#living people are far better tools than dead ones

[i-spilled-my-soup]

new interest is misguided selfish nico. yeah he’s real keen on self-sacrifice but he considers/attempts it in self-interest. maybe he wanted to trade his soul for bianca’s so instead of being liable for her death he’d be her savior, thus absolving him of personal guilt, allowing him to die thinking he’d done something good. maybe he was willing to transport the athena parthenos bc he didn’t fear dying while trying, failing to consider if he killed reyna and hedge during the process, or how his life might be more useful to saving others besides being a sublimation-style taxi service. dude wants to help people but his self esteem is so low that he can’t recognize the benefits of staying alive

[tiajk]

Amazon strawhat reader

Warnings; fem reader!, everyone crushing on reader if you squint, everyone loves themselves amazon reader, added robin brook franky and jimbei becuase why not even though i haven’t watched that far so if i get something wrong pls tell me, reader can do a lot of stuff

A/N: none!

masterlist. part 2

— luffy would actually love you without a single fucking doubt he was practically jumping up and down asking you to join his crew if you said no he would kidnap you but who could say no to him and his cute face

— luffy uses you as a climbing tool he wants to see something up high and can’t see his going to you asking for uppies and you gladly give them to him

— zoro didn’t want to admit but he liked you on the crew becuase your strong he wants to challenge you and he admires your strength but he’s lowkey scared of you if your taller than him

— let this man see your sword he will literally not want to let it go and he’ll be so honored that you let him even hold it if you let him use it in battle if he lost one of his he’ll be so fucking happy and blushy

— sanji swoons over every women ( and man) but a muscular tall woman that’s race is literally goddess warriors this man is on the floor for you at your every beck and call

— he gets carried by you a lot he tries to carry you but you just carry him and he gets all blushy

— nami thinks that’s your so fucking cool she would 100% want to sun bathe with you all the time

— she also wants to hear about how the stories that your people have made over the years

— ussop is shaking the first time he meets you

— when there’s a fight he hides behind you and says that your under his control when you go along with it makes him very happy that’s why your his favorite

— chopper thinks it’s so cool that your on the crew when you tell him about the animals that your mother told you when you where growing up it makes him feel less like a monster and he does his cute little dance thing

— if you ever in battle and seriously injured and don’t go to him because your stubborn best believe he’s shape shifting and throwing you over his shoulder so you can get treated correctly (you could overpower him but you’ll let him win this one)

— robin has definitely heard of amazons but never seen one before in real life

— you guys will have little reading dates and she loves when you give her books from your home because there so interesting and fascinating

— Franky thinks your SUPERRRR all the time you never understood his obsession with cola but when he had you drink some you were hooked

— he makes you gadgets all the time whether to improve your sword or shield he is always making stuff for you

— when brook saw you he wanted your panties but was kinda scared when you drew your sword at him then he remembered he was dead but it was still kind scary

— jimbei had definitely heard of amazons before but like robin had never seen one

— he’s like a really cool person to be around if you wanna learn about his people culture you would always go to his with no hesitation and he would gladly tell you

— the crew admires you a lot your like there personal bodyguard they love you

— the girls will always make sure that when you guys go shopping you all get matching stuff because why not

— i feel like luffy goes to you for everything he has a cut on his hand he’s going to you instead of chopper it just shows how much he trust you

— when you first join the crew and your kinda timid to the boys they understand because your people say that men are just nasty but they get kind sad because they wanna know you better but over time you learn to love them ask much as you do robin and nami

— tell them stories of your home they wanna hear about it all the time especially if simultaneously they all can’t sleep and want to hear your voice

— they know how stubborn you can be so when you go into battle and almost sacrifice yourself so they can live they can get pretty mad at you but they know it comes from a place of love and respect

— i know that amazon’s have super strength and so does the crew so when you guys them they get kinda scared because of your bone crushing hugs

— if you don’t understand why some people do certain things then they’ll explain it to you

— sanji love it when you tell him about food that you ate when you were a child he tried to recreate it with you helping him

— they know how passionate you can be one time you were telling them how much you love them and made them cry

— whenever zoro gets lost you always find him first or he finds you first becuase he can feel your passion 100 miles away

— luffy definitely flexes on law and kid that he has an amazing warrior on his crew and they don’t (they admire you just as much and are kind jealous)

— if someone were to ever catcall you or harass you before you can get a word at there all jumping the person making there life absolutely fucking miserable

— for your birthday they did the cutest thing they had the sunny decorated like your home island from what they could make out of the books and just made you fell right at home

— when they find out your a princess that doesn’t change a thing about they see you but they can tell that another place you get your passion from

— nami will probably ask you for some money and you give it to her becuase you love her so much and she never charges you because of it

— you love you nakamas and they love you

[wordsandrobots]

I finished IBO recently, and I don't think I fully get why people call Mika and Orga's relationship one of "toxic codependence". That they depend on each other is obvious, but I feel like I'm missing out on why people think their relationship is unhealthy.

(Thank you for giving me a reason to procrastinate on the chapter I have nearly finished but my brain has gone 'nah' over.)

The way I look at it, there are two key levels on which it's unhealthy. These are related but I think it's worth distinguishing them, because one plays into wider problems within Tekkadan, while the other is a deeply personal matter between Orga and Mika.

But first of all, I think it's important to be clear: Orga and Mika's relationship is rooted in genuine care and affection. This is not apparent friendship built on a lie. These two really are together for life and there are many positive aspects to that. We see them joking about early on, Mika making sure Orga eats (whether he wants to or not), the ease with which they operate as a double-act -- and there's a real sense each would be dead before the series began if not for the other.

However, there is also a profound imbalance at the heart of their relationship. I've written before about how that imbalance is inverted compared to what it looks like at first glance; that is, Mika is the dominant personality, with Orga twisting to follow his wishes. At the same time, yes, Mika has absolutely outsourced his decision-making to Orga. No question. It might be Mika's desires and dreams that ultimately shape their path, but Orga is still the one making choices about where to go and who to shoot.

And it's the absolute degree of Mika's surrender that fucks Orga up. Because, to a very specific point, Mika will do exactly what Orga tells him without question. Period. Everybody else's opinions and orders are secondary to the man he's picked as his guiding star in life. I say 'man'; I mean 'boy'. This started when they were kids, after all, which is why Orga's sense of responsibility is quite so thoroughly warped.

As far as Orga is concerned, being in charge means working everything out on his own. Because Mika does not help him. Mika, at most, offers gut feelings for why something should be done; he never provides useful input on how to get from A to B. So Orga internalises that the buck stops with him, that he always has to be the decisive one, always has to have a plan.

It's masked to begin with because Biscuit is there as the angel on his other shoulder, offering useful advice and acting his second-in-command. However -- Orga never actually listens to what Biscuit has to say about the direction Tekkadan should go. That's the central tension in their relationship, in fact. Orga actively expects Biscuit to go along with what he chooses because that's what Mika does.

With Biscuit gone, there's nobody left to make even a token attempt at calling him on this tendency. Eugene utterly fails to, despite having a good set of instincts, because he's too committed to Tekkadan and too easily swayed by other people who seem to know better. Merribit gives it her best shot, but lacks the tools to approach the boys convincingly. Kudelia doesn't see it as her place. And the rest of Tekkadan fall in line over and over, reinforcing Orga's bad habits.

They trust him, is the thing. They trust him to deliver on the dreams he weaves, enough to offer up their lives on his say-so. None more than Mika himself, who literally gives an arm and a leg to make sure Orga's plans come through.

There is a point where this commitment slips out of Orga's control. I'm not sure where to pin it generally but the battle with the mobile armour is when Mikazuki makes it clear he isn't going to back down on the idea of becoming kings of Mars. He's seen Orga latch on to McGillis' offer as *the* destination, their place, where they can all be together and happy. And because he's always done whatever is necessary to see Orga's plans come through, he . . . does precisely that. Even knowing it's going to injure him further. Even with Orga literally telling him not to.

Making sure Orga gets his victory is more important.

I should stress how much this fucks Mikazuki up as well. I tend to focus a lot on Orga, but Mikazuki reduces himself down to a weapon for Orga's sake. To the point of breathing a sigh of relief once he's been sufficiently disabled he thinks he won't have a life outside Barbatos any more. Atra says at one point that Mikazuki is lazy over things that don't interest him -- that includes conceptualising an existence beyond fighting and following Orga. He does have his own dreams (being a farmer, seeing interesting sights) but actually working out how to achieve them after he's given away so much to Orga is beyond him. In the end, he simply gives them away too and chooses to keep following what he imagines Orga's orders would be.

Neither of these boys intended to do this to each other. That's the tragic part. Orga uses Mika as a weapon because it's the smart choice but it tears him up inside to see what that does to Mika as a person. Meanwhile, Mika insists what happens to him comes from his own choices and isn't something Orga should feel guilty over or see as a reason to give up.

And . . . here's where we move from the first level (Orga's no-middle-gear sense of responsibility coupled to Mika's unconditional loyalty) to the level on which Mika personally scares Orga into escalating over and over again.

It's that scene in the Montag Company ship. Or, no, it's not just that: Orga talks earlier about how he constantly feels Mika's eyes on him. Yet it's following Biscuit's death that this aspect of their relationship is laid bare.

I love this scene so much. It has the form of a triumphal rescue from grief, complete with swelling musical score, in much the way Mika often has the form of being the daring protagonist. But the content is Mika being the most blatantly scary he ever is in the entire show. The way he looks at Orga -- the way he always looks at Orga, his unblinking, uncompromising stare -- is at last framed as an overt threat. Mika is not going to let Orga give up because Orga promised to take him to the better place. What Orga wants is irrelevant.

Ah, screw it, I'm transcribing the dub script because it is so, so good.

"Tell me. What do you want me to do next, Orga?" "Hey give me a break. I'm just -" "Look I'm sorry. But I can't stop yet." "That's enough." "Now I wanna know -" "I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH -" Mika grabs Orga by the shirt, dragging him close. "Is this the place you told me about? 'Cos I won't stop. Not 'til we're there. I can't. On that day, Orga, I decided. So. How many should I kill? How many more until we get there? Because I need to know. Tell me, Orga Itsuka! You're gonna take me, aren't you? That's what you told me! What should I do next -?” "GET OFF ME! Orga throws Mika at the locker in the corner and stands up. "Yeah, alright, fine. I'll get you there. Can't turn around now anyway. That's what you want, RIGHT? No matter want kind of hell might be waiting for us. OK? Then I'll do it. And I'm bringing everyone with me." "Yeah. That's right. Take us there. So who do you need me to take out then? And what d'you want me to destroy? 'Cos if I finally get to reach that place someday, there's nothing that I won't do." SFX: lightning and thunder

This is not Mika pulling Orga out of the darkness. It's Mika driving Orga further into it, into a battle that kills dozens and very nearly ends with every single named character dead (in the real world, the commissioning of a second season saved them; in universe, it's stubbornness and pure fluke).

What would it be like to have someone so committed to what you've promised them, they would do anything for you, up to and including refusing to let you break your word? What would that be like if said person was the most dangerous individual you had ever met in your life, because there is a point past having no sense of self-preservation where no line is 'too far'?

That's Orga living with Mika as his shadow. That's not healthy. That's not sane. Orga comes loose at the seams attempting to be what Mika expects of him, and I think he's genuinely terrified of what might happen if he can't.

