#and is asking for us to hear her and understand those situations and perspectives

[septembersghost]

I was a person who thought Maroon was about Harry on first listen and now feels dumb because the Jake of it all could not be more obvious lol

you're not dumb! first of all, the whole album was a lot to take in at first blush, and secondly she relies on some repeated themes in very different senses, so it requires some time and depth to unpack.

let's take dancing. our girl loves dancing as a theme ("and you know i wanna ask you to dance right there, in the middle of the parking lot!" "with you i'd dance, in a storm, in my best dress, fearless." "i'm wonderstruck, dancin' 'round all alone."), and in each context, it's different.

for example, we get dancing with joe j: "i'm not much for dancing, but for you i did." "tonight i'm gonna dance for all that we've been through, but i don't wanna dance if i'm not dancing with you." with him it's part of his charisma and even swagger ("the life of the party, you're showin' off again"), to where we also get, "sashay your way to your seat, it's the best seat in the best room."

we get dancing with jake, "we're dancing 'round the kitchen in the refrigerator light," and there it's a little about that love being hidden away, the nostalgia she's remembering before the crash and the heartbreak.

we get dancing with harry, "you moved the furniture so we could dance, baby like we had a chance," and it's the desperation for their love to not be splashed everywhere, the anxiety of everything swirling around them.

we get dancing WITHOUT calvin, both the entire theme of bejeweled and, "i was dancing around, dancing around it."

we get dancing with joe in dwoht and cowboy like me and glitch, dancing like it was the first time, dancing through an avalanche, swaying as the room burned down, dancing is a dangerous game, "i thought we had no chance, and that's romance, let's dance," and it's all her fear and worry of losing him, of being too much, of ruining things, of romance not lasting, and what happens is (in my interpretation), when the music stops and they're no longer dancing, he's still there. in the silences, in the stillness, painting maps on the ceiling, reaching out for her hand, asking for sweet nothing. the friction and the movement of the dancing can go quiet, and he's the constant. he doesn't drop her.

SO, this brings me to maroon.

"dancing with no shoes" is connected to dancing around in the refrigerator light to me, where they'd be barefoot in the kitchen (a place where, with joe, she found sacred new beginnings), and also, i think, it's a little bit of, "he didn't like it when i wore high heels."

then we get the reference to new york, which also recurs repeatedly with different people (holy ground/joe j: "first glance feeling on new york time;" atw10/jake: "your brooklyn broke my skin and bones;" cbbh/harry: "new york, be here, but you're in london...;" false god/joe: "i'm new york city" "you're the west village;" daylight/joe: "back and forth from new york, sneakin' in your bed;" hoax/imho regarding various heartbreaks and losses: "you know i left a part of me back in new york").

in maroon, it's connected to the dancing: "and i chose you, the one i was dancing with in new york, no shoes, looked up at the sky...and it was maroon," very much conjures the skyline at sunset, and the autumnal feel, and "getting lost upstate."

then there's the wine lyric: "the burgundy on my t-shirt when you splashed your wine into me," and its closest sister being, "you're still all over me like a wine-stained dress i can't wear anymore." the key here is context about clean - a lot of people think clean references harry, but i personally think it's about jake and her recovery from that situation (plus, she was nowhere CLOSE to clean from harry yet at that point aklsdkljfdg she wrote style after clean).

taylor's scarlet lips are very "red lip classic," but she was already wearing her signature red lips when she was with jake (the stain on his own lips that she called home is from her lipstick imo, although i've seen people say it could also be from the wine).

and then, of course, there's the biggest clue, because she is unhinged (affectionate), and it's that she was clearly and prominently wearing the red ring when she announced maroon's title, and the entire song is just varying shades and contours and depths of "red." loving him wasn't only burning red, it was splashes of burgundy wine, it was rosé, it was the bruising purplish red (in fact, the red of loving him mixed with the blue of losing him), the blood rushing to her cheeks, the rust between telephones (phone calls were a significant aspect of their relationship and are mentioned across red as an album), the carnations mistaken for roses (which is SUCH a metaphor, and i say this as someone who actually loves carnations haha, but it's like - i thought this was rare and valuable, when it was cheap to you). it was so red it was maroon. (red is track 2, maroon is track 2).

moreover, the legacy he left isn't only his memory hanging over her, it's also a literal legacy. it's red being the masterpiece it is and finally being recognized as such. it's all too well being considered the gem of her catalog, being so celebrated and beloved that it was TRANSFORMED for her. it's almost marveling that this is what all that pain became - a real fucking legacy.

all that said, mr. styles intentionally borrowed imagery from taylor when he wrote about her. "she's lying in bed with my t-shirt on, just thinking how i went about it wrong. this isn't the stain of a red wine, i'm bleeding love." "same lips red, same eyes blue." "the fridge light washes this room white." "that nice dress in my wildest dreams, lipstick stains you left still on my sheets." i could go on lol. so making the connection wasn't missing what she was saying, it only requires sorting out the varying details.

there's a difference in the sonic approach too - the longing and sad uneasiness in maroon versus the anxiety and even aggravation in question...? i think she wore the red ring for maroon and used the very obvious OOTW sample in question...? to make it certain we knew which stories she was approaching.

question...? is very much a conversation, whereas maroon is a recollection, and i think that's important too. she's not talking directly to jake, she's remembering. (there's also the fact that the cadence of question...? is not dissimilar from keep driving.) harry said, of both of their songs, "it's the most amazing unspoken dialogue ever." i honestly think question...? is taylor continuing it.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for making a "Hate Club" for my sister? My sister (13) and I (16) have never been close. She is very loud and energetic whereas I am not. She always has been a bit of a jerk sometimes, but recently she has been unbearable to be around. She has been outright mean to our parents, calling them names, screaming at them, throwing things, and doing so every morning when she gets up for school, and every evening when she has to go to sleep. Because of her "screaming schedule", my already bad sleep schedule has been ruined, and I need multiple naps to make it through my day properly because she wakes us up so early. I talked about this to some of my friends who know her, and we decided to make a group chat called "(Sister's name) Hate Club" where we could vent about how she has affected us personally. Sometimes our vents would devolve into mean comments or theorizing about why she's like this, but we never said any of this to her in person, or to anyone outside of our group of 8. However, one night when my mom (63) and I were coming home from a play we had gone to see, she saw a notification for (Sister's name) Hate Club. I had my phone connected to the car's display to play music, so she saw the notification, clear as day. I lied to her at the time, and told her that it was a group chat for stuff in our scout troop, as I didn't feel like explaining what it was on the way home. I thought that she would be mad at me. After I told her, she didn't talk much for the rest of the night. The next day, she confronted me as I was leaving for a doctor's appointment. She said "I don't know if you can tell, but I'm pretty angry at you right now." When I asked her why, she told me the group chat. She started saying how I was a bully, and how I was acting just like my sister does when she's mad. She wouldn't let me get a word in, so I rolled my eyes and left in the middle of her sentence (which I understand was not a good move, but I was already running late and I was angry now too). When I was done at the doctor's appointment, I decided to text her that it was actually a vent group about my sister to try and explain why the group wasn't actually a hate group. When I got home and into my room, she confronted me and we had a big argument. She kept on saying how I was bullying my sister, and apparently she talked to 2 of my friend's moms, saying "If your child made a hate group about someone, would you be mad?". They both responded with some form of "I'd be livid". One of those people got in trouble with their mom and had to write an apology letter to mine once their mom found out what my mom was talking about. In the argument, I told her that "I need a space to vent" and she said "The venting is not the problem, the name is". When I told her "It's just a joke name, because I obviously don't legitimately hate her", she said I was still bullying her. After that I got very defensive and started swearing (not directly at her, but for word emphasis), and she started saying I was disrespecting her now too. At that point I said I would change the name, because I know she's a hard-head and would rather die than admit that she's wrong in any given situation. I've changed the group chat name twice, and now were acting like nothing ever happened. I've talked to my friends that were in the group, and they've said that I'm NTA, but I'm still not sure if they are right or just biased because I'm their friend and they were hearing everything from my perspective. So AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[gemini-sensei]

Alpha!Hawk x Omega!LaRusso!Reader Blurb

Fem!Pregnant!Reader ○ a/b/o au ○ @sensei-venus

CW: pregnancy, nothing more than that. (unedited)

After finding out about the pups, Hawk hardly ever left Reader's side. He never went home after that, just basically moved into Reader's room so they could be together even more of the time. After a few days, his parents called and asked where he was, to which he told them where and that they should come over because he's not coming home, and that he's not sorry about it. They'd understand if they came to the LaRusso's.

