#i feel like i never really properly characterized them all those years ago but hey thats what makes shipping fun LOL

[thinkofmehoney]

“A Place for You to Rest”

⇢ Summary: Choso asks Nanami to teach him how to cook, so he can prepare a meal for Yuji. He gets frustrated when he can’t do it perfectly, feeling the pressure of trying to be the best older brother for Yuji after the death of his younger brothers. But Nanami sees this, and when the anxiety it’s getting the best out of Choso, he’s right there to help him.

⇢ contents: NOT SHIP CONTENT!, slice of life, found family, fluff and angst, emotional hurt/comfort, Choso needs a hug, Nanami is a good dad, insecure Choso, canon compliant

⇢ notes: in this au Nanami is like 40, Choso is a half curse so he’s still 150 but appears early 20’s, and Yuji is 10. I haven’t really thought much about details but I’ll probably do it in another occasion!

Ao3 link is in the title

⇢ word count: 1.3k app

“Is it like this?” Choso asked, a little unsure as he roughly chopped onions. He looked really focused, almost stressed.

Nanami observed his movements, and he spoke with the gentle, fatherly tone that characterized him. “Try to slice them in finer pieces. Like this”

Nanami chopped another onion with ease, he has learned to enjoy cooking with the years, ever since he realized that cooking meant he would spent time eating delicious food with his little family.

Choso looked, trying to mimic Nanami’s controlled movements. He frowned at the onion, “I’m trying, but I just… Can’t manage to get it right.”

Choso was starting to sweat and he hasn’t even started to cook the actual meal yet. He asked Nanami for guidance on how to cook, because he didn’t really knew how and also because he wanted to make Yuji’s lunch for school tomorrow.

Choso wanted to be useful, he didn’t want to just live off of Yuji’s dad, the least he could do was to learn how to cook properly. In this way, he hoped he could feel more comfortable too, after all, Nanami wasn’t his dad, so Choso was only living there because he was Yuji’s half-human half brother.

Being the observant man he was, Nanami could notice the way Choso clumsily and hastily chopped the onions. Not because he wasn’t capable of doing it right, but because he was too frustrated.

“Choso, hey, slow down.” He adviced, he didn’t knew if it was the onion, but Choso’s eyes slowly filled with tears.

“I-I can’t, I have to get this ready for Yuji, and you should’ve been sleeping fifteen minutes ago for work if it wasn’t for me.” He desperately explained.

“Kid, calm down, or else you-“ Thump

“Ouch!” Choso dropped the knife on the counter after cutting the tip of his finger.

With a hand on his back, Nanami quickly guided him to the sink to rinse and cool down the wound. It was nothing really, he wasn’t even human after all, he could heal that little cut in a few seconds.

But the way Nanami carefully rinsed it, taking care of him like Choso’s father never did, made him feel warm and safe, like if there was nothing to worry about, because his dad was there for him.

Except, of course, Nanami wasn’t his dad.

“I told you, kid, those knifes are really sharp.” He reprimanded him softly, he used some paper towels to wrap his finger. “Hold this tightly, okay?”

Choso just nodded, looking down at his hands. He didn’t had any words left to say, a little taken aback by the cut.

Nanami sighed, crossing his arms on his chest, leaning back on the kitchen isle. “Now, what is it?”

Confused, Choso tried to answer. “What?”

Nanami gave him a knowing look, and Choso felt like he had been caught. “Choso, you’re the calmest person I’ve ever met in my life. Why are you so distressed?”

Choso only looked at him, trying to hold his gaze, but his lower lip quickly formed a pout, tears filled his eyes. “I just… I just wanted to learn how to cook…”

He sniffed, holding his wounded finger and letting his tears fall. “I want to make sure I can cook a proper meal if Yuji is hungry.” He sobbed softly. “I want to be a good brother.”

Nanami’s eyes softened, seeing Choso crying and holding his injured finger made him look so small, just like when Yuji was even littler. He uncrossed his arms, speaking softer now.

“Choso, you are a good brother to Yuji, you’ve always been.” He tried to comfort him.

Choso sniffed, roughly trying to wipe his incessant tears with his sleeves. “I just… I want to protect him, to be useful.” He cried. “He said he wanted to cook with me, b-but I didn’t know how, I was too embarrassed to say so… So instead I told him I’ll cook with him tomorrow.” he explained, looking at Nanami.

Nanami felt like it was deeper than that, it was more than just wanting to be able to cook with Yuji. He knew that Choso’s younger brothers died some years ago, and that it affected him greatly.

Choso felt like he had to be the best, that perfection had to be his starting point. But even if he didn’t believe it, he was still human, and humans weren’t perfect.

Nanami took a step closer, tilting his head to see him better. “Choso, I can see how much you’re struggling, but you have to take it easier on yourself.” He sighed, it was difficult to see Choso so hurt.

He continued. “I know you’ve been through some painful moments, kid. I know you feel that losing your brothers was your fault.”

Choso opened his mouth, about to say something when Nanami shook his head. “It wasn’t your fault, Choso. But you’re carrying a heavy burden on your shoulders. You’re doing your best now with Yuji, both him and I can see that.”

Choso looked up at Nanami, feeling like he would never stop crying after this. He didn’t know how much he needed to hear that until now.

Nanami continued. “Yuji looks up to you, Choso. Not because you’re perfect, but because you’re there for him, you’re willing to learn and to grow for his sake and that shows how much of a good brother you are.”

He hoped his words could comfort him at least a bit, and they did. Choso nodded, still trying to wipe those tears. Nanami just gave him a soft smile and extended his arms at him. “Come here.”

Choso looked at him for a moment, and then immediately let himself be hugged by Nanami. He felt protected in such a warm hug—like everything might actually be alright.

He hugged him back, letting himself cry on his shoulder, and for a moment, Choso simply let himself be held. He buried his face into Nanami’s shoulder, his tears soaking into the fabric of his shirt. He didn’t care; it was the comfort he’d been craving for so long.

“Thank you, dad.” He didn’t even had time to think about what he said when the word had already slipped out of his lips. His eyes widened, trying to separate from the hug. “I-I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean to-“

But to his surprise, Nanami pulled him in again, into a protective hug, gently patting his back. “It’s okay.” he murmured reassuringly, almost like a coo. “If you want to call me that, it’s okay.”

Choso’s eyes widened and filled up with tears again, he felt so relieved that Nanami accepted him. He’s never had an actual father figure before, and he didn’t know he craved one so bad until now.

“Dad…” For the first time, he felt like he belonged somewhere, it wasn’t just him and Yuji against the world, now he knew that there was someone that could take care and protect them too. “Thank you… thank you so much.” he cried

Nanami chuckled, caressing Choso’s hair. “You’re welcome.” He looked down at him. “To be honest… I would’ve been upset if after all these years you didn’t consider me as a part of your family.”

They both laughed at that, and after a few minutes, Choso felt more calmed. Nanami patted his back comfortingly, and held the onion and knife again.

“I’ll show you an easier way to do this, okay? We’ll do this together, it doesn’t have to be perfect.”

