#i love so many medias but the emotionally deep ones are the most important to me and imo the best

[astrxealis]

wow i get all like this over ffxiv but imagine when i finish nier

[liquidstar]

my big fat greek wedding is the realest greek rep in mainstream american media, not because its completely accurate- a lot is rooted in lighthearted sort of self-stereotypes, and is overall pretty shallow if youre looking for legitimate emotionally resonate representation of any kind. BUT thats also EXACTLY what makes it vibe w so many greeks anyway because we hardly ever see those very specific little eccentricities even mentioned, letalone be made the focal point, so we kind of love making fun of it in a way thats like "oh my god thats JUST like my thio maki!!! and thats just like thia calliope!!! oh fuck that ones just like me"

all things considered i dont think greek representation is like the most important ever or anything, but its so rare to see greece acknowledged beyond ancient stuff or mythology, or maybe the occasional jab at eastern europe, that its just... fun to see yourself and your family a little bit on the tv. it doesnt really get into the super deep parts of the culture or anything like that but its fine bc its fun. i think most greek families (esp of diaspora) have bonded to this movie because theyre just like us for real. before this, i think the closest thing id seen to actual greek rep on tv was from an episode of the suite life on deck where it was mainly just an eastern europe stereotype 😭 abt being hairy and playing with pig guts as balloons and shit idk. i mean also true but in a way that comes off as more mean spirited lol. but even then i was excited just to see our flag on tv and remember pointing at it to my mom so i cant say it was the worst. but hey!

anyway i like my big fat greek wedding a lot, wanna see the 3rd sometime too but never got around to it. it just vibes and is fun. and again like i said before, greek rep wasnt the most important thing ever growing up (even if it is super cool to see and does make me very happy to have our culture acknowledged outside of ancients!) but it does make me understand why representation is important in a more general way and why it means so much to people. and i also understand that it can mean a whole lot more to people whove been historically treated way worse by media. like, lack of acknowledgement is one thing, but outright malicious stereotypes are another. i do get this with lgbt+ rep too but since i was lucky enough to be born in a time where its becoming the norm i also cant imagine how it must have seen so much worse and then live in a world where every cartoon has 2 girls kissing. its not perfect and often corporate but... also a good sign

sorry this post is super stream of consciousness so its probably all over the place but i think my general thoughts are that ppl who shit on a series for having any kind of representation they dislike (being "too progressive" or something) is not only an awful unsympathetic person but also like. on the flip side will never know the joy of seeing yourself like that. but i do realize it also comes with the tradeoff of not being seen to begin with so its not like its a net positive but... those ppl still wont know! they will not understand the true joys of "[country] mentioned!!!!" when the country is The United States Of America. the end

[etherealdiva]

Astro-vations part 3:

The house that your sun is in really is an honorary sign of yours. Someone guessed my sun sign and said Scorpio. I’m a Pisces but my sun is in the 8th which is a Scorpio house. Many people have assumed I’m a Scorpio though.

I’ve noticed with myself and others that you do attract the sign that is opposite your Venus or your Venus sign.

If you feel you haven’t reached/fulfilled or come close to your NN purpose in Aquarius then it’s most likely you haven’t found your soul tribe yet. Aquarius is about the collective. Their opposite sign is Leo and Leo is about themselves. Now if it’s the other way around then you haven’t relied on yourself yet.

Venus in 10th does represent who is def seen especially for their beauty. My best friend has this and she is absolutely gorgeous. What she posts on social media is 😮‍💨🔥🤌🏽 she also doesn’t post often but when she does- everyone notices. Also since 10th is public image and status- she meets people in high places and they instantly notice her. She doesn’t even have to be gussied up either. They still find her gorgeous.

Mercury in Pisces natives are so misunderstood and underrated. It’s debilitated but in my POV and people I know who have this placement, they are SO emotionally intelligent. They actually are very very smart but they just don’t learn the same as others. Also, they do speak in circles so it takes someone with patience to understand them. Just let them talk- they will get to the point and if they don’t then you’ll be entertained and learn something new anyways cause they’ll most likely bring up a new topic 😂

In my POV fire placemehts are so impatient and want the results right away after just starting whatever they want to do lol. It’s like eating one healthy meal and expecting to lose 5 pounds the next day 😂 we know what we need to do but we just want it done already hahah.

I’ve noticed whatever rising sign you have in your SR- you will meet someone important who has that placement or embodies those traits that will affect you OR a lot of people with that sign.

Since 2nd house rules your self worth and if you’re not feeling good about yourself then look at the planet in that house (if it’s empty then look where it’s ruler is at) to get insight on how to feel good about yourself. Example: I have Virgo in the 2nd but no planets. The ruler Mercury is in the 8th house in Pisces so whenever I talk about astrology, create Astro content, study occult topics or psychology, or do some spiritual work then I instantly feel better about myself. It works for me so try it!

Okay this is a weird one and this something personally I’ve experienced but I wanna know if anyone else does too. So I feel the signs in your top 3: you don’t want to date them. Or you really do. I think it depends. Like I’ve read the sign you have in your 8th you don’t usually like them (I could be wrong or not saying it correctly) basically I’m a Pisces sun, Leo moon & rising. Honestly I do not want to date a Pisces man lmao. And I love Leo’s but I cannot see myself dating one. It’s weird. The thought of it is like…no 🥴 anyone feel this? My sis loves her sag sun placement but will refuse to date anyone who’s a Virgo or Aries (Virgo rising and Aries moon) mainly virgos she’s 🥴

Also I know virgos get a bad rep but they’ve really gone through a lot of shit. Especially Virgo moons. Pray for them. Dealing with a mother/figure who constantly criticizes them and makes them feel not good enough. It’s reflected onto themselves and others. Think of being raised that way and then being sooooo picky on who you date because deep down you’re judging yourself for your own taste.

[conostra]

Griffith's Relationships (2)

The White Hawk. The White Phoenix. The King of Falconia. The Savior. Femto. The Blessed King of Longing. Once, the greatest mortal to ever wield a sword. The bane of the Black Swordsman. The most beautiful man alive. Him with a stature nothing short of pure magnificence. You know him. You love to hate him. I’m talking about one of the greatest characters not just in manga, but in all of fiction: Griffith.

Griffith is one of many examples of how masterful Kentaro Miura was with a pen, be it pressing against a notebook or a panel. An incredibly written character, as complex as they can come, with some of the most complicated, deep, and tragic relationships I’ve ever seen put to any form of media.

Today, I’ll be discussing what is inarguably a core tenet of Berserk: Griffith’s relationships. With two exceptions, there is no dispute that Griffith’s relationships are not the singular most important part of the media he resides in, there is no debate over whether or not they are still crucial parts of understanding both Guts’ disposition, and the world of Berserk itself. Griffith’s different approaches to interacting with those in his vicinity warps the very world itself, and his whims shape the very nature of the conflicts the protagonist engages in.

Here, we will be discussing Griffith’s most important relationships through Berserk, how they shaped him, and what they explain about who he is and how he got to where he is now.

Part 1: The Boy, and The Hawks

Part 2: The Governor.

Part 3: The King.

Part 4: Charlotte.

Part 5: The Wings of the Hawk (1)

Part 6: The Wings of the Hawk (2)

______________________________________________________________

Part 2: The Governor

Griffith was a young boy, molested by an old man to increase the odds of a shot at his pipe dream. Later on, Griffith proves he deserves no sympathy. A larger-than-life figure, a literal living legend, born from a mountain of bones and bloodshed he could have prevented. But here, in this moment, acting out of pure desperation to succeed after a watershed moment in his time as a leader, Griffith is small. He is weak. He is taking on an impossible task, chiseling a quarry into a sculpture with nothing but a rock in his hand. To go from a peasant in a run-down town, to a noble, much less a king, would get him laughed out of any of Midland’s few places that would accept him, and perhaps fare much worse fates when presented with any of that royal blood itself. He needs any resources he can scrounge up, even more so after the devastation that the death of a young boy under his care wrought on his psyche. And so, in this moment, Griffith chooses to put his dream, and his people, over himself, allowing the most debasing act humanely possible to be performed with his body, giving up any notions of autonomy through the “allowed” desecration of his physicality, all for the sake of attempting to gain his self-efficacy back through the easing of the also grueling task that still lays before him.

This obliterated Griffith’s self-image, the very notion of himself that he carried in his own mind. He breaks down into tears the dawn of the very next day, Casca alone there to witness. While attempting to talk very seriously about the logistics of the coming struggles he must deal with, putting on the face that it is through these reasons alone he performs the acts he does, he also grips his arms, tearing so hard he rends his own flesh, blood running down into the water he was cleaning himself in below. His real mental state slips through, if only for a moment. This Griffith is not as emotionally or psychologically refined as who he will become. He looks at Casca, spotting her as she attempts to flee the scene before his breakdown begins. He asks her, quite plainly: “Am I dirty?” And, although you cannot blame Casca for how she responds, considering she is even younger than him, she does not say no. She does not respond to the question at all, letting it linger, before asking him a question of her own. 

He did it for troops, he says. He did it for money, power, means through which to acquire all he desires. But he primarily did it, of course, as a shortcut. Whatever resources he gains through other means, means less resources have to be gained at the expense of his troops. Whatever gold, whatever prowess, whatever the currency, he reasons that it has a value not just worth itself, but one which includes the cost of the lives he would have to stake in order to get it through warfare. This is how Griffith, in his own way, warped by the path he has been on and the decisions that have been both made by and thrust upon him, shows his affection. Shows how valuable his troops, his people, how valuable each individual life is to him.

