m not a TV person so I don’t recognize the rest of the cast, but I’m hoping it manages to be something good. We’ll find out in April, by which point I’ll hopefully be fREE OF THIS MOVIE

Overflow Ramble #2: Tribulation Force

Close-up of Nick Cage deep in his “paying the bills” phase as Rayford Steele in Left Behind (2014), looking precisely as enthused as he should be, to be playing Rayford Steele. I chose this reaction image because I am not subjecting anyone to flashbacks of the older movies with Kirk Cameron in them. 

Want to know how I know too much about this stuff, despite literally spending my childhood thinking people just entertained the idea of Jesus the way they did Santa Claus around the holidays? 

Because of a blogger by the name of Fred Clark, who decided one strange day in 2003 to write a thorough dissection of the Left Behind books (cite 3). Thankfully for his sanity, he lost steam eventually. …When Tim LaHaye died in 2016. All fear and respect to Fred Clark.

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[wrenhavenriver]

Okay I’m not done talking about this actually. Re: the Dishonored series’ attempts to reconcile its critical views of imperialism with keeping the characters who sit at the very top of the Empire likable, I think DH1 is considerably less obvious/glaring about this internal conflict than DH2 because: 1) it’s, duh, the first in the series, and suspension of disbelief comes a lot more naturally the first time you’re told “things will be better now, for real” than the second; and 2) Jessamine’s rule sees so little screentime it’s much easier to portray the miseries of the game as entirely attributable to Burrows’ rule (and the actions of other assorted Bad People™) without directly confronting the imperial system that put them all in a position to seize and promptly abuse power in the first place. Under a read more because I can't shut up, sorry.

Like, say you play DH1 for the first time on low chaos: you get the happy ending epilogue speech, and even if it seems to smooth everything over a little too optimistically for a game that otherwise shows a collapsing society and the corruption that brought it to that state in grim, unflinching detail, well, that’s mostly okay—you maintained low chaos, after all, in essence proving the Outsider’s “Perhaps that’s just the nature of man” theory wrong, and the good effects just rippled outward to a much a larger scale, which was pretty much the point of the chaos system in the first place. If it all sounds a little bit like the happy ending to a parable not particularly grounded in the realities of systems of power that the rest of the game was critiquing, maybe that’s just what happens when an entity as long-lived and far-sighted as the Outsider summarizes a period that is little more than a miniscule blip in time to him. Stand far enough back from something and all the rough edges blur out to nothing.

(Plus it’s a video game after all, so maybe you can suspend your disbelief/any personal political beliefs about real world empires you may have brought with you. Maybe it's nice to imagine that things can change meaningfully for the better for Dunwall and the other Isles simply by plopping a Kaldwin back onto the throne.)

The existence of DH2 makes it clear, though, that the ending monologue to DH1 really is more fairytale than reality (or, you know, what happens when a game gets greenlit for a sequel the devs of three years ago didn't know they'd get). A Kaldwin takes the throne—under the watchful eye and protection of her witchcraft-using Serkonan father, at that, a man with viscerally personal history with the Abbey, the City Watch, and the deeply xenophobic nobility—and despite all those very real family connections and personal reasons to want to reform things for the better, we step into Emily’s rule to see the people of Serkonos being trampled on and worked to death in the silver mines, the Abbey still freely hunting down and torturing or otherwise “disappearing” people suspected of witchcraft, and the Guard casually beating and murdering citizens—in one notable case, by throwing one directly into the same brutal Wall of Light technology mobilized to great effect by Burrows’ corrupt regime and that is still in wide use around Emily’s Empire fifteen years later.

Some of this chaos was instigated by Delilah and her inner circle (especially the Duke) leading up to the coup, but much of it is preexisting corruption that can’t be blamed on her—she and the coven certainly had no reason to prop up the Abbey, for one, and she didn’t have to create the aristocratic bitterness motivating turncoats like Ramsey, only give them an outlet for what was already simmering. Meagan, Sokolov, and Lucia Pastor all make it abundantly clear that this was not a momentary slip-up—Dunwall Tower had been looking the other way while violence and unrest grew for some time, because the human cost of keeping silver flowing was out of sight and out of mind, a function basically built into the system of Imperial rule. Not a bug, but a feature. A tendency toward retaining corrupt institutions, an erosion of empathy, because that’s what keeps the wheels turning and wealth being funneled upward.

So when low chaos Emily professes in mission nine that she’s learned her lesson and that from now on she’ll Pay Attention, really! to the four nation Empire she’s the head of, and the happy epilogue plays and we get another Outsider monologue about the golden age ahead, it just seems…vaguely absurd? Like, we already saw this! Burrows, Campbell, and the Bastard Trio™ of the loyalists were deposed or otherwise gotten rid of, making room for Good People™ with Good Intentions™ to take their place in charge and fix things—you’ve got Emily on the throne with Corvo to guide her; Yul Khulan, a “kind” man and eventual close personal ally of Emily’s, becomes High Overseer; Curnow, widely reputed as a Reasonable Authority Figure and rare man of principle in the Guard, has survived (and presumably still has some years of service as a Captain before the retirement mentioned in The Corroded Man).

And then we fast forward fifteen years and all these groups...still suck? The Empress hates her job and is eating off plates made of silver mined by Karnacan laborers dying hideously of terrible respiratory ailments, the Overseers we see in Karnaca are ransacking homes and torturing Outsider worshippers (a group including such dangerous people as *checks notes* newspaper artists), half the City Guard is on the payroll of the shitty aristocrats supporting Delilah’s coup, and the Grand Guard is passing the time by throwing people into Walls of Light. Emily’s reign began with a veritable A-team of Certified Good People and fifteen years later it's barely made a dent, because the system of imperial rule is built from the ground up to shelter corruption and complacency, to resist change, no matter who’s in charge and whether that person is “paying attention” or not. It’s beyond the power of one sufficiently motivated Empress and a team of well-intentioned people in positions of authority below her.

It’s tempting to say “no, it really was just an issue of Emily not taking her duties seriously, look at Jessamine’s rule, or Euhorn’s before her!” but the thing is Obvious Disasters like Violent Coups Aside we really don’t have much evidence that their rules were all that much better, or at the very least any less prone to corruption? DH1 again has the advantage over DH2 here, mostly by way of omission. We don’t get to actually see what life in the Empire is like under Jessamine, just that tiny sliver of time in the Prologue returning as Corvo to Dunwall Tower, where despite the player being told there’s a deadly plague about to bring the city to a “breaking point,” the scenery is beautiful and calm and the staff are polite and affable. It makes for very compelling contrast when the game fast forwards six months to the dank misery of Coldridge Prison, and then later the grim state of the streets filling up with corpses and weepers.

Mission six completes the comparison with a return to Dunwall Tower, where the courtyard is now brimming with hostile guards and surveillance towers and tallboys, and one lone maid who openly laments Jessamine’s passing. Life under the authoritarian despot who purposely instigated a plague for the purpose of wiping out the lower classes is, obviously, much worse than life under the benevolent Empress who is introduced to us passionately advocating for saving the lives of all of her citizens. But, in the same way Emily and her inner circle of Well-Intentioned People weren’t enough to dislodge the entrenched corruption and brutality—or prevent a new wave of it—Jessamine’s kindness can’t paint over the miseries of the imperial system she presides over. We the players see Coldridge Prison for the first time in the six-months-later flashback of Burrows’ rule, but it existed during Jessamine’s time—guards state explicitly in the DLC that she and Corvo used to come inspect it, in fact. Jessamine wholly loves Corvo, a native of Serkonos, but anti-Serkonan prejudice runs rampant in her court and city. Corvo and Emily wholly love Jessamine too, but the people of Dunwall are somewhat divided on the matter (“Long live the Empress!” “She was a WENCH!” / “Not everyone did, but I really liked the Empress…”). Burrows deceived Jessamine and took advantage of her trusting nature, but he only had the resources to do so in the first place because of the system that promoted him to Royal Spymaster, a position of incredible power and very little accountability.

Euhorn we know the least about, but we are told he enjoyed a “prosperous age”—a sentiment that falls somewhat flat when we learn that he had an affair with a chamber maid (the power differential of which is highly questionable at best), strung along the resulting illegitimate daughter with promises of elevating her to a princess that he never intended to keep, then took his chance when said daughter was blamed for breaking a vase to throw her and her mother out onto the streets, where the mother is brutalized by a prison guard and eventually dies in agony in debtor’s prison, leaving the daughter to fend for herself alone in the world. All of which shows us that the Empire is, in this age of “prosperity,” still a place of extreme power imbalances where the Emperor takes advantage of women in his employ, debtor’s prisons exist, guards can cause fatal injuries to civilians on a whim and face no consequences, and children are thrown with disdain onto the streets to die. Which, on many levels, is not all that different from the ages of other rulers who follow.

tl;dr these games show us over and over again that the Empire is built on a fundamentally broken system that perpetuates corruption and then try to append “but it’s okay so long as the people in charge are good people who are paying attention to their jobs” to the end of them for the sake of keeping those characters likable, and while the first game can get away with this by virtue of being the first game and using Jessamine’s rule primarily as a way to showcase how bad Burrows’ rule sucks by comparison, this falls flat when the very existence of the second game provides ample evidence that the Good Intentions of Generally Good People are not enough to counteract the entrenched cruelties of the institutions that keep imperialism afloat. Okay I'm going to go get another hobby now bye.

