#and we can all see how much therapy has already helped wille

[youweremyversaillesatnight]

lowkey would love to see both simon going to therapy by himself but also simon and wille going to therapy together in s3

[crazyfandomluver]

I present my Posally aus and headcannons. Enjoy =D

Sally going to Olympus, or going to someplace where both Zeus and Poseidon are present in the same place, and the two brothers get into an argument. It goes live on HephaestusTV, for the channel ‘Two idiots attempt to insult each other’(The name is a work in progress). Sally gets tired after some time of it, grabs Poseidon by the ear in the middle of the argument, right when they’re at each other’s throats, and drags him away, and he does nothing to stop her. The other gods are beyond shocked and confused at how much Sally has the most powerful god wrapped around her finger. 

“Who’s Sally Jackson???” 

“Just the most powerful woman in the world who also happens to be a mortal.”

Sally showing Poseidon all the mortal things, like restaurants, dancing, parties, movies, making food, etc. Poseidon spends most of his time in the ocean, and he’s surprised and new to all of this. He’s a little self conscious about it, but he allows Sally to show him everything, and he makes mistakes pretty much every time. But he doesn’t get frustrated too often, because he has a love of his life, soothing him and urging him to try again. 

Poseidon is sleeping(for/with Sally because gods don’t need sleep) and suddenly wakes up from a nightmare from past trauma about being eaten by his father. He immediately tries to act tough. Sally assures him that she is not his family, and he doesn’t need to hide his himself from her. She pulls him into a tender hug and Poseidon lets himself cry/be weak in front of her

“Gods don’t get therapy, Percy. The truth is that there’s a lot of screwed up things happening in their lifetime and they’re just expected to move on and forget about it without help. But as you know, sometimes it can be hard to get away from trauma.” “Even for the gods?” 

“Even for gods.”

Poseidon realizing he’s in desperately in love as he watches Sally light up into someone for littering and leaving their trash all over the beach. As a king whose subjects are being killed by plastic, whose ichor is laced with oil due to his form representing the state of his domain, he appreciates seeing someone who protects the sea when he cannot 

Sally loved to steal Poseidons shirt. He has like, only one or two, and Sally often steals them all. So he tried stealing one of Sally’s shirts, and it was too small on him. He realized this too late and he’s trying to take it off without breaking it. This is when Sally comes in the room, who promptly starts laughing her head off. Poseidon turns red and eventually realizes (because he’s a himbo and we love him for it) that he can just teleport away to a different part of the room, and he does, and the shirt falls to the floor. He waits for her to stop laughing, and just stands there, shirtless, tapping his foot every now and again, looking like a red tomato with a pout. She looks up after gaining control of herself for a moment, and sees his face, then immediately breaks into another fit, knowing that she was the only few who he’d let laugh at him like this

“…. You done?” 

“… No🤣”

Percy is a pet dog that Sally got for her and Poseidon who Poseidon makes immortal. There is no forbidden child, Poseidon doesn’t have to leave because he can split his conscience without others noticing, and also there’s no rules against having relationships, just the kids. They live happily together because is that too much to ask for? (At least until Sally dies if she still decides to not join him. But I think she would in this au)

Poseidon comes to visit Sally every now and again when Percy is at school or at camp. They’ll watch movies together, cuddled up on the coach, with Sally already having seen most of them, but willing to watch them again, and with Poseidon enthralled and entertained by all the shows he hasn’t seen yet. He died on the inside when he saw Disney’s’ Hercules. 

“Poseidon? What’s wrong?”

“… literally EVERYTHING is backwards…”

Poseidon taught Sally how to defend herself, even sometimes letting her use his trident since as a mortal, she can’t unleash the power within it. 

~*~fin~*~ @posallys

[emotionallychargedtowel]

The Eighth Sense episodes 9 and 10: All we can do is try

Wow! I think for the most part the showrunners of T8S did really well with the final two episodes. I have a few quibbles, but they managed to tie up most of the loose ends convincingly and do something worthwhile with the therapy part of the story, so I’m calling it a win.

These episodes don’t include a lot of further development of the psychological themes of the show, and for good reason. They’re too busy resolving everything that has already been brought up. But they do portray some shifts and make some statements about the characters and the larger themes they’re engaged with. Some fall a bit flat, most are good, and a few are really outstanding.

Below are the subject headings I’ll be getting into under the cut:

The final therapy scene

Being selfish

A shift for Jae Won

When it’s OK to expect “too much”

All we can do is try

Miscellaneous lingering thoughts

Tagging you again, @waitmyturtles!

The final therapy scene

Jae Won’s therapist has always had a style that is informal and blunt, plays around with boundaries, and uses humor. I would have expected her to be willing and able to use confrontation in therapy as well, because that strategy really goes along with that overall style. Well, in this episode she confronted Jae Won quite directly. She definitely didn’t pull any punches but I think she stayed within the range of reasonable therapy strategies. One thing I can say for this show’s portrayal of therapy: they have created a three-dimensional therapist character who has a specific, consistent style that is cohesive and realistic. So, a little background about therapists directly sharing their unvarnished perspective with clients. In most types of therapy work and in most styles of doing therapy, the therapist develops a conceptualization of a client early on in their time together, then revises or adds to it as they learn more. Often, certain things seem very clear to the therapist that are hard for the person themselves to see. (Of course, if you’re doing your job well, you kind of keep a mental asterisk next to any and all of these conclusions and don’t consider them confirmed until the client agrees.) The conceptualization includes not only diagnoses (which may be provisional) but also thoughts about how the client’s difficulties probably came about (a.k.a. their etiology) and thoughts about what sort of changes are needed in order for them to feel better and function in a more adaptive way.

Most of the time it’s not a good idea to just blurt those things out to the client. They usually need to come to certain conclusions on their own. There are ways of helping them toward those conclusions or feeding them small bits of them in a way that helps them to cobble together their own version of that insight on their own. But to a great extent, they have to figure it out themselves.

Still, there are some times when it makes sense to directly hand a piece of your conceptualization over to the client, even if it’s challenging for them to hear. This is what Jae Won’s therapist does. At a point where some therapists would be keeping their ideas to themselves, she comes right out and tells Jae Won he’s being selfish. In real life, this degree of confrontation would only work if the therapist was leveraging both a strong rapport and a strong base of knowledge about the client (preferably, these would have been built up over the course of years). This would be hard to show specifically in a tv series, but I’m assuming that Jae Won’s therapist has those resources in hand and is using them in this way.

And she doesn’t pull any punches! If anything, she might be intentionally putting things in a way that’s critical toward Jae Won. Why would she do that? Well, I think what she’s after isn’t just a chance to be direct with Jae Won about her viewpoint on his situation. I think she’s also hoping to give him a kind of jolt that will wake him up, so to speak. It’s related to something I wrote about in my last T8S post. There’s a theory that in order to go from a depressive, dissociated type of PTSD expression (associated with an acute “freeze” response to trauma) to a more healthy engagement with life, you have to pass through a more activating kind of PTSD symptoms (associated with a fight and/or flight acute response). This is a great example of that. Jae Won’s PTSD is very much of the freeze-y, depressive type. Getting irritated with his therapist helps him to start connecting with his emotions again, and that sort of snowballs into him getting increasingly un-frozen.

As usual, it’s hard to situate the therapy session shown at the beginning of episode 9 at a precise point in relation to other events in the story. But wherever its exact chronological position is, it definitely seems to inform the choices Jae Won makes  from that point on. It’s funny how human beings can defend ourselves against the things others say to us and seem so sure of ourselves but then, perhaps after more thought, can still take in what they said. Jae Won protested that this was how things had to be, at least for now, when his therapist pushed him. But he wound up taking what she had to say to heart. 

One of the things I appreciated most about this therapy scene was the fact that it seems to have actually made an impact on Jae Won and on the story more broadly. I’ve been worried pretty much from the start of this series that even if therapy was portrayed in a complex, realistic, but positive way, it still wasn’t likely to be shown as an agent for change. But this portion of this session seems like it at least made a significant impact. I found it really encouraging to see that.