So they do, if only to try and bring their son home, but as soon as the door opened and they were welcome in by Amanda, the overwhelming scent of a pregnant omega hit their senses. The house was practically bathed in it. When they walked into the living room, that was where they found Hawk and Reader, as he fawned and fussed over her belly. It was pretty obvious to them what the ordeal was at that point.

He introduced them to Reader properly and the his dad took him aside to ask of he was sure about this, sure about anything. Hawk was firm in his response, eager to tell him even, that he loves Reader and their pups.

"Sure, we're young, but I know the most important thing right now is her and those pups."

They had a little more of that serious father-son talk while Mrs. Moskowitz and Reader were gushing over the pups. She had a little ultrasound photo showing off the three little dots she had growing in her belly, holding her belly with her other hand the entire time. It was no wonder she'd begun to show so early, triplets needed a lot of space and soon.

However, midway through her conversation with Hawk's mom, Reader grew needy. She looked around and chirped for her mate, hearing his voice somewhere in the house but unsure of where he was. He came to her with a rushed excuse me to his father, urgently needing to be by her side immediately.

When he asked her what was wrong, she just opened her arms and he smiled. The worry melted away and he sat on her other side and let her cuddle up to him. All was well. For the couple at least.

Hawk's parents were still a little started by the whole situation and his father was worried. Daniel ended up approaching him and they talked, talked about everything.

"I'm sorry he's been here this whole time, I'll play you back for it," his father said, taking a glance back at Hawk and Reader on the couch. The pair were gushing about the pups with his wife, who found the bright side of any given situation. "We had no idea about most of this. I mean, we knew he'd found a mate, but we didn't know they were this serious this soon."

"That would be the result of a synced mating cycle they somehow found themselves a part of," Daniel huffed. He had his arms crossed over his chest sternly, but as he watched the young mated pair from the next room over, it loosened. "I didn't like him for that. I still don't like him very much."

"It must be different to have omega children," Mr. Moskowitz mused.

Daniel appreciated the other alpha's attempt to see it from his perspective. "As their father, you try to do everything to protect them. You forget that at some point that job goes to their partner...

"Don't worry about paying us back. I'd rather them be here than trying to find their own place."

Mr. Moskowitz let out a sort of scoff, something between disbelief and astonishment. "I couldn't imagine sending them out into the world yet. Sure, they're not kids anymore, but they just graduated. They're still so young... they wouldn't know what to do in a place of their own yet, let alone with pups..."

"I know," Daniel sighed. He stared at Reader, watched the way she smiled and laughed. It was the happiest he'd seen her in a long time, probably since she first presented as an omega, and it was all because she was laying in Hawk's arms. "Part of me just wants to keep her close, the other part..."

"Might actually realize my son isn't as bad as you first thought he was?"

"Eli's not a bad kid... sure, he had some misguidance along the way, but he's a fine young man."

Mr. Moskowitz smiled proudly as he turned to watch the young couple for a moment. "I worked a lot, so maybe I let him stray away a bit, but he found himself. I couldn't have given him that. And now he's here, with your daughter, the happiest I've ever seen him."

"You know, I didn't ship him out of this country just because of that smile on her face, right?"

Moskowitz laughed. "I'm glad I never had an omega pup. I don't know if I could've handled the extra stress suitors give."

"I have two," Daniel signed. He turned his eye to Sam, who was helping her mother prepare dinner. "Funnily enough, she's the one I thought I'd have to worry about."

They shared a laugh though the atmosphere around them and their hearts were tense. All of the omegas and Hawk were happy, but the alpha fathers were stressed. They just hit it well.

The happy couple on the couch were blissfully unaware of what they were in for. It was going to be hard, especially for a pair so young. Three pups on the way. No home of their own. There was going to be a lot they were going to learn, but in that moment they enjoyed it all. Everyone around them were there for them, though they didn't say it out loud. Reader and Hawk had a lot of support around them.

[blackbackedjackal]

asking in genuine good-faith; why do so many people not take issue with fur farms? most of the reasoning i see from people who are pro-fur farms is that real fur is more environmentally friendly than faux fur, which is true. however, it is also difficult for me to understand how keeping animals like foxes in a fur farm environment provides any real quality of life for them. i also feel that comparing things such as injuries occurring from overcrowding foxes or them being culled by farmers to death/injury from natural causes from life in the wild isn’t logically sound, as those are two completely different situations. i don’t understand how people who are against foxes being kept as pets or used as props out of concern for their welfare, can then be alright with them being kept in fur farms. i would really appreciate hearing your perspective.

I'll go ahead and say this but I'm sure you're aware @/is-the-fox-video-cute has plenty of resources backed with sources to explain why fur farming is not an inherently bad practice. Because of that I'm just going to talk about my opinions on the subject.

I share properly researched information about fur farming is because PETA and other Animal Rights Activist groups are full of shit. They are constantly spreading misinformation about animals in general, but their anti-fur propaganda has been so successful it's nearly impossible in the US to find actual scientific or first-hand sources talking about fur farming. ARA propaganda about fur farming has done more harm than good for both the industry and the animals. This includes ARAs staging footage of animals being abused and killed. They will literally do anything to spread their propaganda.

I'm not a fan of commercialized animal agriculture in general, but it's more of an issue of wanting better standardized welfare regulations for the animals and employees then the actual practice of raising animals for food and other resources. In places where proper welfare standards are met, the foxes are very well cared from start to finish. They have to be because the quality of the fur is directly dependent on the health and wellbeing of the foxes. But the constant push from ARA groups and anti-fur lobbying hinders progress. It makes it difficult to improve the industry when half the time you're having to fight just to be able to run the farms in the first place. I want to see the welfare standards improve more and more over time (and they defiantly have), but ARA groups are actively preventing that from happening on a larger scale.

Fur is much more environmentally friendly than faux fur, but fur farming also keep pressures off the demand of fur from wild populations. There are wild red fox subspecies and other furbearers who's populations are threatened due to overhunting and commercial trapping of the animals. Again, in farms where proper welfare standards are met, animals are regularly checked by the farmers/staff and given regular veterinary care. An injured fox in a fur farm is far more likely to be treated than a fox that was injured in the wild.

Most pet foxes descended from fur farms and even now Save A Fox purchases her (very poorly bred) foxes directly from fur farms. So what I don't understand is how people are ok with having animals from fur farms as pets, yet choose to spread lies about the fur farming industry and lie about their sources. Like you wanted a pet fox so badly you bought multiple ones from an unethical fur farm??? Gross. Again, if the industry had better overall welfare standards, it would help improve the lives of these animals. Theoretically, that would make it more ethical for people to own pet foxes, but as things currently stand it's only promoting bad business practices and directly financing bad fur farms. The reality is that fur farms that follow proper welfare standards take better care of their foxes than most private owners, and yes that includes SAF.

I'm not trying to convince people to be 100% ok with the practice without thinking critically about the issues it does still have in it's current state. I just want to lobby for better welfare standards in the fur industry. I want to see the industry improve because that improves the lives of the animals involved and could help with setting better welfare standards in other parts of animal agriculture. Spreading misinformation isn't going to help in the slightest, especially when people are out here actively harming the animals to do so.