To the governor, Griffith was easily worth whatever measly trinkets he had to throw his way. In fact, Griffith was quite literally “worth the value of his weight in gold, an intoxicating phantom.” To this day, all this time later, that singular night of “revelry” has dominated his mind. Obsessively. Every boy now in his… care… bears resemblance. Every one of them carries his face. Every one of them wears his hair. Every spare, waking moment has been filled with nothing but the thought of how he might, one day, be lucky enough to cage the White Hawk. And one day, an opportunity arises. The Hawks, the greatest force in Midland’s army, have been sent to capture the very castle he resides in. And this lingers in his mind as the battle draws out, the chance to once again have Griffith in his palms nearly as titillating as the memory itself. 

So much so, in fact, that the Governor throws the battle away. He sets outlandish rewards for an even more outlandish request: take the Hawk, and clip his wings, and carry him to me, with nary a scratch otherwise. And this costs them the battle, and may well lose them the war. And this leads to yet another face-to-face with the Hawk himself.

And those eyes.

Griffith puts on a very cold, calculating facade through the entirety of Berserk, but it is very clear that this is exactly that- a facade. When he is in a particularly expressive mood, there is one part of him that betrays his true feelings: his eyes. Eyes show the soul, or so they say, and Griffith embodies this idea to his very core. Griffith’s eyes are as much windows to his true feelings as they are windows to hell. They are known for almost literally freezing characters in place, with the pure intensity they emanate out into the world, and specifically at whoever is looking. They are his truest way to show how he really feels about any particular event, and in the case of the Governor, they hold such raw malice that it instantly makes him sweat. It also betrays that despite what he claims immediately after his eyes betray him, the governor has, indeed, occupied quite a space in Griffith’s mind since the event transpired.

Those eyes Griffith carries, which wear his passion, his fiery disposition, however he may feel and to whoever it may be directed right on his face. Those eyes, here, so full of seething disgust and rampant hatred, that even he cannot pretend so well as to feign ignorance to his feelings. The Governor notices the waves of turbulence, seeing those eyes, and asks Griffith outright if he has any hatred for him. Griffith rejects the idea, recovering from his stupor at the mere sight of the man who once violated him, and denies him. No, he says, “I do not resent you.” But once again, Griffith betrays himself. 

He goes on another long tangent about the logistics behind his decision-making, and then slips again. 

“However, it would be quite beyond reason to say that I’ve yearned for you.

I simply have no emotional interest in you at all. Resentment, endearment… nothing.

I just took the liberty of using you when the opportunity appeared.

You were like a stone lying by the side of the path I walk.

That… and nothing more.”

And then, when all is said and done?

Griffith stabs him in the face, citing that him being alive to spread unsightly rumors would be a risk to his dream.

Once more, Griffith engages with his emotions in an emotionally self-destructive way, and once again, his habits are reinforced. There is no blowback from doing this to the governor. There is no solace to be found in it, sure, as the effects he left on Griffith linger into perpetuity, but there is no harm in his action. Except for to himself. It allows him to continue engaging in these behaviors, to continue to shut himself off emotionally and act as though rules, and logic, and objectivity are what gear his thinking, even though he is, at his heart, an emotional man, controlled by emotional experiences. Perhaps, if not for the governor’s hanging influence over his life, he would not make the decisions he does later. Perhaps, if not for the governor’s hanging influence, he would not act the way he does. As I will discuss later, Sexuality, Affection, and Romance become both a part of Griffith's toolbelt and a looming shadow that darkens his thoughts.

Because the governor’s touch did not just poison Griffith’s body, but his mind, his heart, and the very soul of his will.

[prismatoxic]

Thoughts upon finishing dungeon meshi? I didn't expect to fall in love with this series and about to reread it all over again cause I know there's tons of details I missed on the first time around

many thoughts... head full...

i was spoiled for a lot of the stuff in the end because that's what happens when you jump headlong into a fandom without finishing the media, but there were some things that took me by surprise, which i was grateful for. i was shielding my partner from spoilers the whole time as well, because they actively upset him and i didn't want any of the stuff i knew to ruin the reveal for him. outside of one thing (laios becoming king), he actually avoided it all!

but, like, on the whole? fuck, man. there aren't many medias i hold in such high regard.

i loved every single character in the entire story. yes, even the ones who sucked; they sucked in compelling and well-written ways. i fell hard for kabru and mithrun, and love them so much, which surprised me. like, i could write essays about kabru, i fucking love the guy. don't let the chilaios posting fool you. but i also fucking adore namari and shuro, who seemed so insignificant in the very beginning. i loved every break we got to see them, or the canaries, or kabru's party.

and our main cast... izutsumi exceeded expectations in every possible way and i can't get enough of her. senshi's backstory was heartbreaking and added a depth to him i hadn't anticipated at all. falin, despite being fridged for the majority of the story, was such an important part of it all that she permeates every inch of the tale, and her survival by the end is an emotionally momentous occasion--and she's so incredible in the moments we get to spend with her!! marcille is so richly complex and amazing to watch, whether she's struggling or dominating the scene, and her love for those close to her is beautiful; we all know she loves falin, but the depths of her affection for the others, especially laios, was amazing.

and, like, you know how i feel about chilchuck and laios. but i will say laios's arc by the end of the manga blew me the fuck away. the things he had to sacrifice to save those he loved... the way he was revealed to hate humanity, yet we know he's always kind? that the people he loves most are humans? the way he did, in the end, accept his role as king, to guide and protect people?

laios doesn't get fixed by the narrative. much like falin, he merely changes, and whether it's for the better or not isn't always clear. but his friends love him, and he's respected, even though the oddities that have been pointed out about him the entire time have gone nowhere. and i think that's fucking incredible.

ryoko kui is a master at showing and not telling. from the small actions characters perform that are never brought up in the text to the things you can trace back through the story as having always been implied, the story remains deep and compelling all the way through, building an entire world and the lives of its characters up as it goes. there was not an inch of this work that wasn't given thought and care.

i loved dungeon meshi from start to finish. nothing i've been into in the past long, long while has been so consistently well done. i'm excited to see what trigger does with it, and what else ryoko kui might do post-canon, and perhaps most of all, where the fandom takes it. it's been such a blast to engage with and i'm so glad i gave it a chance.

[loveemagicpeace]

🦩Astro Notes🦩

🌊Pluto and Mars give a sense of the things we are driven by and what we cannot let go of in life.

🐚Neptune shows how we relate to water and the ocean. Neptune in your 1st house means you have a special relationship with the ocean. You love places by the sea. And that's where you feel most relaxed. Because Neptune also shows where we feel best alone or in what way we like to isolate ourselves. In what way we like to daydream. You can dream a lot about the ocean or you spend time there.

🦩People who have mars sagittarius, leo, aries, gemini, maybe aquarius are always chill with dramas. Which means that they will almost never find you dramatic with your response. Arguments don't derail them and they don't take things to heart. That way, if you tell them that they have too much powder on their face or that their clothes don't fit, they won't feel offended. Because they are always confident about themselves and their actions and because they simply do not see small things as dramatic. So that when you fight with them, they will quickly forget about the fight, if it is not about something that is really important.

🧡People with Mars in Cancer, Pisces are most prone to being offended when you say anything to them. Many times they cannot stand criticism and do not like to hear it from others. They take the words of others more emotionally. And they always remember everything you do or say to them.

💘I love people who have sun in scoprio with cancer moon cuz they are so sweet and heartless. Their energy is so beautiful and emotional. You feel like someone understands you in a deep and emotional way. Above all, they remember a lot and they always notice all the things about you. What I also like about cancer moon is because they have childish energy and still love certain things from their childhood like cartoons and things. They give me such a comfortable vibe. But Scorpios are so intense and really give you one and only special love.

❤️‍🔥Venus in Sagittarius fall in love with places,world before they fall in love in person. If something really takes over sagittarius it is travel and places because they like other culture and get to know other people and places and learn more about them. Art is also very close to them and they admire it. Psychology is also one of the things they like to delve into. Many sagittarius aslo know many languages ​​and love them. Especially if you have mercury in 9th house you learn languages ​​very quickly.

🧝🏽‍♀️Aquarius stellium - always change profiles on social networks (they have one profile for a while, then they make a new one). Or they constantly delete their profiles and then create a new one. It's like they can't decide whether to keep one profile. Also Aquarians have a tendency to cheat on you through social media.

🐚Some example from part of fortune: part of fortune in sagittarius in 8th house-through optimism, the meaning you give to things and also psychological understanding, you can gain a lot from expressing emotions and understanding them. Depth represents meaning and reason. To understand and at the same time feel the meaning of the things that are happening and that you are experiencing.

💗Chiron it doesn't just represent your healing and wounds but also how you can heal others and in what way. How you can use your darkness to help others.

🐬Uranus it gives you originality and how you are different from others. What impression do you leave on others.

🦋In house that you have taurus in it shows where you are the most stubborn and which things are most close to your heart and you don't like to change them. And you don't like to share them with others. For ex.: Taurus in 5th house -toys, hobbies or things that bring you happiness are very close to your heart and you don't like to share them with others. This can also include your crushes(you want to have them all to yourself).

-Rebekah🦋💘🦩

[lesbiansanemi]

Okay okay, because with the bleach anime going on again I’m seeing this crop up in much larger amounts and it’s irritating me

Ichiruki is one of those ships that I genuinely don’t really mind. I’m not super into it, but I see the potential and get why people would ship them, even if I prefer them being best friends as opposed to having a romantic relationship.

