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seyaryminamoto · 7 months

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Azula's most overlooked characterization element

Why, hello there.

It is I.

And I'm back on my bullshit.

I didn't WANT to be. But a bunch of factors pulled me back in.

For the record: I'm not here to start any fights or light the fuse of arguments that I most likely won't have time or interest in responding to. What I AM here for... is to prove that there's something out there a bunch of people are delighted to sleep on because acknowledging it would render maaaany simplistic interpretations entirely invalid...

That group of people includes the fandom, of course. And the original show's staff. And the liveaction's staff, to a fault. Surely the TTRPG ones too. And absolutely, the comic book writers.

Hell, I'll even include MYSELF in that group, even though I'm making this post right now.

I found it really curious that I very recently saw this element mentioned in a pretty neat blog I follow, @atla-lore-archive, I absolutely advise anyone who hasn't checked out said archive to do it if you wish to understand a lot of the "extra lore" the fandom had access to, back in the old days when the turbonick ATLA site still existed and used to be the only source of deeper knowledge about the fandom besides the occasional interview that most people didn't even know where to track down.

But the funny thing is that the post I'm talking about proved that even Turbonick forgot about the people this post is about :')

And that would beeeeeeee...

*cue drumroll*

Lo and Li!

What makes Lo and Li an important subject to discuss?

Why, a lot of things. Among them, the fact that almost nobody brings them into the core focus of any analysis made about Azula's character. I've personally mentioned them once or twice I believe, mostly as negatives, there's but ONE positive aspect I've ever found of them: them being non-benders MIGHT be a reason why Azula isn't shown as being quite so obsessive with firebending supremacy as Zuko was supposed to be.

But that's very much the sole good thing I can think to say about them and it's completely subjective, as good as a headcanon, because we don't even KNOW if they influenced Azula in that sense!

Why do they seem to get overlooked quite as much? Why... let's start thinking about it, shall we?

Lo and Li are Azula's firebending teachers. As far as anyone can tell, they're also her advisors. These two people should be an essential part of Azula's life... but ironically, we seldom see them with her. Most times, Azula isn't around these two. Whenever she is? It doesn't usually look like she's having a good time.

And that's no surprise, considering her first scene with those two very much puts forward a dynamic of cold distance between Azula and her mentors: Azula is bending LIGHTNING. We have not heard of other lightningbenders until that point, and once the full show wraps up, there's only THREE (Azula, Ozai, Iroh). Out of those three? Only one is a fourteen-year-old girl. It's very easy to assume Azula's lightning is actually a skill she mastered unusually early in life, perhaps relatively recently, hence the practicing... but she's pulling it off. She's succeeding. She's doing something that genuinely catches a first-time viewer off-guard!

And Lo and Li's entire opinion of what she did is: "Almost perfect. One hair out of place."

This tells you the Fire Nation's idea of "imperfection" is... insane. Strict. Imposing. Unyielding. Unforgiving. Azula's reaction isn't to get angry at Lo and Li for saying what they did: it's to get angry at herself and try again.

But... that's not the only instance where we see Azula getting angry around Lo and Li.

The next few times Azula is around them, she doesn't seem to have much of an emotional reaction (one is when they tell her to find other allies, the other when they herald her as a great hero who returned home from Ba Sing Se). In the second of these scenes, Lo and Li are praising Azula as incredible, beautiful, all sorts of grand things...! And Azula smiles. She smiles at the crowd. She's not smiling at the old ladies who are praising her... she's mostly just happy to know her people are welcoming her as a hero indeed! Most the fandom would go "true! what an ungrateful bitch! She should've been happy that Lo and Li complimented her that way!!" Me? I wouldn't say that at all. Not just because I love Azula to pieces? But because the only information we have of Azula's dynamics with these two... doesn't seem compatible with the idea that what Lo and Li are saying here is for AZULA'S benefit.

Anyone who's had a hypocritical parent/caretaker/teacher must have endured awkward, horrible, unpleasant moments where this adult figure treats you like shit in private but in public holds you as this grand example, and a perfect child, and they never seem to stop saying they're soooo proud of you even though you NEVER felt that what they're saying is true. Maybe the first few times, you're naive enough to believe it. By the tenth time of incongruent messages? You start to realize they're talking you up as a way to make themselves look better. They're trying to show they're doing their job at raising you/training you, be it whatever it may. The praises are not FOR you... they're for a third person to hear and think "Oh, this adult's so cool, saying nice things about this kid they're responsible for! Nice!"

... You're starting to get the picture now, I'm sure.

Lo and Li reappear in the Beach. Azula is notably chill, enjoying the ride, talking casually with Ty Lee, telling Zuko to lighten up and to stop taking Ozai's choices personally, right? She seems... content. Relaxed.

Then, everything changed when Lo and Li attacked.

We don't even see why Azula is making this face at first. But she does it AT ONCE when their ship reaches the dock.

Who is there indeed...?

The stars of our post! :') if it isn't our elderly twin ladies... who brought Azula to a very disappoting beach house. And when Azula sees the house in question, she makes THIS face.

Judge however you may... even Ty Lee is weirded out by the beach house, going by that expression. Zuko and Mai aren't impressed either. But Azula? The look on her face isn't merely disappointment if you ask me... part of it looks a bit like embarrassment too? This isn't at all what she was expecting when she arrived (she has her old beach house for standards, which makes this extra underwhelming, I'm sure). She counts on Lo and Li to provide them with a place to stay, it goes implicit... and then this is what they do. It most likely isn't what she promised the other three in terms of where they'd stay, hence, I'd dare say there's a component of embarrassment here.

Shortly afterwards, we have our well known scene with Azula being utterly unconcerned with Lo and Li's apparent wisdom to the point of yawning over it. This, too, tells you she's just not interested in whatever those two have to say or bring to the table. Then, they show up again at mealtime and I think Azula just ignores them the whole scene.

After this? Lo and Li vanish until the finale. And what do they do in the finale? Why... it's the first time anyone expresses a verbal concern over Azula's wellbeing! Ah! A sign that Lo and Li have SOME affection for Azula! This time, you pesky Azula fans, you CAN'T twist this into a bad thing! For sure!

... Can't we, tho? :')

What IS Azula's reaction to: "We are concerned for your wellbeing"?

"My father asked you to come here and talk to me, didn't he‌? He thinks I can't handle the responsibility of being Fire Lord. But I will be the greatest leader in Fire Nation history."

And here, my friends, is when we have finally hit the jackpot.

Lo and Li could have been Azula's Irohs. She could've had TWO of him! Then you'd say: "hey! Ozai is such a dick he let Azula have two elderly wise ladies guiding her but only gave one old wise dude to Zuko! Rude!" and it would be further proof of Ozai's favoritism of Azula, right?

... But actually?

Lo and Li are no such thing. Lo and Li aren't moral compasses for Azula in the least. Lo and Li are not beacons of wisdom that genuinely help her sort her way through life. Worth noting: THEY COULD HAVE BEEN WRITTEN THAT WAY. They're not. They're not part of mysterious secret societies, they don't help Azula in any objective, significant, tangible way... there's very much nothing to say they EVER fulfilled the role Iroh did for Zuko. What role, then, were they fulfilling instead?

Why... I think we ought to listen to Azula, shouldn't we?

My take: Lo and Li are OZAI'S STAND-INS.

Someone's going to say "hey why would you assume that when Azula said this in the middle of a breakdown?? Surely she was just DELUSIONAL and PARANOID and ashdgkadhsgkjgh...!"

... Let me counter that one with a fun little analysis excercise:

WHY are Lo and Li Azula's firebending teachers and advisors?

The finale very directly tells us these two are not benders. We could've assumed they were! They're not: Azula's teachers are non-benders.

Has a single person out there ever asked themselves WHY this is the case?

How the hell is Azula, prodigy of the blue fire, epic lightning, cruel and powerful and precise and deadly bending... training under two elderly nonbenders?

Bringing this to a real-life example: do you remember what it was like when you were in P.E. classes and your teacher told you to spend 20 minutes jogging, and if you ever stopped you had to do 20 crunches and then get back to the jogging, and every time you stopped he'd tell you the same thing and you'd want that guy to vanish from the face of the planet? I don't know if that was only my experience, but I rather doubt it.

What did kids typically think/say when that happened?

"I wanna see that old fart doing the same shit he's making us do..."