[magpod-confessions]

i think the reaction to characters being unfair to jon is a good example of how fandom often lacks nuance and has a lot of black and white thinking. while it absolutely is ridiculous and unfair to say characters are evil and terrible people for being mean to jon, it’s just as absurd to say how they treated him was justified and there was nothing wrong with it. i think people have split into two extremes on this issue, which misses the point that the entire podcast is about how people react and interact and change when dealing with fear and extreme situations like this, not about who’s right and who’s wrong. jon was consistently treated with less empathy than the other characters treated each other, and held to a different standard. the other archives staff are much more willing to give each other the benefit of the doubt, and while they’ll criticize each other at the end of the day there is much more tolerance for each other’s issues than there is for jon’s. that is undeniable. they see each other as humans who make mistakes, and jon as a rabid monster who cannot be trusted. from their perspective, jon is someone standoffish and unfriendly who always pushes too far and asks too much and has growing powers that directly come from the entities responsible for their torment. he is both their superior in terms of his job, and he is essentially the favored child of their jailer. basically like elias, but significantly more present and vulnerable and less of a distant untouchable threat. he has enough power over them (or at least association with those who have power over them) to make them resent him, but not enough to stop the torment or prevent them from lashing out. when you and everyone else you know are humans who are trapped together and suffering, and your boss is locked away feeding on fear and turning into a dangerous monster like the ones who keep hurting you, you’re probably not going to be feeling particularly empathetic towards him. you’re not going to stop and think about how he’s a victim in all this too, because you’re not in a stable enough space to do that and you don’t know his perspective on any of this. that makes sense. it doesn’t excuse the way they treat him like a violent animal, but it does explain why they would have that us versus them mentality. also, all the info on the other archive staff’s emotional state from season 3 and onward, the stuff that explains why they acted the way they did, all of that is from occasional lines and overheard interactions. small pieces. jon is the main character, and we hear the details of his experiences and struggles and trauma and breakdowns and suffering. he is the protagonist and his is the perspective the listener lives in. therefore, he is going to be much easier to be sympathetic towards. if melanie was the protagonist, or even another avatar like annabelle or mike crew, people would be much more understanding of them, because it is easier to be sympathetic when you know every reason why a character acts the way they do. if we listened to melanie for hundreds of hours, her lashing out and getting violent towards characters that didn’t deserve it would be much more understandable. we hear what jon is going through, so we know his life is hell and he is a genuinely good person faced with impossible choices and absolutely terrible situations out of his control. the other characters do not have that perspective and understanding. i just think it’s possible to acknowledge that some characters did treat jon terribly, he didn’t deserve it, and it doesn’t make them irredeemable monsters.

.

[alatismeni-theitsa]

I really really hope I don't end up coming off as rude in this, but I found your account from the Hades tag (the game--which I suppose I don't really have the same negative feelings for, both because I'm neither greek nor religious and thus am very disjointed from the frustrations expressed ) and seeing as the designs were the main talking point (I know I'm oversimplifying her I'm so sorry if this comes off as rude) I was curious as to what would be a respectful depiction of Greek mythology. Greek mythology has always been something I enjoyed reading about, but knowing that a lot of my exposure to it has been heavily westernize one way or another, I was wondering if I could ask for I guess more insight? I might not share the same feelings (due to again having grown up unreligious and thus trying to compare how I might feel if my own chinese mythology was given the hades treatment isn't exactly far becaue to me they really are just kinda like prompts in my mind--though I'm not sure how wrong it is for me to think like that) I do wish to understand it because your culture religion and mythology isn't a prop. It deserves the same respect every other culture/religion has/is getting. sorry for the lengthy ask, but it's perspectives like you're I want to hear more about though I've struggled to really open up to them because often time the discussions felt hostile (that said I am conflict adverse so this is probably a me problem.). On a final side note (and this is definitely where I am about to sound really stupid/bigoted but I really have to ask because my conscious will not leave me alone about it) but would it be ignorant for a person such as myself to find enjoyment from a game such as Hades less because of it's mythological roots though they are a factor and more for the story it's decided to tell (for what is honestly when I really do think about it) using the greek mythology "props"? Like enjoying it seperate from the source material?

Hello and apologies for taking so long to answer! Two consecutive hours where I exist undisturbed is very rare in my life during this period, so please, again, forgive me for replying a month later. 💜💜💜

A second anon question I got about the same issue:

I appreciate both of you for asking. Identifying the problem in the context of your situation, and what you don't know is a great step forward (and I am very sorry I wasn't able to respond to you earlier). For those who don't know, this blog, despite the salty content, is all about peaceful discussion and understanding.

I think answering the first anon ask will also cover the first. Let me start with one point and elaborate on the rest:

"On a final side note (and this is definitely where I am about to sound really stupid/bigoted but I really have to ask because my conscious will not leave me alone about it) but would it be ignorant for a person such as myself to find enjoyment from a game such as Hades less because of its mythological roots though they are a factor and more for the story it's decided to tell (for what is honestly when I really do think about it) using the greek mythology "props"? Like enjoying it separate from the source material?"

Neither I nor any other (sane) Greek would like to police people in a way of stopping their enjoyment of media. Like other Greeks, I have also played Hades and liked it. I believe we can enjoy the present media and still advocate for better media in the future. We can all be more aware, and push for gods and heroes to be treated like the cultural figures they are, and not as products of late-stage western capitalism.

Greek gods and heroes cannot be separated from their culture and still be the same since they no longer carry their stories or embody the same values. (This goes for every cultural figure.) What would be the point of Heracles if your only exposure to him was that "he is an ancient strong guy who kills monsters"? There is a whole story to him beyond that, what makes him "Heracles", a hero that Greeks hold as a symbol even in our days. Without his story, he's no different than an average modern American superhero.

To the first anon: If you were to explain any Chinese hero or deity to me, you would still need to explain all the "surrounding" elements, like the world domains, the monsters, what is "respectful" and what is "not respectful" to do within the context of the Chinese culture. You wouldn't just drop the figure in question and expect me to understand everything, right? And for this reason, I don't think it would be fair to this figure and the Chinese audiences to just drop this figure separated from Chinese culture in a super American setting. As you suspected, it would leave a bad taste in the mouth of religious and non-religious people who know this figure.

There is some effort from Western media to incorporate these elements into their stories but it's done superficially through the classic Americanized lens. This doesn't allow the audience to feel these values and stories within a different context. The producers will do anything so (mainly Western) audiences don't feel alienated by exploring a foreign culture - but this entirely misses the point of exploring a foreign ancient culture.

I don't want to be entirely absolute here and say that no modernized depiction of these figures is good. It was even a fresh take a few years ago but now the market is so saturated with this presentation that even the audience who "loves Greek myth" is only exposed to this, and misses all the nuances of the ancient Greek context.

To its credit, the Hades game incorporated some ancient elements successfully (the gods offering their favor and getting vengeful when ignored, or having their own "human-like" interactions without getting reduced to the presentation of "petty humans"). This is more than what most westernized media has achieved but I still feel we only got crumbs compared to what we could have.

For me and some other Greeks, the game would be considerably elevated by the use of actual Greek culture, in addition to its cool story. By "actual Greek culture" I mean ways of interaction, clothes (not just the standard white chiton), music, etc. It looks like most western media fears that the Greek gods inside their culture will be "too foreign" for their audiences, which treats the audiences as if they're dumb and frustrates the already tired Greeks because god forbid we ever are "too foreign", "too unapproachable" to rich/western foreigners.

As always, depictions of heroes and gods from other cultures should be kept. The very recent phenomenon of westerners just deciding to "re-paint" the Greek gods Nordic pale or West African dark - according to their social sensitivities of the time - is a decision they took alone and without any consultation of Greeks. It's a decision that treats the Greek gods like props, as well, precisely because people of the original culture were never asked, and they are negative about this type of change. This decision was taken with the same brass the western colonizers used these same figures to set harmful standards for the colonized peoples and other nations they deemed "lesser", like the Greeks of their time themselves.

As we are not expected to change Maori, Chinese and Congolese gods' appearance (symbols, clothing, phenotype (or "race" as it is in some countries)) same goes for Greek gods. We grant all gods this standard because we recognize that they're - among other things - symbols of the overwhelming majority of the indigenous people of their land. Many USians mistakenly equate Greeks with the Western colonizers and the US culture, a thought that feeds their ownership attitude which I've spoken about many times in the past and i won't elaborate further on, for the sake of your sanity xD

Finally, if one struggles to place the Greek gods in the context of an actual religion, I think it would help them to read ancient hymns for the Greek gods (which are widely available online, in English at least) so they can see firsthand the veneration they were/are worth to their worshippers. Reading plays like the Bacchae or Alcestis, or parts of the Iliad and the Odyssey where the gods are present will show the magnanimity of the gods within the religion.

I'd also encourage them to recall examples of being present when their family or friends expressed veneration towards a deity (be it the God of Abrahamic religions, the Chinese pantheon, the Hindu pantheon, and so on) and try to imagine the same veneration towards the Greek gods. Studying Greek Orthodoxy is another way to understand this veneration. Since many ancient Greek elements remain in our Christianity, in it one can find many of the old type of respect. (Saint veneration replaced the deities' worship, the Greek type of offering worship, prayer to a home altar with offerings, road altars, funerary customs and processions, etc). If one is already familiar with Christianity this study would be a good middle step, in my opinion.