Choso nodded, holding the knife and the onion too. “Alright, dad. I’ll do my best.”

thank you for reading!! reblogs are greatly appreciated! <3

[bmonep]

how have i not drawn this exact image before

[amateur-author597]

SERIOUS RISE OF THE TITANS SPOILERS

BUT I NEED TO RANT

SPOILERS ARE UNDER THE CUT I PROMISE

I STARTED ROTT TEN MINUTES AFTER IT CAME OUT AT 5:01 PM AEST AND FINISHED ROTT AT ROUGHLY 10 TO 7

I FINISHED THE MOVIE AND SAW 8 SPOILER POSTS WITHIN 2 MINUTES ON TUMBLR

PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE OF OTHERS AND PUT ALL SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT FOR YOUR POSTS AND TAG THEM PROPERLY

FIRST OFF

Everyone who said Blinky would die because of"and blinky" in the trailer

Fuck you

It was very fair but still I was so scared

Same to if those who said Archie died because he wasn't in the trailer

Again fair but I was terrified and anxious as hell

My heart could not have handled if he died or Douxie's grief but I'm still upset about what actually happened

And I wish Zoe showed up so they could give her some characterization

We find out she's known Douxie and been friends with him for over 900 years but she doesn't help with the Arcane Order?

And none of the hedge witches show up to help fight them to defend their home?!?!?!

SECOND!!! THE TRAIN SCENE!!!

YES

LOVED IT

GREAT

Jim you stupid string bean, I love you though

Claire, good job, that was some hard magic

Toby, go duke!

Douxie my husband, YAAASS QUEEN, GET IT BABY

The Police Station

It was so funny

Everything about it I loved

Douxari confusing the officers and being neutrally chaotic

Claire trying to be tough and silent

Toby spilling ALL the tea and the officers not believing him

Archie just being Archie and enjoying the confusion of the humans

KREL SHOWING UP WITH RICKY AND LUCY

YES

OMFG

Keep casually listing just about every spy agency in order

and then just

"And your mum"

What a legend

Literal King 👑

Honestly

Walter and Barbara

Them being engaged and happy

Y E S

Jim being best man

Y E S

Walter DYING before they could get married

N O

H E L L N O

ELI GREW UP!!!!!

MPREG STEVE

Very unpopular opinion

I loved it, so fucking funny

I don't even like mpreg normally

But I loved it as a random side plot cause they probably couldn't find an import part for every character and still give them their deserved screen time

Also, funny!

Krel was way too smug explaining to Steve that he would be pregnant, not Aja

You know how we as a fandom have all decided Krel is Aro/Ace icon or at least Aro spec and/or grey ace (something like that) I have no problem with this and love it, it makes me feel very validated, but what Krel just doesn't want kids and decided it's easier to not have romantic relationships, that's also a legitimate thing a lot of woman do

Does that mean gay guys can have biological kids on Akiridion 5?

BACK TO STEVE

I wish there was a bit where Steve called Lawrence on the phone calling him "dad" or "coach dad" and being like "Hey, I know you're probably busy, you're at school but I'm seriously freaking out and I need your help or advice" and explaining the whole Akiridion pregnancy and Coach just reassuring him gently and telling him that he and Steve's mum would support him and he wasn't alone and they weren't mad at him.

Douxie figuring out the sigil

Good job baby! Smart boy! I am very proud

You very smart

The Order bringing the Titans with Nari mind controlled

😬

That's all

Numora dying

Why! It's was so unnecessary!

I don't necessarily love her by any means

But still!

Dndndbebhsvehehrdidjbdisbeurbvtisjbsgsneosbsyneyjsosnsjdbdynsvsidbfindbzhndhdushdhushdbudhnm

*key spams in frustration*

This began much irritation that just increased

THE BRIDGE

ARCHIE LEFT DOUXIE HIS LONG LIFE FRIEND AND PLATONIC SOULMATE (NOBODY CAN CONVINCE ME THAT NOT JOW FAMILIARS WORK IDC)

YES HE WAS STAYING WITH HIS DAD AND I RESPECT THAT

BUT GODDAMN IT CHARLIE

CHARLEMAGNE COULD HAVE JUST LIT THE TROLLS FOLLOWING THEM ON FIRE AND THEN FLOWN OUT

THE PORTAL WOULD HAVE CLOSED AT THE SAME TIME

OR THEY COULD HAVE FREED THE TROLLS

EITHER WAY

THEY COULD HAVE GOTTEN OUT

WTF HAPPENED THE WHOLE FOUND FAMILY THING THEH WERE PUSHING IN WIZARDS

WHY PUSH A GRIEVING DOUXIE TO ESSENTIALLY GET OVER IT AND ACCEPT ARCHIE AS HIS FAMILY CUZ HE WAS ALWAYS THERE JUST TO GET RID OF ARCHIE ANYWAY

DOUXIE WOULD HAVE NEVER SEEN HIM AGAIN

HE WOULD HAVE JUST SEEN "TELL DOUXIE I SAID GOODBYE" IN THE KRONOSPHERE AS HIS LAST MEMORY OF HIM

*INCREASING FRUSTRATION*

"No More Running"DOUXIE ALMOST DIED BRINGING NARI BACK

I KNEW HE WOULDNT DIE BUT I WAS STILL SCARED

I was sad

NARI AND SKRAEL'S BATTLE WAS PERFECT

CINEMATIC MASTERPIECE I WAS NOT PLEASED WITH NARI DYING

NOR DOUXIE BEING HELD BACK ONCE AGAIN FROM SAVING A LOVED ONE

"Nor more running"

Simple line

Sweet

Shattered me and my very being THE SWITCHING SPELL

AMAZING.YES.ILOVEDIT.

DOUXIE YOU SMART BRILLIANT BOY I AM SO FUCKING PROUD

Douxari was so chaotic and funny and pure in a very weird way

I was sad that THAT screenshot of Douxie and Archie wasn't actually Archie because he looked so happy chddling his familiar but it was still cute

Narxie was so fucking sarcastic when the Arcane Order realized the spell didn't work and I live for it

Walter and Barbara

Them being engaged and happy

Y E S

Jim being best man

Y E S

Walter DYING before they could get married

N O

H E L L N O

ELI GREW UP!!!!!

MPREG STEVE

I loved it, so fucking funny

Krel was way too smug explaining to Steve that he would be pregnant, not Aja

You know how we as a fandom have all decided Krel is Aro/Ace icon or at least Aro spec and/or grey ace (something like that) I have no problem with this and love it, it makes me feel very validated, but what Krel just doesn't want kids and decided it's easier to not have romantic relationships, that's also a legitimate thing a lot of woman do

Does that mean gay guys can have biological kids on Akiridion 5?

BACK TO STEVE

I wish there was a bit where Steve called Lawrence on the phone calling him "dad" or "coach dad" and being like "Hey, I know you're probably busy, you're at school but I'm seriously freaking out and I need your help or advice" and explaining the whole Akiridion pregnancy and Coach just reassuring him gently and telling him that he and Steve's mum would support him and he wasn't alone and they weren't mad at him.

Douxie figuring out the sigil

Good job baby! Smart boy! I am very proud

You very smart

The Order bringing the Titans with Nari mind controlled

😬

That's all

Numora dying

Why! It's was so unnecessary!

