#but i also have my Do Not Separate policy going with the brothers and for boyd doubly bc mist is required in the gm army

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

man i rly wanna like... write fics for my part 4 army choices in radiant dawn but like... would anyone even read that lol

it’s just so subjective to each player, like, nobody is going to have the same armies. we all put the characters in different armies

and i’m sure not everyone runs on the same “do not separate” policy that i have when it comes to splitting characters up from each other by putting them in different armies 🤣

[lilacstro]

Astro observations pt 3

Trying to be a little consistent haha! Also, I suggest using astrology as a self development tool. While I do believe in fate and predictive astrology, I believe you still have free will for most parts in your life and how the cosmic energies playout for you can be hard to pin down since one single placement can have multiple meanings on how it is interpreted. If you have challenging aspects, you can DEFINATELY work your way through them and NO aspect or placement is bad or life ending ! phew, here we go

1.I think, Uranus Trine Sun can give someone a very unpredictable nature.

2.Uranus in your Second house SR can give you an unpredictable year in your finances. But, if uranus is in harmonious aspects with Jupiter, you will be able to arrange money when needed.

3. I have heard to check the major themes of your year, check where does your chart ruler(ruling planet of ascendant) lie in your SR.

4.Mars in 7th house in synastry can mean the relationship could be very passionate, things could go fast, but it may end fast or unpredictable. (you can just subscribe to the first part if you like, nothing is absolutely set to happen :) )

5.I always have an urge to become a professor after some point in my life regardless of the career i choose , and i found my asteroid academia(829) lies in my 10th house.

6.Speaking of which, if you are considering to choose a major but struggle or are confused, it might be worth looking at where does your asteroid academia overall lie in your chart. I have found it to be useful. I can make a separate post on this one !

7.People with Sun and Jupiter in 10th house// sun and jupiter in positive aspects could do really well in careers like Public policy and international law.

8. The house and planet in your 5th house can determine the nature of you child/one of your children. Mars in 5th house? A physically active child, Sun in 5th house? An outgoing easy child. However, PLEASE CHECK THE DEGREES, I can make a post on weak degrees for each planet if you all like :)

9. Mars square Sun people can have so much restlessness, like they cant be still. My brother has this placement and well, it is not easy to match his energy most of the times lol. Also, very impulsive.

10.Mars in inharmonious aspects with Mercury could show you having problems expressing anger overall. for example

Opposition:

are probably passive aggressive. You might like lashing out? giving silent treatment? saying things you don't mean?

Square:

not saying anything at all, letting things slide even when they bother you? letting your anger build until you can't take it no more.

11. Sun in 3rd/10th/6th/11th could be really talked about. Also can get fame on social media at some point in their life, or get easily famous on social media.

12.Sun in 6th house could mean your co workers may see you in high regard and may like working under you.

13.Jupiter in harmonious aspects with uranus grants you unexpected luck. Places you did not expect to have luck at. I have seen this manifest with my own eyes.

14.Saturn in 7th house people give me the types people go to advice for. My sister has this. Another example of what different placements can mean. 7th house rules your relationship with people while Saturn is wisdom, discipline and guidance, your father in your birth chart.

15.I have seen this analogy that, in your natal chart Saturn is the father, moon is the mother, while sun is the child. How to use this information? Want guidance, your most confident self? Your Saturn sign.

who you turn to when you are down? emotional? who you are on the inside as your most vulnerable self? how to take care of yourself when you are down? Your moon sign. I can make a post on this too, i think it should help? idk, y'all tell.

16. Water mercuries may like writing poems and journals.

17. I have this theory that your Jupiter placements and aspects can show you how to manifest things for yourself. This observation has worked for people in my family, but I can give examples. You can couple this information to create a manifestation ritual maybe.

Jupiter in 10th house: If someone close asks you, what are your plans? or what do you want? tell them (dont breach your privacy or if you dont feel like it DONT lmao, im talking about what ive seen working). Talk about your manifestation.

Jupiter in 8th house: Keep it hidden, dont tell anyone until it manifests, have a positive self talk

Jupiter in 12th house: Visualize it, meditate, think about it as if you have it

Jupiter 3rd house: maybe create a manifestation journal and forget

Jupiter in 9th house: Pray if you believe. Be extremely optimistic about it, fake it till you make it thing.

Jupiter at mercurial signs/degrees/positively aspecting mercury: speak it in existence

I can again make a post on this if you all like.

18. Your chiron placement in your SR is very important. The house it is in would tell you where you will hurt BUT grow. I read someone saying the North Node represents this part of learning, but i respectfully disagree.

I had Neptune AND chiron in my 11th house in SR, and this really amplified the learning experience that came regrading my deceiving friends, how i use social media, and who am i choosing to entertain, all at once. Its scary.

I am really considering making a SR series but i am unsure if its relevant dont know why. (not me giving myself post recommendations all throughout this post lol)

support me on ko-fi :)

thats all for today, i am very sleepy, I hope you enjoyed this <33

[bunniekittiee]

(MK1) Bi-Han Headcanons

I was listening to Jar of Flies and it came into my head that I never did separate Bi-Han headcanons about himself. So this is what I think he would be like. This is also very music-based but yk its all good.

Bi-Han is known as the goth man of Mortal Kombat because of Noob but I think he would be a bit more grungey.

He loved dark and haunting music even before he became a wraith.

Alice In Chains was his first listen to Earthrealm music as he had never interacted with it before. Johnny had to tell him about them.

“I think it’s up your alley.” Johnny told him as he handed him a CD player with a few CDs.

Bi-Han did not trust his judgement at first and even put it off for a little bit, but he soon regretted putting it off as soon as he listened to Jar of Flies.

Absolutely loved AIC after this.

Related Jar of Flies to his own trauma with losing his mother and his father’s harsh treatment.

That’s another can of worms that cannot be opened in great detail today.

Would also like Narrow Head, Superheaven (duh i headcanon every character to like them), Mareux, Basement, Nine Inch Nails, but that’s just to name a few.

Associates “Hole in the Ground” by Superheaven with Kuai Liang and tries to not listen to it too much.

This is much worse after his betrayal. Bi-Han hardly touches the song after because of this.

It would only make him feel horrible and guilty.

Also associates “Necrosis” by Narrow Head with his father because of his hurtful treatment as a kid.

Bi-Han was trained a pushed a lot harder than Kuai Liang and even Tomas who was not their blood kin, so Bi-Han held a lot of resentment for his father.

He treated Tomas more like a son than he did Bi-Han.

Bi-Han wondered if this was so he could become a tough Grandmaster, and that’s how he reasoned it in his head, but it still messed with him.

When he lost his mother, it was devastating. She was the only one who supported him and took care of him after suffering from bouts of hypothermia from his father testing his might in the Arctika.

She was there for everything and always made sure Bi-Han was well.

When she passed, he did not have that support system anymore. That is when he knew it was time to become a man and move on.

He never moved on, but he did become a man.

His exterior was already cold, but it became much more worse after the death of his mother.

That is the Bi-Han we know today.

He never held much warmth despite his brothers telling him he should.

He hardly wanted to give his father a funeral, but he knew he could not go in that direction. He needed to honor him despite his dishonorable acts against the Lin Kuei.

He was a weak, senile Grandmaster. He was not fit to rule.

But Bi-Han was, he was ready to reform the clan and change the weaker policies his father implemented after the death of his mother.

Kuai Liang always tried to reason with Bi-Han, but he never changed his mind. Once Bi-Han was set, he was ready.

It didn’t matter what Kuai said or did, Bi-Han would never budge.

He was very stubborn to the dismay of his brothers.

Late at night if Bi-Han could not sleep, he would listen to music to help him.

Bi-Han could not sleep well because of the creeping thoughts of his childhood/adulthood that caused him great pain.

It often seeped into his dreams which caused him to not be able to go back to sleep.

That’s why he looks so tired, he just has a hard time sleeping. His mind is too occupied and the gears are always turning about.

“Blank” by Glare also makes Bi-Han reflect on his life. He listens to that when he can’t sleep.

Sometimes, it’s able to lull him to sleep.

Tomas and Kuai do worry about Bi-Han.Tomas suspects that Bi-Han is depressed, maybe anxiety-ridden.

But they’ll never know. Bi-Han is super against vulnerability and he hates to feel that way.

He also does not like to be forced to talk about his feelings or what’s bothering him. It makes him feel like he’s trapped in a corner like a wild animal.

After Bi-Han’s betrayal, Sektor and Cyrax are the ‘replacements’ for his siblings.