Having the context for each Greek myth figure one uses can be challenging but big studios should be able to hire specialists and offer proper representation. "They want the pie whole and the dog full", as we say here; they want quick profit with the least possible effort. They know that if they just name-drop some stuff western audiences will believe they have done deep research because previous media never invited them to engage deeply with the Greek heritage.

No culture is "uncomplex" and "easy to learn". Ancient Greek culture, like all, needs significant study to fully grasp. People should not expect to know it all after one Wikipedia reading. There's always more to learn and more context to be understood. The good news is that if you speak English and have an internet connection, translations and analyses of ancient Greek texts are super accessible to you.

It shouldn't be expected from all people to become experts but if one "loves Greek mythology" and their knowledge is PJO level, I am sorry but this person doesn't really know what they "love". A decent amount of study, at one's own pace, will enrich and deepen engagement with the Greek myths. Once you gain more knowledge, you understand why it's needed.

For the second anon's question, "What would be a proper representation of a Greek god", I have mostly answered it in the above paragraphs, but I would also like to add something culture-wise. Since the Greek gods in the media can exist in various eras, one should not divorce them from the Greek element. The Greek gods are an expression of the ancient Greek collective, therefore it wouldn't make sense for them to have lost all touch with Greek ways of thought and attitude. If they were Americans, they wouldn't be WASPs, or Native Americans or Black Americans. They would be more like First Gen Greek Americans. They would love (to a healthy degree) and mention their culture because that's where they came from and that's what they represent.

[butwhatifidothis]

You know, as shallow and cheesy as Awakening's writing can get at times, the way it handles Mustafa vs 3H's handling of Edelgard are kind of interesting when compared.

Mustafa is someome that we as players know for exactly one, singular chapter. He is a commander of a troops of soldiers, and he dies the same map he is introduced in. And yet, he has become one of Awakening's most beloved NPC's - if nothing else, he is certainly rarely hated outright. And that is because in his one, singular chapter, he manages to showcase to the player how much of a genuinely good person he is; he is helpless to outright defy his orders, but inspired by Emmeryn's sacrifice he nonetheless tries to plea for Chrom to surrender and avoid bloodshed. He takes their outrage not with anger, or defensiveness, but understanding and sympathy - he knows he is in no place to ask them to surrender, but he does so for the slightest chance of avoiding a fight ultimately he had no power to stop. And after the battle begins and his men start becoming despondent, he loudly tells them that should they want to flee the battle he will take any blame off of their shoulders for doing so. But his men stand by him regardless because they don't want to abandon him, and when Mustafa is killed his dying words are to please spare his men.

In just one chapter, Awakening managed to pull at the players' hearts by going out of its way to show us the kind heart of Mustafa, before forcing our hand in killing him, all while one of the most melancholic tracks of the game plays in the background, further cementing how tragic the situation at hand is for all involved. Most players recall it as one of the most impactful and emotional moments of the entire game.

In contrast to that - and let's assume that we're talking about strictly SS - you have half of the entire route's length having Edelgard by your side directly. As Byleth, you the player can directly speak to and support with her, and you see her perspective on the events of the story. And throughout this time, Edelgard shows herself again and again to be someone of poor character; she admits to being willing to sacrifice her men right after Lonato, Byleth eventually finds out that she helped kidnap Flayn, and that she was somehow complicit with Remire, she graverobbed a holy site and tried to kill Byleth and her "friends" with an army and Demonic Beasts.

And this only includes stuff that Byleth, as a character, finds out throughout the story. They don't know that Edelgard only let them talk with her (aka the player only gains her supports) once they gain the Sword of the Creator, for the explicit reason that she wanted to use them. They don't know that Edelgard didn't just waltz in after Remire randomly, but that she knew it was going to happen and did nothing to stop it. And this only includes stuff in pre-timeskip; they don't see her continue to use Demonic Beasts, or hide behind her citizens, or keep Rhea as a hostage so that she can keep using TWS's help.

And I look at these two characters and am kinda lowkey astonished at how different their writing is. When Mustafa's men grow angry at the soldiers who are shaking in their resolve to fight for Mustafa, I'm on the verge of tears because I know that Mustafa does not deserve death. When Seteth talks about how Edelgard can't be that bad of a ruler because her men follow her, I can't help but roll my eyes. When Henry mentions Mustafa off-handedly in a support chain, I get so sad because the only way to speak about Mustafa at that point is in the past tense. When I talk to characters in the explore sections and I hear them talk about feeling bad about Edelgard dying, I just mash through their babbling.

Because I am given ample reason to understand why characters would like, respect, and mourn for Mustafa. He is kind-hearted, self-sacrificial should it possibly save the lives of others, and does everything he can to make the lives of those around him better. In the collective fuckin' 10 minutes of screentime he has, he shows a quality of character that does nothing but suggest that he was a damn fine person thrown into an impossibly unfortunate circumstance.

But with Edelgard, everything I see of her only tells me that she is selfish, self-centered, and uncaring for the lives around her should they inconvenience her. Why would any character like, respect, or mourn for her, after seeing everything she's done? Even going under the assumption that the players gets all of her supports to the max as they are available in pre-timeskip; nothing, in any support chain, could ever dream of usurping her actions towards everyone. In both a "all of her friends" sense, and especially in a "all of Fodlan" sense. So when I see characters go out of their way to make sure the player knows how swell Edelgard is, I am simply unable to believe that anyone would ever genuinely believe that about her. Not when themselves, their loved ones, and their homelands (for Kingdom/Alliance students) are all being endangered by Edelgard's active, willful actions that she chose to make.

Which itself is another huge thing that makes it so hard to believe anyone in-game would believe in her outside of contrived writing. She's not someone forced to do what she does against all of her wishes, like Mustafa; she is the one with all of the power of 1/3 of Fodlan's political landscape and half of its territorial one. She is the one to spearhead and instigate the war - that is one of explicit conquest anyway, not for any altruistic purpose. Why would anyone cry and snivel and piss themselves over the fact that the person who had the power to make them suffer and did make them suffer lost? Why are they pretending that she's just some poor damsel whose path was so lonely, and not the conquering Emperor that she is and admits to being?

Soooo... yeah lmao. I just found that pretty interesting

[soaps-mohawk]

I have to express my admiration for your work as someone who “writes” but reads waaaay more than what I write. The way you describe or girls pain and suffering, as well as her happiness it’s extraordinary. I feel for her, I relate to her feelings of inadequacy and like she doesn’t deserve nothing but she does deserves everything bad that comes her way.

She is all alone, even with the guys, even with her alpha… she only really got herself. I know the guys love her and care for her and she is important and blah blah blah. But if we see it from the perspective that they were a pack way before her, they had a form of understanding, the history, the friendship… and our mega? She didn’t have that. Everyone she cared for was taken from her. Everyone around her had their own agendas, their own loyalties way before girly pop was thrown in the mix . She doesn’t have someone that it’s only hers… someone that is loyal to her because of her! Not because the guys, not because it’s their job, no… because they saw her and were like “damn this person it’s so amazing i love hanging around them”.

I feel like with this happening she might get into her inner force and “I am all I have, I am the only one I can trust” and rescue herself, this making her feel like she doesn’t need them anymore, that she isn’t useless.

With that unnecessary reflection… I want to let out my conspiracy theories out jejeje.

* Dr. Keller is not a bad guy, she is laying unconscious somewhere in there and that’s why mega heard her phone ring ( I’m being delulu because I don’t want to face the idea of THIS Betrayal)

* Simon would be the craziest one of them once he learns that their girl is in danger. Full on killing matching on the loose. ( Also our sweet boy Gaz? He gives me Feral vibes)

* The person behind all of this? Daddy dearest… I can’t shake the idea that Omega’s father has some kind of involvement in all of this. It fells like he is THAT type of scumbag.

