#also they look so married here like i can't

[l0stfoster]

Handing you guys an entire canvas of just Cursed Paul bc he hasn’t left my brain.

As usual, some little doodle content stuff teehee

- We retconned it so that the socs only stopped attacking Paul because Soda’s terrifying ass showed up. Umbra (Paul’s familiar) ran home looking for Darry and found Soda. He's her favorite of the gang so she's like 'good enough' and starts SCREAMING at the dude to get him to follow her. - The socs didn't know if Paul's power was physical or if he could use his voice like Soda so they choked him </3. They would've killed him in the process if Soda didn't show up. Imagine being in this dark ass alley busy jumping a guy and then you're faced with a fae who has this low-ass growl, with glowing eyes and fangs. Not to mention this looming shadow of a cat the size of a Caracal growling at you too. I'd be scared - Soda bursts their eardrums as he should (new power we decided on teehee. Supersonic whistle type shit, can break glass) - Some Parry bc Paul may be beat shitless but he's still Darry's pretty boy <3 - They can't get married but they have wedding rings. Paul's is a little one made of vines w/ a pretty little flower bc Darry couldn't afford a real one yet. Pony made it actin' like he didn't want to but made it literally gorgeous and one of a kind. Darry's is an actual ring because Paul saved up for that bitch for ages. Darry had an aneurysm when he saw it bc that bitch had an authentic diamond on it, Paul will not tell him how much it was. - Dally is the only one allowed to beat up Paul and will be very loud about it. Local New Yorker haphazardly slams fist over the head of this witch dude who probably has a concussion more at 5 - This isn't in the doodles here but I'm saying it as a fun sneak peek at some future art/writing for those who read this; Paul's magic is tied to his life force he will die if he ever loses his curse,, also blood rituals are dangerous <3. - If he's too frantic, Paul's magic can falter. Not very good when you're being jumped by a fuck ton of your old friends. - Paul is THE fucking cat dad ever. Umbra is his baby he birthed her /silly. She can do no wrong and he's her #1 defender.

I'm so sorry to the people who don't care for this au I'm insane rn.

On another note, that Greaser Design Lineup should be out soon!! Waiting for my Art Block to go away before I start the proper Justice For Tulsa frames bc they're more complex than quick little doodles!!

[pookietsunoda]

Saw this post abt Alonso getting accidentally electrocuted and thinking he was 14 (as well as this tag on a reblog)

what if... the whole grid accidentally got struck by some deus ex machina non fatal zap that gave them temporary amnesia and they all became convinced they were 14 for a day? Here is what I think would happen:

First off, they're all so hyped about being F1 drivers and get excited about the dumbest shit (phone games, wheel guns, tire blankets)

Max and Charles fight each other over the Inchident

George is starstruck by the fact that Alex is an F1 racer (bc Alex was his karting hero growing up) but Alex didn't become friends with George until he was 15, so he has no idea who George is, which is Humiliating to fragile teenage George.

Half of them can't speak English fluently yet. Only the younger ones (Oscar, Franco, etc) know that google translate exists and they help massively in the linguistic problems.

Unclear whether or not Pierre and Esteban are besties or enemies, or both. They are one of those things, and they're insane about it because they're teenagers. Lance and Esteban are probably like Normal friends though.

Lewis is like "where tf is Nico" and finds adult Nico. Lewis is super pumped to hear that they both made it to F1, were teammates and won WDCs, Lewis is an F1 GOAT, and that Nico married his childhood crush. (Their life trajectories literally sound like what a kid imagines their future to be like.) And Nico is like "hey we actually had a falling out" and Lewis is like "that's crazy man, how would we stop being friends? You want some frosties?"

Immediate Spanish speaker clique between Fernando, Carlos, Checo, and Franco. They are shook that THE Fernando Alonso wants to be besties with them (especially Carlos since Fernando is his hero).

KMag and Hulk are probably friends since this is pre Suck My Balls and they're friends now so, their energies align I guess.

Being 14 year olds who find out they're rich and famous, they all want to escape into the real world and take joyrides in the expensive cars they own/ drink alcohol/ see strippers/ buy crazy stuff and their team staff is like OH NO WE CAN'T LET THEM ESCAPE (Thus ensues comedy gold of the team staff chasing kids who have the bodies of professional athletes around the track and trying to contain them)

If in Singapore, Yuki and Zhou manage to escape because they are 2 East Asians wearing designer and F1 merch and they blend in with the fans. (As a disguise, they swap team shirts and put on surgical masks and people are like "Is that Zhou Guanyu?" "Nah why would Zhou be wearing a Yuki shirt?") Word gets out in the drivers whatsapp that they escaped and they immediately get bombarded with requests for what to buy for the rest of the paddock. They cannot rly understand each other but Zhou can get around Sgp pretty easily bc a lot of people there speak Mandarin. He has to stop Yuki from breaking at least five Singaporean laws. They stuff themselves at hawker stands and have a great field trip but then get recognized and have to make an emergency getaway on a stolen electric scooter. They do get Lewis his Frosties.