Dndndbebhsve hehr didjbdisbeurbvtisjbsgsneosbsyneyjsosnsjdbdynsvsidbfindbzhndhdushdhushdbud

*key spams in frustration*

THE BRIDGE

ARCHIE LEFT DOUXIE HIS LONG LIFE FRIEND AND PLATONIC SOULMATE (NOBODY CAN CONVINCE ME THAT NOT JOW FAMILIARS WORK IDC)

YES HE WAS STAYING WITH HIS DAD AND I RESPECT THAT

BUT GODDAMN IT CHARLIE

CHARLEMAGNE COULD HAVE JUST LIT THE TROLLS FOLLOWING THEM ON FIRE AND THEN FLOWN OUT

THE PORTAL WOULD HAVE CLOSED AT THE SAME TIME

OR THEY COULD HAVE FREED THE TROLLS

EITHER WAY

THEY COULD HAVE GOTTEN OUT

Titan Nari

I was so scared when Douxie nearly passes out from lack of oxygen trying to save her

Claire did a great job and I like her but I feel like they're overpowering her without developing her

Nari and Skrael's battle was a cinematic masterpiece

Coach Lawrence seriously needs a break

NARI DYING WAS UNACCEPTABLE

DOUXIE BEING HELD BACK FROM HELPING HER WAS UNACCEPTABLE

"No more running" destroyed me

I AM STILL NOT OK

I DON'T THINK I EVER WILL BE

The 9th configuration

FOUND. FAMILY. CENTRAL.

I'M THE CHOSEN ONE BUT I CAN'T DO IT ALONE

YES

The Final Battle

I don't even know what to say

Aja. QUEEN.

RIP Varvatos

Rip Douxie that fall would have really fucking hurt

He definitely had broken ribs from that

I'm surprised he could walk after even while being supported against someone else to stand

Jim should have just stabbed Bellroc instead of talking

Jim should not have been able to walk and run perfectly fine after being stabbed even with all the adrenaline

Toby WTF MAN

GOOD JOB BUT FUCKING HELL

I LEGIT CAN'T EVEN FIGURE OUT HOW IT HAPPENED

THE MOVIE CAME OUT 4 DAYS AGO (IT TOOK ME FOREVER TO WRITE THE RANT DONT JUDGE) AND I'VE WATCHED IT 5 TIMES AND I STILL DON'T KNOW HOW I MISSED IT EACH TIME

HOW DID TOBY CRASH?!?!

ANYWAY

TOBY DYING WAS NOT ACCEPTABLE

JIM SCREAMING OUT HIS NAME AS SOON AS HE REALIZED TOBY WASNT THERE

BLINKY AND ARGH LOOK OF PANIC AND WORRY CUZ THEY REALIZED TOBY DIDNT COME BACK WITH JIM

DOUXIE REALIZING HE FAILED TO PROTECT SOMEONE ELSE IMPORTANT TO HIM (EVEN IF HE DOESNT HAVE MUCH OF AN ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP WITH TOBY, I REFUSE TO BELIEVE HE DIDN'T ADOPT THEM ALL AS HIS YOUNGER SIBLINGS)

"Always was, always will be" hurt my entire soul

The Time stone

This frustrated me so much it took me 3 days to write just this bit

Go back in time and save everyone?

Yes! Awesome!

Go back to the start the start

No

Also, I love and adore Toby

BUT IT MAKES NO SENSE

JIM GIVING THE AMULET AND RESPONSIBILITIES AWAY WHEN HE HAS 2 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWS ALL OF HIS MISTAKES AND HOW TO FIX THEM

WTF

AS I SAID I LOVE TOBY AND I LIKE HIM ACHIEVING STUFF

BUT HES NOT TREATED AS BADLY AS THE FANDOM ACTS LIKE HE IS

AND LOGICALLY JIM MADE A STUPID DECISION CONSIDERING WHAT HE KNOWS

I get that he was tired of being the trollhunter

Largely because he was tired of not thinking he would do a good enough job

But odds are Toby will make some of the same mistakes and they'll be right back in that same position except maybe Claire will die that time around

And if you're sick of the trauma and responsibility of it than why would you dump it on your best friend

Once again I say, it was an illogical and dumb decision

I WILL BE RUNNING TO FANFICTIONS TO ESCAPE THIS CANON

[ohhgingersnaps]

can you explain what you mean by "questioning the validity of the bible"? cuz i thought the bible was flawless 🤔

(in reference to my tags on this post)

Hey anon! I really appreciate you asking this question. This got pretty long, and I apologize for that, but I feel like it’s important for me to really dig into this, because this is an area where I feel like I’ve had some really interesting (and if I’m honest, deeply uncomfortable and difficult) spiritual growth.

TL;DR I place a lot of value on being encouraged to ask fundamental questions, fully allowing for the possibility of discovering you’ve been wrong. Truth-seeking, although sometimes painful, is a natural part of one’s spiritual growth and development, and it ultimately leads to deeper faith and understanding. I personally have gone through this process with questions about the validity of Scripture, hence the tag.

Background (and a bunch of explaining) under the cut!

First, I think most Christians will agree with your sentiments. I vividly remember sitting in the college dining hall with a friend and being asked whether you need to believe the whole Bible to be a Christian, and it stopped me dead in my tracks, because most Christians I know do, but do you, technically? (Biblically, I think the answer is actually no; faith in Jesus is sufficient, per Romans 10:9. One does wonder where a person is getting their ideas about who Jesus is and what he taught, so there’s definitely some inherent dependence on the historical accuracy of the Gospels there... But all of this is kind of beside the point.)

Overall, I think the exact starting point of The Bible Question was my trip a couple of years ago to the Museum Of The Bible in DC. It was a really interesting experience overall, but the one thing that really stuck with me was The Shepherd Of Hermas. This is an apocryphal book that was generally accepted as canonical Scripture by many early Christians, but was eventually left out of the Bible itself.

Now, I’m sure the Catholic church had perfectly good reasons for rejecting it, but it occurred to me that I, personally, did not know what those reasons were! I was suddenly hit with the irony that despite being Protestant, I had never questioned the validity of the Catholic-constructed canon of Scripture. To be clear, I absolutely don’t mean this as a knock against Catholic folks: I mean that in the Protestant circles I grew up in, we put absolutely no stock in church tradition, in every single case besides this one. The texts themselves are authentic, historically speaking, but which books “belong” in the New Testament portion of Scripture was decided in 1500 AD, and how much faith do I have that those council members were right? The Protestants removed a bunch of apocryphal books when they left, so why did they decide to keep the remaining text?

Hence, the question: Could the church have been imperfect in the construction of Scripture?

I was also absolutely terrified to ask this question.

Because, here’s the thing. If you are a Good Christian Girl Who Got Saved At Five™ you go to church and you maybe Ask Hard Questions every once in a while, but usually those questions aren’t fundamental faith-shaking questions! They are questions that are important and cerebral and sometimes difficult to answer, but not necessarily faith-essential. They are questions like, Do people still speak in tongues? or How much free will do human beings have? They are absolutely not questions like, Hey, um, we don’t know who wrote Hebrews? Why is it part of the canon of Scripture??

But here is the other thing: This question did not leave. I was scared of it, so naturally, I tried to ignore it. I had so much shame about it, too! I kept thinking like, Normal Christians don’t have questions like this, this is such a fundamental thing, why am I struggling with this! What’s wrong with me! So I repressed the question as much as I could, but it festered, and my relationship with God ended up suffering, because God wanted me to take this out in the open and deal with it properly, and I refused.

(Disclaimer that I was also dealing with some pretty bad burnout, which didn’t help, and of course even under normal circumstances my brain is generally kind of... Easily thrown into havoc by stuff like this? I like having things in a framework and do not like when that framework is disrupted, but also I have to properly vet and interrogate everything, so you can understand where the conflict here is.)