🩷 I really hope that I didn’t offend you and your story in any way of form, and also feel like I am writing a letter to a really famous author that lives in a private island of her own🩷

Awww thank you omg this is so sweet 🥺 I can't with yall and your compliments you're making me look bad because I can't take a compliment to save my soul 😭

'Mega really has had it rough and definitely still still has that mindset of "you can only rely on yourself" even though the guys have proven otherwise time and time again. (The camera situation definitely didn't help that.) Those fears and inner beliefs she has have definitely played a roll and will continue to play a roll as the story progresses. That's definitely something she has to overcome a bit, since we all know the guys are trustworthy and would pull out that scorched earth policy if anything would happen to her (I mean that's canon lol we know that much).

Definitely isn't an unnecessary analysis and reflection. I love hearing everyone's thoughts and theories and interpretations of the story and the characters and the plot. The inner nerd in me loves them 🥺

Anyway as to the theories....

So sorry to use the gif but there's been a severe lack of use this chapter...

Anyway, definitely not offensive. I love asks like these!!! Please analyze and theorize away 💚💚

[mbti-notes]

I'm an INTJ having a crush on an INFJ. Do you have any tips how to use my dominant Ni sharing on how to know her more/ at least be friends w her? She has a reputation amongst ppl that It's hard to know how she feels truly & what she says/ expresses doesn't necessarily express how she actually feels. Tbh, we've been "friends" for many years, but I don't even know If she actually sees me as her friend bc I heard that she struggles at trusting ppl. Thank you.

When you want to get to know someone, a tried-and-true method is to look for commonalities to bond over. It is especially important to FJs(Fe) to feel as though the both of you are on the same page emotionally and in agreement regarding important (moral) beliefs and values.

One good thing about FJs to keep in mind is they tend to be very forgiving as long as you can provide them a genuine, authentic, and humble explanation of yourself. If you help them see the situation accurately from your point of view, they'll be more willing to overlook any faults and flaws. This means you always have to be transparent and expressive enough to let them know what's really going on with you. If you leave them to guess too much, they're likely to jump to unfavorable conclusions in the absence of facts. There is a limit as to whether they can accept repeated mistakes though, because they tend to view those as lack of care and effort. I mention this point because INTJs tend to falter in relationships due to being too inexpressive or uncommunicative.

The best way to discover commonalities is through communication, so create opportunities to have substantive talks. INFJs will generally see you as a friend once they enjoy talking to you and look forward to talking to you, otherwise, you are just a person who exists like everyone else. As you probably know, Ni doms don't tend to enjoy small talk, so it's best to get to the main point and dig in to the meat of things as soon as is socially acceptable. INFJs are usually looking for meaningful conversation about topics of existential/societal/future importance. They usually like to hear new ideas that spark their creativity or broaden their perspective. They usually want someone to take an interest in what they are thinking, what they believe, and what they value... but on their terms, i.e., in ways that are respectful of personal boundaries. It might help to keep conversations abstract (non-personal) at the start because it gives you a chance to gauge their interest level and it gives them a way to gradually ease into deeper territory.

INFJs with trust issues might not be very forthcoming, so don't push them too hard when they block your advances, or else they might clam up completely. It's very important to be nonjudgmental and empathetic in order to create a safe space for them to express themselves authentically (since they fear rejection and betrayal). Be clear about your purpose/intention or else they might start to get suspicious of you. If you ever get the feeling that they are using a fake persona around you, it means they don't trust you and you have to do more to reassure them that your intentions are pure and you are a safe person to interact with. If at any point they feel as though you just can't understand them or you have been dismissive/judgmental of them, they'll start to believe talking to you isn't worthwhile and your chances of success will quickly drop to nil.

No matter the type, trust issues are a big relationship barrier. It is best to approach guarded people slowly, sensitively, patiently, and confidently. E.g.: You have to be the one to take the lead and initiate contact because they are too afraid to. You have to be the one to open up and ask more questions to keep conversations going because they are too self-involved to participate fully. You have to be the accommodating and understanding one because they cannot open up to you otherwise. You have to be the one to apologize first for relationship missteps because their social skills are too poor to handle conflict reasonably.

It doesn't sound very fun, does it? But it can be a very worthwhile and fulfilling process to help someone open up to love. That said, don't always put yourself in an unequal position of giving much more than you're getting in return. Give people plenty of chances to open up, but they have to eventually meet you halfway. When there's no willingness to meet you halfway, you might have to admit defeat and treat it as a lost cause. Remember, relationships can get very messy very quickly, so it's best to accept the fact and try to go with the flow. Venture out there, see what happens, and learn as you go. As long as you always try to act with integrity, you'll have nothing to regret.

[dr-lizortecho]

I would love to hear what you perceive as the main similarities and differences between Elena Gilbert and Daphne Bridgerton! I love that we both adore both of those women no matter how hated they are by many fans ;)

Oh! Okay- so I love this ask, and seriously such a cool connection you made here.

So you mentioned loving mbti so I’m gonna cognitive function this, lol

Basically imma jump into their types really quickly, cause we are looking at an INFP and an ESFJ who- truly honestly cognitively have a strange overlap. So Elena (INFP) uses Fi-Ne-Si-Te and Daphne (ESFJ) uses Fe-Si-Ne-Ti. Which really makes their similarities and differences in approach and understanding of the world evident. Because they share Si-Ne which values tradition and seeing/embracing possibility.

This grounds them both in traditional values and the ability to see and understand multiple perspectives. All while their differences can be observed through their separate approaches to emotional and logical reasonings. Elena uses Fi-Te which is characterized by individual taste and understanding of morality as well as reconstructive logic that attempts to understand systems by dismantling and understanding the individual parts. While Daphne uses Fe-Ti which is characterized by understanding morality and emotional connection through some perceived understanding outside of self, and a logical framework that is interconnected with all the known data. Basically Elena approached emotionally complex and morally challenging situations through a lense of how she feels and a logical framework that aims to understand situations as their own individual system. And Daphne approaches the emotional and moral dilemmas through a lense of societal beliefs and reactions to moral questions (and more importantly the emotional atmosphere of her loved ones and how that impacts her own feelings on the issues), essentially Fe approaches moralistic questions through an innate understanding outside of self. While her logical framework tries to understand situations through their interconnectedness to all other instances and information structures learned.

All of this being said, Daphne and Elena are similar in what they want and desire out of life. They both value traditional family structures- wanting marriage and children. Furthermore, they are both soft spoken and gentle. Aiming to understand others through the Ne- always seeking the best in everyone else, because their intent is always good, so they assume the same of everyone else (even after being burned). They also both have tendencies to get trapped in their own heads and struggle to express their wants and desires. They’re also both depicted as easily self sacrificial in the face of protecting their loved ones.

Their differences really lie in their approach to handling stressful situations. Where Elena relies on her own gut instincts and ability to deconstruct other people’s motivations, Daphne relies on her interconnectedness to other people and bending social rules/cues to her advantage.

[tmbswhodunit]

WHO DUNNIT TMBS CHALLENGE - Don't Grow Up Too Fast

“Ugh!”

Rhonda stomped down the steps angrily, plopping down on the penultimate one and sitting next to Milligan. He raised an eyebrow at her, looking up from where he was repotting some daisies. The flowers needed more space to grow, and it was high time he completed the task.

“‘Ugh’?” He fought to keep a small smile off his face, as the eight year old still looked adorable, even in her fit of righteous fury, and tilted his head curiously.

“Mr. Benedict is being such a dad!” She exploded. “He won’t let me help with the tests, even though Pen gets to. He keeps saying he ‘doesn’t want to involve me in such matters while I’m so young’, as if I didn’t pass those same tests last time!”

She continued raging against this horrible injustice while Milligan quietly listened and resumed tending to his daisies. After a few minutes, she flopped into his side, having run out of steam.

“I just don’t get it,” She moaned, “I don’t understand why Dad won’t let me help. I’m smart enough! I did pass the tests after all, and I’m plenty brave. What’s wrong with me? Why won’t he let me help?”

Milligan was silent for a moment, thinking.

“Rhonda,” He began slowly, “Has it ever occurred to you that Mr. Benedict may be trying to protect you?” He really wasn’t sure how to explain the whole situation to a child, especially one he had only known for such a short time, but he thought that perhaps this would give her a new perspective.

“Of course he’s trying to protect me!” Rhonda threw the arm that wasn’t currently curled around Milligan’s into the air. “That’s all he ever does. But I can do things! I’m not a little kid. And Penny—”

“Now,” Milligan interrupted, somewhat thrown off by how swiftly Rhonda had understood the situation, even if her young emotions had a hard time coming to terms with it. “You know how your sister feels about her name.”