The next part of episode 9 is the conversation Ji Hyun has with Joon Pyo and then, once she arrives, with Ae Ri. I found this scene a little bit clunky. Suddenly it’s as if Ae Ri is Ji Hyun’s therapist and not a fellow college freshman. It didn’t really seem realistic as a discussion between people their age. But it served its purpose. Ji Hyun needed a nudge to consider how Jae Won’s trauma history played into his reaction to the accident and his treatment of Ji Hyun, and this conversation got him there.

Ae Ri also exhorts Ji Hyun to be patient and careful and not try to rush things with Jae Won. Events in the story seem to show that her advice was correct. But I have some quibbles with it, which I’ll explain further below.

Being selfish

In both Jae Won’s conversation with his therapist and Ji Jyun’s conversation with Ae Ri and Joon Pyo, there’s a theme of selfishness. I want to dig a little deeper on that. Jae Won’s therapist tells him he’s being selfish. A lot of what she mentions is more along the lines of being self-absorbed. He simply isn’t considering how Ji Hyun might feel. Trauma often causes people to be more self-absorbed, so this stands to reason. But there is also an element of actual selfishness at work. Jae Won frames his avoidance of Ji Hyun as protecting his friend, and he does sincerely think he’s doing that. But he’s also trying to protect himself--in fact, I’d say that is a bigger factor for him. Avoiding Ji Hyun allows him to avoid his memories of the accident (and the reminders of his brother’s death that come with them). He thinks it will allow him to avoid suffering another loss and feeling the pain that comes with that (though in fact, for the period where he pushes him away, he’s actually causing himself to lose Ji Hyun). He doesn’t want to feel all of the difficult emotions that come with everything that has happened, and he makes that a priority over being there for someone who loves him and who has also just experienced something traumatic.

(By the way, does this dynamic--saying you’re putting another person first but not really considering their perspective, staying in your safe zone within your own head and abdicating your responsibility to someone who loves you--sound like another BL character you know? Yep, it’s a different version of the Hira Kazunari maneuver. It has a very different spin on it but there’s also a good deal of overlap. Thanks to @jemmo for pointing out this and other parallels between T8S and Utsukare, though it’s possible I’m taking this in a different direction than they would.) 

At the same time, Jae Won is a survivor of trauma. And I’d bet dollars to donuts he also experienced  complex trauma in the form of physical abuse by his dad. He just got out of the military and is still adjusting to that transition. Meeting Ji Hyun and facing the feelings he has for him is a mostly positive thing, but at the same time, it shakes up his whole world and his way of relating to others. He’s going through a lot and has a limited amount of insight into his own situation. Personally, I’d hesitate to simply label him as selfish. But his therapist’s interpretation is valid, and may have been intentionally expressed in a simple and confrontational way in order to get through to Jae Won.

What about Ji Hyun? Ae Ri doesn’t say he’s selfish, but he says during they’re conversation that he thinks he’s been selfish and she says, “What’s done is done,” seeming to tacitly agree with him. It’s true that he has been focused on what’s happening between him and Jae Won and hadn’t considered how Jae Won’s prior trauma history might be playing a role in his behavior until that point. But he’s just a kid, he just went through a traumatic experience himself, and it’s totally legitimate for him to be preoccupied with the Jae Won situation under the circumstances. 

So, are they both being selfish? Kinda. Is it that simple? No. Did they come by their self-absorption honestly? You bet they did. But they both benefit from getting a wake-up call, so it seems there’s no harm done even though that label is rather reductive.

While I’m talking about Ae Ri’s sudden turn toward sounding like a therapist, there’s another big thread in her discussion, and that is the need to approach Jae Won very carefully and gently. Honestly, I don’t really get this. It’s not a bad idea. It’s often a good idea when dealing with anyone who’s experiencing a lot of distress. But it’s also not some kind of well-known principle of relating to or repairing with a trauma survivor. I would say that it depends on the survivor and the situation. Ji Hyun has already struck out while being more overt in his pursuit of Jae Won at this point, so changing his tack makes sense. But Jae Won’s therapist got some mileage out of confronting him. I guess I just find this kind of random. Well, it figures that a freshman fine arts major might not have the most flawless psychological insights. But this, along with Ae Ri’s abrupt shift in tone, ends up feeling like another way in which this scene seems kind of half-baked.

A shift for Jae Won

Throughout episode 9, Jae Won seems to be “thawing out.” His affect starts to be less blunted from the start of the episode. I think he comes back to himself a bit more after Eun Ji tricks him into kissing her in front of Ji Hyun. I had said before these episodes dropped that his protective feelings toward Ji Hyun could get him out of freeze mode, and although I was picturing something more clear and dramatic, I think some degree of that may have played a role once he saw what seeing them did to Ji Hyun. 

For a second, when Yoon Won meets with Ji Hyun and Jae Won to talk about writing a report for the university on how the accident happened, I thought they were actually going to sit down and hash out what happened and try to sort through the roles they played. Honestly, I think it could have been great. It could have functioned as a form of exposure, which counteracts the temptation to avoid that fuels PTSD. It could have been an opportunity to expose the cognitive distortions that Jae Won was harboring in his attempt to blame himself for the accident. They had a neutral, but kind, third party present that could have kept them from being so reactive toward each other that they couldn’t accomplish their task. But they the story went another route. Maybe it’s just me, but I thought it was a missed opportunity. There was still an important moment here, though--Ji Hyun reaching for Jae Won’s hand and persevering even after Jae Won initially shrugs him off. The way it was filmed was so evocative.

I loved that Ji Hyun bought Jae Won a new camera. I don’t particularly think he knew the connection between Jae Won’s old camera and his younger brother, though it’s possible. It seems like he was more motivated by wanting to, as he put it in his card, “support [Jae Won’s] dream.” Then he ended up re-enacting Jae Won’s brother’s gift in a way. I wouldn’t have assumed that would be helpful in real life, but it could be, and in this instance it seems that it was. There was definitely a nice full-circle aspect to it, narratively speaking.

All of this, together, made for a pretty convincing progression leading to Jae Won opening back up to and finally responding to Ji Hyun. Pretty convincing, within the realm of fiction. And I desperately wanted a happy ending for this show, so I’m definitely not complaining there. But relative to the can of worms the showrunners had opened up in the last two episodes, I felt like the change in Jae Won that was needed for a happy ending wasn’t quite earned. Maybe I have a little too much background knowledge of trauma for my own good? I’ve seen, and experienced, how much time and work it takes to come back from the state Jae Won was in during episodes 8 and 9, but if I knew a little less maybe I wouldn’t perceive a disconnect here. I guess if I could change something I would either have made things a bit less extreme when Jae Won hit bottom or I would have included a more dramatic plot twist to get to the resolution, one that could have balanced out the intensity by giving him some sort of huge motivation to get out of his rut. Which probably would have involved torturing both him and Ji Hyun even more, which of course I didn’t want. But I guess I’d still prefer something that seemed more realistic to me.

In the end I’m reminded of Utsukushii Kare again (”what doesn’t remind you of Utsukushii Kare, Towel?” you may ask, and you’d have a point). At the end of season 1, UK led the audience down a path toward a well-composed ending. But when I rewatched it and looked at it more closely, it seemed a little convenient, and more than a little bit sudden, that Hira finally got his head out of his ass when he did. And then what happened when we got to season 2? He’d reverted to form in a lot of ways. It was frustrating to an extent, but I was glad. Because it made more sense for that character to have to put in more time and work to earn that degree of change. If we get more of The Eighth Sense--and I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened, since the showrunners have already dropped hints--I think we might see them doubling back a bit into those pieces that don’t seem fully resolved here.

When it’s OK to expect “too much”

I wrote in my last T8S post about Ji Hyun’s comment about wanting to help Jae Won heal. Basically, I said that there was likely some degree of naïveté on display there, but at the same time, I think that those of us watching the show from the United States and other places where individualism is the rule have a bias against the idea of wanting, asking for, or expecting a certain level of care from the important people in our lives--a level of care that is actually quite reasonable. One of my favorite things about the last two episodes of T8S is that there are moments when the show makes a strong case for normalizing expecting a lot from--and being willing to offer a lot to--one’s partner. 

This gets shown metaphorically in the “game” Ji Hyun introduces to Jae Won toward the end of episode 10. Here’s how I wrote it down in my notes:

JH: Hyung.