After six-ish months of bottling everything up, I finally broke down while I was home for the holidays. Obviously my parents were deeply concerned, both for my spiritual and mental well-being, but it was through talking with them that I realized that my question wasn’t inherently bad: At its core, it’s seeking truth, which is inherently good.

What I’d characterized as this horrible, faith-breaking thing was just spiritual growing pains. God was calling me to engage with Scripture more deeply, in a new, different, exciting way, and I was too scared and ashamed of asking the question to even think about following him there. It was taking me outside of what I felt was safe and well-established, but when has God ever stuck to what we know as safe and well-established, right?

Honestly, I’m still in the process of working through this. I’m taking the canon of Scripture at face value for the moment, because “go through each individual book of the Bible and figure out why it was included, and also go through the Apocrypha too just for good measure” is a pretty big goal and I don’t want to put my actual Bible studies on hold! And I feel like as I go through the books, I’ll end up saying, Oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense more often than not, and I’ll be glad to be fully convinced in my own mind about everything once this process is done... But I’ll have my answers, and I’ll be more certain of those answers than I was before, because I’ll have fully interrogated that question.

So I place a lot of value on not only being allowed to ask fundamental questions, but being actively encouraged to do so, fully allowing for the possibility of discovering you’ve been wrong. Seeking after the truth will never lead us away from God, only towards a deeper understanding.

I know this got super long (and maybe a little heretical?) but I hope it helps clarify where I was coming from with that particular tag. Thanks again for asking, and I hope this is useful!

[forgotten-daydreamer]

Hey! It’s me the anon again! I totally get what you are saying but from the opposite of the spectrum where memorization feel is impossible but my adhd(I also probably have asd I am working with a therapist to try to find a place to do an evaluation at the moment) allows for me to make an insane amount of connections. So like I get it but from the opposite end? It’s still tricky but I am better at analyzing things then memorizing them. Like when I took art history I for the life of me couldn’t remember terms/names/dates of art pieces but i do remember stories about them and can analyze things really well.

My biggest issue is getting overwhelmed with what is in my head because it’s too much so it can be hard to get it out. I am constantly connecting things in an interdisciplinary way to the point I have had one of my college professors say that I am one of the most interdisciplinary thinkers she knows if not the most. I can’t turn it off and I low key wonder if my brain only understands life through metaphors lol.

Idk if that made sense since I am just waking up from a nap and I am barely coherent but I get that different things work better for different people! I am interested in how dyscalculia effects how people learn! I think 1-3 people in my hall at college have it? I have a little bit of an understanding but I want to know more. In another life I would definitely study neurodivergence and the brain. I am just glad that none of my college classes so far have required exams. Only essays and art pieces(one of my majors is studio art)

From my experience (everyone has different experiences) dyscalculia affects my ability to process simple information that require reasoning rather than memory. It's gonna be a long post, so I'll write everything else under the cut.

I'll try to explain it with an example, starting from math: take something as simple as take-aways, the ones you do in elementary school, even.

The other day, I had to calculate 2021-14. My reasoning was flawed from the start, and I only realised it after my parents made me notice.

I said "okay, let's simplify this." because I know I have to, "If it were 2020-15, that would be 5." I know as much, because as long as something's a multiple of two or of five, I can manage.

I continued, "2020-15=2005. But I need to consider the 1 I dropped to go from 2021 to 2020, and the 1 I added to go from 14 to 15." and I can tell you that I just had to check with my calculator because I was doing it wrong again. Anyway.

"Since I added 1 and took away 1, it would be like doing 1-1, so 0... 2021-14=2005."

And I still swear on whatever you believe in that it still makes no sense to me, even if I try to draw the little dots as if I were six years old. Like, right now. I don't get it. I really took away one and added one, so why would 2021-14=2007? Where did I take that extra 2 from? Try and explain it to me, and I promise that I still won't get it.

I just don't get what I'm doing it wrong, and if the calculator weren't there I'd be dead by now.

Now, expand this problem to every little thing that involves critical thinking. Everything. Most of the problems involve numbers, but not only, sadly.

Formulas. You know algebra, right? Numbers are rare there, and most problems involve data that are letters, or numbers that really don't need to be processed on their own, it's a matter of copying them down correctly.

So, you just need to use the right formula, put the data there, and it's done.

Wrong.

Visual memory allows me to remember formulas easily, but I don't know how to pick the correct data.

If I know that something's, like, the speed of a body, and I know that the speed of a body goes in a certain little spot of the formula, I'll still get it wrong because something happens in between me understanding where I need to put the data and me putting the data in there. I don't know how to explain it, but everything makes no sense at that point.

I can write down the normal formula with each incognita without a problem, but I can't go farther than that because everything is too confused. It's like looking at a language you don't know that uses an alphabet you can't read. You may or may not recognize some patterns, but if you don't know what you're reading, it's like not knowing anything at all.

The other day, my dad explained to me how a turboshaft engine works. Friendly reminder that my average grade in physics was 4/10, never got more than a 6.5/10, despite my best efforts (too many numbers, too many data I didn't know where to put).

Anyway, he explained how that thing works from a mechanical point of view. Did I understand it in its entirety? No. Could I put it into words here for you? Maybe. Could I "draw" it and explain what each part is and how it works from a mechanical pov (so, no data)? Yes, a hundred percent.

What I do is impress the general shape of something- words, images, anything- in my brain, and put it aside. When I need it, I go find it (my technique is to look left, then slightly upwards. That's how I see things in a better way) and just copy it.

Which, by the way, reminded me to say that I also mix up right and left, since I read this thing three times and only realised that I wrote the wrong direction just a second before posting it. This is why I only use the GPS on mute.

Anyway- of course, I don't have perfect visual memory (my grades surely show that), and it doesn't help in each and every situation, and it's also tiring.

But. What I'm great at it's echoic memory. I remember people's voices and what they say to me (out loud) perfectly. I remember my teachers' voices from kindergarten. The info usually fades after a while, but it lasts long enough for me to use it when I need it for a test, or something. And the tone, the characterization of each voice- I don't ever forget those. This is why I remember songs I've heard once, maybe twice, years and years ago. I just... do.

It's not like I have good memory. I forget people's faces, people's names, streets, everything. But only when I know that I won't necessarily need them, or when I could always ask for them again.

My visual and echoic memory kick in when I need info pronto.

Does that make any sense to you? Sorry for the long post aaaa!!

Edit: figured I should add more things that dyscalculia causes.

Plus, only talking about math and anything related to numbers that I know I'll have to elaborate in some way makes me physically sick. Some of my friends think it's funny, I don't, 'cause math anxiety isn't just "aaa I freeze in front of the blackboard", no, it's also (for the most part, too) something that- speaking personally- activates my fight or flight instinct. Imagine an anxiety attack, but not the GAD kind (I do have GAD so I know what I'm talking about), but more "I am in danger. The danger is caused by this. This is dangerous."

I skip numbers when I count (farewell number 7 and everything that ends with it), can't tell 4 and 7 apart without focusing hard, no perception of time, distance, weight, nor speed, I don't understand graphs nor know how to make them properly. Also, mundane events don't happen in the proper order because of me. Just earlier I turned the car off, left the car, reached my doorstep, realized I hadn't locked the car, went to check my bag for the keys, didn't find them, went back the car only to find that I'd even left the door open, and the keys in. Or, sometimes I grab a tissue, throw it away, and realize that I forgot to blow my nose. Etc.