That being said, the vast majority of the avid shippers are supremely fucking annoying for two reasons. The first (and one that I think I’ve talked about on here a couple times before?) is that they act like it’s a genuine plot hole that ruined the whole story that Ichigo and Rukia didn’t end up together. They act like it is literally impossible for two people to be as close and loyal as they are unless there’s romantic feelings. Like idk, I think it’s fucking lovely to have a series that actually and genuinely presents a friendship as the titular relationship and most important one without even hinting at potential romantic feelings between them (especially considering it’s a male/female friendship which almost always gets shoehorned into being romantic at least in subtext by media). Like again, I understand why people might ship them, but there is nothing wrong with the fact that they didn’t end up together and it’s definitely not some great slight or fucking “plot hole” that “ruined” the whole story.

The second thing they’re doing (that might honestly be pissing me off more than the first) is the way they talk about Orihime. Like I get it, you have an irrational hatred of Ichihime because it became canon instead. Whatever. Hate the ship. But honestly the way they talk about Orihime like she is an irredeemable character is atrocious and they all act like it’s based on actual merit and not just the fact that they hated the endgame canon ship. I’ve seen takes that she’s useless during the entire plot (which seriously? There’s so many holes to poke in that one), that she’s poorly written so we should hate her (which while none of the female characters in bleach are handled Perfectly imo she is not inherently worse than any of the others), I’ve even seen people write whole “meta” posts about how she supposedly emotionally manipulated and abused Ichigo which is so ?????? It’s so misogynistic, it’s literally that thing where you hate a ship so you tear a female character to pieces for no reason but they’re all in to deep to realize that’s what they’re doing. Like Jesus yeah, hate Ichihime, but there is no reason to actually hate Orihime herself

Anyways I’m about to start blocking most really avid Ichiruki shippers cuz the way y’all talk about Rukia, Ichigo, and especially Orihime is so annoying and the whole concept of your little ship war is stupid beyond belief especially when the series has been over for over a goddamn decade

[hangerine]

i'm not one to write posts about dramas i watch, but episode 5 of Takara-kun to Amagi-kun pulled at my heartstrings so intensely. we see a deeper glimpse into Amagi's childhood in this episode. these memories arose for him due to deep rooted insecurity brought on by an emotionally unstable and neglectful childhood. there's so much conveyed in the short time of 20 minutes each episode. i relate so heavily to Amagi. the guilt he feels about people being kind to him. my god, the guilt. the alienation he feels existing with people. the pain he endures while trying his hardest to hold onto the love he so badly craves. the desperate want to be confident. the ache his inner child feels. the grief he holds knowing that if he grew up safely things would be so much different. i just!!!! *screaming. crying. throwing up.* while his feelings for Takara grow more intense, his lack of security within maintaining his ability to mask his insecure persona does too. since he was a little kid, he's always felt rejected, wrong, and hard to love. he can't believe that he's likable. in fact, it's foreign to him, because he was used to being left alone by family and rejected/harmed by kids at school. now, he overcompensates by trying his best to make everyone around him comfortable with a big smile and shrugging off any insecurity that comes to the surface. he's so used to making himself small emotionally by using his big and bright personality to mask all his ache. Takara doesn't express much verbally, but with his actions and the words he does express, it's obvious that he's very aware of Amagi and wants to protect him. Takara senses the hurt Amagi is feeling. he wants to be a safe place for him, because he knows how worthy Amagi is of being cherished. at the end of the episode, Takara says, "because my ultimate condition to achieve happiness is you being happy" in response to Amagi's question on if offering people tenderness is just self-fulfilling. Takara's response to Amagi infers that offering tenderness can be self-fulfilling, just in a pure way that stems from caring about someone unconditionally. Takara lets Amagi be the kid he never got to be without judgement, but with tenderness out of genuine love. the scene at the end of ep 5 where they're holding hands as adults ends with the appearance of Amagi as his child self holding hands with adult Takara. instead of the quiet and sad child he's used to, he's happy and skipping. they're on a sunlit path moving forward, together. this showing that his inner child is healing, because he finally feels noticed and safe. my gosh, the way i bawled my heart out at this scene. it's healing for him to be a kid around Takara, because he never quite learned how to be. to find people your inner child can feel safe with is so important, especially those you come to love. as someone with bpd, gaining feelings and deep love for anyone makes it so much harder to ignore insecurity, such as Amagi's gradual increase in feelings for Takara leading to being unable to mask his inner ache more and more. to care for people, whether platonic or romantic, places a harsh mirror in front of us that forces us to see the things in ourselves that we have not yet healed from. it brings about the desperate desire to hold onto those we love by overcompensating and hiding pieces of ourselves we deem undesireable, because we can't stomach rejection or abandonment from those we love most. simultaneously, it brings about the unyielding panic to leave people and isolate, because we struggle an agonizing fate of no self-worth and emotional impermanence. this episode and drama in general hit so close to home for me. i want to reach inside my screen and hug Amagi. i want to tell him that he's enough just how he is. i want to tell him that none of the rejection, neglect, or hurt he went through is a reflection of his worth. i want to protect him. it may not be this deep, but the beauty in media is being able to interpret it many ways while relating and finding comfort. watching this and seeing myself in Amagi has helped me look at myself with tenderness, because the little me inside needs it too. we all do, so i hope any of you hurting through something right now can try your best to be soft towards yourselves. you are so worthy of love and care. thank you to anyone who takes time to read this. <3

[sincerelyveronica]

Spare Review

I would like to start off saying that I have never been a fan of the Royal Institution. I find their role just to be another organization exerting power. They've been doing it throughout history even if they are becoming less important as time goes by. The institution has a lot of red on their ledger. That much is true. But, I will admit that I have learned lot about the Royal family and the institution. Moments in history that I never knew about or only knew little about. It was good information to know, honestly. Also, I don't think I've mentioned on here that Princess Diana has been my role model since I was a kid. Her death impacted my childhood in a very profound way. I've done deep dives on her as I grew older. Reading and researching articles, listening to podcasts, watching movies and documentaries regarding her. I even have her beanie baby! And in 2015, during the month of July (we share a birthday month), I went to England for the first time. I went to Kensington Palace on her birthday, where the gates overflowed with flowers, balloons, and letters to her. I remember being so moved and in total disbelief that I was standing at the gates of her home. Britain's love for Princess Diana was a sight to see.

But when I listened to this audiobook, hearing Prince Harry read to me the hate and vitriol from the British media, I was floored. A nation that loved his mother but hated him. The second heir to the throne. As the title states, the Spare. Let me give you a synopsis before I dive further.

Summary: It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow—and horror. As Princess Diana was laid to rest, billions wondered what Prince William and Prince Harry must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on.

For Harry, this is that story at last. -Summary from GoodReads

5/5 Stars

Ooof, where do I even begin with this book? My thoughts have been very emotional when regarding this book. I can definitely say that after listening to it, I hate the British media more than before. At times, I do pity the royals because they were victims of the institution. BUT, they continued to uphold royal rule and never wanted to break free from protocol even when it's unhealthy. That's why I said I pity them only sometimes. Their cult-like mentality has denied them of their own autonomy. Nothing outshines the Crown. Nothing compares to the Crown. The Crown is the ONLY important thing. Nothing more, nothing less. Throughout history, we have seen the affects of this notion.

Starting of with exile Prince Edward and Wallis Simpson, the denial of Princess Margaret's marrying her true love, the death of Princess Diana, the sibling rivalry between the heirs, and now the cut off Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Mind you, there are SO many other things the Crown has refused. While Prince Edward and Wallis Simpson were the first example, they also have issues and reputation that is questionable, but I won't get into it right now. I won't even get started on Prince Charles and Camila Parker-Bowels.

Look, I struggled listening to this book because it affected me emotionally. I always wondered what Prince Harry and Prince William did to keep themselves in check after their mother's death. Her death was so tragic and public. The world mourn with them. And the world grew up knowing these young boys who would become King one day. Chapter after chapter, I found myself getting angry and frustrated. It was infuriating to hear the lack of respect and common decency the British Media had towards Prince Harry. Not only that, the media had no right to pry into his privacy. Just like his mother. Since the man was 12, the media prayed on him. He had to put on brave face and be stoic because that was the royal thing to do. As if losing your mother at a young age wasn't tragic enough. Putting on a smile for the public while pretending you aren't grieving the death of your mother. It was really sad to hear him say these things.

I remember one line in particular, that after Princess Diana gave birth to Prince Harry, Prince Charles congratulated her with giving him an 'Spare'. He said has one heir, one spare. He then left Princess Diana to be with Camila Parker-Bowles. He left his newborn son to be with his girlfriend. AHH-- I didn't have the words nor was I surprised, but it was still upsetting to hear. It was clear to me that the well-being and the idea of family wasn't important to the royals. Their job was THE only thing that matters. It didn't matter that these boys lost their mother so young. It didn't matter that they had to grow up under the public eye. It didn't matter that being the next in line would put two brothers at odds. None of it matter as long as everyone remembered that the Crown was priority number one. Prince Harry was showing signs of withdraw and anger from the start. It was swept under the rug. The job came first. Prince Harry was taught to put aside his emotions and be royal. Forget being happy, forget having fun, forget freedom, forget it all. A royal is a royal and there is a duty to perform. He recounted so many events in his life. He shared his moments in the war that really were hard to hear. He explained how he still couldn't grieve for his mother and how much he needed her. He described personal moments where paparazzi's would stalk him everywhere. He expressed his anguish, fear, anxiety on multiple occasions and no one doing anything to help. To me, it was all heartbreaking.

However, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. His book had sweet passages dedicated to his mother. You could feel her spirit in him. Their drive to be more than royals, their desire to help and assist others, their love to give back to communities. They shared so many similarities and love for things, it was moving. I also loved hearing when he meet Meghan Markle for the first time. I especially swooned as he described her going down the isle on their wedding day. Hearing his peace towards the end was satisfying. In sea of darkness, he was able to still hold onto the light. He was able to break away and finally be free.

Ultimately, I was happy he separated his family from the Crown. It seemed like the right and healthy thing to do. I did leave out a lot because there was much more said. I didn't want to spoil it too much. I think everyone should give it a try. You can then create your own thoughts on it. This book seems to have stirred a lot of commotion. Some hate it while others love it. To me, it was an experience. It was good to know, to hear his side of things. I can't say I loved it because it affected me emotionally. Believe me, I didn't think I would have that reaction but I did. I understand grief and pain very well. It brought up a lot hard moments for me, remembering my own losses and pain. Life is an odyssey. We are bestowed with precious and tender moments, and we are also struck with pain and grief. I don't think I can hear it again or even read it for that matter. Once was enough. I wish him well and I hope he can move forward. I hope he and Meghan can relish in their privacy and enjoy their family.

Let me know if you read or listen to Spare! I'm curious to hear other's thought on it.

OXOX

Sincerely,

Veronica

[chaoticmetalheroine]

Something I want to see more in the media is found family, particularly between men. My personal favourite example is the relationship between Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles in Trailer Park Boys. They take care of each other and genuinely love each other like brothers, embodying a profound and supportive bond that is often overlooked.

Many forms of media that I’ve seen, especially stuff that came out during the 2000’s, seem to portray male friendships as almost transactional in nature. These character dynamics seem to suggest to audiences that men strike up or maintain relationships with each other primarily for personal gain, whether financial or social. I think this perspective has propagated the idea that men are emotionally incomplete until they enter a romantic relationship, painting a skewed picture. 

From what I’ve seen in plenty of media, it is even reinforced that romantic or sexual relationships are the most valuable and important of all connections because it’s only within one where “true growth and support is found”. I don’t think that’s true, and that isn’t true in Trailer Park Boys. Platonic and familial intimacy, especially among men, is deep and meaningful.

Personally, I think it is crucial for film and television to reflect diversity in relationships, showcasing the importance and value of male friendships that go beyond utility or convenience. Because, love can be found in so many places.

Anyway, the bottom line is, I adore the show (rewatched it at least 5 times).

[prnews-press]

Tammy Donnell, Founder of BRND Agency, Reveals Three Branding Mistakes That Can Kill a Business Before It Even Gets Started

A brand is considered to be one of a company’s most valuable assets and helps people instantly identify a company, product, or service. In addition, great branding helps ensure brand consistency so that a business is presented in a cohesive manner across all marketing channels and platforms. The primary goal of branding is to build trust, and credibility with customers and clients, which leads to brand loyalty. Tammy Donnell, the founder of BRND Agency, says, “When business branding is accomplished correctly, it will differentiate a company from the competition and elevate their reputation. I’ve learned from creating branding strategies for six and seven-figure businesses that once customers and clients fall in love and connect emotionally with a business, they are most likely to become loyal customers and clients for life. When a company can connect emotionally with its customers, a trusted relationship is formed that can stand the test of time.” According to Donnell, there are three branding mistakes that can be the death of a business. Mistake #1 – Failure to communicate the business’s origin story. Every business has an origin story that is the foundation of the business. All businesses start as a solution to a problem, an idea, a vision, or a new discovery. “Consider the origin story as a warm handshake, the kind of genuine handshake where the other person uses both hands, which creates a deep emotional connection with a person that becomes a friend for life,” Donnell advises, “People connect through stories and since people buy from people, the origin story connects the business emotionally to its customers or clients and once they connect emotionally with a business, a loyal, trusting, long-term relationship is created.” Mistake #2 – Failure to connect with authenticity. Most businesses start with a set of values, a mission, and a message and if this is not communicated in the proper tone and with a unique selling proposition, the business will fail to connect with their ideal audience. According to Tammy Donnell, “So many businesses fail to share these authentic emotional connection points with customers and clients and these touch points are an important bridge that connects and creates community. In the same way, a strong brand connects and creates a community of buyers that have trust and loyalty to the brand for the long haul.” Mistake #3 – Failure to create a seamless brand consistency across all marketing channels and platforms. A well-crafted brand requires consistency in messaging and visuals across all social platforms and, according to Donnell, is like a well-tuned orchestra that creates beautiful music. She says, “Just as an orchestra requires each instrument to be played harmoniously, this consistent brand identity ensures that customers and clients not only recognize and identify a brand instantly, but that they are happy to share it with their friends and family.” Finally, Donnell aims to make branding easy for clients, “Branding often seems overly complicated, like a jigsaw puzzle with no instructions and missing pieces, and it can be overwhelming for most business owners and entrepreneurs. Just like a puzzle requires strategic thinking and problem-solving, a well-crafted brand requires a strategic approach and step-by-step implementation. That’s why I founded BRND Agency as a one stop shop for our clients,” Tammy Donnell shares, “BRND Agency offers websites, funnels, social media, logos, graphic design, branding guidelines, messaging, PR & media, and photography, all under one roof so we can streamline putting the puzzle pieces together at one company, not eight.” Tammy Donnell helps businesses of all sizes build their brand across every digital medium to perfect branding and expand their digital footprint with consistency and clarity in a way that seamlessly works together as a cohesive brand that people remember, buy from, and share with their friends. She works with clients based in the U.S. and worldwide to develop branding strategies that get results and you can connect with her at BRNDAgency.com. Read the full article

[lunaefknlumen]

I have a question it’s ok if you don’t want to answer it. I’m from reading the notes of that post on criticizing hijab and modesty concepts in Islam.

Why don’t men wear hijab? Why are they not modest in the way women are? What does Islam say is different between us? I do understand it is deeper than just an “optional” (in some places and forced in others) rule about hair it is that very “you need more modesty as a woman” part that puts me off. Even if modesty is explained as some deep personal and emotional thing and not just “cover up in public so the men don’t want to have sex with each other’s property” which is how it comes across clearly in some cases but not in others. Like even in the best case where it is a deep reflection… why don’t the men participate too?

I want to see all boys and men in hijabs, long sleeves, no leg showing… they need more modesty the most honestly. Emotionally and physically.

I don't know when I got this ask but I'll answer as clearly as I can!!

First, hijab is not just clothes ,it's being modest in how you speak and act and dress.

Islam recognises that men and women are different and this is why you find mostly equity over equality in its rules, and same thing goes for the dress code like how women have to wear a headscarf but men don't. This doesn't mean men don't have to wear a hijab, they do. Their clothes for example have to be loose, not transparent, and not go above their knees. Shirtless instagram photos are not allowed.

I'm sure it's the headscarf where people find a lot of issue so I'll take about it more specifically.

The headscarf for women has existed long before islam, so any comments on how islam oppresses women by "forcing" this "foreign concept" on them are invalid.

In the many pictures depicting Mary the mother of Jesus (pbuh) isn't she shown wearing one?

Just a little research would tell you that in the past women of high status would wear a headscarf or hats or anything that covers their hair to show their status, and eventually other women started wearing them too. that's why in the quran Allah tells women to take their headscarf and cover with it their neck and chest, He doesn't tell them to wear a headscarf THEN cover more with it because they were already wearing one.

You said it comes across as "covering so men don't have sex with each others property" . which is wrong on so many levels lol. To Muslim women we see this as nothing more than a result of media and how it is the one oppressing us.

Hijab goes hand in hand with lowering the gaze, you have to cover even if everyone on earth lowers their gaze, and you have to lower it even if everyone on earth is covered.

Many reasons for that but the most important one is protection.

Protection from wicked people (who have set punishments if they lay their hands on someone, ranging from fines to the death penalty based on how far they've gone),from envy and jealousy, from comparing your spouse to others , and from things like beauty standards.

You cannot live in this time and tell me that beauty standards aren't harsher on women than men (not that they aren't harsh on them either).

One day the ideal body is slim and tall another day it's short and curvy. Make your nose smaller and your lips too while you're at it, actually nevermind change it again now big lips are more attractive. straight hair is a must if you wanna be sexy but get all these products to get "natural" curls. Get told to Embrace your acne!! by people who have never struggled with it and if you wanna get rid of them make sure to buy everything they own #definetlynotsponsored . Be hated for having dark skin but heyy look spray tan is back at it again. Ugh.

And as for your last point haha.. trust me we'd also love to see men practice their religion properly lol but this comes from the man worshipping world we all live in.

It's not a problem in just hijab. smoking is haram for both men and women and yet if a woman does it she's a disappointment and brings nothing but shame. If a man does it it's ok he's a man that's what they do.

dating around as well, a woman has a boyfriend she's a slut and a used product, a man has a girlfriend he's just getting everything out of his system before he settles down with a nice girl to cook and clean for him<3

It's a little ridiculous to blame these things on Islam when the cause is something else no? especially when Islam gave rights to women :)

[siflshonen]

Part 2 of An Entire Presentation about Bakugo Katsuki for your Discoursing Pleasure

Link to Part 1!

This is Part 2!

