#having empathy for other people and not constantly thinking about yourself

[taraljc]

Frustrated, angry, horrified, and unsure of how to proceed after learning a favourite author is not who you think they were?

You are not without means to help! Fandom gave Neil Gaiman the celebrity that he then weaponised against vulnerable people. We gave it to him; we can help take it away.

THINGS WE CAN DO AS INDIVIDUALS

Repost articles and transcripts as they appear in the trades and the mainstream press, and tag them with the appropriate trigger warnings and content warnings.

Keep amplifying the voices of the survivors, and showing up with compassion and empathy and support for the untold numbers who have yet to come forward.

Keep talking about the allegations of abuse and sexual assault levelled at Neil Gaiman. Do not let it fade into the background, or be drowned out by vigorous promotion of his upcoming works. Boost the signal, particularly to raise awareness across fandoms so fans can do their best to protect themselves from potential abuse in the future.

Make donations to RAINN and The Survivors Trust, and find out what you can do on a local level to support survivors of sexual assault and abuse.

Do not tag fan works such as fanfic, fan art, quotes, gifsets, and meta discussions about Gaiman's work or live-action adaptations of Gaiman's work with #Neil Gaiman so that you are not doing the expensive PR team's work for them by helping to bury the story of Neil Gaiman's abuse of vulnerable women on social media.

Do not bully Neil Gaiman's peers in the industry, friends and family, or actors currently involved in live action adaptations of his work for not immediately making any kind of public statements.

Do not bully fellow fans. Everyone is working through their very complex feelings and relationships with both the text and the man at their own speed. Please give them the space to grieve that loss, but continue to center the stories of the survivors and express sympathy and empathy for all of the survivors who have yet to come forward.

As others have noted, The Tortoise Media Slow News podcast that initially broke the story is run by a group of well-respected journalists, and Ms Johnson is not a full-time member of the staff but was only given a shared byline on the story because one of the survivors contacted her privately which is what kicked off the year long investigation.

Filter out noise such as kink-shaming, anti-BDSM discourse, and other editorial comments and instead focus on the actual words of survivors recounting their experiences.

Remember that despite using the language of BDSM, what the survivors have recounted is in fact examples of coercive control and abuse cloaked in the language of kink. It's very important to note that BDSM nearly always includes extensive negotiation of consent to specific acts and partners check in with one another constantly, establish safe words, and engage in aftercare. That is absolutely not what was described by the survivors thus far.

Sexual assault is not about sex so much as it is about power. In every instance reported thus far, the common thread has been predatory behaviour toward vulnerable women. In more than one case, women who were employed in Neil Gaiman's households and were reliant on him for their housing and livelihood.

Do not guilt trip or shame people who are attempting to separate the art from the artist. allow people to love what they love about the novels, comics, and media adaptations, value the friendships that they have made because of them, and keep the joy that those projects brought them. Do not let Neil Gaiman's behaviour rob generations of fans of the stories that meant so much to them. he has already taken so much from so many; don't help him take more from yourself or others then he already has.

Do not invite him as a guest speaker to your events, a guest of honour at your conventions, or a guest lecturer at your institutions. without jeopardizing the financial future of your institution or theater, do not book speaking tours, book signings, launch parties, etc. as these events have proved to be a fertile hunting ground and provide ongoing income directly to Neil Gaiman.

[meo-eiru]

I agree that ‘pure’ darling is better for Micah.

Being mentally ill in a religious setting, he must be constantly aware of how ‘wrong’ he is. Micah is trying his hardest to not let people know but here comes you who is a picture perfect of his religious group member. It could be your smile, your empathy, or your very humanly struggles that make you look ‘perfect’ and him ‘flawed’. You make his daily struggles a joke.

After that it could be something that you do, one wrong sentence that you said or maybe he has been disturbed by his attraction to you that makes keeping his facade everyday becomes hard, one day he flips. Micah stops trying to act as if you are invisible and finds ways to get rid of you.

Now here I would like to think that he indeed loves you so killing you or have other men assault you are out of question. He might also create excuses to not send you somewhere far away because he won’t admit that living without you is more painful than the torture you unknowingly put him through everyday. He needs to keep you by his side, but in a less blinding state. Less pure, more tainted.

So he soils you. He gaslightes you into keeping it to yourself. He tears apart your relationship and ruins your social life. He makes sure no places will take you, except him. Micah isolates you, makes you dependant on him… and he is such a good man for that! Because who else wants to take someone like you? Micah is not ‘flawed’ after all. You see, he takes care of you out of the kindness of his heart. He can feel compassion if it is towards you. Micah is most likely not inferior. As long as you are here.

While less ‘pure’ darling has an interesting chemistry with Micah, ‘pure’ darling gives us a great view of his character and explaining his attraction towards his darling.

Sorry if there is any typo or wrong grammar 🙏

Please keep Micah content coming, be it meme or nsfw… I’ll devour them all 😂

You get it!!

Yes Micah wouldn't kill you or make others harm you, he want's to soil you but he wants to do it himself, and he wants to do it with his love.

He's not the type who will force himself on you as soon as he realizes his feelings, they are very new to him after all and he wouldn't immediately know how to handle them. I think it would be a long process of him constantly watching you from afar, his eyes following you no matter where you are whether intentionally or not, and him taking notes of all of your weaknesses. He would get close to you, he would be kind to you, and he would make you believe he could help you. Slowly wrapping himself around you like a snake about to eat it's prey.

And while doing so I don't think he would be rude perse, he wouldn't degrade you much and his touch would have this kindness that almost makes what he's doing to you feel more disgusting. Because what he's doing is wrong, he knows it, you know it, but every movement of his hands are so gentle, so loving. The way he looks at you sometimes could bring you to tears.

But that doesn't change the things he has done to you, and never will. Which is what makes him fun

[eldritchcreatureofwords]

So, here's the thing. It's not just about control or appearances, about Blitz being a lying liar who lies about being a top.

Let's do an experiment for a moment. You are Blitz. You have just been through two really shitty days.

Your situationship / friends with benefits just dumped a crap ton of emotional shit on you, didn't give you even a second to process any of it, and then broke up with you when you didn't react the way he thought you should. Then proceeded to stonewall you when you try to talk the next day, go to a party that is explicitly and blatantly a bully party thrown by a bunch of people who hate you, enjoy himself at this party, and finally hook up with another guy.

A guy who hates you.

You have been told in no uncertain terms by two or more people that you are a piece of shit, told to give up on and let go of your ex situationship even though you think you might have feelings for him, and offered no support, compassion, or empathy whatsoever.

Being Blitz, you've never reached out for it because you don't think you deserve it. You feel you fully deserve everything that has ever happened to you for the past two days, because none of those people at that party could possibly hate you more than you hate yourself.

Your confidence is shattered. The one thing you have always been very good at besides killing people, which is fucking, has been mocked, degraded, and rejected.

The one way you know how to connect to people, show your love and affection for people, and prove your worth to people has been rejected by the person who ostensibly used to adore it.

Add to this that you are constantly exposed to two people who have the one thing you want more than anything, but don't think you deserve or should have. You are bitterly, viciously jealous of them and their love for each other, wanting to share in it but knowing it's not for you and that you don't deserve something like that anyway. You are drowning, floundering, and struggling, and you don't know where to turn or what to do.

Your opinion of yourself has rarely been lower. And so you try to bury yourself and work. You do your jobs, you try to pretend to be normal, you move on with your life and try to just exist as per usual as if none of this shit has happened.

And then on one job, quite possibly here first after the worst two nights in a while, you find yourself and your team in a life-threatening situation. You are unable to defend or protect them, and then your only way out, which has thus far cooperated flawlessly with you, stops working. And there is nothing you can do to make it work again.

As they watch, judging you, you flounder, fight, and struggle with it, having to admit that you don't really know what you're doing. And you can feel them. Watching. Judging. Wondering how you fucked this up.

Wondering how you're so God damn incompetent.

Wondering how you keep getting the most simple shit wrong.

So you get stressed and anxious. But of course, means that you fuck up even harder and it works even less well.

You start making simple mistakes at basic things like the alphabet, which is difficult anyway because reading and language is difficult for you. You can feel the judgment from them for that, too.

Why are you so stupid?

How was this hard?

And the questions start bouncing around in YOUR head, too.

Why are you locking up?

Why isn't this working?

This is not hard. This shouldn't be hard.

So why can't you do it?

Why can't you just be smarter?

Be more gentle?

Be stronger?

Be kinder?

Why can't you just do better?

Are you ever, ever, enough?

No wonder your father hated you. You're just a giant screw up.

Anytime it matters, you can't pull it off.

You've experianced this before, time and again.

And now, you're in the situation once more. Yet again, with eyes on you and people waiting for you to do the right thing to get results, you can't.

And then, as has always been in your life, someone who was better than you get tired of your floundering, steps in, and gets it done effortlessly.