But they never are interested in what Bi-Han’s mental stability is. They are not that close to be aquatinted like that.

All they care about is having a Grandmaster that is ready to conquer and give them orders. They are warriors, they are ready for anything Bi-Han throws their way.

When Bi-Han was younger, his father did everything to make his life difficult. This lead to Bi-Han being very angry often.

He trained alone in the temple, his knuckles bloody from the amount of punching he did. His knuckles would be raw and cut open badly.

His mother would coax him away from the training room to let her wrap his hands up. She did this very often as Bi-Han was the main target of his father’s wrath.

He hardly cried in front of her, but every once in a while he broke. But she picked up his pieces.

Bi-Han loved his mother greatly, her death pained him the most out of everyone.

So when he looks in the mirror, all he sees reflecting back at him is his mother.

Her eyes, her facial features, her caring demeanor.

But Bi-Han was hardened, extremely rough around the edges.

He could never be as caring and loving like her. It wasn’t in his DNA to be that way. That was more Kuai Liang’s personality.

Sometimes if he stared for too long, he would see her in the mirror. But only for a mere moment.

He blamed it on lack of sleep and never told anyone.

Bi-Han is extremely troubled, and he requires a lot of patience and understanding. He will not open up right away to anyone.

[danikamariewrites]

Hello there saw you wanted some requests for Gavriel so here it is, could you right something with a reader who loves horse back riding and often goes alone to explore the woods for fun or just to decompress after a long week, but on one of these rides reader gets ambushed and when they dont come home Gavriel knows somthing is wrong and eventually finds them( if you could also add the Cadre helping Gavriel find reader).

Hope this request finds you in good health happy writing!

Light in the Dark

Gavriel x reader

A/n: I added Aedion as part of the Cadre lol. I love the relationship between Gav and Fenrys and imagine that he and Aedion would be like brothers so I threw that in there too. Thank you for the request anon!

Warnings: angst, fluff, and unedited lol

You love going horseback riding through Oakwald Forest. The fresh air helps you think and calm your anxieties from the day. Sometimes Gavriel would go with you as a silent companion. Sometimes he’d walk beside you in his lion form. He could feel when you were stressed through the bond and reminds you to go on rides.

He always encouraged you to take breaks, saying you wouldn’t get good work done if you couldn’t focus. And as always, he was right. Throwing your pen down on your desk you stand and stretch. You had been working for too long and policies have started blending together.

You tug on the bond to get Gavriel’s attention, sending a message to tell him you were going for a ride. He flooded the bond with love. You could distantly hear him say, “Be careful, my heart. I’ll see you soon.”

Approaching your horse’s stall you heard Clara huff, scrapping her hoof against the hay that lines her stall. Peeking over the door you smile at her. “Hi girl, I brought you a treat.” You hold out an apple in the palm of your hand that Clara chomps down on immediately.

While she’s busy with her snack you start to brush Clara’s golden mane. She’s so beautiful, you could just stay here and brush her silky hair. The stable boys always insist on prepping her for rides but you like doing it yourself. It makes you feel like you did something productive.

Clara was a gift from Gavriel when you first started working in Aelin’s court. She’s well taken care of in the stables at the castle. And you love that you get to visit her whenever you want.

Strapping the saddle on her back you lead Clara out of the barn to the courtyard. Mounting her you lightly dig your heels into her sides to get her moving. Starting off at a walk you head off for Oakwald.

An hour into your ride you pull on Clara’s reigns bringing her to a stop. You look around confused. You should be at the lake by now. Where are you? Clara knows where she’s going, so why were you lost? You slip off the saddle to look around for landmarks that might tell you where you are.

A groan that sounded like a tree breaking echoed through the small space. You covered your ears waiting for it to be over. Darkness rolled in above the tree and the wind howled. Clara tensed, throwing her head back letting out a neigh that was practically a scream. She turned on her hind legs and started booking it out of the forest.

“Clara! No! Come back!” You start running after her until an invisible force hits you square in the chest knocking you to the ground. Gasping for breath you sit up on your knees. You whip your head around wildly looking for the source of your attacker.

A misty dark mass takes shape in front of you. It’s only discernible feature two white glowing eyes. Your eyes go wide, watching the darkness swirl in and out. You feel frozen. The darkness moves forming an arm, extending it toward you. Fingers separate and close around your throat. A chill runs through your body before your vision blurs and you fall into a deep sleep.

——

As Gavriel’s meeting with Rowan and his advisors, he pulls on the bond. It’s quite on your end. He tugs harder and floods the bond with concern and love. No response again. Worry takes over his features as he leans back in his chair, Gavriel’s knuckles turn white from how hard he’s clenching his knuckles.

He jumps a little at the feeling of Rowan’s hand on his shoulder. “What is it?” His tone hushed as the rest of the Cadre file in. “It’s y/n. She’s there but…I can’t feel her.” Rowan bites his lip in thought, a small frown forming.

Lorcan sits on Gavriel’s other side. “I have a bad feeling. Y/n never does this.”

“Do you want to ask if anyone in the stables has seen her?” “Please, thank you Fenrys.” The white wolf nods, leaving the room at a hurried pace. He’s like a son to Gavriel, meaning that he’s very protective of you. Aedion and Fenrys were the first two people Gavriel introduced you too. He knew both would go to the ends of the earth to protect you. You were growing to be a mother-figure for both of them so gods forbid any harm come to you.

While waiting for Fenrys to return Rowan and Lorcan talk him through where you could possibly be. He lists them all, talking through the steps you take and what you like to do.

Taking a break, Gavriel looks out the window and notices the late afternoon sun. It’ll be dark in a few hours. He wouldn’t be able to do anything if you weren’t home for dinner. He’s considering going out in his lion form to search for you when Fenrys comes barging back into the meeting room.

The young pups face is wild with rage and worry. “No one has seen her. And Clara isn’t in her stall.” He growls out. The three males turn to Gavriel, waiting for orders. Aedion comes flying into the room seconds later, slightly panting, his chest moving quickly. He could smell the fear and anger rolling of Fenrys as he ran through the castle.

“What’s going on? I saw Fenrys running and knew something was wrong.” “Y/n is missing. We don’t know where she is and no one has seen her.” Aedion’s eyes meet his father’s. Worry simmering in those Ashryver blue-greens. He stands straight, his hands clasped behind his back. “What do you want us to do dad?”

“Follow me.” He said storming out of the room and down to the stables. The Cadre followed, ready to follow his command.

The plan is to split up to search different sections of Oakwald that you like to explore. Lorcan and Aedion mounted their horses and headed east. Rowan transformed into a hawk to look overhead and covering as much ground as possible. Fenrys transformed into a wolf and headed west while Gavriel headed north to the lake.

He didn’t transform yet, he was just focused on getting as far as he could to find you. Gavriel squinted as he approached a clearing. A wall of darkness between trees separated a section from the rest of the forest. He heard rustling from all sides and drew his sword.

Rowan landed first, then Lorcan and Aedion emerged, and then Fenrys holding the reins of your horse. “Clara?” He whispered, reaching out to stroke her snout. “I found her wandering then she noticed me and pulled me back here.”

“My shadows found the wall a half mile that way. I sent them in to try and find her.” Gavriel felt the blood leave his face. His eyes went wide as he turned back to the swirling mass. Reaching out a reluctant hand, Gavriel touched the darkness. He expected resistance but his hand fell through. Stumbling a little he righted himself, taking a deep breath he formulated a new plan.

The bond was glowing making his protective fae instincts kick in. His mate was in danger and he had to go in there.

“Gavriel,” Rowan says cautiously. Before they could talk Gavriel out of his new plan he leapt into the darkness. Without thinking Fenrys and Aedion followed, leaving Rowan and Lorcan to keep watch.

Fenrys and Aedion flank Gavriel, drawing their own swords. “We stick together.” Gavriel says as he steps further into the woods. It feels like hours before there’s any sign of you. Gavriel sniffs the air picking up your scent.

He starts running until he’s skidding to a stop. Dropping to his knees Gavriel pulls you into his arms from your spot in the brush. He presses his ear to your chest to make sure your heart is still beating. The bond humming with joy at the fact you were reunited. Gavriel’s only focus now is to get you back to the castle.

——

When you came to your head was pounding, your vision swimming in and out. You let out a groan and you hear Gavriel scramble to sit on the edge of the bed. “My heart, are you alright? Can I get you anything?” “Water,” you croak out. He moves to grab the glass of water from the bedside table.