This happens- I think- because the brain cannot comprehend what it's looking at, despite everyone around seems to understand what one's brain should understand as well. It's like when you're stuck in a dream where everyone's laughing and you don't know if they're laughing at you, or at something else. In dreams, you don't ask, you can't. You're frozen and just stick to what you're trying to do.

It works exactly like that.

[fairycosmos]

i never used to care about prom at all and i know im not going anyway but idk it just hit me today how little i'd actually done in high school. like i know the high school experience is mostly bullshit but still... i just wish i had a chance where not going wasnt bc im ugly or i dont have friends etc etc. i just realized how little i've actually lived or done anything to really feel as though im still young

hey luv. i didn't go to mine either ! barely even considered it. so i totally relate - it's understandable to feel like you're missing out even just on principle and not because you'd actually enjoy it if you were there. i mean a room full of sweaty kids awkwardly dancing is pretty hellish but it's the meaning behind the celebration that you're yearning for i suppose. and that's alright. you don't have to push those feelings away, you just have to do what you can to deal with them healthily. acknowledge your disappointment, but also rationalize the situation when possible. when the urge to put yourself down for it rises, try to subvert it with self awareness and self affirmations. even if you feel stupid, self soothing is a good skill to practice. i also have to say that, like you, i was bummed out while prom was happening but then i literally never thought about it again. with age comes perspective, and anxieties that once seemed like mountains become molehills. trust in that even if you're not there yet. there is so much that characterizes youth beyond made up/romanticised milestones like dating and dances. in my experience, if you force it, you just end up low key traumatising yourself. it's very common to have a rather uneventful teenage hood but that doesn't necessarily mean you missed out on the process of growing up and having fun in your own way. it doesn't mean you're somehow less worthy. and it certainly doesn't mean you're ugly even if you are absolutely convinced that you are - low self esteem is a lying paranoid bitch especially at your age. another thing 2 remember is that the glorification of being young is GENUINELY the biggest con like i know it's hard to believe but.....you will be experiencing new things at 30, you will find excitement at 40, there will be so much to look forward to at 50. you're not existing in some fleeting golden moment where you must see it all and do it all right now. i know the world will have you believe that, but it's not the case in reality. there will always be tomorrow. your life is so much more than the things you're choosing not to do for your own peace of mind. maybe there will always be a part of you that wishes you said 'yes' more often, but that's a lesson that you can take with you into the future. you can work on it and grow from it and that's all you can ask of yourself. im 19, left school 3 years ago and im just barely learning how to get out of my comfort zone. it was gruelling, didn't happen all at once. it's ok to take the time you need. there is no linear journey, there is no wrong way to be young. as long as you're trying, you're doing great. prom doesn't even have to factor into the equation if you don't want it to. your brain is trying to warp the circumstances into some permanent reflection of you as a person, but it's not. it's just the way things turned out. i hope you're ok n patient with yourself as you come to terms with the uncontrollable. if you need a friend or if you want to talk about this properly, i'll be here ! sending love 💌

[a-dreamer-named-mars]

Imagine Jamie Meeting Your Parents

You were sitting on the bed as you bent down to lace your black shoes, and you were in fact, getting dizzy from seeing your boyfriend's feet walking from one side to the other, pacing around the bedroom.

"Can you stop walking, please? You're gonna wreck my brain any second now."

"I'm sorry, I just..." He said before letting out a sigh. "I am actually nervous about meeting your parents. The only parents I've met before were Sydney's and that didn't work out well."

"Jamie, you'll be fine! Seriously, I know for sure they are going to love you." You said before getting up and kissing his cheek. "Just like I do."

"Thanks. You're really sweet..." He said with one of his warmimg smiles, that you loved so much. "And you're right... what could possibly go wrong?"

You and Jamie met around three years ago. It was at one of those anual NYPD balls that he and his fellow officers of the family usually went to. You weren't supposed to be there, but, God works in mysterious ways, and you had to rush there because your father was having a minor heart attack. Nothing very serious, he only stayed at the hospital for twenty-four hours and it was only because the doctors wanted to make sure he was good to go home. Long story short, the person who was standing next to him, ( talking to him about new policing methods, you came to found out a few months later ) was Jamie and he called you, your dad's emerging contact.

When you got there EMTs were already on the scene and he was already on a gurney, inside the ambulance, going to the hospital. And you... you were an absolute wreck, tears running down your face, mascara all over you cheeks, everything that characterized a bad look, you name it, you had it. And Jamie was just so kind, like he always is, and put his hand on your back, trying to calm you down a bit.

"He's gonna be fine."

That moment was so vivid in your memory. It was pretty difficult to realise that the guy who managed to make you somewhat relax a little, was now a nervous wreck about properly meeting your dad as his girlfriend's father. You knew he had nothing to worry about.

You left the house and Jamie drove you two to your parent's house. You were having dinner there, which your mom was very excited about, she loved to cook, a quality you inherited from her. You could sense Jamie becoming calmer and more relaxed, which meant he was becoming a little more confident, which lead to you getting more confident about this "meeting" . The thing was... your parents didn't know who he was. Better saying, you only told them you've been dating someone but didn't exactly tell them it was Jamie Reagan. But you were pretty sure they knew, because they noticed you and the young officer had become closer and closer throughout time.

"(Y/N), Jamie! It's so nice to see you both!" Your mom said with a smile.

You looked at Jamie and saw him smiling back at them, getting his hand out for your dad, and walking closer to your mom to kiss her cheek.

You greeted you parents too and once all the (needless) presentations were done and the dinner was fully ready, you all sat down around the table to eat.

"So, I would ask you what you do for a living, but I already know." Your father started. "Still on the beat?"

"Yes, sir. I like it, at least for now, so I don't see myself moving up to detective anytime soon." Jamie explained before taking a bite of his food.

"I never did."

When Jamie and your father had met, the latter was still on the job, on a different city though. It was his last year. He wasn't getting any younger and although that heart attack was minor, it was a scare.

"Being on the beat is the most important part of policing. There's nothing like, saving the day to an old lady or a kid who got lost from their parents. It's the details and small things that make a difference." Your father reinforced.

"I fully agree. I honestly feel happy doing what I do."

The rest of the dinner went smoothly, your mother was very excited that you had a boyfriend, specially since the row of bad guys you've dated over the years. They were either too boring or too funny or they wanted to get married after the first date, or they didn't want kids and... ugh, it was bad and you kind of gave up for a while. Until, of course, you met Jamie and he swooped you of your feet. She went to the kitchen to wash the dishes and left you, your boyfriend and her husband alone in the living room, the two men sharing a bottle of dad's favorite scotch.

"Look Jamie, I really like you. You're a nice guy and I know your dad and your family, they're good people."

That put the love of your life at ease. You knew this would go great.

"But, this is my baby girl. I'm not sure if I want her to spend her whole life in constant worry because of you and your job, that, I'm sure you know just as well as I do, how risky it is."

Jamie sighed. All you could do was frown at what he said. He liked Jamie,  he said so. And because of his job he didn't want you to date him?

"Dad-" He cut you off.