It goes the other way too. The scene in the ship is one of two times I'd say, yeah, that's what Mika looks like when he's scared. The other is immediately prior, when it seems Carta is going to kill Orga. 'That's what you told me' isn't just a reminder for Orga; it's the closest Mika gets to a crisis of faith. Seeing the one you believe in waver is its own form of terror and Mika has committed everything he's got to Orga. He can't conceive of stopping now.

[I should say, I primarily watched the dub and the vocal performances vary somewhat here even if the underlying intent doesn't. I love what Kyle McCarley does, injecting a note of increasing franticness into Mika's speech, but Kengo Kawanishi hits the volume rise hard on 'What should I do next?', hammering home just how much he needs an answer. Of course, they then both give Mika this deliciously bloodthirsty joy when he gets the one he's looking for.]

I don't know if there's anything Orga could do that would truly break Mika's faith or push Mika to turn that prodigious strength against him. I don't get the feeling Mika is the kind of person who'd ever hurt a friend for real. He isn't cruel and we see how much friendship matters to him (woe betide anyone who hurts the people close to him).

But what these two are actually capable of is beside the point. What matters is what they think of one another and they each think the other is the most amazing thing in existence. Orga sees Mika as near superhuman and Mika sees Orga as fantastically brilliant, and they're both afraid of being proved wrong, so they aim for an impossibility imposed by their mutual expectations.

The further they head down the shortest path to their goals, the more Mika crumbles physically and the more Orga crumbles emotionally. Like an engine shaking itself to pieces as it turns faster and faster. Love, hope, faith, determination -- and no brakes. A mad charge towards destruction.

I don't tend to describe things as 'toxic'. For whatever reason, it's not a word with much presence in my vocabulary. Still, I think it fits here. Mika and Orga's relationship might have been healthy, in a kinder world. It's undeniably the most important aspect of their lives. There's no intention on either on part to cause hurt. But the combination of who they are and the circumstances they are trapped in means they're ultimately toxic to each other.

No matter how much they care or want what's best, the very form of their relationship impedes their ability to grow, cuts them off from those who might be able to help with that, and eventually leads them to their deaths.

-----

Well, that's how I see it anyway. I hope this helped? I think Iron-Blooded Orphans does some pretty brilliant things in terms of presenting fucked-up relationships that have positive aspects while at the same time dooming the participants, so I'm always happy to ramble about that aspect of the show. Or indeed, any aspect of it at all!

[maxwellatoms]

I would love your full thoughts on the AI debate. I think it can become a very useful tool for artists but that’s my non artists opinion

A few months back, I was telling my partner how the AI-generated art at this moment in time reminds me of the works of the Surrealists. The Surrealists were big on drawing from dreams and the subconscious, and came up with a bunch of games and exercises designed to stimulate creativity by divorcing your conscious mind from the artistic process. I said that so far humanity hadn't created a conscious AI, but I wondered aloud if we hadn't created a subconscious AI. I guess that's why some of these programs have names like "Deep Dream" and "Dall-E".

My partner said, "You're so high right now." And I was. But I still think that we created something, and it's dreaming. And it's very much listening to what we're whispering in its ear.

The problem some people have with AI-generated art is that it steals art from actual living and dead human artists in order to create its works. It's considered poor taste among humans to steal someone's artwork and present it as your own. But we are allowed to collage and to nip around the edges of copyrights until we can find something we're actually allowed to do. So it seems like a grey area.

The real problem though, is that it absolutely will steal your jorb. And my jorb. I can definitely see a not-too-distant future where anyone will be able to sit down and spend a couple of days crafting their own full-length motion picture with AI assistance, and have it look as good as or better than anything we've got today. Not everyone is a storyteller, but I think it'll really open up the field for almost anyone to try. The next Stephen Spielberg could be just some sixteen year old kid on the internet, and I think that scares a lot of employed artists. Because even employed artists are just sort of barely employed.

In the end, it just sort of seems like one of those things (there are so many!) that you just can't do anything about. Studios are always looking to pinch pennies, and there's no way the biggies aren't funding research into this stuff. The really dark times will be when the studios have the tech and the public hasn't gotten its hands on it yet. Things are gonna get weird.

Artists are going to have to deal with AI the same way so many other industries will. More and more, I think it's the changes coming for society at large that people dread. We humans certainly don't seem to be very good at preparing for the inevitable.

In the short term, let it inspire you if you want. The way you might let a dream inspire you. Definitely don't claim it as your own work. Maybe every once in a while type in, "Thanks for all of the inspiration, AI. You're really cool." And then hope it remembers your kind words on Judgment Day.

🤷

[ae-neon]

Attempting to sum up my feelings and thoughts on Deadhouse Gates

4.5/5

Non-Spoilers.

What a sequel. I thought Gardens of the Moon was probably the best thing I'd ever read but somehow Deadhouse Gates was better?? Like objectively speaking the writing leveled up but also the feel of the novel was more cohesive too.

I never quite understood what people meant when they said "the setting was its own character" but from Hissar to Raraku, Seven Cities feels so real and is ever relevant to the story. It colours the pages and actions and plot in its own hue. And Erikson's layers of history and culture add a visceral and powerful weight that deepens the stories set there.

I honestly don't think I can say I read this book. I experienced it, and what an experience it was. As the fans say, I have walked the Chain of Dogs.

Once again, there is no shortage of wonder (from a ghost ship operated by the dead to a city of people turned to stone) the fantasy is as high as ever - but Erikson forced me, again and again, down to earth with the best parts of this story being the study of humanity.

Any book this grim and especially in the current political climate could come off as unpleasant or flimsy if not downright distasteful, but Erikson has left me in awe, heartbroken and shaking my head at futility but somehow never feeling hopeless. He is not trying to be dark for the sake of being dark. He is showing you humanity in all its shades.

It is not lightly that I say this book shows the actual nuance of conflict, the only way it can be: through the individual human lens. It confronts these characters with their own bias, with hypocrisy, with betrayal, with being wrong and with the humanity of their enemies and the futility of their actions.

And the characters?? Good lord, I don't understand how Erikson can have such huge but distinct characters. Even the animals have personality! Moby, Apt, the Ghral horse and of course the Wickan dogs! Felisin, Coltaine and Icarium were the standouts for me though it would be unfair not to give Erikson props for the insanity that is Iskaral Pust.

Once again, my biggest gripe boil to Erikson not being good at developing romance.

All in all, Deadhouse Gates - from it's insane prologue to the very end is a once in a lifetime experience and even if I never picked up another Malazan book (literally reading MoI rn) I would still be happy I got this far. If GoTM were not needed for context and a general understanding of Erikson's style, I would recommend Deadhouse Gates even to those who have no interest in Malazan.

Spoilers

Coltaine, Kulp and Lorn. Erikson has me 3 for 3 on killing my favourite characters. At least my Coastal Marines seem to be fine.

How so many can read this book and hate Felisin has me disappointed but not surprised. Not only was she completely valid in her feelings, but she was also hilarious in her jabs. It's so sad that one of the first memories transmitted to Felisin from Sha'ik is the implied sexual assualt at the hands of the man who raised her. And there's something so bittersweet about Sha'ik Reborn giving the name Felisin to her daughter in hopes that the girl she was and the girl she has will fair better than Felisin Paran did.

The Chain of Dogs will stay with me always. As a person who lives in the Global South/Third World and was born only 3 years into my country's independence, fear of civil unrest, war and general collapse of law and order have been very real fears in my life. I tend to stray away from documentaries and movies centered around these topics because of the anxiety it creates in me.

But Erikson never took things too far, he was blunt and honest in his portrayals - though I will say I wish we had seen more of Seven Cities natives who objected to violence and sexual assault especially as tools of war. I know that these things often happen but the same is true of objection, of restraint, of a want to see justice play out in a more lawful way.

Again, I am saying this as someone who was born into a newly independent country, so much of the immediate aftermath was trials in which families got lawful justice and acknowledgement of the wrong done to them and their loved ones under the former regime.

I am glad we got the nuance of Duiker and Kalam being natives who align more with the Empire - their reasoning is well done, nuanced and even more amazing when, in Kalam's case, he must face the possibility of viewing the Empire in a gold haze or rose-tinted glasses.

On the topic of Kalam, I will be honest and say my like of Kalam and Ben as a duo might have skewed my initial reading of Kalam and Minala's interactions, but I have never and will never be the type of person who villainizes or dislikes a female character for "coming in between" the relationship of two male characters.

I want to make it clear that I don't dislike Minala at all. However, Erikson has failed, once again, to make me believe in this romance. I don't buy Minala leaving her sister in the middle of life-changing rebellion to follow a man she barely communicated and connected with. Especially so soon after escaping her abusive husband's grasp which she only endured because it benefitted her sister.

Pearl had better chemistry with Lostara, hell, he had better chemistry with Kalam as Salk Elan than Kalam and Minala had. It would have been more believable to have Kalam stay and raise Shadowthrone's child army as a sort of repayment to Apt and Panek.

Speaking of, I always knew Kellanved/Shadowthrone was a bit...off...just from the stories he's heard but it's another thing entire to see Cotillion have doubts. VERY INTERESTING.

The Wickans piqued my interest from the moment they stopped the Red Blades at the docks but Coltaine and Bult speaking up in favour of Laseen had me instantly on their side as I never appreciated the nostalgic, boys club view that so many of our veterans had of the Laseen v Kellanved story. I always believed she would at least be fleshed out. And when Erikson had Chalice dash Crokus' idealised dreams and Murillio see the hollowness in his victory and the humanity in Simtal at the end of GotM, I knew he wasn't going to be the type of author to give us hollow, one note female characters.

Fid, Crokus and Apsalar - my darling family, also verrrry interesting that Fiddler returned to Seven Cities instead of Genabackis

Seeing as the title of the next book is Memories of Ice, I was immediately entrigued by the glimpses of Jaghut and Imass history we got. I LOVED Lorn and Tool in GotM so getting more on the T'lan Imass but especially on otataral was such a treat.

I was, in some ways, mentally prepared for Coltaine to die as part of him being this larger-than-life figure and inevitable tragic hero BUT I will never forgive Erikson for Kulp WHYYY

I cried through Mappo's confession to Icarium but I was already bawling at Duiker leaving the remains of the 7th behind to see the refugees to Aren. I took a ten minute break from reading after the gates closed, thinking that was the end of it. But Erikson had more in store for me and I was almost as wrecked by grief as Nil and Nether at end of chapter 21 and I set the book down for a day and half, once again foolishly thinking that was the end.

Malazan fans say "you walked the Chain of Dogs" but, tbh, it dog-walked me, I was wrecked.

PS

I love how everyone in the book and even me in this rambling review, completely brush past Heboric pulling Fener onto the mortal plain. I found otataral interesting just from Lorn's sword but this has brought me a million questions

[blorbologist]

Its stupid stupid stupid STUPID how emotional im getting over these fictional characters having a baby

After all she went through - unwanted daughter unproven ally - bastard daughter. lost her mother. lost her brother. frosty with her father. her sister is far away. flirting and friendly smiles to keep people at a distance to keep her safe to use as tools - selfish and cruel - labeled greedy and mean for using the only means she can to find security. Greedy greedy greedy to keep it all close, except her heart was not her own and it was terrifying and she could not speak truth to the terrifying weakness until he was dead and almost gone and somehow he came back. Always half of a pair - did not go far from him - always together and now broken in half for his loss, his loss because he saved her, because he loved her. How she is secure in her achievements and busy because she wants to be because shes skilled because she loves it because she has the luxury of freedom, did I mention she can fly? She can fly! How family was her mother (gone) was her twin (gone) and now she gets to build a new one and they're safe and loved and her child is not a bastard not a scorned halfbreed not *not enough* like she was, her child is not, her child is not motherless like she was, her child will have a host of siblings and her child will have that family, whole and at ease, or so help her.

