#and had good and useful advice about how to live with it without treating everyone around you like shit which I do appreciate but god

[algolagniaa]

yknow what else is fucked up is my dad ON PURPOSE perpetuated the cycle of abuse on me bc he was apparently a sensitive crybaby kid and his dad super abused him until he “toughened up” and turned his empathy off and got fucked up and evil. and when I was growing up he often singled me out to take the worst of his abuse and he has since told me it was because out of the three of us I reminded him the most of himself, because I was detached and intelligent but also bc I was really sensitive so he deliberately wanted to toughen me up and make me “prepared for the world” aka more like him. and it worked

[accio-victuuri]

xiao zhan - GQ February issue cover story Q&A 📝

They have experienced real things. There is no camera facing you. Without lights, you are living your own real life.

GQ: When did it become clear that you wanted to be an actor?

Xiao Zhan: When the public paid more and more attention to me, I want to say, why can’t I do it? I think I can. Sometimes I get shaken and think it’s so difficult. Why can’t I do it? For example, when it comes to lines, why are my lines just not good? Why can’t I speak well with others? Is it because I'm from the South? I don't think so, and then I think, how can I say it well? I can do it, let's give it a try.

GQ: In your opinion, what are the professional standards for actors?

Xiao Zhan: First of all, being professional is an unavoidable topic. You can have a non-major background, but you must have excellent professional skills. This is what I want to do, this is who I am. I feel that I am not enough, and i’m too far behind.

After becoming professional, attitude is very important and whether you love it is also very important. Do you just treat it as a job, or do you really like it? These are two concepts. When you see it as a job, you may not be able to go very far. But if you really like it, you will cry for it and laugh for it, which may be the motivation for you to stick to it.

I also have a strong body (laughs). I used to not feel tired when I was in my twenties, but now I feel very tired after staying up late. It's a terrible thing to be. A strong body is important, it is your foundation.

GQ: When you acted in which role or drama, did you feel recognized?

Xiao Zhan: When I was working on "The Wolf" at the beginning, I was under a lot of pressure. My acting teacher would give me a lot of advice and guidance, and I would constantly overturn my own performance every day. t was a period of confusion. After you get over it, you will find that you have grown. When you start acting later, you will gradually find a little bit of feeling, and then step by step — this is a cumulative process.

I feel that I have acted too little. Compared with some of my predecessors, who have acted in many works in their thirties, my current works are still too few and I have not accumulated enough.

GQ: Are you anxious?

Xiao Zhan: Yes, because I think (improving acting skills) is a cumulative process. You can’t make a big step forward with just one movie. This is difficult for me to happen. So you have to keep filming, but you have to keep filming good films and don't consume yourself.

GQ: What are the considerations behind the expansion of the three film and television dramas to be broadcast in 2023 from costume dramas to period dramas and urban dramas?

Xiao Zhan: Actually, I didn’t think anything about it. It just happened naturally. I didn’t deliberately change the themes that I had acted in before. I just read the script and the script was handed to me at the time. I felt attracted to a certain script at the moment, so I chose it. It just happened to be a subject that I had never acted in before.

GQ: Do you feel tired after always acting in costume dramas?

Xiao Zhan: There are many types of costumes. Don’t divide them into costume dramas and modern dramas. It’s nothing more than putting on a hood and changing clothes. In fact, the core is the same, but also just completely different.

GQ: Once your drama is aired, will you follow it?

Xiao Zhan: I won’t follow it, but I will watch it, and I will choose the scenes that I care about to focus on, so I can find problems for myself.

GQ: Will you be able to watch the barrage?

Xiao Zhan: I used to really know how to do it. I felt very happy and laughed with everyone, but now I can’t do it.

GQ: What kind of role do you want to play now?

Xiao Zhan: If I could choose, of course it would be the best one I haven’t tried yet. I need freshness. If I ask you to do the same thing every day, you will be bored.

GQ: What kind of actor do you want to be?

Xiao Zhan: I want to be an actor that the audience can like.

GQ: Have you already done this to make people like you?

Xiao Zhan: No, no, I think it’s far from enough. I once thought about whether to be an actor with a personal style or to be an actor that the audience likes just by looking at you. At present, I want to be an actor who makes the audience like you. Maybe everyone is not your fan, or even not particularly interested in you, but you know that he has a drama, Do you want to watch it? His dramas are all good. I want to do this. This is my current goal. Is it possible to become the actor I like? This is a rule.

It’s a long road, take your time.

GQ: Who are your favorite actors?

Xiao Zhan: There are many. For example, Zhou Xun has always been my favorite actor. I recently watched her play ("Waving in the Poison of Anger"), and it was really great.

GQ: What are your career plans in 2024?

Xiao Zhan: Make more movies and work with more good teams. This is the only goal at the moment, and I won’t consider other things for the time being.

GQ: Do voices on social media bother you?

Xiao Zhan: It doesn’t bother me. It’s been so many years and I’m still worried. I’m still alive. (English) It’s really okay. Just like I know exactly what I'm doing, every time. To make a choice, you have to clearly know what you are doing, what you want to give up, and what you want to make. So, fortunately, the team may have more troubles.

GQ: Your personal life has not been affected?

Xiao Zhan: Very normal! I can go out for a ride or a walk. When you walk on the street, no one really cares about you. It's really not what everyone thinks. Like this, then I can walk around freely,

GQ: Is this an escape moment for you?

Xiao Zhan: It’s time to relax. Why do you want to escape? I am also in the third dimension. Where do I want to escape? This is my life. I am the same as everyone.

There are many things I particularly want to do, such as taking the subway and shopping in shopping malls, which are very similar to when I was in school, and maybe I will do them in the future.

GQ: Do you miss the ordinary life very much?

Xiao Zhan: It’s not that I miss it, it’s that I think I should do it. It’s because of my popularity. I will really take the subway, maybe tomorrow. It’s so normal. I used to take the subway every day. for me there’s nothing I can't do. What do you think I can do? Say hello and leave. It’s just that I don’t want to cause confusion and trouble for everyone or cause a bad reaction.

GQ: You have not appeared on variety shows in recent years. Is this a conscious choice?

Xiao Zhan: Because it’s not suitable. With my personality, people get tired in variety shows. I want to take care of everyone’s feelings, which makes me very tired. Now that I know this is the case, If there is a result, then just don’t do it.

GQ: What was your original intention in entering the entertainment industry?

Xiao Zhan: I really came in inexplicably and ignorantly. I used to watch talent shows and interview the top contestants. How did i get to this point? I accompanied my friend to participate in the selection, but my friend failed and I was selected. When I was a child, I thought these things were far away from me, but when it comes to myself, it is really like this. I think it's amazing. I participated in the draft and got to where I am now. It's amazing. Life is really interesting.

GQ: What things have you not thought of before after entering the industry?

Xiao Zhan: It is a very cruel thing not to eat wantonly. When I see my former high school classmates who have children and gained weight, I will sigh, I want this too— eating recklessly, their living conditions make me feel that if I had not chosen this path at that time, maybe we are all the same, having to socialize and endure hardships — rushing to design at night, you don't know how tiring it is to do design, but life is like this, there is no way.

GQ: How did choosing this piece change you?

Xiao Zhan: Maybe I lack a lot of life experience. In this regard, my classmates and friends are far better than me. They have experienced real things. There is no camera facing you. Without lights, you are living your own real life.

GQ: Are you an emotionally stable person?

Xiao Zhan: It's relatively stable, but once I touch some points, I will become very unstable.

GQ: For example?

Xiao Zhan: It’s just... some things that cannot be said. Haha, maybe when something incredible happens, you will think, what are you doing? I will be very angry when something happens. Maybe it's some privacy issue. If this point is exceeded, I will "run away".

Everyone has their own boundaries, and some people have no sense of propriety. I stay away from such people, but when the boundaries are broken again and again and the bottom line is touched, I will get very angry.

GQ: You once said that you have a particularly strong side in your personality. What do you mean specifically?

Xiao Zhan: In principle, I am a very rigid person. If I insist on something and I think it is right, it will be difficult to be convinced. For example, if I want to be an actor, I don’t want to do anything other than being an actor. If you come to Siam, let’s debate. No one is right or wrong, the team is also for your own good, Isn't it a good thing to have a lot of work? But for me, I have to subtract because some things are really not what I want.

GQ: Do you have a perfectionist side?

Xiao Zhan: I just want to do it well, just try my best right now. Maybe the result is not good, but what should I do? This is all I can do.

GQ: Can you accept failure?

Xiao Zhan: I can accept it. I might not have been able to accept it a few years ago, but 30-year-old Xiao Zhan has learned to accept it (laughs).

-END.

[genderkoolaid]

advice on how to get over the fear that t is going to make me ugly? or that i’m going to miss “the old me”

i’m a queer trans guy and i’ve been questioning going on t for years now and i know i definitely want bottom growth, body fat redistribution and more body hair.

but im err on the side of face and voice changes. i’m scared of disliking my new voice and suddenly growing dysphoric over it (i dont have too much voice dysphoria now) and disliking how my new face will look. i’m kinda genderfluid as well so it’s complicated. but i don’t want to go my whole life without knowing what it’s like to be on hrt. but i can’t get over the fear of looking/finding myself ugly and undesirable and losing my community... which is ironic cuz i find other trans men attractive as hell. i discussed this in therapy and i still feel this way :/

i wish there was a way for me to start without telling anyone and then breaking the news when i’m experiencing changes and feeling more confident about it. i have my gender dysphoria diagnosis and i can start if i want to, but i need my family’s financial support. i don’t want to make it a big deal since it’s just something i’d be trying out to feel more like myself in certain ways.

sorry this turned into a long ass rant and you don’t have to reply but i’m just gonna kindly leave it in the ask box 💀

There's a post that goes like "all of life is irreversible. i cannot go back a single second" and I think thats something good to keep in mind when you are thinking through this. You are already living with a body that has changed and will continue to change in ways largely out of your control. You are already living in a post-irreversible-alteration body.

If you do go on T and find you don't like how your voice sounds: for one, you can stop at any time (& if you haven't checked out microdosing as an option, you should). But two: plenty of people live with a deeper voice than they want. Plenty of people live with facial hair they dislike. You can pursue the same therapies and procedures they do. Or maybe you don't, and you find ways to live with a voice or face you aren't totally in love with.