It's a headcanon indeed to say that this is how Azula must have felt over Lo and Li, but it's VERY likely to be the case. But I'd dare say, in Azula's case, it's even worse because, to put it in another way? It's like taking programming lessons from someone who's never learned a programming language. They'll tell you you're getting things wrong without knowing how to help you get them right because they just DON'T KNOW what you're doing, and are outright INCAPABLE of what you're trying to achieve. They can't offer good guidance based on experience because they have ZERO experience on that subject! And yet they want PERFECTION from you! They expect it!

Lo and Li are these teachers for Azula. We only see them in one scene? And yet everything in the rest of the show suggests that they bring nothing important to the table for Azula, be it professionally, be it personally, be it emotionally... not in any aspect of life.

And this, if you ask me, is why the OG show barely ever brings them into scenes. Why the comics flat-out forgot they existed and even featured people like Sozin and Azulon in Azula's beach hallucinations but NOT the two ladies who looked after her and trained her. Why the live-action didn't even FEATURE them.

And us? The fandom? The fic writers?

I HAVE NO IDEA WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME I READ A FIC THAT HAD LO AND LI INVOLVED IN IT.

I'm not even saying as main characters, I don't even know if that exists, frankly: I mean as minor, or background characters. I have NOT seen those two be used in basically ANY fics I've read. I've scarcely used them in mine! In fact, I PURPOSEFULLY got rid of them early on in Gladiator because I didn't want them to sabotage and get in the way of Azula's progress as a character and I believed they'd do exactly that. They were an obstacle rather than anything useful, so I did away with them and then realized they could still occasionally serve some purpose in certain situations: I even had Azula visit them once and they were actually helpful! Fancy that! But... that's it. That's as far as I could go with them. I can't do MORE with those two because they're not characters one particularly feels compelled to work with.

And from what I've seen? That's the case for everyone.

So, I ask again:

WHY ARE THEY THERE?

WHAT IS THEIR ROLE?

WHAT IS THE POINT OF AZULA HAVING NON-BENDING TEACHERS?

Let's go further and further into logical thinking here, shall we?

Azula is a child. Fourteen years of age at the time she's introduced in the OG show.

Azula has no power over many things around her, particularly, her upbringing. That's in the hands of the adults around her. Her mother, up until she vanished, had some hand in it, then, it all falls to Ozai.

Ozai has been Azula's sole parental figure since Ursa left.

Ozai is the one who would reasonably call the shots regarding Azula's education, as all parents are wont to do... ESPECIALLY when he's a king with absolute power over his children.

... so, Lo and Li? Ozai either gave them the position as Azula's teachers personally, or someone else (Ursa) did, and Ozai either didn't WANT to remove them from the role (cue "Ozai being sentimental over Ursa" theories), or Ozai didn't give a flying fuck about who was training his daughter (cue "Ozai is an abusive dick without a heart or a brain" theories).

Anyone, of course, would likely interject here to say surely Ozai ALSO trained Azula himself because that's what he'd do with his favorite kid, right? See. I don't even disagree with that notion.

BUT IT'S A HEADCANON.

We have zero evidence that Ozai trained her! None! I totally will write that into Azula's backstory in many of my stories, but there's NOTHING in canon to suggest this actually happened and that Ozai was genuinely, actively, frequently involved in her progress as a firebender. Assuming he HAD to be is, still, a headcanon. You can't say that with any more certainty than mine when I say I believe Azula loves spicy foods. Does it seem to be something that would fit with her character? I think so! But if eventually canon goes "AZULA CAN'T STAND SPICY FOODS LOL JOKE'S ON YOU!" I... can't even say a thing about it. People's food tastes aren't reflective of their personalities. They really could do whatever they want in that respect. And that's the case for ANYTHING that isn't part of the show's storytelling or the character backgrounds or any texts we consider canon!

POINT BEING: Ozai, regardless of what you want to headcanon, had Lo and Li as Azula's teachers. HIS FAVORITE CHILD... and her only official instructors are two non-benders. Yang added Kunyo as an old instructor of Azula's when she was young, sure! But Kunyo was sooooo qualified that baby Azula was already kicking his ass. So, for that matter? He doesn't really seem to have been a cornerstone of her firebending development and the only other known teachers for Azula are Lo and Li.

For the last time: Azula's teachers are NON-BENDERS. AS CHOSEN, SANCTIONED, APPROVED AND ACCEPTED BY OZAI.

And with those two remarking on absolutely STUPID stuff like "one hair out of place"? Azula still became the incredible firebender she was.

Cue, now, the irony where Zuko was stuck in the basics 3 years after setting out of the Fire Nation... WITH IROH ACTIVELY SERVING AS HIS MENTOR.

You're not gonna tell me that Lo and Li would EVER be better instructors than Iroh, or are you? Because that makes no sense. Full-stop. Iroh is supposed to be the most profound and complete firebender thorughout the show because he's spiritually enlightened even though I admit I think that's bullshit and he doesn't just teach Zuko how to set things on fire, he actually makes him learn theory and spirituality and his teachings are more profound than just "ONE HAIR OUT OF PLACE".

So.

Banished as he is, disgraced and seen as trash by Ozai, Zuko STILL has a better teacher than Azula does.

... Is this LOGICAL? Is this NORMAL? Does this make SENSE?

If you think Ozai's favoritism of Azula takes the shape of "I'll give you every little thing you ask for, sweetheart, I love you very much, here, have ten million doll houses so you can set them on fire, and all the ponies you ask for and on your next birthday I'll buy you a baby dragon and you'll get your own region of the Fire Nation to govern and a fancy title..."?

Then Lo and Li, unfortunately, are right here to be a HUGE contradiction with your interpretation of Ozai and Azula's relationship.

Azula should have THE BEST teachers. Azula does not. Azula doesn't even LIKE them. Azula is openly shown to dislike them! To be annoyed around them, ANGRY when they're teaching her, she feels they're here to keep tabs on her for her father! In a sense, they're Ozai's SPIES on her! :')

Hence? Ozai's favoritism of Azula MIGHT not be what everyone keeps pretending it is. Maybe Ozai didn't do everything to make Azula get things EASILY... and to be fair? That's not what Zuko said anyway. People interpreted it that way... but that's not REALLY what he says:

"Everything always came easy to her. She's a firebending prodigy, and everyone adores her. My father says she was born lucky. "

Every line in this statement is absolutely questionable and all of it sounds like buuuuullshit to me. This is ZUKO'S perspective. And sorry not sorry, but it's tell-don't-show. People swear by his opinion of Azula and pretend he's absolutely objective about it. He's not.

But "Everything always came easy to her," does not mean "EVERYTHING WAS ALWAYS HANDED OVER TO HER ON A SILVER PLATTER." And yet this is what the fandom has constantly interpreted it as.

Azula might just be a prodigy. Maybe she started out ten steps ahead of her brother: this does not mean she needs no guidance, no training, no help. She's seen training herself over perfectionism in her very second scene of Book 2. And the guidance she gets in order to achieve perfection is actually, objectively, stupid.

This is what Ozai chose for her. This is an OBSTACLE for her growth, just as much as Lo and Li were obstacles for me when I was starting with Gladiator! Azula doesn't have it EASY: she just works herself so damn hard that even shit that should HINDER her does NOT do that. And even when her brother objectively has spent THREE YEARS with an advantage in the shape of being trained by one of the VERY BEST firebenders out there? Azula is still beating Zuko at it. With two non-benders as her teachers.

Where am I going with all this?

To the fact that Lo and Li are overlooked in just about every instance of the fandom.

To the fact that nobody includes them, and their influence on Azula, in their analyses of who Azula is.

I've seen a shitstorm rising over the Netflix characterization of Azula: SHE'S TOO ANGRY, they say. Non-stop. She's sooooo hysterical, all the time! She's just pissed perpetually!

Well. I haven't finished the show yet. But the scenes I've seen Azula in so far? They don't fit the fandom's view of Azula because...

... they're not taking Lo and Li into account.

As usual.