After all he went through - smoke and fire and iron and bullets and bullets and bullets - orphan coward a lit fuse looking only to take them down with me signed his own death certificate and that of thousands more and being *fine with it* so long as he worked down his list and checked off vengeance for each. How it mattered but did not but did because it all was a dream. How he achieved it and was saved and had to live with what he had done and nearly not, nearly not - he was ready to go he was fine with going but lo and behold, behold, against all expectations her heart was his?! - and build a new legacy. How in the end he tried, tried, tried to sign this new future away for a friend, a brother, a man who deserved better - last words indignant and irritated - and he could not. He could not fix it. Faced with the loss and the death and the mourning and finally, finally, finally finding time to grieve and heal and grow. And he can put away his weapons and make clocks to tell time and watch it advance and not worry for what it brings. How his family tree was so neatly pruned - so many names - but two. And three when she said yes. And now four, then six, seven, eight, nine, perhaps?

And.

Her.

she's his sister and her mother and only one middle name, starting off simple, her daughter is super cute, his daughter is adorable, their daughter is the future that almost slipped through their fingers or bled out or was left unsaid a hundred times over. And she was carried (because morning sickness was after the end of the world and an adventure and not much time at all) through death and through the Feywild and through the belly of a dragon and a bird in her father's pocket and she survived, against the odds she survived and she thrived and she's loved so completely by hearts that never thought they could. Selfish and cruel, tal'doreis terrible tinkerer, and they made this, and there has to be more good to them than they thought. They have to have made it out (when he didnt when he didn't at his expense even) for a reason.

(And somehow the vampires did not find her, the last de rolos they said, saying nothing of his sister of their baby and she Knew and she kept quiet and she died hoping he would get help and their baby would be safe and perhaps seeing her mother, her mother, gone too soon, and knowing she could not do that to her daughter)

Yes im listening to dalens closet and had to pause and tear up 5 minutes in why you ask

[lauralot89]

Big Long Nail Care Post

I got into nail painting during the pandemic, partly because I was bored in lockdown but mostly because washing my hands constantly was making my terrible hangnails even worse, and I figured if I was painting my nails, I'd have to pay attention to my hands and that would help me stop going all Black Swan on my cuticles.

Anyway, I have amassed more knowledge than anyone needs about nails, polish, and nail care, so hopefully this information is of use to somebody.

Natural Nail Care

Cuticles

Image taken from Dipwell.co

The cuticle is dead skin that builds up at the base of your nails. It exists to cover the opening where the nail emerges from your skin, to protect against infection. However, if too much skin builds up on the nail, it can become inflamed or snag on objects, peeling back and damaging the living skin it's attached to. To prevent this from happening, you remove the cuticle by pushing it back or cutting the dead skin away.

Cuticle Remover

A cuticle remover is a solution that helps to soften the cuticle skin, making it easier to remove. Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover is available in pretty much every US drugstore, but there also are vegan cuticle removers and homemade recipes. For some people, just soaking their nails in warm water is sufficient to soften the cuticle.

Pushing Back Cuticles

After softening the cuticles, use either the flattened end of an orange stick or a cuticle pusher to push back the cuticle. Apply gentle pressure and do not jab the tool into the base of your nail. Use small back and forth motions until the cuticle is removed. This process may look torturous, but because the cuticle is dead skin, you don't feel anything.

This is hard to describe in text, so here's a video:

NAIL CARE ♥ PERFECT CUTICLES

Cutting Cuticles

Cutting cuticles is a controversial decision. Because the cuticle exists to protect against infection, cutting too far and causing an open wound is a health risk. If you choose to cut your cuticles, be aware of the risk. Make sure your cuticle nipper is washed before use, and wash your hands before and after cutting. If you accidentally cut yourself during the process, wash the wound and apply an antiseptic.

How to ACTUALLY Cut Your Cuticles

NAIL TRANSFORMATION | how I CUT CUTICLES at HOME | Basic Tools ONLY

Nail Oil

Nails that are hydrated are less prone to breaking or peeling, whether at the cuticle, the free edge, or anywhere in between. Nail oil can be purchased ready made, or you can use jojoba oil. Many jojoba oils come with a dropper, or you can buy an empty twist pen, fill it with oil, and refill it once you've emptied it. If you find jojoba oil on its own is too runny to work with, mix it with a small amount of Vitamin E gel.

As with all skincare products, test for a reaction on a small, inconspicuous area of your skin before using.

To use nail oil, apply a small amount to the base of the nail. Rub it around the nail base, across the nail itself, into the sides of the nail, and under the free edge of the nail. Repeated as needed.

If you are wearing nail polish, apply the nail oil at the base and sides of the nail and under the free edge.

Nail Shaping

Nail Clippers

If you are not trying to grow out your nails, using nail clippers to cut them is fine. If you are trying to grow your nails, filing is better than clipping because the pressure that the blades of the clipper put on your nail can cause the nail to snap lower than intended.

Nail File

Glass nail files are preferable over emery boards, as they last longer and are less rough. Nail oil needs to be applied before any sort of filing so that the file does not crack the nail or split the layers of the nail. File your nails in one direction at a time rather than back and forth so there's less risk of breakage.

Do NOT file your nails after a shower or bath. Water seeps between the layers of your nail and they are more prone to splitting.

How to FILE and SHAPE your nails like a BOSS

How to File and Shape Your Own Natural Nails

How to Shape Natural Nails Squoval, Oval, Round, Almond, Coffin

Nail Buffers

Unless your nails are very thick, do not buff your nails. Buffing the nail means sanding down the top layers of your nail plate, making it thinner and more prone to breakage and splitting.

If your nails are ridged, look for a smoothing base coat to fill in ridges. If your nails are stained from dark polishes, do not buff or whiten your nails. Use a base coat before applying polish. Look for a base coat that prevents staining.

Why yellow nails DON'T MATTER / Don't whiten your nails

Nail Growth

Nail hardeners do not help your nail grow; they actually make the nail more prone to breakage by making the nail plate stiffer and more likely to snap rather than bend when stressed.

Nail oil helps the nail stay hydrated and flexible, which makes it less likely to break. A non-hardening nail polish can also help protect nails without making them too rigid.

If your nails are very brittle or will not grow at all, seek medical advice.

How to GROW YOUR NAILS FAST*!!! (actually helpful information)

HOW TO GROW LONG NAILS *tips for healthy & strong nails* | Ep. 3

Nail Problems

Sudden changes to your nails should be examined by a doctor. While some issues with nails, such as ridges, can be related to age, skin conditions such as eczema, trauma to the nail matrix, or other relatively harmless causes, some issues can be signs of serious underlying conditions. Your doctor will be able to advise how to treat any changes to your nails and whether you would benefit from biotin vitamins or other treatments.

7 fingernail problems not to ignore

Ridges in Nails

7 Causes of White Nail Spots (And When to Be Concerned)

5 Causes of Thin Peeling Nails and How to Care for Them

Nail Fungus

Broken Nails

Depending on the severity of the break, a broken nail may need to be filed or cut down to the breaking point. For less severe breaks, the nail can be patched until the break grows out.

How to Fix a Broken Nail With A Tea Bag! | natural nail repair

Fixing My Broken Nail | Featuring Orly Nail Rescue Kit | Following SimplyNailogical Routine

Fix a Broken Nail with Household Items! | Nail Repair Hack WITHOUT a Tea Bag

Nail Polish

There are three main formulas of nail polish: solvent-based, water-based, and gel.

Solvent-based polishes, also called oil-based polishes, are the standard nail polishes you find in most stores. They consist of pigments suspended in an oil or solvent base. When the base dries on the nail, the pigment is left behind. These polishes are the easiest to find and to use.

Water-based polishes suspend their pigment in water rather than a solvent. They do not have the strong odor associated with traditional polishes. However, they can be difficult to remove. I would recommend using a water-based peel-off base coat with water-based polish for easier removal.

Gel polishes do not dry with exposure to air; instead, they need to be cured with a UV light. Gel polishes are known for their durability and are often used in salon manicures because they will last for a month or more. Removing gel polish is a long process that involves soaking the fingertips in acetone, which can leave the underlying nails thin and brittle.

I have never used gel polish, but here are two video tutorials:

DIY Gel Nails! how to do gel nails at home

Apply & Remove Gel Polish Perfectly At Home

Types of Nail Polish:

Base Coat: Typically clear, this polish goes on your bare nail to help the polish adhere and last longer. There are various types of base coat depending on your needs: Long-lasting base coats, smoothing base coats, peel-off base coats, stain-blocking base coats, and more.

Creme: The most common type of a nail polish, a creme polish is an opaque colored solvent.

Jelly: Jelly polishes are colored but translucent.

Glitter: A clear or jelly base with glitter suspended inside.

Holographic: A polish containing holographic pigments or glitters which refract light and create a rainbow effect.

Clear: A colorless nail polish. Often used interchangeably with a top coat, but not all clear polishes are top coats.

Topper: Also separate from a top coat, a topper is intended to be painted over a creme polish. It may contain glitter, confetti, or other decorative elements.

Top coat: A hard clear coat that protects the paint underneath from damage and chipping. A quick dry top coat will surface dry within minutes, allowing you to go about your life without ruining your nails so long as you don't dig them into something. Get yourself a quick dry top coat, it will save your life.

Most top coats have a glossy finish, but there are matte top coats as well. Matte top coats typically have a mattifying effect without protective qualities, so you may want to apply a matte top coat over a regular top coat.

Note: Because quick dry top coats harden with exposure to air, the polish will become thicker the more it is used and the more air gets into the bottle. This is true of all polishes but happens especially fast with quick dry top coats. For this reason, I recommend buying a nail polish thinner.

13 Black-Owned Nail Brands to Shop Now and Forever

Top Halal & Breathable Nail Polish Brands in 2023

Vegan Nail Polish: The Best Cruelty Free Brands

10+ Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Nail Polish Brands

Other Products

Nail Polish Remover: Typically containing acetone. Water-based polishes may require their own specific removers.

Nail Polish Thinner: Used to thin nail polish and make it easier to spread.

Clean Up Brush: An angled brush that is dipped in nail polish remover and used during the painting process to remove any polish that got on the skin or in the cuticle. You can use a q-tip or regular paintbrush for this purpose, but the bristles of a clean up brush will be less damaged by acetone exposure than a regular paint or makeup brush.

Striping Tape: A thin tape that is laid on the nail to help keep lines straight and even when painting stripes. Can then be removed or left on as a decorative element.

Nail Vinyls: Stickers that are placed on the nail temporarily during painting and removed while the polish is still wet. They may be used to paint the white edge of a French tip manicure, or they may be used to make a more intricate design.

Nail Powder: A nail polish alternative that is buffed into a base coat. Typically a gel base coat is used.

Striping Brushes: Very thin brushes used to paint fine details on nails.

Dotting Tool/Bobby Pin: Used to create small circles on the nail.