[cosmicjoke]

One aspect of Levi’s and Erwin’s relationship that I feel like people constantly misunderstand is what, exactly, is was that Erwin did for Levi in terms of shaping him.  I’ve seen some people try to claim that Erwin saved Levi by pulling him out of the Underground and freeing him from a life of criminality, and thus, turning him toward being a good person.  But this would of course imply that Levi hadn’t been a good person before he met Erwin, and this just simply isn’t true.  Erwin didn’t make Levi into a good person, or teach him how to be a good person. Levi already was before he ever came above ground. Yes, he was technically a criminal, in that he engaged in criminal activity, but that doesn’t mean he was a bad person.  He was already protecting people and fighting for their dreams in the Underground.  Namely Furlan and Isabel.  He took them to the surface because it was their dream to live above, and he took them in and served as their protector and caretaker, essentially, when it was of no, real benefit to him in terms of his own survival.  He took them in because he was already kind and compassionate.  Erwin didn’t instill those qualities in Levi.

What Erwin did was give Levi direction.  

Philosophically, he helped shape Levi’s belief in “no regrets” by telling him not to blame himself for when things go wrong, to drown in questions of “what if” or doubts, but to instead give meaning to the deaths of those he isn’t able to save by fighting on in their name and for their dreams.  He uses Furlan and Isabel as the example, because they were Levi’s best friends and family, and they died fighting for their dream of living on the surface. Levi is someone who’s been surrounded by pointless, meaningless death his whole life, living in the Underground, and exposed to it very early on in his life through having to watch his mother die.  So of course it would strike a cord with him, this idea that he can somehow change that, that he can somehow give meaning to death, and prevent people from dying for nothing.  Erwin tells Levi that this is actually possible.  That he just has to keep fighting in their name for it to be possible. The very fact that this resonates so strongly with Levi is proof in itself of what a good person he is, that something like this would be so appealing to him.  From there, Levi formed his philosophy of always following his heart, and not letting his fear of failure or a possible bad outcome stop him from doing so.  And Levi’s heart is always in the right place, acting out of humanity and compassion, rather than questions of personal success or failure, and certainly never out of self-interest or aggrandizement.  He chooses whatever he knows he will regret the least, whatever sits most right with him in his heart.  Essentially, Erwin helped Levi to believe more in himself. 

Erwin also gave Levi direction in terms of showing him a way to use his strength most effectively, not just to help individual people, one at a time, but all of humanity, by fighting for their freedom from the titans and the walls.  Erwin posits himself as the leader with the vision to create such a world, and Levi as a tool to help him shape it, and Levi readily accepts this role and allows Erwin to wield him to create this better world, because he believes it will result in more people being able to live in genuine peace, without the agony of constant fear.  And Levi, more than anyone I think, knows what it is to live in constant fear and uncertainty, considering where it is he came from and the circumstances he grew up in. So, again, of course it would be very appealing to him, this idea of being able to help people live without constant fear, and again, the fact he wants that for people is proof in itself of his goodness. 

Erwin showed Levi the way to do what he already desired to do.  I always call Erwin Levi’s “guiding light”, and that’s what I mean when I say that.  He helped guide Levi and give him direction, both in terms of believing in himself and his choices, and in how to use his strength to help other people. Levi stuck with him so closely and believed so thoroughly in Erwin because  Erwin showed Levi how he could best give back to others.  The desire was always there, just not the know how, and that’s a result of the way Levi was raised, and where, sadly. 

It doesn’t take away from Erwin’s impact on Levi, or his importance to Levi, to point this all out, I don’t think.  Erwin didn’t make Levi who he is.  He didn’t create him.  Rather, he helped him discover how to do what he wanted, and how to realize his full potential in that regard.  I would say Erwin was the first person to ever, truly believe in Levi, and because of that belief, the first person to ever give him a chance to be who and what he always was and could be outside of the desperation of living in a place like the Underground. 

[longing-for-rain]

Oooooo~

Now you got me curious about what problematic opinions you have on that show, lol (you don’t have to tell them if you don’t want to of course!)

- same anon as the one who asked “Do you watch attack on titan?” Btw

(Spoilers if you haven’t watched the show)

I guess my problematic opinion can be summarized by the fact that I like the idea of the Rumbling being the end of the show. I know technically it isn’t the end because there’s a long fight where they stop Eren or something, but personally, I like the idea of Eren simply succeeding in carrying out the Rumbling and having to live with the consequences afterwards.

Just to clarify before I continue, I’m not taking a position on whether Eren was morally correct. I think that’s a very complicated question. My only point here is that it was a fascinating twist and made a great story with an impactful (yet extremely fucked up) ending.

Here’s the thing. The show begins with Eren as a child, watching his entire world violently crumble before his eyes. He vows to kill “every last one” of the Titans—in other words, those responsible for the destruction of his home and death of his mother. And at the time, this is a perfectly heroic idea. Given what the audience and characters know about the Titans at this point, they’re nothing but mindless monsters that destroy and eat people for no reason. They don’t even need to do it for food; they literally just eat people for no reason other than it’s fun or something.

But then as the show progresses, so does the context. It complicates things. We find out along with the characters that Titans aren’t just mindless monsters. They’re people, or at least used to be people. And more importantly—that there is an entire world outside of the walls and island full of people who are in fact controlling the Titans and using them as a weapon against the people within Eren’s home.

When the characters travel to Marley, we get even more context. There is basically a race war going on; Eldians (Eren’s people) are considered subhuman monsters by the rest of the world, and that was their motivation for using the Titans to attack and destroy Eren’s home. He sees the full reasoning behind the most traumatic event of his life, and the fact that it was intentional and actually supported by the rest of the world.

So what does Eren do? Well, he does the exact same thing he’s being saying he was going to do throughout the show: he kills them all, every last one. Everyone he considers responsible for that event.

And to me, that’s the beauty of it. Eren’s character and motivations are fundamentally always the same, but the context reframes his beliefs in actions in the eyes of the audience. He seems like a complete hero at first with no ambiguity. But then as things become more nuanced in regards to what “kill them all” actually means…that line between hero and villain becomes ambiguous until we get to the point where Eren turns into a literal monster and sets out to massacre the majority of the world’s population.

Yes, it’s fucked up, and I think it’s so fucked up that the writers will never have the guts to end it there. But it’s such a fascinating narrative. Everything comes full circle with Eren ending the story the same way he started it, only this time, he’s the monster. Eren’s character not changing, but our perception of him changing so drastically. I think that’s a great story.

Also ngl something something about the guilty pleasure of a power fantasy in which someone who has been beaten down and oppressed getting the opportunity to wipe out everyone who hurt them

But I’m going to call it a problematic opinion because I know how fandom is and this take probably makes me a genocide supporter or Nazi apologist or something based on the little snippets of AOT discourse I’ve been exposed to.

As for ships, don’t even ask lmao because to me, what I just talked about is what makes the story so compelling. Idgaf about who’s fucking who; it’s just one of those shows where I don’t care about romance.

[stagefullofentertainment]

Hazbin Hotel Headcanon Bundle #3

Third time’s the charm! Another batch of headcanons for our beloved characters!

CHARLIE

Charlie can handle spicy food. In fact, she loves that she can eat anything regarding the spice scale and not flinch while others tear up or refuse to even try.

Charlie has a stack of vintage photos of herself and her parents during her younger years stacked in a box under her hotel bed. She wanted to have some memorabilia from the times when she and her parents really got along.

While Charlie is definitely “The Sun” of the Hazbin cast, being that cheerful and trustworthy person who can help anyone. However, she has her self – loathing episodes. The sad thing is that she has a talent to hide those. Charlie does it so good, that nobody notices. Not even Vaggie, who Charlie trusts with her life, but can’t stand the thought of crumbling in front of her.

VAGGIE

Knows quite a few self – defense techniques, which she really wants to pass out to other sinners who are not capable of defending themselves.  

Without using any powers, weapons or special features, Vaggie would beat everyone in Hazbin in hand – to – hand combat fight.

Vaggie is “The Moon” of the Hazbin cast, being the one who is the least afraid to show their actual emotions and concerns. Although, sometimes Vaggie’s emotions get the best of her and she says or does things that are hurtful to others without actually meaning them. Apologies after the fact are really hard for Vaggie. She does not like being that vulnerable around others and, inside her head, thoughts about others thinking less of her because of admitting that she was wrong always linger in her mind.

ALASTOR

Is very sentimental about his life in the living world. Although it happened about a 100 years ago, Alastor remembers everything with hints of nostalgia, as if it happened yesterday. He often retorts that food, music, technology, people in general were better in the past compared to the present.

Albeit Alastor walks around wearing only monocle, he actually needs glasses. Not to the extent of him not seeing everything, but to notice smaller details in afar. He definitely has summoned his tentacle pits in the wrong place during his time more than a few times. Alastor just pretends that he wanted them there when in actuality his sight deceived him. Alastor does not have anything against glasses, it’s just that an Overlord with normal glasses does not really strike fear while monocle at least gives him class.

 Alastor is “The Eclipse” of the Hazbin cast, being the one to bring the most change and literal transformations to the hotel. The irony of that is the fact that Alastor hates changes. He likes the “good old way” of doing everything and refuses to at least listen to other, newer perspectives. If anyone dared to assume that the Radio Demon fears change, they would face their death quicker than they would finish that sentence. In actuality, indeed he does, but Alastor will rather die than admit it out loud.

ANGEL

When Angel gets angry or frustrated, he goes full “Italian mode” and won’t speak in English until he has calmed enough.

Although his life in Hell only offered Angel only one kind of acting, he would love to try something real. Nothing major, just something nice enough to let him express himself. Any role will do, preferably without any adult stuff. If somebody would give Angel the chance, they would find an excellent actor, hidden behind an adult film mask.  

Angel is “The Star” of the Hazbin cast, not everyone will admit but he is their positivity. Yeah, bit dirty but Angel is always there for others to offer a solution, joke to ease the tension, just to listen or give a loving hug. However, while Angel provides his unique way of comfort to his loved ones, he does not expect to get it in return. He has this deep – rooted belief that he is not worthy of love, kindness and warmth. Angel is quick to refuse such things, making others think that maybe he just prefers other kinds of love and gratitude for being there, but in reality, his soul seeks it, but it’s quickly quieted down by his mind.