:')

Azula's reactions around Lo and Li being frustration, anger, irritation EVEN in scenes like The Beach, where Azula was FINE until she sees them? That shit is storytelling that went over sooooooo many heads, EVEN MINE! When I saw people going on about how canon Azula is... not insecure? Not angry? Has no frustrations and was only ever smirking 24/7? I... didn't feel that was right. I knew it wasn't right. And when I thought about it hard enough? I realized that one reason why this interpretation of Azula is IMMEDIATELY dismissable is because of Lo and Li: those two constantly made Azula angry. Even if that wasn't their intent, it's nonetheless the effect they'd have on her. And Azula didn't like having them around. She CLEARLY didn't appreciate them the way Zuko does Iroh, for instance! And this could be taken as a flaw on Azula's part... if we EVER saw evidence that these two ladies actually love Azula as a grandchild, or so. If we had any evidence that they actually have cared for her in ways nobody else ever did. If maybe the ones Zuko talks about, upon saying "EVERYONE LOVES AZULA" were these two! And maybe he was jealous of them! Maybe he wanted two old ladies to watch his every move and tell him his every flaw!

... Clearly I'm joking about that last thing, but anyway...

There's nothing to tell us Lo and Li were anything but Ozai's assigned watchdogs to keep control and tabs over Azula. That Azula's immediate reaction upon hearing that someone cares about her is "Oh fuck off, my dad sent you here because he doesn't trust me!" is... telling. It's not just paranoia speaking, even if it sure can be read that way! It's actually Azula's perception of those two, which is 100% supported by what we saw of the twins throughout the show, WHENEVER we did see them: their roles in Azula's life are indeed to keep tabs on her, to keep her under control, to pressure her into perfection, AS OZAI'S AGENTS! Seen this way, it MAKES SENSE for Azula to disregard their concern and immediately assume it's FAKE. She isn't even shown to doubt it, never questions that MAYBE they did care about her! She assumes they don't...

... And considering that, as far as I know, the official concept is that they BOTH LEFT when Azula banished one of them only? That they didn't contest her command, staying to look after her even if she only wanted one? I mean, clearly Azula can't tell them apart, so they could've taken turns: one watches over Azula for 12 hours and the other for the next 12 hours, I don't goddamn know! But they didn't do that. They LEFT. And if they left? It means they don't care remotely as much as they say they do. Not to the point where they'd challenge Azula's orders and help her when they KNOW she's not okay.

And all of this further supports my point.

When we see Azula in the liveaction being angry, bitter, irritable at Ozai's choices?

I see a reflection of the same dynamics that the OG too subtly weaved into Azula's relationship with Lo and Li. I see Azula reacting against Ozai's control over her because she feels it's DISTRUST. She feels it means her father STILL needs to be convinced that she's competent, powerful, ready to do his bidding. It isn't a case where Azula's irritation comes from wanting to rebel against her father... it's Azula wanting her father to UNDERSTAND that she's 100% his supporter and will put everything on the line to serve him and the Fire Nation.

And it's very damn easy to read that exact same thing into Azula's dynamics with Lo and Li as it is to see it EXPLICITLY STATED in the liveaction.

My point?

What the liveaction did is not nearly as much of a distant characterization choice as people think it is.

Ozai is Azula's Achilles' Heel. Everything she became, everything she grew up to be, was for his sake. He molded her to become those things and simply didn't give a shit about raising a daughter, he treated her as a weapon, and absolutely pitted his children against each other, just as much as OTHER adults in their lives did. But the impact of Ozai on Azula in the OG is easy to ignore. Why? Because we SELDOM see them interacting. Because we don't get that side of Azula's character fully explored. Because they didn't want to explore Ozai's character either! They were as cheap as they could be with all these aspects and so, only the people who really got into analyzing things on a deeper level would be able to say, without a doubt, that Ozai abused Azula emotionally with all the expectations and demands he put on his own child. Through the golden child-scapegoat dynamic that people have been bringing up non-stop in the past years.

So, proving herself to her father is what Azula wants to do, more than anything. Proving worthy of his favor, of his approval, is the closest thing she can get to feeling loved. Which is depressing as fuck. Azula gets zero affection: it's not even conditional affection, there's NOTHING for her besides approving words if she gets anything right. And this show's work with Azula's character? It was meant to make these things less invisible to all the fans who like to pretend none of it exists. And yes, I've seen them, crawling all over Twitter shitting themselves in fits of rage because how dare that show pretend Azula EVER had a bad time in her perfect flawless life!!

Well, the irony is that the OG gives you a smidge of evidence -- and yet that's enough -- to show that Ozai was doing very similar things to Azula in ATLA, and her reactions to it?

Huh. No smirks for Lo and Li.

No smirks for the symbols of Ozai's control over her life.

It's almost like the confidence, the smirks, the apparent ease with which she handles everything? Is a front that crumbles easily whenever it concerns the ONE PERSON with power over her life.

I don't believe, worth noting, that Azula's power comes from rage. I've seen people say that in fandom in the past and I find it a completely absurd take when Iroh himself spells out that her bending is about control, about precision, and it's Azula's FURY that makes her a sloppy mess in the finale. It's even INTENTIONAL that when she shoots lightning a second time, in her second establishing scene, THAT SAME HAIR FALLS OUT OF PLACE. She's still angry. She didn't get it "right" this time either. She's imperfect and she's trying NOT to be, but she cannot succeed. And upon bending lightning with emotions (rage/frustration)? That hair falls YET AGAIN out of place. Proof that she's not going to achieve the perfection she's being FORCED (indeed, by her father and the people who are here to represent him, Lo and Li) to strive for.

The liveaction had Ozai pushing Azula for a perfection she couldn't attain either. She's perfectly content in her cruelty at Ozai's side, right until she hears the Avatar was found and that Zuko has a shot at taking away the privileges she's been basking in so far. That she WASN'T nervous about this in canon is pretty damn obvious: OZAI SENT HER TO HUNT ZUKO DOWN FOR BEING A FAILURE. We never saw her reaction to learning that the Avatar was out and about. We have noooo idea what was canonically going on with her back then. The first time we see her besides the flashback is Azula receiving a mission that tells her she's STILL #1 and Zuko is no threat to her because Ozai thinks he's a failure. Thus? She had nothing to fear. Here? Ozai is actively using Zuko as bait to pressure Azula further. And if you're so confident in Ozai's good parenting skills as to believe he somehow WOULDN'T do that? Sounds like you don't understand the very basic and simplistic Fire Lod Ozai from ATLA, and that's not something to be proud of. So probably stop screaming your bad takes at the top of your lungs, because being incapable of understanding Ozai in canon is not a badge of pride, just saying...

FINAL POINT...

This post is not written expressly in the defense of the liveaction and its characterization of Azula. To this point, what I've seen of it doesn't feel WRONG or OFF unless you're the kind of person who thinks Azula is only capable of smirking and if she stops doing that she stops existing or something. Only people who cannot understand the depth, nuance, subtleties in Azula's story would ever be claiming that Azula's relationship with Ozai COUDLN'T be like this, or that Azula couldn't possibly be frustrated with her father or his choices when it's soooo clear what Ozai is going for, and why it's working. But in order to read Azula as a character capable of this range of emotion, frustration and ambition, all at once? You have to be able to treat this character, be it in the liveaction or the OG show, as a human being.

And that's what most the people criticizing this specific change are determined not to do. It's what makes them uncomfy. It's what rustles their jimmies.

Yes. I'm saying it in this very demeaning way because I actually find it quite ridiculous to be this insecure over the portrayal of a fictional 14yo in two TV shows. Whether the liveaction sticks the landing or fails catastrophically, I do not know... but I do know that if it's forcing a bunch of people to rethink Azula's character, and making them panic at the idea that she could EVER have human emotions, even if they're AWFUL human emotions?

Then I'm afraid you're only convincing me that, as bad as that show could ever get? It's getting SOMETHING right. I do love to see misinterpretations of Azula getting slammed in the face by the reality that all those beliefs, headcanons and takes in bad faith are actively, categorically untrue: none of which makes Azula a fundamentally good person, worth noting! But it makes it very clear that reading her as a one-dimensional basic villain, which is what the anti-Azula-redemption crowd actively does, is literally only possible if you overlook, ignore and fail to understand her character and her complexities, be it in the liveaction or in the original show.

There. I said my piece.

Another post, regarding the rest of the liveaction, is bound to come later. I'd say stay tuned but it might take me a while to write it at all. So... wait around and maybe you'll see it someday!