Helping you up Gavriel holds the glass to your lips. You gulp the water down like you’d never have any again. Letting the glass go you slump into Gavriel’s side.

“What happened?” Gavriel lays you back down, fluffing your pillows. “We aren’t exactly sure. Lorcan and Rowan found that phantom-thing and chased it down. They lost it but the guards are on the look out for it and Aelin has the little folk keeping their eyes out too. The healers checked you out and your ok, just cold for a while which scared me.”

You gave him a small smile, bringing your hand to cup his face. “I’m sorry I scared you.” “Hey, you don’t need to apologize. I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner.” “But you did find me. And brought me home, like you always do.”

He let out a breathy chuckle, “Yeah, and I will for the rest of our lives.” You pull him closer to you for a kiss. You break apart at a soft knock on the door. Gavriel sighs, tilting his head back in annoyance. You giggle at him. “Fenrys and Aedion want to see you. They’ve been worried about you and want to see you.” You let out a small aww.

When you and Gavriel first started dating you jokingly called and treated Aedion and Fenrys sons. You are older than both of them so they viewed you as a mother figure, always coming to you for advice over Gavriel and hanging out with you when he was out on missions.

When you accepted the mating bond you asked Aedion if he would be ok with you officially adopting him, even though he’s an adult, you just wanted him to know that he was part of your family. Since the bond the two boys have been very protective of you.

“Let my boys in.” You sit up as Gavriel begrudgingly opens the door. You heard him give them a stern warning before they entered quieter than usual. “Hi y/n.” “Hi boys. Come, sit with me.” You pat the bed and they happily jump up.

Gavriel slides in next to you, a gentle arm, wrapping around your shoulder. You love moments like these where your family is together and safe. You squeeze Gavriel’s hand as a thank you. For bringing you home and always looking out for you.

[frozenambiguity]

Anonymous asked:

Hey, mun. What are your thoughts on heavier/proship content?

Ah. The question everyone keeps wondering about. Answer under read more because it got long.

Ooc; Hi there. Sorry it took me a while to reply, I have been a bit busy asdfgfds. To put it simply: I have no issues whatsoever with portraying heavier or darker concepts in fiction. I roleplayed for an entire decade in a fandom widely known as highly "problematic" content-wise, and I absolutely loved the characters and how wicked the plot could get (and if you know Diabolik Lovers, then you really know how wicked it can get). 

I think the main point here is the ability to distinguish fiction from reality. Writing a gruesome scene does not make you a violent person, for example. So, really, it is all about knowing your preferences and your partners' and respecting boundaries.

I strongly believe that, even if you enjoy something and someone else does not, that fact alone should not taint your entire relationship as a whole. You can still find other points of interest, without reducing your entire friendship to a specific topic you disagree about. But, again, I speak for myself. I know that, unfortunately, some people disagree and this is a red line for them. And that is okay — if so, we can go our separate ways.

As for the proship part, listen — I have been around for a long time. As such, I also know that people have different interpretations about what being "proship" means. Too many, in fact, to keep track of. So what I will say is that I follow the "ship and let ship" policy. Of course, people can have ships that they cringe a bit thinking about. But does that mean that one should straight up harass people or vague about them for it? No. Far from it. Again, it is all about knowing your boundaries. Will you stop being friends with an amazing person just because they view or write X and Y romantically? Not me. I can just — skip those types of posts in the dash, for example. Try to curate my space a little, because I can appreciate whatever else that person is bringing to the table. 

What I mean to say is, sincerely, I do not think our tastes in fiction define us as people. And another big sensitive topic here is that interpretations can be different. Cultures are different. People are different. I will write about this because it is relevant when it comes to Kaeya and I am pretty sure that is what you want to know: I do not care about fandom discourse, i.e. Ragbros vs KLK.

Some can view it as a familial type of bond and that is okay (though, please bear in mind that the entire thing about Kaeya being adopted is not real. It is a mistranslation, as they are sworn brothers and not adopted brothers. And I am being impartial here).

Why am I talking about this? Because of objectivity. You may view them as familial because that is your personal experience and you play the English version of the game and that is what you are comfortable with. And that is okay. But that does not mean that people who view them romantically are wrong or should be crucified or considered monsters.

I have seen KLK enjoyers being bullied to the point that they stopped writing the characters. Stopped drawing them. Lost their passion for something just because they knew they would be met with anger and intolerance. And now, just to be safe, they prefer not to create any content or address this type of topic because of backlash. They have to censure themselves because of others. And that is absolutely devastating. If you ever took part in any of this, I hope you reconsider your actions thoroughly. Fandom spaces are to be shared, not to be owned, "cleansed" or dominated.

To this day, in asian communities, KLK is considered the original BL clickbait couple of the game. And, to this day, they still are a very famous ship in those communities. 

This is to say: do I have an issue with Kaeluc//Luckae? No. Not at all. I write KLK with a very dear friend and we are happy in our little own bubble. Isn't that what writing is about? To feel emotion in and through our interactions?

However. Does that mean that I will approach every single Diluc with the intent to ship? No, not really. The fact that some people may think so is... astonishing. I, too, appreciate the familial aspect of their bond. Because, romantic or platonic, they are each other's home. They are important to each other, to the point it almost transcends friendship or a romantic relationship. To quote Kaeya: "Perhaps we're fated to be doomed together".

Regardless of the nature of their relationship, their fates are bound.

And, to put a bit of perspective on the matter, I, too, started in the "ragbros" team, even before creating this blog. To the point when my friend told me they were shipped a lot, I remember staring deeply into nothing for a few moments. Only to let out a dramatic "HUH?????" afterward. Laughs. But then I started to talk with more people, started getting more insight, to the point where I don't really mind the ship. And that, if you choose to view them as a ship, they are one of the strongest and most complex ships out there — right next to Haikaveh. Trust me. Even as platonic, their relationship is very deep and meaningful.

Now, I realize that having this sort of view on the matter may be considered a "sensitive" topic (although, sincerely, I don't understand why). And following this philosophy also brings other types of questions along: when people have "if you write incest, dni" in their rules, do they mean KLK? I assume they do, just to be safe. But again. They are objectively not related nor incest, so the seed of doubt is always planted there. 

TLDR: People have boundaries, and it is important to respect them mutually. However, one should not reduce friendships to something they disagree about, nor end them because of that. Also, I hate that this sort of topic has become something seen as "taboo" or "drama". Please. There are more important things to care about than silly little pixels.

[griancraft]

Ok as per my last post. This is Long and very much about my feelings so uh don’t read it if you don’t want to. Also I’m aware I sound genujneky crazy for half of this I’m just really really mentally ill in ways I don’t talk about here at all and now I am sharing them and it’s. A little scary but oh well. The system stuff is the stuff I’m most concerned about right now to be honest bc it effects my day to day and if anyone has any kind words or thoughts on what to do I’ll be happy to listen

Please read my previous post if you’re mad /gen I don’t think I say anything bad here but I have really bad morality ocd so like uhm I am scared to post this!!! Prev post

Also I’m very sorry that the prose is terrible to read and my spelling is shit I have dyspraxia which is a coordination thing and it’s worse rn

The maybe I was boring album came on yesterday while I was cleaning and I had to stop what I was doing and turn it off halfway through because I just couldn’t stop hearing an admission. I wasn’t even sad I was just. So done with it. I still am just kinda like. God I hope Shelby is doing ok with all this being public now. I’m glad she was able to heal like she said and I’m glad she made the video dude.

I almost got his lyrics tattooed if that’s testament to how much I loved his early music. It’s not connecting in my brain that this music that’s been apart of my life for like 4 years and helped me through so much was made by an abuser.