"(Y/N), wait and listen before freaking out. I know and you know" He said pointing his hand at you. "How hurtful it was for your mother. I don't want that for you."

Now you knew where he was coming from.

"Alice spent night after night crying... we were married for three years then, after I had my first real scare on the job. Broke an arm and had a bad concussion. I had to stay in the hospital for a few nights and afterwards she never wanted to let me go work in the morning. And it only got worse when we had (Y/N)... the thought of her losing me and being a single mom with a low paycheck made her miserable."

You father took a few seconds to take a breath and get himself together before continuing, and you used the time gap to take and glance at Jamie and notice the worried expression in his face.

"We had some pretty rough years, and deep down I know that if it wasn't for my job, she'd want to have another child."

After a small pause, it was now Jamie who broke the silence.

"All due respect sir, I understand what you're talking about better than anyone. My family had three generations of worried wives, recently my deceased sister in law caught a scare and she and my brother went through tough times but... bottom line - they worked it out."

Your father didn't say anything so, your boyfriend continued his speech.

"I love your daughter. I really do, I even dare to say that she's the best thing that's happened to me. She makes me the happiest man on earth, and the way her smile can light up a room, turns a a bad day in to a good one. And she has a kind soul, and such joy in her heart, it is contagious. I truly believe that if the whole world had half of the kindness in themselves that she has, it would be a better place. Take me for example, she makes me a better man. She makes me want to change the world and save every puppy in the pound... more than I already usually want."

You had tears in your eyes, that were almost falling but you didn't let them. God, if this is what Jamie said to talk to your dad, what would he do if he wanted to propose to you?

Your father didn't speak at all, so Jamie continued, again.

"Look, I understand where you're coming from. But I would really like your blessing on my relationship with (Y/N). Because she says she loves me for some reason that I still haven't figured out because, I'm nothing compared to her." He glanced at you. "And I know that I love her too. And I'm not saying things will be easy, specially with me being on the beat, but no relationship is easy but I am willing to make it work because your daughter deserves the best."

Before your father could say anything that could make Jamie upset, you decided to intervene.

"Dad, please... I love Jamie. I know what it's like to live and to share a life with someone who is a cop and I know it's not rainbows and butterflies but it's him who I truly love and I want to date him. And you said it youself, you like him. So what if it's gonna get complicated in the future? I'm willing to risk anything for true love."

Your dad never got the chance to say anything. Your mom came in to the room and another topic of conversation started between the four of you, although you could tell Jamie was still concerned about what your father said earlier. He didn't even got to touch the drink your dad had poured him, but you know how responsible he was and you knew he wouldn't do that before driving.

"Well dad, we should get going, it's getting late and I have to get up early tomorrow morning and so does Jamie." You said as you got up, ready to leave and end the torture for you and your boyfriend. Everyone got up too and Jamie got your coats while you got your purse, before heading to the hallway, walking up to the door.

"Bye, sweetie." Your mother said with a hug. "It was really nice to meet you, Jamie." She said, now turning to him.

"You too."

"Bye, dad." You said, a bit cold.

"Bye, munchkin."

You started walking to the car, opening the door and packing all the food your mother almost forced you to take home.

"Goodbye, Jamie."

"Bye, thanks for dinner." Jamie said, politely.

"Hey look, before you go... I just wanna say I can now see the reason why she loves you." You father said with a warm smile.

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes. I wish you and (Y/N) all the best. She deserves it and you do too."

Jamie smiled and let out a small sigh of relief before shaking your dad's hand and walking back to the car, where you were waiting for the love of your life.

[lesmotsincompris]

Thoughts on GoT S07E01

I’m a little late for this discussion, but since I decided to watch the show again I figured it would be nice to have my own notes here. 

For those who don’t know, I quit the show during season 5 (guess when). After that I’ve seen a couple of episodes here and there, a few loose scenes, but never actually watched the show regularly as I used to.

Until now.

For some reason I decided to watch it again. Maybe because it seems like one can’t escape the show these days, so I might as well watch it and form my own opinion about it.

Others have already expressed most of my feelings for this episode, but I’ll try my best not to be repetitive:

I confess I was a little nervous, like when you know you’re gonna see your ex in a party. In the end it was easier than expected, mostly because I barely felt anything. I wasn’t as angry as I expected to be, my eyes didn’t roll as hard as I expected them roll, but the big moments didn’t do much for me either. I always compliment the show’s direction, acting and setting, and indeed all of that was correct. But that’s it.

Arya

I’m not sure what to make of her? Several people poked holes on Arya’s contrived plan, so I won’t go there. I wanna question D&D’s goal with her in terms of themes/characterization (I know, I know). 

They paralleled Arya’s massacre with the Red Wedding itself, so are we supposed to assume it was a bad action? Mind you, in the books is Lady Stoneheart who is killing Frey by Frey and might be responsible for an upcoming Red Wedding 2.0, but LSH is hardly a character we’re supposed to root for. Arya also compares herself to a wolf and the Frey to sheep, but sheep are nice and fluffy, so more points to Arya Did a Bad Thing. Yet they ended the scene with triumphant music and an Empowered Smirk™, so what? Am I supposed to root for her? Am I supposed to think she did something awful?

The ‘Ed Sheeran and the Nice Lannisters’ scene makes this all the more confusing. It wasn’t a bad scene, though the Lannister soldiers were perhaps too nice (oh, the ever-changing patriarchy of show!Westeros, where the setting is oppressive or friendly to women depending on the needs of the plot), and that music was very much out-of-context. I’m surprised Arya didn’t say she was going “wherever whores go”.

Before I forget: is 'killing the men, sparing the women' D&D’s version of feminism? But why would Arya do that, really? Do we have any indication that no woman took part in the Red Wedding? That no woman could seek revenge against her just as she did with the Freys? This is the kind of stuff that earns D&D the title of faux-feminists, especially when even Arya’s way of preventing the child bride from drinking wine was quite misogynist.

Bran vs Evil Dead

How did Bran acquire his powers? He now has visions without weirwoods or ravens or anything, he simply ~knows~ stuff about Edd... But when/how did he learned all that stuff? He got a power upgrade simply because Bloodraven died? He says he’s the Three-eyed Raven now, but what does that mean, exactly?

My issue are not the powers themselves, because I do believe book!Bran will boldly go where no greenseer has gone before, but how those powers are suddenly more impressive than what we got last season. I didn’t watch the season properly so maybe this was explained.

Is it too much to hope that Edd (or anyone, really) is gonna send a raven to Winterfell saying that Ned’s legitimate son is alive?

The other Starks

I gotta say this is my least favorite plot, maybe because book!Jon and book!Sansa are among my favorite characters of anything ever, but here we have two stupid, jerk people who fail at basic communication because the writers don’t know how else to write conflict.

Sansa raises valid points, but the place to raise them was pre meeting and not during the meeting. And I can see no reason why she and Jon couldn’t have sit down to discuss their common strategy before this gathering, but this isn’t the first time the writers use lack of previous communication as a source of conflict for the Stark siblings.

Much like the Kingsmoot or smallfolk everywhere, crowds in the show are there just to fill a room, but they have no opinion and no influence. They just cheer for whoever is talking.