Lewis doesn't know he's a vegan and almost ruins his reputation by being spotted by paparazzi eating Frosties with non vegan milk. Also gives himself a nasty stomachache.

Despite being told not to tell other people about the mass amnesia, Max and Lance both call their dads. Lawrence is like "My poor son! I will get the experts to look into this right away!" Jos is like "idc if you don't remember how to drive the car, you're gonna do it or I'll disown you." Daniel and Lando grab the phone and tell Jos he's a meanie and also was a shit F1 driver, then hang up.

George finds chewing gum at the bottom of someone's bag and starts spiraling, convinced that the Singaporean police are going to arrest and execute them all for possessing illegal items.

Lord of the Flies scenario where George and Oscar are trying to organize everyone to make sure they don't accidentally hurt themselves, whereas Lando, Fernando, KMag, Daniel, and a few others are just trying to have a good time and cause chaos. Bottas and Alex and a third group are just like quietly messing around in the back.

They come to a truce in order to organize a GPDA strike because they have been banned from leaving the track until they regain their memories. They barricade themselves in someone's garage and have a sleepover on the floor with lots of candy and games. Lewis finds a guitar and plays Wonderwall.

They wake up the next day extremely confused (but remembering everything) and race as normal LOL

[nebbyy]

A list of my most unpopular ASOIAF opinions and theories

Please remember this is all based on the books alone, and there also might be SPOILERS for Fire and Blood and the Game of Thrones book series.

ALSO I might open the requests for Game of Thrones fics and headcanons, and maybe for Baldur's Gate as well once I get back into it.

Okayyy so here we gooo.

1. Maegor's story doesn't add up

Don't get me wrong, he must've obviously been a horrible king and a shitty husband, but reading the chapters that talk about him in Blood and Fire, it all just felt like a list of rumours and versions of all nefarious crimes he would've committed. There are about five versions of whatever he did with each wife of his, each of them more depraved than the one before.

Again, I don't think he was an angel or anything, but my theory is that his history was written by biased sources. His reign was made illicit by Jaehaerys, so it would've been in his best interest to have him remembered as nothing more than a viscious monster.

It's a form of "damnatio memoriae" that we've already seen, in a way, with Mushroom and the Dance of Dragons. When in a conflict, and especially after a victory, each side wants to depict the side they beat as badly as possible Caesar did a similar thing in "De Bello Gallico", the book about his conquest of the modern French and Swiss territories. In this book he excuses his conquest with the supposed preparations for an attack by the Helvetians, a fact that was proven to be misinterpreted as it was a mere pacific migration. And again, he did the same thing when he accused them of cannibalising each other while being under siege, another untrue fact made up to just make them seem worse.

So in a way, Maegor's reputation could've been made worse by following historians to legitimate Jaehaerys' reign over Aerea's claim.

2. Incest has no effects on Valyrians

Okay, this is a bit weirder. My theory is that Valyrians practised incest because it had no effect on their offspring.

Looking at the Targaryen family tree, I noticed that the cases of madness increase the more Targaryens marry with other houses. Baelor the Blessed was the first mad Targaryen, and he had a grandmother of house Harte and a great grandmother who was half Arryn.

Before Baelor, Helaena is questionably considered mad as well, which would prove my theory furthermore had it not been for the amount of trauma she endured in her life so I'm honestly not gonna count her as "mad". Rhaegel Rargaryen was the second confirmed mad Targaryen, with a Martell mother; his daughter Aelora is questionably considered mad too, and her mother is an Arryn.

Aerion Brightflame was another mad Targaryen, with a half Martell father and a Dayne mother. The last two mad Targaryens were Aerys II and Viserys III, but at this point, the bloodline was mixed with others enough to make the Targaryen madness an unpredictable factor.

So I think we could theorise that Valyrians can perform incest so long as it remains within pure Valyrian blood.

3. There is no good or bad in the Dance of Dragons

Rhaenyra had a claim on the throne because of Viserys' will, but Aegon had a claim on the throne because of the laws of Westeros themselves. You can argue that Alicent wasn't the nicest stepmother, yet you can't look me in the face and tell me a woman in the middle ages married to a KING to whom she had given THREE SONS wouldn't complain when the king dismisses all of them and their claims in favor of his firstborn daughter.

Otto may have manipulated Alicent, but that was just how a Lord was supposed to act in that situation: have her marry the best candidate (the king), have her birth at least a son (she did) and make sure those children are first in line for the throne (as it should be, by the laws).