Gettin’ right back into it. I’ve written a lot about Bakugo’s visual presentation and obvious genre cues, so now we can start digging into the boy himself.

I could not possibly unpack all of honne and tatemae. In fact, I’d hazard a guess to say that, compared to the grand scheme of all Japanese media, the portrayal of it in BNHA ain’t even that deep or complex. But the fact that it exists at all and has bearing on these characters is worth noting. Actually, this concept is really important to understand when viewing or creating anything set in Japan.

In my opinion, the most important thing to understand about Bakugo as a character (and the greatest compliment I can give Horikoshi’s writing for many of his characters) is that he has more than one motive at any given time. He may not express them all well or completely (this is usually one part “he’s bad at communicating” and one part “he is upholding his tatemae” and sometimes another part “In order to discuss this he would be giving out sensitive information he’s been trusted not to share” and also sometimes one part “holy crap the other people involved in this situation are truly not ready to talk about it! Good luck navigating that, Bakugo!”)

Conflicts born from a character’s honne conflicting with their tatemae is a common theme in Japanese drama. I guess if I were to try watering it down to give an easy example, it’s kind of like when characters have to choose between themselves/what they love and some duty they must carry out.

If you ever think Bakugo is being completely honest on the surface, you’d best make sure he’s not putting on delinquent airs or smiling his most terrifying battle-ready smile. And even then, you’d best think about why he says what he says before you get a good picture. Tatemae, the delinquent thing, a literal hero mask... He has a lot of masks. He uses them all. But he’s consistent even when he switches between them or fails to articulate himself well. It’s interesting to analyze what’s true and what’s an assumption when it comes to other characters’ interpretations of him.

Basically, he’s childish, clever, and tricky, but he’s consistent.

Honne and tatemae are complicated. Obviously. But what Bakugo’s play with these concepts and his delinquent shonen protagonist self-portrayal have in common are their use as tools to express individuality simultaneous to defending and obscuring the self from others. It’s a paradox.

If you are an individual who has ever tried to “pass” in your current life or former life, you probably understand the paradoxical nature of doing such a thing. If you don’t, that’s completely fine. Bakugo is a cruddy teen boy with authority problems who is trying to figure himself out. That’s all you need to know.

However, speaking specifically to the LGBTQIA audience: there sure is a HECK of a lot of correlation between all these factors.

To western readers in the pertinent weeb community, it’s a well-known observation that Goku-esque shonen protagonist types come off as being somewhere on the grey/ace spectrum. This isn’t definitive for any of these characters, but is just something to keep in mind about how certain demographics perceive these characters.

In Bakugo’s case, he is absolutely and completely uninterested in romance or girls, and not even in the “ew cooties” or “that would be embarrassing!” way. His antipathy and boredom with the concept seems sincere. (And if he’s even so much as emotionally interested in anyone, it’s a specific selection of other guys in his class.)

There’s not a lot of representation in media that the asexual and aromantic communities can turn to, so it may as well be found in characters like Bakugo.

While this demographic is not interested in connecting with a queer or queer-coded character because they relate to that experience, Bakugo’s, um, canon relationship with characters like Deku or Kirishima endear him to fujoshi. It’s important to note that fujoshi often (but not always! Not always! The fujoshi community is huge and wildly different in different countries) are homophobic in real life but enjoy the fantasy of two dudes in love for their consumption. The fujoshi view and appeal drawn from the idea of Bakugo potentially being in love with another male character is completely different from folks who are actually part of the community!

Anyway, that’s enough about all that gay shit for now. Back to the questions that really matter.

If you are still calling Bakugo “the Vegeta”, I must repeat: PLEASE call him “the Tetsuo Shima” instead! Please! I love Vegeta, but please let him rest! He has enough associated inspiration and discourse around him!

If you’re still calling Bakugo “the Sasuke” at this point in the presentation, however, you imply I have permission to hunt you for sport. :)

What is victory? What is success? What is a Hero? What makes someone heroic? What does it mean to be the best? What the heck does Bakugo actually want?! Motives are really important when connecting with a character!

So much. He wants so much and yet so little at the same time. I pray he one day receives validation in a way that actually matters.

For those that see through Bakugo’s facades quickly, his motive is heartwarming (and kind of cheesy but in a way I love to see.) For those that may not see through his facades so quickly, it’s fun to try and puzzle it out.

And even then, he can do so with about as much sophistication as a kindergartner writing their name. He’s good at lots of things, but communicating is not one of them.

It’s about the journey, you know? Bakugo’s emotional maturation takes us on a journey.

“IT WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THIS!”

The ending of the Sports Festival - and every ham-fisted “I should be your rival!” overture he makes towards Todoroki for the duration of the arc - will forever be my favorite showcase of how Bakugo always has more than one motive that he can’t express AND how bad he is at communicating in a general sense. Props again to Horikoshi - the BNHA Sports Festival arc may be my favorite shonen  tournament saga ever. Bakugo’s antics in and out of the ring are a major reason why. I think even people who hate Bakugo’s guts could probably agree that his involvement sets the stakes and keeps the energy and drama of the whole thing moving forward.

We love a boy who catalyzes all conflict and causes the other characters to shine by being placed his opposite.

Anyway.

Being able to articulate such a thing is a victory in and of itself! You can do it, Katsuki Bakugo! You can adjust to your society! You can make friends! You can communicate with Deku! You can surpass All Might - whatever that means!

“Is Bakugo gonna win?” Talk about embarrassing if he doesn’t!

Characters in Japanese works often have meaningful names. It’s like a label of what they do or a big ol’ flag over their head signalling to the reader exactly what they are about. While a character’s name can be given to them ironically, Bakugo’s is not. But on its face, it’s a comically blunt name for a guy initially introduced to us as obsessed with being the best to the point of self-detriment. It’s a massive expectation and obligation for him to carry.

The family name Bakugo (large explosion/huge boom/big bomb) isn’t that deep, either. Bakugo is a boy who blows stuff up. Shocker. His given name is the point of interest.

Japanese given names (in real life, in fact) often draw from the names of the parents. Bakugo’s father is named Masaru (which means victory - I’m not going to get into the weeds about why it’s pronounced differently in this context) and his mother is named Mitsuki.

If you put the last character of Mitsuki’s name on the back of Masaru’s, you get “Katsuki”.

 His name is yet another clue that he’s a character with a journey for self-improvement.

For the purposes of this discussion, Bakugo’s concept of “self” can also be “the self as molded by the society of which one is part of.”

His personal social obstacles aren’t only about his relationships with others. He is also grappling with his relationship with himself.

Bakugo will get over himself! You take that little hand, Bakugo! Grab it and never let go! That’s the ultimate victory here, apparently.

At a pivotal point in the series, Deku refers to Bakugo as “someone closer to me than All Might”. For Bakugo to regain that standing and maintain it is an abstract but legitimate way to “surpass All Might.” I’m not saying this is THE singular way to interpret the goal (in fact, I can guarantee that it isn’t), it’s something to think about.

Bakugo authentically wants to be worthy in the eyes of the people that admire him and he authentically wants to atone for everything he’s done wrong.

Speaking of what he’s done wrong.

BNHA does us the service of casting some shades of grey over the reality of Bakugo and Deku’s situation. Cancelling Bakugo over bullying Deku without acknowledging the series’ point that the motive for “evil” and pressures that inspire it are bigger than just one person is, well, reductive.

Besides, Bakugo is more entertaining as a character in part because he is legitimately nasty upon his introduction. Who wants a toothless first-act nemesis that isn’t a threat? That’s boring. That’s so boring. I’m bored.

Also, this presentation won’t go into too much detail about it, but Bakugo and Deku’s status as childhood friends/osananajimi with an early falling out is interesting. It’s an interesting take on the osananajimi trope in anime - particularly in how it alters the understood interpersonal boundaries between Bakugo and Deku as bully-and-victim. Here’s a Reddit thread discussing osananajimi in Japanese media to give you more to think about.

Manga readers’ mileage may vary when it comes to when exactly they believe Bakugo first wanted to apologize to Deku for bullying him, but he definitely wants to do so earlier than when it actually happens in the manga. It’s an interesting internal chemistry to watch him grapple with even if he doesn’t deliver entire soliloquies about it. 

Audience anticipation regarding Bakugo’s apology (and the constant denial of it) is a major source of the narrative tension. Horikoshi does a great job of making the audience care about this moment by making us care about Bakugo and the hoops he goes through to tell Deku that he’s sorry.

Also? Deku shares some responsibility in why he and Bakugo could not communicate for years. Bakugo’s faults are glaringly obvious, but Deku is not innocent, either. Deku is also prone to feeling authentically guilty for inconveniencing others or making them feel lesser. He doesn’t realize he’s done this to Bakugo (he never meant to do so! Deku is naive to many things including the thoughts of others and their perception of him!) and thus it’s Bakugo’s challenge to even start this conversation without making Deku feel bad about it.

Making the wronged party feel guilty is not the best way to deliver an apology.

In fact, Bakugo does the most legwork between them when it comes to communicating. Bakugo leads the way on the emotional development and goes out of his way to support Deku whenever he can without overstepping the tentative boundaries between them. To tie this back to the honne and tatemae discussion: sometimes (only sometimes. Not all the time! Sometimes he is just a shit in sincerity) Bakugo’s bad attitude is a security blanket for them both!

Bakugo is “that one character who is angry all the time”, but manga readers know why! There’s a lot going on to motivate that anger for a lot of different reasons!

I’ve heard fans call this character Katsuki “malicious compliance” Bakugo in discussions before. It makes me smile every time.