But like, in retrospect you can see it. I can’t bear to delete ycgma off my mp3 player bc I related to his songs so much as an abused lonely teenager but I also can’t bare to listen to it. I learned the fall on my guitar as my final exam and I used to repeat his lyrics to myself to cope with abuse and I wish I could still love these songs. I dressed like his dsmp character bc I thought it made me look cool. Which is lame as fuck to admit now lol

Originally I was planning on pirating them and I like, can’t especially after that manipulative ass statement. How much was an act? I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m a bad person because I still kinda do want to listen to that music again. I still want to feel that safe but I know I won’t feel that way anymore.

with dsmp stuff I think I’m going to be still able to look back fondly on it generally and I don’t think I’ll ever stop. The community was what made it and the community is what I loved, and i still do. I don’t think I’m going to reblog art of him specifically but if he’s in it I might. Idk. My policy on dream fanart is if he’s not alone in the art and it’s dsmp or mcc related I reblog so I guess I’ll continue that here. Im sorry if that sounds callous I just. Am not prepared to talk about this so I’m going back and forth

And like. We also have a wilbur factive/fictive and we have for years now and nobody in our system knows how to feel about that. He formed to fill the role of a big brother (I was being heavily emotionally neglected at that point and needed someone to be there for me) and protector from my parents abuse. Obviously, he is entirely separate from his source now bc alters change a lot for me but how we picture him is still wilbur. he’s literally just some guy now but grappling with that connection is fucked up dude it’s weird. He’ll probably further distance himself but it still fucking sucks and I don’t know how to communicate the cognitive dissonance we had to push through bc our brain struggled at first to make sense of how this person who we liked so much that he became the template for a Protector to shield us from the emotional neglect and abuse, essentially, is a terrible person. I’m sorry I know people who aren’t systems, and some who are ngl, will find this fuckibg nuts and I get that but we’re a very very internal person like I just. Kinda am with us as a system a lot and nobody else. It feels like my safe space that I’ve created in my head has been marred. Also. uhm. Our alters speak in distinct voices so it’s bad bad for me rn and we are trying to fix it. I know I know fictives and factives arenttheir source but that doesn’t change that it makes me feel gross. I’m rambling rn I’m sorry. Support Shelby.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hello! Sorry if this ask brothers you because I've already sent one similar to this, but what tips do you have for 'relationships' between two kingdoms?

In The Forgotten Legends of Chima, there are tribes of anthropomorphic animals (separated by species) who have their own lifestyle and culture. There are certain tribes with more privilege than others (e.g. some are more rich than others, some withhold more Chi than others), which of course will cause some kind of resentment from others. Not only that, but the actions the leaders/kings take also affect their relationship with other tribes. The people suffer from all of this too; if a king, for example, dislikes a certain tribe, his people will also dislike it too.

How do you, or any other writer, tackle this? It's similar to 'geopolitics', but it's centered around worldbuilding itself instead of real nations. Thank you :)

I already answered this for you here, in the second half:

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

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[fortunatelyenchantingtaco]

Its not my policy to police anyones art so i dont ever mention it but i have an incurable itch inside my head where if people for some reason write about Megumi but Tsumiki isnt there, or like about Yuuji and Choso brothers forgetting all the other brothers they both have that are just dead in canon or we havent seen, then i just go fucking feral

Family Do Not Separate

Like i wouldnt begrudge anyone anything you do you boo, i get it that those brothera are more curses and less hot than choso, and that we dont know much about tsumiki aside from her narrative role of being megumi’s motivation but also like. Idk

I am Tsumiki’s first supporter i wont be normal about her

[gar-a-ash]

Introducing dog food X3 and 'I needed to buy six chicks per policy' X3. It's hilarious seeing the largest commercial bird (turkeys) next to the smallest commercial bird (bantams). They are handling the brooder together well, though! Reese wants to sniff the beepers and is mad I won't let him, and Tassie wants to crunch them so bad.

They are in a separate room that is locked away so none of the household pets can get at them, and in a few weeks they'll be outside to pasture just in time to make room for my mail order of chicks to arrive. Plan is the three turkeys, egg laying hens and dual purpose ducks next month, and then later in June we'll start about ten broilers or so. My brother also wants me to raise broilers for him, so that'll be about twenty broilers total, but we're fencing a 60x60 area so they'll have plenty of room to free range. Mostly doing this to save a bit of money feeding the dogs (and ourselves), but also because I like ducks and wanted some. If I was going to get some ducks, might as well go all the way, right?

This week is supposed to be warm so I'm hoping we can get the fence up so long as I can kick this sinus infection, but if I can't this week than the week after will still be plenty of time. And then over the summer I'll be working on getting this ancient trailer rebuilt into a mobile coop, which is what our birds will be wintering in. Busy year for us, alongside pursuing titles on the dogs!

[anotheraldin]

Salaam aleykom akhi. Can you please help make sense of things? I watched a video of a palestinian baby. She was wounded an getting treatment. What really got to me was how she was so traumatized that she couldn't even cry but was letting out scared whimpers. A literal baby. Not even 1 years old.

Why is the world letting this happen? I'm scared to even ask why Allah is letting this happen for fear of nullifying my deen. But Ya Rabb! Lend our brothers and sisters in Gaza your strength and give them the means to destroy the oppressive zionist entity!

Wa 'Alaikum As-Salaam!

Well, the world is letting it happen as it serves a benefit to multipolarity agreements. Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and other places all have western interests where upholding Israel in any way serves as policy in these dealings.

You had a batch of UAE "doctors" sent to Gaza a few months back who all turned out to be spies and they were sent back. You had Egypt purposely withholding aid at the Rafah border while pretending it's Israel. You had Jordan sending fruit, vegetable and other goods to bypass the Yemeni blockade.

Similar with Turkey where you'll hear them publicly criticize Israel while privately maintaining deals and using Azerbaijan to send them fuel and arms.

This is an intended betrayal of Gaza by all means. Gaza is important to Iran and you see it use Hezbollah to confront Israel as direct involvement would risk war, and ruin any resistance of the west in the middle east. It also did a lot to smuggle in arms through Libya, North Korea and other places into Gaza. There's been reporting that showed how Turkey and Qatar kind of strung H*m*s along that created friction with Iran, and then Turkey as well as Qatar pretty much abandoned them. It's why you saw the realignment with Iran.

Allah knows best why this is happening, but it is a struggle of necessity given the way the tide was going before the war to be honest. You had normalization with Israel from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other countries. Statehood recognition was never going to happen as well so Israel annexing land to build settlements was just going to continue.

I think China was smart in pushing forward the idea to merge H*m*s into the PLO to give them some breathing room in terms of who governs Gaza so they do not have international pressure on Gaza itself. It would also require people to recognize Gaza as a part of a Palestinian entity instead of a separate land. This also makes supporting them easier. You saw this point brought up recently in ceasefire talks.

Time will tell where things go but if the war didn't happen, then the Palestinian cause might have been over in a few years to be honest.

[not-so-superheroine]

i giving a talk using Zenos' allegory of the olive tree.

i sorta know what i'm doing, but this has got to be one of the most complex allegories i have ever read.

this is a long one, but here's what i got so far. lmk what you think.

trying to get my thoughts on paper. i talked with my pastor and an friend who was an apostle (they can retire in the Reorganization/ Community of Christ). she suggested that I focus on the parts that speak to me, make it known that it isn't in its fullest form when i give the message, and encourage members to read and study it themselves.

i am going to use the OG olive tree to represent the universal church (and also more specifically the wider latter day saint movement), and then scattering of and grafting on to other trees, as schism/ the scattering of the Saints. the OG tree coming back together could be ecumenism. us a christians (and further more latter day saints bc i think our sects/branches tend to be more antagonistic towards each other). because despite our differences, we must be one in Christ. and we can do this without losing our individual distinctiveness of how we worship, how we believe, and how we express faith in God, but must be one as the Universal Church (and as Saints/Mormons). and that is very hard (ex. having convos with ppl who think i am cursed for example), but the work must be done bc in the D&C Christ says "If ye are not one, ye are not mine". we have a responsibility towards each other, encouraging our siblings, brothers and sisters to grow in their discipleship and extend Christ's compassion.

the scattering of the Saints was necessary for survival, but the total separation has detrimental effects. the pruning of the branches bearing bad fruit, could be the traditions, practices, and policies our faith communites that cause harm / do not carry out our mission of building Christ's peaceable kingdom. man's rule should not bar anyone from Christ's table, as ALL are welcome at Christ's table. this is necessary for healthy trees (our faith communites) and for ecumenism to take place. because otherwise we would be perpetuating harm to vulnerable members (and others).

examples of pruning branches bearing bad fruit could be the RLDS/CoC church beginning to ordain women and the LDS church ordaining Black men (both imperfectly implemented admittedly). and the UMC going through growing pains of acceptance for LGBTQ+ ordination and Baptists churches pursuing ordination and more rights for Baptist women.

I should probably mention things that we (CoC) still need to prune. We had a February policy banning non-monogamists from the preisthood. also discrimination in ordination of LGBTQ+ persons in priesthood, as much as we like to pretend we're all accepting.

So there is work to be done to be that ecumenical tree (the gathering of the saints/ building of Zion together as a home for all). and that i believe Christ calls us to do it.

i am still rather new to the Book of Mormon, and i was selected specifically because i do ecumenical work, especially with other latter day saint sects, to build bridges to understanding, not be so cloistered, and ease contentions and not (sometimes literally) attack each other.

wdyt? appreciate any feedback. mostly lefty congregation, but other sects can be a touchy subject if the schism is too close to home.

though it is important to talk about it anyway, i think.