HUSK

During his life as well as experiences in Hell, Husk has seen every side of the living – the riches, the middle class, the poor. He has been in every scenario, and that is why he is very versatile and content with any situation that life throws at him. Husk has really found the “Zen”.

Husk loves to escape from everyone, no matter it it’s a party, discussion of some sorts, movie night, work day, any occasion, really. It is not that Husk hates being around other sinners, he just values his alone time more. Occasionally, he will choose the hotel’s roof as a lonely place. Being there hidden behind a letter and watching the street life helps him to relax and just be in the moment without any worry.

Husk is “The Black Hole” of the Hazbin cast, absorbing everything he can in his mind. Husk is quite observant and a good listener, always noticing the smallest details in everyone. After someone vents to him, Husk more often than not will offer a helpful advice or ask if he can do anything for the person, which you could consider a small thank you for trusting him enough. (He could make a good therapist if he wanted to). Sadly, that does not mean that Husk will tell anyone about his true thoughts and feelings. He already knows that others have enough on their plate, so why would they want to hear about his hardships? Husk swore that he will never open up for any reason, and so far, that has been a case.

NIFFTY

Niffty’s secret passion is gardening. She did some of it while she was alive and when Charlie mentioned to have a little greenhouse on the furthest side of the hotel’s backyard, Niffty exploded with excitement. She was quick to occupy the premises, making it a little oasis for her to come and spend some time in peaceful solitude. Although Niffty prefers flowers over vegetables, she is still happy with her modified hobby.

She has everyone’s natal charts memorized. Niffty is into astrology, she can and will look into others’ personalities and life through planets, sighs and houses. Even if Niffty cannot acquire some information in need for a precise birth chart, she still tries to work with what she’s got.

Niffty is “The Venus” of the Hazbin cast, she loves love and everything that is connected to it. Niffty always tries to make other feel loved, for example, figuring out their love languages. She is awful at love herself, however. Niffty becomes too obsessed with anyone who shows a hint of interest, often leaving her broken hearted. No matter how many times this exact situation has happened, Niffty still repeats the same mistakes, not knowing any other way. She believes that love will find her someday and until then she has to spread it around for it.

[stardew-obsessed-ora]

👔 🎉🙄🌈🏙️ FOR ULRICH PLS <3

┊﹕⊹・YYEAHHH! MY TECHNICAL LEAD SON!!!

I've been waiting for the opportunity to talk about him more! I'll be writing some of these in a pre and post character arc sense since he tended to treat things vastly different before improving upon himself and interacting with the valley more.

(also sorry in advance, i have the tendency to ramble and this'll probably be long LOL)

🏙️ how was your farmer's life like before they moved to pelican town?

Before Ulrich moved to the valley, he lived in a rural village in Germany with his mother and sister! He was a bit of an overachiever and was always fixated on technology and how machines ran. I'd say before his father's passing his life was pretty rudimentary. In fact, he had what you could consider a fairytale-like childhood. His parents weren't perfect, but they both did the best for him.

After his dad passed, he found it difficult to cope. For years, he struggled with his mental health due to the event and found himself shutting down, away from the world in an attempt to escape from such a cruel reality.

Somewhere around his 20s he came to the conclusion that he wanted to start anew, give himself something else to focus on and change the direction of his life. He first moved to Downtown Zuzu and applied to Joja Corp for a technical position. After a few years of continued cooperation and effort on his part, he managed to receive the role of Technical Lead. He overworked and outperformed as best he could never quite learning how much he should've been taking on.

I actually imagine the initial reason for him moving to Pelican Town was due to him seeing opportunity in the area. It reminded him of his home town, and he wanted nothing more than to help them flourish. He wanted to make a name for himself, and wanted to prove efficient and competent in his field. He proposed to his HRs that he'd be able to enact a Joja Brand Tech Store within the small town, and sough to do just that.

👔 what do they think about morris?

Ulrich actually started off disliking Morris. He found him to be too absorbed in his own beliefs and too stubborn to deal with. Being a Technical Lead and all Ulrich is in charge of Technical Audits and keeping things in order in varying Joja Corporation buildings. Upon visiting and doing all the checks needed, he actually ended up having an argument with Morris over upgrades needing to be done and things needing to be fixed. They're both stubborn and unrelenting, so it goes on for ages. For what seemed like months their relationship was simple. They bicker at each other, Ulrich makes little off-handed elegant, yet teasy remarks and snide jabs, Morris retorts either with a smile or a scowl, they go on about their day.

After finding a middle ground between the both of them, Ulrich started tolerating him more. There was a part of him which held the man in the utmost regard. You could even say there was a part that was fond of him. But why? Perhaps it was that enthusiasm toward his goals which drew him in? Or maybe it was simply the passion lacing each word of his, waiting eagerly for someone to interject so that more could be added on. That toleration became admiration, and that admiration became blossoming feelings toward the man from the other department.

🎉 what is your farmer's favorite festival?

Dance of the Moonlight Jellies is by FAR his favorite festival out of all of the other festivals. Ulrich has a number of sensory issues and finds that other festivals are just too overwhelming for him to be at for long periods of time. At the Moonlight Jelly festival he finds he's able to stay for the entire duration without ending up having to make an excuse to beeline out of the situation. Plus, he has a fondness for the nature he's able to see.

🙄 do they have anyone they openly dislike? why?

Ulrich starts off as coming off as if he openly dislikes most people who interact with him. He can come off as dismissive and uncaring at first, but he generally tries to stay neutral toward the townsfolk.

With that being said, he 1000% dislikes Penny. He was fine with her initially, but after seeing how she treated George in her second heart event (or in this case, how she treated him while Ulrich happened to be walking by one day), his neutrality turned into open disdain. Especially since with a mobility aid, he's able to put himself in George's shoes. ESPECIALLY since telling her off caused a major friendship drain.

He also doesn't like Lewis in the slightest and finds him to be a pathetic excuse of a mayor.

🌈 how do they react when they find their first prismatic shard? what do they do with it?

During one of his many risky ventures into the mines, he'd unintentionally come across one after slaying a monster within the mines. Naturally, he'd react in pure astonishment, curious as to what the hell had happened. He's never been one to be considerably lucky, but would know what just happened to him was real fuckin' crazy. He'd probably keep it on display in his home, confused as to what to do with it.

His sister would be the one to tell him about some myth regarding the Galaxy Sword and he'd go to the pillars just to disprove such a ridiculous sounding thing. Imagine his shock when the sword dropped right in front of his feet.

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Hi! Hope you're doing well! But may I ask for a matchup, please (matchups for both eras in HP, the MCU, and Stranger Things?) Thank you! <3 I'm 24 years old, aquarius sun/scorpio moon/gemini rising, INTP, slytherin with ravenclaw tendencies, biromantic asexual with a preference for guys and I go by she/her pronouns! I was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age and I have yet to get myself rediagnosed since my last diagnosis was like over 20 years ago so yeah. I'm currently in College taking up Bachelor of Multimedia Arts, Major in Animation!

I also stand about at 161.3 cm based on my last height take!

As for my personality, the thing is that I know more about the worst aspects of my personality but I'll try to start off with the good ones before spiraling down on that. POSITIVE TRAITS: For a start, I think of myself as someone who is kind, charming, strong, nice, humble and loyal. I like helping people out as much as possible and try to be open-minded and understanding since the world's already as wack as it is. I also like to think I'm pretty funny with some of my weird sense of humor but I'm usually sarcastic. I also stick to my personal opinions but I'm happy to learn from a mistake, if I'm being spoken to nicely and not yelled at. I would also do anything for my loved ones but I have a hard time showing it, I'm also very understanding and will stand up for what's right and fight someone for them and I won't hesitate to defend the person or call them out on their bullshit while remaining respectful. But that usually depends on the person, as much as possible, I try to be neutral.

My friends also designated me as the chaotic wine aunt/gremlin with minor mom friend moments but usually the chaotic wine aunt/gremlin friend. I also have a mischievous streak at times as well but nothing too big. I'm also smart, introspective, creative, ambitious, brave, determined and willing to change. I've been told that I always seem to speak with gentle words and that I bring positive energy to conversations. My best friend thinks I'm very clever and sly. NEGATIVE TRAITS: I've been told by some of my family members that I could be aloof and closed off from everyone (I mean there was a point in my life that my older sister said I was like Wednesday Addams) and because of this a lot of people think I have low EQ. I also spend a lot of time in my head than being well down with people and I always have this strong urge of proving people wrong. There are also times where I have to rely on other people's opinions to see who I really am because I don't know who I am at certain days. Often I'm also commonly perceived as someone who's either always grumpy or angry. I also have the mindset that no one will love me for me because of the fact that I have ADHD (but mostly this has something to do something my grandmother said to me as a young child). I'm very stubborn and too independent for my own good and I have this solid belief that I can do everything by myself but when in reality I just don't like asking people for help because I'm a bother to them or that its a sign of weakness and I don't like being seen as someone who is weak.

I also have the tendency to be sharp-tongued, forgetting about other people or doing certain things but I always say 'I'll do it later' but actually won't end up doing it eventually, pretending I'm okay but when in reality its not and just bottling everything inside of me until they come toppling over. There are also days where I would prefer the easy way out than the hard road taken and that I give advices out to people but I don't even follow them, I've also been told that I can be selfish and inconsiderate but I'm trying my best. I'm also very cynical and a high procrastinator who either is very cautious or too trusting of people that it becomes a mess.