Viserys shouldn't have remarried if he already had his heir, period.

At the same time, Rhaenyra had every reason to fight for her claim and try and go against the actual laws of Westeros, but it was inevitable that many would've seen badly her attempt at claiming what was Aegon's birthright.

Lucerys was an asshole for mutilating Aemond and never showed remorse, quite the opposite. Aemond was an asshole who shouldn't have had all the power he had, plus I hardly believe his and Alys relationship was really consensual so there's that..

In the end, they all had their rights and wrongs, but that doesn't matter at all. The only point about the Dance is the fact that a pointless conflict led to the downfall of one of the strongest families in Westeros history.

4. Rhaegar didn't love Lyanna

I hate the series for making them marry. Like, seriously, have D&D ever read the books? Have they not read what happened between Maegor and the Faith when he took another wife??

Never, not even in the most twisted of universes, would the faith let Rhaegar kidnap and marry a Stark girl while he was still married to Elia. That just wouldn't be plausible.

And I also don't think he'd just fall in love at first sight with a random girl at a tournament. She was a beautiful soul and had many qualities, but she had nothing that could truly make a man throw away his whole life to pursue her.

He needed another child. The dragon has three heads. He had Rhaenys and Aegon, but Visenya was missing (I just made up the name for the third possible child considering he was naming them after the three conquerors lmao). He needed Lyanna to have that third child, and he knew how to get her to get what he wanted.

Perhaps we'll find out this isn't true. Perhaps Rhaegar really was head over heels for Lyanna, but I honestly really really doubt it.

5. There is no certainty on who the Prince that was Promised is

No matter what the show wants us to see, we still don't know who it is. It could be Daenerys, it could be Jon, it could even be Stannis and we're not gonna know it until Martin reveals it.

I honestly think Daenerys is Azor Ahai, but I'm still curious to see why we would need to revive Jon then. And considering Stannis' sword possibly being Azor Ahai's sword, is it a fake one made by Melisandre to get what she wanted from him, or does he actually possess the original sword?

Well, these are the first theories and opinions I could think of right now, I might post more in the future. Again, please don't slander me in the comments, these are just my personal opinions and I respect all others.

[hamiltonfandomconfessions]

OH MY GOD I LOVE JEFFMADS SO MUCH LIKE TO THE POINT WHERE IF I SEE THEM I WILL STOP BREATHING AND START HAVING A SEIZURE ON THE FLOOR TRYING TO CLOSE THE PHONE SO O CAN'T SEE THEM LIKE THEY ARE SO CUTE LIKE KISS EACH OTHER ALL READY LIKE??? BRO THEY ARE SO POOKIE WOOKIE SNOOKIE DOOKIE POOKIE WOOKIE SNOOKIE POOKIE BEAR LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE DO YOU EVEN SEE HOW GAY THEY ARE IN THE MUSICAL??? AND GUESS WHAT... THEY EVEN SLEPT TOGETHER (in the same bed, not like that.) LIKE IRL BUT LIKE IF THAT'S HAPPENED THAT MEAN TSTHAT IT HAPPENS IN THE MUSICAL CUZ IT'S THE OF THEM AND AND TL LIKE THEY ARE SO CUTE ONG ONG ONG ONG KISS EAH OTHER PLEASE LIKE JEFFMADS NEED TO BE IN MY LIFE LIKE THERE HAS TO BE A COVER OF THEM KISSING IN THE FU KING MUSICAL LIKE KISSSSS LIIIISJSKSKSK KISSS ALREADY and hamliza is also yummy cute but JEFFMADS IS SO POOKIE LIKE POOKIE WOOKIE DOOKIE COOKIE LOOKED BEAR AND UGH FUCKING HELL BOR KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS RN RN RN RN NOOOWWWWW KISS RIGHT NOW AND RIGHT HERE IN FRONT OF ME. LIKE BRO IF YOU DON'T KISS I WILL HUNT YALLS DOWN AND DO IT MYSELF ONG LIKE DATE ALREADY!!!! WHY ARNTE YOU DATING??? THE FUCK??? DATE DTA ETFA ETFA YDA DATE DAT EDATE DATE DATE NOEWWWWWWWWWWWWWW OH MY FUCKING GOD PLEASE DATE JUST LEMME SEE YOU KISS JUST THIS ONE TIME PLEASE.... PLWASSSEEEEEE PELA EPLEAS EPLEAS EPRETTY PLEASE EIWHT A CHERRY ON TTIP NOW OH MY DAYS JUST KISS NOW, WHY CANT YOU DO THAT??? THERE'S NO REASON FOR YALLS NOT TO DATE SO LIKE... DATE ALREADY YOU VIRGINIANS FUCKING HELL JEFFERSON AND MADISON IS MAKING ME SWEAT LIKE PLEASE DATE LEMME SEE YOU DATE PLEASE JUST THIS ONE TIME, ONE TIMME... NOOOOO FOREVER LEMME SEE YALLS GET MARRIED I'LL BE THE FLOWER BOY TO YALLS WEDDING PLEASE JUST KISS, MAKE EVERYONE JEALOUS OF YALLS RELATIONSHIP THAT THEY DON'T HAVE JUST DO IT... NOOOOOOOWWWWWWWOOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOOWOWWWWWWWWW PLEASE MAKE JEFFMADS HAPPENNNNN OH MY FUCKING DAYS BRO IF IF IF I SEE THEM KISS I WILL BE THE FLOWER BOY IN THEIR WEDDING CUZ LIKE BRO ISTG I'M GONNA CRY BRO I'M SWEATING SO MUCH JUST THINK ABOUT JEFFMADS... PLEASE MAKE THEM KISS I WILL KISS ANY OF YALLS IF YOU MAKE THEM KISS LIKE ONG PLEASE EPLEAD EPLWASSEEE MAKE THEM KISS, IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR??? MAKE. THEM. KISS. yeah hi had to get that out