[jjr1971]

Argument with an older white atheist on Facebook.

Apologies for this tangent away from cool anime discussion but if you've followed this Tumblr long enough you know I do sometimes dive into US politics, etc. because besides being an anime fan I'm also a news junkie, a librarian, and also an unabashed lefty. I'm also a secular humanist and an atheist and moreover lean towards anti-theism, e.g. the philosophical view that in the main religion does more harm than good in society. That said, I'm not always in agreement with some of my fellow atheists, especially other older white guys (and especially those of a more libertarian-ish bent of which there are far too goddamn many online ready to mansplain themselves to anyone in virtual earshot and who look at a civil servant like me as some kind of wannabe Jack Booted Government Thug {JBGT (tm) } . Anyway, I'm Facebook friends with one of these old codgers who uses an alias on Facebook and I think his main online identity is that of the "Atheist Camel", and he was having a moral panic attack over the singing of the so-called "Black National Anthem" and going right into a slippery slope argument (an assertion without evidence) of "oh god what next, the Jewish National Anthem? The Chicano National Anthem? The AAPI National Anthem?" Meanwhile I'm like DUDE....back the fuck up and calm down. The name of the song is "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and is a hymn with lyrics by James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) and set to music by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson (1873–1954). Written from the context of African Americans in the late 19th century, the hymn is a prayer of thanksgiving as well as a prayer for faithfulness and freedom, with imagery that evokes the biblical Exodus from slavery to the freedom of the "promised land." {per Wikipedia} {also per Wikipedia} After its first recitation in 1900, "Lift Every Voice and Sing" was communally sung within Black communities, while the NAACP began to promote the hymn as a "Negro national anthem" in 1917 (with the term "Black national anthem" similarly used in the present day) AND: {per Wikipedia} The use of the term "the Black national anthem" in reference to "Lift Every Voice and Sing" has been criticized. Timothy Askew, an associate professor at the historically Black Clark Atlanta University, argued that the use of the term "Black national anthem" could incorrectly implicate a desire of separatism by Black communities, that the lyrics of the hymn do not overtly refer to any specific race (which has inspired people to perform it outside African American communities), and "identity should be developed by the individual himself, not by a group of people who think they know what is best for you."[11] Some Conservative commentators have similarly criticized performances and references to "Lift Every Voice and Sing" as the "Black national anthem" as separatist and diminishing to "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the national anthem of the United States.[12][13]

SIDEBAR: Francis Scott Key owned slaves and his own views on the institution of slavery were nuanced but he ultimately wound up opposing abolition and felt black slaves should be returned to Africa instead. {again per Wikipedia} In response to Askew's remarks, the NAACP's then-senior vice president of advocacy and policy Hilary O. Shelton told CNN that the hymn "was adopted and welcomed by a very interracial group, and it speaks of hope in being full first-class citizens in our society", used in conjunction with the U.S. national anthem or the Pledge of Allegiance during public events, "It is evident in our actions as an organization and here in America it is evidence that we are about inclusion, not exclusion. To claim that we as African-Americans want to form a confederation or separate ourselves from white people because of one song is baffling to me."[11] I posted a link to this full article referenced above on Atheist Camel's Facebook post's comment section and told him to go read it before going off half-cocked like that. He berated me as an idiot with nothing useful to say. I replied that if he refused to actually read the article and have a rational discussion then I had to reluctantly agree (that I had nothing useful to say). He didn't care about truth, he cared about being mad and being "right", in his own mind. He got defensive and said he wasn't a right-winger or a FOX News Viewer...which immediately brought this little scene to my mind as a reply.... You will be. YOU WILL BE.

[griffintail]

Could you do the dream smp (separately) realizing that their child is just really smart? It could be like they're a prodigy in a particular subject or they're just really smart in general. Can you also include these characters: (and any more you want to add) Wilbur, Dream, Tommy, Eret, Techno, and Ranboo. Ty in advance if you decide to do this!

Smartest in the Room

Pairings: Parental! Wilbur, Dream, Tommy, Eret, Technoblade, and Ranboo x F! Child! Reader

Warnings: None :)

A/N: (F/L) means the first letter of your first name.

---------------------------

Eret

(Y/N) was young when she started studying the politics of the SMP and L'Manberg.

Naturally, she picked up on it with ease and rather mature with issues that arose.

Eret was very proud of her when she asked to sit and listen to the meetings to understand them even better.

There had even been a few times that (Y/N) could hold her own in a debate despite being ten years old.

"That does not justify your acts in this courtroom!" (Y/N) argued with Big Law, Eret sweating slightly as he had taken her to a case going on today for broken laws in L'Manberg.

"It does I'm a lawyer! You shouldn't even be here!"

"Name a law I don't know!" (Y/N) challenged.

---

"Yes, he did take your things first." (Y/N) stuck out her tongue slightly trying to balance in heels, Tommy crossing his arms as he watched her. "But you stealing in a return is still a wrong action and punishable. It will simply mean nobody wins."

Eret was very proud to see his little girl prosper and knew she'd only excel further when he came into her room to find her writing in a book.

"What are you doing princess?"

She looked up and smiled, showing him the book. "My policies when I can finally run for president."

Yeah, he was very proud of his kid. He wouldn't be surprised when she finally would manage to become president of L'Manberg.

---------------------------

Dream

(Y/N) was all-around smart and Dream knew it every day.

She could come up with excellent tactics and be quick to change them if need be when she played Manhunt with Dream, Sapnap, and George.

She could read some pretty advanced books and understand them with little difficulty.

She also learned how to be a pretty good liar with the help of her friends but Dream didn't know that one.

She learned a lot of different things and worked to master them every day.

Though, the thing she took the most pride in was her swordsmanship. She wanted to be just her father.

George screamed as he fell and (Y/N) pointed her sword tip to his neck, taking quick breaths. Sapnap laughed at George as (Y/N) grinned taking the sword away and helping George up. As she did, she looked up at the sound of clapping, grinning wider as she saw Dream, home early.

"You're pretty good, sweetheart. Why don't we go against each other?" Dream offered to her.

Dream was very proud to see her hold her own for a while against him and knew she'd one day become the master.

---------------------------

Ranboo

It was a surprise to Ranboo when (Y/N) excelled in reading and writing.

She could read rather fast and could comprehend what she just read.

Her calligraphy was also rather elegant for someone so young as she often wanted to write down what happened, just like Ranboo.

"You don't need to write everything down little enderman. You remember everything." Ranboo told her as they were sitting and she was writing in her own journal.

"I know, but I want my own memory book to make sure I never forget, just like you." (Y/N) smiled and Ranbo smiled as well, gently ruffling her hair.

Ranboo didn't know about her excellent reading until Phil called him over to Techno's where Phil was currently babysitting her.

"So, Techno gave her a book." Phil started off and Ranboo nodded, frowning slightly confused.

What was so bad about a book?

"...It was the Art of War and she read all of it and Techno quizzed her on it and she got every question correct."

"WHAT?!" Ranboo exclaimed.

"Techno's making her read Greek myths now."

"Techno!" Ranboo went to go talk to the other man.

Techno had another friend at least.

---------------------------

Technoblade

Many thought that Techno's child would be the most skilled swordsman in the land.

And they'd be correct but she didn't show it off. Instead, she became just as knowledgeable as her father, with his help.

She knew just as much about things from Greek myths to The Art of War as Technoblade.

Tommy would make fun of her for being a nerd occasionally but would quickly take it back when Techno would glare over her head at him.

She wasn't as much of a fighter like Techno, even though she was practically a master at most weapons other than axes but Techno was fine to encourage her with her smarts instead.

"Why doesn't she fight? She's a Blade! You call her little blade!" Tommy questioned his brother as (Y/N) was across the room reading next to Steve.

"She doesn't need to, I got that covered," Techno told him.

---------------------------

Tommy

A lot of people are quick to dismiss (Y/N) to be just like Tommy but people underestimate both of them.

She was rather well-rounded. With the help of her father, Tubbo, and Wilbur, she was rather smart and a pretty damn good fighter.

It tended to frustrate Tommy that many people would simply brush off her smarts and he would furiously call them back.

"Hey, shithead! Listen to what my amazing kid has to say!" He called to Fundy and (Y/N) grinned.