I'm also very introverted and that I like love and the idea of it but I'm afraid that once I'm with someone, I might hurt them or I get hurt by them. I also don't like being compared to my father like it really gets to my nerves that someone says that. I also have this rebellious streak but not super rebellious. HOBBIES: I have like a LOT of them. My grandma says I'm a 'jack of all trades, master of none' Most of them are artistic exploitations such as drawing, listening to music or playing music since I have like instruments of my own like a ukulele, an electric piano, flute, writing, crafting or coming up with unique stuff on my own and constantly reinventing stuff I have or the stuff I hyperfixate on, cooking and reading, I also like learning about the occult and I usually dabble with divination and astrology and I collect stuff like funko pops and books but I'm usually seen on my phone and being on social media where I shit post memes to my friends and talking to them either joking about arson, doing petty crimes and etc. or I'm playing video games (Stardew Valley, The Sims 4, etc.) I'm also very particularly fond of learning about flower languages and symbolisms because I have this knack of like piecing things together like a big tapestry of sorts, like they don't mean something to the normal person but to me I could just as easily connect something small to something silly.

Thank you so much for requesting a matchup! I hope you enjoy them!! Sorry for the wait! <3

Harry Potter (Marauders);

Remus Lupin:

🐾 You met Remus in Hogwarts, but didn't become friends with him until after you both graduated; having bumped into each other again in a bookstore

🐾 You both bonded over your love for books, love for learning, and your love for the arts; Remus had mentioned to you that he thought you were a great artist from that one time at Hogwarts when he returned your sketchbook

🐾 After the meeting, Remus offered to buy you something to drink at the small cafe next door, you were a bit hesitant, thinking that your actions or what you say might scare him off, but you accepted his offer; though you were worried, Remus seemed to understand you better than anyone else

🐾 You didn't start dating for a long time, your thoughts getting the best of you in most situations, you were worried you'd hurt Remus in some kind of way, and you, yourself didn't want to get hurt in the process either; Remus though, as smart as he is, always seemed to see through you and always reassured you

🐾 One day, while the two of you were baking, Remus asked if you wanted to go on a date with him, you were a bit hesitant again, your mind thinking about your ADHD, but Remus was there to reassure you one more; he loved all of your quirks, he'd never do anything to harm you... He cared about you so much

🐾 It was slow, but you did begin to start dating, going on walks together, traveling, reading by the fire, and even teaching remus how to play some of your favorite video games; even knowing about his furry problem and insisting in helping him after a full moon

🐾 Sometimes when you're feeling particularly down in the dumps, Remus is always there for you, he'd drop anything and everything just to run to your side and try and help you; no matter how stubborn you got or how much you disliked being helped, he broke down your walls and was there for you; whether that be holding your hand and talking things out or just sitting beside you, just in your presence

🐾 As the years went on, Remus seemed to unlock more and more about you, your love for drawing and animation to your brilliant talent for playing the ukulele and flute; you were beyond amazing and a beautiful soul, he couldn't get enough of you

🐾 Sometimes on slow days, in your shared home, the two of you would just read books or write in front of the fire, enjoying the quiet and the peace, enjoying each other's presence; even sometimes trading books with one another and learning new things

🐾 You even joined Hogwarts as the new arts teacher, teaching longside your Remus when he taught DADA, the two of you would eat together at lunch, and Remus was always there if you needed him or vise versa; you two are the perfect match and Remus is so happy he had met you

--

Gilderoy Lockhart:

💞 You were just minding your own business, thinking and daydreaming in your mind as your walked through the cobbled streets of Diagon Alley on your way to your favorite book shop when you noticed that a certain author was present inside

💞 Gilderoy Lockhart was someone you had heard of before, even reading one of his books before you got slightly annoyed by his self-obsessing, egocentric, and narcissistic self-promotion; so finding him self-promoting in the book store you were entering was a bit... Eh

💞 But, you were a kind and understanding soul, maybe Gilderoy's actions and behavior was because of something from his past or someone had said something to him that had made him be so self-centered; so you kept an open mind about the man, and went on your merry way inside to find the newest edition of your favorite book series

💞 What you didn't know what that Gilderoy had noticed you enter, and was star-struck, captivated by you as you walked by to the point he didn't even call you out to try and get you get buy his new book; he didn't even offer you an autograph; star-struck he was

💞 As you were leaving the bookstore, having purchased your new books, you were finally stopped by the blondie, (somehow he snapped out of his admiring thoughts of you enough to finally speak to you); that's when he offered you a book of his... For free (how could you pass that up?)

💞 That's when he asked for your name, you awkwardly/hesitantly answering before he autographed the inside cover of the thick book and even a picture of himself for good measure; he even tried his hand at asking if you were free for dinner, and you politely declined before thanking him for the book, and leaving

💞 When you go home, you opened the cover to read the inscription, you cheeks feeling a bit flush when you found that Gilderoy had written a full poem for you, about you even; you had to admit it was a sweet sort of odd gesture, but you didn't really know what to think really

💞 You couldn't stop thinking about the poem that he had written for you, so much that when you were heading back to the bookstore after finishing your new book and in need of another, your brain replayed the poem often; it was also just your luck when he was in the bookstore that day again

💞 What you didn't expect was some random guy screeching at the poor author about how narcissistic he was, and you hated yelling and fights especially when the antagonist was being so mean for really no reason; so you broke up the fight, telling the guy off for just being plain rude and to leave Gilderoy alone; and when I tell you gilderoy had heart eyes, he had heart eyes

💞 Gilderoy thanked you once the man and the small crowd dissipated, finally being honest and somewhat humble when he spoke, and that was when you built up the courage and pushed away the nerves to ask if he wanted to join you for lunch; of course he said yes

--

Bruce Banner:

👨🏻‍🔬 You were part of the Avengers, having amazing powers and intelligence to match, Steve Rogers actually recruited you for the team after you bumped into the Super Soldier at a museum; you were a bit hesitant at first, but you agreed to join them, at least for a little while

👨🏻‍🔬 But the thought of helping others from aliens and baddies was the real reason you decided to stay at the tower as one of the Avengers; you loved helping others especially from wrongdoers, and with your powers, being able to save others came easily

👨🏻‍🔬 When you weren't out on the field or helping in missions, you were in the lab with Tony and Bruce; from the way you sometimes acted aloof or a bit closed off, some of the Avengers, I won't name who, thought you weren't really that smart; you fooled them when you were able to calculate equations as if it was second nature for you - which shocked them immensely

👨🏻‍🔬 They also found your art skills fascinating, even little Peter Parker asking if you could draw him with eight legs; no matter how odd the request was, you drew it for the kid and he loved it

👨🏻‍🔬 Working in the lab, you dealt with Tony being somewhat of a nuisance and Bruce, being the sweet and shy guy that he was; you slowly bonded with the two of them, moreso Bruce than Tony (though you sarcasticness and mischievousness did clash well with the Iron Man)

👨🏻‍🔬 As said, you grew close to Bruce, finding him to be a loyal and understanding friend; to a point in your friendship though, you began to grow feelings for the man which was a bit nerve-racking to say the least

👨🏻‍🔬 You kept quiet about it, keeping your feelings in your mind as you did your best to pretend everything was alright; at some point Bruce even asked if you were alright, and you said that you were, but you weren't; your mind constantly raced with insecurity

👨🏻‍🔬 Bruce thought felt the same way, he thought you were incredibly smart and charming; even some of your jokes made him laugh, to Tony's dismay

👨🏻‍🔬 Now you two didn't start dating for a long while, thought that didn't stop the two of you from getting coffee together at cafes or some brunch at the diner down the street; you and Bruce spent hours talking about astrology, divination, and even flower language

👨🏻‍🔬 Thought it took a bit of adjusting, understanding, and trust, and in the end the two of you were more than just best friends :)

--

Steve Harrington:

😎 You went to college for Multimedia Arts a whole state away when you met Steve Harrington, for some reason he had decided to drive to another state just to get away for awhile

😎 You both ran into each other at a diner with your friends, he accidently spilled his drink on you and profusely apologized to you, offering to literally go out and buy you a new shirt or something, he even went out of his way to even give your his jacket to wear; when you tried to give it back to him, he refused, shaking his head, it was yours know

😎 Steve then gave you his number so he could do something to repay you while he was in town, you took it, though you felt a bit unsure at first

😎 Your friends were supportive and even encouraged you to meet up with Steve, thinking that he might be a good match for you, you had the strong urge to prove them wrong... But they were right

😎 You awkwardly called Steve with the support of your friends, and Steve asked if you wanted to go to an art diner, you accepted and you were surprised to see Steve with a clothing bag in his hand, he gave it to you and it was a new shirt; you couldn't help but smile

😎 The two of you ate at the art diner, before wandering the upstairs where you both looked at all the art from people in the community, which inspired you greatly; the two of you even spoke about your interests, it was hard in the beginning but it got better

😎 After three months of meeting up with Steve at diners or parks, he asked you out on a real date, and shyly, you said yes; it was a fun date at an arcade and a nice dinner afterwards

😎 Steve felt nervous around you, all the time, he really, really liked you; he loved how caring, strong, creative, and funny you were, and you liked Steve a lot too, from his sarcasm, bravery, to his hair

😎 When Steve had to leave back to Indiana, you tried to hide your disappointment, but Steve said that he'd call you when he could and he kept his promise, calling you almost every night and when he was busy he always made sure to call at least once or twice a week

😎 You missed him a lot, but both you and Steve had planned to meet each other again during breaks and vacations, and you couldn't wait

[dailyaudiobiblechronological]

12/5/2023 DAB Chronological Transcription

2 Corinthians 5 - 9

Welcome to Daily Audio Bible Chronological, I'm Jill. Today is the fifth day of December, welcome everybody. It is so great to be here with you today. truly an honor and a privilege to be reading the word of God for all of us, with all of you. and it's a privilege that I don't take lightly, and so I thank you for allowing me to be here and I thank you for being here with me. and I thank you for setting this time aside to be intentional in the word of God. to allow him to speak to your heart, to allow your mind to be renewed, your spirit to be refreshed, and maybe even a good dose of news that hurts, but what we do with that hurt is most essential. we can disregard it, dismiss it, avoid it and it'll come out one way or the other. We can mask it, we can bring comfort with bolts comforters to bring temporary relief or we could sit with the ouch and ask the Holy Spirit to come and heal us and change us and cause us to go in a different direction. And then let's end on something positive. Maybe it will encourage us, Lift Our Heads, lift our spirit and say to us that which exactly what we need to get through today. So I pray maybe it does all of those things as we hear, as we listen, as we see, and as we open our hearts. continuing second Corinthians today, chapters 5 through 9, long reading and this week. we're reading the Christian Standard Bible, Second Corinthians chapter 5. 