#azula #atla #natla #yep :')#I'm doing it #because I know the bad takes are everywhere so #let's see if mine actually gets any visibility this way #can of worms here we goooooooooo #(this is a bad idea I know it is I'm having a leave of my senses)#(but sometimes you just gotta watch the world burn and this has been... a complicated sad day)#also sorry if anyone saw it without the read more oops I thought I'd put it there #so either tumblr ate it or I forgot yikes #but now it's theeeere #sorryyyyyyyy

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vashtijoy · 8 months

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Hi! Pre-emptive sorry for the long ask- I don't know if you've answered this before but I was scrolling through your blog and in one of your posts you note that the brief bit we see of Akira's hometown has high rise buildings, which implies it's a city. I could've sworn there was in game dialogue calling him a country boy though or referencing him being from a rural area? Is there something in the Japanese text to suggest these are meant to be taken as jokes (I.E. protag is from a city, but it's not as big as Tokyo so he's playfully considered 'rural') or is this a case of the game devs simply not considering what buildings they had in the background of that scene?

Hello! First of all, I think it's insanely unlikely that the game devs just forgot Joker was meant to be from a shack on top of a mountain and accidentally put him in a city. Maybe they didn't have time to design a farm and shoved him in a random cityscape instead? Well, maybe. I would at least have pasted in a couple more trees.

So what do we know about this?

Sojiro calls Joker 田舎もん inakamon, short for 田舎者 inakamono—someone from the countryside; someone provincial. This is what's translated as "country boy", or "country bumpkin". Chihaya uses it about herself, and Chihaya I think is certainly meant to be very rural. The Adorable Woman and Rural Young Man in Shibuya Station use inaka a lot:

His name did not originally use inakamono or similar, by the way—he's the 上京してきた青年 joukyou shite kita seinen, "the young man who's moved to Tokyo". Note the moving-up kanji there, 上, lol—this is not a sideways move, it's a definite move up.

so what is the inaka?

In short, the inaka can be the remote countryside—but it can also just be your hometown, of any description. It can be legit anywhere that isn't Tokyo. Here's Tofugu:

My mouth was hanging open and I know I was being rude, but it was really hard to pull myself together. The woman I was speaking with was from one of the top Japanese Universities. She has had international relationships, traveled the world, and done work that most foreign anime fans would kill to see. Someone with her experiences, to me, should be open-minded about other cultures and lifestyles. Just the same, I can't help but to be bothered by what she said: "I feel like anything outside Tokyo's 23 wards is inaka." [...] Often, people usually just use what they read in the dictionary, but I learned fast that "countryside" in American English is much different than in Japanese English. For me, countryside means farms. Countryside is driving to see your closest neighbor, riding tractors for work and pleasure, and being able to immediately tell who's from your town just by looking at them. When I say this to Japanese people and ask them to explain inaka, the joke is always the same: "Inaka is anything outside of Tokyo." Osaka and Kyoto, for many, aren't inaka, but Sapporo, which is one of the few parts of the country where this legendary thing called "insulated housing" exists, is inaka. [...] So you might be wondering how "bad" it really is out here. Truthfully, I'm living in a city, at least by American standards. Great bus and train systems, tons of malls and movie theaters, some of the major stores people visit Tokyo to see, game centers, golfing… and a few rice paddies. Not many, but there are some. Imagine a fashionable mall, famous manga store, well-respected school with a strong baseball team, and major supermarket, all within walking distance, with maybe one field of rice. Honestly, the place is so city that I don't think I would willingly eat any rice that grew in that field. I swear, it's in front of a bus stop.

So, tl;dr: if you aren't in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, you're probably in the inaka—at least to someone's mind. You can be somewhere that looks to us in every way like a city, and be in the inaka. And if you pick up sticks and move to Tokyo? Then you have a good chance of being jibed about being a "country boy".

so what is joker's inaka like?

[Joker] 田舎に帰りたい inaka ni kaeritai I miss the country... [lit. I want to go back to the inaka.] Ryuji ハハ、都会の洗礼ってか? haha, tokai no senrei tte ka? Hah. Not used to the big city yet, huh? [lit. Haha, so this is your first time in the city?]

We don't get a huge amount of detail in-game about Joker's home. Besides Sojiro's "country boy", Ryuji has a couple of comments. Here's another:

Ryuji あれ? お前ン家ってわりと田舎? are? omae n uchi tte wari to inaka? Wait a sec, your hometown isn't near the countryside, is it? [lit. isn't your place relatively countrified?] Ryuji いや、大自然でランニング練習とか気持ち良さそうだなーって。 iya, daishizen de ranningu renshuu to ka kimochi yasasou da naa tte I was just thinkin' it'd be great to run an' train somewhere out where it's all big, naturey open space. [lit. no, I thought it seemed like it'd feel great to train in the great outdoors and stuff.]

(I think something may be off here with that translation of daishizen, which seems to connote "the great outdoors", "a vast wilderness", etc, as well as just meaning "nature" (the sort you get out into) more generally". The word has been split up as if Ryuji was just saying "big nature" for some reason, like if you thought "the great outdoors" meant "the outdoors is great :D".)

But we can see from Ryuji's statement that Joker's home is wari to inaka, "relatively countrified", "kind of countrified"—it's more the country than Tokyo is, but it's probably not the ass end of nowhere, either. It's somewhere Ryuji pictures getting out into nature—but even if that's accurate and not just in Ryuji's city-boy head, that again doesn't connote "ass end of nowhere"; a lot of very built-up places are startlingly close to farmland or to nature, as with the putative rice field at the bus stop that we read about earlier.

the artbook picture

There is, of course, a picture of Joker's home in the artbook:

That doesn't scream "rural" to me—though it's also not the built-up area we see him in with Shido. It backs onto a cliff, it's very green. It's clearly a row of houses on a street, maybe in a fancy suburb on the edge of the city?

It's a nice house, at any rate. Joker moving into Sojiro's attic, with his clothes in a box, will have been a harsh step down.

Another detail from this image before we move on:

Look at this board. We can make out what it says. We can even, just possibly, make out a town name there...

日立自治会掲示板 hitachi jichikai keijiban Hitachi Neighbourhood Association noticeboard

自治会 jichikai—neighbourhood associations. As you'd expect, they tend to be organised at the very local level—so Hitachi is likely to be a small district within a larger city, rather than (say) the city of Hitachi in Ibaraki Prefecture.

his city has a name guys i can't believe it lmao

the coup de grace

But there's one question I think really puts the nail in the coffin here: WTF was Shido doing in the middle of nowhere?

It's totally plausible that Joker came from a remote farm in the country, or a tiny village in far northern Honshu. But what is there in that to attract Shido? Like... Shido seems kind of an indoor guy, y'know?

He goes where his business is. He goes where the money is. It's difficult for me to picture him going to random rural areas with nobody to schmooze, with what I'm sure he'd consider to be poor facilities and shitty hotels.

Even if he did stoop to visit somewhere like that, by the time he was on his off hours getting pissed (in both senses) and attacking women, wouldn't he have gone back to civilisation?—back to the city?

conclusion??

This place Joker is wandering after dark doesn't look like The Country. It looks quite built up. I'd say it's the centre of a regional city or large town—with those nice houses we just looked at set off in suburbs along its edge. Look at this place:

It really does look like a less cramped version of Yongen-jaya, down to the trees. I don't think they spent too long on this area, but I also don't think it's inaccurate.

By the way, that "Hometown Neighbourhood" was originally 実家近くの住宅地 jikka chikaku no juutakuchi—"residential area near home". So this is not where Joker lived with his parents; it's an area close by. Like he says, he's on his way home late.

Where was he? We never find out. He has what looks like a school bag, well before his nasty crime days. Maybe he was visiting a friend we never hear about again. Maybe he was at cram school. But he's gone to this built-up part of town to do something there.

My guess would be that he lived in some prefectural capital or other. That's why Shido is there. I'd also guess that it's one of the Kanto prefectures, since the further you go from Tokyo, the less likely it becomes that Joker would have been sent to Tokyo for his probation, whether Sojiro was a friend of a friend or not.

As ever, all of this is for information only, and if you want to do something else superior in every way, you definitely should. At the end of the day Joker's a silent protagonist player insert, who can be from absolutely anywhere and as gay as you like. Let a thousand Jokers bloom.

revision history

Click here for the latest version.

v1.0 (2024/01/17)—first posted.