Yeah, seeing something familiar here?

A common thread between Cash, and Blitz's life in the circus, and what just happened in Antarctica?

I don't know what's worse.

That Blitz was very likely full on triggered in the scene, having a panic attack on top of the emotional distress he was already in from what happened with Stolas, or that Moxxie and Millie didn't notice.

[yusiyomogi]

I wanted to ask you if there were any notable differences with Mithrun's dialogue in a few specific scenes, or anything of note when he says "Free yourself" to Thistle, the scene with Marcille where he says, "Do you have any idea how empty that will leave you", generally speaking, when he's trying to show care and compassion and empathy, like the therapy scene, and what he says to Marcille there about love, too. I guess I'm wondering if there's any difference with how they're displayed, because, for instance, I've seen people say that he's cruel to Thistle, and I see the ruthlessness easy, but I can also read the autistic sense of justice, which, although people laud this as a "good" thing, it can be really single-minded and actually pretty unconcerned with "right" or "wrong".

It sort of has a way, to me, as an autistic person, of mirroring Laios wanting Senshi to eat the griffin—to know and be free because that's the only way forward, just. Harsher.

Also, um. His interaction with Kabru, too! When he goes on to ask him what he wants to do, or really just that panel. Their interaction. And... um? When he says about Falin, "If she wants to, she will."

Anyway, besides that, it also screams "meltdown", on a further look. He's very restless and distressed and that seems clear. I think he's kind of trying to rush out the conclusion he wants, maybe mistakenly believing he's more cool-headed than he is, and people trust him, I think, because he seems capable, I see a lot of, "he just doesn't care", but he's not very tuned into his emotions, and I think not really caring about the consequences if he can get what he really wants. Some people see malice, but I think his care is genuine, though I sort of believe he's also wanting his conclusion to happen as fast as possible—trying to force it out, and really not as stable as he may seem.

People will say "He doesn't care at all", but then I feel like...? Why try, if you don't care? And I was wondering about that, I guess.

Sorry if this is a big ask. I have Thoughts™️.

if you're asking me about japanese version, i'm sorry to tell you that i'm not that good at it :D. the only noticeable difference i see from his usual way of talking is that mithrun puts a lot of emphasis in his speech when he's trying to persuade other dungeon lords (he ends almost every sentence with [だ], which is usually a sign on emotional speech). but it's already pretty obvious from the meaning of what he says. the one that looks interesting to me is this panel, his pleading face and the way he says [お前になわからないか] "don't you understand?" works so well, it feels like he's truly empathetic here.

when people say that he acted cruel and violent, i say: yeah, and that's the point! mithrun, while being in many ways a unique character, is also an example of very old and very very common character archetype: he's a desperate and angry broken person who wants revenge and literally destroys himself in the process. it's almost impossible to write a character like that without them being cruel or cold or uncaring to other people, would any kind of redemption and healing even be interesting to see if they were perfectly nice, well-adjusted person?

the only reason to even talk about this is to analyze the cycle of cruelty traumatized people often find themselves in. to see how horrible the impact truly is, because kui does a great job portraying this. mithrun didn't even start as a good person, he was already at a pretty bad place mentally before his trauma. and guess what, any form of mental illness and trauma doesn't usually make you a better person, even if it changes you. when you have no desires, it's already kinda difficult to have any love, patience or care for people. what kind of person anyone would be when they don't wanna have friends, to love, to be loved, to live, to do literally anything? while also being constantly dehumanized by everyone, even people who technically care about them? actually, we know, because it happens in real life all the time.

but here's a thing. surprisingly, mithrun tries to care. he tries to care about civilians, he doesn't even kill people who wanted to kill him (kabru did, for example. don't know why people forget about this, pretty easy comparison to make). he tries to care about his squad: he always does the most dangerous job himself. he tries to care about other dungeon lords, because he feels compassion towards them, so he always gives them a choice.

but i love that kui makes him stay true to his character: he's an asshole, he doesn't have desires anymore, he's depressed, but he tries to care... and he fails and gives up. all the time. and he ends up hurting people because he gave up. idk, i find it incredibly relatable. and i think it's kinda weird to "criticize" mithrun for that, he's just a character that we're clearly supposed to empathize with, and we all one day or another find ourselves in similarly dark place in life. and there's something hopeful in his story, he didn't ask to be loved, but people loved him anyway – and he learned to accept this love. doesn’t happen as often in real life, unfortunately.

[pearlprincess02]

cancer sun 8H, taurus moon 6H, sagittarius rising, cancer mercury 8H, leo venus 9H, virgo mars 10H

cancer sun: you express your ego through your emotions and feelings and for that reason feeling safe is one of the most important aspects of your life. you feel constantly overwhelmed by the threats of the world and the negative experiences of your past, using that as a justification to be suspicious of others. your higher self will allow you to feel vulnerable, taking down the barriers that you have created to withdraw yourself from others. a total trust will give you the strength that is required to overcome any obstacle and feel safe by accepting that there is a superior intelligence that controls everything and everyone in life.

sun in 8th house: can attract a chaotic life that pushes you into achieving transformations because that's how you grow and evolve, through the process of death and rebirth. you can't deal with superficiality and you crave deep connections with people, intimacy and to evolve with the person you love. creative. you may feel like the universe sends you messages so that you'll reach an awareness of some kind. you love experiencing new things and especially with yourself, you constantly look forward to changing your appearance and your spiritual or emotional views on the world. you feel a need for self-improvement. very secretive, you value privacy more than anything and you don't allow almost anyone to figure you out. you might be terrified of not finding people who want to connect with you as deeply as you want with them. tendency to isolate yourself emotionally, as in you might open up to others about superficial matters but when it comes to emotions, you're terrified of showing that part of yourself. you want to help others through their darkest times. 

taurus moon: their inner child might be somewhat subdued or they don’t express this part of themselves often. might be private when it comes to their emotions. they might mull over their emotions for a while, and they probably are really shaken by change. needs stability, routine, and dependability to feel safe and secure. very committed to whatever they set their sights on. they probably know what they need to feel safe since this is a fixed earth sign - this will probably not change often. they’re a good person to go to for advice. they have a calming, down to earth energy about them. very trustworthy.

moon in 6th house: routines and work give them comfort. this can be a workaholic placement. they need their career to be meaningful and to help others in some way. they want their home environment to be clean and clutter-free, or they have things arranged in a specific way. could base their worth on how useful they are to others in low states. their emotional state can affect their health easily and they can be very physically sensitive to their mood changes. could be very in-tune with their senses. mix of mental and emotional strength.

sagittarius rising: the planetary ruler of sagittarius being jupiter shows that you would sometimes be deemed as a lucky person, even if you might not feel lucky, to people who do not know you, they might think the world works truly for you. you being someone who is able to get whatever you want, this can attract jealousy from other people. with jupiter being the ruling planet of your first house, you are someone who might have something big about you? could be a body party or a personality trait.

cancer mercury: a cancer mercury indicates a very compassionate and intuitive approach to communication. your thoughts and ideas are deeply connected to your deep feelings and emotions, and you may use your communication to nurture and support others. you may have a deep empathy for others' feelings and a tendency to want to help others. you may be drawn to expressing your thoughts and ideas through poetic, sentimental, and creative language. you may be very understanding of others' pain and frustrations, and you may feel comfortable offering support to others.

mercury in 8th house: people with this placement are super intuitive, they are also good researchers! they transform through knowledge, communication, and through how they communicate with themselves. they also may inherit some money from their siblings, surprisingly. they can solve complex riddles, matters and basically anything complex. depending on the mercury sign, they have the ability to make money through investing. they can be very secretive when it comes to discussing things about themselves, thats why a lot of their relationships aren't "real” and they feel like the bond isn’t so strong. they may also like learning about the occult, spirituality and such. they are good at piecing together information, and communicating it with other people. they would do well as archaeologist, detectives, etc because they do really good with analyzing data! these individuals can be very suspicious of new things, and may like old things, (like history, etc!) these people will most likely feel comfortable talking about the occult, death, sex, and their possessions. i’ve noticed that a lot of people with this placement see things differently then other people usually would, but on the other side, they can be judgmental or impulsive. they will literally say what they want to say, and don’t care if your feelings get hurt. they know how to read people like a book, and figure out their reasons for doing certain things. they have very obsessive and destructive thoughts at times, that are harmful. they’ll try to lure you out of your lies & have a perfect strategy for doing so. their minds are filled with mystique and mystery, always wanting more.

leo venus: strength and beauty of a goddess, instant connections and passion, object of adoration or desire, demands your attention, worship and heart, romance in their veins, she is the sun - center of your universe.

venus in 9th house: venus in the ninth house suggests a focus on expanding knowledge and broadening the mind. the individual with this placement may have an innate curiosity about the world and a desire to explore different cultures, traditions, and ideas. they may have a fascination with the mystical and the spiritual, and with exploring new concepts, experiences, and perspectives. additionally, this placement suggests a desire to seek the truths of the universe and an appreciation for higher education.

virgo mars: mars in virgo are passionate about helping others and being the best version of themselves. this mars sign is notoriously known for being able to try something once and being exceptionally good at it the first go. i hate to say it (only because I know it comes from a place of pain) but these natives are passionate about perfection. this can cause them a lot of anxiety if they are careful. although, they are good at many things, it is advised that they lean into whatever makes them happy, serve their part in making the world a better place!

mars in 10th house: mars in 10th are passionate about being successful, being their own boss, their reputation and getting external recognition. they will put a lot of energy into their career and be very passionate about whatever they are doing. they will be a trail blazer and their career because they do it the right way the first time. extremely hard workers- just be weary of burn out mars in 10th folks!