Stamper/Stamping Plate: A silicone stamper that lifts a nail polish design off an etched metal plate and transfers it to the nail.

Makeup Sponge: Can be used to more densely pack glitter polish onto the nail. Can also be used to create a gradient effect with different polishes on the nail.

Painting Your Nails

Begin by rubbing the nail plate with rubbing alcohol or pure acetone. Do not use a nail polish remover containing a moisturizer. The purpose of this step is to dry out the nail plate to help the polish adhere, so moisturizers defeat the purpose.

Apply a base coat. Leave a small gap between your nail plate and your cuticle where there is no polish. Once the base coat is touch-dry, apply as many layers of your main color as needed. Once finished, apply a quick dry top coat. The top coat will be fully dry in roughly twenty minutes and surface dry very quickly.

Note: Clean up mistakes as you go! Polish on your skin becomes harder to remove and stains more the longer it dries. Make sure that you paint the tip of your free edge with the base coat, top coat, and at least one coat of your color. Doing this helps the polish to adhere and makes it less likely to chip. You can do this on short nails as well, you will just need to clean the surrounding skin with remover once you've painted the tip. If you get the polish in your cuticle, you can clean that up with the brush as well. To help your manicure last, avoid submerging your hands in water for extended periods. Use gloves when washing dishes.

DOs & DON'Ts: Painting your nails | how to paint your nails perfectly

How to ACTUALLY PAINT NAILS 101

Paint Your Nails PERFECTLY on the Other Hand!

Mind-blowing opposite hand nail hack NO ONE KNEW

Short Nail Painting Hacks You DID NOT KNOW

8 Easy Tricks to Make Your Manicure Last!

10 Easy Nail Art Designs for Beginners: The Ultimate Guide!

And lastly:

Fake Nails

I have never worn fake nails, acrylics, silk wraps, polygel, etc. I am of no help here.

[mysticstarlightduck]

OC Interview Tag

Thank you so much for the tag, @mk-writes-stuff!!!

Rules: answer the questions as an OC

I'll go with Maryon from my WIP Of Starlight and Beasts for this one!

Are you named after anyone?

"I'm not exactly sure, if I'm being honest. I vaguely remember reading something about someone named 'Maryan' being a popular character in a beloved folk tale in the kingdom where I was born, so I think that could be where I got my name from. It's not like I can ask my biological family that, though. They've been dead since forever - maybe if the roads weren't so godsdamned riddled with bandits that wouldn't be so. But noo, the King of Tirawen has 'more pressing' matters, or so I've been told. Well he can shove those 'pressing matters' up his royal arse, nothing will ever be an excuse to neglect his citizens' needs - ! But I digress, do move on."

When was the last time you cried?

"Oh, that's a rather interesting question! I don't quite remember, if I'm being honest. It's not like I'm bottling up my feelings or anything like that - far from it. I just that I haven't had a reason to cry in a while. Things have been going pretty great. Despite the, you know, looming war that's on the brink of changing the continent forever and all."

Do you have kids?

"Goodness, no, there's far too many things I want to pursue before even thinking about having children. It's an endearing thought, sure, but certaintly not enough to be one of my top priorities within the next ten years or so."

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

"Only when I'm severely annoyed. I think that, while irony and sarcasm can surely add an interesting layer to any communication, there are more effective ways of making your words sting. Like speaking them while pointing a poison dagger to one's throat, for example! Just kidding. Or am I? (winks) We'll never know. But in all seriousness, I prefer keeping those kinds of confrontations to a minimum - being polite and kind often solves more disputes than rage, and those are words I try to live by."

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

"I'm quite perceptive - being the adoptive daughter of the most powerful spymaster in all of the Frosts has definetly given me an edge when it comes to reading people and deciphering their true intentions without even needing much effort on my part. People usually do all the hard work themelves - their choice of words and body language reads like an open book to me after just a simple conversation. So there's quite a lot I can notice about someone after first meeting them - but their intentions, feelings and morality are definetly the main ones."

What’s your eye colour?

"Dark forest green. Or so I'm told - Eidan, my boyfriend, can be quite the romantic. Either way, I rather like that color and I find his description of it to be very sweet!"

Scary movies or happy endings?

"I adore reading any kind of book, the more intriguing the story is the merrier! I usually don't have a strong preference as long as the tale is gripping enough to keep my attention focused after the first ten pages of the book and especially if there are deeper meanings to be found beyond just pretty words. If I had to choose, I would say a balanced mix of scariness and happiness in a story is ideal, though I do lean more towards the scary!"

Any special talents?

"Oh, many! I've been trained in the arts of espionage, dyplomacy and politics from a young age, and I've also learned quite a lot of fighting techniques, poison recipes, and languages! I'm also an expert knife thrower, and know how to survive in the wild. I know how to manipulate an enemy to fall into a trap I've laid out for them, just as I know how to persuade a potential ally to help with our cause, with just my words as my tools. Currently, I'm still working on learning how to cook without causing a potential fire in the castles, but I'm getting better at baking!!!"

Where were you born?

"I was born in one of the many provinces along the outskirst of the capital kingdom of Tirawen. My birth parents - from what vague childhood memories I can still remember - were very successful merchants. However, one of their many trips out of the kingdom's main road would prove to be our last - bandits, you see, as I mentioned before. A very tricky sort. I don't remember much of what transpired, if I'm being quite honest. What I can remember is being lost in the woods of the Frost for a while before being saved by the man who would go on to become my adoptive father, a spymaster otherwise known as the 'Serpent of the Frosts'. He took me, then a lost child of around five years of age, under his wing as his own child, and gave me a chance at the life I have today."

Do you have any pets?

"I have a 10 year old cat whom I named Sir Thurston who seems to love randomly appearing and disappearing at random places around the castles at will. I've also got twin pet snakes named Knack and Snap, one purple and the other white. And though they're highly venomous (and capable of breathing out ice shards like a dragon does fire) they've only ever bitten my enemies. They're also real cuddle buddies and very sweet if you give them something tasty to eat!"

What sort of sports do you play?

"Well, if these count as sport where you come from: swordfighting, archery, knife throwing, martial arts, tavern brawling (on occasion, but don't tell Father, haha), climbing random stuff so I can get to high places. If you count chess as a sport of sorts - though it is more of a competive, strategic tabletop game - I'm rather good at it!"

How tall are you?

"Shorter than most of my friends, or so it seems. Eidan especially. But no matter. Being smaller has its advantages too - it makes sneaking around easier and makes spooking my friends by randomly appearing behind them that much fun!"

What was your favourite subject in school?

"I had private tutors, other than my own adoptive father himself, so not exactly a school in the traditional sense of the word, but my favorite 'subjects' were politics, foreign ancient languages and botany (especially when it comes to rare plants and their effects). I also really like poetry, especially the ones from the fallen kingdom of Idraven - its very interesting to see how that society saw the world, though their demise never fails to bring me a strong sense of sorrow whenever I think about it for too long."

What is your dream job?

"Becoming a spymaster, like my adoptive father. Not only have I been trained for this since I was a child, but I also really look forward to being able to serve the land which took me in when I had nothing else in the world. Being a spymaster is a high honor in the Frosts, and nothing could fill me with more pride than being deemed worthy of serving our Queens and protecting the realm from behind the scenes."

Tagging (gently, no pressure) @eccaia, @cowboybrunch, @tabswrites, @littleladymab, @little-peril-stories, @oh-no-another-idea, @rickie-the-storyteller, @thepeculiarbird, @cabbojage, @the-ellia-west, @clairelsonao3, @crowandmoonwriting, @steh-lar-uh-nuhs, @winterandwords, @willtheweaver, @forthesanityofstorytellers, @gummybugg, @doublegoblin, @autumnalwalker, @moonandris and OPEN TAG

[anukkuna]

Vincent's Ring

Alright people... I got headcanons on Vincent's ring but most of them are a bit tragic! My mushy brain can't decide what it likes best... and I'd love to hear if any of you got similar ones?

(trigger warning: mentions of mental health and family issues & suicide as well as a spoiler warning for the latest episodes)

1. It's a wedding ring, but V's spouse passed away

Meaning: Vincent is a widower. In my hc V was married (maybe legally, maybe not; it might just have been an informal ceremony, doesn't matter) to another queer/enby/trans person but their spouse died. I felt like V was quite affected by Dirk's choice to jump at the End of "Abrgund"... maybe because their spouse took their own life (which can be quite hard on the one who feels left behind). They might feel guilty, like they didn't watch out for their spouse enough or like they weren't good enough. That might have been part of the trauma Vincent had to work through. (Might also explain why V was so angry with the manipulative culprit in "Gott des Bankrotts" for how the guy pressured all these people to take their lives). Anyway V loved their partner and always wanted to keep them close to heart.

Part of that hc for me is that Vincent's spouse's biological family wasn't supportive of them at all... neither as a person nor of their relationship with Vincent (like: very queerphobic and maybe religious parents) and Vincent tried to be their rock but ultimately their spouse decided to leave this world anyway.

Because Vincent had to deal with someone leaving and feeling so bad about it once before... well, Adam leaving just hit the same spot. On the one hand V's is like 'oh fuck, not this again, why me, why can't I be enough, why didn't I see the signs, why didn't I help him more' - on the other hand they're like 'I know, if someone really wants to leave there simply is no way to stop them and I have to respect their choice'... so Vincent already has some tools to deal with the feeling.

2. It's a (dead) family member's ring

I actually like this hc better than the first one because it's a little less dark, but since Vincent kissed the ring in "Abgrund" I'm not so sure... anyway: here the ring would belong to a family member like a parent or a grandparent.

Maybe, Vincent had a grandpa or grandma who loved them dearly and was always supportive of them, even though they were by far no ordinary or gender-conforming kid. The respective spouse (so, depending on what you choose the matching grandma / grandpa) was grandpa's one true love. Grandpa is very romantic and was maybe the odd one out himself as a kid... but he encourages Vincent to always be himself. Grandma was his one true love and when Grandpa dies, Vincent keeps this ring to remember him and how he believed in him - and in true love.

Another version of this hc is that the ring belonged to a parent gone missing or passed away. More likely V's mother... and when their dad remarried, Vincent asked for the ring to keep her memory.

3. The self-love head canon

A bit strange, maybe, but the most positive one. Here, Vincent's family was quite religious and V was supposed to marry rather young (maybe someone was picked from the religious community, maybe there was not specific partner picked at the time, dunno). However, V realized that they couldn't live this life any longer and they ran away from home and only took the few belongings they had with them. They ended up in Berlin, maybe graduaded there, studied psychology but later decided to become a cop to stand up for those in need (and ofc at some point in Berlin Vincent met Adam Schürk).

Now, why would Vincent wear the ring around their neck and even kiss it? After all, it was supposed to be a wedding ring for a forced marriage. Well, V keeps it as a reminder to always love yourself, to listen to what your heart tells you and to free yourself if needed.

4. Vincent is actually a Hobbit and on the road to Mordor

Selfexplanatory... and V certainly has the hair for it. (And have you seen the Gollum rendition... Queen, I cannot...)

Sooooo... what did I miss? Which headcanons are already out there??

(Gerne auch auf Deutsch und ich kann's auch auf Dt. nochmal erläutern, falls Bedarf ist.)

[iamyouknow-yours]

I've seen a few people trying to decide between getting a mobility scooter and an electric wheelchair.

