#sentimental value trying to make her feel included etc

[freitag1607]

so, what's the first movie that percy and annabeth watch together

[princessjojo-x]

TaurusVenus ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

💝 since taurus is represented by a bull, he doesn’t like being perceived as the delicate type (even though he very much is). usually others perceive him as reserved, private & mysterious bc he doesn’t expend much energy towards strangers, he’s cautious of new people & he won’t talk just for the sake of it. however, the laidback temperament he projects is what attracts others to him! his comforting & predictable presence makes others feel at ease & safe. not to mention, others are aware his energy & time is valuable which makes him even more enticing.

💝 however, others may find it difficult to distinguish whether he likes them bc he doesn’t act on his romantic desires immediately. he could be stuck on someone forever, but no one, including her, would even know.

💝 since he doesn’t want others to know much abt him he can be a little secretive (especially regarding sensitive topics) but he will open up in comfortable & stable atmospheres. if he’s ever willing to show you his vulnerability & you turn out to betray him, it will hold a lot of weight & he will struggle to recover, since he’s so selective & careful abt who sees that side of him!

💝 out of all the venus signs, he’s the least likely to experience love at first sight bc he takes awhile to warm up to new people. he takes his sweet time when forming bonds & he prefers to build rxships steadily. he’s definitely a slow burner & he wont change his pace for anybody. he’s slow-moving & hesitant in the process of love due to the intensity of his love & level of devotion he has to offer. it’s so hard for him to let go of those whom he lets in so he needs to be completely certain & guaranteed before letting his guard down. he’s extraordinarily loyal once he’s locked in & he doesnt feel the need to say it or advertise it bc the proof is in the pudding!

💝 amongst all the venus signs he has the easiest love life bc he’s very wise in regards to rxships (even if he’s never been in one before). he doesn’t mind waiting for a good & dependable partner to enter his life bc he’s very patient. he wont date a woman unless she ticks his boxes & treats him properly. he may like or lust for multiple women throughout his life but he’s likely to only fall in love once.

💝 in spite of this, he can feel love sick & purposeless if he doesn’t have a ‘person’.

💝 he may seem calm but he has a lot of passions & feelings boiling beneath the surface. once he’s eventually grew fond of you, you’ll see a completely different side to him. he’s sensual, sentimental, devoted, reliable, non judgmental & romantic to those closest to him. he’s undoubtedly an honourable lover & friend bc his affections are stable, secure & permanent. he always makes his partner feel seen & appreciated bc of the compassion & care he surrounds her with. he’ll try his best to ensure she is taken care of emotionally & physically. for example, carrying her over a puddle or holding her umbrella. he’ll even refrain from arguing with her bc he wont want to spoil the atmosphere. he wants to see her indulge in sensual pleasures & will happily chip in there too (good food, nice clothes, etc). he is willing to spend a lot of money on himself & on his partner. ensure to show your gratitude & he’ll be loyal to the end.

💝 during matters of love, his partner will need to give in to him at times bc he won’t readily give in to her. after all, he is a bull, meaning he’s stubborn asf, to the point of being unmovable.

💝 he has strong morals & traditional expectations. however, some may view these traits as boring, slow & outdated. he’ll set strict values & rules for himself; for example, not allowing himself to make prolonged eye contact with other women or not contacting other women without informing his partner.

💝 his self esteem is generally steady, he has a realistic opinion of his worth & he doesn’t depend on others to define him. however, in the beginning of his life he likely had difficulty with feeling secure & would’ve often compared himself to mental aesthetics or others looks. but once he has a solid grasp on what makes him valuable, nothing can shake his confidence.

💝 since he has a steady self esteem, he’s not easily threatened by outside forces. he is secure enough to let his partner take the spotlight. however, he is territorial & protective over his possessions bc he takes good care of them & has a fear of losing them. he can act this way with his food, his space & even his loved ones. he may limit his partners freedom by being possessive & controlling in covert ways. "i wanna leave a bite mark so everyone knows you are mine" vybz. at best, he is protective & territorial over her. at worst, he is obsessive & addicted to her.

💝 also, taurus is just as stalkerish as his sister sign scorpio. taurus placements know exactly how it feels to be abandoned & neglected so they never ever want their loved ones to feel that way. he will value his partner highly, treating her as a possession & a prized object (trophy wifey). he views his partner as an extension of himself & wants his partner to come under his wing where it’s safe.

💝 since he loves so deeply & has such a fear of change, it takes him awhile to give up on rxships, especially bc he feels his best when in a secure rxship. due to his need of security, comfort, familiarity & predictability, he may stay in expired rxships & be reluctant to start over. he settles for people he has deep attachment with, even if he knows there are better options elsewhere. he views his dedication, investment & resilience as a testimony to his character. it’s very difficult for him to let go of anything (including people) that he perceives as meaningful & valuable bc that correlates to his life’s foundation & his purpose of living. attachment generates an adrenaline within him & he refuses to let go even when has already left or has worn down. he is similar to his sister sign scorpio in this sense; but scorpio holds on tight to control & possess, whereas taurus holds on tight to hoard & collect.

💝 taurus placements don’t forgive or forget anything. at best, he will punish his partner by withdrawing from her temporarily or permanently. at worst, he’ll be relentlessly stubborn in his pursuit of revenge. his patient & methodical approach ensures a carefully planned retaliation. but it does takes a lot for him to reach this point due to his tolerant & patient nature.

💝 unfortunately, ALL venus signs have the potential to cheat but it’s definitely unlikely for taurus venus. he wouldn’t want to risk losing the routine & stability of a rxship just for a random affair. however, if he perceives a lack of commitment, physical touch, deeper intimacy or emotional unavailability from his partner, this will make him feel insecure, trigger his fears of abandonment & ultimately be the main culprit to why he’d ever cheat. not to mention, if he has other placements in air or fire elements, it will add a great deal of restlessness, despite the intent of earthy taurus to stay loyal. also, since he’s a venusian he can be shallow, fixating on physical appearance, which may manifest as him having wondering eyes. additionally, taurus placements tend to indulge in their senses & comforts (overeating, overspending) which could manifest as him seeking affection elsewhere (cheating).

💝 he’s extremely appreciative of art in any form & he’s infatuated with beautiful things (women, food, clothing, nature etc). they love to comment on it, experience it & live in it for as long as they can until they find the next aroma to romanticize.

💝 he’s likely a homebody who sleeps & eats a lot since he values routine, stability, comfort & safety. he perceives lounging as a rejuvenating sensory experience (comfy clothes, soft bed, calming candles, tasty snacks). however, this could lead to overindulgence & greediness. he likely eats the same foods & listen to the same songs due to his reluctance to change. he may even have a complicated rxship with food & will feel triggered if you bring it up to him. food may be connected to his trauma in some way & he didn’t get to indulge in food during his childhood; maybe he had a eating disorder or limited finances.

💝 he‘s very sensitive & responsive to physical touch. if you rub or run your hands across his body it feels like electricity to him. he will smile & shiver delight.

Turn On’s:

💝 he prefers to be pursued instead of persuing others. he wants to feel completely adored & desired by his partner everyday. she needs to emphasise her loyalty to him & remind him of his worth. once you’ve achieved that you’ll likely have his heart forever.

💝 he adores being pampered & spoiled by a generous partner. he likes receiving gifts which’ve been brought with a lot of thought or sentiment. (when gifting him keep in mind he’s attracted to high quality items that you can’t just buy anywhere. he dislikes cheap & tacky products with clashing colours).

💝 he places tangible affection & social status above emotional intimacy. he wants his partner to prove to him that she’ll add value to his life. he wants her to attach a very high value to herself, without being boastful or dramatic. he wants her to be successful, sophisticated & reliable. however, his need for material security is far more profound & complex that it seems. he yearns for safety, stability & predictability in rxships bc he lacked this during childhood.

💝 he chooses partners & friends who are self-contained bc that’s what he strives to be! he prefers calm demeanours instead of aggressive & in-your-face personalities. his ideal partner is able to keep her life grounded & stable. she has a solid plan for her life, no matter if it's big or small. she talks to him abt her financial goals & includes him in her plan for the future. she knows the power of planning ahead & taking well calculated actions. she has a soft but stubborn side to her so she can take control when needed. she has everything he would ever need in your purse (especially food). she is consistent, predictable, patient, respectful & well-mannered.

💝 despite being excited by gifts & luxury, he is overjoyed by ensured tranquility & constant sensuality. you can dazzle him by simply promising him a cozy & comfy time. ensure to be sensual, warm, easy-going & down to earth. someone else making him feel more comfortable will be the main culprit to why he’d ever leave you. he loves holding & cuddling one another, just sharing personal space together, cooking meals together, heart-to-heart conversations, having aligned views abt things,

💝 since taurus governs the senses, he is a very sensual being with a constant need of pleasing his senses. consider lighting, music, candles, perfume, aromatherapy, lingerie, etc.

💝 to impress him, look expensive & dress comfortable. dress in earth tones (beige & khaki). wear minimal makeup as he prefers natural beauty.