@cloudyluminousstarz

ᵒᵇˢᵉʳᵛᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿˢ ᵃʳᵉⁿ'ᵗ ᵐⁱⁿᵉ

[bigothteddies]

and if you’re sitting there reading that and asking yourself “what can I do to make doms more comfortable and safe?” all I am asking, begging really, is for you to be fucking normal and stop letting your biases guide everything you do and fucking say. You can reblog all the support and awareness and education posts you want but if you are not modifying your behavior and correcting your own assumptions constantly then all your talk is meaningless. Stop assigning morality to specific demographics (yes, even that one). Stop making assumptions that every dom is horny and wants to play with you. Stop making assumptions that a dom flirting with you wants to play with you. Stop using titles for doms without asking them how they feel about it first. Stop assuming doms are always in the mood and using them as a quick stop to get off with. Act normal about being fucking rejected. You want people to feel safe telling you no? Then you have to be a grown up about being told no. And that means not crying about it, not throwing a fit about it, not gossiping about it, not vague posting to tumblr about it, not ending friendships over it, not trying to convince someone to change their mind over it? Like do you guys even hear yourselves sometimes? It’s scary how normalized it is to have almost no empathy for other groups if it’s a group like doms. Look at your internal biases. And I mean LOOK at them. When you post about doms who do you mean? When you make general assumptions about doms who are you thinking of? Is it truly a dom you’re thinking of or is it another group of people that you’re picturing that you associate with being doms? We notice. Ask yourself, are you just reinterpreting traditional gender roles to fit dom/sub social dynamics OUTSIDE of play and are too scared to examine that and why it’s happening??? I’m not saying you’re a bad person for wanting to be a stay at home free use fuck toy for your monog partner, I’m asking if you’re reinterpreting the hidden rules of social interactions for different genders and just saying that it’s a dom/sub thing. Communication and responsibility are fucking important in kink. And if you’re doing all this because you don’t want any responsibility for your actions at ALL and are instead attempting to place responsibility on doms for every single action in your relationship, SPECIFICALLY relating to your own agency in the relationship, YOU are a problem. I don’t care if you want to be a puppy doggy and want zero responsibilities in life and want your partner to control you. What I’m saying is YOU have to be responsible enough to say I WANT THIS and I DON’T WANT THIS and LET’S TRY THIS and I DIDN’T LIKE THIS. And even that’s not enough. Also try DO YOU WANT THIS and DID YOU ENJOY THIS and WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY THIS and IS THIS OKAY. Are you a safe person to interact with??? When you sexually engage a dom are you thinking about them??? Are you mindful of their comfort and their enjoyment??? Or do you just see them as an animate toy where their perverted nature is inherently innate and happens to be getting you off right now but will be the exact reason you cancel them three months from now when they say the wrong thing and you take it to the internet before you even try opening a line of communication and working together to figure out what happened and what they meant. If you want doms to be safe and feel safe you have to actually view them as people. And I don’t think a lot of people do that.

[jennelikejennay]

One thing that bugs me about the way Vulcans are usually depicted (with some lovely exceptions) is that their philosophy—logic, or the teachings of Surak, for short I'm just going to call it Surakianism—is very often shown as a bad thing. Either that, or Vulcans aren't following it at all.

Writing about religion (and I do think Surakianism is best approached as a religion*) is always fraught. Because generally as a writer, you don't actually practice the faith in question, so naturally you'll have an outside view. That's doubly true of Surakianism, a way of life humans basically can't follow and it would probably be bad for us to try.

[*I know they don't call it a religion. But the way it deeply affects the interior life of Vulcans, their ethics, and so on feels very religious to me. It doesn't seem to have a position on theism; Vulcans get their beliefs about god(s) from elsewhere, such as traditional Vulcan polytheism and their own perceptions of the universe. But the way it exists as a social structure AND a guide to the inner self is absolutely religious to me.]

We are told that Vulcans developed this philosophy specifically because they needed it—they were destroying themselves without it! Their emotions were overpowering and violent, and they were clannish to the extreme. So despite what most of the human characters say, especially Bones, I think the path of logic is a good thing for Vulcans, even if humans don't get it at all.

Surak's teachings can be summed up into three basic points (a Vulcan somewhere just raised an eyebrow clear into their bangs at this oversimplification, but I'm doing my best here):

1. Logic, or the use of reason as a guide and the control of emotions

2. Nonviolence

3. IDIC—infinite diversity in infinite combinations.

Of course we only ever hear about the first one, because that's part humans notice. I'd say it was like reducing Catholics to fish Fridays and Mormons to underwear, but that's exactly what people do, so I guess it's understandable.

But I think the ordering goes the other way for Vulcans. First, acknowledge that others are of value, including and especially when they're different from you. Then, do them no harm. And finally, to achieve that goal, control your wild, violent emotions.

People imagine pre-reform Vulcans a lot of ways (and I never get tired of reading about them), but I think the best guide as to what they're like is by looking at Romulans. Romulans aren't wildly expressive with their emotions, we're certainly not talking about people who would otherwise be laughing and crying constantly. Instead, they're secretive and carry long, hateful grudges. They're loyal only to those closest to them, and they seem entirely without empathy otherwise.

Imagine the Vulcan emotions are like that. They have strong bonds to their clan, probably in part because of their telepathy. They're suspicious of outsiders, angry, prone to violence. Preferring the familiar is an instinct in humans too, but a mild one. Certainly humans have been and still are racist, but it's something we can generally overcome. I'm not sure the Vulcans could, not by relying on their emotions.

So they came up with the solution to control their emotions completely. Use reason instead as a guide to behavior, because logic will tell you that your own clan is not more important than another, and that reaching out in peace is beneficial to yourself and others. Don't give your emotions any credence and don't let them run wild.

Humans do some of this ourselves, and should arguably be doing more. We spend a huge chunk of our childhood learning to control antisocial impulses like screaming, hitting, and biting. We demonstrate self control in many tiny, unnecessary ways, in order to show to others that we are in control of ourselves: stuff like etiquette, social rules, even just leaving the last cookie on the tray for someone else. These are signals that say I am not governed by my appetites; I can be trusted to consider the needs of others.

And we could obviously be doing more. Too many political questions are being answered by people's emotional, knee-jerk responses like "I feel threatened by people who are different" or "I am angry about my enemies and want them punished" instead of "what produces the most benefit for everyone?" If we leaned more heavily on logic and reason to get us our answers, we'd make way better decisions than we do. Star Trek doesn't often acknowledge that in real life, making a snap gut decision doesn't actually have a very high success rate. Logic gives you better odds of saving the day.

But, you might say, Vulcans aren't doing very well at any of this. A heck of a lot of them that we've seen are racist. And while they repress their emotions just great, they don't actually make the most logical decisions most of the time.

But I don't think this actually discredits a religion at all. We all know Christians who are great at the easy parts of their religion—learning Bible verses or saying rosaries—but don't seem to be even trying to love their neighbor. That's in fact the way religions are usually practiced! External elements that people can easily see (like never smiling) are adhered to by social pressure, but more heart-level things are aspirational at best. That doesn't mean the message of a religion is bad; it doesn't really tell us anything.

This is especially true for a religion whose practice isn't optional. You have to follow Surak to stay on the planet. I can see this rule was necessary during the time when the Romulans were kicked out—pacifism doesn't work as a global solution unless everybody's doing it. Now, it seems a bit harsh. I think they get around it by not exiling anybody who's at least giving lip service to logic. That racist baseball guy in DS9 isn't a good Vulcan, but as long as he doesn't do anything violent or openly reject Surak, they're willing to say he counts.

Why are Vulcans so often the opposite of what their religion teaches? I think it's the other way around: their religion focuses specifically on their chief faults: clannishness, racism, ego. It just hasn't successfully transformed everyone. Makes perfect sense, really. We might as well ask why Christianity goes on and on about sex when humans are well known to be super obsessed with sex. Well that's WHY! It's one of our strongest impulses which in the past we felt the most desperate need to control.