#asks #persona 5 #p5 meta #ren amamiya #akira kurusu #look at that y'all a totally goro-free post #i have ascended

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stormblessed95 · 2 months

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Hello💜

Just doing this quick and fast for anyone who doesn't know me, is new here, or just forgot who I was when I disappeared for a while.

Hi! My name is Storm (obviously not really but it's what everyone calls me here, or variations of it). My pronouns are she/her. I'm bi, married and have kids. I work in the mass communication and education fields, for now. I LOVE to read, write, and listen to music.

I've been ARMY since the beginning of 2020. I found BTS basically by accident. My music and dance loving baby was losing it and my husband said oh wait "there is this group out there who does amazing choreo to their songs" and put on the fire dance practice. And I, too, LOVED it. MOTS7 was my first comeback so it holds a very special place in my heart. And boy did BTS and learning about them save my sanity during the pandemic.

I am Yoongi and Jimin biased. Jungkook is my main bias wrecker, Hobi a very close second. You may call me a yoonminkooker if you want. I am not a shipper, but I do exist and operate this blog in shipper spaces. I do think there is a high chance that Jimin and JK have *something* going on that's more than just friendship. I don't care if I'm wrong though. I do know for a fact that they are the bestest of friends and nothing will ever change that. I also believe that yoonminkook are all very likely queer in some sense of the word. That has nothing to do with their relationship status and is just how I see things.

On this blog, I stress facts and original content first. Anything that isn't straight from original content though is solely my opinion. Nothing more, nothing less. Everyone is always free to agree or disagree with me as they please. I am not here for followers, the numbers don't matter to me. I started this blog for me and because a friend and a few others were encouraging me to share my thoughts over larger topics and I write essays. If you follow me or not is totally your choice, but my content will be whatever it is going to be. That's never going to change. I'm always happy to talk with people though, even through disagreements on opinions. As long as there is respect, I'm always more than happy to agree to disagree.

I love and adore all BTS members. I am OT7 through and that will never change. I love all 7 members, and I love them in every single duo/trio/grouping combination. And I will never tolerate any hate or slander towards any of them on my blog.

And finally, my post masterlist is here, if you haven't seen it yet, please check it out. Thank you!

Hopefully that's a sufficient introduction 😂 felt weird to have to do. I am not this important lol. If you guys have any questions or have anything you want to share, feel free to ask 💜

#messages from storm

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call-me-copycat · 4 months

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Hello everyone! I know I've been absent for a little while, but that was primarily due to exams! They're almost over, but until then my free time is non-existent (⑉ ᷄ ⌳ ᷅ )ก

I had started a drawing for Shirakumo's birthday (May 5), but I had to draw in small increments because I'm constantly busy (˶> <˶)

I'm rather proud of this one though! I love drawing the rooftop trio, they're what I started with when I began posting art online, so I'll continue drawing them (´∇｀)

Happy Birthday Shirakumo!

This line art is okay for anyone to use as long as you tag/credit me (˶ᐢωᐢ˶) ⬇️

Hands in pocket gang やあ(*´-ω・)ノ

Tagging:

♡ @tired-teacher-blog

♡ @geekandafreak

♡ @kaya-butter-toast (or is it @twanettee ? I mix the two, sorry about that >⁠.⁠<)

♡ + Anyone else I forgot to tag! Let me know if you'd like to be tagged whenever I post art!

This one was enjoyable to draw, I hope you all like it! (ृ´͈ ᵕ `͈ ृ ) Wishing you all a lovely day ꜀(^. .^꜀ )꜆੭

(Small Note: The odd patterns you see when zoomed in is IBIS Paint 's anti-AI theft program which prevents AI from training off of your art ^⁠_⁠^)

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floofeh-purpi · 2 months

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Getting isekai'd?! (Part 10)

Sagau! Genshin Fatui x Gn! Reader (ft. Your bsf)

『Beloved fluffball/s mentioned below! 💜』

@justmare @mc-cos-charm @keirennyx

☆

Guys when did I last upload a part again? 😭🙌

Warnings: Beh if the links are somehow arent working anymore you might have to look for that certain part of the fanfic somewhere in my blog, cursing, grammatical/spelling errors, ooc (help me), Your vitiligo is back 😫, this is shorter than my bsf in real life.

【Part 9】

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆

Much to Y/b/f/n's delight, Dottore was finally done treating you, but not before giving a tender kiss to your knuckles with a tiny blush on his face. Yah, they were tired of being a 3rd wheeler to this shit—

"Yo N/n, lets gooooo" They dragged you out of Dottore's lab. "Can we play mineraft again pelesè?? 🥺👉👈"

"Lmao we can when we get home 🙃"

"YAYAYAYYYAYAYAYAYAYA"

"...BRO WHAT THE ACTUAL FU—"

☆

"Yo bro..."

"OH DEAR FUCKING LORD Y/N IF YOU SAY WHAT I THINK YOU'RE GONNA SA—"

"Milk chocolate planks or dark chocolate pla—"

"AJÆJEJDRKFOGKAÆÆ👹👹👹👹" *Turns into an alpha*

"...omigash so couquette 😍🎀" You feigned innocence as you could hear y/b/f/n screeching in both voicechat and in their room. Amazing.

Someone knocked on the door. Which much to the happiness of your almost bleeding ears its your turn to get ear theraphy, stopped your bsf's screeching. "Ima get that shit 🤠👍" You say to y/b/f/n like they didnt make you wanna rip your ears out like 3 seconds ago.

You skipped your ass down the stairs after praying to whoever the fuck is watching/reading this in other words, you basically lmao for no reason, and opened the door, in which you saw a certain banker that was totally not visionless you thought he was also visionless in terms of eyesight at first with how his eyes were close in their debut 💀.

"Uhh... hi?" You awkwardly said to the banker who looked flustered with how pretty Vitiligo looks on you. "H-hello My Your Grace... •/////•" Pantalone replied with a blush that you're pretty sure it'd be ooc of him if he'll be playable...— "Ehmm... Come in...?" You made way for him so he he could come in y'alls house. "A-Ah... Of course Your Grace... Holy Tsaritsa they're so pretty..."

Oh... how he wanted to kiss those oh-so-soft looking lips of yours... he doesn't care if your lips are actually rough. He was tempted to kiss you regardless! Anygays, he sits down the huge ass couch in the living room.

"Wait how'd you know that im.. uhhh... y'know?"

"Childe and a certain doctor who just so happens to have the hair color of a certain fucking toothpaste (*EHEM* COLGATE *EHEM*) told me so, my love. Your Grace."

"Oh cool, anygays wanna something from the kitchen?" You asked him as you stood up to go to the kitchen. I hc that he's a coffee enjoyer.

Pantalone hummed in thought and was gonna say he wants you but had to stop himself to not scare you. "I'd like some black coffee."

"Alrighters :D" You said with a smile that made him mentally recite the reasons of why he fell inlove with you in the first place.

☆

GUYS IM SOSOSOSOSOSOSO SORRY THAT I DISAPPEARED ALL OF A SUDDEN I FORGOT MY TUMBLR ACC EXISTED—

【Part 11】

Published: July 17, 2024. 10:00am.

#genshin sagau #sagau #genshin impact sagau #genshin impact #genshin x reader #random #random stuff #sagau x reader #sagau genshin #genshin cult au

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thesensteawitch · 11 months

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The Remaining 2023 Vibe Check!🌲❄️⚡

What's coming for you?

🍂Pick A Pile Reading🍂

(Left to Right--- Pile 1, Pile 2, Pile 3)

Hello, Senstea Souls!🍁

Thank you everyone for staying and waiting for my next blog. I promise I won't make you wait for a whole week. I was busy taking care of my health. Thanks for your patience, beautiful souls🩷.

This reading is about the rest of your 2023. It's a collective reading. Take a deep breath and read🌻.

Pile 1

The emperor, the chariot, ace of wands, the hierophant, page of swords, 2 of swords.

Hello, my dear pile 1. Firstly I want to ask how have you been. I see that something quite challenging for you (but you were okay with it) came to an end. Maybe your human side was okay with it but not your soul. The mind kept finding a rational reason for your pain. But being in that certain situation/job/relationship you had to pay a price. It cost you your peace. Whatever happened did not happen for no reason. It happened to teach you something. Now you must be thinking, “Well, isn't it obvious?” Yeah, but darling you forgot that there are thorns on the way to the garden of roses.