I’m already done with Lyanna Mormont, but she’s one of D&D’s pet characters. Faux-feminism strikes again in her speech: teaching girls how to fight too is actually super important in this moment, but this point could be delivered without diminishing the importance of knitting. It’s winter, knitting is more useful than ever. But hey, knitting is usually associated with ~girly things~ and D&D like to show how Empowered™ their female characters are by having them dismiss typically female activities, so there you have it. It’s not the first time something like this happens, so I have no reason to believe it will be the last.

I love Alys Karstark in the books, yet here I felt nothing. Who is Alys Karstark in the show? Why is that moment supposed to be meaningful? The Northern theatre was so confusing over the last two seasons that I can barely keep track of who was an ally and who wasn’t, and mostly I wasn’t invited to care.

Much like Alys, Jon’s struggles with leadership also belong in his tenure as Lord Commander. We see Sansa complimenting his skills, but we don’t see any actual demonstration that Jon is a capable leader. You know what, book!Jon was ten times the leader show!Jon is, but book!Jon paid for his blind spots and struggled with the job because the job is hard. Show!Jon is incompetent at best, but keeps being rewarded because we’re told he is a good character, so he must obviously be a good leader. Remember GRRM’s remark about Tolkien and good kings? D&D are writing the exact kind of fantasy story that GRRM criticizes in his books. Oh the irony, it hurts.

“When I was Lord Commander I executed men who betrayed me”. Well, technically you had already died and resurrected, so you were no longer Lord Commander and only a common murderer. But if you were still LC, then it means death didn’t release you from your vows, so you’re now LC or a deserter and have no business being King in the North. You can’t have both, but D&D want both so let’s have it. Nobody questions this because of reasons.

Speaking of D&D trying to have it both ways, I’m always a fan of Sansa burning Littlefinger, but the effect is undermined when in the very next scene she says how much she depends on him. They need the Vale men, very well, but I can’t see why they wouldn’t at least try to use Lysa’s murder or the Bolton Marriage Plan against LF. And, you know, preventing the icepocalypse is in the Vale men’s best interests too, so it’s not like they’ll just go home.

Repeat after me, children: Ned and Robb weren’t stupid. They made mistakes, yes, but everybody in this series makes mistakes. Those mistakes didn’t cause their deaths, no more than being backstabbed means you threw your back against someone else’s knife. Honor isn’t a mistake, kindness isn’t a mistake. Compare Ned’s legacy vs Tywin’s legacy and you’ll know that. Book legacy, that is.

Jon is a bit of a jerk during this episode and I can’t see why he would think Sansa admires Cersei… and then Sansa is silent and admits Cersei taught her a lot. I give up. No, wait, I remembered that famous Sansa book quote, if I’m ever queen I’m gonna bomb all my enemies.

The Lannisters… and Euron?

Speaking of Lannisters, I fail to see how Cersei is still queen. She has no claim, she has no army to force her presence in the Throne for much longer, and she just bombed the Vatican with everybody’s favorite pope plus Princess Diana inside. Knock, knock. Who’s there? Not an angry mob because that would require D&D to remember that smallfolk are a thing and exists.

How does Cersei knows everything she does, from Tyrion being promoted Hand to Jaime releasing his brother? Does she read the scripts too?

‘A dynasty for us’ is my new pick up line. Hey baby, I want to build a dynasty just for us.

‘Do you think I listened to father for 40 years and learned nothing?’ Well, D&D listened to GRRM for five books plus several meetings and learned nothing, so it’s not impossible.

Everybody already made all the good jokes about Euron’s rockstar look, I knew I should have watched the episode the night it aired!

The Brotherhood without Stoneheart

Probably the moment that worked best? Kind of undermined by Sandor’s lust for violence last season, but hey, I’ll take what I get. To be honest I didn’t remember anything about the father/daughter, so this undermined the scene a little bit too. It’s amazing that D&D expect us to remember those two, but Tysha? Naaaah who’s Tysha man nobody is gonna remember that better pretend she didn’t exist.

Two more nitpicks that are not actually that nitpicky. One: that fire vision came super easy and super straightforward for Sandor. Why? Can anyone do that? It makes Melisandre look an idiot.

Two: death doesn’t affect Beric that much, as it didn’t affect Jon. I mean, what’s a little dying, right?

Sam Potter

Fun fact: I had to interrupt this episode because my dinner was ready… and I interrupted right before the Oldtown montage, so I had the benefit of watching all that shit and food and shit being associated with food with a belly full of actual food. Yay! Having Sam perform humble tasks while in Oldtown is a good concept, but this was deliberately meant to be gross. Why? We just don’t know. Happy shitting!

How many episodes Sam wasted in learning what Stannis had already told him ages ago?

Hey, refresh my memory: what was Gilly’s arc over the last four seasons?

Creepy Jorah is still creepy and still being framed as romantic. Great.

Daenerys

I honestly expected this would be my favorite moment this episode. The show is always good with visually impressive moments, and the scenery and sountrack do help. It was indeed a nice scene, but that was it.

‘Home’ is a very dear concept to book!Dany - whether this ‘home’ means Westeros, the house with a red door, etc is another issue, but this has been a major motivation for her during her journey. Show!Dany’s journey was more erratic, so the moment lost a bit of its emotional significance.

Who is show!Dany? What was her arc? What has she learned? How is she any more prepared to rule Westeros than ADWD!Dany? What does she want? To rule Westeros, but why? How? What do her supporters want? Missandei and Grey Worm just want to follow their white savior, but what’s in it for Tyrion or Dorne or Olenna? They’re just supporting her because they hate the other candidate more?

(wait, I take that back, that actually happens a lot)

It’s still a pretty scene, but eh. I legit thought I would be more excited to see this. And I agree with everyone that pointed this would be better as the ending of a season than the ending of a first episode.

Also let’s trash Stannis, because why not, right?

Extra comments

Gee, look at all that foreshadowing about the Wall falling, I wonder if something bad is gonna happen soon.

Now that they got rid of the direwolves, can’t they use the extra budget to pay for better wigs? Sophie Turner’s was especially bad, but Emilia Clarke’s wasn’t that great either.

Lol what’s with the black battle dresses and shoulder pads. That looks so silly and anachronistic. I usually like the show’s costume choices (ignoring all their reasoning for it in-universe, that is), but those outfits are just ugly.

I really, really don’t like the design for the Night’s King. Too artificial, too Power Rangers villain. And ah, it’s so D&D to center the threat of the Others in one single dude.

---

See you next week, y’all!

[antleredoctopus]

My two cents on Breath of the Wild since I finished it a little over a week ago. (School kept me from really playing the game, so I had to wait until the semester was over.) It’s long and there’s spoilers.

First I’ll say I do really love the game. I ended up getting all the shrines and all the armor I could. Normally I go straight through the main story and don’t bother much with collecting things unless I really wanna savor the game, so that’s a good sign!

However, it doesn’t quite make to the top of my list on Zelda games for a few reasons:

1) The ending. Fighting against Ganon was just... really, really easy. Like, I get that it’s cool you CAN face off against Ganon after completing the first part of the game. I get that they were allowing the player to just go wherever they wanted like in the original Legend of Zelda game. But at the same time, in the original game, you get fucking MURDERED when you venture into a part of the game where you’re in way over your head! This game just sort of gives you the tools necessary to beat Ganon at the beginning of the game. Literally the most powerful weapons are in Hyrule Castle if you just sneak around. What the fuck??? What’s the point in even going to the four corners of the world if all the most powerful weapons are literally right there? I feel like they should have at least put the stronger items scattered throughout or something.