The best argument against Surakianism is that total repression isn't the best way to handle emotion, that we need self-awareness of our emotions before we can account for them.

To which all I can say is, don't you think Vulcans know that?

I imagine there are lots and lots of viewpoints on this among Vulcans. Some favor repression and some favor understanding and acceptance; some think it's okay to have a little dry humor and some think we should be serious. We have the kolinahri who believe in the excision of all emotion (which I imagine is universally seen as extreme, like we might see cloistered nuns or monks who reject the world to achieve enlightenment). And surely there are ancient, wise Vulcans who deeply understand all their emotional impulses and are completely in control of them. Spock certainly seems this way by the movie era if not before: he knows that he has emotions, what they are, and how to respond to them. He has overcome the emotion of shame. So he seems not impassive on the outside, but a person at complete peace inside and out.

I just feel like we could stand to see more good Surakians, who are good not in spite of their belief in logic, but because of it. Kind of like how we see both good and bad followers of the Prophets on Bajor. I'm kind of anti religion myself, but I still want to see it given its due—especially a religion founded on such good principles. Sure, it's not a religion humans can really practice, nor need—a good half of our emotions are positive and pro-social, so it's no wonder a person like Bones would be convinced Vulcans are just punishing themselves unnecessarily. But it successfully turned Vulcan from a planet so violent it almost destroyed itself to a home of peace and learning. Of course Vulcans aren't going to mess with what works!

That has been my rant about logic for today. I highly recommend @dduane 's book Spock's World for a much deeper dive into logic and the path Vulcan took to get there.

[etrsilk]

₊✩‧₊˚ ᡣ𐭩 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 ⇝ 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐩𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 .ᐟ

˗ˏˋ ➛ 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙨: 𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘢,𝘎𝘰𝘯,𝘒𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘬𝘢,𝘓𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘰

˗ˏˋ ➛ 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 — ✘

˗ˏˋ ➛ 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚 — 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘧𝘧

⎝ 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚:: I'm really disgusted because it was originally an anonymous request but I deleted it without intention! So I'm not sure if the one who originally asked me will be that I made it :(( If that's the case, please tell me that you saw it because that stresses me out! 😭 - Also, I wasn't sure what "puppy reader" meant and if it was literally another version of "neko reader" (with physical characteristics) but in a dog version! For me Puppy!reader means a reader with a character similar to that of a dog; very naive, very social, cute, innocent and kind….anyway if I was wrong please let me know!

 —𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐔𝐀ꫂ ၴႅၴ

Killua is a very realistic person, sometimes cold and nonchalant...exactly the opposite of your personality!

Your relationship therefore constantly oscillates between excellent complicity due to the complementarity of your two personalities, and arguments

I would be lying to you if I told you that the fact that you have blind confidence, that you are stubborn, emotionally fragile, idealize everything, lack independence and lack of prudence never bothers him...

But the combination of your kindness, your joy of life, your boundless energy, your generosity, your empathy, your enthusiasm, your loyalty and your optimism is what he fell in love with!! You are his light, having a person like you by his side is so necessary and essential for him. You are literally the one who lights up his life! The one who makes it better every day!

Obviously, it's not easy for him because he's constantly afraid for you because he knows very well that not everyone is as nice as you, so he's even more careful, which he puts an extra mental load on it…but it’s worth it!!

 —𝐊𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐈𝐊𝐀ꫂ ၴႅၴ

You have a very different but yet completely complementary personality! He is a very pessimistic and unenthusiastic person by nature, so the fact that you are the complete opposite helps him enormously. He needs someone to help him balance this side of his personality and give him a new, more comforting perspective!

I have the impression that after the massacre of his clan, Kurapika lost the habit of pleasing himself and creating moments of simple joy in the small pleasures of life, but with someone like you and your personality is different: your joy of life is so strong that it affects everyone around you, including Kurapika!

He admires this part of you too!

 —𝐆𝐎𝐍ꫂ ၴႅၴ

You and Gon have very similar personalities! I don't see anyone talking about it but I think that continually hanging out with people like Killua, or even Kurapika (people who can be quite depressing) is a little hard for him in the long run, so it's good for him to have someone more optimistic social and enthusiastic!!

Obviously, there are also bad sides: There is never one to catch up with the other!! (nda: this sentence is the literal translation of a French expression, but I don't really know if it is translatable 😭 ) You sometimes find yourself in quagmires that are not possible because of that

BUT, however, the fact that Gon has a person with a similar personality to him as a girlfriend makes him in a sense a little more mature because his protective side quite regularly takes over to protect you!

 —𝐋𝐄𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐎ꫂ ၴႅၴ

Your naivety and kindness give him plenty of opportunities to teach you those dubious life lessons! (Which pleases him...)

Similar, but not in all respects: Leorio is much less naive, social and gentle than you….so it balances things out well because he is always there to prevent you from making bad decisions (caused by your naive nature ) before they arrive…you are therefore very complementary!

You remind him of Gon when he was young and that makes him a little nostalgic….

—English is not my first language, so sorry for any mistakes!!

[hotdaemondtargaryen]

PHIA SABAN INTERVIEWED BY DECIDER MAGAZINE.

RYAN CONDAL TALKING ABOUT HELAENA.

"Whatever this ability that she has, she’s learning to wield it, or to pay more heed to it, or she’s learning how to interpret it better."

Condal said, before elaborating that the trauma of watching her son be murdered and the stress of living during a war was affecting her abilities.

Nevertheless, he cautioned that it’s not a switch Helaena can just turn on and off.

"She’s not just gonna, from the beginning of her life to the end, have the same sort of level of grasp of this ability."

"We’re seeing it certainly change."

WE'RE TOLD HELAENA HAS BONDED WITH DREAMFYRE, BUT SHE HATES RIDING. SO HOW DO YOU SEE THAT BOND, THAT CONNECTION BETWEEN HELAENA AND DREAMFYRE?

"Yeah."

"Sometimes it’s too sad for me to imagine."

"[pauses and giggles nervously] I mean, think that we see about Helaena, that she has an affinity sometimes more to creatures than she does to human beings."

"So I think that we can safely imagine that it’s a very loving, sort of, soul-connecting relationship."

"I don’t know."

"I always feel like, isn’t it about horses?"

"They say that they’re so relaxing to be around because they’re like pure empathy?"

"I can only imagine that a lovely dragon would be the same way."

"Yeah, I’d like to see Helaena and her dragon, but apparently she’s not into that."

APPEARING IN DAEMON'S VISION IS SOMETHING NEW. HOW DID YOU INTERPRET WHAT SHE WAS DOING IN THAT PART OF THE EPISODE?

"Yeah, it’s a really interesting one."

"I think sometimes I can get away with abstract thinking because, in my mind, it’s not entirely clear to Helaena what her powers are."

"In my imagination, I think that since her massive trauma this season, she’s spent more time disassociated from the real world."

"Maybe that’s led to a greater association with this other realm of feeling, but maybe she would be constantly trying to kind of push it away because it makes her feel uncomfortable or it’s inconvenient or it widens the gap between her and other people in her life."

"I think something to do with her disassociation, from her trauma in the real world, has meant that she’s staking more of a claim in that other world."

I don’t think that means that world would suddenly make sense to her and she’s like, 'Oh, this is how it works,' and the mechanics of it.

"But in my imagination, I think that she had a sense and a feeling that there was someone else that she’s connected to in some way."

"That had sort of, like, opened the door to this sort of dream world."

"So she kind of went there, too."

I do think there’s a question about how much of Daemon’s vision that includes Helaena is his own projection and how much is actually her there being like, [ominous voice] 'You know what you must do.'

"[giggles] So I don’t know about that."

"Because I think that in the real world psychology of dreams, it’s often that when you see someone else in a dream, that’s actually an aspect of yourself that you’ve given the face of someone else."

"You know, in order to have a distance."

"So I don’t know."

"I guess all I’m saying is it’s all very up to interpretation."

IN THE FOLLOWING SCENE BETWEEN HELAENA AND AEMOND, I DON'T THINK WE'VE EVER SEEN HER SPEAK SO CONFIDENTLY AND CLEARLY ABOUT WHAT SHE'S SEEN, OR EVEN JUST SO DIRECTLY TO ANOTHER CHARACTER. WHERE DID THAT CONFIDENCE SUDDENLY COME FROM? LIKE THE POWER DYNAMIC JUST COMPLETELY GOES TOPSY-TURVY BETWEEN THEM IN THAT SCENE.

"Yeah, I know."

"I think it’s the most eye contact she’s ever made in both seasons of House of the Dragon."

"She saved it all up for the balcony."

"I think that she’s used to, in many ways, being a pawn, and she’s used to, in many ways, doing what is convenient to people that she loves, despite the fact that it’s not in her comfort zone."

"But I think that — with what I was saying before about the disassociation and maybe more of the embracing of this otherness that she has — it is a step too far for Aemond to ask her to kill people."