Turn Off’s:

💝 he’ll be eager to cut you off if you bring too much drama, toxicity, trouble or clutter into his life; for example if he notices you purposely trying to make him jealous or uncomfortable, if you talk abt or stay in contact with an ex, if you live a very chaotic & unstable life, if you’re an unpredictable & overly-aggressive person, if you show him excess displays of emotions (angry, pitiful). he’s a venusian after all so craves he peace around him!

💝 hes threatened by fast-paced & high-energy situations in the context of love. he feels turned off by anyone who brings any form of change or newness into his life. he won’t like you trying to rush, force or pressure him into anything. taurus placements have neophobia (irrational fear for anything unfamiliar). they like things staying the same bc it gives them a sense of peace & stability. he will run away from anyone who challenges this perspective. he wants to stay in his own bubble & will not want anyone to burst it in anyway. it’s extremely important to ease him into new things.

💝 foul, disrespectful, ungrateful & wasteful people are a huge turn off for him. he is a venusian after all.

💝 he can even feel over crowded by too much chatter when it comes to simple conversations. he appreciates patience in social interaction.

💝 he dislikes distant parents who try to play games with him rather than growing up & committing (same for all earth venus). he especially dislikes partners who are immature, fake & frivolous (not having any serious value or purpose).

💝 if you reject his cuddles & kisses bc you’re not in the mood for touch, he will take it personally & he will feel hurt.

[shotofstress]

Dracula is about not only the fears of the author about queerness, but also about the fear of the British Empire to "reverse colonization" and all the sentiments and words reflect that. This fears still exists and the fascists narratives are still used as back then. With the huge rise of far right and hate against The Other (migrants, brown, black ppl, non europeans, the queers, "the uncivilised ", etc) is more than terrible that Re:Dracula make changes to the text bc people don't want to hear slurs and things like science supporting racism, xenophobia, classism, mysoginia, sexism, colonialism, etc. If we apply that logic and censorship to the book in a more care manere to change or erase everything that is discriminatory you would be reading a new book bc they then should censor the awful psychiatric parts bc all the damage and pain that psychiatry did and still do to tons of people like the activists of mad pride and psychiatric survivors, or change the character of Mina totally bc her portrait is rooted in sexist values like the view of the perfect woman that is the emotional support of every men like a virgen Mary figure-like and must be at the level of her husband thus be educated to help him and keep him going to do his duties so this can make feel uncomfortable to the people dealing with religious trauma or the effects of white colonial feminism, and what to say about the class aspects.

If ppl don't want to hear, learn or deal with the feelings that fascist ideas cause, then they should go to live under a rock bc everything you appreciate, learn, enjoy and participate has a history, specially books. You can't escape forever via books or anything, nor back then nor in the present time. The British Empire likes to think that they are "better" now, no longer imperialists, but this is false and if u gonna read/listen to a book that speaks about that fear, then educate yourself. Jonathan and Co. are the good white correct and civilised western people and Dracula is the evil, uncivilised, not really european, not really human, blood thirst warmonger immigrant that don't follow the status quo, the class rules, the hierarchy, the christian ways, that wants to corrupt good british women (the classic "they want to steal and rape our women or even worst also rape our men bc that's how savage they are), want to contaminate good british blood with the evil dirty blood of the emigrant. Dracula has black hair, dark eyes, aquilian nose and big eyebrows that joint in the middle like was and still is the beauty standards in the countries/cultures that the british feared and still fear. I have dark hair and eyes with an aquilian nose. His body is not beautiful bc the portrait works under the idea that criminals are recognisable by how they look, that u can tell, like when europeans and westerns think they can tell who is from their countries and who isn't. Criminal anthropometry is not dead, thats why when ppl like me try to migrate they make biometric records, don't think is for other reasons. Dracula is the eternal fantasy fear that the colonised will take revenge against them and colonise them in return. And censor any part of the book don't help that every present narrative.

You all can have all the head canon you want about Dracula been about a polycule of brown queers fighting against patriarchy or such, i am not against your creations, but you must know about what the book is really talking. For we the mosters, the political and climate migrants, the queers, the colonised ones, the survivors are still been exiled, feared, hunted. I had tried to migrate to UK bc thanks to past and present european colonialism (including british colonialism) my country is in misery, but is more than hard to go there bc I'm the Other that Jhonno and his friends fear and the whole West fears. The far right is rising and censorship is not helping fighting them, the real monsters.

Edit for grammar and clarity

[shiawasekai]

ooh Character Design! Stature, roots and change for Nela?

Thank you so much as always, Dujour!! 💖 These are a lot of fun. Getting a cut down there because it also got long!

roots: Is your OC's look inspired by any specific style of clothing or fashion trend? What are the roots and/or inspiration for their look?

It can be found here! Careful, it got really long.

stature: What's your OC's body type? How tall are they? Do they wear clothing to accentuate their look or do they try to mask it?

In terms of body type, it's a reverse triangle (the shoulders are wider than the hips, it's fairly noticeable in the underwear version of the ref sheet) with a proportionally very short torso. She is otherwise fairly petite, including her height: Nela is barely 154cm (midway between 5' and 5'1'' from what I've gathered for the americans reading this).

Now about the clothes... She has throughout worn flattering clothes that both enhance the good and camouflage the bad through her entire life. This isn't necessarily her choice, however.

When she started to have a modicum of choice on how she dressed as a teenager, it was still her parents (sometimes, very rarely, herself) making her clothes. They had the perfect skillset and it was a much more common occurrence overall in the past.

Her parents obviously made her clothes that would look good on her, even if money was always tight due to the circumstances of the time period and the fabrics weren't the best. Rejecting those clothes would have been the same as spitting them in the face.

And, you see, as much of a feral gremlin as she was in her teens, she loves her parents. They struggled to properly care for their extraordinary children, and they struggled the most with her, but they were always as supportive as they could. They listened when she said she wanted pants instead of dresses or skirts. She doesn't resent them, it wouldn't make sense for her to reject any of it.

Then comes the game, in which she has even more reasons to want to hide herself but she cannot because of her position. And, by the time her mental health has declined beyond the point she has the energy to care anymore, she has people around that are determined to ensure she isn't having an easy time self-destructing.

It's only when she finally starts to bounce back in post-game that she's wearing clothes that look good on her because she wants, not because the situation gives her no real alternative. Which is both a testament of people's love for her, and of how much her life has been shaped by her issues with her physical appearance.

change: Has your OC ever drastically changed their appearance? Significant haircuts, big tattoos, complete wardrobe swap, etc? Why? How do they feel about the change?

If we are talking about changing their appearance willingly and knowingly, two times comes to mind.

First, during her early teens. She not only stopped wearing dresses and skirts for the most part (that at least was for comfort), but cut her long hair short and intentionally disheveled and tattooed her face. Both explicitly to, hopefully, ruin her own looks because she was a troubled teenager who hated her heritage. I won't go there too in depth, partly because i may clean up a certain rant that covers this in detail.

So, essentially, she got very close to a bingo on radical appearance changes. It was liberating in a sense at the time, and thanksfully hair grows so that's not a big problem, but the tattoos are something she would have come to regret if the events of the game hadn't happened. She would have worked through her issues and come to see what she did as what it is: self-harm.

As things stand, those same tattoos are something that links her to her past and have sentimental value. Even if she also realizes it was incredibly stupid! She, however, doesn't ever really come to regret them.

The second time has a much more positive connotation, however. When she finally is comfortable enough with her new self after everything (the time slipping, the mythic metamorphosis) to look at herself at the mirror and take proper care of herself for the first time in, honestly, 7+ Actually Lived years.

She cuts her hair, a cute hairstyle this time. Still short, because she does like it like that! And this time she keeps it short, instead of letting it grow out because she can't gather the energy to do the upkeep until it becomes an actual problem.

She chooses her own clothes by herself, not that many at first. She isn't going to waste money on things she doesn't need (Daeran does that without her help). But it's still a very significant moment for her, especially coming from her background. The first time she gets to choose what to wear both gladly and freely in, let's be real because poverty sucks, her entire life.