Tommy was very proud of her and also tended to show off her smarts to others. Though she tended to act just like Tommy.

She kept what she could really do away until she actually needed to do it.

"How the hell do we do this puzzle?" Tubbo motioned to the floor in front of them as Tommy and (Y/N) were exploring temples with him.

"That's easy, like this." (Y/N) simply walked over and completed the puzzle, like it was nothing. "Done!"

"Good job little (F/L)!" Tommy grinned.

---------------------------

Wilbur

Wilbur taught (Y/N) all about music from the moment she could start remembering. He took great pride in it.

He was very delighted when she started to pick up on things and gladly taught her more when she showed actual interest in it.

He taught her to play guitar and piano and even helped her practice her vocals. She picked up on all of it so quick and he was so delighted to share his art with her.

She wasn't a master yet, but Wilbur knew his little star would be one, one day.

Wilbur hummed as he strummed his guitar, staring at his journal with lyrics inside. What could the second verse be?

"Are we playing today?" (Y/N) peeked in.

Wilbur smiled. "We can be if you want. I'm working on a new song, like to hear it?"

She nodded eagerly as she sat in front of him. He strummed before singing for her.

"I heard there was a special place, where men could go emancipate. The brutality and tyranny of their rulers. Well, this place is real you needn’t fret, with Wilbur, Tommy, Tubbo, (Y/N), fuck Eret. It's a very big and not blown up L’Manberg. My L'Manberg. My L'Manberg. My L'Manberg. My L'Manberg."

(Y/N) grinned widely as Wilbur sang before he stopped and looked at her.

"Sound good?" He asked.

"Wonderful! Is there more?"

"I need to write more little star." He chuckled. "I'm having trouble thinking up a second verse."

"Well, it's about L'Manberg, right? What...what about, for freedom and for liberty, our nation sought to build on these." She sang the words similar to how he had been singing earlier.

He grinned brightly. "I love it."

His little star was most certainly going to be talented.

[ask-the-eu6]

Had anyone tried to use a kitchen to explain the EU? As this video: https://youtu.be/3otSYJiIKGc

Germany: Yeah while a bit simplified and silly, the comparison with a food kitchen works quite well.

Belgium: Indeed, the only time we used it though was for a certain friend of ours across the Atlantic...

Flashback...

America: So if I get it correctly, you aren't one restaurant but you guys are also not 27 separate restaurants anymore?

Germany: That is correct.

America: Okay, now I get while England went away. Obviously he can't cook...

Luxembourg: Uhm... true but what? how is this relev-

America: I still have questions though, like... Where is the food?

Germany: What food?

America: You know... The food? Restaurants... they have food no?

*Realisation hits the EU6 members*

Belgium: Mijn god!

France: Amerique... mon petit chou *sigh* /literally: My little cabbage. Figurativey: my dear (paternal)/...

America: Cabbage?! is that all?!

France: Non, that's not what I meant... *grimaces*

America: Then what?

Romano: Oh my god, this guy cannot be serious, he's worse than my brother.

Italy: Hey! :(

America: Hey! :/

Netherlands: Yeah, yeah, America it is a bit complicated, but give me 20€.. *coughs* I mean 30$ and I'll give you some food from our restaurants. :)

America: Great! That's my man! Here's the money, show me the way! I'm starving! Germany just kept talking and talking about restaurants... *America and the Netherlands walk away*

Belgium: Un-fucking-believable... I am in shock.

Romano: France, no offence but... no wait, full offence. You raised a fucking idiot.

France: Oh eh! I barely raised him, it's not me you should blame...

Luxembourg: You do realise you're not helping your case..... right?

Italy: Next time we should try and explain it with different kinds of pastaaa! :D

Romano: Fratello, I swear to go-

Germany: No wait, Italy go on, you might actually be onto something...

End Flashback...

Belgium: *sigh...* Anyway! Looking back it now it's kinda funny ahaha! Thank you for your ask, and the video!

tiny Mun note below:

EU expert mun talking, I liked the video! It's a simple analogy to explain the European union. While sometimes a bit oversimplified and silly... it is better than nothing! :)

Obviously the reference used for this picture is the G7 meeting:

Anyway I'm glad to finally include America once.

Sorry if he comes over as too dumb but regarding EU affairs or how the European Union works Americans in general seem to be very ignorant and this includes policy advisors in the white house :D They could all do with watching your video.

*gasp* But how Eurocentric of me to expect them to know the basics of the biggest economic bloc in the world yadi da~ jk jk this isn't that serious alright! ;)

Hey, at least we made a reference to Lousiana with him being able to understand French! That's nice no?

Anyway thank you again for your ask!

[ignitification]

What the Future Holds

“It is the temptation of war to punish; it is the task of policy to construct.” (Henry Kissinger). 

There has been a lot of debate around what is going to happen after (the heroes win? AfO is defeated? The Villains are saved? - are all valid hypothesis), right at the end of BNHA. Long ago, though, someone asked - what would be the reaction of the civilians at large when this all goes down? We know for a fact that while, more or less, our protagonists are in the loop of what exactly went down with the villains (or at least that they have not had a lot of positive experiences and possibilities to grow up as good as them), the civilians know close to nothing (apart from Touya’s broadcast, which in hindsight should be at least enough to make space way for the possibility of civilians understanding the woes of the villains and trying to accept the change which this ending will brings, and yet) when it comes to this matter. Will they be able to accept ‘a hero’ saving ‘a villain’? Will the change in society, the abolishment of a Quirk Society in general and the aftermath of the war (likely the cancellation of the hero rankings, and just the demotion of the title hero as profession) be accepted eventually?

While these are question to which I would like to answer ‘It depends’, I’d say that it might be the case, but the change will be slow, gradual and likely painful. Let’s take the example of Heteromorph Quirks, which, so many years after the discovery and establishment of quirks, are still looked down upon. This highlights the struggle with which this society adapts, and that it adapts to only certain parts of the society (which are usually the pretty parts, while the ugly ones are or ignored or just thoroughly refused to look at). It is the same principle we see in not only the narrative of Lady Nagant (and the rose-colored glasses with which civilians see society and pro-heroes), and the villains themselves (as their Quirks made them unfit for the general public to be displayed or used) but also in the same narrative which Izuku carries - he struggles to accept himself as someone who is Quirkless, and takes his chances to inherit All Might’s power, a little because of his dreams and more because that way he can also be part of that same society who treated him like shoe’s dirt before he gained ‘power’ and a standing as a UA student with a Quirk fit to be a hero.

We can see and take a little bit from what is probably going to be the reaction to the ending, both by seeing the reaction we have to Dabi’s broadcast, the press conference of the Top 3 and Izuku going rogue and looking villainy, as well as the public’s reaction to him coming back to UA.

Being likely familiar with these scenario, it definitely does not hit as a positive-filled situation, but rather the outage of the small mindedness and the expectancy of a perfect world division in villains and heroes by the civilians. Yes, it is the famous panel of the dichotomy of heroes and villains and look who already did foresee this so long ago: a villain, which is hilarious in itself but also pretty logical if you think about it.

The thing is, that as told millions times before the core problem of this society is that it does not understand nuance (and so doesn’t this fandom, for that matter): everything should be white or black, good or bad, hero or villain. But in reality, this dichotomy falls short of understanding what is hidden behind the curtain: the ugly truth of the fact that sometimes there is no good or bad, and that maybe sometimes the good is not as good and bad is not as bad. And as said million times before again, this stems from the fact that a. society has been kept in the dark from the deeds that the HPSC has done all these years, therefore conditioning and manipulating society into believing that a distinction exists; and b. it is rather easier to separate the good and the bad guys by a simple principles like a working label and to stick to it, even in front of rather compelling evidence. In the end, it is clear that the public has trust issues at their finest, but it then shows what a shaky base these society has been built on: a rather fine balance, which has been topped over once the castle of cards has been knocked down. 