.

[somecunttookmyurl]

all the while society conflates "being an adult" with "having a proper job" and "having money to make arbitrary Adult Purchases" disabled people who can't work - or can only work part time or can only do entry level baby jobs - will never be 'allowed' to be adults

you can say "being an adult is looking after yourself you don't have to have a job!!!" all you want but most people who say that will still assume anybody who doesn't either can't or won't 'look after themselves' actually. and every 'marker' of 'adulthood' that's observable and thus actually counts or whatever loops back around to... having a job and 'contributing' something

[greenerteacups]

What do you think as Hermione's career would be post battle of Hogwarts? To me her being minister for magic really doesn't make sense. She does not have patience or tact to wade through murky waters of politics 😭😭

So hard to say! The Trio are so, so young when we leave them, I find it almost impossible to project their futures farther than a few years out. The job that suited me at 17 would be radically unsuited to me now. That's why of all the Trio, Ron's ending strikes me as the most realistic — he jumps straight into the save-the-world business again, burns out, realizes he's actually Done The Fuck Enough, Thanks, and pivots into a low-stress career where he gets to see his family a lot. Feels accurate! The others are weirder to me because they do seem to just... pick a lane and stay there.

With Hermione, you could spin her a couple ways. You could say that she leans into her bookish side and does research or teaching, which is not my preference for a couple reasons (namely, I don't think Hermione would like academia as a profession; she finds her classwork interesting and enjoys intellectual validation, but she'd be stifled and wasted in a DPhil program, and she'd be infuriated by the administrative politicking of your average higher-ed faculty). You could say that she gets disaffected with politics and ends up as a barrister or a lobbyist of some kind, but if anything that requires more political finesse, because you don't actually have institutional power, you're just handling the people who make decisions and trying to persuade them of your goals. This is not Hermione's preferred method of influence. She's not even particularly good at persuasion, she just happens to be smart enough (and right often enough) that people take her ideas seriously.

Or you could say her brashness fades with the years into a softened flavor of tell-you-like-it-is honesty, which some politicians actually do successfully trade on; as we see in British politics today, you don't have to be all that charming or clever to get ahead, you just need to be really driven and well-connected (which Hermione completely is; she fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the first postwar Minister and her bestie, the Literal Messiah, runs the Auror Office.) But I don't know if Hermione especially wants to be Minister, after the war. She's just watched years of horrendous bureaucratic incompetence plunge the country into a violent civil conflict. She's had not one, but two Ministers of Magic try to bully or shame her friends into complicity with fascism. Her view of government is... likely extremely dark.

But Hermione also isn't the kind of person who sees her life as a quest for happiness. Babygirl has a savior complex that makes Harry look selfish. (She basically kills her parents — yeah, obliviating is a form of murder, #changemymind — "for their own good," and justifies every batshit, vindictive, mean-spirited move she ever pulls on the grounds that it "helps" one of her friends.) She is a mean, lean, dragon-slaying machine, and she needs a dragon. After Voldemort, the Ministry is the no. 1 threat to muggle-borns and non-wizarding Beings. As a war heroine with basically infinite political capital, I'd be surprised if she didn't try to do something there. That said, Hermione is so vivacious and dynamic that she could potentially grow in a hundred different directions; it's possible that all of this, while true of her at 18, becomes completely inaccurate by 22. That's why I'm not too fussed about any particular fanon interpretation.