I touched on it indirectly during the discussion of Bakugo’s individualism presentation and involvement with Best Jeanist, but he really is invalidated at pretty much every turn in the story with a handful of notable exceptions (and when he is validated and praised, he has a lot of trouble accepting it.) It’s just more fuel to the fire. He doesn’t do the nasty stuff he does in a vacuum.

This is a little bit of high-level abstract talk, but I think the association isn’t an unfounded or unique one among genre fans. BNHA explores the idea of people acting as symbols more than once (All Might as a symbol, Shigaraki as a symbol of peace, Bakugo as Deku’s personal symbol of victory, etc) so it’s not too bonkers to apply his character change as an allegory of change for the things he represents (those things being shonen as a monolith and the "base state” of BNHA society.)

But yeah! Bakugo is grappling with a lot and he’s our primary and most self-critical lens of these factors.

Sometimes, in a story, it’s not about what you do but how you do it. Horikoshi has done a great job in portraying this character!

(Also, Lord forgive me for using his given name outside of the necessary example slides about his given name’s meaning. I’m not changing this slide.)

For context, that guy in the corner screaming “YOU MEAN HE’S GOTTEN CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT?!” is, in fact, talking about Bakugo. That’s Neito Monoma, a character who embodies collectivism much like Bakugo embodies individualism, and they hate each other’s guts.

As an older reader, I appreciate that not every little thing is spoon-fed to me. I gotta use my own eyes to read the visual information like the chosen values placement, composition, expressions, and panel placement as well as the text. These compliments extend beyond Bakugo, but Bakugo’s scenes are often places where Horikoshi really shines when it comes to character acting.

You thought I’d already described all of Bakugo’s facades? Nope!

Hi, Asuka Langley Soryu from Neon Genesis Evangelion. I'm so pleased you could join us today for this discussion about aggressive, egotistical tsundere characters who wear red-orange and have complicated feelings about the main character of their series.

Bakugo is annoying. As a sincere fan, I’m telling you that he is annoying. Somehow, he makes it work. It’s part of the package. While he’s not as bad as a moe-style tsundere squealing “it’s not like I like you or anything!” the trope is the same. 

As subtle as some of his storytelling can be, just as much of it is comically unsubtle. Ochako Uraraka seeing right through him and eliciting that look of panic on his face is a personal favorite bit of content.

If you didn’t look into that Reddit thread about osananajimi/childhood friends I linked earlier, here it is again for your convenience.

Before I start with this, I want to point out that there are non-romantic osananajimi relationships between same sex characters in lots of media. There’s also plenty of platonic opposite sex osananajimi portrayals. They follow their own set of similar tropes, but what’s interesting about Bakugo is that he incorporates these tropes as well as the (love interest) girl osananajimi tropes.

Osananajimi relationships are often used to evoke security and safety as well as an idyllic past. Depending on the thesis of the work, the main character generally either ends up in a relationship with the (traditionally Japanese in appearance) osananajimi as a representation of maintaining tradition and honoring the past or they end up with the (foreign-looking, exciting, and contentious, and often a tsundere) girl who challenges the main character and represents the future and the outside world.

Bakugo is an osananajimi figure, but he is also a loud, blonde tsundere who is a catalyst for change and mystery for the main character. In conclusion: BAKUGO IS BEST GIRL!

Speaking of the ladies.

The biggest success of this “girl power moment” is that it has a nice execution, isn’t cloyingly preachy (because let’s be real - Aizawa gives a full sermon over to the audience over this), and doesn’t come off as insincere.

What else? Oh, right.

The translated pages I pulled are some of the most unflattering to Bakugo’s speech, but I’ll be honest: I kinda prefer this part to be translated in such a way.

Go cry me a river, asshole. But only if you build me a bridge and then get over it.

I’m goint to note that Bakugo never refused to save people at any point in the story. The main point of this is that saving people was never his primary route to “winning” against a threat. It’s more that saving people was an afterthought and a functional solution to getting people out of the way for him to kick some ass.

He entered UA High School with the assumption that he was going to be a combat Hero, but learned to be a rescue Hero instead.

Thats’s what it’s all about! Victory over the self!

What, the rude exterior too much for you? Are you still falling into the trap that everything he does on the surface doesn’t have a deeper motive and intentional use behind it?

God bless Kirishima Eijiro for figuring out Bakugo’s tics. God bless Todoroki Shouto for enduring them. God bless Toshinori for, like, recognizing that Bakugo isn’t evil but is instead a stupid teen boy who cares a lot but screws up a lot.

My personal favorite Bakugo manga face is on the top left corner.

I don’t spell this out in the slides, but part of Bakugo’s popularity stems from the fact that he has some of the best background gags. I don’t find him as funny in the anime, but in the manga he consistently makes me smile.

I included some well-known anime shots in here, too. If you don’t appreciate him at his, y’know, all of this, you don’t deserve him on the bottom left. It is my pleasure to mean it from the bottom of my heart when I say, “HE IS THE UGLIEST AND NASTIEST BOY IN THE WORLD AND HE SUCKS!” and then be completely serious when I turn around and scream, “HE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOY IN THE WHOLE WORLD!” to anyone who says any different. I’m not even referring to his appearance, but his general demeanor. I strongly believe this is always how one should feel about their favorites. This is the correct amount to care about one’s favorite fictional character.

I adore his hero name and I will fight anyone who doesn’t. It’s stupid and self-aggrandizing, gives Best Jeanist the middle finger, and is also points out the fact that he realizes he has “reached enlightenment” after figuratively dying and has ascended to godhood.

Also, his Hero name announcement provides comic relief and an in-story morale boost in the middle of a horrific battle - all while he’s bleeding out on the ground. If that doesn’t exemplify Bakugo’s penchant for redirecting the mood, I don’t know what does. He could’ve just said “I’m still alive!” but instead made the choice to pull a stupid stunt.

Thank you for your time!

[mapleandgingeroatmeal]

The Chetney Playlist Analysis

A.K.A Orbit spends many hours of her precious fleeting life reading way too into the sings in Travis's playlist because someone had to do it!!

Love to @captainofthetidesbreathetidesbreath for hyping this playlist enough to light a fire under my ass; please if you read this reblog and give me your thoughts!

My analysis will be structured thus: 

1), a disclaimer about wolf imagery in popular media and in this playlist

2), everything we know about Chetney, and about Ch(U)tney, who I’m treating as a separate, but still important for context, character. 

3), a breakdown of each song, pointing out any lyrics that I find particularly significant 

4), Wild speculation about the conclusions that can be drawn by combining parts 2 and 3

5), in which I summarize all of the above and, to the best of my ability, predict the sad life’s story of Chetney Pock O’Pea.

1) A Disclaimer About Werewolves.

These songs all have to do with werewolves; that’s the gimmick of the playlist, that’s the distraction tactic Travis is using to gaslight you into ignoring his own narrative genius. But Chetney’s only been a werewolf for a few months out of his very long life! This means that many of the songs that still involve wolf theming/lyrics probably don’t actually have much to do with that part of him. Wolves are also very popular animals that’ve been used as metaphors in many songs for many purposes over the years. This means it is very possible to pick and choose which wolf-y songs you use to construct a specific narrative. 

2) Ch(E)tney Facts, Ch(U)tney Facts, and the Venn Diagram Between Them

Ch(U)tney was the oldest Elf still working in Santa’s workshop. He’s famous for his actions at the very end of the One-Shot, but he was actually making his anti-santa stance pretty clear from the jump! Remember that whole bit where he tries to convince the crew to abandon Santa, then roles a nat 20 strength check to lift the gift sack and declares a “new world order?” Note that Chutney isn’t just expressing displeasure, but actively trying to convince others to side with him.

Now what do we know about Ch(E)tney? He was also a toymaker, originally from Uthodurn. He, like Ch(U)tney, prefers the old-fashioned way of toy making with wood. He worked for someone named Oltgar, and had to flee the city after a disagreement in which he messed up his boss “something fierce”, as he puts it. Stabbed with a wooden chisel, mayhaps? Those are the biographical details. In terms of personality, Chetney is intelligent, experienced, and considers himself the leadership type (“respect the alpha” and all that). He’s jumpy and blunt, but also observant, emotionally intelligent, and very capable of expressing real sympathy and concern for his teammates. For skillset, besides the obvious wolf stuff, he’s very stealthy and good at using that chisel to do crime. 

So with all that set up, let’s look at the songs!

3) Songs About Fighting (and wolves)

As the title of this section hints, the throughline of most of these songs is how so many of them concern battles; ones in progress, ones lost, and ones about to begin. Speaking of beginning:

Werewolf by The Frantics

No lyrics on this bad boy, only music and howling! Perhaps the only one of these songs that is exactly as simple as Travis sells it. 

Lifeline by Bad Wolves

This one is for sure a cry for help, with lines like “Reaching out, I need a lifeline/I don’t know if I can carry this on my own” reflecting a singer with a burden that’s becoming too much for them. Also important are the lines “It's a dwelling, call it deep insight/When the best no longer tries to fight/The sweetest sugar swoon/The darkest side of moons”

We Will Rock You (feat. Maria Brink, Lzzy Hale and Taylor Momsen) by In this Moment

Chetney’s attitude and life are written all over this song! The verses follow someone from a boy playing on the street, to a young man with big plans, to a poor old man. The middle verse is the most important here, with lines like “fighting in the street, gonna take on the world someday” and “waving your banner all over the place”

Wolf Totem (feat. Jacoby Shaddix) by The Hu

This is definitely about some kind of fight, either one in progress or one that the singer is asserting their willingness to have. Note the lines “We got your back, we all been low, lets all rise to the brethren code.”