"I think that he also catches her at that moment where she’s just been quite empowered in her sort of 'mind palace' or whatever you’d like to call it."

"So it becomes extremely serious and direct."

"Almost like, I need to meet you on this energy that you’ve got just to tell you there’s absolutely no use pursuing what you’re doing."

"Because I know what the truth is and the truth is that any desperate attempt isn’t going to change the course of destiny."

That directness is because she feels like, 'Oh, I just got this rush of clarity and I’m going to spend it now.'

"And then I don’t imagine that she’s then going to go off, around, and use that energy the rest of the day."

"It was a moment that she could go, 'Boom!' Then it’s kind of over."

I WANT TO DRILL DOWN INTO THE IDEA THAT SHE DOES NOT WANT TO KILL PEOPLE. LIKE SHE SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY TARGARYEN WHO'S NOT WILLING TO CROSS THAT LINE, NO MATTER WHAT. WHERE DO YOU THINK THAT MORAL CLARITY COMES FROM?

"I think, partially, because she’s not engaged with politics."

"In politics, people are statistics and numbers and ways of getting what you want."

"She’s developed more of a kind of humanist approach and I think she values life."

"She sees beauty as separate to how useful someone can be to her."

"Yeah, I think it’s just a line for her."

I also think that her being asked to step that far out of her comfort zone, after the worst thing that’s possibly happened has happened to her son, she’s like, 'I’m trying every single day to not think about what happened to my baby. You can’t ask me to go and sort of get my hands bloody as well.'

"That’s a step too far."

"But yeah, I do think she just has a sort of innate value for [life]."

"What she loves is serenity."

I ASKED YOU ABOUT THE 'HELAEMOND' RUMORS, AND YOU WERE SAYING HOW SOMETIMES YOU AND EWAN WOULD DO A TAKE FOR HELAEMOND. DID ANY OF THESE MAKE IT INTO THE SEASON? WAS THERE ANY LITTLE GLIMMER OR MOMENT WHERE YOU COULE LOOK BACK AND YOU WERE LIKE, 'OH, ARE WE HAVING A LITTE FUN THERE?' OR IS IT ALL CUTTING ROOM FLOOR?

"It’s interesting."

"I think that when we said that, we probably got people too excited that we were going to hold hands or, like, make out or something."

I think that what we felt more when we were like, 'Oh, we’re doing time for Helaemond,' is like we so rarely get to be even in a room together, you know, let alone a scene together.

"From the beginning, before there were any rumors online or anything, we decided very early on in Season 1, we had a strong feeling that they have a sort of connection, or like a knowingness to each other."

I think that when we say, 'Oh, we’re doing it for Helaemond,' or whatever, I think what we really mean is that we just get really excited to play that dynamic together.

"We’ve just come to call that Helaemond, but maybe not in the sense that people on the Internet call it."

"I want to ask another very hyper nerdy question."

"I remember watching a video that you had done with the other cast where you were asked trivia questions about the lore of the show."

"The question of Daenerys’s dragon eggs came up and you knew about the rumor that Dreamfyre might have been the mother of those eggs."

"There’s been some debate whether or not Rhaenyra’s kids have the dragon eggs this season, whether it’s still the Elissa Farman story… What’s your personal theory on where the eggs came from?"

I was just sure that I’d read on my 'Dragon Wiki'…

When I got the part, I was like, 'Oh, what’s Dreamfyre like?'

"And I was sure that it said on the Dragon Wiki that they think that her eggs were the descendants of Daenerys’s dragons."

So when I answered that question, I was like, 'I’m gonna get points for this and no one else knows!'

And they said, 'No, it’s from Rhaenyra.'

"So I don’t know."

"Maybe it’s…who knows?"

"I’d like to think that Dreamfyre’s in there somewhere."

"Maybe it’s a big Maester cover up."

"That’s what they like to say as well, isn’t it?"

ASSUMING ALICENT'S SCHEMES WORK AND THAT YOU GUYS COULD POTENTIALLY ESCAPE, WHERE WOULD YOU IDEALLY SEE HELAENA WIND UP?

"I think she’d quite like it on that lake that Alicent went to last episode."

"That’s lovely."

"I want to go there."

"It’s a funny one."

I think that partially when Helaena says, 'Where would I go?'

It’s a completely genuine question of, like, 'What have you got in mind?'

"But I don’t think Helaena has seen evidence of a life that she would like for herself, really."

"So I think that a big part of her growing up has been like trying not to yearn for something else."

Because she’s like, 'It’s just not out there. And I can create the world, the life I want for myself in my hands with these bugs.'

"So the idea that there could actually be somewhere else that she could physically go when she’s kind of spent her whole life coming to terms with the fact that this is the hand she’s been dealt, I don’t think she can possibly imagine it."

"I mean if it were up to me, I’d like to go to Harrenhal because I love the vibes over there."

"And Alys Rivers and everything."

"Actually, maybe it might be quite cool for Helaena to have just a moment with Alys Rivers."

"Yeah, because maybe she could feel an affinity with her or something."

IN THE BOOK, AEMOND SEEMS TO THINK ALYS IS THE ONE WHO TOLD HIM THAT HE DIES AT THE GOD'S EYE.

"Oh really?"

YEAH, MAYBE THEY HAVE SORT OF A FRIENDSHIP GOING ON.

"That’d be nice."

"Yeah, they kind of, like hang out."

"They go and have their dreams and, like, hang out in between."

"That would be so nice!"

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE ONE ON SET OR A FAVORITE LITTLE INSECT EASTER EGG?

"On set, Helaena’s bedroom is beautiful, and there’s loads of — I can’t remember what it’s called, the insects with the pins in them, which I like to think they all died of natural causes."

"On set, the live insects I got to work with were tiny little crickets in a cage."

"They kept making little escapes and jumping out, which was so fun."

"It was just really fun to work with real animals."

"So, yeah, on set, crickets and in real life, spiders."

"Actually, it’s not an insect, but in this room, yesterday, was a bat."

"So that was really fun as well."

[loveemagicpeace]

🌅Life Events🎨

🌙For the moon in synastry I think is good if it is in a water house or a house connected to people. I think good houses for the moon are 1st house because emotions are shown openly. Moon in 4th house because you feel safe and the person makes you feel at home. Moon in 5th house because it creates attention to the person, playful energy, romance. Moon in 7th house create a strong connection with the person and you love spending time with them. Moon in 8th house because you share deep feelings with the person. But it can also be a bit intense. Moon in 9th house direct and open emotions, they can have many of their own jokes. You two can inspire each other. Moon in 12th house a strong emotionally-intuitive connection is gradually established due to excellent mutual understanding at the subconscious level. You two can subconsciously pick up on each other's feelings. Very psychic energy.

🌜You will always feel the most about those people with whom you will share the same moon. You will automatically feel that your energy matches. It's the same with artists, you will always feel the most about those who have the same moon as you.

❤️‍🔥How woman act in relationship is venus. 💜How man act in relationship is mars. Venus represents feminine energy. And it is part of how you look at love, what love means to you, etc. How you give love to others, the relationships you have with others. Harmony and empathy. Mars represents masculine energy. How you react, anger, response to things, how you approach the problem. And also intimate energy. Mars represents more energy - how focused you are on yourself and how you fight for others.

A woman with Venus in Sagittarius will be quite active, passionate, adventurous in a relationship, like challenges, try new things. Above all, passion will be important to her. A woman with Venus in Libra will be hopeless romantic. She will feel dreamy with her partner. Also very balanced and seek balance in their personal and professional lives.

A men with gemini mars will be unstable many times. Once he will want something, the next time he doesn't want. He may have problems staying in a relationship for a long time, or he may get bored quickly. A men with mars in scoprio will chase one person for a long time and will not give up. He will take love seriously in a relationship. He will be persistent in love.

🧚🏼‍♀️12th house synastry is really interesting and magical placement. Because the way you feel a person through the 12th house it's like a fairy tale. There may also be a karmic connection here - that they are destined to find each other or to come to each other.

🧸🌙Moon in cancer & sagittarius moon- With these two combinations, I noticed that many times confusion can arise. Cancer moon likes security, comfort and a more introverted vibe. It is very important for them that wherever they go, they feel safe there and that the person gives them safe energy. Sagittarius moon is everywhere, extroverted, spontaneous, unpredictable. And it can feel like it's pulling out of you an unexpected and more questionable energy. Many times they invite you somewhere where there is nature or to some kind of places where they are more strange. Cancer moon looks at emotions and also feels the energy of others because cancer has good intuition. Meanwhile sagittarius moon sees everything more through optimism, independence. It seems to me that sometimes sag expects everyone to be as comfortable as he is. Things are often taken for granted for them.

☁️Geminis have commitment issues. They like flirting, fun things, but when it comes to serious things, they don't like to get into a relationship. Because they are constantly looking for someone who will entertain them and will always be interesting for them. The thing about them is that you have to always challenge them to stay with you. They need a challenge. I don't think it's fun for them if they get someone right away.