JW: Yes?

JH: Do you know that game?

JW: What game?

JH: Take two steps back. (JW's hesitant.) Come on.

(JW steps back, looking just a little bit forlorn.)

JH: If you take two steps away from me, I'll...take three steps towards you.

(He does, then steps back to his former position again.)

JH: Take two steps forward.

(JW does.)

JH: If you take two steps forward, I will be here waiting.

This was without a doubt my favorite moment in the last two episodes, possibly of the series as a whole. It’s a really meaningful statement of commitment. I’ve written about the pursuer-distancer dynamic in BLs in the past. I didn’t see a lot of it in this series. I think that’s because we just barely get to see Jae Won and Ji Hyun’s relationship get off the ground and there are so many other obstacles they have to overcome that they don’t get that many chances to run into challenges in that area. But i think that framework is useful for talking about the “game.” In a very real sense, Ji Hyun is saying, “if you distance yourself from me, I’ll pursue you. If you pursue me, I won’t distance myself.” The healthiest way to handle pursuer-distancer roles in a relationship isn’t to avoid ever pursuing or distancing. It’s to stay flexible enough that either partner can pursue or distance at different points when it’s needed without getting calcified into one habitual, exaggerated role. That’s part of what Ji Hyun describes here. He’s also describing a determination to stay steadfastly emotionally available even in the face of the kind of circumstances that drive both pursuing and distancing. It’s beautiful.

All we can do is try

There’s one thing The Eighth Sense has over Utsukushii Kare (season 2, specifically), and that is that Jae Won and Ji Hyun openly acknowledge something that Hira and Kiyoi never state directly (and maybe haven’t even figured out yet at the end of season 2). In the last scene, Ji Hyun asks Jae Won if he thinks they’ll be OK, and he replies, “All we can do is try.” He’s echoing both Ji Hyun’s boss and Yoon Won here, as both have made this point in different ways. (It reminds me of the old-fashioned screenwriting convention of having any really important piece of information repeated three times.) There are no guarantees and there’s no ironclad way to make sure things will work out. In fact, things are bound to not work out in some respects. The trick is to be able to sit with that and keep going anyway. I have a few last unwritten Utsukare posts living in my brain and one of them is about the “contradictory” or “bittersweet” feeling both Hira and Kiyoi talk about in their voiceovers during season 2 and how I think what they’re describing is just the inherent contradictory nature of loving someone. Loving someone means being drawn to them, wanting to be with them, feeling willing to put yourself out there for them, but it also involves a risk that can be deeply scary (even scarier if you have as much baggage as Hira and Kiyoi). But this never gets stated--it’s like neither of them quite figures it out. But by the end of The Eighth Sense, Jae Won understands this. He may still need some more time to fully take it in, but at least he’s aware of it on an intellectual level. Love is risk and there’s no way to avoid that aspect of it, but it can be more than worth it. “Let's try it together,” Jae Won tells Ji Hyun, “even if we're afraid.”

Miscellaneous lingering thoughts

I’m not entirely happy with the way Dae Hyung and Eun Ji were redeemed. Jae Won’s discussion of Dae Hyung’s genuineness took me by surprise and made a degree of sense. I’m not entirely sold on it, but I’m more sold on it than I would have expected. But Eun Ji? It’s like by the end of episode 10, she’s had a complete personality transplant. And then she makes that nonsensical comment about the five senses? I found it all a bit ham-fisted.

I loved the “don’t just treat me cute” scene. It was (sorry, Ji Hyun) cute as hell, and it introduced some additional complexity to the characters and their relationship. But I think it was also a deliberate response to BL tropes, especially tropes that many have noted are particularly widespread in Korean BLs. Jae Won is pretty clearly a seme figure in the story. He does most of the pursuing. He also has some of the more stereotypical seme qualities. He’s older, he’s a bit taller, and he has a broader build than Ji Hyun. He’s the “hyung” in more ways than one. But whereas we might expect Ji Hyun, the younger, somewhat smaller uke, to become like a “blushing maiden” type in the bedroom, he shows a completely different side here. “Don't just treat me cute,” he says. “You don't know what's coming.” He smiles during that last part, and it’s at least partially lighthearted. But that line is also sincere. And it acts as a kind of commentary from the showrunners. “You don’t know what’s coming,” they tell us. “The seme/uke role split, age, and relative size of these characters doesn’t predict how they’ll relate to each other sexually.” Good for them! More BLs should include gestures like this one.

I love that Yoon Won and Joon Pyo hooked up. They’re both such straightforward sweeties that it makes sense that they didn’t waste any time wondering if the other was into them or worrying about the implications and instead just skipped ahead to hardcore making out. Also, heaven forbid an older woman take an interest in a younger man! That aspect seemed like another way of pushing against conventions.

I’ve made quite a few critical comments about the final two episodes here, but I want to make it clear: I thought these episodes, as well as the series overall, were really well done. I enjoyed the series a lot. It stumbled in places, mostly because it’s so ambitious. But the result is really admirable.

[crossdressingdeath]

I really hope that TSatS features Nico and Will having so many issues around being complicit in Octavian's death, and Nico in addition having so many issues around killing Bryce. On Octavian's end these are children complicit in a gruesome death; necessary or no, that sort of thing's going to stick with them! Especially since as far as we see they never tell anyone about it (Nico might have told Dionysus during their therapy sessions, but as far as I can remember that's not confirmed), which means the only people they can discuss the whole thing with is each other. ...Or I guess Michael Kahale—assuming he's still alive post-ToA, since that's not actually confirmed—but I feel like the understanding between him and them is probably that they Do Not Acknowledge It, assuming they ever see each other at all. Anyway. I'm sure being able to share the weight of what they were part of between the two of them would help, but... well, sharing the burden of being a teenager traumatized by your part in a brutal death with another teenager traumatized by their part in said brutal death is only going to do so much. And I feel like more specifically the fact that Will is a healer would make the whole situation so much worse for him; knowingly standing by and letting someone die knowing he could easily save them would be hard for any hero, but for someone who's dedicated to healing people? Yeesh.

And of course on top of that... Bryce's death is a really cool and dramatic scene that goes way harder than I'd expect a children's book to go, but it's also absolutely horrific. Partially because Nico turns him into a ghost with zero sign of hesitation and that is so much, but I feel like for Nico partially because he doesn't remember it. Like, the fact that he has no memory of killing Bryce gets glossed over in BoO, but he turned a guy into a ghost with no hesitation or mercy and he doesn't remember. He was really angry at Bryce for threatening Reyna, and the next thing he knew the guy was dead (and he'd been knocked out for three days). He has no idea how he did it or even what he was thinking at the time! He was either out of control of his own actions or he wanted to kill Bryce, and he has no way of finding out which. That would be a terrifying thought: either he's a willing murderer (while him killing Bryce was to save Reyna and Hedge and I fully agree with it, it was absolutely murder in a way Octavian's death isn't, Bryce was completely powerless and begging for mercy by the end there) or his powers can hijack his body and push him into doing things that he would never do of his own free will, and he'll probably never know which. Which does beg the question of if anything could set him off like that again, which I feel like is something that would weigh on Nico. I'd love to see him admit that he's actually really scared that something will push him over the edge again and either he'll lose control of his powers and kill someone else or (possibly worse) discover that he was in control when he killed Bryce and did it because he wanted to. Now, I don't think Nico could turn someone into a ghost just like that, my theory is that it was only possible in Bryce's case because Bryce was threatening someone he loved using a closely held secret (which Nico understandably took rather personally) and, more importantly, he was halfway faded out of the living world already; I doubt he could've done it if he hadn't been mostly full of darkness already or if he hadn't been overwhelmed with protective fury at the threat to his dear friend. But whether or not Nico knows that is unclear; I can see him being terrified at the very thought that it's possible that he could snap and kill someone again.