[kuhatoarchive]

tifa is, romantically speaking, emotionally unavailable for a significant portion of her life (teens-early twenties). i’ll elaborate on it below, discussing issues of gender roles, objectification, idealization, and intimacy with it. 

    nibelheim is a place that upholds “old traditions”, and this includes gender roles. there’s the belief that a woman’s happiness depends on the man she will spend her life with, and tifa, as the sole girl of her generation, grows extremely anxious over the notion; if divorce is frowned upon and considered a personal failure, then she ought to choose wisely— which turns into not choosing at all, both in her time at nibelheim and midgar (but we’ll get there in a bit). clearly, this puts a dent on her ability to make sentimental decisions of this nature.

    in small villages, kids have a limited pool of contemporaries to choose from, so it’s almost an unspoken agreement that they should all hang out with each other. tifa plays into this, of course. however, as they all start growing, she starts to notice that she’s not only being approached for being their age, but also for what she could possibly represent: a girlfriend, a wife. tifa is notoriously uninterested in any advances, but, in the spirit of not forsaking the only bonds she has (and can have) in town, she learns to fake obliviousness or gently turn down advances. by this point in time, she becomes familiar with the value and subsequent idealization placed on her. i also think that her own father’s overprotectiveness (out of love, yes, but still a little overwhelming) post thea lockhart’s death informs tifa of the ways men can be kind of... possessive, and she sees that too in other nibelheim marriages. why wouldn’t she be intimidated?

    traces of two pasts* mentions: “[Tifa] disliked whenever [adults] brought up how her body looked so grown. There would be someone who sensed her discomfort or resentment, and would try to change the subject, but then it would turn into whom she should be with and things of that nature.” two things to note here, which are frustrations that will further estrange her from romance: 1) her aversion to her body being a point of conversation, which only worsens as her body matures even further and makes it hard to believe her appearance isn’t solely why she’s pursued (hello objectification); 2) just how sick she grows from romantic relationships being such a focus of conversations her way, which, while not ill-intentioned, still make her feel confined. these conversations’ timing coincide with her self-improving via zangan’s training, when her focus is solely on herself and what she’s good at doing/wants to do in the future.

   so, ironically, the incessant talk about partnership only drives her away further from the idea, and she certainly gets scrutinized for it as she grows older: “tifa is at that age, she’s pretty/kind/polite, she can cook/clean/tend to ppl/etc, why doesn’t she have a partner?” i think these sentiments are especially prevalent when she lives in midgar. it’s worth noting that she only gets the tools to deconstruct the gender roles she was raised with while living in the city (though obviously midgar upholds some of them too, but regardless, the diversity of backgrounds helps to broaden her vision), but, by then, pursuing or even looking for a romantic interest is… not even on her list (what with running 7th heaven and helping AVALANCHE). she most certainly gets a bit of fame from rejecting all advances her way, especially at the bar, but she can’t help it; she’s so used to being idealized that she’s almost convinced her pursuer will change their mind once they know her better and realize she’s not just those good traits— her insecurities, her traumas, her depression, her temper (which is notably less meek and more volatile than people tend to acknowledge lmao, especially as a teen).

    evidently, her teens-early twenties are marked by being pursued the same way one seeks a prize, and in response, she becomes averse to it. this all results in tifa… not experiencing any sort of romantic emotional/physical intimacy when reaching adulthood, and it makes the prospect of doing so all the more intimidating. add to that the dizzying journey she’s thrust into during the main game and, well, there’s no time and nor does she have the headspace to establish a relationship; it can only happen post main game. 

* even if the writing is more remake-oriented, there are some entries in "Traces of Two Pasts: Episode Tifa" that i'm going to reference in my main verse (most worldbuilding-related), since there’s enough wiggle room on the more unexplored parts of tifa’s past in nibelheim (and nibelheim altogether). i’m making a post highlighting these specific points soon enough!

[jahayla-parker]

Happily Ever After: Harrison Osterfield x Reader

Description: Blurb/headcannon and small fic for Harrison Osterfield based on the Happily Ever After character series of fics coming, This covers topics such as the proposal, wedding planning, who is in the wedding party, etc. leading up to -and including- the wedding day!

Warnings: family, wedding, proposal, bachelor party briefly mentioned, related topics.

Proposal

“I still can’t believe it. It is just so beautiful” y/n mumbled, clinging to Harrison’s arm as she stared up at the metal structure before them.

Harrison smiled down at her, pressing his lips to the top of her head as he hummed in agreement.

They’d been here before.

Harrison had taken her here to confess his feelings to her years ago, wanting to do it somewhere special as it was a big thing to change their closeknit friendship into something more.

They’d been here between then and now as well.

Harrison often had photo shoots and fashion shows he was cast to walk in that took place in the city.

So, he often invited her to go with him and they’d make a trip out of it.

They both loved the whole town.

But, the Eiffel Tower, in particular, held more sentimental value to them because of it was directly in front of it that they’d changed their relationship.

Hence why he started their trip here tonight.

Each time they came to Paris they’d see the tower; of course.

But, they didn’t usually start it that way given the crowds and other things they’d have planned to do when in the city.

Yet, they’d only checked in to their hotel before heading here tonight.

Y/n lifted her head off of his shoulder to look up at him, smiling widely, “I love this place”.

Haz smiled and laughed, one hand around her waist to keep her close.

He lifted his other hand to tuck a few whisps of hair behind her ear, gazing into her eyes lovingly.

She bit her lip before leaning up to kiss him.

Harrison hummed as they parted, cupping her face with his hand.

“But I love you more” she whispered, looking up at him with a shy smile.

Haz blushed and grinned widely, “I love you so much y/n/n”.

She nodded, “I know!”

Haz laughed as she stepped back and spun around.

He silently took his phone out to take a few pictures and a short video of her little happy dance.

“I’m in my favorite city, with my favorite person, at my favorite spot” she cheered flaring one arm up and into the air next to her as she finished her spinning/dance.

She pursed her lips and lifted an eyebrow at him as she stopped and saw he’d recorded her actions.

But as he simply smiled and slid his phone back into his pocket, she brushed it off with a smile.

“It’s your favorite place in the city, still?” He asked, holding onto her hand upon reaching where she was standing.

She hummed and nodded definitively.

“Why is that, love?” He asked softly as he walked with her, guiding them to where he wanted her.

“Because of you” she giggled, smiling up at him, “this is where you admitted to me how you felt, ya know?”

He blushed and nodded, “that was here, huh?”.

She nodded and looked around before pointing a few feet from her after getting her bearings, “we were right there”.

Harrison chuckled tenderly, “where?”

She huffed and dropped his hand before practically skipping to the spot she was pointing at.

Haz smirked to himself at how she made it even easier for him to set it up and knowing she would pick up on the sentiment behind the precise spot for what he was about to do.

As she hopped onto the spot she was trying to reach, she looked up at the tower, “right here”.

Haz stayed silent as she spun around to face him, watching as her eyes widened upon seeing him kneeling one knee a few feet from her.

“A-are you..-“ she gasped, hand flying up to her mouth in shock.

He smiled delicately at her, hoping to calm her mind some before he began.

“Y/n y/m/n y/l/n,” he started, his voice tender and loving, “I’ve loved you from the moment you came into my life”.

She moved her hand upwards slightly to rub the tears from her eyes.

“First as my best friend and confidant, then as my crush, then my girlfriend, and now I’m hoping as my fiancé and soon wife” he declared, blinking through his watery eyes.

“I want to spend my life with you, if you’ll let me. I promise to you to always communicate with you, keep you happy, support you in all your endeavors, and fight to be the husband you deserve. Will you give me the chance to do that?” He asked, his fingers slightly shaking but he held his wrist steady to make it less noticeable

“Y/n, will you marry me?” He finished, taking a deep breath of air as he waited for her answer.

She dropped her hand from her face and used it to tug his wrist upwards and towards her.

Harrison stood and neared her as requested.

Y/n smiled widely, stroking his face with her other hand, “oui. Yes, Haz, of course I’ll marry you”.

Harrison chuckled softly as he let out his held breath and pulled her in for a kiss.

“Wait, I learned this” he said pausing as he went to slide the ring on her finger.

“Learned what?” She giggled.

He smiled shyly, “veux… Veux-tu m'épouser?”

Y/n bit her lip, “that was really pretty Harrison, but I don’t know that much French”.

He chuckled and nodded, “I know, that’s why I decided against asking it that way”.

“Wait, you learned how to propose to me in French?” She asked mouth petting slightly

He nodded, fiddling with her fingers as they rest in his hand.

Yn smiled and shook her head, “je t'aime beaucoup Harrison”.

He smiled widely as he pulled her in for another kiss.

Reactions

His mother was so excited, having been the one he relied on for feedback on his proposal plan as his father wasn’t around to be able to.

His sister, Charlotte, had been asking him why he hadn’t proposed for months now; so, she was very excited when she learned of the engagement.

Tom was beyond happy as he was friends with both Yn and Harrison and supported them beyond words.

Y/N’s family was very supportive as well, having seen how well Haz treated her over the years.

Their friends were happy for the couple and excited to see what they’d plan for the wedding as they knew it’d be elegant.

Best Man

Tom was of course Harrison’s best man.

Not only was he friends with both the bride and groom, he was also Harrison’s best friend from when they were young.

He was also the one who introduced them years ago

Bachelor Party

Tom wanted to, and kinda did, go crazy with the bachelor party.

He went all out for his best mate and didn’t spare any expense on the party.

That being said, he was very respectful to Harrison, y/n, and their relationship; respecting any restrictions and boundaries the couple had set for their bachelor/bachelorette festivities.

Wedding Planning

Haz helped with the planning as much as he could.

There were things he couldn’t do of course, like choosing a wedding dress.

Or things that weren’t his to choose/didn’t need to have a say in, such as bridesmaid gifts.

But he helped with any area he could.

He loved it and was very good at is, which wasn’t a surprise given he was always great at design and styling/fashion.

He also was a major help in that his friend was a major clothing designer and offered to do custom clothing for the couple.

Wedding Day

They opted for their wedding to be in Paris.

While it meant both their families and friends had to travel, it was worth it to them.

The city meant more to them than they could have ever explained

And, it meant it wasn’t only one persons’ guests having to travel so it seemed more equitable.

They helped with the costs of traveling for their guests who couldn’t afford to fly /otherwise wouldn’t be able to make it, but also planned it far in advance so people had time to plan and save.

They held it at Palais Garnier, where they’d had their first date year ago.

The ceremony was held in archway of the Salon du Soleil.