So much detransition fearmongering, especially directed at transmascs & assoc. trans people, heavily relies on the specter of the fallen woman, itself steeped in trans-misogyny & intersexism. The idea that, for one, a "woman" who has mixed-sex features is ugly and undesirable, and two, that a "woman" made undesirable is forever doomed to be miserable and worthless. The transphobic story of detransition keeps our bodies stuck in this moment of revulsion and regret, narratively preventing us as characters from being able to move on and live happy lives in atypical bodies. Even if you do regret/dislike some things about T, you are not forever stuck in that feeling. The story does not stop at that! You will just keep living and find new ways of dealing with your bodily feelings!

The social aspect of this is a bit more complicated but I also have some firsthand experience with it. Because, as mentioned before, there's a lot of transphobic misogyny/misogynistic transphobia that affects transmascs & others who go on T, who have to confront the feeling of losing your potential desirability. And then there's also the way many people are treated after going on T, facing a whole new area of bodily scrutiny: you may suddenly have people making comments about how someone needs to force teenage boys to shave because their facial hair is a personal offense. I went from being self-conscious about how high my voice was to being self-conscious about how undeniably trans my voice was. And, specifically, my facial hair, voice changes, etc. were all signs of my transmasculine desire, and I became self-conscious about how obvious it was that I desired being trans, I desired this body. I could no longer let everyone pretend I was a cishet girl at family gatherings and avoid confronting these issues, because I had essentially written I WANT TO BE A TRANNY all over my physical form.

This is something I'm still struggling with myself. I, like many other queer & autistic people, already struggled with feeling desirable or worthy of being seen alongside conventionally attractive cishet people who could act normal. Being visibly trans, and taking a huge step away from the desirable cis-perisex-girl body, can really open up that can of worms. Especially being genderfluid/genderqueer! Because we often cannot find a comfortable space for ourselves within the conventions of attractiveness for cis men, like some binary trans men are able to.

But ultimately, I don't regret going on T at all. I would have had body issues regardless, and I got a lot out of going on T. I think mentally preparing yourself to struggle with these things, and seeking out other transmasc people, is a big help. Again: all of life is irreversible. we cannot go back a single second. We are already living in imperfect bodies we struggle to love or see as worthy. If you know you want some of the things T can offer, and you don't want to go your whole life without knowing, then just do it. Dive in, and don't feel any shame if you decide to get out. Just keep living and finding ways to live better right now.

[xiaoaetherposts]

All Lantern Rite event, but it's XiaoTher

Summary of Xiao x Aether content in every Lantern Rite event so far.

Lantern Rite 1.3 event (2021):

☆ Aether helped Xiao perform various tasks.

☆ Aether visited Xiao in Wangshu Inn.

Aether: "You wouldn't go to the festival, so we brought the festival to you."

Xiao: "Does is serve any grander purpose?"

Aether: "This way you can take part in Lantern Rite."

☆ Aether prepared a dinner for Xiao and helped organize a small Lantern Rite celebration at Wangshu Inn.

☆ Xiao accompanied Aether to Liyue Harbor.

Aether: "O Vigilant Yaksha, please escort us safely to the city."

Xiao: "So be it. I shall accept your proposal."

Xiao: (...) Speak my name. Anywhere. Anytime."

☆ Xiao watched the lanterns and smiled.

I know, it sounds like two characters dating. It was like that. Sometimes even I'm surprised how canonically the Xiao x Traveler ship is treated by HoYo.

Lantern Rite 2.4 event (2022):

☆ Xiao invited Aether to Wangshu Inn.

Xiao: "When this matter is resolved, come to Wangshu Inn. In previous years, the Mingxiao Lantern has been visible even from there."

☆ Aether visited Xiao and bring him food and other presents.

☆ Xiao said Aether that:

Xiao: "If anyone wishes to see me, I know they'll come and find me"

implying that he would like Aether to do this.

☆ Xiao watched the lanterns smiling again.

What was especially cute was that when Aether arrived at Wangshu Inn, Xiao right away went up to him without Aether's calling and asked if he could help.

This happened at the first meeting and even during the Waterborne Poetry event, but it's rare when Xiao takes the initiative.

Lantern Rite 3.4 event (2023):

☆ Xiao saved Aether from the water and was very worried about him.🥹

*Someone carries you ashore, so quickly that you don't catch who it is...*

Xiao: "Glad you're okay."

Xiao: "...Your actions here caused caused others a great deal of worry. Do not repeat them again in the future."

☆ Xiao finally went to the Lantern Rite festival in Liyue Harbor because of Aether.

Xiao: "She told me that all the guests today would be "acquainted with elemental power." and I knew that you would be here."

☆ Xiao sat down next to Aether at the dinner table and then escorted him out.

Aether: "I ate too much. Could you come take a walk with me?"

Xiao: "Sure."

☆ Xiao and Aether talked lovingly in private:

Xiao: "Whenever I think of the ordinary conversations I've had with you, it feels... strangely novel."

Aether: "Strange in a good way?"

Xiao: "Yes." *little smile*

☆ Xiao chose Aether to be "the most distinguished guest." (so that even Zhongli was there, whom he deeply respects)

Everyone: "Who is the most distinguished guest here?"

Xiao: "One person here is well-acquainted with everyone else."

Aether: "(...Hm?)"

☆ Zhongli approved Xiao and Aether's relationship and gave advice to Xiao.

Zhongli: "Just as Xiao may seem unapproachable to most, but Aether has proved otherwise."

Xiao: "Rex La- I mean, Zhongli, what you're saying is..."

Zhongli: "Haha I meant what I said."

Xiao: "General Kapasis always said that we should live in the present and enjoy every little pleasant surprise. Perhaps that's what I should do with what I'm feeling now."

Zhongli: "It looks like you understood what I meant."

Xiao to Aether: "I appreciate your kindness. See you next time, then."⬇️

☆ Xiao and Aether finally watched the lanterns together.😍

Lantern Rite 4.4 event:

☆ Zhongli took Aether on purpose to the place where he knew Xiao was and wanted them stay together alone and fly a kite together.🪁

"Uh, why did you have us walk all this way?"

Zhongli: "I'll leave these two kites with you. Perhaps you can find a few friends with which you partake in the activity. You might find it to be enjoyable use of your time."

Flustered Xiao: "Oh, uh... Wait, who enjoy kite-flying?"

Zhongli: "Well, I would imagine some of your talent and wisdom is more the capable of finding out."

Xiao: Aether, when the Lantern Rite is over, come find me near Pervases' temple if you have the time.

Aether: "Absolutely."

Xiao: "Mmm." 😊

Zhongli: *plan succeed*

☆ Xiao invited Aether to visit him at the usual place and they released together the lantern that Xiao made.

Xiao: "Aether."

Aether: "It's just as I thought... You stopped short of stepping into the city again."

Xiao: "Being in the city isn't the only way for me to appreciate the lights and beauty of Lantern Rite. Look... Liyue Harbor lies just beyond this mountain."

Xiao: "As long as I stand at this vantage point, I may freely behold the sight of all the kites slowly ascending into the sky. ...For me, that is enough."

Aether: "Alright."

Xiao: "I invited you here because there is something I would like to do. I want to release a Xiao Lantern, and... I'd like you to be there for it."

Aether: "Did you make it yourself?"

Xiao: "Yes. I apologize for its crude appearance... I have little skill in that regard."

Aether: "No, no! It's amazing!"

Xiao: "...You're very kind, as usual."

Xiao: "Alright, it's time."

*they release the lantern together*

☆ With a nice metaphorical expression that Xiao said, it was hinted that Aether is the one who brings peace to Xiao.

Xiao symbolizes the lantern itself (to which the name Xiao Lantern refers), and Aether is the sky (his name means this in all languages).

Xiao: "Although, watching a kite gradually ascend into the sky does bring me a certain peace of mind. ...Perhaps they are a bit like Xiao Lanterns in that way."

This expresses Xiao's longing for Aether, which is also indicated by his idle animation (when he tries to reach the little light that goes towards the sky with his hand).

When he asks Aether to release the lantern into the sky together to bring the two things closer together symbolizes this beautifully.

Aether: "As the Xiao Lantern slowly disappears into the tranquil night sky, Xiao's expression softens."

Xiao: "... Aether. ... Thank you."

So as the Xiao lantern approaches the sky in a symbolic sense, as Xiao approaches Aether (which is referred to by the meaning of their names), as they have become closer and closer to each other over the years, and this has brought him calm and peace.

Twitter(X): @xiaoaetherposts

[morlock-holmes]

I've been chewing on this story from New York Magazine, whose financial advice columnist just got scammed out of $50 large by a group of scumbags.

The reactions have been sort of divided between vicious mockery and "Anybody can fall victim to scams on a bad day" and I find myself somewhere ambivalently in the middle.

How can I say this... I think I would need to be having a much worse day than this woman was in order to fall for a scam like this. In particular, it really seems like a financial advice columnist ought to have a much more solid confidence about the fact that enormous personal financial transactions like this don't ever need to happen in the span of a single phone call over a few hours.

But I don't agree with the attitude of "Come on, this is what happens when you're gullible" because, honestly I think that when people start believing that on a big scale that scams like this become easier to pull, rather than harder.

This particular scam is, I think, much easier to pull on people who are paranoid about the trustworthiness of institutions and feel that we live in a world where gullible people are rapidly and harshly punished.

One thing you'll see throughout the article is that the scammers will say something authoritative, and Cowles won't really know if it's true or not:

“I completely understand,” he said calmly. He told me to go to the FTC home page and look up the main phone number. “Now hang up the phone, and I will call you from that number right now.” I did as he said. The FTC number flashed on my screen, and I picked up. “How do I know you’re not just spoofing this?” I asked. “It’s a government number,” he said, almost indignant. “It cannot be spoofed.” I wasn’t sure if this was true and tried Googling it, but Michael was already onto his next point.

Or

My head swam. I Googled my name along with “warrant” and “money laundering,” but nothing came up. Were arrest warrants public? I wasn’t sure.

Or

 I was embarrassed, like I’d left my fly unzipped. How could I have been so thoughtless? But also — didn’t everyone use the airport Wi-Fi?

or

I knew I should probably talk to a lawyer or maybe call the police, though I was doubtful that they would help. What was I going to say — “My identity was stolen, and I think I’m somehow in danger”? I had no proof.

Here's the core of the scam, where you're hooked or not:

“If you talk to an attorney, I cannot help you anymore,” Michael said sternly. “You will be considered noncooperative. Your home will be raided, and your assets will be seized. You may be arrested. It’s your choice.” This seemed ludicrous. I pictured officers tramping in, taking my laptop, going through our bookshelves, questioning our neighbors, scaring my son. It was a nonstarter. “Can I just come to your office and sort this out in person?” I said. “It’s getting late, and I need to take my son trick-or-treating soon.” “My office is in Langley,” he said. “We don’t have enough time. We need to act immediately. I’m going to talk you through the process. It’s going to sound crazy, but we must follow protocol if we’re going to catch the people behind this.”