It is in the hands of the new generation then, to attempt and change how thing have been so far. Retributive justice, just like in the quote above, is always tempting - and it is no brainer that it will be likely very hard for the civilian to accept whatever is thrown at them in the end, which does not involve the imprisonment and therefore the punishment of the villains. But at the same time, it is also true, that slowly but steadily things are staring to look up: we have Shouto who wants to save his brother, and Izuku who instead is trying to understand the villains and why they become such, stemming from his will to understand and help Shigaraki. After all, their main power is to change things up: a change which, hilariously, can be seen concretely by Bakugou’s words in chapter 323. Bakugou, who is a byproduct of that same society, is admitting his faults and the fact that it happens at this moment is likely a foreshadow for a major scale change: after all, the entire society owes an apology to the villains, big time. It is not a case then, that the narrative is putting everything to its places and showing us the before, and the tough process of change and the consequences of it. In this scenario, Izuku, Shouto, Bakugou, Ochako and generally the UA kids play the role of policymakers: they are looking in the future, trying to get an overview of the situation which they know as true and the one the villains consider as true and then trying to do ‘the right thing’: unfortunately, there is never a right thing when it comes to these matters, and no shoe-fits-all solution. It will therefore be interesting how exactly things will play out and whether society (in a not so distant future) might accept the fact that the villains can be victims, and in search for the satisfaction of that same retributive justice they are trying to enforce on them. In my opinion, the effort made by the young generation in this matter will be crucial: some people will refuse to accept such a thing (blaming the villains for everything that went wrong since day 1), other will struggle with accepting it and likely will remain neutral (which, in hindsight, is even worse as it is somehow similar to the civilians that thoroughly ignored Tenko when we was clocharding of the streets) and the who begrudgingly might accept the fact that exactly like Dabi said, pro-heroes are not always heroes in private too and they have as much harm potential as villains, it just does not get publicly displayed. And maybe, slowly, society will come to the consensus that while not always the case, offering a hand to those who struggle, might save a life - and why not, maybe at one point they will stop classifying people as ‘heroes and villains’, and instead accept themselves as humans altogether. But such is the human struggle: lost in the will to put a label on things, and forgetting that unlike labels, humans have the infinite capacity to grow, expand and change.

[sketching-shark]

LMK fandom: Oh, what do we do about this guy who has nothing but hurt Xiaotian, tried to replace Sun Wukong and his crew, hurt Tripitaka and ordered servants to cannibalize a monkey? Oh I know! We’ll turn him into our little meow meow~ he’s so innocent and Sun Wukong is obviously the villain!

What doesn’t help is this idea is perpetuated by multiple fan fic writers and artists for some reason. Especially some aus they make that turn SWK into a bastard for the sake of the story rather than considering cultural context and thinking they should be respectful.

And almost everyone lets them get away with it just because the art or fanfic is good and they get so popular that no one can point what is actually wrong without feeling like they’re going to get attacked.

I'm starting to feel like my blog is the one anons go to specifically to vent their frustrations about the Six Eared Macaque in his lego monkey show form & the associated fandom lmao. But I guess this makes sense, as I’ve had fun quasi-dragging him before & will in fact use this anon submission as an opportunity to have my own, to put it academically, bitch fest about not just this fandom's favorite protagonist-traumatizing meow meow, but about the way villains are often treated in not just fanon, but increasingly in canon works as well. But same policy as with the last anon; I'll post my opinions below the cut, and as fandoms love to say, don’t like don't read if you don't want to see me dunking on the six eared simian & common fandom tendencies towards villains.

Oh man I would say where would you even begin with this but anon you’ve pretty much started yourself with my main gripe with a lot of ways that the Six-Eared Macaque is portrayed in fandom; there seems to be this unspoken agreement that his acts of violence towards Sun Wukong, Qi Xioatian, and Qi Xioatian’s loved ones are either to be framed as somewhat or totally justified, to be immediately forgiven/excused, or to simply & completely be ignored. Like friends maybe this is just me not seeing the proper posts but while the fandom is inundated with art and fanfics of Macaque as a generally decent individual & a true member of team good guy, I have yet to see one person address the fact that this monkey literally kidnapped & mind-controlled Xiaotian’s best friend and father figures & forced them to brutalize Xiaotian while ol’ Six Ear looked on and laughed (X_X). Like this kind of fandom villain treatment is definitely not something that’s solely at work for Monkie Kid, but it is kind of nutty how fandoms will swing between yelling that people should be allowed to like villains without even mild critique, and then will just flat-out not address the villainous behavior, and will even bend over backwards to frame even characters who committed genocide as just poor innocent widdle victims who need a hug. At its worst, I’ve even seen tons of people in a fandom get really angry at other people who don’t like a villain, and will even start accusing those people of hating real-life mentally disabled or abused individuals all because they don’t like the fandom’s favorite literal war criminal. The Monkie Kid fandom is FAR more chill & better than a lot of other fandoms I’ve come across in that regard, but that is an exceedingly low bar, & the tendency to woobify certain kinds of villains-- as with Macaque and the extreme emphasis on his bad boy/sad boy thing--is very much at work.  

 I’ve also talked before about a kind of monoculturalization of certain character interpretations and story beats in fandoms, and one of the more popular ones that seems to be applied to Macaque a lot is the “hero actually bad, villain actually good” cliche, as observable from the general fandom assumption that Mr. Six-Ears he wasn’t even slightly lying or remembering things through a rose-tinted or skewed lens when he gave his version of his and Sun Wukong’s past. Like at this point it seems the possibility that people WILL NOT even consider is that Sun Wukong never did & still doesn't care that much about the Six Eared Macaque (in JTTW they weren’t sworn brothers & in Monkie Kid the only thing the monkey king really said to Macaque before attacking him was a pretty contemptuous "Aren't you ever going to get sick of living under my shadow?," & responds to his "beloved friend" getting blown up with "You did good, bud" to Qi Xiaotian, who did the exploding), or that their original fight may in fact have mostly been instigated by Macaque. After all, to repeat what this anon summarized & what I've said before about their original JTTW context (& in an example of the things that do feel like it's often lost in translation) is that the Six Ear Macaque was a villain not just because he beat up the Tang Monk, but because he wanted to take over Sun Wukong's entire life and identity so he could have all that glory, prestige, and power for himself. To quote the macaque himself from the Anthony C. Yu translation, "I struck the T'ang monk and I took the luggage...precisely because I want to go to the West all by myself to ask Buddha for the scriptures. When I deliver them to the Land of the East, it will be my success and no one else's. Those people of the South Jambudvipa Continent will honor me then as their patriarch and my fame will last for all posterity." And in order to do this, the Six Eared Macaque had apparently made Sun Wukong's "little ones," his monkey family, his captives through either trickery or force, and gotten a number of them to take on the appearance of Tang Sanzang and the other pilgrims. It's also made clear that in very direct contrast to Sun Wukong, he doesn't care about these monkeys beyond how they might serve him. In fact, after Sha Wujing kills the monkey posing as him the Six Eared Macaque not only all but immediately replaces him with another, but also "told his little ones to have the dead monkey skinned. Then his meat was taken to be fried and served as food along with coconut and grape wines." So this monkey is not only willing to risk the lives of a lot of other monkeys for his own personal benefit, but is also a literal cannibal. And yes yes, I know a lot of people have argued that Monkie Kid shouldn't be considered a direct sequel to JTTW & that's fair enough (for example, Sun Wukong probably shouldn't be smashing anyone into a meat patty in a children's cartoon lol). And of course, it needs to be noted that there are a buttload of really out there & really cursed pieces of media based on JTTW & that were created in China. Yet the above description is the oft-ignored in the west original facet of the Six Eared Macaque's character. And it is this selfishness, entitlement, and treatment of other individuals as tools for his own self-serving ends  that is, from where I’m standing, still very much present in Monkie Kid. Like besides repeatedly going out of his way to physically and psychologically traumatize Xioatian, with the last episode Macaque seemed to be going right back to his manipulative ways. I’ve seen people frame their last conversation as Macaque softening to Xioatian a little bit, but personally that read a lot more like that common tactic among abusers where even after they’ve hurt you they’ll dangle something you want or need over your head (in Macaque’s case, the promise of desperately needed training and information about a serious looming threat), with the implication that you’ll only get it if you do what they want you to, such as, in this case, Xioatian going back to Macaque as his student even after having been so terribly hurt by this monkey, which would give Macaque power over Xiaotian and probably Sun Wukong as a result. And it is this violence and manipulation that it seems the fandom at large has tacitly decided shouldn’t even be addressed, instead leaning more towards a (and this is an exaggeration) “Six-Eared Macaque my poor meow meow Sun Wukong has always been bad & has always been wrong about literally everything” reading. 