Mobility scooters are cheaper but both are expensive. I'm gonna tell you about my scooter and my experience with it. I have the CTM HS-115 scooter. She is red and has 3 wheels. I'll include photos at the end plus a bonus photo of my cat sitting on it.

Things:

The turning circle!!! My house has narrow passages and it can be quite difficult to maneuver the scooter because of the turning circle. Especially when I'm having a bad brain fog day. I have gotten better at maneuvering though.

Wheelchairs have a turning circle of themselves. My scooter has one that is I think around a metre? I don't remember, my memory is bad.

Also it has this really annoying function where it can't be pushed even on pushing mode if it isn't on perfectly flat ground because the automatic braking system kicks in.

I'd also have a look at the amount of rise any mobility aid you are looking at can go over because when entering inaccessible buildings (like my house, I have to lift it up/get someone else to lift it for me.

Some of these problems would not be fixed by getting not a mobility scooter but some would.

My back sometimes hurts if I'm in it for a while (because the back rest is not very tall) but I've fixed this by having a cushion and remembering to lean back all the way.

To be clear though I love my scooter. She is very useful and has loads of benefits.

And I don't know any of the downsides of a power chair because I have no lived experience with one.

She can go on pretty rough terrain. She's pretty sturdy. I've taken her to the park near my house and round my friend's garden. As well as more obvious places like the mall.

Only time I've had an issue was when I went to this very hilly place where the ground sloped to the side and then she didn't want to brake.

The driving system means I can switch which hand I use plus my friend can walk next to me and maneuver me.

There's enough space by my feet that I can put my backpack there too.

It's fit in every car I've tried it in with just regular disassembly. Except my friend's dad's two seater car but then he disassembled it more using Tools™ and it fit.

It has good battery life, it hasn't run out on me.

The system for viewing how much battery you have left is bad though. It has 3 lights (red, orange, green) and supposedly the green turns off then the orange then the red and it's dead. But me and my friends can never figure out which lights are on and which are off.

It has a blue warning light which flashes in various sequences when something is wrong. I've had the scooter for several months and have never had it flash.

Fastest speed is 6km/h which is like someone jogging.

I got them to remove the beeping it makes when it reverses because that was Terrible.

The only customisation I've done to mine so far is put stickers that tell me which direction (forwards or backwards) the controls make it go. Because it's the opposite on the left and right. Which makes it easier if you want to swap hands or have a friend maneuver you but I need the stickers to tell me which way to push or pull the lever.

I am looking for ideas on how to customise her so please give suggestions. If anyone has suggestions on how to make the back rest taller that would be so appreciated.

Please include your own advice in the reblogs/replies. Looking forward to advice for future wheelchair users who need it.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhADVL2AiGX-gwr9ekt_SJC-UcURkXCOP

That's a playlist from the british youtuber Jessica Kellgren-Fozard. It's 4 videos of her trying out and picking a mobility aid. Includes useful advice and tips. And then 1 excellent video talking about mobility aids and "giving up". That video was quite useful in convincing various family members that that was not what I was doing by getting my scooter.

My scooter's name is Atalanta after the woman from Greek mythology who could run faster than any man. I think I'm very funny.

My cane is in the background of some of the photos because I rest it next to my scooter.

[colorisbyshe]

hello, I recently saw a post by yiu talking about Palestine and I wanted to ask, what sources do you consider trustworthy in thus matter?

I'm sorry if it comes out as weird that I'm asking you but I just don't know where else to ask

Hind, Plestia, Motaz, and Bisan are the most consistent and "real" people to follow in that they very regularly update, are speaking quite bluntly and on a personal level, and try to show current events on multiple levels--not just recording the violence, the death, but also the daily lives. Think of reporting "Oh, there's finally aid trucks in the area" which states what things are TECHNICALLY happening vs Bisan just saying "Yeah, the aid trucks are here and no one is getting fed."

There's also Mohammed El Kurd who really shines a blunt light on the reality of what's happening.

Al Jazeera is good. There are issues with Al Jazeera being funded by Qatar but their reporting when it comes to Palestine is pretty good.

I think Adam Johnson is pretty great in terms of responding to American/Western actions and contextualizing/pushing back against American Political Speak.

Euro-Med Monitor probably has the most accurate death counts for what is happening in Palestine, as they also include bodies under the rubble which are presumed dead.

Also, Muhammad Smiry sometimes runs live streams so you can see what's happening on the ground and just answers questions. I only just now remembered him.

But I need to be honest and clear here: in many ways, I am a bad source to give you good sources. I am a lay person. A white citizen in America. Even when I try to get as much of this directly from Palestinians or groups on the ground (like doctors without borders who have issues but have been reporting very openly about the reality on the ground), I do not have the most in depth knowledge. I was not following this closely before October 7th.

I am far from immune from bad information.

So, more than just hitting subscribe or follow on anyone listed. I recommend you devise your own set of tools to find good peopel to follow on twitter and instagram. Ask yourself questions like:

Who is this person? Who do they work for? Who owns what they work for?

Where are they from? What is their connection to Palestine?

Is what they're saying racist against Arabs/Palestinians?

Is what they're saying antisemitic? (And people are SLACKING on this front.)

If they are not on the ground themselves, where are they getting their information from?

Are they known conservatives?

Pause--does it seem like they are using this tragedy for personal gain somehow?

Are they posting primarily information or commentary? If they aren't Palestinian or in any way connected to this, what perspective is tehir commentary coming from? What is its value?

(To be clear, not all commentary is bad. Again, I like Adam Johnson because he is providing commentary aimed primarily at his lane--media bias in the US, political dishonesty, and similar bullshit. He runs an entire, fairly well sourced podcast on the subject in general and is just applying those skills... to current events.)

I'm definitely missing some people/groups worth following. I'm also perhaps over-emphasizing how much you should be following Bisan and company. Definitely follow them, don't let them be your only source of information. Diversify. Do you own historical research--don't just look to people to post current events, look into the past to better understand context. Fall down a rabbit hole or two.

Umm.... I guess beyond all that just DONT follow fucking Shaun King. Known grifter. And everyone pleaseeee stop cheerleading clips from Piers Morgan. It's mostly stopped now but in the beginning some of y'all were stressing me out.

[sonicasura]

Tales of Father Rung: Jak

The last example for the Father Rung saga and I saved the most traumatized character for last.

Let's face it, Daxter is the only one who stuck by Jak's side since the start. In Fallout Boy's terms 'The Last of the Real Ones'. Everyone else either abandons him at some point or sadly dies too soon. Daxter gets dragged along for the ride. *Man needs his pal since Naughty Dog wants Jak to suffer clearly.*

Let's get started.

Rung comes across an unconscious Demolition Duo one fateful night. Jak is the last to wake up as he sees Daxter talking to the 'giant robot'. Rung offers to accompany the young men since the mech been here much longer.

Jak is skeptical about the therapist at first. Throughout their travelling, Rung never asks the Eco Channeler for help. Both handle their own tasks instead of the young man shouldering it all. Jak's even more confused when Rung helps him instead. No strings attached either.

Meanwhile Rung is a mix of rage and sorrow upon hearing the duo's backstory. Angry at those who groomed a child into a "chosen savior" then toss him away as if he's a worthless tool or a monster. Saddened by the fact Jak is stuck with a Prime Complex.

Daxter being treated like a nuisance when he's the only one who saw how much pain his best friend is in. A voice with wonderful ideas drowned out cause people believe he is just a mindless animal. Rung gonna help these two if no one else can.

A notion challenged when Dark Jak manifests. Rung didn't run or treat this alternate form like a monstrous threat. An action that proves to the eco channeler as a whole about the mech truly caring about them. Daxter is glad he doesn't have to spill it out.

Even when Jak's dark form mutates into something more inhuman, Rung refuses to treat the young man any different. The mech does his best to heal the trauma engraved on both boys. Daxter's opinions and suggestions are heard than ignored. (What I mean by DJ getting worse. Face + body here.)

The ottsel gleefully indulging in being treated as a person. No belittling or push to the side. Even ottsels are people too. (Only ones who treat Daxter like a person can be counted on one hand. Plus he now got tons of pants.)

An incident creates a second chance to set things right. Jak and Daxter wake up back in their world(start of Jak 2) but as Cybertronians. (Jak being a Predacon type Triple Changer, Ramjak with Slam Dozer/Dragon Alt Modes. Daxter is a Minicon Beastformer, Citrus Bolt.(Orange Lightning would be a dead giveaway)). Rung is stuck inside the Eco Channeler's Spark Chamber as a phantom.

The three help past Jak and Daxter reunite the Kid with his actual father Damas. A better future is secured as the King of Spargus not only has his son back but continue to live alongside his two additions. It takes until the end of the journey for the two Cybertronians to reveal their true identity.

The young boys feel at ease afterwards. Jak and Daxter can now switch into their bot forms with some help from Rung. It takes awhile before they can do it by themselves. The Demolition Duo are able to wield Energon now(and so much more.)

Now let's move on to the TFverse.

Earthspark

The therapist's makeshift family lives in Witwicky not too far from the Malto's household. Hiding his ears, Jak works as a stocker at a grocery store near town. A store that becomes commonly visited by Alex.

The two form a friendship unaware of the secrets they are hiding. Jak didn't expect to learn that Cybertronians exist here nor the millennia long civil war ending some time ago. Much less this info being found in media like comic books and other merchandise. (He obviously tells Rung alongside Daxter later.)

GHOST's Decepticon Hunt becomes apparent when their hidden home is found by Ravage, Frenzy, and Lazerbeak try to hide from Elita-1. Rung grants the three sanctuary although greatly concerned about this troubling news.

Soundwave later arrives who briefs everyone about the suspicions on G.H.O.S.T like Mandroid as gratitude for keeping the cassettes safe. A new side to this conflict becomes forged. Keep the rogue Decepticons out of G.H.O.S.T's hands and investigate what's really going on.

Shenanigans

Decepticons meet sassy young adults. All of them still wonder how Rung even found these very strange organics. Most agree that Jak and Daxter are more Decepticon aligned. At least they can reign in the Cassettes.

Jak refuses to throw hands with the Malto kids(human and Terrans). He's already angry that they're being brought into this mess. Rage is aimed at the adult Cybertronians mainly Megatron.

Demolition Duo disguise themselves as bots whenever involved in GHOST activity. Team Autobots are stunned to see a live Predacon specifically a youngling. Or how hostile Ramjak is from the nasty injuries left on Optimus' frame.

Rung decides to be the 'mysterious guide' for the Terrans. Leaving clues about GHOST's true intentions and guidance should they feel lost. The kids share these findings with Bee.

Surprise team up between Jawbreaker, Citrus Bolt and Ramjak. The Maltobot realizes who the Predacon is but promises to keep his identity secret. Jawbreaker gets an older brother figure in Jak.

Mandroid is suspicious about the Demolition Duo while Croft only sees the two as another regular threat to eliminate. When Dark Jak is unleashed on GHOST headquarters does the latter change her tune. Caught Decepticons are now loose while more incriminating evidence is found by the Autobots.

Hidden identities are revealed and the final battle goes WAY DIFFERENT. Light Jak overwrites Death Ray into Healing Ray via channeling before it can fire. Daxter helps Twitch and Thrash kick Mandroid's ass. Rung chastises Quintus.