The scammer in this script is trying to get you to have two feelings, the first is "I don't understand what's going on" and the second is, "If I act without understanding what's going on something really terrible will happen to me."

The person who thinks, "Gullible and ignorant people get in lots of trouble because of their own ignorance, I can't let that happen, even though I'm confused" is far more likely to buy into the scammer's threats of dire consequences and actually get scammed.

This scam script actually relies on the mark believing that it's very dangerous to be gullible or ignorant, that doing so will get them into trouble. But since they are also convinced that they don't have the information that would allow them to make a good decision, they cede decision-making power to the scammer.

Instead, it's the person who thinks, "This feels like a scam. I could be totally wrong about that, but that's okay, being wrong this way and acting on it can't do me any harm" who hangs up on the scammer, calls an official government number, and finds out that they're being scammed.

When people live in a state where they reflexively mistrust institutions, and feel that acting from a place of ignorance or confusion is likely to get them into really big trouble that they can't get out of, I really think it becomes easier to scam people this way, not harder.

[arpmemething2]

Star Trek: The Next Generation Sentence Starters

Send one to see how my muse reacts.  Feel free to change pronouns as needed.

"He must have died in his sleep."

"I would be delighted to offer any advice I can on understanding women. When I have some, I'll let you know."

"Father said she went to a beautiful place where everything is peaceful and everyone loves each other and no one ever gets sick. Do you think there's really a place like that?"

"I said shut up! As in close your mouth and stop talking."

"When I stroke the beard thusly; do I not appear more intellectual?"

“I could be chasing an untamed ornithoid without cause.”

"I wonder if the Emperor Honorious watching the Visigoths coming over the Seventh Hill truly realised that the Roman Empire was about to fall?"

"So then I said, 'In that frame of reference the perihelion of Mercury would have preceded in the opposite direction.'"

"How old do you think I am, anyway? "

"A blind man teaching an android how to paint? That's gotta be worth a couple of pages in somebody's book."

"What a terrible way to die."

"It is possible to commit no errors and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life. "

"It's the struggle itself that is most important.  We must strive to be more than we are."

"You are a little boy, six years old. You cannot hurt me."

"There's theory and there's application.  They don't always jibe."

"There are times when men of good conscience cannot blindly follow orders."

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."

"Sir, I protest, I am NOT a merry man!"

“The arbiter of a demanding wargame rendered the word "mismatch" as "challenge" in his language.”

"He treated me no differently from anyone else. He accepted me for what I am. And that, I have learned, is friendship."

"Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we've lived. After all, we're only mortal."

"You share all of those qualities in abundance. Perhaps you should try to build on your similarities."

"I tend bar and I listen."

"For that one fraction of a second, you were open to options you had never considered. That is the exploration that awaits you... not mapping stars and studying nebula... but charting the unknown possibilities of existence."

"If you were any other man I would kill you where you stand!"

"There can be no justice so long as laws are absolute. Even life itself is an exercise in exceptions."

"Sharing an orbit with God is no small experience."

"Make it so."

"You see things with the eyes of a child, and that makes you more human than any of us."

“Life's true gift is the capacity to enjoy enjoyment.”

"No. Men do not roar. Women roar. Then they hurl heavy objects... and claw at you. "

"Vamoose, ye little varmint!"

"You are free to execute your laws and your citizens as you see fit."

"We think we've come so far. Torture of heretics, burning of witches, it's all ancient history. And then, before you can blink an eye, suddenly it threatens to start all over again."

"Resistance is futile"

"What you are saying... is that you are lonely?"

"There are four lights!"

"This is mutiny!"

"There are many parts of my youth that I'm not proud of... there were loose threads... untidy parts of me that I would like to remove. But when I pulled on one of those threads... it had unraveled the tapestry of my life."

"I should have done this a long time ago."

"I've seen you think your way out of worse problems than this."

"It's just that our mental pathways have become accustomed to your sensory input patterns."

"What you have done will have serious ramifications. I am truly dismayed that you told no-one of what you were doing."

“I have to set an example, now more than ever. Facing death is the ultimate test of character.”

"In order to defeat your enemy, you must first understand them."

"Swimming is too much like bathing."

"Let me get this straight--you want me to take off your head?"

"Remember, put your shoes away."

"You jewel. That's exactly what I hoped."

"So, five-card stud, nothing wild... and the sky's the limit."

"Space... The final frontier."

"If there's nothing wrong with me, maybe there's something wrong with the universe!"

"Oh, I know Hamlet. And what he might say with irony, I say with conviction: "What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form, in moving, how express and admirable! In action, how like an angel! In apprehension, how like a god!" "

"Villains who twirl their mustaches are easy to spot. Those who clothe themselves in good deeds are well-camouflaged."

"He wants the impossible."

"Flair is what makes the difference between artistry and mere competence."

"What is it about these squirming little infants that you find so appealing?"

"Those deaths must be avenged."

"He'd listen to everyone's opinion and then make his own decision."

"Do you think you're the only one in pain? That you have a monopoly on loss?"

"I don't have all the answers, I've never been dead before."

"I have never subscribed to the theory that political power flows from the barrel of a gun."

"Wishing for a thing doesn't make it so."

"There'll be others-but every time you feel love, it'll be different. Every time it's different."

“With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied - chains us all irrevocably.”

"You must not kneel to me.  I do not deserve it."

"I do not fire on defenseless people."

"Things are only impossible until they're not"

"You have never seen death. Then look, and always remember."

"Good tea. Nice house."

"If the cause is just and honorable, they are prepared to give their lives."

"There are still many human emotions I do not fully comprehend: angry, revenge, jealousy. But I am not mystified by the desire to be loved, or the need for friendship. These are things I do understand."

"It is definitely like alcohol intoxication. The same lack of good judgment. For example, right now I find you extremely, extremely... of course we haven't time for that sort of thing."

"You have to measure your successes and your failures within, not by anything I or anyone else might think."

"If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross. But it's not for the timid."

"You cannot justify a wantonly immoral act by citing the greater good!"

"This is down. Down is good. This is up. Up is no"

[katiifaestarot]

Hello friends, beings, and starlights! Im new to the tarot community here on Tumblr and would like to help guide, give honest/TRUTHFUL advice, and be a safe space for anyone+everyone who feels safe here! 🧚🏽‍♀️✨️

My goals/intentions are always to help others through my experience, to teach/guide them to work on themselves, and encourage them to find the strength, courage, discipline, and honest wisdom within themselves, without looking for outside validation!

** I AM NOT A MEDICAL OR HEALTH PROFESSIONAL; PLEASE USE YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT AND DISCERNMENT TO DETERMINE IF YOU NEED OR WANT TO SEEK PROPER HELP OR TREATMENTS FOR YOURSELF OUTSIDE OF TUMBLR OR SOCIAL MEDIA!!

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The Reading of the Day is: Encouraging Words from Your Higher Self ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

There are 4 piles and you will be picking through angel #'s that are right below this text! Feel free to look at the specific photos for each pile if you feel called too!

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✨️🧚🏽‍♀️please choose your pile and may your intuition and inner knowing guide you to the pile with the energy most suited for you and most suited to help you along your path at this current point in time, no matter what that looks like right now🧚🏽‍♀️✨️

PILE 1- 999/10's

PILE 2- 555/666

PILE 3- 333/222

PILE 4- 777/888

** sometimes ( most of the time ) i will pick up on multiple energies that need attention or want to be expressed during the reading so i ASK YOU TO UNDERSTAND THIS DURING THESE TYPES OF READINGS:

depending on how the reader chooses to look at the situation or however the situation resonates for the reader and because this is a general reading;

⚠️you HAVE to be able to use your better discernment + better judgement skills to fully absorb the message and be able to do the necessary work to keep you on track for the future you WANT for yourself⚠️

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OKAY PILE 1:

You're closing out cycles LEFT and RIGHT! Which is causing you to see, feel, think, etc SOOO much more differently and with expanded perspectives and more emotional depths than you ever had before. This is a good thing....yet its also bittersweet, sad, and happening SO FAST! Almost causing this faint sense of whiplash. This is good....this means you're growing and that may be scary-- BUT DONT GET STUBBORN AND STAY STAGNANT! LEAVE THAT COMFORT ZONE AND START TRULY LIVING, BREATHING, AND GETTING EXCITED ABOUT LIFE AGAIN!

the encouraging words from your higher self are: DON'T STOP, KEEP GOING! NO MATTER WHAT CHANGES FOR YOU , NO MATTER WHO LEAVES YOUR LIFE, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, DO NOT GIVE UP! YOU'RE NOT A QUITTER, YOU'RE A WARRIOR WITH A FIGHTING SPIRIT SO DONT GIVE IN AND DONT GIVE UP!!!

Find time for self reflection, self care, and self celebration to better hold on during this wild time in your life while you figure things out for yourself, balance out your priorities, and while you ALSO have some FUN!!

Hold yourself accountable for your mistakes, missteps, and anything that held you back in the past so you have a solid list of what to keep OUT of your life and what to DO differently in your life to keep feeling great and going after what you desire WITHOUT feeling held back by things or people!

Set aside time for paying attention to your body, mind, thoughts, feelings, emotions, ANYTHING you feel YOU NEED to be paying attention too, to feel better about yourself and your choices. DO NOT FORGET TO CELEBRATE HOW FAR YOU HAVE COME AND HOW BRILLIANT YOU ARE AND TREAT YOURSELF TO PEOPLE, PLACES, THINGS THAT UPLIFT YOUR SPIRIT AND ENERGY!!

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OKAY PILE 2:

Right off the bat your higher self is STRAIGHT-FORWARD as he|| :

the encouraging words from your higher self are: IT'S OKAY TO ASK FOR HELP, CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE TO A MORE POSITIVE ONE, AND LET GO OF STUBBORN ENERGY FROM YOUR PAST!!

It seems you recently suffered a set back, either of the emotional or financial kind and its messing with your flow and your head....and your confidence in yourself.

And that's okay....the clear message here is to change the way you view your situation, have compassion for yourself, and make sure you're being aware of other people's struggles too! It's not just you going through a tough situation!!