[hanaasbananas]

on arranged marriages

it's funny. mums been in the whatsapp rishta groups for years looking for someone i might marry. she'll send me a profile once in a while and ask what i think, if she should contact his parents or not and most of the time i say yeah, alright. nothing ever comes of it though, so when my dad calls me after work and says mum spoke to him about a rishta she's thinking of moving forward with i'm intrigued, but not particularly invested.

mum's really picky, i tell him. this probably won't go anywhere but we may as well see it through, right? dad is hesitant, but agrees when i say that i do want an arranged marriage.

but then things do move forward and the next thing i know, he is going to visit us with his parents. on the day, my uncle picks me up from work so i don't have to walk. you don't have to make a decision today, he tells me. this is just a first visit. my cousin helps me get ready and i am reminded of the similar scene in the movie vivah. nothing has to happen today, she tells me you guys are just meeting today. the thought does nothing to settle the nerves roiling in my stomach and i try to go back to my room three times instead of going downstairs until my cousin practically shoves me down them.

i enjoy meeting his mum, even though she immediately clocks my nervous clasping and unclasping of my bracelet. she hugs me as if i'm her own daughter and is so happy to see me that my heart lightens. eventually, we go to the other sitting room where the men are sitting-where he is. my nerves flare up again but he doesn't look up from his hands clasped in his lap when we walk in.

too nervous to speak, i only answer say anything when a question is directed at me and try to sneak quick glances at him across the room instead. his mum catches me more than once and smiles knowingly at me. we meet each others eyes only once for a split second and it makes my heart pound rapidly in my chest. when he speaks, i force myself to look at anyone other than him. he has a nice voice, my brain whispers and i bite my tongue, hard.

they leave, and we say they'll know our decision after a couple months. i know what my answer will be though. later, when they get back home and his mum calls my mum, i stand outside the door to eavesdrop, my heart in my throat but i can't stop my grin when i hear his mum say he's happy to go ahead with this, because there was a part of me that still worried he'd see me in person and go NOPE. she suggests that we get to know each other over the next few months and i silently beg my mum to agree. i know that where she is from, in her tradition, the bride and groom speak once or twice before the wedding if they're lucky, and that things are still done that way back home, but just as im gearing up to argue against that, she agrees. it's a miracle!

of course, chronically shy person that i am, the thought of our first conversation taking place on our mums phones is terrifying so instead i ask to get his number so we can text first. she sends his number but theres no way i'm texting first so i send them my number and thankfully he gets the hint and texts me first. i hope you don't mind me texting, i'm just shy still. i say. that's fine, he reassures me. we have time.

time, as it turns out. flies. it doesn't take long to move from texts to voice notes, to phone calls. he really does have a nice voice, i find out, and its not as awkward as i thought it would be. i didn't actually think that we'd talk that much, maybe once a week at most and yet...

i almost cried last night because we were talking about going to Pakistan together next summer and I remembered how when I was a teenager I used to daydream about going to Pakistan with my spouse and visiting all my family with him.

then over the years I sort of gave up on that idea because I'm not the type to go out and meet someone and in the desi arranged marriage market whose gonna choose me?

and now I'm 26, and we talk multiple times a day and when I catch myself thinking oh he isn't really interested, he's just talking to me because he has to to get to know me, why would anyone actually like me?? I find myself countering with well actually if that was the case why would he start calling you every day? how come you went from one call a day ending with 'i'll talk to you tomorrow' to him calling you on his way home from work and 'i'll call you after dinner' when he gets home to a THIRD call after maghrib right before bed? those are not the actions of a man who is uninterested!!

hanaas insecurities- 0, hanaas logic- 1

anyway idk where this is going except i never thought i'd be this excited and happy when it came time for me to get married but here i am and it is SO SCARY to realise that i am maybe possibly (definitely) falling for him but wow, and like? (literally the other day i was telling him a story from when i was a kid and the story had such a silly ending but it was unexpected and he laughed really hard in surprise and it made my heart almost explode i swear its so fun to make him laugh)

but like there's SO MANY logistics i'm restarting my driving lessons so i can pass before i move and i literally just got my new job in april but i'm gonna have to give my notice lmao and i've already started looking for new jobs but GAH so much stuff is happening and yet at the same time i feel so calm about it all it's wild i'm just vibing trying to enjoy my summer holidays and having the highlights of my day being when he calls lmaooo

[anne-bsd-bibliophile]

"Nobody's perfect" is such a common phrase, but depending on how it is used it can be very toxic.