The couple stood at the entrance to the small room, between the empty room -allowing a beautiful background of the Salon du Soleil- and their guests watching from the adjacent room as it was was large enough to fit them all.

The coloring of the Salon du Soleil worked aesthetically with the custom made tuxes for Haz and his half of the bridal party.

The lighting also worked flawlessly with Yn’s wedding dress and the bridesmaids dresses.

Tom had pulled some strings to help the couple reserve the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, where they’d continued their first date years ago.

They were thrilled to have their special spaces filled with memories they shared with friends and family now.

Toasts were done by Tom, Y/N’s best friend and maid of honor, both of their mothers, and Harrison’s sister.

During the dinner portion of the evening Harrison made it his responsibility to make sure y/n was given time and space to eat; politely asking people to come back up to their ‘sweethearts table’ later after she’d had time to eat dinner instead of bothering the couple endlessly and preventing her from eating.

Their night was full of dancing, laughter, and other sweet private moments together.

Taglist for Haz: @galaxyholland @mcushvft @raajali3

Harrison Osterfield Navigation/Masterlist

Main Navigation/Masterlist (All my works)

[adamwatchesmovies]

Damsel (2024)

As Damsel progresses toward its conclusion, it starts suffering more and more from the “try hards”. Before then, it’s fun to see it come together. With its twists on the fairytale material, you’ve got a movie you’d happily rent, which is appropriate considering it’s available as part of a Netflix subscription.

Lord Bayford (Ray Winstone) receives a proposal from Queen Isabelle of Aurea (Robin Wright) to unite their kingdoms by marrying his eldest daughter, Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown) to her son, Prince Henry (Nick Robinson). This union would greatly benefit her poor northern country and Elodie accepts. As part of the wedding ceremony, the princess is thrown into a chasm - a sacrifice for the dragon who constantly threatens Aurea. Elodie is no helpless victim, however. She's determined to escape and get revenge on those who deceived her.

The best parts of Damsel have Elodie using every trick and tool available to dodge the dragon’s various attacks. She’s tearing off bits of her dress to make torches, bind her wounds and protect her hands. She’s transforming her necklace and broaches into tools. She's using the cave life and environment to her advantage with a fierce determination for vengeance. It may not be flashy to see Millie Bobby Brown get dirtier and dirtier as she continues her medieval spelunking adventure, but what's fun is that you get to play along. As we approach the wedding ceremony, cinematographer Larry Fong and director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo show you every detail of Elodie's outfit. Can you figure out how all of these pieces will play out?

Most of the film is set inside the dragon’s lair, so it’s a good thing that Robin Wright plays the villain so well. You immediately decide not to trust or like her. You can't wait to see what comeuppance she'll get. Unfortunately, the further in we get, the more Damsel becomes interested in exploring the ideas of female solidarity instead of survival or revenge. It’s appropriate considering Elodie isn’t the only woman the dragon has devoured but gets heavy-handed. Eventually, even the (female) dragon is portrayed as a victim of men’s actions and at that point, it’s hard not to say “ok now, hold on”. The entire movie, it’s been nothing but a monster. Taunting Elodie, burning people alive, squishing them under its feet, etc. This thing’s hundreds of years old. We can only assume its kill count is in the hundreds. suddenly, we're supposed to sympathize with it? After the film's spent over an hour and a half showing us how lethal it is?

The "girl power" sentiment gets even worse because once the dragon is shown as a victim, that means the real villain is Elodie's new mother-in-law. So now, Damsel is about women-on-women violence? I guess so. The dragon gets more character development than the Prince and his father (Milo Twormey), who is on-screen time for so little time the movie shouldn't have even bothered to include him.

Damsel is an unbalanced film. It spends much time with its heroine surviving and very little time doing any revenging. The survival stuff is done well and engaging, but ultimately, the movie leaves you wanting more. While it is interesting to see a revenge film that leans more towards female sensibilities and values, a nice, violent, satisfying final confrontation would've counted for a lot. I can feel my rating slipping even as I write this but I’ll give Damsel a recommendation nonetheless. Ultimately, you’re watching it “for free” if you have a Netflix subscription and must admit that I was always entertained while watching. (April 23, 2024)

[zorlok-if]

Meet E.J.

Art by @enspey

Name: "E.J." James

Gender: Nonbinary (They/Them), Cisgender Man (He/Him), Cisgender Woman (She/Her)

Identity: Bisexual, biromantic, monoamorous

Species: Human

Status: Alive

Age: 29

Occupation: Works at a Bookstore/Café and a (reluctant) Monster Hunter

Adjectives: Kind-Hearted, Loyal, Cautious, Gullible, Funny

Personality: EJ is an optimistic, romantic, caring, introverted, and sentimental pacifist who values stability and serenity. Unfortunately, thanks to the people EJ surrounds themself with, stability and serenity make exceptionally rare appearances in their life. They're wise, insightful, self-aware, and dependable. EJ loves making people feel happy. Naturally, they always try to make their day better by attempting to improve someone else's. EJ has a good sense of humor and is regularly the first person to laugh at themself. They're overly polite and are afraid of offending or upsetting people. While they prefer to remain silent in most social situations, but when they have to say something, they're a nervous talker. They tend to ramble and don't normally think before they speak, often voicing whatever is on their mind. EJ is both trustworthy and trusting to the point of being gullible. They don't think down on people who lie (they couldn't be friends with Dev if that were the case), but, personally, EJ hates having to and though they'll lie if they have to, they're a terrible liar. Despite how meek EJ may appear at times, they are a force to be reckoned with—and not just because of their uncontrolled arcane powers. EJ possesses an idomitable will and will fight tooth and nail for the people they care about (and they care about pretty much everyone). They always prefer peace and confrontation makes them deeply uncomfortable, but EJ isn't a pushover. They're fiercely loyal and will do anything to help the ones they love.

Appearance

Original artbreeders by me, edited by the incredible, wonderful, and talented @lapinlunaire-games 💛

Height: 5'8" / 172 cm

Body Type: Chubby with little muscle tone

Hair: Short to medium-length afro, coiled (4A), black, bangs

Eyes: Round, deepset, brown

Skin: Warm dark brown

Other: Wide nose, easy smile, full lips and cheeks, oval face shape, straight brows, and smaller ears. Wears brightly colored glasses (normal pair are golden, round framed glasses) and has their ears pierced. In terms of makeup, they tend to wear a very natural, dewy look where lip gloss and highlighter are the most noticeable things.

Style: Playful academia meets the 1970s. EJ prefers wearing brighter, jewel-tone colors at home and in their free time, but wears more muted colors with bright accents to work (they're a barista at a book cafe). They love fun accessories like suspenders, vests, and bow ties to go with their collection of thrifted blazers. They love collecting things and this applies to clothing as well, their largest (clothing) collections are fun sweaters and patches which they add to an old sherpa-lined jean jacket.

EJ's Pinterest Board

Random

MBTI: INFJ - A

Birthday: February 23rd

Zodiac: Pisces

Hometown: Casper, WA

Connections

Dev: Best friend from childhood, still one of their closest friends

Adam/Eve: Best friends as kids, don't see each other very much anymore

Family: Extremely close with their family including their extended family

Judith: EJ's landlady, they don't get along very well despite how much EJ tries to get along with her

Sabine: EJ's boss, they get along extremely well, ze treats EJ like they're hir own kid

Picrews:

Top: elena-illustration, poika; Bottom: nase_nikyuu, alohasushicore, baydews

For more on EJ, check out these links:

Commissioned Art of EJ and Dev

"Knock Knock Knock" - an EJ short

A Rose Short feat. EJ

Sneak Peek at Living with EJ

EJ and Valentine's Day

EJ Ask - Advice and Lightning

All Cast List of NDs/Disabilities/Etc.

[fockinastro]

astro observations pt. 3

a/n: if u believe i took your comment/observation without credit, please reach out and let me know! i have no problem including you in my post (or taking it down if u ask :))

these observations are a lil wordy so sorry about that

i’ve got a nice theory/question/discussion for anyone open to talking about it :)

i’ve noticed that cancer placements tend to rlly like anime and i honestly think it’s because anime girls typically have this soft girl vibe and they may be rlly into that

gemini & scorpio placements together tend to be very curious and good at solving that curiosity

for example: they could wonder (gemini) why someone does something and be able to use their detective skills (scorpio) to find out what they want to know

moon in 4th overlays tend to create a long-lasting crush or that may create feelings of always having a soft spot for that person

similar to my last post, i think cardinal signs in angular houses are very good at achieving or going after what they want in those major life aspects meanwhile fixed signs in angular houses may be a little more fixated and expect certain life stages to go as planned and may not budge or give up when something doesn’t go as planned

these imo are interesting to see play out when different signs fall into different house types (angular, succedent & cadent)

for example: having cardinal signs in succedent houses can manifest as a person always trying to obtain or taking the initiative to go after themes of the houses

example example: capricorn in 2nd can show someone always working to achieve or taking the initiative to obtain monetary, material or inner needs, etc.