You're not alone pile2, you can get yourself warm and optimistic again! But you will have to make a plan first! Whether this was a financial, emotional, or etc-- kind of setback, you have to move on from this situation soon so you are able to see the light again! Dont stay stuck because of stubbornness, greed, or lack of awareness!

You have the ability to see what will help you gain more abundance.....you just have to be honest and truthful with yourself about what behaviors, people, patterns, habits, situations, routines, etc NEED TO STAY or NEED TO GO!!

encouraging ADVICE from your higher self: FOCUS ON WHATS IN YOUR POWER TO FIX, FOCUS ON BUILDING AND CULTIVATING STABILITY FOR YOURSELF--BY YOURSELF, DONT LET YOUR PAST HOLD YOU BACK!!

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OKAY PILE 3:

This is my pile of gentle giants, gentle hearts, gentle creatures.....just gentleness and kindness😭 ( im crying channeling & being in your energy because its so warm and inviting, thank you pile 3 for allowing me to be in this energy for a bit)

With all that being said pile 3, 😭😭😭 yall really need to protect your precious energy more. There might be things ( or people...👀 ) that are draining your energy and you dont even recognize it because you're so used to giving away your kindness and compassion to people, you dont even see or feel yourself being drained.

Its time to take a step back and give to yourself for a moment while also celebrating what YOU do bring to this world and how your lifes energy has the capability and capacity to heal others ( and it already has before🥺 ).

encouraging words from your higher self: YOU'RE DOING REALLY WELL AND IT IS OKAY TO SET AND MAINTAIN BOUNDARIES WITH OTHER PEOPLE WHILE FOCUSING ON BUILDING UP YOUR PERSONAL POWER TO CULTIVATE THIS NEW SENSE OF PURPOSE AND NEW SENSE OF SELF THAT IS HAPPENING INSIDE OF YOU!!

Look i dont know you guys at all, and i KNOW the correct people will see this, but all i can say is : Y'all are abundant with opportunities, self-awareness, goodness, light energy, positivity, luck, personal drive, compassion, kindness, love, confidence, warmth, gentleness, passion, determination, strength, E T C --

so please sit with yourself and integrate these inner qualities/skills into your personal belief system(s) so you NEVER forget who you are and no one can EVER shake you to your core;

Really take a look and make a list of people, places, things, etc that dont match up with the future plans you have for yourself! Friends and Family INCLUDED!!!!

Your Personal Belief System(s) is a trusted source of stability, confidence, and safe space for yourself to go back to when you are feeling low about your life or self esteem because YOOOU made it that way...so make sure you cultivate it to be a gentle, nurturing, and uplifting so you can handle the negativity in your brain and in the outside world around you.

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OKAY PILE 4:

This my pile of bad@&&'s, dreamers, lovers, lil weirdoooos(mean that so lovingly and endearingly), and creative peeps alike♡

Hiiii, helllooooo, y'all's energy speaks to me so vividly and dream like.....even though i feel and see the heartache, past indiscretions, inner turmoil + feelings of loneliness, missteps, dreadful childhoods, ETC-

y'all still are choosing to keep going and keep pursuing your dreams/goals! And for that i commend, honor, and find you so admirable and inspiring pile 4.

the encouraging words from your higher self: DONT GIVE UP, DONT BACK DOWN, DONT GET DISTRACTED, YOU WILL BE VICTORIOUS, YOU WILL GET WHAT YOU DESERVE AND WANT, YOU WILL BE OKAY!

you're doing such a great job keeping yourself up and on the path you see for yourself. Moderation is the name of your game and you're teaching yourself patience and discipline to FULLY grasp and integrate the concept of Temperance inside yourself.

and thats bad@&& ASF !!!! Your pile was staright forward and short, and i love that because that means you have solid plans, and ideas to go after what you want......the only thing holding you back is.....

JUST STARTING......

so.....just start!! dont be fearful of your own success and dont doubtful of yourself and abilities!!!

you got this pile 4!! I believe in you♡

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I sincerely hope you received what you needed and released what you don't !! See you again soon!! Take it easyyy and just breathe and fllooowwww!!! you got this! byyeee~🧚🏽‍♀️✨️

**please let me know how I'm doing in any way you can! that is the easiest way to support me and also a good way to signal to me to keep going + any helpful advice from the community would be welcomed and appreciated 🥺 🥹 🙏🏼

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⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️

**ONCE AGAIN, I AM NOT A MEDICAL OR HEALTH PROFESSIONAL; PLEASE USE YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT AND DISCERNMENT TO DETERMINE IF YOU NEED OR WANT TO SEEK PROPER HELP OR TREATMENTS FOR YOURSELF OUTSIDE OF TUMBLR OR SOCIAL MEDIA!!

⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️

[multiplicity-positivity]

Hey, I was hoping to get some advice. A lot of our systems members have been striven to dormancy because I (host) have been really rigid with how that certain fictions and introverts "should" act. I don't mean to do this and I try really hard not to so that, but a lot of my friends left because they couldn't take it. Along with thus I have issues where I try to autofill headmates sentences which often passes them off, or I get really anxious that I'm actually talking over them and they aren't saying anything to me. This has made a lot of others uncomfortable but idk how to stop. If I could get some advice on this that would be lovely

Hiya! We’re sorry to hear that y’all have been going through a difficult time >_< for what it’s worth, our host went through something similar after our own syscovery! He had a problem with wanting to control many aspects of our lives, of trying to speak for us, and telling us how we should think, feel, and act. It was rough! But it’s gotten much better for us, and we can talk a bit about how we reached the point of connection and camaraderie where we are today! >w<

Okay so the very first thing should be like noticing when you do something that hurts or offends your headmates. Just try to pay attention and recognize when you do stuff like try to control them, interrupt them, or assert yourself over them! Once you have been paying attention to how you treat your headmates for a while, it’ll become easier to like, actually change your behaviors :3

Y’all might find like round-tables or in-system meetings helpful! Our system has a meeting inside every couple months or so to check in with each other and make sure everyone is doing okay. It can get kind of crowded and hectic, but it’s been a great way for alters to be heard, voice their concerns, and collaborate in useful ways! Maybe you could try to have a meeting with your headmates where everyone can feel welcome to speak from their heart without fear of being cut down or interrupted. It could set a good example for what positive communication could look like in the future!

And like, through all of this, it’s really important to remember that headmates are unique and different, and that absolutely includes introjects and fictives! Some fictives may be comfy identifying strongly with their source, others may act nothing like it, some may not really care about their source, and others may be more focused on defining who they are in the present… and all of that is okay! Challenging your preconceived notions or ideas about what introjects are and how they should act might make it easier to keep from trying to control the actions of the introjects in your system.

All in all, try to be kind to yourself and your system in all that y’all do! Forgive yourself when you make mistakes and try to do better in the future, but also ask for forgiveness and remember to apologize when you do harm! Try to learn and grow when you mess up, and don’t let it get you down! Holding resentment against yourself for struggling to give your headmates agency won’t help anyone in the long run, so it’s better to try and let it go so you can focus on being better in the future!

Gah, sorry this got so long and rambly! >_< But good luck with starting to reforge and maintain positive relationships with your headmates. We hope things get easier for y’all soon! :3

[beestriker015]

Yandere Ryukyu x younger male pro hero s/o

Despite being only 21 years old, s/o has already caught the attention of a few of his fellow pro heroes, one of which being the number 10 hero herself.

Ryuku first saw s/o on television when he made his debut and was quite impressed with his abilities as well as his relatively shy and kind demeanor.

However, Ryukyu also felt something peculiar when she saw s/o on the screen, something that worked up her dragon side.

“W-what is this I’m feeling? My heart is beating so fast. This new hero…why do I feel so drawn to him?”

As time passed, Ryukyu became obsessed with s/o and kept a close tab on him until one day when she couldn’t take it anymore and finally decided to meet the object of her obsession in person.

“Hello s/o, my name is Ryuko Tatsuma, but I prefer to go by my hero name Ryukyu. I’ve heard much about you, and it’s a pleasure for us to finally meet.”

“Likewise. It’s a huge honor to meet an amazing hero like you!”

S/o says with a smile that almost causes Ryukyu to lose her calm composure.

“T-thank you s/o, that’s very kind of you to say. Since you’re still relatively new to being a pro hero, may I offer you some help and advice on things you need to know?”

“Really? I’d greatly appreciate that Ryukyu! Thank you so much!”

“No problem, we can talk more over lunch at a cafe nearby. Don’t worry about paying though, it’s my treat.”

Since that day, s/o and Ryukyu have grown close to each other, leading to s/o developing romantic feelings for the 26 year old dragon hero.

When s/o eventually confesses his feelings for her, Ryukyu smiled widely and happily told him she felt the same way before pulling him close and roughly kisses him on the neck, leaving behind a very noticeable red mark.

“There. I apologize if I was too rough darling, but I had to mark you. Now everyone will know that you are mine, and no one will take you from me.”

She says with a smile and a glint in her eyes that makes s/o slightly unnerved for a brief moment.

Despite being a yandere, Ryukyu is still a genuinely good person and would never hurt anyone without a reason to.

As a girlfriend, Ryukyu is extremely affectionate with s/o when they’re alone, but won’t do much more than brief kisses and holding hands when in public or during hero work due to her professionalism.

Ryukyu is extremely possessive over s/o because of her dragon side, and will glare at anyone who flirts with her boyfriend as she holds onto him protectively while letting out a low growl, which s/o admittedly finds kind of adorable.

S/o and Ryukyu try to spend as much time together as they can despite their busy schedules as pro heroes.

Almost everyday, s/o takes time out of his day to visit Ryukyu’s agency to drop off a bagged lunch he made for her and to give her a quick kiss before she goes out on patrol, which Nejire and Ryukyu’s first year interns find really really sweet.

Speaking of Nejire, she is a huge supporter of Ryukyu and s/o’s relationship and to quote her when she met s/o for the first time “totally ships them”, which caused s/o to blush a little and chuckle as Ryukyu looked at the two in confusion due to having no idea what shipping is.

Knowing how insecure his girlfriend can be, s/o will passive aggressively defend Ryukyu if anyone were to say anything negative about her quirk or appearance.

“My Ryukyu is the most beautiful woman in the world, and her quirk has saved so many lives! You clearly don’t know what you’re talking about. So either apologize to her now, or keep your ignorant comments to yourself!”

Hearing him defend her only makes Ryukyu fall in love with s/o even more.

When they get back to their shared apartment (because Ryukyu insisted on s/o moving in with her shortly after getting together), Ryukyu hugs her boyfriend and gives him a thankful smile.