Commentary

It would be a miss if I didn't pull such an important question from today's reading that I also find in the God of Your Story, which is an incredibly beautiful resource if you haven't picked it up. it's a devotional that accompanies the Daily reading and I use it as a beautiful resource a lot of days. Brian who is a Craftsman with words, has the ability to bring protein pack to words with the least amount of words that count, and that make sense. and so pulling from that today, in our reading from Second Corinthians, Paul encourages us to consider how we are attempting to blend what and never be in harmony. and this is chapter 6 verses 14 through 16, and I'm going to continue on right there. For Paul this was a massive issue attempting to have one foot in darkness, and the other in the light, was nothing more than unhealthy contamination of Sons and Daughters of the most high. Why would we do that? Why do we put it in the vernacular of Ecclesiastes from our Old Testament reading, this is nothing more than chasing the wind it's meaningless. Paul encourages us to cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit, and in doing so to work toward complete Holiness because we fear God. I'll bring a full admission, I think this passage has confused me at times thinking about mixing. I have read it thinking well then you avoid the unbeliever, you avoid people who have a difference in denominational beliefs, or just conviction. doesn't that go against who Jesus was, of what Jesus taught I believe in my own understanding and I would argue that the deeper meaning here is not Association, but participation. when we say that we believe one thing and then we participate in the very thing that we say we stand against, or that we do take a stand. again we may be striving in one place for righteousness, and in the very next moment participating. and sometimes for reasons we don't even know why, or see but participating in the very things that are Unholy unrighteous, which according to the word defiles are very spirit separation. To be separate from the world to me means, do not participate and sometimes we have to stop and take a very conscientious inventory, a very conscientious look at our actions. are they matching our words, because words are meaningless if our actions are giving. Speaking of a very different message I would love to say that all of this is revelation from the Holy Spirit, without actual participation myself that is not the case. and I think sometimes where we can get so tripped up is once we are aware, what do we do with that? Do we get stuck in shame? Do we run and hide in our shame and dim ourselves? or do we run toward repentance into the loving arms of a loving father who said, I will walk among them and I will be their God and they will be my people. I will be a father to you and you will be my sons and daughters. to me says the Lord Almighty we know that impurity either has to be burned out or has to be cleansed out. What, there is a process to it? a very intentional process. we can never become pure by avoiding the thing that causes the impurity. we have to be. Does it and oftentimes it's a process and we have to give ourselves to the things that will help us. and sometimes that process is really hard. but what we know is that God will never leave us, you will never forsake us. He will never turn his back on us. and so I would encourage us to consider these words and allow space for the Holy Spirit to speak. 

Prayer

Jesus, thank you for being here with us today. thank you that you are with us, never leaving us, never forsaken us. and I pray that our good intentions would be more than intentions, they would be actions because we are choosing to participate in our own stories consciously and intentionally seeking righteousness so that the world in need the world, who has lost their way the world that is mostly hopeless, would see the light in us, and it would shine and Scatter the darkness, but our lives bring hope to the Hopeless. and may love abound. pray this now in the name of the father, Son, and Holy Spirit, amen. 

Announcements

Daily Audio Bible, that is home base. check it out if you haven't. that's the website where anything you want to know you can know, that's also the free app that you can download. Speaking of app, if you would like to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, there are several different ways for you to do so. if you are giving by mail, DAB PO Box 1996 Spring Hill, Tennessee 37174. or utilizing that app hit the give icon up at the top right hand corner. and lastly look for the give icon on the website. For many of us, It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, talking about Christmas time. If you would like to be a part of the Christmas initiative to help with all of the beautiful changes taking place in technology, you can find that on the website as well, but you can give a $25 minimum donation and receive one of five vinyl albums. That is taking place exclusively here on Daily Audio Bible at Christmas time the Five albums include Sleep, Heart, Christmas Time by Maxwell Harden, Family Christmas album, and Promised Land the soundtrack. Of course you can purchase all five albums, $25 a piece, or you can select one of five ways, one of them, two albums, three, four, all five. and lastly if you would love to be a part of the Daily Audio Bible virtual Christmas party, there's still time for you to call in, or use your mobile device to call in your Christmas greeting. What a beautiful time for this community to come together and hear from one another. people that you have prayed for, people that you have prayed with, people you have rejoiced with, have wept with, literally all over the globe. and so that open window will come to a close. jump on that while you can. That's going to do it for me today, I'm Jill, we’ll turn the page together tomorrow, until then, love one another. 

Community Prayer Line

And Darren Valentine her husband and Daniel's friend, yes I am here with the Fresno angels. and I want to share a real brief because I can't give you the full story. If you want the full story you can probably read it on the DABC page. but as I went to visit D2, God would have it that he was not ready to come out for the visit, but God would also have it that I had an incredible opportunity to do a little Ministry with a young man of 20 years Young, and his mother. and it was absolutely incredible how the Lord intervened and orchestrated that whole situation, and I tell you God really just showed up in that place and he comforted my heart he grabbed my heart because he knew had I walked away with no kind of deposit it would have been a different day. I believe but he allowed it to turn out differently and I bless his name and so just want to encourage all you moms and dads out there that are proud of those people behind bars to know that God has not forgotten them. as this young man seems to have thought and so I just want to encourage your heart to know when God closes one door he always opens another. so family be encouraged, as I sign off with the Fresno angels. have a blessed day. bless you family One beloved daughter and her friend David come to you today, and I thank you so much for one beloved daughter. I thank you that she is your beloved and I thank you that she has become a beloved part of our community and our family. Lord, I Thank you for her faithfulness to call in to pray for people and ask for prayer for friends and family. and Lord she even ran out of time talking in requesting prayer for her friend to be able to give her time to speak on her need. and so Lord I'm bringing her to you and placing her in your hands and saying Lord you know the details of whatever it was she might have asked for for herself. and I'm asking you to rein Supreme as you always do in her life and in her situation and then lowered her friend David this poor man he's got a lot going on in this life, Lord. and most important most horrific part of her tired laid out situation is the fact that he's lost to you Lord. and Lord right now he has a diagnosis that's possibly leading to the end of this Mortal life and Lord I just ask him beg please did you draw him to you that the you use these situations bring people into his life to speak your message Lord to him speak to his heart. open it and soften it and draw him to you hoping to realize that you are the only source of comfort and peace and salvation that he is able to get via this life or they have to live in Jesus did there's no way he's going to survive any of it without you. but Lord I also ask please touch his body to help him as he deals with his chemotherapy and all the horrificness that goes with it and all the things he may have going on in his world. Lord, thank you, praise you love you, God bless you. 

Hello hello this is walking in truth from Florida and I just wanted to call in and pray over our marriages. Lord God I am so thankful for the gift of marriage, and what a beautiful picture it is. oh Lord God that wouldn't you created this institution you already knew that you were going to model this after Christ the bridegroom and his beautiful bride the church. and Lord God I thank you that you created man and woman not to be alone. and that you created help me in the form of a spot a spouse and to create this beautiful thing called the family. and so Lord God I know the enemy is seeking to destroy marriages all over the world and just more that beautiful picture and look at marriage is hard. We take two different, two different people wired completely differently with different life experiences and tell them to become one flesh, and it is difficult at times. and I just pray Lord God, that you would not allow the enemy to tear our marriages apart. that you would strengthen each one of us Lord God in our resolve to get it right and our marriage would be greater than the temptation to give in and give up. and Lord God I pray that each spouse would have a heart and an attitude that seeks to live right by you and and do things your way. that we wouldn't be selfish, that we would be serving and loving like you did, and Lord God I just ask this in your name Jesus. 

[fabulousraven]

A Child Is Listening: A Reflective Essay from the film "Prayers for Bobby"

Prayers for Bobby is a televised drama film that premiered on the Lifetime network on January 24, 2009. The movie is based on Leroy F. Aarons' book of the same name, which is based on the life and legacy of Bobby Griffith, a gay teen who perished in 1983 as a result of his mother's prejudice. Bobby Griffith is portrayed by Ryan Kelley, and Mary Griffith is portrayed by Sigourney Weaver. The film received positive reviews from critics and was nominated for various academy awards.

The challenges of being a homosexual in a traditional family were explored in the movie. Tragically, the events depicted in the film are still occurring today. There are still individuals who like Bobby Griffith. The family's favorite grandchild, Bobby, later came to terms with his homosexuality, which caused him to drift away from his religious family. I observed at the beginning of the movie that everyone is homophobic, starting with her grandmother. I came to understand that it's possible to embrace someone else's beliefs after spending a lot of time with them. even more so if it is your parent.

They are one of the persons who are molding you while you are still learning, growing, and exploring. Mary's homophobia, in my opinion, resulted from both her reading of the Bible and the family she was up in. She was raised by a homophobic mom. She aged like it. Due to his homophobic environment, Bobby developed the belief that being gay is a sin. Your attitude is shaped by the people you surround yourself with.

It is hard when your own parents do not value your individuality and discourage you from being yourself because they want you to at least resemble them. Sometimes, parents can be so selfish and thoughtless. This film really demonstrates that religion shouldn't be a justification for making other people miserable; rather, it should be a roadmap to becoming a better version of yourself. It is not irreverent or, God forbid, anti-religious. It is a message that includes God's genuine teachings for everyone who decides to follow him.