Basically given how TSatS seems like it's going to be largely about All The Trauma, it would feel like a huge failure on Rick's part to not go into how being responsible for Octavian's death absolutely would've fucked Will and Nico up, and also how directly killing Bryce absolutely would've fucked Nico up. If I'm remembering right, setting aside Luke's death—Percy and Annabeth supplied the weapon he stabbed himself with, but I wouldn't call them complicit in it the way Will, Nico and Michael are complicit in Octavian's death since it was entirely Luke's decision in the end—Will and Nico (and Michael Kahale but he's not important currently assuming he's even still alive) are the only protagonists knowingly and willingly complicit in another demigod's death, and Nico is the only protagonist to actively kill another demigod! I can accept them not talking about it in ToA, since "Hey, we're super fucked up from the deaths we caused/played a part in and we don't know what to do about that because we're kind of sort of murderers before the age of eighteen and that's really not the sort of thing you just tell people" isn't something to drop on Will's suddenly-sixteen-and-mortal godly father without warning during a serious crisis situation and I can't see anyone they might have told about it off-page spilling the beans without permission either and when it happened Apollo was already in deep shit and so probably not paying a lot of attention to what his kid was doing, so our POV character wouldn't know about it and wouldn't find out (I know he's aware that Octavian's dead, but unless I'm forgetting something—which is. entirely possible, I should reread ToA—he doesn't know the part Will and Nico played in it). But if it doesn't come up at all in the book told entirely from their perspectives, I'm... honestly gonna be pretty pissed!

[x-authorship-x]

"Did he smile at them" lmao Raido clearly acting like this isn't the first time something similar happened

Honestly I have so much fun with SQ2 because they all do outrageous shit but in specific flavours and it's so fun picking who would freak out over what!!!

Like Kakashi, in his ANBU era before he gets even more publically erratic, is extremely unfazed by anyone's outrageous behavior because 1) he does not care or know where the social line in the sand is and 2) he's not intervening even when it's specifically his circus, his monkeys... And when it comes to doing outrageous shit, Kakashi's rule is that if he can, then he fucking will, and the gods themselves cannot fucking stop him 😂 for example, this man will flaunt porn in public on purpose and theft is only theft if he is the victim

With Shisui, he is painfully aware of social convention (the Elders are BREATHING down his neck, he can already feel Mikoto's eyes burning his skull) BUT it's all about context. Can he get away with it? Yes? FULL STEAM AHEAD. Are there witnesses? Yes? Will Genjutsu fix it? No? FUCK, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES (bursts into flames from the mortifying ordeal of being known and unable to lie). For example, Shisui gaslighting everyone in earshot? A normal Monday. Genma makes a dirty joke at his expense? JAIL, JAIL, WE ARE ALL GOING TO HELL AND SHISUI IS GONNA TAKE THEM THERE 🔥🤡🔥

Tenzo is arguably the funniest because my boy straight up is not in the know 😂 Tenzo will say the most bland shit and it will hit the feels.... Tenzo will also say the most fucked up thing in your entire life and it will be an attempt at humor and you've got to just keep living your life. No, being in the Squad isn't helping. Kakashi is just as bad, if intentional, and Genma is enabling him, Raidou doesn't have the energy to fight a losing battle and Shisui isn't being paid enough to therapy dog the whole group. This is just an incredible wildcard.

Genma....! When he's yelling at the others, it's not because he wants them to stop. It's because HE is supposed to be the hysterical influence and he gets jealous when they upstage him. Shisui batting his eyelashes and getting the spa treatment as a hostage is just too much to bear, Genma tried to give a target a lapdance once and all he got was ten bucks and the desire to shower ASAP 😂😭🤡 he is so so proud of the chaos (he knows EXACTLY what he's doing) but he is also absolutely plotting how to one up the others on the outrageous scale

Raidou.... Oh I saved him for last, Anon, because not only is he the one you were actually commenting on but Raidou's reaction is always my fav. You THINK, looking at the group, that Raidou is the resident normal one. You might have thought that with drinking (nope, Raidou's drunken antics are firmly about 'Me Time' and he's valid, he is NOT designated driving). Or maybe paperwork (Tenzo and Shisui do the paperwork, actually, because Raidou's tends to get ruined by Genma/Kakashi or his own pyrotechnics/ink). Or maybe just being socially conscious individuals.... No. Raidou might be the most normal one because he has a stable home life, civilian parents who are both alive and who love and support him, and he sees the 'other side' of living in Konoha... But he also was the only one to be look at the options in life and PICK being a Shinobi. Like HELLO that's a bit INTERESTING. Raidou is So Done (I'm sorry but *looks at the rest of the SQ* YOUR HOME LIFE WAS WHAT) but simultaneously So On Board (you wanna tattoo your eyelids with fuinjutsu? Say less, bestie) for the bullshit like yes this is deffo the normal Shinobi way to behave, Genma of COURSE Shisui flirted with his captors now please help me steal the bedframe it's solid wood and the slats keep popping out of my bunk at home 👏👏👏 Raidou won't condone being an asshole to service staff but he's more than willing to calmly go back to his book when someone is plotting a murder at the next table.... It's just not his business 💅

This got out of hand, sorry Anon BUT yeah Raidou would classify Shisui's puppy eyes as both a cringe-fail tactic BUT an effective means of manipulation... So long as he doesn't have to watch the car wreck 😂

[dantedeservedbetter]

I don’t think anyone understands just how much I want origin stories of everyone else in Mystreet like they all have really interesting backgrounds that are just tossed to the side of the main plot points (lol abt to be a really long threat again sorry)

Aaron- Didn’t actually get character lore OR a personality until S3 but like I want MORE because tbh I feel like his parents gave him a lot more trauma than what’s shown in the series, and even the stuff IN the actual seasons (the emotional neglect, his military schooling, the tense relationship w/Melissa etc;) are fixed and shoved off like no he might ACTUALLY need therapy bruh PLEASE

Katelyn- I think she was (?) in therapy in the beginning for her anger issues and the loss of her mother but like it was kind of forgotten about tbh. I think she needs more positive moments in the series honestly bc in the later seasons we’re shown she’s partially abusive towards Travis the first time they went out, and ends up being written off as prejudice towards werewolves bc of past experiences??? Naw the Katelyn I know would never do that. AND HER DREAMS OF WORKING IN THEATRE TOO HELLO??? Also, her mom quite literally used her in the Forever Potion experiments as a child?? I feel like that’s important to her character too :/

The Ro’meave Brothers- I don’t actually know where to start tbh because I feel like ALL THREE of them could use some kind of character depth aside from Dumb Blonde, Emo One, and the Forgotten One. Especially Vylad, probably having to witness this entire Lycan situation grow from an outsiders perspective with no contact from his family in forever. It’s shown that Zane is immensely interested in the family business too like hello??? Garroth himself is kind of just written off as a comedic effect most of the time, but he quite literally has no other goals (possibly because he KNOWS he’s going to inherit the business one day whether he cares to or not).

Laurance- He’s not really a character anymore, but from what we’ve actually SEEN in Mystreet he had enough development to become something outside of a potential love interest for Aphmau. He has a fondness for cooking and was seen to be EXCEPTIONAL at it, and I think he still carried an interest in baseball (or idk it was SOME sport asdfghjk the point is he was good). And he was also shown to still help out his family here and there (babysitting Caleb, his baby brother, in numerous episodes). Idk, I feel like there were so many pieces of Laurance that could’ve been explored and touched upon and we hardly got anything. Also… Garrance. Quite literally hate to be that person but it was literally the biggest piece of queerbaiting I’ve ever seen fr I wish it was explored as much as Aarmau was :( (willing to bet the popularity had something to do with what I call the ‘Heartstopper’ treatment but that’s just me tho)

Nana (KC)- The most under appreciated character in-universe I actually had to go and make a separate post about this LOLOL expect it in like five minutes from now bc I just save everything in my drafts.

Travis- Lol no surprise here but him too dude honestly I have no idea where to start with him atm, his entire family’s lore needs a full in depth analysis on themselves because Aphmau’s series just BARELY touches the surface of Travis’s character

Dante/Gene- Honestly BOTH of them were done so dirty I find it funny how no one ever talks abt it because they’re so beautiful to me. Gene already had his redemption arc so I can kind of see why they just tossed him aside but Dante literally had nothing tbh. He had a messy relationship with KC in PDH and then made that same mistake in LLP. Okay, cool, give us more of that. Let him learn from his mistakes and be self aware now. Or better yet let him grow without tossing love interests into the formula in order for it to happen!! Seems like his family life is pretty good though, worst thing abt him was the peanut allergy.