Rhonda heaved a dramatic sigh and slumped back against the stairs. Milligan privately thought it looked rather uncomfortable, but she was committed to it now.

“Why doesn’t she just go by ‘Pen’ like I said? No one’s going to ask her what it’s short for.”

“Nevertheless, she has asked us to call her by the name she picked out.” Milligan got up from where he was sitting, moving around the yard to place the freshly transplanted flowers. He had mapped everything out beforehand, and it ended up looking rather nice.

After a few seconds, Rhonda let out another enormous sigh. She stood up and began following Milligan as he worked, standing just at his elbow as she watched.

"Do—" She paused, “Do you think I shouldn’t be allowed to help with the tests?”

Milligan stopped, considering. “Rhonda,” He began slowly, “I think that you should be allowed to stay a child for as long as you can. And I think Mr. Benedict would agree. He only wants to keep you safe, and I think that you should respect his judgment on this matter.” He cocked his head, glancing back at her.

“I’ll respect him,” Rhonda grumbled, “But that doesn’t mean I have to like it! I want to help; I want to know all of the secrets. Tell me more about what you get to do on missions.”

And so Milligan began to share his stories, picking ones that he thought would both intrigue the small girl and dissuade her from attempting to join in until she was at least a little bit older.

It was dark by the time he finished with his yard chores, and Rhonda was seated on the railing of the stairs, swinging her legs. She perked up upon hearing a door shut from inside the house, leaping off the railing and calling over her shoulder, “Hurry up, Milligan, they’re back!”

They had only been gone since late that morning, but to Rhonda it had seemed like ages.

She raced into the arms of her older sister, hugging her tightly. “I’m glad you came back.” She mumbled. Then she pulled back slightly, looking at Mr. Benedict, “You too. Even though you won’t let me help.” She released Number Two and hugged her dad.

“Well, I’m certainly happy to hear that,” Mr. Benedict gave her one last squeeze before letting go and kneeling down to look her in the eye. “Do you understand why I don’t want you to help with the tests quite yet? I will always explain it to you, but I feel as though there is some other reason you might be having a hard time accepting things.”

Rhonda tilted her head to the side, considering. “I’m not sure. You say you don’t want me to have to grow up any faster than I need to, which I can kind of see. I don’t understand it, but I’m going to respect it.” She shot a quick look at Milligan, who was just coming through the backdoor, still wiping dirt from his hands.

Mr. Benedict nodded, seeming proud of her for some reason. “That’s a very mature decision to make, my dear. Thank you for your trust in me, even though you may not understand my point. I promise there will come a time when you will, and we can talk this over then if you wish.”

Smiling, Rhonda nodded. “C’mon, P— Number Two, come look at the flowers Milligan potted today!” She waved excitedly at Number Two and raced around Milligan, out the door he had just come through.

“She’s never going to let that nickname go, is she?” Number Two sighed, but she had a fond smile sneaking onto her face as she followed.

And so the two sisters went out into the backyard, grinning and laughing and dancing among the flowers and exchanging stories about their days. Mr. Benedict and Milligan watched from the window, and as the night breeze blew, every one of them was content.

[avpdvoidspace]

hi i'm the anon who sent that very long ask a couple days ago. and i really appreciated your response ty!! i actually brought up AvPD with my therapist today and it went better than i'd hoped. i think talking about it really helped, and she said it made sense and helped her to understand me as well. so thank you again!! :) i would've never even heard of AvPD if i hadn't seen your blog. (sorry i hope this doesn't come off as bragging lol i'm just genuinely happy)

and i have a question if you don't mind. of course i'm assuming getting a diagnosis takes more than 1 session (it's been almost 10 years since i was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, i honestly have no idea), but she had brought it up in a hypothetical sense of "what would you do then?" so i was wondering if you had any thoughts / opinions / advice / etc? personally i'm not sure if i'd want an official diagnosis, since i just don't know much about the process or what effects it'd have on my life. i've heard that (generally speaking) getting a diagnosis can help with asking for accomodations in work and school, but also that it can lead to discrimination, like from mental health workers and other people as well. i dunno though!!! i've never been diagnosed with a personality disorder.

anyway, thank you, i hope you have a great day :) or night, or whatever lol

I'm really happy to hear you had a good experience with talking to your therapist. I'm hoping this will become more and more common as those of us with avpd do more to advocate for ourselves and talk about our experiences openly. My perspective of having gotten a diagnosis more than 15 years ago is that having a diagnosis gives me more perspective and therefore control when it comes to the thought patterns I tend to have, so I have more of an informed choice of how to respond to them. It also helps me navigate relationships and question myself when I'm thinking the other person must hate me and I can't possibly let them see the real me. Also, it helps me fight my tendency to deprive myself of things like food and rest.

Granted, that knoweldge doesn't cure me, but it gives me the tools to confront thoughts. So a lot of the benefit has been personal, but in the past few years as avpd gets more awareness, it helps me connect (at a distance lol) with other people online and talk about support needs. Unfortunately there really is still stigma and there isn't a lot of understanding and information even when people do want to support and accomodate us. It's kind of up to us to figure out what accomodations would help us in work and school situations. Sorry it took so long to get to this ask!

[miatsai]

I want to be an editor someday! What are the most important qualities or skills you think an editor can have? Both from an editor perspective and an author perspective?

Hi Anon!

This is a great question that has lots of answers because it really depends on the kind of editing you do and what the expectations are. But in general, I think that having an understanding of authorial intent and voice is super important. Authors make choices in their art, and any editor who believes rules supersede those artistic choices in every situation possible is not taking into account that writing is art.

There are copyeditors (or copy editors, I know some of you like seeing this term open) who hew strictly to their style guide of choice, the dictionary (Merriam-Webster Collegiate is the gold standard in trade publishing), and/or the house style guide, even when the author demonstrates a clear preference for something that's contra the guides or the dictionary. Sometimes it's for a very good reason. For example, I know that "accouterment" is the American spelling and therefore the "correct" spelling in the US, but you can pry "accoutrement" from my bare hands only after I am dead. Sometimes the author simply does not know about the rule, and that's where your discretion comes in when writing a global query.

Hand in hand with understanding authorial intent and voice is the ability to query without being harsh. No one likes having a mean editor. It's tempting to snark or fuss at an author, especially when passages are egregious, but a gentle correction with the right tone of voice works much, much better than a comment that will result in your author thinking you hate them. Being a mean editor (I'm sorry, "brutally honest" if you're a man) is not a badge of honor. I'll say that again: Being a mean editor is not a badge of honor. Editors are there to help clarify and shape a document, all under the aegis of the author's vision. They are not there to cackle maniacally and go on power trips. It's a skill to write queries and letters with gentle but direct language and provide examples where they are needed, and it's something that's only developed over time.

What do I mean by gentle but direct language? Well, that's hard to define as well; authors take feedback in so many different ways, so what may seem gentle to you may not feel gentle to the author. As an author, I have received edit letters that made me spiral for two months. My editor was not mean. She was complimentary. It's just that she asked a lot of questions and I needed to break my manuscript apart to address them in the scope I think they needed to be addressed in, and then I ran into a block, and thus, a spiral ensued. And that's for a letter that was short and kind! Her language was great, though.

Overall, I think that language such as "Echo here intentional?" or "AU: I noticed that this chapter and the previous seem to be out of sync with the rest of the timeline. OK, or should that be changed?" and comments in that tenor are professional and will not be met with accusations of being mean. This goes for developmental edit letters too; you have to find the tone that suits you as an editor as you deliver news that amounts to "scrap the following and rebuild," which no one wants to hear even when we say we want to hear it! No, we want to have written it perfectly on the first try.

And lastly--this one may feel the most controversial, but it isn't if you're an editor, and is if you aren't--when you're on a job, take your sentimentality out of your editing. You'll definitely find manuscripts or papers or whatever you're editing that you're a fan of, and when that happens, it's really wonderful. The jobs go by so much quicker when you're enjoying the material. But you still have to be able to look at a work as objectively as you can and analyze it without regard to your personal feelings. People have asked me how I feel about things I've edited when I was editing them, and the real truth is, aside from a few manuscripts I really adored (but still took the magnifying glass to), I don't have particular attachments to them. I don't have opinions on them. It's work, and it's a sign of respect for your profession and your author that you give them your best, regardless of your feelings for the manuscript.