Currently, you aren't able to get a closure and you won't be able to for some time. But as the year approaches its end your eyes will be opened. Some of you may experience your 3rd eye-opening. You will see the divine reason for why something ended so abruptly when you weren't ready. Or why anything even happens in this world? You'll gain some clarity regarding the purpose of your existence, your destiny, and who you truly are. Some of you may develop some strong philosophical views. Just know one thing pile 1 that what happened has ignited a spark within your soul. The light within you will burn again which was diminished months or in fact years ago. Currently, you are confused. Some of you are being rigid. I see polarities. Sometimes you will think too rationally and brutally. Sometimes you'll become philosophical. But in the end, you'll find your balance. And will finally carry your wounds as the mark of your wisdom. Your wounds will become a roadmap to your destiny.

I hear, “Blindsided, addicted. Thought we could really do this but really I was foolish...Young people fall in love with the wrong people sometimes. Some mistakes get made that's all right that's okay, in the end, it's better for me that's the moral of the story babe.” For some of you, it's related to someone and for some, it's about something very dear to you.

Only you can come out of the mental war you are going through. Only you can remove the blindfold and finally see the things as they truly are. Get out of your head! Seriously! Our mind can only go so far. It repeats the narratives it has seen. Truth comes from the divine. Surrender. Surrender to the divine/God/source/universe or whatever power you believe in. Writing down your emotions will definitely help you. You need to ground yourself. Start with grounding and soon you'll find your answers. You can just sit on the grass or walk barefoot on the grass. It will tremendously help you within a few minutes. I am not kidding. I do it. It will help balance your root chakra. You will find some stability.

Start planning how you truly want your life to be. It will help you in giving a vision. Because I see that all you need is an answer, a closure, a truth about life. If you do what I said then by the end of this year you'll finally be able to move forward with all bitter-sweet moments. You will have control of your life and not someone or something else has control over your life. Let nobody control you. Be it your mind, a desire, or a person. I also see that some of you are afraid to dream big. First dream like crazy and then make a plan. See how you can achieve whatever you want to achieve. And how can you be authentic in what you want to have in your life? Then make a plan and believe that it can happen to you. Remember the great examples in our history. If they can so can you. But don't end up comparing a fish to a monkey, you know what I mean right? You will be realising your worth by the end of 2023. You'll get the clarity that you are not able to get until now.

You need both magic and practicality. Remember to write 10 things about you that you know are wonderful. Also, forgive others and most importantly forgive yourself. Release the grudges and the negativity will be released. YOU ARE DIVINELY PROTECTED NO MATTER IF YOU BELIEVE IN ANGELS OR NOT. I also hear, “I don't know how to feel but I wanna try. I don't know how to feel but someday I might.” Oh God, you guys! Just watch BARBIE. And observe Ken. You'll learn a lot from him. Please do watch Barbie. And if you already have then watch again you might notice something that you didn't before. God bless you, pile 1. I also see a power struggle. You don't feel powerful. But you soon will. All this is happening to bring your power back.

If you want me to tap into YOUR ENERGY and give you specific details then do book a YEAR END READING with me. Just drop a message in my Tumblr inbox. (ONLY @ $11!)

Pile 2

King of pentacles, ace of wands, 10 of swords, knight of swords, 6 of wands, 5 of wands

Wow! My dear pile 2. First of all good job. I am so proud of you that you have finally decided something your guides have been whispering to you. Maybe life forced you to take a stand or you contemplated a lot. But one thing is clear you realised that the situation you were in was not favorable for you. You thought it would turn out to be something amazing but it did not. It definitely broke your heart. Currently, I see that you are trying to show strength in the face of adversity. It's good. You should keep doing that. But let me tell you my dear pile 2 that whatever tough situation you're in it's coming to an end. Very very soon. In a month you'll see yourself coming out of it. Finally, you are trying to stand up for yourself and your values. For once, you will not need anyone else's permission or approval. Beautiful! I see financial upgradation is definitely coming up for you. All the mental struggle and health struggle is coming to an end!!!!! Some of you can somewhat feel it. You may not have achieved your goal and you surely are not at the destination. But definitely, some progress is being made. Something has shifted. You're not in between. You're almost there. What you do in these coming weeks will define your years to come. Believe me when I say this. You know your goal, your destination. You're not naive. You're not unaware. You just fall into the temptations of instant gratification. And I see it all happens due to ‘what ifs’. New ideas will be coming to you. Soon you will be seeing competition as cooperation. People will praise your ideas and your work. And it will be huge! As you have just stood up from the ashes, it's still all over your body so the nostalgia might hit you. I hear the song, “What a time”. I feel this year has taught you a lot. But now you finally see your goal. You've made all the wrong decisions so now there's only the right way. What I mean by this is that you have exhausted all your options. Now there's only one way. Follow your destiny. You have been on the wrong roads so many times but the good thing is that you've learned. You have grown.

“We both have demons that we can't stand. Maybe you're seeking an honest man.” I feel that for some of you, your relationship played a huge role in your transformation. I also hear, “There may be lovers who hold out their hands but they will never love you like I can,” you knew how to give pile 2. You are a giver. Some of you may even be healers.

Now you're on your own. You always have been. But now you're not in a toxic cycle of codependency. And if some of you are still struggling with codependency then know soon it will be over. I hear December will be an abundant month for you. You are going to be the warmth that people would need in the cold winters. Some of you are so creative. I also hear, “I had the best time falling into love...” and now I feel you are choosing to stay single for some time. I feel it's good for you. Your soul needs this. I also see that some of you feel that you don't have enough knowledge about something but I see you do. Don't compare yourself to anybody online. There will always be someone better. But you don't need to fall for this trap of being above everyone else. You will finally take in the essence of understanding that the human race is dependent on each other and it helps each other directly or indirectly in each individual's growth. For the remaining months of 2023, your eyes will be on your vision. Nothing else! I literally am enjoying reading this pile. My heart is jumping. You are going to be blessed and divinely protected. I also sense that you always have been protected by the divine.

Aahh pile 2 I also see that this coming eclipse is going to play a major role in your life. It will bring a powerful change. This change is going to put you on your destined path. A new beginning is coming. If you guys have been wishing for something then know that it can come true. Please let go of your fear around finances. It's creating a blockage. I think you will be able to do that soon. Still, let me guide you on how to do it. You need to believe that you can have all the luxuries of the world. Keep doing things with your heart. Put a part of your soul in the work that you do and you will see financial abundance following you. Create things with pain, pleasure, purity, and peace. Keep the balance. Virtue lies in the middle. YOU GUYS ARE FOLLOWING YOUR DESTINY. Please keep going and not even for a moment lose hope. Focus on RELEASING the negativity and not listening to it. God bless you, pile 2! I am so so so happy for you. The external growth does depend on you and it is yet to come but I can't help but be proud of the internal growth that has happened to you and still, there's potential for more growth. Wow! The road is finally clear for you. It's your time to shine. Congratulations! Let me know what happens.

If you want me to tap into YOUR ENERGY and give you specific details then do book a YEAR END READING with me. Just drop a message in my Tumblr inbox. (ONLY @ $11!)

Pile 3

Two of wands, the emperor, two of pentacles, king of pentacles, queen of pentacles, the empress

Hello, my dear pile 3. It took me time to pull out your Oracle cards. Now I see why. So tell me why are you not taking action? I mean I see that when you are about to there's a part of you that makes you feel that you aren't ready. But guess what? You'll never be ready. No one is ready to start something. Knowing something you're planning to start is important but there's no end to learning. Then when will you be really ready if you measure your worth like that? You are afraid to execute your plan. For a long time, you have been planning and plotting but when it comes to taking action there's a huge resistance. If you are afraid that you won't be able to achieve your goals then let me tell you pile 3 that huge abundance is waiting for you to taste it. I can sense your soul suffering but this rigid mind and reasoning of yours has kept you in one place for so long.

The universe is going to put you off balance no matter how strong are the walls around you. Something is going to put you off balance and I am not saying this to instill fear in you. No concrete remains in front of God's will. Huge abundance waits for you. It's you who is coming in your way. So what if you're going to hit your goal in 6 months or a year? At least start or you'll never get closer to your dreams. Pile 3 do not even think of giving up! You do have a long way to go but to reach somewhere you need to leave a certain place and situation. By all means, explore. And who said that only the destination is supposed to be beautiful? It's the journey that matters. You are going to meet some really amazing people who will be helping you with your plan. Somebody is definitely going to help you soon.