Mandroid is put under watch, his body fully restored. Old colleagues have a long needed chat. Jak apologizes to Alex for betraying their friendship. The fatherly Malto has him make up for it by looking over the kids. Jak doesn't mind although Dax might be a bad influence. Rung happily provides therapy.

Prime/Rescue Bots

The family of three lives near an undiscovered Energon mine containing various Energon types. A place where they practice channeling these particular crystals. Their peace is broken when scouting Vehicons find their home.

Jak trashes them and hijacks one to sneak onto the Nemesis. An action that leads to Cliffjumper's life being saved while the onboard Decepticons learn why its important to do body scans. The injured bot is taken to Rung for repairs and the three learn the war is going on here.

Soon Team Prime arrives for Cliffjumper only to be shocked by the bot nonchalantly telling stories to the Demolition Duo whilst drinking some Energon. The family is put under protection and the mine becomes a hidden Autobot provision.

Neither side are aware about Rung nor his sons' capabilities. Something that soon becomes known when Megatron returns...and Dark Energon comes into play. The war flips completely.

Shenanigans

Guardian Cliffjumper for Demolition Duo. Ratchet struggles to keep his sanity as the three and Miko become absolute menaces together. Arcee mostly upholds the peace (alongside wrench tossing protection) partly because the family did save her partner.

Rung is unnerved by the Matrix of Leadership Optimus has. It feels like someone had not only tamper with the relic but angered it too. Everyone but Jak and Daxter are unaware of Optimus' broken spark(Orion) slowly repairing.

Bots try to understand where the hell did these small yet powerful organics came from. Jak continues to be a menace while Daxter sabotages things. Shit blows up either way and the humans are the only ones nonchalant about it.

Channeling Dark Energon = Meeting Unicron. Or eldritch deity gets harassed by two youngish adults. Rung further assists them in being a menace much to Unicron's horror.

Shockwave and the Predacons appear way early once Ramjak alongside Citrus Bolt take stage. No one knows how the Demolition Duo can turn into Cybertronians. Predaking and his kin seek to make Jak part of their pack.

Odd family meets Team Rescue Bots. Rung pretends to be a therapy bot for Griffin Rock. Jak and Daxter learn the ropes of rescue. Griffin Rock feels like Sandover Village but in a more genuine way. It eases the homesickness in the Demolition Duo's hearts. Rung considers on getting a second home here.

Rescue Bots become impromptu rescue teachers. Jak has a rough time adjusting to a non-combat situation but everyone pitches in to help. Boulder proves to be a great mediator.

Cody gets two older brother figures who are happy to listen. Jak gets to exercise his inner child even when his dark side wants to join. Cody doesn't mind and happily pats Dark Jak on the head.

Bayverse

The family of three live outside Mission City. Rung had sensed the Allspark/Cube so he might've stolen it from Sector Seven then relocate the object far away from the frozen Megatron. Jak works at a car shop and befriends Mikaela. Daxter bought some of Sam's stuff including the glasses as he felt a bit bad for the kid. (Jak picked it up due to obvious reasons.)

Everything is fine until Bumblebee sends out the signal to his fellow Autobots. Barricade attacks Jak only to immediately retreat upon nearly being torn apart by Dark Jak's claws. Rung avoids getting caught around a patrolling Starscream when he checks up on the Cube.

Daxter isn't so lucky as Frenzy attacks him during a nighttime stroll. Bumblebee, alongside Sam and Mikaela, finds the ottsel after he repels the Decepticon. Daxter almost reluctantly gets taken to meet the Autobots but evades the three.

The odd family now know the four million year long civil war exists here too. Pieces are already in play so they run into action. Especially when everyone knows Jak has the glasses.

Shenanigans

Manhunting your previous buyer is awful customer service even if there's a good reason for it. Jak choses to be a gremlin as he doesn't feel like being shoddily kidnapped by bots clearly unfamiliar with Earth. Daxter tops it via his incredible sense of sass.

Impromptu house visit while your dorky robodad psychoanalyze war criminals. Sam gets a Peacemaker aimed at his head and Optimus barely manages to diffuse the situation. A certain Ottsel complains that the asscrack of night isn't a good time for insanity.

Cube doesn't get destroyed and kept hidden: Pro. Battle of Mission City never happens: Pro. Megatron still gets freed, Decepticons are on the loose and NEST isn't formed: Oh boy.

Jak? Ironhide's Weapons Specialist in training. Daxter and Jazz get along like a house set ablaze. Rung becomes the center of attention with story requests about his two sons.

More Autobots = More child leashes. You know it's bad when the young man recovering from his Prime Complex has more common sense. Good thing Light Ramjak can fly the troublemakers back to base by the scruff.

Military is completely confused by sudden appearances of giant robots, blue angel and draconic devils. A certain William Lennox finds out the truth by sheer accident during a Decepticon scuffle. Funnily enough, Daxter is the weirdest thing this guy has seen. Rung comes in second place.

Relationship advice given by an ottsel keeps Mikaela and Sam from breaking up. Everyone didn't expect for Daxter to have any experience in the love department. Man feels super offended.

Countless humiliations leads to Megatron raising the white flag. Sentinel Prime gets blown apart before even firing a single shot as no one tries to kill Ironhide with an accelerated disease gun. War finally ends and there are no more casualties.

And that's it for now! Until next time folks, I'll see back at Spargus. Transform and Roll Out!

[cyberdragoninfinity]

I'm gonna apologise in advance for how dark this is, but looking at your recent Placidodumping from the tag force games... i feel like he's geniunely suicidal, and even if not exactly suicidal then he has no concept of self-worth.

Like, he's way too happy to die. Being willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of the future is dark enough. But the fact that he's saying he will be able to rest? That he's expecting you to be happy to die too? Yeah, that's the darkest part.

Placido's literally come from hell, but he's not even trying to save himself. He's not just acceptant of his fate, he's welcoming it, and it makes me wonder just how much he's been through. His despair, is it entirely from the memories he's been created from? Or is it from something else? *coughcoughashittyoldmancoughcough* Thinking of the Jakob part in tag force, how he straight up killed Placido and Lester, how he spoke about them, I feel like it wouldn't be too far fetched to assume he's said these things to Placido's face (and let's not forget how Zone spoke to Placido-and only Placido- in duel links)

Perhaps Placido's real despair wasn't the inherited trauma from Aporia.

Maybe it was the way he was treated by the only people around him. One of his duel links lines is "it's so sad when you have no one to love" and yet the other Iliaster members are right there, as family. And yet, he didn't get love from them.

Maybe he could have been saved if someone did love him. Maybe then he would have had something to live for.

(Apologies for the mini essay in here it was supposed to be a few sentences and then suddenly I've written an essay)

OH YEAH NO FOR SURE we are definitely WELL past the point of Primoplacido Yugioh 5D's having a true sense of self-worth in any emotional or psychologically 'human' way, but I think when analyzing that (and his behavior that could definitely be labeled some form of suicidal) it's important to approach it less from a "oh what [abuse/traumatic event/negative feedback] has he personally been through to cause this" and more from a "what are the circumstances of Primo's creation and how does that effect him." The former is still an important element of course, but it's a bit of a disservice to his character to attempt to 100% separate him from Aporia when dissecting what's going on with him; one really can't exist without the other! (i.e. Primo was only brought into being via Aporia's memories and suffering, and Aporia as we see him in-show only can be brought into being when the emperors fuse....the cyclical infinite nature of these characters runs very very deep hehehe)

imo it's not an either/or situation with Primo's despair--I think his completely fucked sense of self worth stems from the trauma he's inherited by being a piece of Aporia AND the bullshit he deals with from his peers currently AND, also, the inescapable fact that Primo was Created To Act Under a Specific Set of Parameters. more after the cut, lots of analyzing this miserable Swordbot9000, apologies for the Epic of Gilgacidomesh

Primo is not human. IM NOT SAYING THAT TO BE MEAN TO HIM OR ANYTHING he's just Literally Not a Flesh and Blood Human Being; he's a machine created from a dead man's memories and emotions by Just Some Guy who thinks he's god, and due to this Primo has deemed himself Above humankind--better than them, more capable than them. Sometime I need to go off more on my Emperors analysis discussing the fact that theyre basically Mechanical Angels, BUT FOR NOW I think a very core trait of Primo's is the fact he doesn't see himself as human, and he takes great pride in that. He's less come from hell himself, I'd say, and more or less come forth from Someone Else's Hell and Now He Has to Live With That. And also he is completely, almost desperately devoted to his God. If anything, he sees himself as a tool blessed by god Himself, with a great power he will use to enact justice upon this wretched timeline.

He sees saving the future as a very important task he needs to complete (and he DESPERATELY wants to be the one to complete it himself, more on that in a moment,) and I think that in part is why he's so excited about "finally being able to rest" and welcoming his fate--it means that he has completed what he was made to accomplish, the way a computer would complete a process, and why would he ever want to "save" himself from savoring that experience? (reminds me of how in TF6 lester is like "why would I want to run away?" re: trying to escape the Ark Cradle crashing into the city--it's not just a Primo thing, this sort of lack of self preservation!) (Also considering primo's track record of failed plans, no wonder he would be Especially obsessed with completing the Circuit and getting the cream of the crop "glorious honor" of dying in Z-one's name in God's Very Citadel and preventing the catastrophic future. That IS his will to live; he doesn't know how to have another one 😬) Dying in the process of the Ark Cradle crashing onto New Domino isn't seen as a 'sacrifice' for these guys I don't think; it's seen as an inevitable conclusion to what they were brought into existence for.

(Also, while we never really get complete confirmation on this, I do think Z-one also Definitely programmed the Emperors to worship him, to act with such dedication to the cause, to work ceaselessly towards their goals despite years (centuries?) of failures, and not stop, not give up. And I think that, alongside the fact they're effectively gijinkas of the most traumatic moments of Aporia's life, robots built from misery, quite literally Embodiments of Despair, that's not just flavor text. It's what powers them. And it explains a Lot of why they act the way they do, especially with regards to something like Primo's 'suicidal' behavior. In fact, I don't even think they would see this way of thinking as "suicidal," even, since that implies being alive in the first place, and the emperors…um. don't see themselves as 'alive!!!' :,) kind of fucked up to think about!!!!!)

OK SORRY FOR THAT TANGENT IT'S JUST SOMETHING I THINK A LOT ABOUT WITH THESE GUYS the inherent discussion of humanity when it comes to a robot. anyway, re: the way Primo's peers treat him, yeah i don't think that's helping much !!! Primo seeks approval like he'll die without it, he's an android copy of how much it Sucks To Be 19; like I said above, he desperately wants to be the one to complete the Circuit, to save the future, in the dub he basically states he wants to be God's Favorite, so course that brings him into conflict with Jakob (the implied actual Favorite,) of course Z-one apparently REPEATEDLY not giving a shit about him is doing damage to his psyche.