water signs in the 2nd house has a tendency to hoard things because it has ‘sentimental value’

having virgo, libra & scorpio influence in your personal planets is so powerful because historically, virgo & scorpio used to be one sign and represented the duality of humanity: feminine & masculine energy meshed together. libra then was placed between the two when they became separated as a bridge to marry to the two energies--if you look at the glyphs of virgo & scorpio, they are very similar but virgo is supposed to represent the feminine genitalia and scorpio represents the masculine genitalia

credits go to novembr-11th on tumblr because i read a post about this and thought it was super interesting! especially since it’s been circulating (not sure if it’s confirmed?) that virgo/scorpio used to be one sign that split into two

lmao bUT anyways, my point is that having these three energies in your personal planets (especially) makes one that’s very ‘whole’ if that makes sense lmao

personally, 7th & 8th house synastry isn’t always all that

i have these placements with someone and we do not mesh well 😐 but 8th house can also represent enemies so idk

sun in the fifth individuals tend to be very creative and have a powerful & sure way of expressing themselves

you tend to be attracted to those that have your moon sign as their sun sign and i honestly think this goes to the perspective of the moon person having this soft spot for the sun person because they express themselves in the way the moon person wishes they do or they’re inspired by the sun person because they admire the way the sun person express themselves (that the moon person may not be able to)

although it’s important to look at very aspect of astrology to understand it, i think beginners have a tendency to look at the signs rather than houses because it’s easier to understand but i implore those learning to study houses first before planets--idk it just seems easier because you’re learning houses & the signs in one go (kinda anyways lmao)--this isn’t even an observation lmao oop

the rising is honestly way more important than people think--i used to be guilty of this and disregard my rising until i rlly looked into it

mars in fire signs tend to be rlly selfish in bed and can be pretty similar to each other

sag mars rlly like to have their pleasure before their partners

leo mars like to have the attention on them

aries mars tend to do things fast--to get themselves off

scorpio & virgo mercuries tend to have this monotone (not rlly--it’s just dry if that makes sense lmao) way of speaking--like there may be a lack of emotions because they can be logical (virgo) and sarcastic (scorpio) that people may not pick up on that if they’re joking or whatnot

tbh capricorn (degrees especially) & aquarius influence can do this too 

interceptions can show what you lack (obviously)/misunderstand or what you may attract imo

pretty sure i literally said this in one of my previous posts but 🤷‍♀️

i remember an astrologer said that a theory of theirs is that your sun sign’s degree can show something important that has happened/will happen to you when you become that age

for example: an ex friend of mine has a taurus sun in 4 degrees and he was involved in a car accident where his father and brother died when he was 4 years old

an astrologer mentioned that the planet with the highest degree is the planet that is considered something you need to learn to do in your life

example: my best friend has trouble with communication and her mercury has the highest degree of all her other planets--she’s been doing really well though and learning to communicate better :)

i see a lot of astrologers frequently cover 0 & 29 degrees but usually not a lot of critical degrees such as 0,13 & 26 for cardinal signs, 8-9 & 21-22 for fixed signs and 4 & 17 for mutable signs

it’s assumed that it has a potent effect on that planet (or whatever i’m not quite sure because i don’t see it being spoken about in detail) but my assumption is that it maybe a focus in your life or more power is added to that

example: i have 4 degrees sag venus so i’m going to assume that there’s something going on there with my love life but tbh idrk 🤷‍♀️ pls educate me--i’d love to hear more about it and how it manifests

tbh major asteroids are so important to understand imo

i know some astrologers don’t gaf about them but i think they can be rlly important & definitely play a major role in someone’s personality & chart like pls don’t underestimate asteroids and their energies

i remember an astrologer stated that having a leo part of fortune is an indicator that it’s fated for you to become famous (or something along those lines)

dominant houses are important to your identity meanwhile stelliums may also be important to your identity but i personally think they carry lessons to be learned but idk this topic is very different per astrologer (this is just my personal take on it)

*just a theory and definitely open to discussion and idk if anyone else has spoken about this but do any astrologers here think that 3rd & 11th house can represent crushes as well--more like fast crushes vs longer crushes? since 3rd & 11th house can equate to your community while 4th is childhood--do you kinda see where i’m getting this from? lmao

i think it won’t manifest like 5th or 7th or 8th romance--it would be more likely to manifest as a person you had a crush on for like two weeks if that makes sense? i’d love to hear your thoughts :)

that’s everything i have for now :)

[acenancy]

mar the last episode was so good but I am WORRIED about the foreshadowing. A ghost possessing Ace who died protecting the woman he loved? With a catchphrase about never leaving his sweetheart? I feel like Ace is going to die/leave and it is freaking me out. You always have good theories so what do you think?

Hey! Sorry for the late response. I have a tendency to jump towards the worst case scenario so I had to talk myself off of a few ledges before I answered you. I fear that I, too, initially sensed some morbid foreshadowing from 3x03 bahahah.

Before I dive into any theories, I’ll share with you why I don’t think Ace is going to die/Alex is going to leave the show. None of my reasons are concrete canon evidence, more just general vibes, so take them how you will!

For one, Ace has a new plot that is focusing on his future and his character is being thoroughly fleshed out this season, as are his relationships (see: his romance with the main character). If the writers planned on disposing of Ace, I think they would be winding down his involvement with the overall plot. He would probably have a lighter story this season if he were dying/leaving as a way to prep the audience for a goodbye. Instead, they are roping him deeper into the drama, creating new drama specifically for him, and giving Ace’s character a fresh face in the process.

Secondly, unlike so many writers rooms, the writers for Nancy Drew are genuinely trying to create a story that viewers will enjoy. They know their audience and make it a point to have their thumb on the pulse of fandom. They realize what a beloved character Ace is and are well aware that his relationship with Nancy is the show’s biggest selling point. For that reason alone, I highly doubt the writers would sit down and say “you know what would be the worst decision we could possibly make but is something we should totally do just for shock value? KILL OFF ACE! We may lose 3/4 of our viewers but fuck it.”

That sentiment goes for every member of the Drew Crew, including George who has been “dying” for 3 seasons now. The writers know they need all 5 of their mains on screen for the show to remain successful.

Writing Logistics aside, the only way I can imagine Ace’s character being written off is if Alex Saxon decided to leave. He’s a very quiet dude so it’s hard to get an idea of where his head is at, but we haven’t seen anything from him, cast, or crew to suggest he’s parting ways with the show. In fact, recently he’s been more active on social media and more vocal about Nancy Drew than ever. With that and the rare BTS we see of him, he seems happy working on the show, just like everyone else. Obviously, there could be other reasons for his leaving (contracts, money, time, location, life in general, etc.), but 🤷🏼‍♀️ if the narrative doesn’t suggest Ace is going anywhere, I doubt Alex is.

All that being said, I do still think the love story of Laci’s Grandma and Joe Kelsey was either a subtle parallel to Nace in 2x12, some unsubtle foreshadowing for Nace’s future, or both. Either way, it served hard Nace vibes.

If we’re talking parallels, I think Joe and Grandma’s story was told to help Ace and Nancy connect some dots regarding their own relationship. Parallels they could draw to themselves include:

Joe and Grandma worked together // Ace and Nancy currently work together.

Joe took the fall for a murder he didn’t commit and was executed to protect Grandma // Nancy risked lives, recanted her testimony against a murderer, and soiled her reputation to protect Ace.

You can tell in ^ this ^ moment that Nancy relates to what Joe did because she did something similar for Ace. Nancy is already aware she has feelings for Ace, so making this connection is not exactly a revelation to her as much as it is affirmation that she’s in love with him and would do anything for him.

Ace, on the other hand, never fully understood exactly why Nancy did what she did for him in 2x12. He never realized her motives for saving him were partly out of romantic love. Hearing Grandma tell her and Joe’s story probably didn’t force him to put two and two together, but I don’t think it escaped Ace’s notice that Nancy did for him what Joe did for the woman he was in love with: sacrificed themself. You can see the realization play across Ace’s face after the truth is revealed and Joe’s ghost appears to them.

When Ace says “he knows now,” I don’t think he was only referring to Joe. I think it is finally occurring to him that Nancy’s love for him may just be exceptional.

Other parallels between 3x03 and 2x12 that are noteworthy:

Ace x Nancy x Grant Trio Adventure // Ace x Nancy x George Trio Adventure.

Ace dangling from a ledge // Nancy dangling from a ledge.

Intense Nace moment after Ace is saved // Heated Nace moment after Nancy is saved.

“The Holt Group is just a front - a part of something much larger.” // “I’m a part of something much bigger. You’ll never understand.”

Now, if we’re talking foreshadowing, what we’re all assuming is that, like Joe, Ace is going to sacrifice his life to save the woman he loves: Nancy. When, how, or why Ace would do this, we have no clue. Temperance, The Road Back, FHK, and Bertram Bobbsey are all viable threats to them right now, so it’s hard to pinpoint from which direction a sacrificial act of love may come into play. Because of the way Ace and Nancy are the two most involved in The Road Back plot, I’d say TRB is the greatest danger to Ace and Nace’s relationship. Really though, I have no idea how this would all play out.

What I do think is that, IF Ace follows in Joe’s footsteps, Ace’s death would be a fake-out, and/or we’ll be unsure of his fate between S3 & S4, similar to how we were unsure of Bellamy’s fate between S1 & S2 of The 100. IF Ace sacrifices himself for Nancy, I’m confident he won’t actually die.