When you're finally ready to overcome this resistance you will feel like your life is a mess. Believe me, this chaos will bring order. Currently, I see that your life is stagnant. I hear you saying to your resistance, “I like me better when I am with you.” It's so difficult to change your mindset pile 3. Stop weighing the outcomes rather than start creating. You have the capability to create a wonderful life for yourself. It's in your cards I am not saying this casually. Not all lessons are learned through books some are learned by experiencing the real world. The only way to fight any kind of resistance is to do the thing it is stopping you from doing. In the coming few weeks life is going to break something on you so that you have no choice but to move forward through the chaos that you are afraid to face. Believe me, pile 3 your life is going to turn out to be so beautiful. You'll love it. You might see a glimpse of it in December if you win over your fears.

Everything is concrete around you there's no oxygen and you have no pulse. It seems you have stopped watering your garden. No trees, no water? No oxygen! YOU HAVE THE KEY TO UNLOCK THE NEW OPPORTUNITIES. The vision you have is the key to your growth. Please don't be in your head all the time. In the times of challenges that you might face ahead please be playful. Don't be so serious all the time pile 3. Laugh a little. Let the day take you. You don't need to keep planning. Take breaks. Take rest. But do not be afraid to put in effort for your dreams. These coming months you'll be learning something that very few people know or take interest in. That's how you'll be able to create financial abundance. Knowledge will be served to you. If you feel lack in any aspect then the holes will be filled in by the universe. But first, you must take action. “The more that you say the less I know. Wherever you stray I follow. I am begging for you to take my hands and wreck my plans that's my man.” The universe is literally coming through and saying to take a leap of faith. Take its hands and wreck its plan of bringing turbulence into your life. “Know that my train can take you home anywhere else is hollow.” Home doesn't hamper your growth. Comfort does.

If you want me to tap into YOUR ENERGY and give you specific details then do book a YEAR END READING with me. Just drop a message in my Tumblr inbox. (ONLY @ $11!)

Links:

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#pick a pile reading #pick a pile #tarot readings #vibe check #tarot cards #free tarot #free readings #tarot reader #tarotblr #message for the collective #tarot #prediction #pac reading #pick a picture

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wangxianficfinder · 8 months

Note

Hello!! This blog has frequently helped fans find deleted/hidden fics by accessing them through the Wayback Machine (Internet Archive catalogued page). I have learned how to use a url to look for an old fic, with some success, thank you! I was wondering: is it possible for average joes like myself to add captures to the Wayback Machine? Like, can I go in and archive a bunch of my favorite fics? Or is the cataloguing done only by people who work at the Internet Archive? Thank you for any advice!

Of course! Anyone can save a site/link onto WayBack ^^ That's the best thing about it, if you go to the site and scroll down you will see this -

A "search bar" titled Save Page Now. All you have to do is copy the link you want saved and drop it into this nifty little bar and hit Save Page. It does have limits, it can only save pages that exist at the current moment and not in the past, and there are some sites that don't allow archive to save them, but AO3 is, thankfully, able to be saved.

Just be sure that if you save a fic, you either save it as a full work or you add the link to chapter by chapter.

There are exceptions to which fics can be saved though, hidden or already deleted fics will not be saved unless you managed to do it before it was hidden or deleted. If it's a multi chapter work, make sure you also add the link to each chapter or a full work. It will not do it automatically.

Just adding a link to the beginning of a fic will not save the whole thing. You need to get every chapter or you won't be able to read the fic. Which is why I prefer doing it with the full work link, but each their own.

I wish you luck! Happy saving ☺️ if you have any more questions, let me know and I will try my best to answer them!

- Mod C

---

danmeiireader: In addition to saving the full work, if you are saving an M or E rated story, make sure to add the following to the url so it doesn't get stuck on the warning page:

?view_full_work=true&view_adult=true

(per this reddit post)

alexseanchai: same goes for a Not Rated story, as those also get the adult-content splash page

Oh yes! Thank you for the addition, I can't believe I forgot to add this 😅 please make sure you save the link after hitting the button too!

#mod c #answers

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melondaskelet0n · 4 months

Text

NEW INTRO BLOG?!?! GASP!

Deciding to make a new intro blog since I feel like it

AHEM!!!

HELLO EVERYONE!!!

MY NAME IS MELON! I AM 14 YEARS OLD AND I LIKE TO DRAW AND MAKE EDITS! I TAKE REQUESTS AND LOVE TALKING TO NEW PEOPLE (I MIGHT BE A LITTLE SHY)!! I LOVE TF2 AND COD, I'M VERY CHATTY AND FRIENDLY AND I'M BISEXUAL!! I SUPPORT ANY SEXUALITY AND WILL ALWAYS TRY TO REMEMBER YOUR PRONOUNS AND PREFERED NAMES!! I AM VERY SHMOL AND HAVE DEPRESSION, I APPARENTLY MIGHT HAVE AUTISM AND ADHD ACCORDING TO MY IRL FRIENDS, MY OTHER ACCOUNT IS @meloubdagoober WHICH I FORGOT EXISTED, MY SCHOOL FATHER IS @wheresmy-berries (AN AMAZING PERSON) AND I AM SOLDIER'S AND ZHANNA'S DAUGHTER FRFR, INCLUDING THAT I'M @tf2addictedman-wastaken SISTER! (NOT IRL)

THINGS I WILL DO:

ANSWER SFW/SUGGESTIVE ASKS

BE YOUR PERSONAL THERAPIST

A YOUNGER/OLDER SISTER FIGURE

ACCEPT ANY SEXUALITY ON MY BLOG!!

QUICKLY RESPOND (SINCE I GET LONELY)

RANT A LOT ABOUT STUFF

SUPPORT AND COMFORT OTHERS!!

THINGS I WILL NOT DO

ANSWER NSFW ASKS

ALLOW ANY PEDOPHILES, ZOOPHILIA, DREAMSEXUAL OR ANY RED FLAGS ON MY BLOG

ALLOW SPAMMING (UNLESS UR MESSAGING ME OFC AND HOPEFULLY NOTHING BAD)

ALLOW HATE, RACISM, SEXISM, HOMOPHOBIA, TRANSPHOBIA ETC ON MY BLOG

ACCEPT ANY HATE OR DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MY FRIENDS OR PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW MY BLOG (idc if you insult me I'm already broken)

ACCEPT ANY THREATS TOWARDS ME

MORE INFO!!!

I AM CURRENTLY REALLY INTO TF2 AND COD BLACK OPS (1-4)

I LOVE SCOUT TF2 AND SOON GOING TO COSPLAY AS HIM!

I IDENTIFY AS FEMALE (WATERMELON)

I GO BY SHE/HER PRONOUNS

IF YOU FOLLOW, I GIVE A FOLLOW BACK

APPRECIATE THOSE WHO REBLOG MY STUFF AND INSTANTLY WILL FOLLOW AND LIKE THEIR POSTS

I SUCK AT ANIMATING N DRAWING SOMETIMES

I SWEAR I DON'T HAVE SCHIZOPHRENIA I JUST HAVE IMAGINARY FRIENDS STILL

I MIGHT TALK ABOUT SEX OR SMASHING SCOUT BUT PLS DO NOT THINK I'M ACCEPTING NSFW ASKS OR TALKS THAT LAST FOR 40 MINUTES ((I JUST GET FREAKY))

I ENJOY ART

I DO NOT MAKE MYSELF AS CANON TO BEING SOLDIER'S AND ZHANNA'S DAUGHTER, IT'S JUST AN AU THINGY

I DON'T MIND ROLE PLAYING!!!

MY HUMOR IS BROKEN SO HIT ME W JOKES

I LIKE CREEPYPASTA AS WELL!!!