If I were to connect my circumstances to Kulber-Ross's Stages of Grief, I would begin with Denial. At this point, we often want to escape the circumstances we find ourselves in and fantasize instead. I could identify with this since there have been instances when I have chosen to ignore reality and simply exist in a bubble in an effort to feel better. I would simply lie in bed all day and do nothing in the hopes that my issues would disappear. Anger is the next stage. I can kind of connect to this because there have been times when I've vented my rage on something in an effort to feel better. The third stage is Bargaining, during which you regret it and wish it would never happen. I can still clearly remember praying to God for signs that would help me overcome my issues and understand why they had to arise in the first place. Depression is the fourth stage, where you withdraw from others and question whether you really want to live. To be completely honest, I would not claim that I have actually experienced this at this point because my depression runs deeper than we initially thought. Acceptance is the final stage, where you regain the will to live and accept the circumstances, the point at which you accept the new reality and move on.

This movie is about how important it is for people to accept and love us for who we are. It showed how some parents completely lack preparation for family life and cause devastation around them. Not all parents deserve the children they have. This movie illustrates the damage that ignorance creates. This film has given me a lot to think about, and I think all parents and even teenagers should watch it. There are a lot of Janes and Bobbys in the world. May they all be surrounded by more kind and understanding individuals who will encourage them to develop and thrive. Homosexuality is not a disease to be cured. 

"Change is not something you can avoid or pretend is not there, We all need to embrace it and faced it head-on." - Jay Shetty

[hintsofhoney]

alright, *cracks fingers*. so. I’ve written up a transcript just to lay it all out for myself and get the most important parts. listen, everyone. for all intents and purposes and legal reasons, THIS WAS A DREAM. alright? I dreamt this. and he is literally the nicest human being ever so I don’t want to just like... put our whole convo out there like that, but I think he said some stuff that was important for people to hear so... here we go

my *dreamt* zoom call with thee crowley below the cut

The first five minutes (of my dream) was just a bunch of introduction stuff and talking about my favorite Supernatural seasons which eventually led to him telling me how they filmed the Season 8 finale (which they did over the span of three days, and in between takes the crew members were like dead silent, as to keep the moment going, which Mark thought was really cool. Said it was one of his favorite things they did on Supernatural.) Anyways, he eventually asked me if I had any questions, so, I’ll start there.

MARK: So, do you have any questions you want to ask me about aaaaaannyyyythingggg? 

ME: Um, I guess the number one thing I wanna know… um, so, I know you can’t speak for Dean and I don’t want to talk about Dean because you’re not Jensen, but, there’s like a lot of questions I guess or subtext or whatever concerning Dean’s sexuality and what not, but I want to know about demon Dean and Crowley’s relationship and if there was, I don’t know, anything like, any implied –

MARK: Well I think – I think you’re talking about… there’s a massive difference between sex and love. There’s a massive difference between, um, well, they can intertwine perfectly, that’s not the issue, but I mean you would believe with all the things that Crowley did for the Winchesters, that he was – that he very much loved Sam and Dean or loved who they are or what they are. To reduce it to, you know, a crush, or to something that – I mean, I don’t know, I think Crowley is very probably pansexual more than anything else; I don’t think anything phased him. I think, that’s why the whole stuff with Lucifer and licking the floor was kind of really stupidly boring for me because Crowley did weirder and crazier things on his own. I mean, it became this joke of trying to humiliate somebody who can’t be humiliated. There’s nothing you can humiliate Crowley with. So, that never sort of made sense, that was just a sort of writer’s glitch of thinking, “oooh, this would be funny to knock him down into subservience” and that’s what he does on a Wednesday, I mean it’s like the most un-inspiring thing. I think so much is projected onto the relationship between, certainly the four main characters, um, and, you know, look, getting comfortable with one’s sexuality and one’s identity is a massively complicated things, and if you want to live vicariously through what you believe people’s identity is and you can relate to that, great!  Who cares? I mean, can I be absolutely honest? Apart from – what I do care about, you know, don’t ever take this and piece me or misquote it, because it’s very, very specific – um, somebody stopping somebody being able to express their own identity or whatever is an issue for me. That will always be an issue for me. Um, we should all be treated equally, and we all have the rights to believe and follow those things that we wish to follow, but to project relationships onto characters is an odd thing to do. I mean, it’s wishful thinking in a lot of ways, I mean, actually it’s quite… it’s quite reasonable because in the past if you think about it, if you ask your parents or anyone else, the only way sexuality was used was to, uh, literally demonize somebody. It was only ever used to say somebody was bad because this who they’re in love with. You know, that’s, that’s the thing. And it’s a massive change in the world that we’re moving towards, I should say, uh – a lack of consequence for who one loves, apart from the obvious consequences of human nature. You know, political consequences for who one loves – I’ve just watched Pete Butteigieg being, you know, sitting in congress with his husband there with him; that’s the first time that’s ever happened in United States congress and I’m so proud of that. Not just because the man is gay and happily married – that’s not even the issue for me, it’s because he’s the best man for the job and one of the smartest people on the planet. You know, it’s like using sexual templates, as they were, or gender templates as they are, or orientation templates as they are, we always use to disclude people from things. They were always used to discriminate. You know, labeling somebody was a way of discrimination. And where as labels are very important, to ones self, and they’re very important politically and they’re very important socio-economically and they’re very important in all those aspects, I yearn for a time when nobody gives a damn. I really do. But I mean, we have to go through so much to get there. I mean, let’s be honest, you can’t, you know, right the wrongs of hundreds of years of oppression in 20 minutes by saying, “let’s all move forward”. It just doesn’t work that way, it never has. But there’s a responsibility there, that if you’re going to represent, that you represent all. That you don’t just represent you. So, one has to be careful with a television program or, or, you know, Misha or myself, or, not speaking for the boys, but just generally, um, you have to be careful that what you advocate is inclusive, not disinclusive. Not excluding people... and it’s so hard to frame these conversations, that they’re equitable, it’s so hard to do that. And so, you know, we spend years pointing out the inequity and the injustice and the unfairness of the whole situation, and… I don’t know if the trick is to rise above, or, uh, maybe it’s as simple as love and coming together as a human race and make it very difficult for people to discriminate and exclude based on gender, race, color, religion, any of the subsets of humanity that we’ve decided we have. So, I think personal responsibility is the most important thing, but if one is in a position of power on a TV show, you got to remember what you’re representing, that you have a, you know, you have to cover all or cover none. So, you know, but if you stick to a story and you have a story about a person or two people and their journey, that’s shining light on things. If you try to advocate for all, I think it becomes a little more complicated. Does that make sense?

so, i just feel like he said some important things there, but like I also don’t really understand what he’s getting at really, y’know? oh! also, he didn’t watch the finale lmao 

also! there’s this:

MARK: Because if you come down on one side or another, you’re admitting the sides, and that has its own political ramifications. If you push the ball up in the air and say, “you decide”, I don’t think that’s copping out. I think that’s, maybe not fulfilling everybody’s expectations, or not fulfilling everybody’s hopes, but at least you’re getting the question asked. You know, at least you’re getting the question asked. At least people are relating to it and going, “well, what if?”. Because it’s all “what if”, I mean, it’s a TV show, so it’s “what if”, you know? It’s not Misha being in love with Jensen, I mean as much as he loves Jensen, I don’t think that’s his thing – I mean you never know – but I’m saying yet again, I don’t exclude anything from anybody (I LITERALLY CAN’T BELIEVE HE SAID THIS LMAO). But to force my opinion or my identity belief upon a situation has a cost. It may be right, it may be absolutely right, and it may be necessary in many, many cases. But, in that circumstance, I think… there are a lot of people in the world that say that Jesus, for example, was anti-homosexual and that he was – and none of that is true, and none of that is provable in the New Testament, and I’m not talking about Leviticus and I’m not talking about early Bible and I’m not talking about the fact that more than 25,000 words have been changed in the King James edition and all of this stuff, but these things that people hold so sacred, the confusion that arises from that is being told that a man loving a man or a woman loving a woman or a man loving a man and a woman or whatever combination being there is either right or wrong because you’re being told by a pastor or the leaders of your church, is a very difficult thing to break down. I think what you have to do is at least put it out there so it’s visible, and so it becomes less and less deniable. And you know, people change over years, that’s the trouble with youth, is shit doesn’t move fast enough. “I need a decision now!”, and unfortunately, when you’re dealing with centuries of prejudice and centuries of un-enlightenment, I think that sometimes the best thing to do is reach as many people as possible and pose the question. And sometimes it’s essential to make a statement, absolutely, no question. It is essential to make a stand, in some circumstances. But to polarize a TV show, can be very disingenuous to those who need to go ask their own questions, who need to go say, “well, where does Jesus say this is wrong?” you know, if that’s your beliefs.

he also said, when we went off on a tangent about doom patrol:

MARK: There are issues that are being addressed here [on Doom Patrol] that are not being addressed on other shows, and yet again, we have the format, and I don’t know that Supernatural ever had the format because it was on the CW.

anywho, in conclusion, fuck the cw.

also, again, for all intents and purposes this was a dream I had :)))))))

[levi-ships-eruri]

Levi Ackerman NSFW Alphabet

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Levi is a cleanliness freak and after a few moments of holding you and making sure that you are okay, he would get up and change the sheets. Means, you have to get up, too. And while you are up, you should go and take a shower. He will join you there and MAYBE this will lead to a second round. However, he will definitely make sure you are alright, clean, and safe. And tbh, there is no better feeling than going back to bed with Levi and cuddle into the fresh sheets.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Levi is quite confident about his body despite his height. On himself, he especially likes his hands and his long, slender, and calloused fingers. They are quite aestethic and he knows how to use them on you, reaching places inside you that your own fingers cannot reach. However, these hands are also shed in blood. Therefore he loves to see that his hands can also be soft and caring on your body, and bring pleasure instead of death.