I grew up in a very religious Mormon community with strict standards. For as long as I remember, I was told that people sin every day and so we have to repent of our sins every day as well. That's what "nobody's perfect" meant to them. Instead of the phrase being used to console or encourage, I mostly heard it as a way of passing judgement. "So-and-so is great, but nobody's perfect. They have plenty of shortcomings they should be working on as well." Many of my family, friends, and neighbors did everything they could to hide their own "sins" while looking down on others for whatever "sins" they must be committing, because everyone apparently sins every day.

And that's what I grew up believing. I thought I had to be perfect, because the goal was to get through the day sin free, or at least that's how I saw it. If I did everything I was told to do by my parents, teachers, and church leaders then I would be considered a good person, right? Actually, when I was a little older I learned that my unconscious thoughts were apparently full of sin as well! And my human desires were also sinful. And anything I did purely for myself was considered selfish. I remember being taught multiple times that there were good, better, and best uses of my time. Reading a book for fun was good, reading a book to learn and improve myself was better, and reading scriptures was best. So now I had to feel guilty for my unconscious thoughts I couldn't control, my body doing what it was built to do, and I had to feel guilty for having any fun or putting myself first.

As an adult I realized all of what I'd believed to be true my entire upbringing was bullshit. There is absolutely no way any person could avoid "sinning" if everything about me was considered wrong the way they made it sound. And because I wasn't perfect, because "nobody's perfect", I was made to feel like I had to make myself into as near a perfect being as I could manage in order to deserve even a morsel of acceptance or praise. But even that little bit of value I'd earned for myself wasn't worth anything because I would be reminded again and again that "nobody's perfect", meaning I'm not perfect, meaning I hadn't really earned anything in the end. All this made me feel like I was worthless and I couldn't do anything to change that.

Everything changed for me when I started learning about emotional abuse. My father was a diagnosed narcissist and he was very good at being emotionally abusive, so I had to learn how to deal with that. While I was reading about narcissistic abuse, I also realized that the religion I grew up in used the same tactics. I learned at church that everything about me was sinful. Literally. The list of sins in endless. I eventually realized that if you twist anything a certain way you can make it look like a sin, which then gives you a reason to look down on anyone who is committing that "sin." So no matter how "good" I was, I would never be good enough to anyone who was looking at me through the lens of "nobody is perfect because we are all sinners."

I remember sitting in church next to my mom one day when a woman who lived down the street was speaking. She was describing how she always felt like she wasn't good enough, she belittled herself and her accomplishments, put herself down, and made a public display of how guilty she felt and how that was why she was so humble and could feel closer to Christ. I looked at my mom and whispered, "It sounds like she's been emotionally abused." From the typical Mormon perspective, what this woman was expressing showed how humble she was. But now I could recognize that from another perspective what she said showed signs that she was a victim of emotional abuse.

Alan Watts said it better than I ever could: "Christianity institutionalized guilt as a virtue." I was taught to feel guilty even for just existing in order to make me feel indebted to God at church and my narcissistic father at home. Once I recognized how toxic that way of thinking was I couldn't bring myself to even pretend I was religious anymore. Now my way of thinking is more along the lines of, "Nobody is meant to be perfect, which is what makes everyone perfect in their own way." Instead of needing to be good enough, I'm learning to recognize the inherent value in everyone, including myself.

[softquietsteadylove]

Hey I thought about an interesting AU and I wanted to ask you what you think about this one.

Thenamesh quiet place AU!

Maybe them living and surviving together and they find Makkari and Sprite and they decide to take them in?

Or you can put your own version in it! You decide

Thena looked around the campground, being careful of the sticks and leaves that might be remotely louder than silent. Of course things seemed calm, but one could never be too sure.

Being out of the city at least was hopeful. She and Gil had managed to leave together because of living in the same apartment complex. They could only hope their other friends had made it out and to some of the boats. That was the goal now; find water.

It was no guarantee, but it was a hell of a lot better than nothing.

Gil waved to her, pointing at a caravan in the back, close to the trees. She nodded. The further from the city they got, the quieter things were, but that certainly didn't mean that they were alone out here. But they needed supplies, just like anyone else.

She walked ahead, being the quieter footed of the two of them. Gil did his best, but he was a dense ball of muscle, some noises were just inevitable. She looked around the area; still nothing. Slowly and carefully, she reached for the latch on the door. It wasn't silent, but it wasn't loud either.

Gil held his hand up. She had heard it too. He walked closer, holding up the butane torch he kept on him as a weapon. It gave off some sound, but it was still a hell of a lot quieter than any gun. And fire seemed reasonably effective against those things.

She pressed her back to the outside wall of the camper. She couldn't hear that clicking sound, which was a good sign. But it could still be a stray animal in there that could let out a shriek and spell their doom. Or perhaps the things were evolving and disguising the telltale sound of their presence.

Gil opened the door and poised his arm in the air. She peeked at him from behind, ready to pull him out if something went wrong. But he just stood there. She frowned.