I don’t have theories regarding any of this so much as vague ideas of possible scenarios. I could see:

Ace faking his death and going on the run.  @horseshoebae and I had a fun discussion with @mslizzieforbes on twitter (hi Riley!) about how Nancy may or may not go with him if this happens. Riley thinks she would. I think in S4 Nancy may just know where Ace is hiding and meet up with him in secret like Grandma did with Joe. Either way, the gist is the same. Here’s our twitter thread to get a better understanding:

(Also, go read they took the crown (but it’s alright) by @sabrinachill if you haven’t already).

Ace sacrifices his life for Nancy but Nancy resurrects him with WiW magic. Dani and I tossed this idea around on our second? third? fourth? spiral of Saturday. It’s pretty self explanatory. Dani also figured one or more of the tarot card prophecies could factor into this scenario, specifically the prophecy “one of you will be the others’ demise,” with Nancy being Ace’s. I think that’s what she figured, anyway. CORRECT ME IF I’VE MISREMEMBERED, DANI! Now, the only reason I’m considering resurrection an option at all is because at the end of 3x02, they made a point of showing us that Kegstand was brought back to life through Bess using a WiW spell. Clearly we were shown that for a reason, so maybe it will come into play if Ace dies and requires some resurrecting? Though this one seems more likely to happen with George.

These are the only “theories” I/we have so far, anon, and as fun as they are, I fear they are mostly unsubstantial! Presently, I can’t fully subscribe to them myself.

And actually, the more I think about it, the more 3x03 feels like a big ol’ followup to 2x12 than anything else. Even Joe and Grandma’s love story reads as a callback to Ace, Nancy, and the Paper Mill now. Which? Is kind of ideal.

If any of you have other thoughts or theories, please share with me!

[viscountessevie]

Speaking of celebrity Indians, side-eyeing Neelam Gill for referring to Simone as "another Indian girl". Granted she was talking about how nice it was to have others like her around at Venice. But it's so minimizing and disrespectful to talk about Simone so generically. Why not say actress or model or even woman? I don't understand why it's this hard for people to give her her proper due. It's at the point where I want everyone to keep her name out of their mouths.

Anon is talking about Neelam's Article with Bazaar

Hello there, anon and honestly this ask caught me off guard because Neelam is the last person I expected this from.

On first impression just based on this ask, I do think it's another case of over analysation because it does sound like a solitary statement like Hey, its another Indian girl like me! I do use that phrase often when referring to my Desi friends and I don't usually list off their resumes when saying that you know what I mean?

It's just "Hey I have this Indian girl friend, Priya" or something. I'm not like "Hey this is my friend Priya, an Indian writer and student" and etc.

I definitely think Neelam meant it that way, in a show of solidarity and hyping Simone up for being at the event as well. Because where and when else are you going to see these amazing Indian women our age at a mainstream media event?? This is probably the first time this has happened with Indian women who are so prominent in this field now on this side of the world!

And I still stand by all of this to be honest. However as someone who needs all the facts, I did want to see where this was from to get the context and tone from Neelam herself before making a fully formed decision on where I stand.

Well the whole article is linked above but this is section our anon is talking about, everyone:

[Expanded Thoughts Under The Cut]:

While I do stand by the sentiment before, I will say I do not love the word choices after seeing them side by side. This made me very conflicted in my initial stance. So I talked to a couple of my friends to get their thoughts too and funnily enough both @hptriviachamp and @minim236 said it's because Neelam is friends with Charithra. Which makes sense I just found it so cute both of them said the same line!

I don't love the word choice because she could have easily said: "My friend Chari and Simone both Indian girls/actresses". While I know on this blog and the way I conduct myself in this fandom we are conscious about word choices, I don't think it's that deep in Neelam's case!

Ultimately, my friends and I all agree that Neelam isn't trying to exclude, minimize or disrespect Simone with this statement. It definitely reads more like a show of solitary and how happy she is to have two other Indian women like her by her side.

Also we need to look at the paragraph (and by extension the whole article itself), it goes beyond acting and is about Neelam being excited to work with a brand with visions that shares her values and also being there for Armani with her fellow Indian girls!

As Triv also pointed out: Obviously do I feel like big companies like Armani sort of commodify diversity when it suits them? Yes, but that's on them, not Neelam who was probably excited to get a deal like this and just said a few lines and included Charithra and Simone in them

It's amazing because girls like us never traditionally get brand deals like this. Especially not the darker skinned ones and I really believe girls like Simone, Amita and Chari (Neelam too but she is considerably lighter than the three I Iisted) have started paving the way for this in our age group and in mainstream media.

So honestly, we should be focusing on that because Neelam's line wasn't malicious and it was really nice for her to name drop them unprompted. So I think we really need to reframe it this positive way.

As for your last two lines anon, I understand and I hear you through this whole ask. I think we've all become jaded by Production and press treating Simone as second rate and it doesn't help when half of the larger fandom does it too. Due to this, I think we kind of started overanalyzing everything to the point it has become misguided in my opinion. Not to say your feelings of frustration aren't valid, they are valid feelings and good to feel them to let it go. I just think it's misdirected and we all should take a breath and ignore all the noise tbh. We gotta remind ourselves Simone is a big girl and we will always be here to love and support her but we don't need to overly protect her (at least not in cases like these - racist show fans can get fucked though)

Also God do I wanna gatekeep Kate from some people shskksk but it's really starting to hit me no matter how much I yell here and into the void, people are going to do whatever. All we can do after calling bigotry out is curate our experience better. So yeah in terms of trying to keep Simone's name out of people's mouth, I think we should just focus on her and sometimes those who support her too - and in this case Neelam definitely was!

EDIT: Neelam posted this really sweet post as tribute to both Simone and Charithra, definitely confirms that the one off line was the result of a verbal interview where answers aren't recorded in a polished or edited manner!

Thanks everyone for reading all the way through if yall did and to the anon for opening up about this frustration. I do hope you felt heard even though I disagreed with you and hopefully you can see how Neelam meant it in a positive manner!

[liquidstar]

I feel as if many people, myself included, have been having problems with the way “critical thinking” is conducted in fandom circles more and more. Which I’d say is a good thing, because it means we’re thinking critically. But still the issues with the faux-critical mentality and with the way we consume media through that fandom group mentality are incredibly widespread at this point, despite being very flawed, and there are still plenty of people who follow it blindly, ironically.

I sort of felt like I had to examine my personal feelings on it and I ended up writing a whole novel, which I’ll put under the cut, and I do welcome other people’s voices in the matter, because while I’m being as nuanced as I can here I obviously am still writing from personal experience and may overlook some things from my limited perspective. But by and large I think I’ve dissected the phenomena as best I can from what I’ve been seeing going on in fandom circles from a safe but observable distance.

Right off the bat I want to say, I think it's incredibly good and necessary to be critical of media and understand when you should stop consuming it, but that line can be a bit circumstantial sometimes for different people. There are a lot of anime that I used to watch as a teenager that I can’t enjoy anymore, because I got more and more uncomfortable overtime with the sexualization of young characters, partly because as I was getting older I was really starting to realize how big of an issue it was, and I certainly think more critically now than I did when I was 14. Of course I don’t assume everyone who still watches certain series is a pedophile, and I do think there are plenty of fans that understand this. However I still stay away from those circles and that’s a personal choice.

I don’t think a person is morally superior based on where they draw the line and their own boundaries with this type of stuff, what’s more important is your understanding of the problem and response to it. There are series I watch that have a lot of the same issues around sexualization of the young characters in the cast, but they’re relatively toned down and I can still enjoy the aspects of the series I actually like without it feeling as uncomfortable and extreme. Others will not be able to, and their issues with it are legitimate and ones that I still ultimately agree with, but they’re still free to dislike the series for it, after all our stance on the issue itself is the same so why would I resent them for it?

Different people are bound to have different lines they draw for how far certain things can go in media before they’re uncomfortable watching it and it doesn’t make it a moral failing of the person who can put up with more if they’re still capable of understanding why it’s bad to begin with and able to not let it effect them. But I don’t think that sentiment necessarily contradicts the idea that some things really are too far gone for this to apply, the above examples aren’t the same thing as a series centered solely around lolicon ecchi and it doesn’t take a lot of deep analysis to understand why. It’s not about a personal line anymore when it comes to things that are outright propaganda or predatory with harmful ideals woven into the message of the story itself. Critical thinking means knowing the difference between these, and no one can hold your hand through it. And simply slapping “I’m critical of my interests” on your bio isn’t a get out of jail free card, it’s always evident when someone isn’t truly thinking about the impact of the media they consume through the way they consume it.

I think the issue is that when people apply “Critical thinking” they don’t actually analyze the story and its intent, messages, themes, morals, and all that. Instead they approach it completely diegetically, it’s basically the thermian argument, the issue stems from thinking about the story and characters as if they’re real people and judging their actions through that perspective, rather than something from a writer trying to deliver a narrative by using the story and characters as tools. Like how people get upset about characters behaving “problematically” without realizing that it’s an intentional aspect of the story, that the character needs to cause problems for there to be conflict. What they should be looking at instead is what their behavior represents in the real world.