On you, Levi is definitely an ass and thigh kind of guy. But his favourite body part of you is your face: eyes, lips, nose, jawline... He loves when you glance over to him from the other side of the room, a little smile on your lips. He loves the blush tinting your cheeks. He loves the soft look in your eyes when you tell him that you love him. He loves to see you let loose when you come on him.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Levi HATES to make a mess. So when he comes, he comes inside of you. He also thinks this is quite intimate and therefore likes it (plus, secretly thinking he is marking you. Boy sometimes is insecure). When it comes to oral, he wouldn’t force you to swallow. If you wanna spit it out, he would hand you a tissue. Same if something drips out of your mouth because sometimes he comes A LOT.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Levi is pretty vocal about sex and wouldn’t hide something from you, not even the awkward first-time-stories. But there is one thing he is shy talking about... he is not one to share his partner. EXCEPT for the two persons he trusts the most: Hanji and Erwin. Levi caught himself thinking about a threesome with his partner and one of them (or...a foursome...no too much trouble), but he would not dare to bring it up. He would be super embarassed if Erwin turned down the idea and he wouldn’t want Hanji to tell everybody or to brag about it (they would do this, let’s be honest).

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Levi is over 30 years old, so he had gathered some experience. He started in the underworld, not necessarily because of need, but because he thinks it is something he is...supposed to do? Something that was normal for people to do? Later he also had sex when he needed to release some anger, and only later started to really enjoy it and to think about what techniques would please his partner. So, when the two of you start having sex, this guy knows what he does and is willing to learn everything about you and your preferations.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Doggy: He loves to push you down, a hand between your shoulders, your ass up in the air, pounding into you.

Missonary: Levi is a broken man and he loves to hold you close to him and bury his face into the crock of your neck.

Sitting: Both of you sitting, your legs wrapped around him, bodies closely pressed together, hand and lips everywhere they can reach. It is the most intimate position for the really emotional times.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? Are they humorous? etc.)

Levi is pretty serious in the bedroom, but he will make cocky remarks and smile a lot (sometimes also cocky, sometimes soft). Sometimes you will break out laughing because he cannot shut his shitmouth and will say something downright ridiculous.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? Does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

His hair down there is dark as well and neatly groomed, maybe even completely shaved. He is aware that bodyhair does not have anything to do with bad hygene, but he just feels better shaved or groomed. Levi’s body hair (and facial hair) also takes a lot of time to grow due to his time in the underground, but in this case it is rather beneficial for him.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Levi is super intimate. Not necessarily overly romantic, but intimate. This is something between you and him, something special. So unless it is a quicky during stressful times, he will take his time and make sure that both of you feel good and loved. Often having sex with him is the closest you ever feel to him because Levi can show his affection better by acts than by words. Afterwards you sometimes have the deepest conversations.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Levi’s sex drive is not the highest and he has no problem with not jerking off for a while. When he feels the need to do it, he will do it during his super effective shower sessions because this way it wouldn’t make a mess. 

However, when he is in a relationship, his longing gets stronger. If he cannot see you for some time or if the two of you just cannot find any time for the do, he will have a frustrating jack-off session, which only causes his need for you to grow.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Captain Kink: Levi likes to take the dominant part. He likes to hear you call him Heichou in bed, but not too often (he loves his name from your lips even more).

Bondage: Levi loves to tie you up and make you squirm beneath him. Orgasm denial is not a real kink of him, BUT he will do it all the time when you are tied up. When he gives you oral in this state, you can be sure it will take at least AN HOUR before he lets you cum.

Stockings: Since he is a leg guy, he enjoys seeing you wearing stockings. And he wouldn’t admit, but seeing you taking on your boots and gear the next morning is a huge turn on for him. He cannot wait to take them off again in th evening.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

His bed or the floor of his room, where he has control over the mess the two of you make.

His desk. It will make much more of a mess and will make a chaos out of his paperwork, but he is a sucker for the view of you sprawled out on his desk.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Levi is actually pretty hard to seduce, which makes flirting with him really hard. He notices the flirting, of course, but is good at ignoring it. As already mentioned, he gets pretty turned on when you get dressed into your boots and gear.

Whenyou spend the day apart from eachother,  glancing at each other from a distance, waiting for the night to finally come.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Degrading: Apart from public belief, Levi would NEVER degrade you because he hates being degraded so much. His whole life has been a pain so far, so why should he take this into the bedroom, where he just wants to show his partner his love?

He would also not hurt you. Maybe a few spanks or some very light choking and hair pulling, but he would never ever hurt you in any way. Same reason as above.

Don’t. Call. Him. Daddy. He thinks this is super weird. Just stay with his name or Heichou/Captain.

Anything including piss or feces. Just no.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Levi highly enjoys receiving oral, especially when he is sitting and you on your knees in fron of him. When you blow him, he will finally let loose and you can see his face slightly being tinted red, eyes closed, lips a little apart. His hand will be in your hair all the time and towards the end he cannot hold back and will thrust into your mouth once or twice. His low grunts get a little more high pitched when you run your tongue around his tip.

But Levi is also pretty talented in giving. As mentioned before, he likes to tease you with his mouth, loving the feeling of you squirming beneath him. Be prepared for a lot of edging, cause that little gremlin is a sucker for your desperate moans.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Levi is a little more on the rougher side. His thrusts are deep and strong, his pace rather “average” at the start, but he gets faster in the course of the act. If the two of you have some time, he will vary his rhythm, from slow and sensual to fast and strong, and back again. Quickies will be, as the name suggest, as quick as possible.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Oh, talking about quickies: If you are in a relationship with Levi or anything like this, quickies will happen very often. He is a busy man und you most likely will also be part of the survey corps, so you need to use every little space of time you can get. This often results in steamy sessions in the forest against a tree, or a more private session in his office.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

So, semi public sex, like in the forest, is a thing. But he would always make sure to not get caught, especially not by some cadets.

Apart from that, he is pretty open in bed. Tell him what you would like to try and he will most likely agree, as long as it is nothing from his no go list. If he picks up something new (thanks to Hanji most probably) he will also not shy away from bringing it up and ask you about it.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Oh boi, we are talking about Levi. When the two of you have a whole night, you have to be the one to stop him at some point - for your own sake. Levi can go for several rounds, even the whole night and this can easily be too much for someone without special power.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

So let’s imagine a more modern setting, because I think there are no sex toys in our common sense on Paradise Island. In a modern world, Levi would definitely get and try out some sex toys, especially vibrators which he could use on his partner. He would also be a little curious to try them out on himself, but he rather uses them for teasing you. He would have like 2 or 3 items, not too much, not too fancy.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Ohhh, be prepared for a lot of teasing. Levi enjoys to have a little power over you and your pleasure, and he will make use of it. He is especially unfair when it comes to oral, holding your hips in place while he is taking is sweet time to pleasure you. It drives you mad and this man has a lot of patience.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Levi is not really loud, but his soft little grunts and moans are like music. He only gets a little louder when you tease him while giving him head, but he will also scold you for it. That shitmouth. Otherwise, you will hear him whisper “fuck” and “shit” while he is pounding into you and coming close to his climax.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Levi is quite curious when it comes to new techniques. Soon after joining the squad, he  discovers that Hanji has quite an interesting collection of books with...a lot of explanations and images. So one day, he asks them to borrow some of these books to study them. But before, he threatens Hanji with death if they tell anyone.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Have you seen Levi’s season 4 arts? This man is packed, damn. Errected I would say he is between 7′0 and 8′0. So Levi’s dick is pretty average in girth, but long. He knows how to use it as good as he uses his swords.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Levi’s sex drive is pretty low, since he is not a horny teen anymore. Of course, he feels the need from time to time, but he can pretty good control himself. When he is in a relationship, however, his sex drive will grow a lot, since it is one of the ways of showing you how much he loves you. If the two of you have time, you will easily have sex 3 or 4 times a week.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Levi only sleeps 3 hours per night, and this will not change after sex. He often holds you until you are asleep and gets up afterwards, to either sleep at his desk or do some paperworks. He will, however, make sure to be back in bed when you wake up.

[roobylavender]

i think the problem with sakura is that she’s a main character with the relevancy of a side character, she’s more like a plot device (5ks) and much less interesting than naruto, sasuke and kakashi.

i think there are things to be said about how sakura is underutilized in places esp wrt the political undercurrent of the series that naruto and sasuke are so entrenched in but i don't think i would go so far as to say she's lacking in import to the point she functions as a plot device.. her position is unique within the team bc she comes from an utterly normal background and has to contend with an onslaught of trauma and decide how to react to it as her ideals and relationship with being a ninja develop. she's not ridiculously overpowered nor is she the descendent to a family irrevocably tied to the roots of the land, so figuring out what it is that she wants to stand for and believe in is something that takes time, and it's why her position as a healer is ultimately important. she has no real history with the political progression of the village so her aversion to using violence as an all-encompassing solution isn't simply emblematic of a traditional feminine role within the world but also represents a greater ideal in that she refuses to give into the cycle that keeps so many of the characters in naruto trapped in a never-ending political scheme of proxy wars facilitated by warring states for the sake of profit. her normalcy is what renders her revolutionary as a character. she's the one character who more than anything beats back against the current of violence and nihilism with an unwavering belief in people and desire to see them heal rather than give into violence themselves. she doesn't even have a complete picture of what's been happening behind the scenes of konoha's history and yet she knows enough to resist that systemic violence being perpetuated around her

that's what makes her decisions in the kage summit arc so interesting. that's more or less the breaking point for every member of team seven and yet despite all of that pressure and despair closing in around her, despite her attempts to go against the grain of everything she's believed in up until that point - that getting through to sasuke is viable, that letting naruto drive himself crazy over it is even worth something - she still hesitates with the kunai in the end bc it's not her. it's never been her. she's never been able to give up on the people she cares about. in the moment it might look like a pathetic thing and like she's nothing more than the sad reactionary to naruto and sasuke's whims, but i think it's actually a quite powerful depiction of who sakura is at the core and who she refuses to stop being. her unwavering faith in people isn't a weakness, rather it's one of her greatest strengths. bc she survives this entire ordeal - these five years of grueling trauma and separation and war - without compromising her own values. and i suppose some people view that as a weakness bc they're only viewing it from a shipping perspective and feel like sakura is made to wait for some guy with serious problems to love her back. but when you understand her actions and beliefs in context of naruto as a political work about the cycle of violence then i think she's an incredibly compelling character, bc in the end, she's right to not give into the violence and to not turn her back on sasuke. she knows better than anyone that what's wrong with him isn't even entirely up to him despite her knowing so little about his background (and the same can apply to naruto along a different vein). she knows there are reasons for the way people change and her compassion and empathy allow her to stand by them with the belief that they can still make it out okay, which, when you set it against the backdrop of state heads using ninja like pawns of violence they don't give a damn about, i think it's quite significant