I know, I know, it sounds cruel. But it's also one of those things where you don't want to be overly harsh to an author because you really, really don't like the way they write, or miss things because you were so caught up in the book that you just could not stop reading it. In those cases, when you send the manuscript back to the author, you can include a little note about how much you loved it, how much you're looking forward to seeing it on the shelf or on your device, etc. There are exceptions, of course, and I try to sniff those out before I accept manuscripts so that I don't read something that hits all my triggers. And that's the last-last piece of advice I'll give on becoming a good editor. Learn what your boundaries are and how to say no. Sometimes, it feels like you can't say no because you need the cash or you want desperately to get word of mouth out, but editing is taxing on the mind and body and the only one who suffers the consequences of that work is you.

Hope that answered your question!

[aprilblossomgirl]

Through Wat's Lenses

Originally, I kept this in my personal notes, but as I'm processing episode 11, I found these to be a little helpful in putting my perspective. So, I'm just going to make this a full text post. These are my favorite lines of dialogue from Wat. I specifically made this note on his lines because, oh, I think they're wise words, no, because his lines made a good caption of each episode's things-learned-about-the-plot, in my opinion. So, I'm not lying if I said my viewing experience of the Eclipse is very much shaped, mostly, by the way Wat see-through his lenses.

===================================

Episode 1

"In every movie I watched, each character has a goal and motive to do something."

This was basically a set-up of almost everything. I started to mildly question everyone's motive because of this line. And by motive, I mean knowing the context, knowing where they're coming from for each decision and/or act they did.

Episode 2

"Akk was helping me. He was making Teacher Waree think she had a backup. You know people her age hate to lose faces. It's a big deal. He was trying to help, and so was Ayan. But they chose different methods. Come to think of it. Aye was pretty cool. He was totally talking back to Aunt Waree."

I think this is where I officially became very fond of Wat. Here, he did many things at once. First, he gave a narrative about the old generation (represented by Teacher Waree) as viewed by the younger generation (represented by himself). Second, he tried to put some understanding to Kan on how Akk had helped him through that narrative. Third, when he mentioned Aye, he might have unknowingly put some understanding to Akk as well. When Akk tried to stop Aye from talking back to Waree, I see it as Akk didn't want Aye to get into trouble. But only after hearing what Wat said, he started to see Aye a bit differently. And, lastly, with all that talks, Wat managed to reconcile both Kan and Akk. He could make Kan listen to him, he defended Akk the way Akk hesitated to do so by himself. How is it that Wat's not a peacemaker, the one standing on the middle ground, doing the job of being neutral, not taking sides but not staying silent either. How is it that he didn't speak his mind at the right time and the right place for his words to be contextual. You can't tell me not to have respect for this boy.

Episode 3

"Hey! What's wrong with you guys? Why making a grumpy face? Don't tell me you're jealous of Thua and Aye. / What? If you don't have a crush on him, why are you making that face? / Are you sure? / If you two want to know, why don't we go ask them? / What? You want to know but don't want to ask. And you think it all in your heads."

When I rewatched this episode and listened to this part of the conversation using subtitles in my native language, I realized something that should be obvious, but I misunderstood anyway when I watched it the first time using the English subtitle. It didn't help that I was also distracted by the focus on Kan's heavy reaction. So, when Wat said this line, don't tell me you're jealous of Thua and Aye, by you, he meant both Kan and Akk, also referring to his previous line, what's wrong with you guys? So, I think it's pretty safe to think that Wat knows there's something between Kan and Thua, as well as between Akk and Aye. He's not oblivious, just being (too) practical, and can't see what's the problem with bringing the topic up, only when there's only the three of them.

Episode 4

"The teachers were so harsh on Aye today. / Do you think someone is behind this hardship on Aye?"

Another line that gave a narrative about the situation with Aye. After this scene, Akk was seen looking for Chadok in his office. Perhaps, he knows that he was someone behind all those tests from the teachers to Aye. He might have guessed someone was behind the attacks, and after Wat voiced it out, he considered confirming it to the only person he has in mind.

Episode 5

"But I agree with you. We can't just judge people without hearing their reasons."

Another simple line as a middleman of the three friends. He validated the change in Akk, and made Kan understand the change is good.

Episode 6

"Akk is bonkers when he's surrounded by close friends. / He's a good leader. He always put others before himself. But he can be a little weak-minded sometimes."

"Thua seems soft but he's not stupid. He can surely survive. Don't worry about him."

"You seem so worried about Thua these days. It's weird. / You didn't even want to walk past him back then. You were so afraid people would say you two are the legendary boyfriends."

Nobody could ever convince me that Wat is not observant. He understands his closest friends well and knows things that happened to them. He has no problem explaining it to others or saying it directly to the said friends. Now, after episode 11, I gave closer attention to what he said about Thua. While not explicitly stated, his description of Thua's character implied that you shouldn't worry about the outward impression he gave. Who knows this line, he can surely survive, implies surviving a based-on-lies, that is the Suppalo curse, oppression.

Episode 7

"No, we aren't. Think about it carefully. Those who think differently read different books, watch different movies, or appreciate different types of art than us. / You are what you eat. What you take builds who you are."

Personally, I think these are the most significant lines from Wat throughout this series. It gave the narrative that underlies the show, as well as the motive of the World Remembers group for doing the protests over the old strict rules in general and the uniform rule in particular, which we know, is only a metaphor for a broader political movement at the scale of a country. There are layers of takes from these lines. If you want to change something, think differently. To think differently, have diverse and out-of-your-comfort-bubble references. Read with context. Be mindful of what you consume.

Episode 8

"Kan. I think this is so weird. Before this, Akk was the one chasing Aye. Now Aye is chasing Akk Instead.”

I might be wrong about my interpretation here. I think these are the only lines that highlight Akk and Aye's relationship shift in the romance term. Akk was the first to like Aye, unbeknownst to himself, and Aye fell with Akk later, fully conscious of the matter.

Episode 9

"I like a screenplay that someone wrote. His name is Nut. He writes indie film screenplays. / He likes to play around with the grey area between tales and reality. / I'm interested in what's happening in our school. The protest and the Suppalo curse."

This time, no lines were indicative of other characters or the story. It was the episode where Wat started to take pictures/videos at the school. Also, in this episode, he stated his intention of what story he wanted to tell by referring to a screenplay he liked. I guess this line, "...to play around with the grey area between tales and reality," should have somewhat prepared us for the not-so-beautiful chaos, but, whether we like it or not, a part of that grey area (edited; previously I wrote reality), that was episode 11. But that is another discussion.

Episode 10

Kan: "So the Suppalo curse is back?" | Wat: "I don't think it is."

In this episode, Wat continued taking pictures/videos at the school. That only important line he said, answering Kan, briefly but firmly implied he doesn't believe there was even the Suppalo curse to begin with.

Episode 11

"About what? I don't care who you like. What I do care is what you did."

And finally, my beloved boy exploded. He was angry that Akk lied to them about the curse, and for a reason, I believe, that's not attached to himself personally. He was mad because he realized Akk had inflicted danger on others, even to a life-threatening level. He focused his anger on Akk for doing what he had done and did not extend it to Aye for hiding the fact. And, while he was angry and disappointed and had every right to be, he still knew his boundaries. He still knew he needed to prevent Kan from fighting Akk. Even when he got irritated with Thua, he was the one ready to put himself between Kan and Thua. The boy had his rage and emotional complaint but was a peacemaker still, a middleman, the one to be neutral and take only the side of the truth.

===================================

After this brief revisit of Wat's lines of dialogue, I might have come to my terms with the feel-like chaos that is episode 11. Of course, people are free to interpret as they see fit since the series is, after all, an already published work of everyone involved, open for any receipt. And, here I am, finding my way to process and understand the intense information poured at once in the episode. Now, I am beyond happy the show gave us Wat because of whom I think I could appreciate the Eclipse for what it is and what it wished to represent.