I feel like because of the option to fight against Ganon from the get-go, it makes it really anticlimactic for players who actually did get all the Divine Beasts. The Champions weren’t even really a part of the fight or anything. It was literally “ok here goes our lasers to cut Ganon’s health in half! and that’s it bye now” ???? I dunno, I feel like in Ocarina of Time it was built up so the Sages were a big part of the ending throughout. (Maybe because they actually had the ending in mind throughout production for the game!!!) But the finale for this game was just a huge let down. You don’t even need the Champions’ powers to beat Ganon (although they do make it even easier to beat him).

When it got to the horseback portion, I thought, “OH maybe this will be challenging?” HAHA NOPE

This is the biggest thing holding it back and it makes me so mad, ‘cause I can’t really think of a Zelda that didn’t have a satisfying conclusion??? This is the first one that really felt underwhelming and bleh. The most important part of a story is the ending!!! That’s the last thing you want to fumble! UGH

They honestly really could have made everything open-world except for Hyrule Castle. Maybe then they would have actually worked on coming up with a good conclusion and designed Ganon to be more challenging.

2)  The story overall. It had such potential, but then I feel like it fell flat in the ending. I was also bothered with Zelda’s journal? Like, I loved the whole idea of recovering the memories. I thought that was a great way to show the story behind Link and Zelda, the history of the land, and also to get you out exploring even more. But having Zelda’s journal, which basically describes all these memories and then some at the Castle? It defeats the purpose of finding the memories.

That being said, I thought the game did the story well for not following a linear path and it did a good job of getting me interested in the characters... but I really wanted more and it never delivered. Maybe it was because it didn’t get to properly build up and have a great ending?

I also wanted more from the Champions!!! They had like two cutscenes and that’s basically all we got of them. I thought the descendants (Sidon, Yunobo, etc) were gunna have a plotline of filling the shoes of the Champions. ‘Cause that would have been cool and we’d see more characterization and it’d actually give us incentive to beat the Divine Beasts?? Really thought that was a missed opportunity.

3) The cutscenes. I appreciate Nintendo tried out voice-acted cutscenes, but if they’re gunna do this next time, they should polish it more. Specifically with the timing on the voice acting. Some of it just sounded very awkward and would take me out of the moment at times.

Also GIVE LINK SOME FUCKING EMOTION!!! This is such a huge let-down, especially after how emotional Link was in Skyward Sword. All of the 3D Links have had some expression - linking us to the story and what was happening in the game. Zelda gets kidnapped? SS!Link was fucking pissed, which mirrors how you should feel as the audience ‘cause HEY WE’VE WORKED SO HARD TO REUNITE WITH HER. What does Link do in Breath of the Wild when all these characters are pouring their hearts out to him? He has this blank look the whole fucking time.

I know Link has carried a blank look a lot over the years, but he’s always showed at least some emotion at select times. Heck, Link in Ocarina of Time was more expressive than in BoTW! There was only one cutscene in this game where Link showed any emotion and that was when Zelda was crying to him.

4) How long it takes (and repetitive it is) to get inventory slots. I wish there were less Korok seeds needed to expand your inventory because it gets tiresome playing the “shit I found something - what do I drop??” game. This wouldn’t be as big an issue if finding Koroks wasn’t so repetitive. (Push the boulder into the hole! Pick up the rock! Put this cube here!)

5) I would have liked it if the dungeons for the Divine Beasts were bigger and varied more. Maybe I’m so trained from the last 3D Zeldas, but the big dungeons felt waaay too short and underwhelming. This is a big deal for me since the puzzles/dungeons are probably my favorite part of the Zelda series. Not only do I like a challenge, but I like how each temple in the series looks unique. This game didn’t do that. All of them are short, easy to figure out in one sitting (at least once you figure out you can change the map), and they all look the same. It was a bummer for me.

6) The enemies could have had more variety. Like, if there were different kinds of enemies depending on where you were. This was never much of a problem in previous games; they all changed up the enemies as you progressed into different areas. But this one? It was just like “hey! here’s another flavor of lizalfos/bokoblin/moblin!” It feels lazy and gets old after a while.

7) THE BOSSES WERE ALL THE FUCKING SAME!! and the only strategy really was “get their health meter down!!” I was so disappointed in them.

8) I liked the ambient music, but unlike other Zelda games... the tunes didn’t really stick out to me. This is a shame for a series that’s known for having really good music. Heck, the songs I really enjoyed in the game (the Rito Village and Hyrule Castle) were throwbacks to older games.

Also a lot of things (like Kass’ theme) were just stuck in these short loops, which gets old after a while.

-

Alright, I wanted to get my complaints out of the way since I haven’t seen much of this stuff pointed out at all. On to the pro’s!

1) HOLY SHIT THE ENVIRONMENTS ARE GORGEOUS??!?! This is one of the few games where the environments are just so nice that it makes me want to explore all of it. I think the last game to really do that was Journey, so kudos to the environment team here!! I love all the atmospheric perspective utilized.

2) I really liked the interactions with the NPCs. The conversations with the Gerudo were some of my favorite. (And how savage Link was to Bozai was hilarious!) It really kept me wanting to do these quests for them and interact with them. Also Kass. Honestly all the characters had really great designs.

3) I loved how, even with such a huge map, the game still had plenty of stuff to occupy it. I felt like this was something that Twilight Princess (and, to a lesser degree, Wind Waker) suffered from. This game really achieved that feeling of the overworld being vast, but not empty.

4) I really liked some of the puzzles done in this game. The powers from the Sheikah slate opened up for some interesting things that weren’t just “push this here, shoot this eyeball.” The idea of changing up the “maps” in the Divine Beasts was cool without being tedious like the Water Temple. It’s just a shame those dungeons weren’t bigger...

5) THE ANIMATION WAS A+++!!! Some good shit right there!!!! The horses especially were really nice and those are really difficult to animate.

6) Despite my qualms with the main story, I loved Link and Zelda’s relationship in this game. Discovering their nice build up where they open up and trust each other was really great. I’m also just glad Zelda was a big part in this game and not just shoved into the background (coughTwilightPrincesscough).

7) I liked how unique each of the Champions were. Just wish we could have learned more about them and maybe even interacted with them.

8) I love all the dumb shit you’re capable of. (I’M GUNNA SHIELD SURF ALL THE WAY DOWN THIS MOUNTAIN--oop, there I go using Mipha’s Grace ‘cause I was a dumbass!) It makes the game a lot of fun. The gameplay overall in the open world is very addicting.

9) I really liked the Guardians. They were absolutely terrifying. So were the Lynels!

10) I just overall loved the atmosphere in this game. The visuals and music really sell this vast, open world that’s been through some history that you get to explore. It’s great and mystical.

So overall I really enjoyed Breath of the Wild, but mainly it’s the story and the repetitiveness that keeps it down on my list of Zelda games. So rather than being a 9 or 10/10, it’s more like a 7~8 for me.

It’s really interesting how this game flunked on a lot of stuff that have been staples in the series (dungeons, bosses, story), but it aced the exploration part and introduced a lot of new stuff. I enjoyed a lot of the experience, but looking back... it lacked a lot of what I’ve come to love about the series. I appreciate how they tried to go back to the original Zelda’s formula, but I hope the next game can find a better middle ground between totally open world and linear story-telling.