[cozycottagetarot]

Who's Coming In & Why? (General)

Here’s the thing… I'd love to tell you this is all love and friendships, but it’s not. It’s more of a who’s coming in to help you move forward.

Still, I’m posting it because it may still resonate with some people.

However, I will do a second reading of the same topic in the future focusing on love and friendships in particular.

Check out my Paid Readings ✨

PILE 1 — The Inspiration

Energy surrounding them: Queen of Pentacles

I see this as being some person you need to move you forward, be it a general mentor, someone with a career, or someone to get you motivated to get up and take action (the latter comes through strongest) . They could be well off, not necessarily lavishly rich, but more so in the sense of being a better situation than you. There could be a nurturing or gentle energy to them as well.

The vibes I get: Vision boards, goals, goal setting, power move

Why they’re coming in? The Empress, Judgement, The Tower (all reversed)

There may be some kind of disharmony in your life, particularly with you. You may be too much into your masculine energy (logic and material) and neglecting your feminine energy (nurturing, intuition). It could be a matter of self confidence and unhappiness with how your life is going. This person is coming in to put you back on track, and shift your perspective. Them entering your life will help you to face your fears and release any self doubt you may have. They may help you to avoid ending up in a bad place. Because all your cards keep coming out reversed (even though I didn’t want to take all reversals) I see it as a sign as well to don’t be afraid to start anew, instead of trying to situate everything exactly the way it was in the before. Like that quote/saying that goes something like-- "don’t be afraid to start over because this time you’re not starting from scratch, your starting from experience?"

How they'll help you? 10 of Swords, 9 of Wands reversed

The only place to go from here is up, but you need to stop being so stubborn about it. This person coming in is going to help you get your back you drive to 'fight' so you can pursue happiness/goals in a new way.

Potential Struggles? Knight of Wands, The Star reversed

Be careful your inspired action is not really impulsivity . You’ll have to do some inner work as well. You may compare yourself to this person and risk falling back into the same state again. You need to take responsible actions, get in tune with your emotions and work on your confidence and any anxieties you may have. Healing from the past as well, because your past isn’t your future.

PILE 2 -- The Therapist

Energy surrounding them: The Star

The energy surrounding the person coming in is one of calm and stability, and that is what they will bring to you. This person is going to help heal you, be it professionally (a therapist or psychologist) or unintentionally (someone who triggers our healing). This person is going to feel like everything will be okay.

The vibes I get: therapy, a guiding star, two people sitting and talking, letting your soul speak

Why they’re coming in? 6 of Wands reversed, The Moon, 6 of cups reversed

This person is going to help reveal the truth about a situation. Particularly if you haven’t had the best things happening a) in most of your life, or b) in this particular chapter or your life. This person will help you realise the things that weren’t your fault, the things you can change and the things that all come down to your beliefs. You may come to realise with the help of this person, that a lot of fears and limitations you have are self imposed. Not only that, but this person may help you figure out what your positive inner voice sounds like and help you to embrace it. Any dreams you’ve had hidden away (sleep dreams or goals-dreams) may also become more clear to you. After this you’ll be able to move forwards in live. The past won’t hold you back anymore. You’ll be able to move on or view these events that took place through a new lense.

How they'll help you? 3 of Wands, 8 of Swords reversed

The blindfold is going to come off. You’re going to be able to move forward in your life. The work you put in is going to help you move forward with a new found confidence and belief in self. You’ll be able to take your life into your own hands.

Potential Struggles? king of pentacles & ace of swords

You may struggle with the whole process of breaking through and envisioning a different future for yourself. Also, seeing your growth and how mature and stable (as in the different areas of your life) you may have become may take you some time or be difficult.

Pile 3-- The Sage

Energy surrounding them: The Emperor

The person coming into your life has a strong energy to them. They are most likely older than you or at the least has a very wise energy to them. They might not be the most emotional or expressive, but they are reliable.

The vibes I get: Someone with an otherworldly energy or wisdom. Someone established. You can't help but notice them.

Why they're coming in? 4 of Pentacles, The Chariot, Page of Cups

This person is coming in to show you how to find and build security in many aspects of your life the right way. You may be holding onto things that aren’t good for you and this person is going to come in and force you to ask yourself why. Also potentially isolation may be something you need to deal with. You may be currently playing defence. But once you allow yourself to let go, you may find new things, people, and opportunities come in, better than you image. You may find yourself becoming someone you really want to be as well as finding yourself in the beginning stages of tapping into your emperor energy.

How they'll help you? Strength reversed, Knight of Swords

They’re going to help you tap into your inner strength so you can take the necessary actions to help yourself. They’ll help trigger the arrival of big changes in your life.Things will finally start to flow.

Potential Struggles? Judgement, 6 of Pentacles

You may feel resistant at first, feeling as if they don’t know what they’re talking about and are just trying to bring you down. You may be hesitant to take their advice or trust that they have your best interest in mind.

** Gandalf. Gandalf came to me but I don’t know why as I know practically nothing about him. 😬 Maybe you do!?

Pile 4-- The Charmer

Energy surrounding them: 8 of Cups reversed

The person coming in is going to scare you, but not in a bad way. You may have this happy, “I’m put together” facade, and this person is going to be able to see right through it. They have the ability, literally or metaphorically, to bring you into something better and that may leave you feeling afraid.

The vibes I get: Someone clever and charming. Feeling flustered. Oh no, I have a crush.

Why they’re coming in? Temperance, 9 of Pentacles, 8 of Swords

They’re coming in to show you that if you stop allowing fear to keep you where you are, peace, balance, and contentment will find you. The situation you may be staying in may not be a result of your actions, and taking the steps to get out of it may be difficult, but this person is one hundred percent here to challenge your reasoning for why you can’t.

How they'll help you? The Magician, 10 of Swords, The High Priestess reversed

They’re going to show you magic. I’m feeling like you might develop a romantic or platonic crush on them. There’s just that vibe. They’re going to show you how amazing you truly are. They’re going to show you that you have the ability to make things happen. They’ll help you create that ending and see your new beginning.

Potential Struggles? Knight of Cups reversed, 2 of Wands

This person most likely isn’t going to stay long and that may throw you off guard. This all feels very fast paced so their quick arrival and departure may leave you feeling a little bit broken hearted. Be careful you’re not investing too much headspace and emotion in this person.

Pile 5-- The Cheerleader

Energy surrounding them: 3 of Swords reversed

This person has a very calm healing energy to them. I feel like if you’re going through a heartbreak in particular, the prominent pain of it is going to start disappearing. I actually redid your reading and the vibes I was getting before were not good ones. I felt like I was trying to shoo it away, and the reading felt like it was about someone leaving you who had hurt you so I think that’s what this could be. This could also be someone from the past. An old friend in particular.

**As for the person from the past, to help you figure out if this reading is for you— i was thinking back of the cards I pulled and this person felt emotionally immature and manipulative, though I’m not sure it’s intentionally. Were you trying to fix them? To make them feel better? But they were so stuck in their toxic habits/mindset that they just ended up sending your world into turmoil? Because that came through strongly just now.

The vibes I get: thank you, troubles disappearing, a sigh of relief

Why they’re coming in? King of Swords, King of Cups reversed, 4 of Cups reversed

This person is coming in to help you move on from the pain and worries that you have been in. You’re ready to get back to business and this person will be there for you. Cheerleading came to me as well, so that’s what they’ll be— your cheerleader. You’re also going to be stepping into a new chapter of maturity and level headedness. Any responsibilities or ideas you’ve been putting off, this person is going to help you with them.

How they'll help you? 9 of Wands, The Empress reveresed

Like I mentioned before, they’re going to help ease your anxieties, pain and sadness. With The Empress rx, ‘makeover’ came to me as well and I got super excited, so maybe that’s what you need and this person will help you with? They’re going to help you sort your emotions, make sense of everything and feel confident, attractive and capable again.

Potential Struggles? The World, Page of Wands

Setting your world back in order is going to take some work, but the results will be worth it. The only caution would be don’t rush your actions, without thinking about the consequences fully.

———

Disclaimer: I read tarot for self reflection and guidance purposes, but as always, this reading is for fun and entertainment purposes only. I may include advice for if you find a particular topic resonating, but it is in no way meant to replace any kind of professional advice. Any reading I post is in no way meant to act as or replace professional advice of any kind. You know yourself and what’s going on in your life best so I ask that you trust yourself above all else. Prediction readings are to be seen simply as a potential outcome. Finally, please take only what resonates from the reading which may be some of it, all of it, or none at all.