——————————————————————

ALT ACCOUNTS

@meloubdagoober @melondaskeletondraws

RP ACCOUNTS

@iamtherealengineer

BEST DADS HERE

#idk what to tag here

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babyhatesreality · 10 months

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hello hello! i absolutely adore your writing!! ^^

question for you and a little thinker if you’re up for it.

what do you think would happen if little!reader/katie started going through a “forties phase?” dressing up like little girls did back then and trying to use an accent “like they do in the movies,” the whole gimmick.😭

i feel like one day katie would just be scrolling through videos on her ipad, stumbles upon steve’s old war movies and just gets hooked😭💀

part of me thinks stucky would like it and entertain it for a good minute haha. another part of me though feels like it would kinda be a little strange to see their modern little one trying to act like a kid from back then.

i don’t know if katie would be more interested in getting into makeup or just the fashion bit but i’d really love to see this from your perspective! :D

My love. You have been so incredibly patient and I thank you. I hope I do your absolutely brilliant idea justice. Enjoy <3

The Good Ol' Days

Pairing: Daddy!Stucky x little! f reader

Warnings: DDLG (SSC), f! reader, reader is named but name scarcely used, language, tiny bit of angst from daddies, fluffity fluff fluff fluff.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN MEDIA CONSUMPTION. THIS STORY IS SFW- THE REST OF MY BLOG IS NOT NECESSARILY SO. MINORS DNI. I DO NOT CONSENT FOR MY WORK TO BE STOLEN, COPIED, OR TRANSLATED ONTO ANY OTHER SITE BUT MY OWN. Likes, comments and reblogs are deeply appreciated.

Steve's head shot up when he heard you shriek. He knew you well enough to know that you were fine, just excited about whatever you'd just found. Sure enough, three seconds later, he heard your little feet tearing your way towards him, and he grinned to himself. As much as he was always worried about you falling while you were running, he couldn't help but love how excited you got when you were running to share something special with him.

You flung yourself into the office, and just as he was turning his head to look at you, you suddenly shrieked again.

"WAIT!"

You tore back out of the office, then knocked with a furious flurry at the door, remembering that you were always supposed to knock before just coming into the office. Steve bit back the laughter and barely got out "Come in."

Hurtling yourself into the office once more, you looked like you'd just won the lottery. Wondering what on earth you were up to, he decided to praise you on remembering your rules first.

"Good job remembering to knock, Katie Cat," he said, noting the iPad in your hand with curiosity. You scrambled onto his lap without so much as a how-do-you-do, and shoved the iPad under his nose with a look of wonder on your face. "What did you find?" he asked you, amused.

"You was in da movies, Papa!!" you shrieked, so excited.

"Inside voices, please, kitten. What do you mean, I was-" Before he could finish the statement, you yanked the iPad back down to your lap and jabbed your finger on it. The screen filled with Steve's old WW2 victory tour footage. Even though it had been years since he'd seen any of this- honestly, he'd forgotten that old film reels of this even existed- it all came rushing back to him. He forgot where he was in time for five seconds, just watching the past all over again, before your wiggling and giggling brought him back to the present.

"You was a STAR in the old times!! A'fore the 'Vengers!!" you squealed excitedly. "Was you in the Broadway??"

Steve laughed. They'd recently taken you to a Broadway show for the first time and it was your current obsession. "No, angel, I wasn't on Broadway. This was when I was in Europe during the big war."

"Ohhhh. The big war had people dancing in tights?" you asked, thoroughly confused by his answer. That made him nearly choke laughing. After he collected himself, he carefully explained to you all about the USO tour and how it was designed to help morale. He didn't mention the heckling that happened on the daily- not something he was keen to relive. He also steered clear of how he happened to find Daddy during one of those tours- that wasn't something that would go over well without Bucky being present, and you being able to hold his hand to know that he was okay now.

The tales of the tour, the costumes, the spotlight was enough to keep you captivated. And started you thinking.

***********************************************

The next morning, while Steve was at work, Bucky was beyond surprised when you followed him around all day, asking questions about the "old times", as you put it. You grilled him non-stop about what he wore, what kind of music he listened to, what was on his iPad during that time (the answer here made you absolutely gobsmacked and took at least an hour to make you understand), how people talked. Then, seeing how excited you were and how interested it was making you, Bucky started telling you stories of all the happy times that he and Steve went to Coney Island before the war.

This gave you a FANTASTIC idea.

*************************************************

It took a long time, with a LOT of help from your extended Avenger family members, and promises of 5 exclusive crayon drawings to Nick Fury, to pull it off. But finally...FINALLY...you got an entire day off for your daddies, a super secret way of getting them there (basically Uncle Clint lied, got them in the car, drove them there, and cheerfully dumped them at the entrance where you were patiently waiting with Aunt Natasha), and a wad of cash (courtesy of a delighted Uncle Tony)...to take your daddies to Coney Island.

When they got out of the car and saw you standing there, their jaws dropped. You were decked out in the cutest pink baby doll romper that could have come straight from a vintage clothing shop, complete with shiny Mary Janes. Your hair was styled into two low pigtails with little pink ribbons, and you were holding Natasha's hand, twisting in excitement and ready to explode with joy.

"Well, well, well! Look at these two DREAMBOATS!" you said, overemphasizing the words so they'd hear you clearly.

Steve's eyebrows shot into his hairline and an amused grin spread across his face. "Dreamboats?" he repeated, getting a good look at you and slowly starting to realize what was happening. "Coming from a cookie like you, that's quite the compliment, missy."

You laughed and squealed with joy, seeing your beloved Papa start to play along. Bucky, however, was throughly confused, wondering what in the hell they were doing at the entrance to an amusement park and why you were there when Clint had said there was a last minute meeting off campus...

"What is happening?" he asked, looking as if you'd all grown three heads. Giggling, you let go of Natasha's hand and skipped to his side. He instantly snatched your hand up, unwilling to let you take any chances, but it just made you smile bigger.

"Dis DAME had a BRAIN CHILD and is gonna take her SUGAR DADDIES to-"

"Nope, not using that one right," Steve interjected with a grin. You ignored him.

"-to Coney Island! I gots all da CLAMS we need and we gonna have a KILLER DILLER time!" you finished triumphantly, thoroughly pleased with yourself. It was the longest 40s speech you'd ever made (you'd been practicing with Auntie Nat and Auntie Yelena on the daily in secret) and you were so proud of yourself you could bust.

Bucky's eyes widened- there was no way that you.... that you had...his eyes shot to Natasha, who was barely holding in her laughter. "We've been IN CAHOOTS for a while about this," she explained, mimicking your speech pattern, her face glowing. "Look, we even had these specially made." Natasha turned to you. "Show 'em, princess."

With glee, you stomped hard on your Mary Janes, and the very edges of the soles lit up. It was obviously the same technology that was in all the Avengers' littles' shoes, just put into a pair of 40s slip ons. "That one took a little convincing, otherwise this would have happened about two weeks ago," Natasha whispered to the both of them.

Steve leaned down to your level. "Did you do all this for us, baby?" he asked, his voice rough with emotion at your display of affection.

"Yup!"

"You...how did you do all this?" Bucky asked in wonder, his heart bursting. You looked smug.

"I gots friends in high places."

And with that burst of laughter, Natasha kissed your forehead, gave your daddies a quick shoulder squeeze, and jumped into the car with Clint, promising that they were just a call away for whenever you all were ready to leave.

One of the most delightful days you'd ever spent together passed. You insisted on your daddies showing you ever square inch of the park that they knew, pointing out where specific stories and funny things had happened, as you squealed in delight and clapped your hands at all the memories. Although there were some initial reservations on Steve's part, the three of you rode the Cyclone until he declared he was going to get sick, then moved on to the Ferris Wheel and even the new Thunderbolt. You tried all the new rides together, ate Nathan's hot dogs and cotton candy, and you even managed to convince them to get stars painted on their faces (while you got a tiger done- it was awesome). You used all your best forties words and terms, making them laugh uproariously.

One memory stirred another and another, and you were mesmerized as they told you story after story, laughing and remembering and falling in love all over again. And they had you with them this time- their love story was finally where it was supposed to be.

Family trips to Coney Island to remember the good ol' days became a once-a-month thing (although they paid for themselves, no more "mooching" off Tony) and they were always some of the best days ever.

#daddy!bucky #daddy!bucky x little!reader #daddy bucky #daddy bucky x little reader #daddy!steve #daddy steve #daddy!steve x little!reader #daddy steve x little reader #daddy steve rogers #daddy steve rogers x little reader #daddy!steve rogers #daddy!steve rogers x little #daddy stucky #daddy!stucky #daddy stucky x little reader #daddy!stucky x little reader

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