"Uh-"

Well, that was odd. She moved around the door and behind him, trying to see past his wide shoulder. She bent, instead, looking through the gap between his arm and his side. She blinked, "oh."

The kids were huddled together, not terribly young but no older than their early teens. One with unruly red hair was glaring at Gil from under the table. The other one was facing him head on with a baseball bat held high above her little head.

The one under the table gave them the finger.

Gil shut off the blow torch, holding his palms out to show his intention of being friendly. He pressed his finger to his lips. The girls traded a look between them. At least the baseball bat was lowered.

He shook his head as something was signed to him. He looked at her for help, shaking his head and making a face. She nodded; it wasn't her best language, of course, but she knew some.

The girl was fluent, her hands moving rapidly, and with a definite sense of displeasure.

Thena held up her palms as well, urging the girl to slow down. She already wasn't good with kids, let alone kids when communication was even harder than usual. Slower, please.

The girl blinked, maybe pleased or at least surprised to have found someone who knew sign language to any extent. She looked at the smaller one again. Maybe.

I'm Thena, she began, spelling things out in what she was sure was a clumsy way, for the girl. That's Gil. You?

Makkari, the older one also spelled out, before offering a sign that clearly was a shorthand for her name. She even repeated, clearly not expecting much from them. She pointed, Sprite.

Thena nodded, looking up at Gil and then the kids. Why are you alone?

Makkari helped Sprite out from under the table. She pointed at the door, which Thena latched carefully. They had hung blankets in the windows, either for safety or to dampen any incidental sounds.

"We were camping."

Thena and Gil both looked at Sprite with surprise. Maybe they had assumed both kids would be mute. Gil looked at her before gently motioning for her to sit across from the kids at the breakfast nook table. He remained standing. "How long have you been out here?"

Sprite shrugged, although Makkari mentioned something about at least six months. How these two girls had survived all by themselves like this was beyond them. "When everything happened, our mom went to ask someone what was happening. She...she never came back."

Thena frowned; Gil physically winced. His heart was much too tender for all this. She leaned forward in her seat, what have you been doing to keep yourselves safe out here?

The girls traded a look again. They were integral to each other's survival out here. "Kari goes looking for things. She's really fast, and those things kind of don't always notice her."

That was interesting. But if the girl was quick and light on her feet, maybe she was as negligible as the wildlife, in terms of sound.

Makkari pointed at them, you're the first people we've seen.

Since everything happened. Thena looked up at Gil. The look on his face didn't surprise her. They weren't allowed pets in the building they had lived in back in the city, but she always imagined Gil would be the type to rescue a kitten from a box in the rain. And this would be the expression he would have on when he found it. She put her hand on his arm, shaking her head quietly.

He held out his hand.

She made a face, hoping to keep the kids from seeing it. She didn't want to abandon them here either. But kids were a whole other level of liability in their mission to find a safe haven in this new world--this dangerous world.

He put his hand over hers, but gave her a much firmer look. He wasn't going to leave them here, and 'no' wasn't an option.

She sighed through her nose. She could have guessed that was the case. Gil was just too sweet.

"Uh, hello?"

Thena looked at the girls again. They were both still distrusting of them, for which she couldn't fault them at all. This wasn't the kind of world in which just anyone could be trusted. "We-"

"We're not asking you to drag us along, if that's what you're thinking."

They had to be at least 13, judging by the attitude they both had. Thena resisted the urge to roll her eyes; this was exactly why she had been poised to say no. Gil would be a great guardian and father-figure. He would make a great dad, if the world hadn't outright ended. She, on the other hand, was no mother-hen.

"It's not safe for you to stay here," Gil said oh-so gently and sweetly. His voice was comforting, like a blanket. "We can help each other."

We're doing just fine, Makkari argued, her hands smacking together slightly in her passion, right here!

Thena reached out, snatching the girls hands before they could clap together, palm against palm. Makkari looked affronted but she raised her eyebrows at the girl. Careful.

Perhaps chastised for the first time in months, both girls quieted. They looked at her with their big, sad eyes. Makkari pulled her hands away slowly and offered a sheepish, sorry.

Gil peeked out from their blanket curtains, making sure nothing was lurking around outside. He patted her shoulder.

It was all clear; Thena leaned back in her seat again. Still, she spoke barely above a whisper, "come with us."

The kids looked at each other, but rather than seeming to have their own conversation between them, they looked tentative. They looked scared, frightened at the possibility of leaving what shreds of a home they still had.

Thena sighed again. "How much food do you have?"

Both girls blushed, perhaps their stomachs were rumbling quietly as they spoke.

Gil hurriedly and happily took off his backpack and dug around in it. "Why didn't you say so?"