✨Virgos are socialy akward. Many times when you talk to them, you feel that they don't like to expose themselves or talk about themselves. Some things are actually awkward for them and they don't know how to express themselves.

⚡️It is not always 10th house that is important for fame and success but it also 9th, 11th & 5th house. 9th house represents the world as a whole, learning, knowledge, intelligence, knowledge, universities, travel, attractions, wisdom. Having placements here means you can be world famous and have a lot to offer and give to the world. 11th house represents social media, internet, technology, innovations, ideas, groups. Many times these people gain recognition in the social world or through it. 5th house represents visibility, spotlight, projects, charisma, generosity, hobbies, creation. Here, however, you can be noticed through your talents, hobbies, or the spotlight is already naturally focused on you.

🌊Mars & Pluto in 10th house makes a person as strong competition to others. People can see you as a person who is difficult to compare with because it gives them the feeling that you are really strong in everything you do. The person is decisive and knows what he wants. It also makes a strong impression on people. Uranus in the 10th house - do rebellious exercises, you don't want to follow the crowd or the rules, but you do things your way and in your own way. And many times you surprise people. Uranus can also create an energy like you can't do something or you have too many crazy ideas and others think that they don't make sense and then you prove them otherwise. Let's say Eminem has this placement (he released an album all at once without any announcements - and it was just for everyone's surprise - out of the blue) but it got a lot of viewership. With uranus here u don’t even care ,u just drop things and be like whatever.

🫧The most hard placement to have in 12th house is pluto. Because the 12th house is a very compassionate, energetic, spiritual house. At the same time, a house where you always feel the energy of other people and where you feel that people take the most from you. In this case, you feel like people are always taking away your power, your secrets. As if you can't be strong - pluto makes you weak. This placement also had kurt cobain. That's why he always felt so weak. But he also have a lot of pisces energy. Also another fun fact he has uranus in 1st house and once he said “ They laugh at me because I am different. I laugh at them because they’re all the same”. This showed that his character, thinking and way of dressing was different. Maybe pluto made him weak, but with uranus in the first house, he still found the strength to stand up for himself.

🦋U know which sign we actually want the most? The sign that is in our 12th house because it is the sign that is most hidden from us. This is a sign that is often bad for us (because this house represents bad habits). But that's why we want it even more. For ex.: sagittarius in 12th house with mars in it. This is the energy of Sagittarius, which is optimistic, fun, spontaneous, unpredictable but can also be little chaotic. Mars in the 12th house represents the energy of Aries and Scorpio - so someone who is dominant, mysterious, bold, fearless, intense, jealous, someone who is persistent, determined in character. But it can also be someone who has bad habits or is inclined to exaggerate everything. Someone who looks more dangerous or takes pictures with guns etc. And this is the energy that attracts you because of what you have in your chart.

⭐️ These are my other observations of life events- I can do more things like this if you are interested⭐️

-Rebekah🦋🫧🧚🏼‍♀️

[wormlette]

smaller than everyone chilchuck being understood by autistic laios. is this anything. (i am small and autistic and felt deeply represented by your post)

Oh my god I spent so long writing a FUCKING RESPONSE and tumblr deleted it kill me. ANYWAY “is this anything” friend this is everything. 🤝

I think the two of them are uniquely able to understand each other bcuz in summary, the things they are both most vulnerable and affected by, the things that have probably damaged their lives most, are things they cannot conceal from others. Laios’ autism and Chilchuck’s size. There’s VERY good discussions on whether Chil is totally normal, autistic but very good at masking, somewhere inbetween, or even whether he’s cis, and those would all INFORM this conversation but whichever way you read him, he is socially aware enough to see that Laios is NOT. And it drives him crazy and he is constantly frustrated and trying to teach him to be more aware of himself as the party leader and just “be more normal”. In my opinion this is because Chil KNOWS how much it hurts to live with a part of yourself you can’t control that makes it hard to make your way through the world — in his own way, he is trying to take care of Laios. This may be both for selfish (he wants a good stable party and that requires a good socially savvy party leader) and selfless (chilaios…) reasons, but either way. It’s essentially just there in the text To Me.

Chilchuck is probably extra frustrated because, at least as he seems to see it, Laios COULD choose to shave off those rough edges of himself and “pass” as respectable/“normal”. (Another reason I kinda think Chil has his own autism thing happening. In my experience, shamefully, I’ve been least patient with people who I see as like me but they just haven’t figured out how to stop the world from hurting them like I have.) (I imagine chil often thinks things like. why don’t you just change. Don’t you see how much easier it would be for you. Don’t you see how much you’re letting the world hurt you. Don’t you know what that will do to you, over time.) meanwhile Chilchuck cannot stop the rest of the world from seeing him as either childLIKE or just straight up a tall-man kid. No matter how professional he is or how scathingly he can insult people or how much he can drink — he can’t stop what people SEE when they LOOK at him (this also makes him a great trans character To Me). I think Laios knows exactly how this feels. He’s not seen as a kid, so it’s not exactly the same. But despite having everything Chilchuck would like to have (tall, looks manly, socially respectable in appearances)… Laios is never going to pass as normal once people get to know him. He ISN’T socially aware. He CAN’T pretend to be someone else anymore, not once the story starts.

So autistic Laios keeps bumbling through social situations that make people want to fucking hunt him for sport. He can’t say the right things, and when he has tried to be himself, we can assume it’s been very poorly received in the past, both when dungeoneering and prior as a little kid. When he’s not being manic about his monster special interest he seems to constantly be doing an Autism Stare that serves to keep people away from him and his sister.

The fact that Chil and Laios both, to some degree, can’t hide what they hate most about themselves, makes them uniquely able to understand each other. And treat each other with sympathy/empathy underneath it all. Laios is the one out of their party who most treats Chilchuck as an adult with agency (understands the stress of his work, defends him, lets him steer situations, listens to his advice, never demeans him or gives any indication he thinks he’s a child altho he did assume Chil is younger than him). If the daydream hour extras that give rough indications of who joined the party when are canon, Chilchuck is the party member who’s been with the party the longest, almost since Falin and Laios founded it, despite thinking of Laios as “the party leader comma I GUESS”. He keeps trying to beat lessons about leading parties into Laios’ head despite many ppl around him considering him a lost cause. As I’ve said in other posts…. He could probably just fucking walk out at any time and either retire or get a different party, and we know Chil has no problem hitting da bricks, but he doesn’t.

The things about themselves that make them most able to relate to each other are also the things that sometimes make them grate against each other (Chil berating Laios in the way only a guy with a major complex can and Laios pouting about it lmao. Laios continuing to be a big cute socially inept dummy anyways.) BUT THAT’S LOVE, BABEY!!!

[wolvesandfoxes25]

The beauty of forgiveness and how it tied up two storylines. Part 2.

Jeans indecisiveness and how it saved Reiner:

No matter what Hange says, Jean IS the reason why Reiner escaped. His intrusion gave Pieck and Zeke TIME to get to Reiner. His words didn't sway Hange, they even say that it wasn't Jeans fault. But if you want to be realistic about it..Jean was at fault. He bought Reiner time to be saved. ACCIDENTALLY, of course.

Part 4: Jeans hesitation

Jean could kill titans. Fine. Not until the arc comes around where they're killing MPs and Marleyan civilians, he has a REALLY hard time with it.

Even when Gabi shoots Sasha, Jean hesitates. After, when Floch asks what to do with them, he says, in tears, that throwing kids off the ship won't stop all this senseless killing.

I think this hesitation coincides really well with Reiner, who puts his hesitation into his split personality. His hesitation is as a Scout soldier. It's gone when he's a Marleyan Warrior.

Jeans hesitation was ALWAYS there, and it cost lives. To him. Which he can't stand. Which, to me, is where that self hatred stems from. He hates that he can't help but have self restraint.

"Those bones will never let me rest."

Marco was a GOOD person, who was constantly there for his friends and gave Jean confidence to be the leader he saw he could be. There aren't a lot of GOOD people in this anime, but Marco and Falco to me, are.

Part 5: Forgiving yourself & lifting up another. Name meanings..

Jean means God is Gracious.

Reiner means Warrior.

Look at how he saves Reiner, the lighting in the background. Jean is lit up, and Reiner is in the dark. It's almost like an angel saving someone from hell. The way Jeans positioning is great as well, one leg bent, reaching down and holding UP Reiner.

Yes, holding up. Keeping him from tumbling into hell. He would have been crushed by those titans, his armor would have done nothing. Another suicidal ideation because he HADN'T forgiven HIMSELF.

Jean had though. He had forgiven himself and Reiner. And that's why he could save him. When he couldn't save anyone else. And that's also what helped Reiner fight. Jean gave him a place to belong and Reiner helped Jean realize what those bones were saying to him. It's okay to hesitate, to not be fit to take human life easily. Jean was always strong without the persona, his empathy and empathetic nature for others, for REINER, made him strong.