Wolves by Selena Gomez & Marshmello

I agree with @Captainofthetidesbreath that this is about a character we haven’t met yet; almost definitely a lost love of some sort, most likely pre-werewolf but sticking with the theme for the sake of the bit.

Fire Inside by Pop Evil

This one’s about staying determined in a fight that you’ve been preparing for. It’s very much in thematic conversation with Wolf Totem and Rock You, with lyrics like “Time to write my story, make history”, and “After all these battles, yeah, I'm ready for war”.

Kidnap The Sandy Claws by The Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack

As surface-level obvious as this one’s meaning is, I think it's actually one of the songs that has the biggest hints towards Chetney’s story! This is more fight/battle theming, but more specific than in any song so far. It’s about an organized and collaborated effort to kidnap and harm a specific powerful person. (Yes it is, stop laughing!!)

Seven Nation Army by SKÁLD

Never looked at all the lyrics to this song before! They’re actually a lot more cynical and defeated sounding than you’d think, with lines like “And I'm talking to myself at night/Because I can't forget”, and “I'm going to Wichita/Far from this opera forevermore”. Googling around, the song is about leaving a town where your community has become toxic and turned against you. 

Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf) by AWOLNATION

This song is the first one that I think truly is about being a werewolf. The line “Imma make a deal with the bad wolf, so the bad wolf don’t bite no more” just screams “accepting lycanthropy”. There’s these lines that also read as important to me: “My enemy is a friend of mine in a friendly place to be seen/You know I'll run away for a couple years just to prove I've never been free.” 

Animals by Architects

If there’s like a low point/darkest hour to this story, it’s in this song. The lyrics are desperate and defeatist. The most interesting lyrics for our purposes are: “I dug my heels, I thought that I could stop the rot/The ground gave way, now I've lost the plot”.

Howlin’ for You by The Black Keys

I think this song lives in the same house as the Silena Gomez song does; very romantic, directed towards a character we don’t know about yet.

Thriller by Michael Jackson

Everyone knows whats up with this song. It’s spooky scary! It’s about a person getting attacked and corrupted by monsters late at night, which is exactly what happened to Our Boy Cheyney. 

Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon

A song about a more refined and controlled, but still very dangerous, monster. Maybe a sexy flirty werewolf instead of a terrifying out of control one.

Christmas With The Devil by Spinal Tap

Ok this is the other one that’s pretty surface-level still. Santa but he’s bad and evil and associated with cool badass demon stuff (like werewolves??)

4) Wild (or not so wild) Speculation 

If you’ve been paying attention, there are a few recurring things to tease out. One is fighting; many songs (lifeline, animals, fire inside, wolf totem, and we will rock you) are centered around battles won, lost, and anticipated. Two is organization and teamwork! References to “The Brethren code”, “waving your banner”, and generally battles which are fought with many people. Third is Lycanthropy and how it’s used and related to. Thriller,  Werewolves of London, animals, and hollow moon all fall into this category. 

Now let’s put everything together. Ch(E)tney has a long past with a company that (assuming from Chutney) does not appreciate his work appropriately. Ch(U)tney had a history of convincing people to give up on Santa, and Chetney’s playlist contains many songs about organized groups and violence. We know Chetney is the leadership type. He has strong convictions, violence in his soul, and the ability to be both smart and extremely empathetic and charming when need be. “But Orbit”, you say, “Chetney is a toymaker, which is a traditionally peaceful profession! Who would he be fighting?” The answer to that of course, is Santa Clause! Or Otgar in this case. For a while it was vague speculation, but now I am fully convinced that Chetney was the leader of some kind of violent worker’s uprising in Uthodurn. He’s got all the perfect qualities needed in a union rep, especially a rep who’s maybe willing to start an entire revolt for the cause. A revolt that cumulates in the kidnap and mutilation of his boss, Otgar.

5) Putting It Together: The Ballad(s) of Chetney Pock O’Pea.

I’m going to organize this part by rearranging the songs into what I’d consider “chronological” order, and the story as I’m predicting it will form around the songs. This is very speculative obviously, and I’m painting in very broad strokes because I don’t want to go very far beyond what I can glean from the information we already have.

We Will Rock You goes first because it describes a boy, the youngest Chetney we see, and goes all the way up until Chetney is already an old man. This is the point at which the story Travis is telling seems to start. The song fast forwards through childhood and most of adulthood, into Chetney’s old age. Any sort of worker’s rebellion he started didn’t occur until this point. One day there’s a breaking point, when he realizes that his job will never appreciate him despite years of service, and he decides to do something about it in Seven Nation Army. This choice leads to Wolf Totem, a song with lyrics that call people who’ve been laid low to fight, to answer the call of a code. That sure sounds like a worker’s union rallying cry to me! So Chetney’s been calling unhappy workers to action against Otgar, and then we have a song about whatever riots actually occur in Fire Inside. This is also where I’m going to place the two sings that (credit to @captainofthetidesbreath for this idea) I am convinced relate to an important player in Chetney’s story that we haven’t met yet, probably a romantic figure of some kind. Howlin’ For You and Wolves both fit here, in that order. 

So we have this worker’s revolt, and maybe its not going well orhas reached a stalemate. How do you escalate things and ensure someone hears your demands? Simple! You Kidnap The Sandy Clause! Chetney’s rouge skills have gotta come in handy somewhere in this backstory! After the kidnapping comes Christmas With The Devil, and presumably whatever kind of negotiation/torture Chetney puts his boss through. However that plays out, we know it doesn’t end well. The revolution fails, and Chetney is kicked out of the city by the glass blades with his boss injured badly but alive.

So here’s where things get wolfy! We’ve been told this part, at least loosely. In Thriller, Cheyney is alone at night, attacked by something horrific. He fights for his life, but he can’t resist the thriller (i.e the lycanthropy curse) once it hits him. The next morning he has to sit an take stock of what’s happened to him, in Hollow Moon. He decides in that moment that this is a power he can “make a deal” with, that can be a friend in helping him get tey revenge he wants in a few years. So Chetney spends a few months with the wolf, which proves to be a bigger struggle then he imagined. He’s drowning, he’s lost the plot, he’s got the attitude in Animals. This leads to admitting to himself that he needs help, and Lifeline sees him finally seeking out The Bells in what becomes the sweetest song in the playlist with that context. Finally, Werewolves of London is a fun song that’s caught up with Chetney as he is now. Dangerous, fun, getting used to his powers and living it up flirting with big women in the city.

Wow that was a lot! Please argue with me in the reblogs, I want to talk to people about this small angry man so badly that I wrote 2,000 words about it.

[dornish-queen]

GQ MEXICO - PEDRO PASCAL 2021

It seems that Pedro Pascal is in all possible universes. Here and there. In the past, in the present, and in galaxies far, far away. Today, the actor is considered the great entertainment reference and one of those in charge of saving a franchise that seemed lost. Enough reasons to talk exclusively about discipline, gastronomy, creeds and how he traumatized his father in 30 seconds.

The RAE defines 'creed' as the set of ideas, principles or convictions of a person or a group. For example, by creed, one can leave his country and be in exile. It happens that one can leave the loved one behind. Or simply live in another reality. And also one can put on a helmet to pretend never to take it off again. If that is the path to follow, the creed says that it must be done with the profession of faith and without stopping to look. Turning the pages of the script for The Mandalorian , the Disney + series that revived passion and nostalgia for the Star Wars franchise , Pedro Pascal came across this definition in every dialogue and moment, and reflection carved his way.

More than two decades have passed since the Chilean-American, Pedro Pascal, began his acting career and today, named as the great reference of 2020 , he misses the theater and it still hurts him not to have the discipline to exercise and maintain a diet sana while acknowledging the irony of having the best year of her career in the midst of one of the worst in recent history. But even in physical solitude, the man who carried the best-selling Christmas baby rescues many positive things and shares his vision of the universes he has traveled through, his passion for distant galaxies and how to traumatize your family with a simple scene of TV. In an interview, the Mandalorian of Latinamerica.

IMDB named you the 2020 benchmark in entertainment, a year in which the world took refuge in fiction. How was living your best time locked up and what do you rescue on a human level from it?

The strength of family relationships and friendship. For them, we endure this physical loneliness. I do find it ironic that in 2020 I received projects so well received by the public, although they were carried out before the pandemic and their impact was during it, and that year I was isolated and alone. But I must emphasize that this loneliness is a privilege when many people had to continue working, surviving and maintaining the functioning of the world. We only had to be alone, but they more than that and you must value it too.

Among the activities you have missed, how much do you miss the theater?

Much indeed. It's something that I miss the most and being with people without being afraid. See a play and return to those experiences of being with people doing and living things in common. That is what I need most, in addition to my loved ones.

Disney fully entered streaming and its strong letter has your face, what do you think of the discussion of platforms against movie theaters?

There are incredible things in streaming and many people develop great projects that they did not have access to before. The diversity of voices is gaining ground and it is important to recognize that opportunities grow exponentially and boundaries change. It is incredible the availability that we have to very well made content and how creative people can share their work in different ways. But I also want to be honest: limiting the experience of watching content only on our gadgets or at home is a mistake that affects the stories we can tell. You have to achieve a mix of opportunities and challenges.

You jump between the fictional universes that mark the last decades until you reach the universe of universes. What is your first Star Wars memory and how do you summarize the essence of this legendary story?