“Thank you darling, I appreciate you coming to my defense, please know that I love you dearly.”

Despite her protective and possessive tendencies, Ryukyu would never kill anyone, as that goes against her beliefs and status as a hero.

That used to be the case, until one day during an intense operation to take down a large villain group, s/o was brought to the brink of death by the leader of the villains.

“You and the other heroes were fools to come onto our turf and interfere with my plans boy! I’m going to enjoy killing you in the most excruciating way possible. It’s game over for you hero!”

Upon seeing her s/o at the mercy of the villain leader, Ryukyu’s eyes glaze over in pure draconic rage as she transforms into her dragon form and rushes at the villain as she begins mercilessly tearing him apart, much to the shock and horror of any onlookers.

With the villain leader dead, his subordinates are quickly apprehended by the other heroes and sent to Tartarus, with s/o taken to a nearby hospital for his injuries.

No one dared speak to s/o of what happened to the villain leader when he came to after falling unconscious during his transport to the hospital, both out of fear of angering Ryukyu and a little understanding of the lengths dragons will go to protect their mates.

When he wakes up, s/o is warmly embraced by his teary eyed girlfriend, unaware of the grisly murder she committed.

“I missed you so much darling! Are you in pain at all?”

“I’m ok now Ryuko, just a little sore. Hey babe, what happened during the mission? I don’t remember anything after almost getting killed by the leader.”

“…that villainous scum has been taken care of.”

“What do you mean ‘taken care of’?”

“D-don’t worry about that darling, he and the other criminals working for him were all taken to Tartarus and imprisoned.”

She lied to him as she continues to hug her boyfriend with a dark smirk on her face.

“He will never hurt you again darling, as he is now burning in hell where he belongs for hurting you. I promise that I’ll protect you no matter what, and whoever dares lay a finger on you won’t live long enough to regret it!”

Ryukyu thinks to herself before breaking from their embrace and kisses s/o on the lips with a loving smile on her face.

“I love you so much s/o.”

“I love you too, my beautiful dragon.”

He says while returning her smile as they proceed to share another kiss.

Meanwhile in the criminal underworld, word spreads around about the villain leader’s gruesome death thanks to one of his henchmen managing to escape from the heroes, leading to many growing an intense fear of the tenth ranked hero.

And if any of them intend on doing anything to Ryukyu’s darling…

They should be afraid…

[hongherbac]

[Serizawa centric] The Humanity of S&S - Chapter 2

Read it on AO3

Chapter: 2/6

Fandom: モブサイコ100 | Mob Psycho 100 Rating: General Audiences

Non-Romantic Relationships: Seirizawa Katsuya & Reigen Arataka & Dimple

Summary: The new student talked to Serizawa, but the atmosphere was a bit subtle.

CW: gaslighting

Chapter 2

At the end of the night school, there was no anticipation or vitality, or any sense of freedom after a long confined day, as there would be at a regular day school. The moon was already high in the sky, and the lights were out in most parts of the campus. The classroom was like a tiny flame barely holding on in the darkness. The teacher stood at the door, watching the adult students move outside slowly before locking the door.

Rather than students after school, they looked more like a bunch of employees who finished working overtime. After being buried in hard work all day, they finally had a moment to rest, only to realize that the day was almost over.

"Hey, Serizawa-san." Ito called out.

Serizawa stopped packing, a bit surprised. He did take Reigen's advice of "caring for the new students" in mind throughout the night, only to find that Ito was surrounded by the classmates all the time. From the beginning of classes, to the end of each break, everyone was always around him, calling out "President Ito" this and "President Ito" that, as if they had known each other for their whole lives.

Being naive and socially inexperienced, Serizawa didn't see the utilitarian intent of this enthusiasm. He only thought that Ito was particularly popular, and probably didn't need his help. Besides, he was a little put off by the positive atmosphere there, so he didn't talk to Ito the whole night. Instead, Ito approached him.

"Ito-san, what can I do for you?"

"We're having a drink nearby. Would you like to join us?" Ito said kindly. Several students behind him murmured disapprovingly, and one even tried to hold him back. Come on, stop. Why invite him? It's weird. Then someone said something, and they let out a barely suppressed, clearly malicious laughter.

"Forget it. Serizawa doesn't drink. He's boring." said someone.

Another one said, "Let's just go. It's your welcome party!"

"That's right. I'll treat everyone to celebrate Ito-san's arrival! Don't forget to return the favor one day, okay? Hahaha, just kidding, of course."

Ito ignored them, looking at Serizawa, "So, not a drinker, right?"

"Huh?"

"I know there's a good coffee shop nearby. In that case, you don't have to worry about alcohol or a hangover." Ito stared at him. His expression was still mild, but his eyes conveyed a very different message. Confident and dominant, refused to accept any denial, "What do you say, Serizawa-san? You will come with me, won't you?"

He couldn't help but agree. However, for some reason, Serizawa felt like he had no choice at all.

Serizawa Katsuya, who locked himself in the bedroom for fifteen years. During his teenage years, when one's self-identity and peer relationships were rapidly developing, he curled up in a small, dark, depressing room. For so many years, he had no experience of real interaction with others. The only thing he had was his mother's worried, tearful face. Ironically, this resulted in an extreme lack of ability to ‘read the room’.

His classmates, on the other hand, were mostly seasoned working adults who knew how to euphemize and package themselves. They expressed their likes and dislikes in much more subtle ways than teenagers.

Combined with the situations, during his few months of night school, he didn't even realize it.

The fact that he was hated by many of his classmates.

It was not really surprising. Human nature has its dark side inherently. No matter what organization it was, people tended to identify the weakest, seeing them as aliens, and degrading them in order to build their self-esteem and a sense of belonging. Serizawa was a mild person. Naïve or simply dull, he would accept everything without complaint, even if bullied. Moreover, he was always easily flustered and overly polite, which made him a pain in the ass for some people.

People didn't need a reason to hate someone, but they always rationalized their behavior. Most of the night school students were forced to give up their studies due to health conditions or financial problems. They fought hard to get here. In their opinion, just being "maladjusted" wasn't an excuse to be stuck at home, unproductive, totally dependent on your mother's money and care. What an enviable waste.

Fortunately or not, Serizawa knew nothing of the above.

Therefore, when Ito dismissed the other students and chose to go out with him alone, Serizawa didn't think much about it, only that Ito's behavior was a little different from the others.

"Ito-san, you just moved here. How's everything going?"

"Well, the layout of the city is very well planned. It is designed with the most modern concepts, and the public facilities work well. It's a bit strange to say, but the city has really been reborn after the massive damage caused by that monster tornado."

"It's amazing that Ito-san noticed these things. I never did."

"After all, I came here with an investigative mindset, so of course I had to look closely." Ito smiled slightly. He still wore his white shirt. His short hair was sleek and styled with gel, giving him the look of a professional businessman. It was hard to tell his age from his appearance. "I heard that Serizawa-san had stayed at home for a long time."

"Yes." Serizawa couldn't help but drop his eyes, his shoulders shrinking a little, "I was lucky enough to meet some people, and it was only with their help that I was finally able to get out of the room."

"I envy you, having the luxury of doing nothing for fifteen years."

Huh? Serizawa felt like his heart had missed a beat. But Ito's expression was still so kind. Was it an illusion?

"I would love to take a break, but I guess I was born with a strong drive. I always feel that I have to keep my life full and make the most of my time to grow. With society progressing so fast, if you don't keep up with it, you'll be left behind and never be able to get back on your feet again, won't you?

"Y-Yes…"

"But fortunately, Serizawa, you've already moved on from that irresponsible state," Ito said. "If I thought about wasting so much time like a useless person, I would have been too ashamed to even show my face again. It's really brave of Serizawa-san to make a fresh start."

"Yes, I want to make up for the past as much as possible…"

"What kind of work are you doing? Your choices must be quite limited without a high school diploma."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet." Serizawa hurriedly took out the business card that Reigen had printed for him, handed it over with both hands, "My name is Serizawa Katsuya, and I'm currently working at Reigen-san's Spirits and Such Consultation Office… Well, I'm more of an intern. Compared to my senpai, I still have a lot to learn."

Ito leaned over and took the card, scrutinizing it closely. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, looking back and forth between the card and Serizawa's expression. If he hadn't heard about Serizawa's reputation, he would have left the table in rage, thinking that he was being played for a fool. However, according to others' descriptions, Serizawa didn't seem like the type to make such a joke, and at the moment, he looked as natural as if he had just handed out a perfectly normal company business card.

"Is this some kind of hikikomori humor?"

"Eh? What?"

Ito was silent, looking at the business card again thoughtfully. When he looked up again, his eyes were different. Serizawa couldn't quite see what it was. It wasn't hostile, but it sent a shiver down his spine. It was as if the eyes were piercing.

"Serizawa, don't you see? It's a religious fraud."

Only then did he realize, "Oh, no, no, it’s not! Reigen-san is really dedicated to helping others. Ah, but I can understand, Ito-san hasn't been exposed to this kind of thing, so you might find it a little weird…"

"Anyone who is 'normal' would find it weird." Ito emphasized, with a sharp tone.

Serizawa felt something strange, as if something bitter was welling up in his body.

"I see… Is that what everyone thinks? I'm sorry, there are many things I don't quite understand."

"Well, after all, you've been out of society for fifteen years. You can't help it."

Ito let out a breath.

"Let's be honest, Serizawa. I'm very good at reading people. I can tell a person's personality and talents just by the smallest gesture, and then place them in the most suitable position to maximize their potential 100%. That's why I'm so successful in running my business. It's not that I'm particularly outstanding, but because I know how to identify and utilize the best people.

"Serizawa, although we have only met two days ago, I can see that you are very capable, very talented, and very hardworking. If you're put in the right place, you're sure to make something of yourself. Your problem, however, is that you're too naïve all the time, and you just lack the ability to think independently. You believe whatever others say. This makes you too easy to manipulate."

Faced with such blunt criticism, Serizawa stiffened and unconsciously clenched his fists.

"Indeed, if it was my previous job, you're right. I was so eager to get out of the room that I held on to anything without considering my own feelings. But now I'm different--"

"You mean your previous job? What job was that?"

"Well, uh, the President's dream was to conquer the world."

"And then?"

"Because he hurt so many people and caused so much trouble, he's now serving a sentence under government supervision," Serizawa said, his voice trailing off, "But he did help me a lot, and that will never change. It was only then that I realized my mistake. Later, Reigen-san approached me and gave me a chance to use my power to contribute something to society. What I do now is based on my own judgment--"

"So, what I'm saying is, your own judgment is completely a MESS!" Ito tapped his fingers heavily on the desk, raised his voice impatiently, "All this time, you were just being used, weren't you?"