He gets clowned on and demeaned by effectively all of his coworkers (including and especially these other pieces of himself) (good GOD), no one even seems to LIKE HIM. LIKE. AT ALL, of course he wants to feel important to someone!! he probably (definitely) thinks if he can complete the Circuit he'll win favor with God, get the respect and attention he craves. I've talked before about how I feel like Z-one condemned his dead friends to the same loneliness he's become cursed with, and you REALLY see that with the Emperors and Primo especially. Aporia got split into threes and all three of 'em somehow ended up even lonelier than they would have been as one body--Primo is SUCH A MISERABLY LONELY GUY. HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO INTERACT WITH PEOPLE LIKE A NORMAL PERSON BECAUSE HE WASNT PROGRAMMED TO BE A NORMAL PERSON.

sure yeah his chronically unpleasant to be around attitude doesn't help, but in the Tag Force games you see these repeated little moments where you can tell he enjoys your company, he's Excited to spend time with you. I get the impression half of him thinking you should be happy to die too is just that he's so excited to share what he considers the ultimate culmination of what he was created to do with you (if TF5 is considered 'canon' in TF6 he might even be under the idea youre also an android--but that's a kettle of fish for a different time, primo's TF5 route is also insane). This isn't suicide to him! This is saving potentially billions of people! This is something really important to him, and he wants to share it with you!! Our hard work will pay off and we can rest!! This is the highest holy honor you can have!!!!! Aren't you excited???

I just wouldn't say his continued agonies are Solely hinged on what's happening to him currently, nor are they what are driving him to this supposed lack of something to live for (again, since ridding the world of Momentum IS his something to live and persevere for, since that's what he was made to do.) I'd argue they're definitely external factors exasperating an internal problem built into his very code, though, and it just makes Primo's situation all the more harrowing to think about. He has got so much shit going on with him and none of it is good. "I feed off my own despair" OK COOL BUT THAT'S NOT A GOOD THING, DUDE. BEING A MACHINE POWERED BY YOUR OWN MISERY AND ANGER IS NOT SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF. He was literally Built to Harbor Someone Else's Agony. If you keep dropping straws on a camel who was born with a back already covered in 'em, of course it's only gonna get worse, regardless of how much the camel thinks suffering makes him stronger and above humanity!!!

I do agree, though, that things maybe would have gone so much differently if someone outwardly, properly expressed love and affection to this poor guy. If someone told him he mattered in a way beyond his programming and divine mission. That taunt in Duel Links, the way he actually says it, it comes off as almost this snarling scornful jeer, but he looks so sopping wet sad saying it.

He is the embodiment of "losing those who you love" and you have to wonder how that manifests with him, despite the fact that, like... he doesn't Know Eurea. he didnt even know she existed until Z-one put him back together and told him the truth of what he is. I wonder if Primo feels the itch to inflict that same pain of losing your closest love on other people (a trait Aporia also Very Much Has.) Or if he's written himself off as unlovable entirely (😢)... or if 'disgusting humans' are just beneath his sky high standards. And, yeah, you really do have to wonder why he doesn't class the rest of Iliaster as someone to love, why he gets along so poorly with the other Emperors in the first place. Did Z-one also program them to not fucking get along with each other??? Was this also some 6D chess bullshit to actually hinder their progress even more??? Is this indicative of just how bad Aporia's mental state was/is????? CAN WE KNOW!!!

this is all just theorizing and guesswork at the end of the day, but it's a lot to think about, and i love ruminating on it. I personally think Primo's fixation on having no one to love stems from a combination of things, and the fact some of it is coming from these vague feelings of agony baked into him from when Aporia lost Eurea is, like, GOD. MAN. I also think at least a little of it may be just that Primo thinks he doesnt 'deserve' anyone to love properly, and also that the Emperors are so divorced from humanity in their eyes that to "love" one another, or to see each other as 'family', is absurd and a waste of time (though if they actually fully believe that, who knows--it definitely seems like Primo cares quite a bit about Lester. wahhh ;;; ) Like. They're literally this post. In the Tag Force games Primo always acts kind of jumpy and almost shy when youre nice to him??!? HE DOESNT KNOW THAT ONE. AND IT'S SO SAD.

WOW. OK. THIS GOT AWAY FROM ME A BIT. APOLOGIES!! tl;dr: yeah Primo's sense of self-worth is complete dogshit, the ghost of Aporia's suffering over a woman Primo has never met or known haunts his circuitboards in a way that can't be ignored, and that plus the fact he gets treated with disdain by his closest cohorts (which may be due to their God's 'divine' decisions) are definitely exasperating his issues and behavior. BUT, that being said, that's actually probably the least of why he's shown to be so excited to die, and the actual reasons that seem to be at play are a lot more horrifying! :D Primo largely sees himself as a means to end rather than as a person (he is a beautiful machine, a half motorcycle agent of justice and punishment, and far mightier and above miserable humans like Yusei Fudo,) and THAT'S largely because he was programmed by his creator to see himself that way. He is a computer built to complete a task and shut itself down. He was made to serve his God at the request of His long dead best friend for the good of a future he isn't meant to actually see.

i dont really have a conclusion, but I think a lot about this post with regards to the Three Pure Nobles.

Maybe Primo could have grown beyond his programming, if he'd been exposed more properly to love and kindness. and i hope you want more for him too. im going to bed and going to think about this until i fall asleep. ok bye

[prettyboykatsuki]

fang do you ever get overwhelmed by the future? what are some ways you deal with anxieties surrounding like job prospects or school-wise? i think you're very rational and would love to hear your perspective on any tools you use!

ahh idk if im the right person to ask this since a lot of my beliefs come from my circumstances. pre-emptively i have a family that will always house me and feed me. thats the culture.

but ill tell you my philosophy. i do get anxiety about the future sometimes and about how im not moving fast enough or something else along those lines!! pretty often actually.

either way im young. ill bet you are too. all the happiest people i know are twice my age. my life is just starting for me. i have no intention of feeling like im running out of time when im not

because i went thru a lot i know life isn’t about endurance. its about sustainability. its easy to get wrapped up in the idea of creating a perfect future and being valuable. but suffering catches up with you. right now - i could go and push myself to the very limits to accomplish something. but it wouldn’t matter because its not a life i could sustain.

i know my own limits hella well so i say work with yourself for a life you can tolerate. a life you can live for a long time. im applying for jobs but i haven’t received any offers so im finding other ways of making money (babysitting, tutoring etc). i help my parents with as much as i can. my sleep schedule is fucked so im spending my summer trying to fix it. im building my credit score (its good rn!!) im teaching myself math and java again so i can transfer in a year. these are not things i pour myself into. its just shit i do to work at it slowly

im never gonna be a person who can go at a hundred miles an hour. never. ive tried and ive failed. i got my steady twenty five. but its better to go steadily and slowly and always keep going then to go 100 and stop dead in your tracks. its better to persistently do the bare minimum than regress after running so far. its better to take one class and apply to one job and read one lesson everyday than to push it so far you stop or not try at all.

for me the only thing ive ever learned is the universe pays its dues so im not worried about the future. it doesn’t matter what it looks like to anyone but me. did you do just one thing that will make tomorrow better? then thats enough. you did great.

do what you’re capable of not what you think you should be capable of. as long as you are doing that much i really think things will work out. and if they dont and if you fuck up - learn and try it a different way. just keep doing it. little by little

[female-malice]

what would you say to someone who has a fear of eternal hellfire (or their loved ones ending up in said hellfire) and has christians constantly reminding them of this?

Consciousness is the symphony of firing synapses in your brain, spine, and nerves harmonizing with a chorus of microbial life.

When your heart stops pumping and your organs stop functioning, your brain and nervous system will put on a fireworks show. They will fire the rest of your stored up electrical impulses all at once. Better to use them than lose them, right? And in those seconds, your consciousness will go on one final brilliant fantastic journey. And then it will go quiet. And all that will be left is the quiet hum of the microbial chorus. The microbes will consume the rest of the materials that once made up a consciousness. One consciousness will be divided into trillions. These microbes do not have a complex coordinated brain the way humans do. They are simple creatures who can only react to environmental stimulus. There is no memory. No grief. No nostalgia. There is only movement, light, dark, stimulus, response, a hum of activity.

The fate of the microbes often depends on the final wishes of the human consciousness. Some get incinerated into basic ash and carbon. There are no more electrical impulses. In the ash, the hum goes completely silent for a long long time. Sometimes human consciousness longs for ash and silence.

Some microbes get temporarily frozen by chemicals to preserve the shape and look of the formerly conscious body. Sometimes human consciousness is nervous about its materials being disassembled.

Some microbes get thrown back into the primordial soup. Microbes don't experience nostalgia. But maybe in some way, the ocean feels like an ancient home. Sometimes human consciousness longs for that ancient home.

Some microbes are buried in lively fertile soil and quickly transfer the formerly conscious materials into fungi and tree roots. Sometimes human consciousness longs to transcend into a multidimensional plural form of life.

So where does hellfire come into it?

Hell comes from the Old Norse word Hel which refers to a mythical pagan world of the dead. It is one of the three roots of the world tree Yggdrassil.

But the afterlife of satan and torture and hellfire was invented in the middle ages. Satan was a tool that thrived during the inquisition. The devil was a mythical boogeyman created to scare Christian clergy away from unapproved Christian theology. The devil was used in wider society to scare people away from pagan practices and the teachings of wise women. The satan myth spread chaos and fear and violent misogyny throughout Europe. The fire of hellfire comes from the torture and burning of heretics and women.

Somewhere along the way, the romanticized grief of Christ's crucifixion was transformed into a cultish fascination with torture.

The modern Catholic church has renounced the satanic hellfire devil mythology that they spread in the middle ages. But many other sects of the torture cult still embrace hellfire. They spread that myth for the same reasons it was spread in the middle ages. It's about vilifying heretics and women and animals and anything associated with them. But as far as I can tell, they're no longer burning people alive.

So you have nothing to fear. The only way you'll ever experience hellfire is if you get sent back in time to Europe 500 years ago.

[alexandriteobscuraarchive]

Starter sentences from The Ever Pleasant Mr Bates; the prequel series to the podcast Dark Tides. Change pronouns and etc as necessary. Notable TWs: death, violence, gore, abuse, disassociation, anxiety, etc

"I need you to come back to _____ before it's too late."

"These look like they'll kill us faster than anything or anyone we decide to attack with them."

"If you're going to try and eat somewhere new every night you've got about three nights in this town."

"Always trust a local."

"The tides are rising, ______."

"Why can't you just leave so I can get my happy ending?"

"If you were really trying to make it better just---just make it stop hurting! Make it stop....!"

"There are dangerous things in this world but there are greater dangers on the way, _____."

"You want a happy ending? I want you to have a happy ending too, _____."

"I am sorry that it hurts _____, but it's going to hurt a lot more if we can't do something about this."

"I promised good people that I would do good things and I will do them."

"I do not know what I am---but I am not like you, no."

"I have lived in your world, I have lost for your world, and if that doesn't make me one of you I don't know what will."

"I'd like to think that I'm a good person."

"I only accept those who come to me, it doesn't work otherwise."

"I hated you for a long time but you were the only person that I could actually look up to that had any worth and now you're running?!?"

"I told you that I didn't need you to protect me and I was lying! Of course I was lying!!! I was relying on you!!!"

"You can hate home but it's still home."

"Stay in the shadows, little ones."

"I have heard the voice of rage and ruin and s/he is coming and when s/he does the slate will be wiped clear."

"You're running?! You're going to abandon us/me/_____ now?!?"

"If you leave then the town/______ is dead!"

"The town/_____ isn't dead until you go."

"I'm a good friend but I'm a better leader."

"Sometimes it's better to stay with what is unfamiliar than to feel detached from your normal life."

"Do not hurt a soul inside, do not even lay a single finger on them."

"I've never been called by a name before."

"Nothing is true in a cage, everything is a mirage."