You do not need to apply real-world morals to fictional characters, you need to apply them to the narrative. The story exists in the real world, the characters and events within it do not. Fictional murderers themselves do not hurt anyone, no one is actually dying at their hands, but their actions hold weight in the narrative which itself can harm real people. If the character only murders gay people then it reflects on whatever the themes and messages of the story are, and it’s a major issue if it's framed as if they’re morally justified, or as if this is a noble action. And it’s a huge red flag if people stan this character, even if the story itself actually presents their actions as reprehensible. Or cases where the murderers themselves are some kind of awful stereotype, like Buffalo Bill who presents a violent and dangerous stereotype of trans women, making the character a transmisogynistic caricature (Intentional or otherwise) that has caused a lot of harm to the perception of trans women. When people say “Fiction affects reality” this is what they mean. They do not mean “People will see a pretend bad guy and become bad” they mean “Ideals represented in fiction will be pulled from the real world and reflected back onto it.”

However, stories shouldn’t have to spoon-feed you the lesson as if you’re watching a children’s cartoon, stories often have nuances and you have to actively analyze the themes of it all to understand it’s core messages. Oftentimes it can be intentionally murky and hard to parse especially if the subject matter itself is complicated. But you can’t simply read things on the surface and think you understand everything about them, without understanding the symbolism or subtext you can leave a series like Revolutionary Girl Utena thinking the titular Utena is heterosexual and was only ever in love with her prince. Things won’t always be face-value or clear-cut and you will be forced to come to your own conclusions sometimes too.

That’s why the whole fandom-based groupthink mentality about “critical thinking” doesn’t work, because it’s not critical. It’s simply looking into the crowd, seeing people say a show is problematic, and then dropping it without truly understanding why. It’s performative, consuming the best media isn’t activism and it doesn’t make you a better person. Listening to the voices of people whom the issues directly concerns will help you form an opinion, and to understand the issues from a more knowledgeable perspective beyond your own. All that means nothing if you just sweep it under the rug because you want to look infallible in your morality. That’s not being critical, it’s just being scared to analyze yourself, as well as what you engage with. You just don’t want to think about those things and you’re afraid of being less than perfect so you pretend it never happened.

And though I’m making this post, it’s not mine or anyone else’s job to hold your hand through all this and tell you “Oh this show is okay, but this show isn't, and this book is bad etc etc etc”. Because you actually have to think for yourself, you know, critically. Examples I’ve listed aren’t rules of thumb, they’re just examples and things will vary depending on the story and circumstance. You have to look at shit on a case-by-case basis instead of relying on spotting tropes without thinking about how they’re implemented and what they mean. That’s why it’s analysis, you have to use it to understand what the narrative is communicating to its audience, explicitly or implicitly, intentionally or incidentally, and understand how this reflects the real world and what kind of impact it can have on it. 

A big problem with fandom is it has made interests synonymous with personality traits, as if every series we consume is a core part of our being, and everything we see in it reflects our viewpoints as well. So when people are told that a show they watched is problematic, they react very extremely, because they see it as basically the same thing as saying they themselves are problematic (It’s not). Everyone sees themselves as good people, they don’t want to be bad people, so this scares them and they either start hiding any evidence that they ever liked it, or they double down and start defending it despite all its flaws, often providing those aforementioned thermian arguments (“She dresses that way because of her powers!”).

That’s how you get people who call children’s cartoons “irredeemable media” and people who plaster “fiction=/= reality!” all over their blogs, both are basically trying to save face either by denying that they could ever consume anything problematic or denying that the problematic aspects exist all together. And absolutely no one is actually addressing the core issues anymore, save for those affected by them who pointed them out to begin with, only for their original point to become muffled in the discourse. No one is thinking critically because they’re more concerned with us-vs-them group mentality, both sides try to out-perform the other while the actual issue gets ignored or is used as nothing more than a gacha with no true understanding or sympathy behind it.

One of the other issues that comes from this is the fact that pretty much everyone thinks they’re the only person capable of being critical of their interests. That’s how you get those interactions where one person goes “OK [Media] fan” and another person replies “Bro you literally like [Other Media]”, because both parties think they’re the only ones capable of consuming a problematic piece of media and not becoming problematic themselves, anyone else who enjoys it is clearly incapable of being as big brained as them. It’s understandable because we know ourselves and trust ourselves more than strangers, and I’m not saying there can’t be certain fandoms who’s fans you don’t wanna interact with, but when we presume that we know better than everyone else we stop listening to other people all together. It’s good to trust your own judgement, it’s bad to assume no one else has the capacity to think for themselves either though.

The insistence that all media that you personally like is without moral failing and completely pure comes with the belief that all media that you personally dislike has to be morally bad in some way. As if you can’t just dislike a series because you find it annoying or it just doesn’t appeal to you, it has to be problematic, and you have to justify your dislike of it through that perspective. You have to believe that your view on whatever media it is is the objectively correct one, so you’ll likely pick apart all it’s flaws to prove you’re on the right side, but there’s no analysis of context or intent. Keep in mind this doesn’t necessarily mean those critiques are unfounded or invalid, but in cases like this they’re often skewed in one direction based on personal opinion. It’s just as flawed as ignoring all the faults in the stuff you like, it’s biased and subjective analysis that misses a lot of context in both cases, it’s not a good mindset to have about consuming media. It’s just another result of tying media consumption with identity and personal morals. The faux-critical mentality is an attempt to separate the two in a way that implies they’re a packaged deal to begin with, making it sort of impossible to truly do so in any meaningful way.

As far as I know this whole phenomena started with “Steven Universe Critical” in, like, 2016, and that’s where this mentality around “critical thinking” originated. It started out with just a few people correctly pointing out very legitimate issues with the series, but over time it grew into just a trend where people would make cutesy kin blogs with urls like critical-[character] or [character]crit to go with the fad as it divulged into Nostalgia Critic level critique. Of course there was backlash to this and criticism of the criticism, but no actual conversation to be had. Just people trying to out-do each other by acting as the most virtuous one in the room, and soon enough the fad became a huge echo-chamber that encouraged more and more outrageous takes for every little thing. The series itself was a children’s cartoon so it stands to reason that a lot of the fans were young teens, so this behavior isn’t too surprising and I do believe a lot of them did think they were doing the right thing, especially since it was encouraged. But that doesn’t erase the fact that there were actual real issues and concerns brought up about the series that got treated with very little sympathy and were instead drowning out people’s voices. Though those from a few years back may have grown up since and know better (Hopefully), the mentality stuck around and influenced the norm for how fandoms and fandom people conduct any sort of critique on media. 

That’s a shame to me, because the pedestal people place fandom onto has completely disrupted our perception on how to engage with media in a normal way. Not everything should be consumed with fandom in mind, not everything is a coffee-shop au with no conflict, not everything is a children’s cartoon with the morals spoon-fed to you. Fandom has grown past the years of uncritical praise of a series, it’s much more mainstream now with a lot more voices in it beyond your small community on some forum, and people are allowed to use those voices. Just because it may not be as pleasant for you now because you don’t get to just turn your brain off and ignore all the flaws doesn’t mean you can put on your rose-tinted nostalgia goggles and pretend that fandom is actually all that is good in the world, to the point where you place it above the comfort and safety of others (Oftentimes children). Being uncritical of fandom itself is just as bad as being uncritical of what you consume to begin with. 

At the end of the day it all just boils down to the ability to truly think for yourself but with sympathy and compassion for other people in mind, while also understanding that not everyone will come to the same conclusion as you and people are allowed to resent your interests. That doesn’t necessarily mean they hate you personally, you should be acknowledging the same issues after all. You can’t ignore aspects of it that aren’t convenient to your conclusion, you have to actually be critical and understand the issues to be able to form it. 

I think that all we need is to not rely on fandom to tell us what to do, but still listen to the voices of others, take them into account to form our opinion too, boost their voices instead of drowning them out in the minutiae of internet discourse about which character is too much of an asshole to like. Think about what the characters and story represent non-diegetically instead of treating them like real people and events, rather a story with an intent and message to share through its story and characters, and whatever those reflect from the real world. That’s how fiction affects reality, because it exists in reality and reflects reality through its own lens. The story itself is real, with a real impact on you and many others, so think about the impact and why it all matters. Just… Think. Listen to others but think for yourself, that’s all.

[kendrixtermina]

Simple Tritype Finding Redux

So remember how a while ago I made that post about how to find your tritype, which was somewhat popular, but also kind of rambly and theoretical? 

Apparently the peeps at the Big Hormone Podcast had an episode which did sort  of the same thing of looking at the “setting” of each individual center, but they expressed it much more concisely & punchy & much more useful

So, for those who don’t have time to listen to 2 hour of pod-cast (which honestly, includes me too, I should be doing something else rn), here’s a summary: 

Heart Center

2 fix

basically more warm compared to other ppl with the same core type 

casually touchy-feely, way more likely to hug, put their arms on you etc. (this can be very obvious in cultures where that’s less usual - ie, easier to spot on a North American man than a French woman)

4 fix

more guarded compared to others of same core type

stresses their tastes & preferences (ie, rant about music they really don’t like)

suspicious of hype & overly popular things - some tedecy to be the contrarian voice in a conversation

3 fix

especially if it’s the 2nd fix this can show as being more positive and/or better at self-motivating and a tendency to follow trends or fads

but it’s just as likely to show as just less obvious emotional coloration, or just adaptiveness/ social perceptiveness, or even ‘icyness’ - so you’ll often arrive at this by principle of exclusion.