Serizawa froze. Suddenly he felt like he couldn't breathe.

"Stop doing those strange things anymore, Serizawa." Ito softened his tone, as if he was trying to lure a troublesome child, "Come work for me. I know how to use you, and I'll pay you well! I'll set up a branch in Seasoning City. You won't even have to move. You'll live in the same neighborhood, go to the same school as you do now. You'll just have to change the workplace. Do yourself a favor. Make the right choice for yourself. What do you say?"

Serizawa didn't notice that he was drenched in cold sweat. He said dazedly, "I'll think about it…"

That night, Serizawa was sleepless.

The past appeared like a phantom. The dark room in his old home. President Suzuki. Umbrella. "Claw". Kageyama-san. Spirits and Such. Exorcism. Floating in and out of consciousness, then vanishing once again. It was like the transparent worms that would appear in the eyes if staring at a plain wall for too long. When one tried to concentrate, they kept sneaking out of the center of vision, hiding themselves into the corners.

Memories had no fixed shape. They were more like a jellyfish, swimming weakly and slowly, being swept away by the current, shaped by a greater force, kneading, twisting and turning with each other. In the end, no one could remember what they looked like originally.

Half asleep, he suddenly realized what Ito's piercing eyes were really about.

That was mercy.

[offorestsongs]

OC INTRODUCTION ❣ ROSIENNE MINUIT (ver. 2.0)

"Every rose has its thorns, but some are prettier than others... Er, that's not how the saying goes, is it?"

A bubbly, flamboyant student, always willing to offer you advice or a helping hand... no matter if you want it or not. Obsessed with love and romance, he makes it his life's mission to help others find their true love.

BASIC INFORMATION

full name 🥀Rosienne Minuit nicknames 🥀Rosie (friends), Cherry Barb (Floyd), Prince du les Epines (Rook) species 🥀human height 🥀176 cm age 🥀18 y/o birthday 🥀10.08 gender 🥀male (he/him) sexuality 🥀bisexual hometown 🥀Shaftlands dorm 🥀Pomefiore class 🥀3-C club 🥀Newspaper Club favorite subject 🥀ancient magic dominant hand 🥀right talent 🥀graphic design hobby 🥀reading, journaling favorite food 🥀bubble tea, anything cherry flavored least favorite food 🥀tomato soup pet peeve 🥀 people who care too much about their appearance

PERSONALITY

A lover, a hater, a sweetheart and a bitch. Rosienne is definitely one of the nicer people at Night Raven College, or at least he definitely seems that way. He's energetic, has a flair for the dramatic, is very talkative (some say - overly so) and incredibly extroverted. No matter the circumstances, he's always ready to strike up a conversation and make new friends. He likes giving other people advice and helping them with their problems, though he often tends to disregard the wishes of the people he tries to help as he's often convinced he's the one in the right, no matter what. Despite that, his advice is actually often pretty good.

Because of his signature spell, he tends to treat other people's emotions as nothing more than a silly game.

Stubborn as a mule. If he sets his mind on something, there's nothing that could persuade him to abandon his goals, no matter how silly and stupid it may be. Has many, many hills he's ready to die on and will happily do so. His anger issues are almost legendary — he gets angry quickly, often at stupid things, and is willing to fight everyone anytime (verbally or not).

At the end of the day, a lot of the way he acts is just a front he puts up. He's a deeply emotional and insecure person. He uses his confidence to cover up for the fact that he often feels too stupid or childish amongst other people and that he always expects to be mocked for it. When he's being loud or dramatic, it's only an attempt to make others like him. While a hopeless romantic at heart, he long stopped believing that he will ever find his true love and so he focuses on other people's love life as a way to live vicariously through them.

SIGNATURE SPELL -> Kiss of True Love ; it allows him to feel other people's emotions. Since it doesn't use up a lot of magic, he tends to use it as a sort of a party trick and doesn't see any issue with prying into people's personal feelings without their consent.

BACKSTORY

Grew up in an old castle. Located on a hill, in a pretty rural area — the closest human settlement was a small village — the castle, called the Midnight Palace by the locals, was in the Minuit family for generations. According to the legend, it was the very palace where the Beautiful Princess had fallen in love with her cursed lover, and that over the course of time it had ended up in the hands of one of the families who had worked there as servants. Now while a small part of it serves as a place to live for Rosienne and his family, most of it has been turned into a tourist attraction that has been managed by the Minuits for generations.

Rosienne's parents divorced when he was still little — his mother couldn't handle living in such a place, away from people. Rosienne stayed with his father, as the two of them were always close. He loved living in the castle, the mysterious atmosphere of it, and he would always help his dad run the businesses, often acting as the guide or dressing up to entertain the tourists.

While his home life was a quite happy one, his school life — not so much. He always felt out of place with the other kids. Too loud, too enthusiastic, too focused on his books and daydreams, too weird. His reputation as the "creepy castle kid" didn't help him much.

Over the years he had learned how to act in order to get accepted by his peers — turn his awkwardness into something funny, become just quirky instead of weird — but oftentimes, it was still not enough. He still couldn't find close friends and as he entered his teenage years, the problem of relationships arose. He had always dreamed about finding his own fairy tale love, but as his classmates were finding their first adolescent romances, all of that seemed to simply... pass him by. If anything, people would only ask him out as a joke. Was he not as pretty as the other people? Did he need to be?

Coming to Night Raven College was supposed to be a new beginning for Rosienne. In a place where no one knew him, he could become a different person, finally become popular and find his only and real true love.

Well. With varying degrees of success.

RELATIONSHIPS

Lysander [OC] — since Lysander spends so much time at Pomefiore and is close friends with Vil, the two of them were bound to interact quite often. Lysander is often suitably intimidated by Rosienne, but he appreciates the fact that Rosienne seems to know so much about the other students and often finds it useful. Meanwhile Rosienne thinks Lysander is both cute and fun to tease, especially when it comes to Lysander’s crush on a certain hunter (Rosienne is their #1 shipper). They're quite good friends, even if sometimes Lysander wishes that Rosienne would stop commenting on his love life so much.

Vil Schoenheit — it was hate at first sight. Rosienne thought Vil was nothing more than a spoiled brat, somebody vain and shallow, who only cares about conventional beauty standards, and happily told him so, on the first day of classes no less. They would often clash and argue, and their little back-and-forth had became famous around the school. Over time though, Rosienne had realised that he had horribly misjudged Vil and the two of them had managed to put their differences aside and actually become close friends. Vil had helped Rosienne a lot with gaining more self confidence and finding his own style. And so of course Rosienne had to go and ruin their friendship by falling in love. He's angry at himself for catching feelings because well, there's no way someone like Vil would ever return his feelings, right? Right?

Rook Hunt — the two of them have been friends ever since their freshman year. Rosienne had found Rook different and interesting, and he liked the way Rook talked about beauty. Unfortunately, Rosienne's type is just "people who are nice to him", which means that he quickly caught feelings which only served to drive the divide between Rosienne and Vil deeper, as Rosienne was plain old jealous of Vil and the way Rook talked about him. While Rosienne is past any romantic feelings now, they're still close friends now and often walk around school gossiping about something in french.

Epel Felmier — Epel reminds Rosienne a lot of himself when he was younger, and as so, he has a soft spot of the boy. During the events of book 5 Epel would often go to Rosienne to vent his frustrations, as Rosienne seemed the most like an "uninvolved third party". Unfortunately for him, it often quickly turned into Rosienne trying to give him dating advice. After all, is there something sweeter than true love?

Lilia Vanrouge — Rosienne was always drawn to people who seem, well, different. He always thought that Lilia was cool and interesting, he just wasn't sure how to approach somebody like that. Somehow it was the fae who approached Rosienne first, probably sensing Rosienne's interest and finding it amusing. They're pretty good friends and Lilia is about the only person whose advice Rosienne is actually willing to listen to.

Cater Diamond — the two of them had meet during their entrance ceremony and quickly found common ground. They would've probably became friends if not for Rosienne's insistence to pry into other people's affairs. Cater wasn't happy to find out that Rosienne is using his signature spell on him, while Rosienne couldn't understand what Cater's angry about — Rosienne just sensed that there's something bothering him and wanted to help, alright? Two years later and Rosienne still can't let the topic drop. He thinks Cater is making fuss out of nothing and that everything would be over and done with if he would only let Rosienne help him.

playlist -> click!

TRIVIA

has a column in the school's newspaper where he gives love adivce to anonymous students writing in

also does a lot of the graphic design for the newspaper

while he loves reading in general, he's particularly obsessed with trashy romance novels

has ADHD + dyslexia

has an interest in perfumes, likes matching them to people

instantly loves anything heart shaped

doesn't really use much social media besides whatever fantasy version of Pinterest there is

doesn't really watch movies unless they're awful rom-coms

scared of thunderstorms

his sense of style leans more feminine, wears dresses and skirts whenever he can

first time he tried to dye his hair, he asked Lilia for help, who swapped the hair dye as a joke — Rosienne ended up telling everyone that yes, the green was on purpose, thank you very much

like Rook, he can speak french

cries really easily, especially when he's angry and hates that

has trouble telling left from right

WRITING

headcanons; thornqueen relationship timeline orange peel theory

fics; stubborn heart stormy nights

CARDS

[SSR] Union Birthday [SR] The Hat Extravaganza (fan event)

dividers.

[ceescedasticity]

Reviewed the extra-Silmarillion material on Eöl's pursuit of Aredhel and Maeglin. In this, Curufin:

Knows Aredhel and Maeglin are making for Gondolin

Has Eöl apprehended specifically in order to delay him

Says that Aredhel's marriage was under duress (though whether he knows that, guesses that, assumes that, deduces that, or just says that to piss Eöl off could be debated)

Does not kill Eöl even though he wants to, because That's Illegal

Gives some really very good advice re: pursuing people who want to leave you

Really a very good showing from Curufin! Well done. Except—

If Curufin knew Aredhel had married Eöl and at least believed it was under duress, why didn't anyone do anything about that? The Sons of Fëanor might or might not have been able to interfere without starting a conflict with Doriath, and Turgon was out of contact, but Fingolfin could have applied political pressure to Thingol. In such a situation I don't think Thingol would back Eöl up. (He may not like Fingolfin much, but missing daughter.)