Lucinda- Queen actually has very little to no background that actually centers around her. We know she had a really bad relationship with Ivan but like I’m pretty sure that’s it.

[japhan2024]

What comes next

Anthony and Ian get it on, @lilac-hecox gave me this idea. But ofc I had to make it angsty. Sorry!

Anthony was horny. He was always horny around Ian. Even at his least horny, he was at least a little horny when they were together. But right now, his dong pressed against his pants uncomfortably. Luckily, he was having a great time.

Ian and Anthony were writing. The new sketch was really coming along. Looking at Ian, it seemed to Anthony like he was radiating, glowing with creativity. It was incredible to witness. And as much as it pained him, he had to tone down the more edgy - and therefore funnier - jokes. He would love to see what a truly unchained, unhinged sketch by Ian would look like.

"And then Courtney will say, ohh but I just drank all this delicious mommy milk, I'm not sure if I can handle more." Ian made a duck face and put his index finger on his lower lip, turned around and stuck his ass out at Anthony.

Anthony fidgeted in his office chair. They were at his house, his home office. His damn dick wouldn't chill out and his best friend looked more delicious every day. Of course, in the old days, there had been the many instances Ian had made innuendos and Anthony had called his bluff. Most of the time, Ian would retreat, but when they would be particularly high, he would go further, and further, and before they knew it they would be naked in Anthony's bed. They were regrettably sober today.

"Ian, I would scream laugh if I saw this, but I wouldn't be able to because YouTube would have blocked the video and deleted our channel."

"I know, I just wanted to see your reaction. That look on your face, like you have right now, it's priceless." Ian grinned.

"Oh, shut up. I tell you, you have a nice butt and you work it into every single joke today," Anthony looked at Ian's body, so curvy and inviting...

"If you got it, flaunt it!" Ian retorted and did a goofy fucking dance, making Anthony super annoyed and turned on.

"Ugh, lunch break."

"Alright... but you're into it!"

They sat down at the kitchen table, having what could only be described as a very LA lunch. Gluten-free, vegan bagels with avocado spread. Anthony was still fidgeting, changing the way he sat constantly. Ian looked at him while chewing on his bagel.

"Ohkay, cut it out. What's the matter, my guy?"

"Well, Ian," Anthony began. Dare he admit the truth? Anthony shut his eyes for a brief moment and remembered what he'd learned in therapy.

"Well... Ever since we've gotten back together, I... have noticed how good you look.. and how I would absolutely destroy that bussy." In his last sentence, he used just a little bit of comedy in his intonation, but he meant it absolutely serious.

"Dude, I've seen you looking," Ian responded, a small smile on his face while chewing food and talking at the same time.

"You want it, don't you?"

Ian swallowed his bite and stood up, turned around, and twerked.

"In front of MY salad?!" Anthony protested, pleased with himself. Ian kept twerking, and Anthony just grabbed his butt, held it tightly, and said: "That's quite enough, mister Hecox." He squeezed and almost nutted in his pants.

"Do you want me to put a baby in you?"

"Ew no?"

"I mean my semen, dumbass"

"Ohhh, in that case, yeah."

Anthony gave Ian's ass-cheeks a slap and pulled down his pants.

"Why do you think I keep showing you my ass? I want you to fuck me already! We haven't done it since we've reconciled, it's been too long, damnit."

"You're so willing, aren't you?"

They walked towards Anthony's bedroom but landed on the couch.

"Fuck, have you grown since then? A.. argh yes, oh please be gentle.."

"It has been too damn long. Argh, I need this so badly!"

Anthony saw Ian's hole, his thick ass, though maybe not as thick as before, and he couldn't help but go in full speed.

"Ahh, OH! Anthony..."

"I will, I will."

Anthony slowed down. "You're doing great. Please just breathe in and out, okay? I'm going in fully now."

"Ian I'm gonna come already, you turn me on so much, more than anyone... IAN!!"

Sweat dripped along Anthony's temples, down his chin, on top of Ian's beautiful back.

"Thank you..."

He slid out of Ian, and they walked to the shower to clean up.

"Hey, what's up?"

Anthony was looking down, lip quivering.

"I.. I'm just so frustrated. Why is the best sex in the world, with YOU, not a fertile kind of sex? Why can't we have kids together..."

Ian took Anthony's face in his hand and looked into his caramel eyes.

"Hey, I understand that feeling. But truly, even if I could have children, I wouldn't."

"Why not? Wouldn't our kids be so cute?"

"That they would, you're right. Come here."

They embraced, and Anthony let his tears stream freely, for they were being washed away by the shower. This feeling was very important to acknowledge, he thought, for it showed him what he wanted in life. He wanted a family. And he wanted Ian to be part of it. How that would look like, he didn't know yet, but he would figure it out, as he always did.

Ian was already back on his bullshit, flaunting his ass while drying off.

"I hope you're ready for another round!" Anthony teased

[gren-arlio]

Puyo Fans are in a drought. I'm here to give a bottle of water to them all. Or at least, I plan to.

All jokes aside, hello there. First time poster here, but I want to explain myself for that header. Currently, as a mere Puyo fan myself, we're going through a real bad drought, like we're rhinos who haven't seen rain in a decade. Besides alts from Quest, we really don't get much things nowadays when it comes to stuff, and a majority of the Madou Monogatari games are sadly not translated, besides Madou Saturn and maybe 2 other games I'm forgetting. Even the Puyo Nexus is running a little dry with that sort of stuff.

So why don't we change that?

I have a very specific game in mind: Waku Waku Puyo Puyo Dungeon. From my findings from both online and on this site, there doesn't seem to be a translation for the entire game. For small sections? Yeah, I've seen them, and I'm happy they're there, but we can do more than sections. How about...a majority of the main story?

...At least for Schezo's route.

For those unaware, the game has 3 stories, the protagonist varying, but it's the ARS Trio from COMPILE, Arle, Rulue, and Schezo.

AKA: These Guys.

And I plan to translate a good amount of Schezo's story for the time being. This is mostly for the main story, as mentioned before, and some stuff mentioned in the in-game Bulletin Board. If you wish to try to do the other two, by all means, go ahead, the more the merrier. I've done some bits already before even making this post, and some parts range from Schezo calling Rulue a bitch to him giving Serilly therapy (Trust me, it makes sense.) It's a chaotic ride and I'm all for it.

So how will I do this, you may ask.

Unfortunately, I have a severe case of I'm Broke As Hell and cannot afford a SEGA Saturn, let alone the game itself. Thankfully, I do have what other people gave back then, especially on more niche YouTube Videos, Niconico, list goes on. If someone has the game and is willing to help just a bit, please let me know! Any help would be greatly appreciated.

This is one of the videos in question. It's the opening to Schezo's story, probably the best story out of the main ARS Trio. It shows off a bit of the gameplay as well as bits of story. As of posting this, I'm only about halfway through the video itself (When you fight Skeleton-T) and trust me, doing this takes a lot of time.

I also just want to mention that Schezo swears. A lot, actually, no one is truly safe from his way of words. On one hand, if we want to stick to the kid friendly Puyo stuff we're mostly used to, I could edit them out...But on the other, he does so often that I just want to keep them to show how funny he is with this stuff.

A few more things before I conclude:

I do NOT speak fluent Japanese, at most I can do a few phrases. This is mostly being done with stuff like translators, context clues, and some help from friends.

Translating takes time. A lot of it. Please do not expect me to do full videos within a day or two. These can take as long as a few weeks, or about as short as three or so days. Also, I have school, so there's that. However, if you wish me to translate a few bits of lines to see what they mean, that's fine!

Some of the translations might not be correct, and if they don't seem correct, or flat out aren't, let me know! I won't take any offense to it and it'll help out a lot!

Credit is something that might get brought up. If someone uses this to make let's say...a English Patch, then yeah, I'd like to be noted for that. Otherwise, it's for everyone.

If you wish to do your own translation, or do another storyline, by all means, go ahead! I'd love to see what others see, and it'll make the workload a lot better for everyone.

With that, that'll be all. Thanks for reading!