Thena gave the girls a smile; Gil looked big and tough, but he was a teddy bear if ever there was one. He was a chef.

The girls' eyes both brightened, big turquoise and speckled brown respectively. They clearly had been living sparingly, eating what they could manage to get their hands on after the immediate supplies ran low.

"Here," Gil whispered, putting down a cloth bundle of dried meats. "It's jerky."

"His recipe," she added with a hint of satisfaction as the girls all but wrestled over it. "He marinates it himself."

The kids tore at it like wild animals. But Gil just chuckled, leaning on Thena's shoulder. "I have more, and biscuits and roasted nuts. You guys can have as much as you want."

They would get spoiled. But Thena had to admit that it was nice to see something as hopeful as kids devouring some good food after everything everyone had been through. She patted Gil's arm as she stood from the seat. "I told you it's good."

He rolled his eyes at her, but he returned her affectionate little pat as she checked the other window. "It'll be dark in a few hours. We can stay here tonight."

The kids looked up and then at each other and then back at them.

We'll need supplies for travelling. We can collect things a little at a time and use this place to sleep safely. When we have enough food and water for everyone, then we'll go.

Sprite had a piece of jerky still dangling from her lip when she asked, where?

Terrible manners, not that those mattered anymore. Thena set her bag down too. "We have to look for water. Those things can't swim. Water is the best way for us to survive."

"Uh, we can't-"

"You don't have to swim," Gil amended quickly and gently. He leaned down, subtly reaching into his pack for more food. "I can't swim very well."

That was an exaggeration; he sank like a stone. Not that she was much better. But Thena smiled, "we'll find a boat, or something. Then maybe we can find an island that still has some people."

The kids shrugged. They weren't concerned with finding the remains of civilisation. They were only concerned with tomorrow, and maybe the day after. They had each other, and that was enough for them.

Thena pushed forward the biscuits for them to also devour like hyenas (which they did. "Where do you two sleep?"

Makkari chewed with her mouth open (great). But she gestured to the benches on which they were sitting.

Thena looked at the camper as a whole--there was a larger bed at one end and a smaller, elevated area at the other, directly under the window. She pointed at the larger one for Gil, you take that one.

She would have to teach him some sign, but he got what he needed from it. Enough to give her a look and insist that she take the larger bed. He pointed to where he stood; he would stand guard.

She rolled her eyes more blatantly at him, "you still need to sleep, Gil."

"And I will," he insisted before gesturing to the smaller shelf of a bed, "there."

Sprite gulped down some dry biscuit, crumbles flying from her mouth as she said, "what, are you guys in a fight or something?"

She frowned, and Gil looked at her too. She shook her head, "what?--no, why?"

Makkari waved her finger between them, aren't you married?

Thena's jaw dropped. These impudent kids--completely without manners, so full of attitude. And why would they assume that?! Just because she and Gil were travelling together didn't mean they were married! They didn't seem married...did they?

"What?"

She rubbed her temple, trying to conceal her frustration. It was just a question by some unruly kids. She picked up her head and smiled at him, "nothing. You should get some rest now, then you can take watch later."

He made a face at her, and at the girls giggling at him.

[raeflora]

blair waldorf outfits 6x10 new york, I love you xoxo

outfit 6

[hecatesbroom]

I just rewatched Here Comes the Bride parts 1 & 2 (season 6 but I forget the episode numbers) and OH my!!! There was so much going on and I just-- I cannot find the words to express all the thoughts I currently have about these episodes

[phantajam]

my hot take about descendants is that NONE of the core four were ready for a relationship until maybe like, the third movie (rant in tags)

[harrowscore]

twice in less than 2 pages..... tolstoj sir i beg you ENOUGH with this pregnancy propaganda 😭😭😭

[akikos-tribble-army]

Sitting here, losing my shit over those two in their female bodies.

[born-to-lose]

I love being the always single person in my family, mad respect to my sister for constantly dating guys for the last 8 years, I would have shot myself

[llycaons]

okay I thought about the similarities between jfm and jc's unrequited crushes who prefer their 'servant's' company to their own and it looped around from being tragic to being really funny again. jc pined after wq so clumsily and unsuccessfully with the stupid fucking comb she didn't care about because SHE AND HER FAMILY WERE POLITICAL TARGETS AT THE TIME and HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HER AT ALL and she 100% always preferred the company of wwx, who was genuinely fun to be around, as intelligent and selfless as she was, understood and respected the delicate political position she was in, treated her like an individual, knew what was important to her, helped her family, and sacrificed everything for her safety. wq literally would rather have lived a doomed life in a starving refugee camp with wwx and her family than accept a marriage proposal from jc, jc wq shippers how does it feel to be fucking clowns