I have trouble seeing Fingolfin not taking action knowing about the situation, so what gives? If Curufin is being reasonable in this time period which he apparently is, and he cares about Aredhel's welfare which he apparently does, why wouldn't he pass the news along to someone who could do something? Was he afraid if he breathed a word Celegorm would start a war with Doriath the minute his back was turned?

Or did he think letting word get out would hurt Aredhel more than it would help?

Because, see. Elves die if they're raped, right? And Aredhel's not dead. So she must not have been wholly unwilling. And yeah, maybe that 'willing' is 'willing to endure this rather than die', but that's still not wholly unwilling!

What if people don't believe her? What if they say it's her fault she's in this situation? What if no one helps but now everyone is gossiping about her?

(You could make something out of Curufin believing Fingolfin wouldn't help Aredhel no matter what he thought, make inferences about how deeply the family divide runs or about Curufin's thoughts about his own father. But I don't think that's required.)

Or, even, what if Aredhel thinks her options are the situation as-is or being stuck in society at large with everyone judging her and/or treating her as a helpless victim? —And a bond with Eöl still in her head because they can't get rid of that so easily. What if she thinks the status quo is easier, and doesn't want Curufin to tell anyone? —Not that there's any evidence of even indirect communication, but it could have happened. Curufin would very possibly honor Aredhel's preferences over Fingolfin's presumed wishes.

So pride and shame (and enchantments) keep her in place until Maeglin starts pushing, and then she leaves.

And she doesn't stay in Himlad, even though that would be easiest. Maybe she's afraid of judgment. Maybe she's afraid that Eöl following her to a Fëanorian stronghold could very easily turn into politically disastrous violence.

And when you cut out Fëanorian strongholds, Gondolin is closest. —Dorthonion is straight-line closest, but there are mountains in the way. Though given they had to go back through Nan Dungortheb instead…

In conclusion, perhaps things played out this way because of a combination of:

Elves are set up to victim-blame survivors of sexual coercion. (Presumably less so elves who've been in bad enough situations that they start noticing the spiritual eject button and themselves have to choose not to use it, or who are familiar with those situations. But at this point that is not most elves.)

Reputation and shame and pride are powerful motivators.

Aredhel and/or Curufin were trying to be politically savvy for once in their lives. Alas.

[askthatoneanacondraikaiguy]

Do you have any headcanon about Kai?

I'm assuming you mean the show version of Kai and not Permanent Anacondrai Kai. And honestly not a whole lot of solid ones rn, but I do have enough to share here;

He definitely likes spice. That boy loves it when his food is spicy.

A little bit of projection; Kai is not good at emotional regulation when he's younger. Idk if I HC him with ADHD (which is what I have and is the biggest cause of my emotional disregulation) but the stuff he went through when he was young and the fact he wasn't really taught how to regulate his emotions would've resulted in that.

Wu giving him the opportunity to express his anger and other feelings in physical training was the healthiest outlet Kai had really ever been shown by someone else when he was young. Living with Zane and Cole also definitely helped.

I like the idea that Kai and Nya were supported by the village they grew up in. A lot of people like the headcanons that Kai had to work really hard to keep him and Nya housed and fed. While I do like those HCs, I personally like the idea that the village kind of collectively helped out, bringing the children meals or babysitting/teaching the kids. They probably didn't worry too hard about Kai and Nya covering the costs to keep their parents' shop or house around.

In my HC, Maya and Ray were important members of the community and their disappearance was concerning and upsetting. They were elemental masters and war heroes. They provided the village a sense of security just by being there along with providing weaponry. With them gone so suddenly and without explanation, that sense of security was gone.

There was a period where the entire village was waiting for them to come back somehow. None of them wanted to tell Kai and Nya their parents were never coming back. But Kai figured that out on his own as he grew older. Once Kai was old enough to do chore work but not man his dad's shop, the villagers would've offered to pay him for that, because Kai would've begun to feel like he needed to 'grow up' and be responsible. I personally follow my friend's HC that Kai was around 14 or 15 (Nya being around 12-13 and Jay being about 13; youngest of the Ninja before Lloyd) at the time of the pilots. He definitely worked really hard before becoming a ninja but I don't think he had, like, five jobs at the time to support them both. He likely did odd jobs around the village and then the blacksmith shop once he was tall enough to use the forge.

Kai didn't make as many friends in the village as he probably would have otherwise, because between the abandonment anxiety and grief that came from losing his parents so suddenly, taking care of his sister, and also being just generally more stand-offish because everyone treats him differently (not cruelly; just differently, and kids are very good at noticing those things), he just had a hard time developing new relationships on his own. Especially in the shadow left behind by his parents' disappearance.

He wanted Nya to enjoy being a kid and that meant he wasn't super willing to let her help him in the more dangerous part of the shop, which definitely annoyed her. Kai was well-meaning there, but he didn't exactly convey that super well to Nya all the time cause he was a young teenager and she was a 12 year old who wanted to be seen as just as capable as her older brother.

The above bit is definitely inspired by that one exchange in the pilot; "I can handle this myself!" "No, you can't, stupid!"

I have a little brother who's 14, but in my brain he's still 12, and I definitely HC that Kai sorta sees Nya the same way. Not that she's incapable, just that she's also baby and it's his responsibility to provide helpful life advice to her, which is kinda funny when she has shit more figured out than he does.

[aspec-manga-snom]

Aspec Manga Rec: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

This post will contain mild spoilers for the plot and character dynamics of the Manga. Sorry about the long post, but its a lot.

Contains a romantic subplot not involving the main character. Some evidence for an Aspec Protagonist. Reference to Sexual themes but no explicit imagery or sexualization of characters.

Remember, panels are right to left.

Written by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukasa Abe, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End follows the journey of Frieren, the elf mage of the hero's party after their victory over the demon king. She travels to speak to the now dead hero Himmel in Aureole, where all souls rest. Currently being released as an anime by Studio Madhouse, now seemed like an apt time to talk about it.

The manga explores themes of loss, grief, found family, coming to terms with your emotions and the importance of non-romantic relationships. Especially with our protagonist, Frieren, bound to live a life of near immortality from a human perspective.

Immortality and Relationships:

As we follow Frieren on her journey north we are told directly that she herself doesn't understand the nature of relationships. Her perception of the world is stuck in how she will long outlast the people that she cares for. Below this appearance is someone who truly care for others.

She learns to cherish the time she spends with others and we can see that with how she treats Fern, her apprentice. The adopted daughter of one of her former companions, who she begins her journey solely with.

We are shown in a flashback to the end of her previous journey that she would never consider an apprentice because their life would never amount to much of her own existence:

Frieren often conflicts with the ideas of relationships and it is the main conflict of her returning journey north. Fern very quickly becomes incredibly important to her, taking care of her needs and very swiftly looking after her apprentice's condition instead of continuing her own journey northward. Frieren defies her own beliefs and worldview because she has learned that the people that she does care about will eventually disappear; as it is the nature of her lifespan for them to be nothing but fleeting moments. She chooses to spend time with her companions because she wants to carry their story and memory for the rest of her life, something that she never felt with the hero's party.

How is this Aspec Representation?

Clearly more depictions of unfeeling characters as aspec isn't progressive in making aspec people seem more "human" but I think how Frieren subverts this trope demonstrates a great aspec character.

At this point, this representation is, and will probably continue to be a headcannon more than it will be actually confirmed, but it has some pretty good foundation.

Early on, Frieren directly tells us this about elves:

This is a pretty overt statement of her romantic and sexual orientation as early as Chapter 13 of the manga as the journey was just beginning. There are some questionable parts of this claim that "all elves" lack romantic and sexual attraction, but the author directly displays elves later on that hold or are implied to have romantic feelings for other characters. It reminds me of how some aspec people believe that everyone is like them, having an understanding without knowing fully that they have different experiences.

*Note, they kept the panel above in the anime.

So where does this leave Frieren as she is perceived by others?

No one questions this about her. It never comes into question if she had found the right person or if she was interested in the relationships herself, it is just accepted. In a later chapter exploring the romantic subplot between her two companions, she is asked for dating advice to which she responds:

The interaction is treated very naturally which mirrors realistic assumptions of these feelings and experience with them that might come with age.

The only claim to her holding romantic feelings towards another person was towards the hero Himmel. Which is suspect to say the least. Most of these assumptions are based on their close emotional bond, how much Frieren grieves his death and how Himmel treated her.

Throughout flashbacks, we can see that Himmel almost constantly was flirting with and then subsequently denied by Frieren along their journey. It isn't played as hurtful or annoying, just as a form of endearment that wasn't reciprocated; something that neither character seems to grieve in any fashion. They had a close emotional bond, but the manga doesn't display it as anything but platonic and I believe that to be true.

TLDR:

Frieren exhibits multiple aspec traits in how she perceives others and her relationships to the people in her life. While her traits may be seen as "inhuman" on the surface, she deeply cares for others without needing to be in a romantic or sexual relationship. The manga puts very little focus on romance and merely on the nature of relationships of all kinds and meanings.

This is my first large-scale post like this, so I would appreciate any feedback people are willing to give me. It is a very long post so I hope I didn't ramble too much

[rynnthefangirl]

I think that part of Jace never getting to rule is very important because as the entire saga shows, ruling is a complete beast only comparable to a hydra from which very few emerge complete.

Rhaenyra and Daemon's children are Disney princes, I don't accept discussions because that's what the book shows. Strong, kind and quite competent as well as fierce and loyal. That applies to the VB, the dragon twins and V&AThey loved each other, adored each other and would have given everything for each other without thinking twice, and they all seem at least intelligent, if not cunning.

((if you ask me that generation was too powerful and that's why they had to die, J&A to the tenth power)

But we see that when it comes to governing, everyone makes mistakes, makes mistakes, and faces difficulties. No matter how well you're trying to make yourself believe it, the gods are going to screw you over somehow with politics and knives in the dark.

The closest we have to Daemyra children are the Stark children. Specifically I want to focus on Robb and Jon, because they are both sons of Ned (let's not get technical) and were taught by him in equality, As ruler of the North Ned apparently had no problems and is loved by all to the point that his children benefit from the social capital Ned left them. But when Robb and Jon take the lead, it's interesting to see the traits of their father that they adopted, I'm thinking of one in particular: how they treat the people around them

CCat says that Robb rode out every day with one of his men and rotated them because that was Ned's MO to make his people feel heard and to be able to know the problems and what was going on. That's one of the things that made Ned loved by the people, but the way Robb did it and tried to live with honor leads him to make mistakes like forgetting that Theon is a hostage, not a friend. Robb got too personal and led with his heart.