[commander-gloryforge]

idk how to say this without sounding silly but gw2 has helped my mental health so much. like in my early/mid teens it was escapism for me when the world started to become unlivable, and now in my 20s its a push into confidence and self esteem.

i cant just blame it on gw2, i know that ive done massive steps into healing and becoming human all by myself these past two years, but i cant help but notice how much especially trying out endgame has helped me to not underestimate myself anymore.

when i started playing (and raids didnt even exist back then) i had already told myself that id never even bother to try craft a legendary. id never go into pvp or wvw, i would never be able to complete world exploration. thats all too hard.

raids came out and i knew id never try one because im simply not good enough, and i dont have the friends to try them with. and im sure as fuck not going into lfg. same with strikes. just another type of content i wont be able to play.

then came this community and friends and guilds and people that were willing to take people like me and just give them a gentle nudge. a space where i dont have to be afraid of underperforming. where a wipe isnt a loss but a "ouch oops lets try again!". and once you have people willing to ease you into it, suddenly that one thing you were scared of isnt all that scary anymore.

turns out i can do strikes with my friends! we die a bunch of times and have fun! and then it turned out i can do an easy raid boss, and i can finish the rest of the wing while im at it.

maybe this game isnt that hard. maybe i dont suck at this as much as i thought.

in the past half year ive made three legendaries. thats three more than in the last 9 years ive been playing this game. turns out it isnt that hard, i just didnt bother trying look into what i actually need to do, i didnt bother trying making it easier for me, i didnt bother to just try.

and this isnt just about making a cool weapon or beating a boss in a game, in the end this is about having the confidence to try something. about seeing a task that seems hard, but going into it anyways, just to see if maybe it isnt that hard. and if it is that hard? i can ask for help. there are friends that are willing to help. there are strangers that are willing to help. and if nothing helps, at least i tried.

i forgot where i was gonna go with this. anyways. thanks guil war two for 9 years of therapy

[chloeangelic]

OMG! The new chapter of ''Love Me Back'' is so much. How can something that starts like this chapter end up so badly? As with any good story, I knew the angst was around the corner, but what an ending.😳

I loved how you put her mental issues out in the open, with her thoughts and the therapy session in the first part of the chapter. It makes her more realistic, complex, and easier to comprehend. I totally get her. I share some of her thoughts, but at the same time, this chapter made me a bit angry. I hope the next part makes sense at the end. The mix of feelings this chapter made me feel is murky. Which shows me how well-written I found it and how much I liked it.

Self-worth can be a tricky thing, especially when starting a new relationship adds the fear of showing your true self and being rejected, a thing she's already gone through by the glimpses of her past relationships. Being told you're not girlfriend/wife material can create deep wounds, increasing her mental health struggles.

Their relationship is new, and they still have a lot to settle. I know WORDS are IMPORTANT, and they are needed, but seeing Joel show her with his actions what he wants (after all, he wouldn't let anyone get close to his daughter and develop a connection) while the reader is not able to acknowledge it, is frustrating. Not talking beforehand makes the whole situation way worse. The offer of take of Sarah, I feel like she might not be using her words yet, but she's putting herself out. She's trying to give Joel what he needs and be someone he can rely on, to be a team. The pain of Joel's rejection, coupled with his initial lack of attention, causes everything to explode. When, for once, she has the strength to defend herself and express her feelings, it's one of the worst moments.

I would love to read Joel's thoughts on the whole scene. He has so many fronts at the same time. I'm not excusing him because he could have handled the whole situation better (both of them could have). He also has his struggles and anxieties clouding his perception of the reader's emotions, making it harder for him to open himself and accept help. I hope the situation gets solved soon.

I trust you can pull out something from my ramble and that it wasn't too much, lol.😅 Thanks for the chapter! Despite preferring fluff, I'm a sucker for angst like the one you wrote.♥️

Ahhh im so glad you enjoyed it and got something out of it!!! i definitely think that new relationships are a massive catalyst for self worth issues because its such a vulnerable state to be in and youre so afraid of the other person finding something out about you thats suddenly a dealbreaker and just peacing out.

LMB girl has held soooo much back from joel, thinking shes shielding him from it, and it blows up in her face so bad cause she has this vault of crap thats bound to explode open with one little bad vibe from joel, even though theyre both misplacing their frustration. ive tried to make this fic as realistic as possible, and i think a lot of us have had periods of bottling things up and not being able to expect when the last drop hits

the whole series having such a mental health focus wasnt my intention when i started writing it - my initial idea was for it to be more FWB centered actually, but ive ended up including so much of my own experiences with self worth issues and subsequent healing, and that has made the whole thing more interesting i think

joels thoughts come out in ch 7!!!

so glad youre willing to suffer through my angst, and theres a lot of fluff coming up which is very uncharacteristic for me but we all need to see joel and his crab girl happy - they deserve it hahaha

thanks for sticking around, i love reading your detailed thoughts on the chapters <3 <3 <3

[thekoopalingsandstuffs]

The Sleepover (Part 7 of 11)

Wendy: "Uh... Spewart?"

Hariet: "He just went outside. Roy went out there, so I think he's checking on him or something."

Larry: "Oh. LET'S GO AFTER HIM AND APOLOGIZE!!"

Iggy: "Have you twits learned nothing about respecting Spewart???"

Hariet: "Um... Yeah, darlings, he probably needs time to calm down. While we wait for him to come back in, why don't we go... Watch TV?"

Morton: "Okay!!"

Spewart: "I saw you go out the front door, so I thought you were leaving, and I was wondering if you were okay!"

Roy: "I uh... Just stepped out here to smoke... Sorry--That's okay with you, right?? I should've asked first!"

Spewart: "It's fine!! Topper has asthma, so don't do it around him. But other than that, it's alright! I think Topper is in our bedroom with Ludwig..."

Roy: "I know..." *Sighs* "Speaking of Luds... Please don't tell him I was out here, okay? He thinks I quit doing this a long time ago."

Spewart: "Understood! Your secret is safe with me!"

Roy: "Thanks..."

Spewart: "So... Do you have any intentions to quit? I'm just curious."

Roy: "Yes!!! I'm trying to, and I don't smoke nearly as much as I used to! I'm just a bit stressed at the moment..."

Spewart: "I understand that... Hm......" *Hands Roy a pack of gum*

Roy: "Um... Thanks."

Spewart: "I don't know if you already chew gum, but if you don't, then I would really recommend it. It helped me out of... My habit."

Roy: "Habit? Did you smoke, too?"

Spewart: "I vaped... I started in eighth grade, and continued until just over a year ago. I was under the impression that it would help with stress, which I had a lot of at the time, for... Reasons. But really, vaping just made my stress worse. Yet I was eventually able to pull through and quit..."

Roy: "Wow......"

Spewart: "I believe in you, Roy. I know you can do this."

Roy: "How were you able to quit? I've heard you go to a therapist--Will I need professional help to quit?"

Spewart: "Not at all! I do go to therapy, even today, but I would credit all help quitting to my siblings for being so supportive!"

Roy: "Hm......"

Spewart: "I know that siblings can just seem like a bunch of... dufeses sometimes, but when you truly need them, they WILL be there for you. And think about it! You have over twice the amount of siblings that I do!"

Roy: "Yeah, but... I don't want Ludwig to know about any of this! And I don't trust any of the others not to tell him... I just want to quit without anyone knowing. Ever. Again, he thinks I quit forever ago! If he found out I had been lying for so long, he would be so upset!"

Spewart: "Well... You don't know that! I think Ludwig would be very understanding! He's not the type to get angered quickly."

Roy: "True..."

Spewart: "Also, it's likely he will find out one way or another... Don't you think it'd be better for you to tell him yourself than for him to discover it on accident?"

Roy: "I guess..." *Puts out his cigarette* "When do you think I should tell him?"

Spewart: "Whenever you see fit! Perhaps not right now during the sleepover..." *Chuckles* "But someday, when you're back in your own home... Find a time. Take him to a quiet location, and tell him softly. Make sure you let him know that you are willing to accept any help offered. And if possible, try to remind him that... You really care about him. Trust me, it will go a long way."

Roy: "...... Thank you, Spewart... I appreciate your help."