And while it is the case that I am not Chinese and feel that as such it would be best left to someone who actually comes from that background to provide more context into how common interpretations of the Six Eared Macaque from China may clash really badly with the stuff the western fandom creates, it also must be noted that, as much as we all want to have fun in fandom & in spite of all the out-there versions of JTTW from China, we westerners should recognize that there is a very long and very ugly history of western countries stripping other cultures’ important religious and literary works for parts & mashing them into their own thing while implying or even insisting that what they present provides a true understanding of the original piece. And while I trust most individuals in regards to Monkie Kid are able to step back and think “this is a lego cartoon and not a set guide for how I should understand JTTW” (especially given the insistence that JTTW and Monkie Kid should be considered there own separate works) there does nevertheless seem to be something of a tendency to take the conclusions people come to, for example, about Sun Wukong’s characteristic in his lego form & then assume that’s just reflective to Sun Wukong as a totality. I imagine a good portion of this is due to people not reading JTTW & especially to not having easy access to solid information or answers about JTTW’s many different facets (like geez awhile ago I was trying to get a clear answer on what is considered the most accurate translation of the names of Sun Wukong’s six sworn brothers & got like 5 different responses lmao), but that tendency to take a western fandom interpretation & run with it instead of doing any background research or questioning said interpretation is still very much at play. As such, & as made prominent in the way people have been interpreting the dynamic between Sun Wukong and the Six Eared Macaque in the lego monkey show, tbh it does seem kind of shitty for western creators & audience to sometimes go really out of their way to ignore all of this original cultural & narrative context for the sake of Angst (TM) in Macaque's favor, demonizing Sun Wukong, and shipping the monkey king with his evil twin (X_X).

And speaking of which, even beyond the potential inherent creepiness & revulsion that can be inspired by this specific ship given common interpretations of the og classic's original meaning (again, it's my understanding, given both summaries of translated Chinese academic texts I've been kindly provided with, my own reading of the Anthony C. Yu translation of JTTW, & vents from a number of Chinese people I've seen on this site, that the Six-Eared Macaque is commonly interpreted in China as having originated from Sun Wukong himself as a living embodiment of his worst traits, hence why only Buddha can tell the difference between them & why the monkey king is much more slow to violence after he kills the macaque), I'd argue that in the face of all the uwu poor widdle meow meow portrayals lego show Macaque is, especially if you include JTTW's events, still in the role of “Sun Wukong but worse” as he is very much a violent & selfish creep. Like he was basically running around in JTTW wearing a Sun Wukong fursuit, but there he had the sole reason of wanting to replace Sun Wukong wholesale so he could have all the good things in the monkey king's life without actually having to work as hard for them. But if you combine that with Macaque now claiming that he used to be best friend with Sun Wukong in his pre-journey days (something that's made funny from a JTTW context given that that status actually belongs to the Demon Bull King lol), his original violence has now blown into this centuries long and really unhealthy obsession with the monkey king. Like he's apparently gone from wanting to literally be Sun Wukong to being so obsessed with getting revenge on Sun Wukong that he's got basically nothing else going on in his life. Like he's only appeared in two episodes but...does he have any friends? Any family? A career or even a hobby that DOESN'T center the monkey king? Anything at all outside of his "get revenge on and/or kill Sun Wukong/use his successor as my personal punching bag” thing? Like dude! That is extremely creepy and extremely bad for everyone all around! As I’ve said before, this seeming refusal to see beyond the past or to do something that doesn’t involve Sun Wukong in some capacity is a trait that makes Macaque an interesting and somewhat tragic villain--he even seems to be working as Sun Wukong’s reflection in a mirror darkly, with lego show Sun Wukong pretty clearly not being able to heal from his own past which is hinted to be defined by one loss after another, and with Monkie Kid even kind of having these two characters somewhat follow their JTTW characterizations in that in the latter half of the journey Sun Wukong often gets sad & starts crying in the face of what seems insurmountable odds (& Monkie Kid Sun Wukong does seem to be hiding some serious depression behind a cheerful facade), whereas the Six-Eared Macaque retains a worse version of Sun Wukong’s pre-journey characteristic of getting pissed and lashing out if things don’t go his way--but it’s also what would make any current friendship or romantic relationship between these monkeys horrific. Although to be fair even the fandom seems to recognize this in an unconscious way, in that a lot of the art & fanfic seems to swing erratically between them kissing & screaming at each other in yet another example of bog-standard fandom adulation of romanticized toxic relationships lol.  

At the end of the day, of course, this is nothing new. You'll find versions of this dynamic across a ton of fandoms and now even canonical work. And as such, I can only look at this kind of popularized relationship dynamic with a kind of resigned weariness whenever it pops up, & my frustrated question with the popularity of this kind of pairing is the exact same one that I have for a multitude of blatantly toxic villain/hero ships, given common fandom discourse & the tendency to either ignore or justify the villain's actions & demonize the hero: if you're THAT convinced that everything is the hero's fault, if you believe THAT much that the hero is the one in the wrong for the villain's pain and their subsequent actions, then why are you so set on them not only becoming a romantic pair, but framing this get-together as a good thing? Like I know we contain multitudes but that's waaay too many contradictions for me to wrap my head around. And it definitely doesn’t help that one branch of underlying reasoning behind this kind of pairing seems to be the ever-present “you break it, you fix it” mentality, where the assumption is that if you’re in a failing, abusive, and/or generally toxic relationship (platonically or romantically), if you put in enough time and effort & attempts to compromise, you’ll be able to restore/have the relationship you dreamed of, even with someone who hurt you really badly. And this assumption isn’t limited to fandom: I’d even argue that it’s everywhere in the culture, hence why a lot of people feel like they “failed” if they have to get a divorce or make the choice to leave an unhealthy friendship. Personally, I feel like people could really benefit from more stories about how it is not only the case that the people you hurt don’t owe you their forgiveness & you can still become a better and happier person without the one you hurt in your life, & that while it can be really hard it can also be a good thing to leave a relationship, even if it’s one that once meant a lot to you. 

  But in all honestly, from my own perspective this kind of pairing is starting to read far less like enemies to lovers and far more like a horrible fantasy where you can pull whatever shit you want, even on the people you "love," & never be held accountable for your terrible behavior or even have to consider that maybe you were in the wrong. It's another facet that makes me larf every time I see people insist that fandom is an inherently "transformative" or "progressive" form of storytelling like friends you are literally just taking status quo toxic monogamy & rebranding it as somehow beneficial & romantic (X_X).

But as to anon’s last frustration, it is hard to know what is the appropriate response with this kind of thing...like for my own part I’m keeping my frustrations to my blog & now increasingly to posts that you would have to click on the “read more” button to see what I have to say, but I totally get the hesitation to give even a mild critique to big names in a fandom. Like I've now seen it happen repeatedly where someone who has a big name in a fandom will make something that's kind of shitty for one reason or another, someone will message them with some version of "hey, that's kind of shitty, you shouldn't do that," and the typical response is either to blatantly ignore the issue completely, or more popularly to make a giant crying circus that seems deliberately geared towards stoking emotions on both sides of the, for example, fiction does/doesn't affect reality issue so that something that didn't even have to be that big a deal gets blown out of all proportion, with the big name often framing what often started out as a very mild critique into a long crying jag about how the initial response to their kind of shitty thing was so mean/cruel and they're just a poor innocent & that YOU'RE the true racist/sexist/bigot etc. if you don't agree with their opinion. It must of course be noted that there have also been numerous instances of people taking it too far the other way & sending not just big names but smaller creators literal deaths threats over stuff like innocuous ships which like holy hell bells people that’s a horrible thing to do. But for the big names at least, the end result of all this fighting is usually that once the dust has settled they have more attention/fame/money/power in the fandom than before, and with anyone who might have a problem with their stuff feeling afraid to voice their opinion lest they be swarmed by that person's fans. In that way fandom does often seem to increasingly be geared towards presenting an “official” fandom perspective about various facets of a piece of media instead of allowing for a multitude of interpretations, and with criticism, no matter its shape or form or how genuinely warranted it may be, being hounded out of existence. I feel like a lot of this could be made less bad if there wasn’t this constant assumption & even drive to think that a different interpretation of or criticism of your favorite work of fiction or your fanwork isn’t a direct claim that you are a thoroughly loathsome individual (& maybe also if people cultivated an enjoyment of learning things about important works from a culture outside their own, even if what you learn clashes with your own initial understandings), but I guess we’ll see if that ever happens. 

So these are my general thinks about the Six Eared Macaque’s current fandom meow meow status & some of my bigger gripes with fandom tendencies as a whole. I stand by my idea that the most interesting & beneficial route for Macaque moving forward would be a kind of “redemption without forgiveness from the ones you hurt” arc--as I think was done pretty excellently with the character Grace in Infinity Train--and if for no other reason than gosh dern this monkey really needs to cultivate some sort of identity beyond his “Sun Wukong but worse” persona.