Jean spent this entire fight concerned for Reiner. He couldn't help that. Couldn't help being worried for someone who had hurt him.

Not to mention.. these two were Isayamas favorite to write. It makes sense that their arcs ran into each other to help each other in the end.

What do you think?

[kolyasupremanxy]

Request: dazai x reader who is the opposite of him in every way possible (aka mentally stable and very very very introverted)

Can be fluff or angst or anything you want

𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞<3

𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 : 𝐃𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐢 𝐎𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐮

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: fluff ( ? ) , romance

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭:

𝐀/𝐧: I'm back fr💀 sorry for the wait!

Dazai is constantly amazed by your ability to stay calm and composed in any situation. You could be surrounded by a group of angry yakuza members and still maintain your poker face while Dazai is busy making jokes and trying to talk his way out of trouble.

Dazai loves to drag you out of your introverted shell and into the spotlight, whether it's by forcing you to go to a crowded party or making you perform karaoke in front of a bar full of people. You always resist at first, but secretly enjoy the rush of adrenaline it gives you.

Despite your vastly different personalities, you and Dazai have a deep understanding of each other. You're the calm to his chaos, and he's the light to your darkness.

Dazai loves to make you laugh, but sometimes his jokes can be a little too much for your introverted sensibilities. He once convinced you to join him on a rollercoaster, only for you to spend the entire ride gripping the safety bar with white knuckles while Dazai laughed maniacally.

You often find yourself wondering how Dazai can be so flirty and outgoing, while you struggle to make small talk with strangers. But Dazai assures you that he secretly envies your ability to be content with quiet moments and solitude.

You're not a big fan of Dazai's love for dramatics and theatrics, but you secretly enjoy watching him put on a show. You once caught him practicing his dramatic monologues in front of a mirror, and couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

Dazai loves to surprise you with spontaneous adventures, but sometimes his ideas can be a little too wild for your taste. One time he convinced you to go bungee jumping, and you spent the entire time screaming and regretting your decision.

Dazai is always amazed by your ability to listen and understand people on a deeper level. While he often jokes about his own emotional instability, he secretly admires your emotional intelligence and empathy.

Despite being polar opposites, you and Dazai have a strong connection that transcends your differences. You often find yourself gravitating towards each other, even when you're in a room full of people.

Dazai loves to push your boundaries, but he always respects your boundaries and never forces you to do anything you're not comfortable with. You once caught him trying to sneak you into a crowded party, but he quickly backed off when you told him you weren't feeling up to it.

You're not a big fan of Dazai's constant need for attention, but you secretly enjoy the way he brings out your more adventurous side. You once convinced him to go on a quiet nature walk with you, and he ended up having the time of his life.

Despite being opposites in every way, you and Dazai have a unique and special relationship. You complement each other in ways that no one else could, and you both bring out the best in each other (even if Dazai's definition of "best" is a little questionable at times).

𝐒𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨 :

Dazai and you were sitting in the agency's office, working on paperwork. You had your head down, intently focused on the task at hand, while Dazai was lazily doodling on his own papers. You couldn't help but notice how different the two of you were. While Dazai was always cracking jokes and making sarcastic comments, you preferred to keep to yourself and avoid drawing attention to yourself.

Suddenly, Dazai let out a loud chuckle, causing you to jump in your seat. "What's so funny?" you asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dazai looked up at you, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "I was just thinking about how different we are," he said with a grin. "I mean, you're all quiet and introverted, while I'm over here making jokes and flirting with anything that moves."

You rolled your eyes, but couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the corners of your lips. "Yeah, we're pretty much opposites," you agreed.

Dazai leaned closer to you, his grin turning mischievous. "But you know what they say, opposites attract," he said, winking at you.

You couldn't help but blush at Dazai's flirtatious comment, but you quickly regained your composure. "I highly doubt that," you said with a small smile.

Dazai chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "We'll see about that," he said with a smirk. "I have a feeling I can charm even the most introverted of souls."

You rolled your eyes again, but couldn't deny the warmth that spread through your chest at Dazai's words.

Dazai continued to tease you throughout the day, making little jokes and comments here and there about your quiet nature. You tried your best to ignore him and focus on your work, but every time he made a comment, it made your heart race just a little bit faster.

As the day went on, Dazai seemed to be getting bolder with his teasing. He would lean in close to you when he spoke, his breath warm against your skin. He would make suggestive comments about how quiet you were in bed, or how he bet he could make you scream if he really tried.

You would always roll your eyes or give him a sharp retort, but secretly, you couldn't help but feel a little bit flustered by his teasing. It was like he was trying to get a rise out of you, to see just how much he could push your buttons.

Finally, after a particularly suggestive comment from Dazai, you couldn't take it anymore. You turned to him, your face flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and irritation. "What's your deal, Dazai?" you asked, your voice slightly shaking.

Dazai's smirk widened as he leaned even closer to you. "My deal? Why, nothing at all, my dear," he said, his voice low and smooth. "I just can't resist teasing someone as cute and introverted as you."

You scoffed, trying to hide the fact that his words had sent a shiver down your spine. "You're impossible," you muttered, turning back to your work.

Dazai chuckled, leaning back in his chair once again. "Oh, come on now, don't be like that," he said, still grinning. "I'm just having a bit of fun. And who knows, maybe one day you'll even start to enjoy it."

You rolled your eyes, but secretly, you couldn't help but wonder if he was right. Maybe, just maybe, there was a part of you that enjoyed the way he teased you, the way he pushed your boundaries and made you feel things you never thought you would feel.

As you continued to work side by side with Dazai, you couldn't help but feel a strange sense of excitement building in your chest. Maybe being opposites wasn't so bad after all.

Do Not Copy or Plagiarize Any of My Works. Reblogs Are Very Appreciated.

[featherwingfae]

Gonna try to make this a "Quick post".

(warning some light swearing)

Maybe, just maybe one of the reasons we're seeing so many new Therians nowadays is because humans have fucked up the earth so bad that the universe just went fuck it and threw in a bunch of nature brains to balance things out. People who wouldn't just be able to look at the devastation of wildlife and their homes and just move on like nothing happened. Because they can see themselves in those creatures, and it hurts them to know that they are suffering. And maybe if there's enough nature brains, seeing themselves in the withering world around them, then more and more people might stand up and say this isn't right. We need to fix this. And maybe in a human world where one of the most lovely traits of humanity is being able to work together a bunch of nature brains with human faces can make a difference. They say animals can't speak human. Well they can, and are. Maybe Therians are the voices of nature coming out from the wilds, to places and bodies where they're not comfortable, where the air is heavy with pollution and trash litters the ground. And they have to learn weird shit like math, and work exhausting jobs that are often just to pay the bills that allow them to keep surviving. All so that they can see the damage from the other side and better understand the problem and together find solutions to stop it.

I'm not saying humans (and others) can't and/or dont do anything. I'm saying it's harder to do nothing when you look at creatures suffering and see yourself. Empathy is a beautiful thing. It helps connect us. But in a world where almost no one can afford the barest minimum just to survive. Where finding happiness feels like a struggle because you're constantly grinding and pushing yourself beyond your mental, emotional and/or physical boundaries, how easy is it to just shut yourself off. To put on the blinders because you're stuck yourself and you don't feel like there's anything you can do, so why upset yourself further by caring. It's sad. Terribly sad. Soul crushingly, heart wrenchingly sad.

Most people nowadays suffer from anxiety, depression or some other mental illness. And yes those illnesses are more known and understood now, and are more easily diagnosed. But I think the reason we see them everywhere now, is as simple as everyone is suffering. The human world in its current state, is not a healthy place. Fun times are often merely distraction from the crushing reality around us. It hurts to accept how much hurt there is right now.

I'm not saying it's all on the shoulders of Therians. I'm not saying you have to quit your job or your school and run off into the wild picking up every piece of litter and chaining yourself to trees. That's not what this post is about.

This post is about the increase of Therians and my personal hypothesis as to why there's so many now. And it's as simple as this. One Therian does not shoulder all the burden of the earth. Just as one human does not. But if there are Therians in schools, going "hey look at this little/big guy isn't he cute/cool" showing their friends and classmates"it's so sad he's going extinct because his home is being destroyed" , Therians on trails, streets, beaches seeing litter and using just a little bit of their time to remove at least some of it. Therians in stores refusing to buy certain products because of animal cruelty/testing, Therians manifesting/praying to help even if it's just a little bit, Therians on the Internet/TV spreading awareness, Therians in government actually trying to do what's best for the environment and the people, instead of just what's best for their bank account etc etc.

In reference to that horrible math stuff, a million ones together doesn't equal nothing. No matter how small an act it still adds up to something. Therians everywhere means more people who can't forget, who can't move on, who can't just shutdown and hope for the best. People who feel like they have to do something. So they don't eventually see themselves disappear (go extinct).