Spewart: "Of course! Now... Let's get back inside!"

[lucy-the-demon]

Squirrelflights hope in a nutshell

(spoilers and trigger warning obviously)

Squirrelflight gets Domestically abused for the 3rd time

4 of the clans don't accept other religions and literally colonized them to the extent of killing a nursing mother

Squirrelflight is right once again, is she ever wrong really

Starclan has to decide whether Squirrelflight and leafpool deserve to be in starclan but let Ashfur, who tried to kill firestar and a bunch of innocent children all because he couldn't get some coochie, into starclan ( I haven't read the broken code yet but thanks to spoilers I already know this one was a bad idea)

The cycle of domestic abuse starts again because Squirrelflight felt bad for her mate.

Skyclan yet again has a soul and took in people who were forced from their home and fed infant children whose mother was killed by the cruelty of colonizing

All of this could've been avoided if people waited for a goddamn month and a half.

If you don't believe the clans were colonizers here your just lying to yourself

-

In long this book was one of the worst experiences I've had reading something.

Tw again for my personal experience with domestic abuse and spottedleafs heart is mentioned

Squirrelflights experience in her abusive relationship reminds me of when I was forced to live with my mom and her girlfriend who verbally abused me while mom sat and watched. when I left the house she threatened to call the cops on me, and I knew it wouldn't do anything because I'm 18 and can leave

I ended up leaving and living with my grandparents and at therapy the following week she tried to guilt trip me into living there again, i didn't listen

when my therapist tried explaining my autism to her She acted like she knew more than the therapist who studies it and got mad when it didn't define what she believed autism looked like than barged out.

Mom took me back to my grandparents and i never went back, I'm a much happier person out of that place and reading this book was hard because I was brought back to those memories of it

And the literal colonization of a group of cats minding their own business is so hard to read too, cats willing to kill a expecting mother and her children is actually evil and I'm glad the clans were in the wrong here, not even starclan is in the right here to act like sitting by and watching innocent cats get killed was okay

Only skyclan Squirrelflight and leafpool were good people

skyclan and was in the right because they didn't want to get involved in harming these cats

Squirrelflight was in the right because she didn't want anybody to harm them and stood up for them even when nobody liked her

And leafpool was in the right for saving cats from outside of the clans one who was heavily wounded and helping another when she was having trouble with kitting even when her leader told her not to

It reminds me of a post I made this week

Of Squirrelflight telling the clans to accept other religions and other ways of life and the cats saying " it's my way or the highway"

Sometimes I hate these books, my reason for why I keep reading them, I wanna see how deep the rabbit hole goes and how bad these books can get.

Squirrelflights hope is going behind sunrise and right in front of spottedleafs heart right now on books I've read, oh trust me I intend to review spottedleafs heart, I just have to bring myself to actually re read that horrific event of glorified pedophilia which makes her character more disgusting if we count it as cannon

[theoneandonlygothicrainbow]

Why the “Hunter needs therapy first” argument is a bad argument against Huntlow and other Hunter ships

I often hear the “Hunter needs therapy first” argument against many Hunter ships, especially Huntlow. While I’m sure most people mean well, I think people need to realize that this argument is not only inaccurate, but also problematic.

Full Disclaimer: I have nothing against people who don’t care for Huntlow as a ship. This blog is not meant to force the ship on anyone or discourage other ships. It’s just meant to deconstruct a common argument against it that sends unfortunate implications.

1. When you state that argument against a ship like that, you are basically implying that Huntlow is a toxic and unhealthy relationship. Whether you like the ship or not, stating that Huntlow is toxic is outright false.

Despite their rocky start in Any Sport in a Storm, at the end of the day Hunter meant no harm towards Willow, and he was willing to right his wrong when he gets NOTHING out of it. In fact, from Willow’s perspective, he was about to fucking DIE. On top of that, you know that Hunter regrets his choice. Not only did he OUTRIGHT STATE IT in Any Sport in a Storm, but we see it as among his most painful memories in Labryinth Runners. That says a lot considering what Hunter has gone through.

Regret doesn’t make you repeat actions. It makes you change for the better. There’s no doubt in my mind Hunter would make sure he never does anything close to what he did in ASIAS ever again. Huntlow helped Hunter feel genuine happiness, find new friends he can start to trust, and overall break away from his toxic environment. How in the hell is that problematic?!?!

2. A relationship can have a variety of different effects on someone’s mental health depending on the state of it. For some, it would help significantly. For others, it would be harmful. And there are people who fall somewhere in between as well. Someone’s psychology is more complicated than “this thing is good” and “this thing is bad.” A lot of factors come into play that can have different effects on people.

In Hunter’s case, his whole arc is about loving himself and finding people who care about him. He already has trust issues. A relationship would actually be helpful in this case, because it gives Hunter the opportunity to trust again, and even love himself.

On top of that, Hunter has been dealing with a lot of concerns about his life, and they may not be stuff he fully understands himself. So a relationship with someone who can deeply relate to him would actually provide a safe space where Hunter can open up about problems he has.

Now I know what some of you are thinking. “What about his friendships with Luz and Gus?” Yes, Hunter has strong bonds with both of them, but at the end of the day they don’t know Hunter deep enough for him to approach them about deeper issues he may be having.

They deeply care about him, but they aren’t as understanding about his thought process and how he takes things in. Willow is, because they have a much deeper connection and relate more on an identity and value level, rather than an experience level.

3. I have talked to people who have traumatic experiences, and all of their reactions have ranged from not understanding to being downright offended. Please keep in mind that people feel hurt and invalidated by this argument. Again, I’m sure most people mean well. But it’s important for you to understand that the argument can be very harmful and send the message that people with mental health problems don’t deserve love until they get their “issues” sorted out.

Relationships can help heal someone and they don’t need to necessarily fix themselves before they end up in one. If people needed to be completely mentally sound before ending up in relationships, we would have about 10% of the relationships we have today. After the toxic relationships Hunter has been exposed to throughout his life, he needs to develop healthy ones. It’s what will help him heal. Finding a soulmate who unconditionally loves you for who you are and is willing to provide comfort would help Hunter a ton.

This argument can also apply to fanon ships involving Hunter such as Huntmira or Goldric. While I am a huge Huntlow shipper, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with shipping Hunter with other characters. Stop saying he shouldn’t be shipped because “he needs therapy first.”

If you have gone through a traumatic experience, you have every right to dislike a Hunter ship if you dislike the idea of Hunter getting into a relationship after what he’s been through. But keep in mind that your feeling is not universal. And if you haven’t, you don’t get to say whether it’s toxic or not. I’m speaking on behalf of people who have gone through these experiences, and everyone I’ve talked to has said that they disagree with the argument.

In conclusion, the therapy argument from the perspectives I’ve heard is at best a hypocritical stretch and at worse an invalidating and unhealthy mindset that encourages people not to heal from their past trauma. Stop making this argument against a harmless ship. Because you’re being harmful.

[felikatze]

okay if @roxasboxas wants my ven thoughts you can All have my ven thoughts

most of it is summarized in the Anguis Ven Agenda, which is a character analysis of pre-ux ven basically, and That One Post Everyone Has Feelings Over sums up the general gist on how I see the ux vanitas twist, though the language is deliberatly theatrical to invoke emotion

To summarize: I think interpretations that use ux to cast vanitas as Entirely Separate from Ven are horseshit

So like, ux, yeah. It reveals that there's some Capital D Darkness in Ven, which formed Vanitas when xehanort pulled it out again in bbs. i don't disagree with this.

However, what is very important to me. Is that Darkness stole Ven's own to make itself sentient. It's still Ven's darkness, too.

As I say in my Anguis Ven Agenda, and dramatically imply in the other post, the Darkness still acted on what it thought was Ven's will. That's why I call it "intrusive thoughts." I believe some part of Ven was jealous, did want to kill Strelitzia, even if he never intended to act on it. The thought was still there.

And for bbs, too. If you go for "vanitas is only Darkness" you end up retconning and invalidating his entire character in bbs. He is ven's darkness, came from the same source, which makes it all the more tragic that the two grew apart. Bbs Ven has changed as a person, and so the two puzzle pieces don't fit anymore. The edges got sanded off and they won't click.