[thatdesklamp]

hey! i’m the anon that once asked you about ur english a level if you even care to remember lmaoo. I JUST SAW THE REBLOGGED POST WHERE ANOTHER READER SAID THEY HATED SATORU FROM IW AND I’M???

obviously everyone’s entitled to their own opinions. i think that’s the point of reading anything tbh, form your own opinions and decide whether you like something/someone or not, bUT I LITERALLY CANNOT HELP BUT DISAGREE SO STRONGLY 😭 i’ve literally never felt this strongly about a person’s opinion on a fictional character let alone how the fictional character was written in a FANFIC 😀

and obviously, no hate to them or whatever. as i said, their opinion is theirs, i just randomly felt the need to tell you mine (ik you never asked, i’m bored and my student finance situation is pissing me off so here i am lol). i think the reason why i feel so offended (jokingly haha) about any hate towards satoru in ur fic is bcz you’ve written him identical to how satoru in the actual anime/manga is, so i felt like it was a well aimed punch to canon!satoru and as his certified wife, i can’t stand by and watch this happen 😟

he makes dumb decisions sometimes but i think that has a lot to do with the fact that hebi is quite literally his oldest friend and allowing whatever feelings he has to get in the way of that (without knowing whether she likes him or not from his pov) is risky in terms of their friendship and where that’ll take them. like in the chapter where they had their first kiss, ofc, we as readers know why she backed off and what she meant by how she couldn’t “do this anymore” (or something along those lines), but he was never aware of her NON-PLATONIC feelings towards him, so i think (i say think bcz i’m the reader and you’re the author so what you say GOES) he was just confused by what she meant.

like if i were to randomly start telling you a story of my life with no context, and you hear me say names of my friends somewhere along that story, but i never TOLD you they were my friends, you’d think “oh who’s that?” until i clarified who they are to me. quite like how he was probably confused when she was explaining how she couldn’t allow herself to indulge in something that she thought wasn’t reciprocated. he had no context and was therefore just… stupid lmao 😭 he was criticising her for leaving even tho she promised to stay bcz he just didn’t understand (not saying it’s hebi’s fault in ANY way, she is MOTHER, i will defend her till the day i die).

yeah i have a lot of other reasons why satoru is not a bad person in ur fic (he’s literally a copy of himself in canon, kudos to ur BRILLIANT writing and characterisation of him) but ik you’re probably bored and i have to go turn the house heating on bcz uk weather is no joke 😀

Hello!!

This is so so funny and lovely to hear—I’ve heard so much variety in opinions on Gojo in my fic, mainly through the comments, and so it’s so lovely when people genuinely take a proper big opinion on either side of the ‘debate’. I fully get why people would be anti-Gojo just because we’re so invested in Hebi’s perspective and when she’s treated poorly/feeling shit, it does reflect poorly on him. I think that’s why I found it fun to write the Satoru-pov oneshots; IW is such a case of ‘unreliable narrator’-ism in a way that’s not always immediately evident, and so taking yourself out of Hebi’s perspective and immersing yourself in someone else’s can really help to get a more well-rounded view of all the characters, I guess.

But yeah, I’m glad you think IW Gojo is similar to canon Gojo! I used to struggle so much with his characterisation with him as a kid, which was I think partly because he was a child and that’s difficult anyway, but also because IW was one of the first things I’d written in… like, actual years, and I wasn’t that good at writing at that point.

I do think a lot of Satoru’s dumb actions come from ignorance, in whatever aspect, and I think it’s up to the reader as to how much they ‘blame’ him for that. Especially in the later chapters: should he have noticed Hebi’s degredation in mental health, and should he have done something about it if he did, even if she had never reached out to him? She did, after all, never actually confide in him about anything troubling her: I made it a point to state it multiple times. That, I guess, is where people’s opinions will inevitably differ, as to assigning both blame and responsibility. The idea will come up a lot next chapter, but—perhaps it’s almost similar to the Geto/Gojo situation. Yes, Gojo noticed a change, and yes, he tried to talk to Geto about it: but did he do enough? Should he have tried harder? Would it have even made a difference? People have different opinions on their split, too, because it’s not so set in stone. I think that’s the main reason people would dislike IW Satoru.

More about ignorance: you’re right, I can’t see him knowing about Hebi’s feelings. Satoru’s so much more of an active character than Hebi, who is intentionally very passive (if only ‘intentionally’ so I can have the slowburn make some degree of sense, lmao, but hey!). If he knew, I’d have to have him confront her about it. Like, I cannot see Gojo *not* pushing for something if he ever thought there was a possibility of her reciprocating. So, in my head, it can be concluded from his lack of action pre-kiss, that he absolutely doesn’t think she likes him back, and he also absolutely doesn’t want to fuck up the friendship. Again: it’s so, so, so important to him. I try to justify it in the oneshots—I know so much of this is #miscommunication, but controversial opinion, miscommunication adds to the drama and is fun under CERTAIN SITUATIONS, it’s not always a bad thing. LOL.

But also low-key I get why people wouldn’t like him. But also I get why people would, and would be more than fucked off with Hebi. And why people would be somewhere in the middle. Idk where I stand, they’re just both my lil pooks, yk. <3

But hell yeah! I love ur Satoru defence squad. And enjoy your heating (😀) and respite from student finance—I wouldn’t wish that process on my worst enemy </3

[faiezsworld]

Winter’s Pause: From My Archives

I’ve never been particularly fond of summer. Life feels too restless during that season. Or perhaps, I like both summer and winter equally? I’ve always been unsure about my favorite season. But lately, I find myself drawn to winter.

In winter,everything slows down, and life takes on a more tranquil pace. You can feel time settling in your bones. The chill of mid-December, frozen taps, and water suspended in its solid state. As a child, I adored the sight of snow-covered fields and the icy breeze that nipped at my red nose. Those cold gusts would sometimes numb my skin, making it hard to feel anything. I wonder if I’ll ever experience that sensation again. The things that once felt irritating now seem beautiful—those power cuts, wet shoes, and socks, and the biting cold.

I remember waiting eagerly throughout November for the first snowfall, hanging on every weather prediction, and silently praying for snow. Adults never seemed to share my excitement. Perhaps they’ve grown weary of it, or maybe they dread the immobilization it brings. But I loved it. Whenever there were hints of precipitation, I would hope with all my heart that it would be snow.

My mother used to wake me up in the morning with a gentle nudge, saying, “Wake up, it’s already late, time to study—and look outside.” I would rub the mist off my bedroom window, just to catch a glimpse of the world outside, blanketed in white. I cherished those moments. I didn’t want anyone to step into the garden and mar the pristine snow with their footprints. But my sister, knowing this, would deliberately walk across it just to tease me. I still remember the sting of tears welling up in my eyes when I saw those tracks. But after that, we would play together in the snow, forgetting all about it.

I recall the excitement of putting on my black ‘Apex’ boots, freshly polished, before heading out into the snow. Sometimes, we’d even make snow ice cream. I was seven, and that winter I spent countless hours playing Ludo with my maternal aunt. There was a certain positivity that filled those days; now I see how we managed to find joy in every situation. On those cold winter nights, power cuts were common—twice a week from 6:00 to 10:00 PM. Though it could be frustrating, my maternal uncle would always say, “Yay, we can sleep; it’s so peaceful.” The soft sound of water dripping, that “drip-drop,” was oddly comforting. Whenever there was a power cut during dinner, he would say, “How exciting, we’re having a candlelight dinner tonight.” These small moments shaped my outlook on life, teaching me to embrace the positives.

My grandfather would often tell stories of ancient times, ones he had heard from his father. My grandmother was a gifted storyteller too, often narrating tales to my sister, who would insist on hearing them. I remember leaning on her shoulder, asking, “Mummy vanu ven (Mummy, tell me a story.)” My grandfather also tried to teach us grammar, though I rarely paid attention. I still remember that old grammar book, ‘RL Basor,’ with its first few pages missing. Life was so good back then.

I recall running through fog-covered fields, pretending to disappear. Did I truly want to vanish, or was I hoping someone would find me, hold me, and understand me? On cold winter mornings, I’d blow out air, watching it mist like smoke, pretending I was an adult. I long to travel back in time, to run through that thick fog once more, and keep running until I find myself.

Winter is a time for reflection—for all creatures. Bears hibernate, conserving their energy for the busier summer months. Should humans hibernate too? Should we take a break for introspection, a complete pause from the rush of society and life? I wonder how a bear feels after months of hibernation. Does their perspective change? How do they see the world after such a long sleep?