For me, Star Wars is nostalgia itself. It is one of the primary things in my memory, of my childhood. I came to the United States with my Chilean family when I was less than two years old and one of my first memories is going to the movies with my dad to see the saga ; it becomes one of those romantic childhood things that opens your mind, so imagine how special it is to participate in this project. I think the creators of The Mandalorian perfectly understand this nostalgia and that power, and they managed to count on that element as a great ally for the world of Star Wars and I couldn't be happier to be part of it. (From which we expect the third season The Mandalorian)

The Mandalorian exploits the power and nuances of your voice, did you have that letter on your resume?

I didn't know I could do it, but I resorted to my theater preparation, which was very physical on all levels and feelings. There are elements that have to do with and that are essential to create a role, and they teach you that the voice is something primary, something you have to start with and you cannot hide. Now I have learned much more about the importance of that, and how to use it economically. The body also has to do with that, because something very subtle communicates something. In The Mandalorian , I had a great time figuring out how to do it, they gave me the opportunity to develop it in different ways. The opportunity to be very intense at it.

What happens to the ego when someone works under a suit and a mask?

In the conversations about the project, before doing it, we were communicated the idea and the concept of the entire season , so I clearly understood what it was. I wanted it to be the most powerful version of what they were trying to accomplish, so there was no point in involving my ego, you know? It was already very clear what the project meant, so I knew about the character , the piece that it represented for him and the opportunity that it was for me, so I was only focused on executing in a better way the part that touched me in everything this. In the theater, I worked several times under a mask and it helped me develop the experience.

It seems that The Mandalorian has a very theatrical base ...

Exactly, and thanks to the physical experience of working in theater, doing a play a few times a week, discovering how your body and your voice communicate , being part of a whole image, and how you will tell that story visually, I achieved this character. I never imagined that it would be something I would have to use on such an important Star Wars project .

On the list of entertainment greats, there are names like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, do you think John Favreau should be added to the list?

I think your name is already included. Without a doubt, it is in that category and it is incredible. His vision fascinates me. I remember an episode in the second season , and I had some boots and I walked so much in the snow, it stuck to them. He figured it out, so he talked to the art department about the kind of boots you need when you're out in the snow. They approached me and gave me new ones that fulfilled the idea I was looking for. He noticed it in an instant. It is such a wonderful detail and it is repeated to scale in every session with him. He thinks of absolutely everything and his vision of the use of technology is admirable. He is someone who makes you feel motivated and always sees how to achieve the goal.

One of the reflections in the series is on how and under what circumstances a man can break his creed and way of life. What makes you break with your beliefs?

I think that you must follow your heart so as not to regret anything; Although sometimes it brings pain or conflict, deep down when you look back, everything is worth it because it was what you heard in your heart. I am very afraid to deny that feeling or not to attend to it. I am 45 years old now and I cannot believe I have a finer philosophy. Make it more disciplined. It's ridiculous, but I'm trying to accept that I am and it's all I can say, "follow your heart." Although, you know, I'm not on a good diet yet, I still have trouble sleeping or exercising.

Still good at Chilean empanadas?

Yes, I couldn't stop. And also how good that I do not live in Mexico City because I would only spend it eating. I could move my whole life to defe just to eat.

I want to deviate and ask you, with whom did you see the chapter of your death in Game of Thrones and what traumas did you cause in your family?

For me, no trauma. I separate myself well from the characters , although I fully understand that if I were a Game of Thrones audience and loved that character, it would make an incredible impression on me. Thank you that it was not. I had to interpret it and there was a model of my head to be crushed that way with the tubes and the fake blood, you know? Me lying there, with pieces of my meat, it was funny in the end. But not for my family. For them there is nothing funny but traumatic. My dad's voice changed completely when we saw the episode, he turned around and said: “I didn't like it, Pedro . No, Pedro , not this ”.

The media found similarities between your villain in Wonder Woman: 1984 and Donald Trump. When playing a character with characteristics like this, do you humanize him or do you understand him?

The project had nothing to do with the former president. They always told me that my character in Wonder Woman: 1984 was emotionally messy, and I took that and took that as far as possible. Instead of creating it with images or certain inspirations from life, it was more to work with what was on the page. Personally, what made sense to me is the size of the story that is being told and there is always more, and we all want more. Creatively, if this makes sense, that meant "blowing her out of the park." Connect a hit with the character and be committed to telling his story faithfully, in a way that was true to me. So all the exterior elements found their way.

What a way to start 2021 with the theme of the Capitol ... How do you perceive that moment?

I am not a politician and it is not that I do not have an opinion about this type of event; however, it is not necessary to state the obvious. My opinion would be very simple compared to that of a person who studied this, who knows how to act in these kinds of scenarios; I believe that I am next to the majority who experienced this, which is the logical result of what we have experienced during these years and we are all horrified . It was distressing to see this violence.

If you had the monolith in your hands, what would your wish be?

My wish would be… it's impossible, really (laughs). I think it is to be together again, with less fear and that people have the opportunity to connect.

What is your position on the reality that Chile has experienced in recent years and how has the relationship with your country been since exile?

It is something that I am developing and I continue to do in my life, trying to understand that it is my home. To be in Chile is to be at home, but my life has been very nomadic, living different things and having many influences; so it is strange, I do not feel with the title of a complete Chilean identity nor with an American one.

Neither here nor there?

In a sense, but I'm also completely both. My parents are Chilean , my brothers were born there before my parents traveled, and I came back sometimes because my family is very large; in fact, my parents came back. It has always been there, it continues to develop, and it will be a part of me. I don't know if it answers your question, but it has a lot to do with who I am.

What is your relationship with Latin American cinema? Are you interested?

Much, it has invaded me in life like American cinema. The movies that I carry in my heart, seeing something like Y tu mama was also something that changed me; I also love the work that comes out of Chile , and the only thing I can say is that it is a cinema that needs more access and projects.

Today you have a comedy with Nicolas Cage on the door, can you tell us something?

It's my first shot at comedy , as a complete story within the genre. Speaking of American influences , in the 80s I saw all the films where Nicolas Cage appeared , he came into my life and it's great to be his partner after seeing all his performances.

How is the relationship you have with the comedy genre?

I love it, I have done a lot of comedy in the theater, what happens is that in film and television issues , I was always part of drama castings . And in the cinema, you go where the doors open; Although I identify with one or the other, I think that being an actor , one goes and does what one has to do. Comedy is something unique, it is very challenging because it must be very real to be funny, you cannot hide or use normal tricks. I was very excited to have this challenge in front of a camera.

Finally, Pedro, after going through so many fictional worlds, literally, what do you dream about when you sleep?

I dream that my bathroom is dirty, that I haven't done my math homework, that the oven is on and all that stuff. Sure, there are times when I close my eyes and see myself in all these projects , although my conscience is with the anxieties of the day that you can imagine.

Without a doubt, Pedro Pascal is a particular type .

English Tranlation: Google Translate

SOURCE:  GQ MEXICO

[claireverything]

This message really resonated with me yesterday. 

I wanna talk about it because I see a connection with this and all the “12th housers don’t tell people your business” tweets and the sacredness and privacy of the 12th house.

I felt affirmed and validated by this tweet because I really resonate with the message of keeping things private and therefore, sacred. 

Sometimes I get irritated having to experience other people’s minds just fucking missing the entire point of the magic in something. At risk of sounding condescending, people be dumb as hell, and loud about it too. Sometimes I just don’t want people to have an opinion on things in my life. I don’t want their take. I don’t want their mundane, regular-degular, 3D ass minds to touch this. It’s too precious for you. Too delicate for you. Too other-wordly for you. 

Not everything is for everyone and not everyone is for everything. Khensu ranted about this for most of that day and I was here for every tweet. You must protect what is sacred to you. And yes, definitely sex. Definitely. That’s one that the world really tries to take from you. Dark entities try to co-opt and control your relationship to sex. Why? Because your sexual energy is powerful as fuck and they don’t like the idea of you being in charge of it. Especially growing up as a girl/woman, I’ve always felt like the odd one out for wanting to be picky about the people I choose to have sex with. Society makes you feel wrong for caring about sex and wanting it to actually be emotionally intimate and deep and a real act of mutual care and passion. But you’re not wrong. I’m not wrong. So yeah I’m gonna gatekeep tf outta my relationship with sex. And my spiritual insight too. Keeping things private helps maintain their sanctity. And sanctity, is quite frankly the only thing keeping me going on this planet. So yes, we’re gonna protect it. 

Social media annoys the shit outta me. I love the media part of it - love looking at and learning different things. But social media vibes are so annoying. They’re so bland and vapid most of the time. Of course there are corners where you can find real meaning, but for the most part, social media is for airiness. That’s why air signs tend to do so well on socials. Twitter is Gemini’s playground, IG is Libra’s whore, and Youtube is Aquarius’ kingdom. Social media fosters vapid, empty interactions. The socializing is bland and superficial. No one actually says anything they truly mean. Social media and the internet in general has also made people develop this entitlement to information - about the world, and about other people. Why does everyone do house tours now? Why do we know what the inside of so many people’s houses look like? We’re whoring ourselves out just for likes and validation. Validation which is so fickle and pathetic that we immediately feel the need to seek it out again once the temporary high has gone down. 

Privacy is important. Because in privacy, and personal privacy especially, it is just you and the thing. It’s just your precious understanding of the thing and itself. I think that’s as far as words can take us here. 

After all, sacredness is a feeling.