Vanitas is in essence trying to return to ux Ven, who no longer exists. Who will never exist again.

That's all that from a mainly lore standpoint. I think considering Vanitas to characterize Ven is also important.

In bbs, Vanitas is trying to be a person who no longer exists, but Ven is rejecting part of himself because he finds it unsightly.

Ven rejecting Vanitas means Ven rejects not just his own darkness. He rejects his anger, his loneliness, his jealousy. He is denying all the feelings Vanitas is made of, and it's destroying him. Literally.

Ven hates that these feelings could possibly have been his so much that he is willing to shatter his own heart and openly contemplate suicide. yknow.

of course there's also aspect of ven not wanting to be a weapon, and accepting vanitas wouldn't have worked anyway because of sora sanding the edges off, but that's tragedy, isn't it? There was no ideal path for those two.

I think that self-rejection, that already appears in ux, a bit. Again, darkness is the thoughts Ven doesn't want to admit he has. Or he had, before gaining friends. He's behind all that now, ysee? He got friends. He's no longer alone. So he doesn't need these unsightly feelings anymore and they should just leave.

I think after bbs and kh3 and whatnot Ven doesn't have xehanort's pressure on him anymore and can be a kid for a bit and as above he just. doesn't feel what vanitas is anymore. and without the pressure he likely won't again. but i'd say he still needs to do some introspection. he's All Light now, but that doesn't mean negativity is gone.

if hearts can grow back whole does darkness grow back too? did ven get darkness from sora, because that's what his heart lacked?

tldr ven needs therapy

as for the future of vanitas, his tie to sora is fascinating. as i mentioned his tragedy is that the person he's trying to be will never exist again, but he can still help, i think. first of all he'd need to accept himself as a whole person by himself, but i think he can help sora.

i put vanitas on my kh4 bingo card for good reason. i believe he'll be back for several reasons that other people have probably outlined better than me, but sora falls into the same trap ventus does where he denies his own darkness and it is killing him. has killed him.

it started with "kingdom hearts... is light!" and then it never stopped which is how we get anti and rage form. he only ever grieves for others and never for himself, so doing a ... darkness trade of sorts with ven would land him with vanitas. if vanitas comes to represent sora's darkness (i'm the shadow that you cast etc etc) and sora has to conceptualize that as a person he cares for then he would by extension learn darkness isn't all that bad and care for himself

i think that would be epic. vanitas was my kh fav before i even knew who sora was so i miss him. kh4 give him to me

YEAH he got capital D Darkness in him but he's wayyy more than that and i hate it when people reduce him that way. Yeah all his actions in bbs were a fool's errand and that's tragic but it would be so bad and pointless if vanitas wasn't what he believed himself to be at all. It's good if he can be more than Ven's darkness, maybe Darkness will even help him get a sense of identity, that there's a part of him that isn't just Ven, but if you make him less than that, I hate that. I'm looking at you ux clickbait theorists.

this is probably. messy. especially toward the end. since i wrote this on my phone and can't needly order everything in libre office. but this is basically most of my ven and vanitas takes.

[thelonesomequeen]

Ok all CE stuff aside, if your lower back hurts but you don’t know if it’s muscle or nerve would you go to a chiropractor or to get a massage? Don’t say doctor already tried NO help.

Is this how we notice we’re aging? Your body just aches? God it sucks

NO! Not to sound harsh, but I’ve dealt with severe chronic pain for over half my life and it’s spine specific. Chiropractors can cause so much more damage to your body if you don’t actually know what the root of your pain is. You may temporarily feel better after going, but they aren’t solving any long term problems for you. I’d also encourage you to look up the origins of chiropractors.

Massage CAN help, but again, it’s better to understand the origins of the problem first. I know you aren’t going to like this, but my honest advice as someone who has been through this, is to see a doctor. I know you did that and didn’t get help, but sometimes a second and even third opinion is needed. Find another doctor who is willing to help you discover the root of your problem. It took me 7 specialists (for real) before I was able to find a doctor that accurately diagnosed me and got me on a path towards living life as normally as I can with the condition I now have.

It definitely sucks, it’s a process. I feel your pain literally and figuratively. I’m definitely feeling for you. You never really understand how much of your body your back impacts until you’ve hurt it. In the meantime, try to take it easy and don’t do anything that aggravates the pain if possible. Find a comfortable position to lay down in if you’re able to and alternate between heating pads and ice packs every few minutes. If using one or the other feels better, stick with that until you can see a doctor who will be willing to help you figure out what’s wrong and on a path to healing. Physical therapy can be great, but again, you’ll need to understand what’s wrong first before a doctor will recommend sessions for you. I hope you get answers and comfort soon! 💙🦎

[andiwriteordie]

I am scaaared

i guess here is the ask for the sad sad sad Wheeler sibling idea!

part 1 | part 2

(you know it's bad when i... also had to go back and reread what i've already written to refresh myself lol. i am so so sorry this took so long)

so here are some st ramblings/thoughts to set up some more atla thoughts:

the wheeler family is such an interesting group of people to me (i'm going to leave holly and ted out of this because holly is too little and ted is... well, ted). so, mostly just talking about mike, nancy, and karen here. and it's so interesting to me because i do feel like these characters love each other—they're family, of course. they don't have the bond that their other parallel set of characters (will, jonathan, and joyce) have, but when i watch the show at least, i do feel like the three of them care for each other/their family and do love them.

but it's never really seen by the others in that trio—by mike. we do see a scene with karen and nancy bonding with one another. and then we also see individual scenes where their love for their family is shown by actions their family does not know about.

with karen, we see her worrying significantly in s1 about mike and then choosing to set aside her own pleasure/happiness for the sake of her family in s3 (now granted, one could argue that's motivated by holly and less so nancy/mike, since the decision is made when karen sees holly and ted, but i digress). same with how nancy, when she finds out mike has been caught up in the government mess in s1, is shown to really be worried about him, and then in s4, we see that she's clearly terrified for what vecna has shown her with the deaths of her family.

so i'm thinking about this sad sad firebending wheeler family scenario, where mike almost died, and nancy knows she made a decision that hurt her brother—even if she does believe it was the right decision. it's just difficult right now, and their relationship has always been strained. she's never really known how to be around mike, and in a way, it makes nancy feel a lot like her parents with their forced smiles and awkwardness that they try to pass off as love. and that hurts her too, because nancy never wanted to be like her parents. she does love her family. she does love mike. but it's just difficult for her to show it, and now, years later when they're both nearly adults, it feels like it's a little too late.

but at the same time, nancy wheeler isn't someone who sits on her ass. she's never been great with emotions either, especially when it comes to her family, and maybe she can't be the one to directly be there for mike. maybe she's lost that opportunity a long time ago—and certainly she has now, since she has to live with the understanding that she was willing to let her little brother die if it meant saving el. but that doesn't stop her from still trying to find ways to check in on mike. it's clear he doesn't really want to see her, and will, who hasn't left mike's side through all of this, really doesn't want to see her either. they're both angry, and mike is hurt.

but jonathan is a neutral ground. he's trusted by will and by mike too, and while jonathan knows that he would've made a different decision, had he been in nancy's shoes and forced to save will, he can't fault her for the decision she made. it's simply too complex of a situation, and jonathan understands that not everything is black and white.

so, nancy asks about her little brother often. she doesn't visit as much as she wants to. she can pass it off as being too busy—as trying to help their little ragtag group of benders prepare for henry's next attack with the spirits. but jonathan's an airbender, and he's been one of the ones helping with the breathing therapy sessions to help mike recover. so nancy asks about mike all the time, and jonathan answers every time. maybe it can't absolve her of this guilt or change the strain that exists in her relationship with mike, but at least, nancy knows that mike is doing okay. he's getting better. he's alive.

nancy loves her brother from afar, simply because she doesn't know how to love him up close. and all the while, mike mourns his relationship with his sister, thinking she never really cared about him in the first place.

the love is there, but it's lost and strained—buried under nuances of emotion and by complexities of how they both learned to see the world and treat their relationships. and as both of them watch the person they love—nancy watching jonathan and mike watching will—and both of them see how much these other siblings can love each other, the wheelers grieve what their own relationship could've been.