"Don't come to me with stupid questions."

"You should go. You should all run while you still can."

"Do you even know what you are?"

"I take what blame is mine but I take no more."

"I understand the rage---not white hot that boils over, but the icy hatred that eats away at you. The desire for vengeance, any sort of vengeance."

"They saved me form that type of hatred, it is the only reason why I am here."

"We carry the dead with us but we never let them guide us. We carry them selfishly."

"I did not bring them here as tools of bargaining or manipulation---I have no need for such things."

"What I offer is good, it does not need to be twisted to be made desirable."

"We must look after one another---we must be one."

"What I offer is not for the strong, it is for those who've been strong for far too long, for those who're beginning to buckle under its weight."

"Enough of being broken, enough of being shattered, let me rebuild you."

"You're a thief of the heart---you steal way people's self respect, their courage, their hopes, you lower them down to your level so that you can manipulate them! You weed your way into their minds and make them think that all is lost!"

"You can't fix us! You can't even fix yourself!"

"You might think you have this town/_____ by the throat but there will always be people to stand against you!"

"You'll never have _____, not while it/s/he's still alive!"

"GET AWAY FROM MY _______---!"

"If ______ can't take me what do you think you're going to be able to do with that?"

"If it works out some aggression, go ahead: shoot me/______."

"I don't care about him/her, I care about you."

"We carry the guilt, the regret, and the anger because it destroys us. We carry what destroys us because we think it's what we deserve."

"Try taking the good with you too---take the memories and let them guide you."

"You have put yourselves/yourself on the side of the enemy---on the side of the monster."

"I want light so that means this place is going to be set on fire."

"I will defeat him on my knees!"

"That's a funny way to honor them if you ask me."

"Let me put the kettle on and we can talk about it, okay?"

"Okay, backtracking to before you kicked the child/_____ ---"

"S/he is mothering because s/he is scared."

"I want to find out what's going on just as much as you do."

"I'll take a bagel if you just take the knife!!!"

"Too many kids/______ disappeared down the old _____."

"You get what you deserve you dog."

"You want me to dumb down what few words I have left for you?"

"We heard noises in the house/_____ and decided to investigate."

"Is this about you? Are you having a breakdown!?"

"You should do it in a really serious and threatening tone."

"I'm not killing anyone ---I'm saving them."

"We're wasting time. The darker it gets the more in danger we'll be."

"It kinda tastes like blood but I think that's me."

"Out for a stroll, eh? Those are some nice bolt cutters/______!"

"I know everything about the man, I've been through his bins!!!"

"S/he was screaming in the middle of the street about something in the dark trying to get him/her."

"All lines must be cut for history to take its course."

"Avoid all eye contact. Do not react."

"if it/this/______ dies so does everything we ever were."

"It's not dying---it's rotting."

"Oh yeah, I'm just like a dog that you can tie up and leave somewhere!"

"I know that you're upset, I know that you're angry, I am too, but we need to think about this!!"

"Keel over and die, old man!"

"______ wasn't crazy---or at least s/he wasn't crazy enough for the reality that's actually happening."

"I said I heard it, I didn't say that I wanted to go towards it!"

"Get in the light! Stay out of the dark!! GET IN THE LIGHT!!"

"Butter him up, golden boy."

"You don't do something like this unless there's a connection, even if it is a small one."

"All I ask is that you give it a day."

"If you haven't figured it out yet _____ is a horrible person!"

"I locked that door."

"I've tried to shoot him/her many, many times but they're just too fast!"

"I'm a designated dumpster diver now!"

"You look like shit."

"It's kinda good that it doesn't smell like piss."

"You know what my favorite part is? Not seeing _____."

"It's okay, I can give you hugs."

"Their eyes---there's something wrong with their eyes."

"______ is blackmailing all of us because s/he is a paranoid mess."

"Sometimes that keeps me up at night, thinking about how many people we could've saved if we'd caught up sooner."

"My superpower is called 'burnout'."

"Little by little we will make this place ---we'll make this world---a better place. A safer place."

"I'm not going to fight you because your ______ would kill me."

"The road to freedom cannot be seen with downcast eyes."

"I hope I get the chance to make things right. I hope I get the chance to apologize to all of you."

"I think I'm glad it's here."

"It's not perfect but it's real, ______, and one imperfect, good thing is worth more than all of the fake good things in the world."

"You're not just ______, you're our ______."

"Come to ______ or more people will die."

"We're one step closer---we're one step closer to finding ______."

"You make me very proud, ______. Very proud."

"S/he never laid a hand on me and I don't know why. Maybe that was his/her form of compassion."

"Smile, ________. Please...."

"You gave him/her that power but that doesn't mean s/he gets to keep it!!!"

"I think we took a wrong turn somewhere."

"We're actually looking for...a ghost town. Been dead for a couple of centuries now."

"You're clearly a little young for this! Hold the speeches until you've won."

"I'll be dead by morning."

"You perspective is meaningless, go back to your corner boy/______."

"You're just trying to make me move back aren't you?"

"Why didn't you go after ____? Why didn't you hunt him/her down like a dog!?"

"Is it wrong to believe in more than what you see?"

"No man is going to use my ______ as his puppet(s) and if that means I need to cut their strings to stop them dancing then I will."

"Why are you always stopping me from fighting?!?"

"If it's not me then something else will come! Something else will tear everything down and none of you will make it out! None of you will survive!!"

"We run together. Fast. Strong. Together."

"This is not your land! The earth beneath your feet shall receive you no longer!!!"

"Your sassy ghost friend is kinda cute."

"I burned the soul out of him/her and s/he was still grasping for the truth! Still grasping for you/all of you no matter how much I poisoned their very mind---!"

"That blood is on your hands."

"If there's just one of us left standing we all stand."

"You and me, we're gonna do this together. We're going to break these ropes/______ together."

"Are you guys alright? You're really out in the middle of nowhere."

"We found you hiding, we found you lying, choking on the dust and sand."

"This why you attack the nerve---there are no pain sensors in the eye."

"If this doesn't work....you kill me, alright?"

"Will you tell me where ____ is? Will you tell me where ____ and _____ are, or will I take your eyes?"

"I'm probably alive because I ran."

"No one considers the truth of eternity. No one considers how that would effect the human animal."

"Either I'm dead or this is a hallucination."

"I haven't seen you wash your hands since we been here but that doesn't mean you haven't washed them!"

"I think that the _____ I used to know might not be in there anymore."

"I let you in. I let you in and you....didn't let me in back."

"You're not walking you're being dragged!!!"

"Look, I just want to know what I'm supposed to do. I just want to make it better and nothing I try ever makes it better."

"The world may have broken you but I shall rebuild you."

"Do you remember the reputation of my family?"

"The road is calling and I gotta go. Under clouds, beneath the stars, over snow and spring fields, I'll find the way home."

"When I'm dead and gone will it be any better? Will I've even made a difference?"

"YOU'RE A FREAK, _____!!!"

"If you try hard enough you can avoid the hurt somehow."

"Attempted murderers don't deserve water."

"I didn't want to but when it came down to it I couldn't do it on my own."

"Everyone else can die if it means I get to walk on their bodies to keep my feet from getting wet."

"______ has been dead for a long time, it's just been slow."

"I don't think there's anything I hate more than not knowing what to do."

"That desire is probably what's going to kill the most people."

"Just tell me one thing: what happened to _____?"

"Just for a second I thought, that maybe, just maybe, I missed. Turns out I don't miss."

"You understand him/her better than the others."

"You all possess a deep enough connection to be physical and mental anchors to each other."

"With your blessing I'll go."

"In here time doesn't work the same as it does in the real world."

"Do you want some liquids?"

"Let's move him/her somewhere before they catch on fire."

"You look like a homeless man."

"I built him/her up and then tore him/her down, over and over. I consumed him/her from the inside out."

"I really need a hug, some brownies, and a nap."

"Let me put my shotgun down and pick up this piece of wood instead!"

"Someone needs to stay standing."

"S/he is always falling apart but....s/he is always there for us."

"People love to, especially with the dead, take their actions and their choices out of the matter."

"Do you want to die yourself or live as something else?"

"Look, ______, I know that you're taller than me but I won't look up to you."

"That feeling ______, hold on to that feeling. You've gotta hold onto the good things. You've gotta try!"

"Oh I know ________, that guy is a psychopath."

"You don't need to feel guilty, you don't need to feel scared, because what we saw defies anything that we could ever cope with."

"Know this: his/her bag of tricks runs deep. We haven't even come across his/her most powerful ally yet."

"Do you think a man as powerful as ______ can raise the dead?"

"I might not of met ______ but I'd know that smile anywhere."

"Can you imagine the ego? Little humans thinking they have any right, any sway, on the realities outside of their own?"

"A 'good job'? Do you have any idea how much I've sacrificed to get here? The friends I had to leave behind? The brothers I had to cut down? The trusts I had to betray? The homes I had to burn? The amount of myself---of my own soul---that I had to cast aside?!"

"You're supposed to be on our side! You're supposed to be helping us not them!"

"Only you can be the master of your own mercy. This is the moment who you decide who you will be and the actions you will take."

"Maybe it's time for something new---to become something new."

"Sometimes we don't get what we want because we'll lose ourselves to do it."

"You think I'm going to just let you go?"

"I gave you everything you asked for, I stayed true to every side of my bargain."

"You sold your soul to me---it is beyond your grasp to reclaim."

"You shall live a half life---a cursed life."

"You are marked by my symbol and all those who hate me will hate you, all those who hunt me will hunt you, all those who despise evil will spit in your face."

"The stink of the traitor will dog your step forevermore."

"The day you die will be met with rejoicing and you will never be buried. Your body will rot where it falls and none will pay it any mind, they will simply step over you."

"You belong to me and I reject you."

"I curse you. Now leave my sight, leave my house, and leave my lands."

"It's a fine night for a bloodbath."

"There is no future, there is only the past."

"I don't even know if I'm as much of a monster as _____ claims I am, or if there's even any good in me."

"I'm not going to make you promises that I can't keep like so many people before me have made to you."

"You claim to help and yet you bring a hunter's blade into my presence."

"Who do you think taught the humans how to dream?"

"I'm not special. I'm not a leader. I'm not anything."

"From my experience extraordinary things aren't done by extraordinary people, they're done by the ordinary."

"Enough of this, ______. Enough of all of this."

"You have become everything they tried to make you, a fine way of honoring our legacy by becoming everything we tried to fight against. Our history is a long history of mistakes and wars and failures...and beauty. But it is just history---it is past---and you had a chance to be better."

"Every day of your life, every choice you make, they will try to destroy you with it. They will try to control you when they fight for you."

"Take a look at my life---I'm a lot like you."

"I don't blame any of you for leaving, nor do I wish to make myself a martyr for staying."

"How do you leave your soul in the earth that you took it from?"

"The ghosts of all we were---and all we still are---still remain."

"I hope you can learn to be the man you deserve to be and not the man you fear to be."

"I pray you see how worthy you are of respect."

"Don't be afraid to be alone, it's only upon being alone and waiting that we meet people who deserve us."

"Every tunnel consists of darkness but we travel on in hopes of what's beyond, not what we must go through."

"Don't turn back, don't look behind. Drive away and try to keep smiling."

"Go towards all the life there is with all the courage you can find and all the belief you can muster."

"Be true. Be brave. Stand. All the rest is darkness."