Jon on the other hand remembers that a lord is no friend of his people, that there is such a division and he must maintain it in order to fulfill his duty. Consequently when we reach his era as Lord Commander Jon is placing people he knows are loyal and fair in positions of power... But he isn't talking to them, he has completely isolated himself from his friends and colleagues or has been alienating them and as a result he is left without people to watch his back and even his friends have started to consider him an idiot.

This is the same advice! The difference is that Ned had years to find his balance between the two approaches and even then we see him struggle with it.One of the first things he thinks is that he can't be despotic with the small council because everyone is equal there, but there is also a part of power that Ned didn't use because of that approach. In addition to the mistakes that are inherited, Robb does not know of the hatred that some lords have (cough Lady Dustin cough) and Jon has to deal with years of decay and hatred in the Night's Watch, (both like their father are also sadly ignorant of ambition and how far people will go for it)

Jace in times of crisis was doing pretty well, he didn't die for anything he did or didn't do, but that doesn't guarantee that his government was perfect, that there weren't obstacles of some kind at the time of promotion or later. We saw Jace display leadership skills, but we never saw him have to confront his fiscal policies.

Ah, sorry for taking so long to reply to this. Awesome analysis of the Starks though, thanks for that! I’m still pretty early in my first ever read through of the main books so I don’t really have anything to add about Robb and Jon, but I’m definitely looking forward to getting to Jon’s Lord Commander era and seeing him deal with the trials of leadership.

As for my area of expertise though (Targaryen history), I think another good example of a promising leader struggling with the curveballs of kingship is Aegon V. Aegon V pretty much had the best intentions of anyone who ever sat the Iron Throne (improving the rights of the smallfolk), and had a pretty solid plan to accomplish it through marriage alliances with his 5 children. But despite his good intentions and politically wise plan, everything still goes to shit. 4/5 kids break their marriage proposals, and he’s left with more enemies than friends, eventually leading to his doomed attempt to hatch dragons. Like Jace and Robb, Egg was as promising a king as you could hope for, and yet the main legacy of his reign was the tragic killing of most of his family (and I believe most of his reforms were gotten rid of in the years after his death).

This is also my basis for one of my gripes at S8 of GOT. Bran being King of Westeros and Sansa being Queen of the North are framed as these happy endings with the “right” people at last ruling, but neither of them have ever actually ruled anything before. And exactly like you said, ruling is it’s own beast, it tries you in ways you would never expect. So those two are propped up as more fit to rule than other characters in the show who have ruled imperfectly (Jon, Dany before she goes crazy, etc), but realistically they ALSO will be imperfect. They certainly have traits that I could see causing them issues in their reigns, and there are many conflicts I could see arising in Westeros after the show ends (ex. Iron Islands and Dorne declaring independence, anger from the Reach lords at a random Sellsword being made Lord of Highgarden). But by ending the show right before their reigns, our final monarchs Bran and Sansa get to be exempt from the trials and tribulations that have tested every other ruler in the show before them. If they are king and queen at the end of the books, maybe it’ll play out differently— but in the show I just found it frustrating that the “best” rulers are the ones who never actually ruled.

[highfantasy-soul]

NATLA - Episode 2: Warriors (3/4)

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

An explanation of what I'm doing here and my history with ATLA.

Of course, full spoilers ahead.

<previous/next>

It's funny to me when people critique the show by saying that 'Katara never needed help with her waterbending, she just taught herself to be a master and it's a bad lesson - it's ok for characters to struggle and need help' when…animated Katara taught herself WAY  more waterbending than live-action Katara did. Live-action Katara could barely lift any water at all before she got advice from another bender about the mindset (spiritual mindset) one needs to bend, then she needed the waterbending scroll to do any forms. In the animated series, she was doing a whole bunch of waterbending moves without any formal training at all - no consulting with Aang about how he bends either. She was doing great even before episode 9 when she gets the waterbending scroll. So in the animated version, she's a great waterbender with 0 help from anyone else and in the live action, she gets help from Aang, the waterbending scroll, Jet, observing earthbenders, the healers at the Northern Water Tribe, and Pakku's moves during their fight. So it sure looks to me like live-action Katara was much more steadfast and devoted to learning waterbending no matter how hard it was for her than the animated version.

I don't find Suki's interest in Sokka to be 'ruining' her character at all nor is it 'anti-feminist' for her to see Sokka as the embodiment of the outside world she never got to experience. She's extremely sheltered and here's a warrior from another part of the world - a cute one - who's interested in connecting to her too. It makes perfect sense that two teens in that situation would be drawn to each other and create a quick little romance. To me, it's a much better connection than 'sexist boy was mean to me, I beat him up, then once he apologized, I got a crush on him and kissed him'. Suki's whole thing in the animated series was 'I'm a warrior AND I'm a girl' and I think the live-action really fleshed that out and updated it to give her a bunch more power and character depth than she had. The 'I'm a girl, too' sentiment isn't just 'I want romance as well as warrior stuff' it was that she was a PERSON, too. A person with hopes, fears, wants, desires, dreams of the future and the desire to connect to something outside of the village she's lived her whole life in. No, the live action didn't 'ruin' Suki by having her 'simp' over Sokka from minute one. Personally, I think she's a much stronger character than she was in the animated episode.

Love Suki trying to flirt and connect with Sokka by being extremely awkwardly confident and thinking that people like it when you show them you're better at something than they are. It was so painfully relatable to those of us with zero game and gave us the same 'Suki beats Sokka's ass' scene without it being because Sokka is a sexist that needs to be taken down a peg - she literally thinks she's just connecting with him over stuff they're both good at. Sokka, understandably, is freaked out over it and bails, but comes around to her and seeks out training like he does in the animated version. He knows he's not the best warrior - even though he wants to be - and he's willing to swallow his pride and try learning. Plus I love us seeding in the idea that even non-benders can be badasses. It think that's something Korra really dropped the ball on since the Equalists quite literally were correct that benders are treated better than non-benders in the Avatar world. Sokka and Suki have to fight against that structural inequality and prove their worth in a world where bending is seen as making you better - and used to subjugate everyone.

This episode alludes to Aang's journey with Jong Jong where he hurts Katara with his firebending - in this instance, it's Aang remembering how he accidentally hurt ppl with his airbending because he was just more powerful, so he had to spend more time learning to control himself so he didn't keep hurting others - and that they were afraid of him. I think it's possible that in season 2, we'll have a call-back to this with a Jong Jong episode where Aang will hurt Katara and it will have been set up that he sometimes can't control his power. I'm also completely good with Katara finding that passage about the past lives stuff for the Avatar since she just randomly knew that in the animated series. In episode 3, while they're in the Avatar shrine at the Southern Air Temple, Katara just…knows all that. At least in the live-action, she's reading about it in the shrine of an Avatar from a person who's studied the Avatar.

Love the inclusion of Zuko confiding in Iroh just how hard the hope is for him now that he's found the Avatar - it adds real depth to his character rather than the flat angry Zuko we see so much in the animated show. Live-action allows us to see the cracks in his mask of power and see the scared little kid beneath it. After all, this is a 16 year old who was banished from his home at 13 and pretty much told never to return and the only person he knew who came with him was his uncle. He's been so alone and without hope for a long time and it makes sense to show this child cracking and feeling pain at that hope that's just arrived.

Again, I cannot overstate how much I love Gyatzo being a tether for Aang. It's Gyatzo who pulls him from the Avatar state in the first episode and Gyatzo who centers Aang enough to meditate into a position where he can meet with Kyoshi. Kyoshi's "both sides will fight harder now that the Avatar has been found, hope does not come without a cost" is such a great theme to explore all through this (and future) seasons. Connecting a theme to both sides is always great to me. Also, getting a bunch more on what it means to be the Avatar is nice, especially for new watchers - introducing the idea that each Avatar is shaped for their time, they have many roles, and they have to give up their own wants to be the 'avatars' (heh) for balance was a great recap, too, of the trials Aang will face.

People keep talking about them 'toning down' Katara's anger, but y'all couldn't even handle Kyoshi's very understandable two seconds of frustration when talking about murdered people with Aang, so I don't trust you at all with Katara's "girl power" feminist tirades. Kyoshi was amazingly patient and gentle with Aang until he said he was afraid of hurting people with it - only then did she get stern with him as Kyoshi is not the pacifist type. I've seen complaints that they made her 'villainous' with her looming presence and 'demonic' voice and I'm going to need people to get serious real quick. Kyoshi was 7 feet tall - she DID loom, it's kind of a massive part of her character, and that reverb layered voice is how EVERYONE sounds when they go into the Avatar state! It's to represent all the past lives talking through you!! Seriously, when those 'complaints' are made in those posts claiming that the live-action actually hates women, it just tells me that YOU hate women and can't stand a strong female character. Kyoshi is supposed to be 'a lot'. She's supposed to be scary af. If you don't like women characters to be like that, then maybe you don't actually like diverse women characters, you only want the palatable ones.

I like how the fight on Kyoshi island doesn't just start the moment the fire nation arrives, the two leaders have a tense chat and there's the option for the firebenders to turn around and leave in peace - of course Zhao doesn't take this opportunity (also like that it's Zhao and Zuko on the island, fleshing out Zhao's rivalry with Zuko even sooner) Zuko having the strategy while Zhao just has the sheer resources to cover all bases. Mama warrior bodying a man before the real fight breaks out was incredible and love that we kept in Sokka deflecting the fireball from Suki with the fan, too! Honestly I think one of my favorite moments of the season - so well shot and dope af. Katara getting her one-on-one with Zuko fight was great - really shows how far she'll come by the finale - and shows Zuko's unwavering need to capture the Avatar. He gives Katara the chance to back down, but when she doesn't, he has no problem beating her down with the intent to seriously maim.

And Katara is fierce AF! That's how you show a character who's not all powerful, who's terrified, still courageously standing firm and facing down a bunch of seasoned warriors to protect their friend - and fight to save the world. Standing your ground even when you're terrified is such an undervalued expression of strength and ferocity it's pissing me off that people are writing this Katara off as 'bland' and with 'no flaws or character development'. Like, understand what that means, people. But in the end, of course she's beaten - she's not a seasoned warrior yet and she still has all her firebender trauma in her - she tries and fails (ie not a perfect character) and will be beaten if Aang (or Kyoshi) doesn't step in. Yeah, she's a strong character - but she does still need help and the show doesn't shy away from it (like some people are trying to claim that it does).