The universe and the earth can sometimes have a funny way of balancing things out. Maybe Therians are one way to at least try regaining that balance.

I'm overjoyed to see more Therians. Because I feel like more Therians means more voices for nature, and more chances to save this beautiful planet ☺️✨🌍🌎🌏💚

Anyway that's my two cents. Sorry this post ended up being longer than I intended 😅

And now my fascinating and fantastic creatures, great and small, furry, feathered, scaled or whatever-ed, and all others of open mind who took time to read my ramblings, I wish upon you a most glorious day/night. May we all follow our hearts/souls to do what we feel we can for this magnificent planet. ✨

👁️🪽✨🌟🌱❄️🪻🍀🌎🍄🌹💚🌍🌵🌈⛈️🌠🦊🐁💙

Till next time

[genericpuff]

Uh weird question: Can someone who's from a community that hasn't been oppressed write a character that's from opressed community as long as it's well written? Like for example, a straight guy writing a lesbian couple or a white person writing POC characters.

If they couldn't then we'd have a lot less media out in the world LOL Need I remind y'all that I am a non-Greek person writing and drawing a retelling of a comic that's based on Greek myth ;p So all that said, the following is my opinion as a writer and someone who fits into certain minority groups, but bear in mind that I myself am someone who isn't part of a specific group writing about that group.

I see your question and I raise you a hypothetical. Which would you rather be - a writer who actually challenges themselves and engages with other topics and perspectives for the sake of telling a good story, or a writer who only exclusively writes about things limited by their own perspective and experiences?

Sorry if that's a bit of snark for the day, I understand that people get worried when it comes to writing about other groups that they don't "fit into", but there's a point where you can get so paranoid and over-correct too far that you don't actually branch out and that's how you wind up trapped in an echo chamber (or at the very least, trapped in a cycle of writing about the same stuff constantly lol) which can ironically lead to becoming more ignorant and offensive than if you had simply genuinely tried in the first place and maybe fumbled in a few areas. And white heterocis people aren't the only ones who are at risk of trapping themselves in those chambers, it can happen to anyone who's not willing to branch out. Making mistakes in and of itself is not the end of the world, you just have to be willing to learn.

Part of a very necessary process of writing is consuming content written by and for other people so that you can gain a sense of perspective, understanding, and empathy for others that don't live the same lives as you. Not doing those things out of fear of offending people is how you cause the opposite effect - trapping yourself in a bubble of misinformation because you never bothered to look outside of your own comfort zone and thought it was 'safer' to just keep reading and writing content that could only apply to you. Really all that accomplishes is narrowing your world view and stunting your writing capabilities.

The biggest thing you can do to write characters that don't align with yourself is just doing your research, being open to critique and feedback from the groups you're depicting (best way to write about a character who is not yourself is to ask for feedback from a person who IS reflected in that character!), and not writing from assumptions (as a lot of assumptions are rooted in stereotypes / prejudice / racism / etc.) There are loads of people from communities in need of representation who are willing to offer their help and feedback, don't be afraid to put out feelers for that sort of thing, it's why beta-readers are still so essential for a lot of writers.

And it also depends what your writing is trying to achieve. Are you actually trying to represent these groups, or are you just writing a character who you think is neat who happens to be from a specific group? What messages are you trying to send, what point are you trying to make, what do you want the reader to walk away with? Keep in mind that it's just as important to have characters who simply exist and aren't white/heterocis/etc. as it is to have characters who are fulfilling certain representations for the sake of sending a message / making a point. Because oppression comes in a variety of forms and not every single one will necessarily be as much a hurdle as the last; and just like not expanding your worldview through challenging yourself with new topics, it can be just as harmful to reduce people's identities to just a label and assuming that once they have that label they have to fulfill a specific 'role' within a story (that's how you end up with the "token black guy" tropes) or that if you don't share that same label, that means it's completely off-limits for you to depict in your writing or that they have to be depicted the exact same way every single time. People are not tags on AO3. People are what you're trying to write about. Don't restrict yourself by the labels.

Anyways, this turned into a big post, but yeah, just be willing to look for and listen to feedback, and remember that you're (I'm assuming) someone who's at the beginning of their journey, there's not as much pressure on you as you think there is. As much as I talk shit about people like Rachel front left and center here for all of her problems with representation, it's only because Rachel is someone who's taking credit for representation that just isn't there (or tries to be there and sucks immensely because it comes across as horribly misinformed and almost boomer-like). And then you've got the Cait Corrains and James Somertons of the world, people who literally try and silence the voices of those who belong to the groups they're claiming to be a part of (or aren't, in Cait's case with her review-bombing POC work) all for the sake of their ego. Cait Corrain and James Somerton don't actually care about 'representation', they just want to be the center of attention within the discussion and given all the credit for being progressive, even if it means literally stealing from or abusing the people who are on the same side as them.

All that said, I know I get intense here with how I discuss stories like LO and how they handle 'representation', but I don't ever want to give anyone the impression that they're not allowed to write about groups that they don't fit into or that the answer is "only write from your own perspective ever" because that's just not productive and will, if anything, have the opposite effect to what you're trying to achieve. Representation is complicated and oftentimes more nuanced than people give it credit for. Most average every day writers aren't getting in trouble just for writing characters outside of their demographic, even when they make the odd mistake or miss something in their research; the people who get in trouble are the ones who do it to an incredibly offensive degree and then double down when they get called out on it. Those are the scenarios that wind up being the loudest / most explosive and give budding writers the impression that they shouldn't try writing anything outside of their worldview ever but that's not the conclusion you should be coming to. Just be respectful and put in the effort like you would any other character, and don't use your character writing as an excuse to put yourself above voices from those groups. Be sincere, be humble, and always be willing to learn more.

[linktoo]

I got an ask wondering about who is my favourite character in Disco Elysium, which I stand by my answer of being not really one in particular. But, Dora is one character I've been thinking about a lot and I think I want to expand on that.

The story is told through Harry's eyes, and regardless of his in-depth analysis of and narration of his attributes, it's unreliable. Undeniably so. This is part of the story, I really do feel for Harry's inability to move on. I feel for his aching loneliness, and his need to be needed. The crushing feeling of missing someone so achingly bad, only for them to learn that they have actually forgotten a lot about you and moved on is a feeling of deep rejection, devastatingly demoralizing and painful.  "I betrayed her, overwrote her, and happier for it" is a visceral line of feeling the alienation of someone you've lost to time, someone you used to know but has moved on without you. 

But I really can't help but feel so much for Dora's position in all of this. As a woman in a male dominated society your emotions are seen as both weak yet mature, you are constantly objectified down into pieces of meat, and seen as vapid and shallow when you put yourself first. When you choose to finally stand up for yourself, that is long after you've known better, long after you’ve been embittered by your initial innocence and first experience.

“You were my first. My first kiss, my first time to have sex.”

The game continues to emphasize how Harry loved her, how Harry missed her, and yet I get deeply uncomfortable with how her presence is described with her physique rather than her actual self as a person. 

“A dolorian figure, cut in black, moves below. It's still her. Her legs, her breasts, her hips…”

[...]

“‘No, Harry.’ She shakes her head. ‘It's just regular skin. I'm not as beautiful as you always thought I was.”

It’s reductive. It’s dehumanizing. It’s not about her, it’s what she represents. The most perfect goddess of a woman, put on a pedestal and quite literally turned into a deity. Not to be loved romantically, but to be worshipped as a religious figure. Worshipped for the violence and destruction she creates to degrade him and feed into his self loathing, and thus Dora becomes Dolores Dei.

There is a selfish hope and longing that comes with any sort of kindness or pity she give him. She knows that and her words are cautious, she has been through it before, and no longer feels any sort of way about it. She is vulnerable, she did used to care, she is sympathetic to his pain, but she firmly does not anymore and will not allow her empathy be used against her.

YOU - "But… that's not a very good way for things to be." DOLORES DEI - "It's not, but…" She looks at her feet. Little golden sandals cover her toes. YOU - "But what? Tell me there's something good…" DOLORES DEI - "I don't know why I said but. There is no but." YOU - "That's it?" DOLORES DEI - "That's it, yes," she looks up from her toes. "We've talked about it a million times. You will get over it, just like I did. People do. Things will get good for you again…"

I understand that detachment so deeply.

There is a pain to know men you trusted and cared and loved only to be seen as a reductive version of yourself. The one who is “nice”, the one who is “ethereally beautiful” and that’s… about it. You’re not good for each other. It didn’t work out. But by finally deciding it is best to remove yourself from that relationship, you are considered the slut that left him. You are considered the gold digger, the shallow bitch, the uncaring freak of a woman. We didn't really get to know about her and I don't think she was good to him either.

And I just can’t help thinking about that. I’m glad she’s happier now.