2 Methods/ ‘cheats’ you can use here: 

Typing someone else: 

Apparently useful question here is to look at how people introduce themselves, cause the heart fixes represent different parts of identity & it’s all about what someone stresses. For example, the people who will open with something relationship-related (”Hi I’m soandso, I’m a parent”, “I’m a wife”) are probably 2-fixes. If they start out mentioning their job or some kind of accomplishment (”I’m a doctor”, ”I climbed X mountain recently”) they probably have a 3 fix. Whereas a person with 4 fix will not reference anything external but mention their tastes, interests and sentiments. (eg, “Hi, I’m Soandso, I like reading, writing & nerd stuff”, “I live on a farm where I keep peacocks.”)

Typing yourself: 

Think of this as a ‘should’ that you feel. A person with a fix doesn’t run around all day helping people (especially if their core type is something very different), but they might feel that they should be a source of help. Someone with a 4 fix might feel they ‘should’ be suspicious of anything that’s too hyped and popular, while someone with a 3 fix might kick themselves for not mentioning some archievement to their friends when this might have impressed them. 

Head Center

Basically, just look at what they do when they don’t know something. Like, imagine for example that your little sister has a question and you don’t already know the answer. Do you immediately ask someone, google it or point her to a trusted source? Six. Do you first speculate based on your preexisting knowledge & maybe then google it if you’re not confident? Five. Do you list multiple ideas for what the answer might be or where to find the info? Seven. 

6 fix

Checks external sources first, thinks second, may then corroborate the conclusion before accepting it

try not just to get the answer, but a sense of who thinks what. May warn you against other PoVs - this can lead to bringing morals/ politics into it even when it seems out of place. 

Other people need to learn to look at sources and ‘cui bono’ questions at some point, six fix ppl often do this immediately & pay attention to sources from the first. 

At best you get 15 year olds with scarily excellent bullshit detectors, at worst, middle aged ppl whose opinions are entirely copypasted. 

5 fix

Reverse of 6: Always speculates first based on whatever knowledge they already have, and checks sources second, if at all. Internal resources dominate.  (eg if the question is about tigers, they might say ”It’s like this in cats, so it might be similar. It fits with how Tigers live in jungles, too”)

Might just make a theory & throw it out there to see what happens

Might bring up a dark/macabre/disturbing topic without realizing. (6: “Are you defending cocaine addicts?” 7: ””Please don’t talk about murder on the table, we’re eating!”)

Tend to look for a point of distinction or underlying principle

7 fix

List multiple ideas or facts rapidfire 

while the other two sit down to launch into a treatise, the 7 either keeps the engagement level high by focussing on the more exciting parts, or just moves on. 

Cares less about cohesion, hanging on to a point or arriving  at a final conclusion so there can be a ‘kaleidoscopic’, multi-perspective  quality to the answer

Similar to how the 6 might think about the moral implications, the 7 thinks about the entertainment value & novelty . In the example with the little sister, the 7 fix person would say stuff that the child will find exciting. 

Body Center

This where it might be useful to listen to the podcast yourself cause they talked a lot about body language cues that would be much more apparent if you were a core body type or at least a sensor in the mbti. I have no sense of this so I can only relate the parts that I understood

8 fix

gives whatever the core type is a bolder, more unapologetic vibe

tend to “just do stuff” & more confortable doing it without mapping out all the consequences. Think the one person who says which restaurant to go to when no one wants to make a decision or gets bogged down on discussing pros and cons

More likely to get physical. If you’re a withdrawn type & it’s your last fix you might not actually throw down, but you might feel like you want/should if you could get away with it. Or you might just curse like a sailor.

9 fix

generally softer compared to others with same core type. They might be the most assertive & energetic 7w8 or 3w4, but still want to hear the other sides’ point. 

have an accepting, nonjudgy vibe

listens/connects more, much more able to be convinced

1 fix

sharper, precise, discerning vibe - feel satisfaction or repulsion in their body as ‘alignment’ or lack thereof

speaks a bit like a teacher or art critic with the intention to improve things

persistent, especially about complaints. Might bring up the thing that bothers them over & over again; may come off picky

I also warmly recomend the tritype roast podcast. 

I did indeed get roasted, and so can you~

[in-tua-deep]

Oooooo the red bock au sounds so interesting! Does Five caught himself thinking of his brothers just as numbers and weapons like Reginald talks in his book? Does he read Vanya book to remind himself that they are still human even though he reads it through lens of someone hurt by them all? And I feel like the handler would know either way about the books but o it's so much fun to see five being paranoid

I think having both books and both perspectives reminds Five that... he’s getting some very biased accounts of his own siblings. I think that when he’s still young, he writes down as many memories as he can remember because... he starts to forget, at some point. 

Vanya’s book talks about how volatile Diego and Luther’s relationship is, and so Five writes down the time Luther and Diego teamed up to toss Five off a balcony when Five kept switching the pens in their hands with pipe cleaners during a lesson (and he will maintain until his dying day that he was just practicing his control, c’mon guys!)

when Reginald’s notes call Allison an “insufferable, narcissistic creature,” Five remembers Allison bribing him to cause trouble and distract Reginald so that she could use the microwave unobserved to heat up some water bottles as makeshift heat packs for Luther’s sore muscles

when Vanya calls Ben “easily manipulated,” Five recalls Ben arguing theories with him at 2am after one of Ben’s training sessions where Ben almost flipped his bed when Five jokingly suggested that he could use the horror’s tentacles to bounce up and down like a pogo stick before Ben tackled him and tried to beat Five to death with an encyclopedia of sea creatures (affectionately)

I think having Reginald’s journal actually helps in a lot of ways, because Five automatically autocorrects literally all of Reginald’s thoughts to be like, mostly inaccurate and much harsher than they need to be. So when he reads Vanya’s journal he also autocorrects and is able to recognize that it is a very biased and somewhat harsh view of his siblings

(he doesn’t distrust them as much as he does in canon, with only Vanya’s harsh words to cling to with no reminder that they were all raised by a man capable of unfathomable cruelty, no reminder that authors can be oh so biased)

outside of his equations, there’s notes to himself written in the margins of Vanya’s book. Sometimes they’re just small, pointing out that Klaus had fought to include Vanya in trap week (Klaus then proceeded to team up with her and managed to catch Five in a snare - he actually still has a scar around his ankle from his upsidedown thrashing before he managed to steal one of Diego’s knives to cut himself down) or pointing out that Luther’s chilly attitude when they were ten was probably the result of Vanya outperforming him in every standardized test they took because of Luther’s ridiculous inferiority-superiority complex

at the very least he has comparison, because Reginald’s book calls Klaus an absolute failure while Vanya’s book called him “sweet, as a child at least”

As for the Handler... she’s aware that he has Vanya’s book and a red notebook, but I don’t think she actually knows what’s in the red notebook! Reginald was notoriously secretive, after all

So the Handler assumes that the red notebook is where Five keeps his time travel equations because aw, he hasn’t given up! how cute!

She makes an assumption that, logically, makes sense. Of course Five is still trying to figure out time travel, no matter how much he denies it! Of course he’s writing the equations down! What a silly boy, thinking that he could hide this from her, of course she knows about his little plans to save his siblings ;3c

And because she’s so powerful and knowledgeable and one step ahead all the time, she makes an assumption and assumes that it is fact. Because she’s so smart, of course she isn’t wrong! She’s had Five clocked from day one!

(The Handler thinks she has Five all figured out, a creature so based in sentiment. Why would he carry a book around that details the torture his siblings went through? He hates his father, why would he ever carry around his father’s notebook! The Handler has a fatal flaw, and it is that she doesn’t understand loyalty and sneers at sentiment and those are two of Five’s most powerful driving factors. Five lives for his siblings and would die for his siblings, almost his entire life has been dedicated to saving them. Not the world, just his family.) 

(She understands that Five considers his family to be exceptionally valuable, but doesn’t comprehend that Five is 100% willing to die for them should it come down to it. Why on earth would anyone value something like siblings over their own life? Absurd. I genuinely believe that the Handler thinks she could get Five to betray his siblings with the right leverage, and so she fundamentally does not understand Five as a person)

To be fair to the Handler, the whole academy’s morals and just. completely and utterly fucked. Luther condemns the murder of innocent civilians even if it would save the planet but doesn’t blink an eye at killing the ‘bad guy’ Commission agents. Diego stabs criminals as a pastime while still holding himself at a moral high ground for saving people, despite the fact that too many criminals are forced into crime by unfair circumstances. Allison used her powers to bolster her career without even blinking but now refuses to use her powers at all because of the manipulation of one (1) child, not even against ‘bad guys.’ 

I mean. Vanya wrote an entire salt book without consulting her siblings that had lasting impacts on at least one of her sibling’s career in the public eye and potentially impacting her siblings relationships with everyone who had every read the spark notes on her book, without the opportunity for reprisal. Publishing your entire family’s dirty laundry as personal emotional catharsis is... kind of a dick mood, lets be real. Especially when you were all abused children raised in an environment of excessive violence and rigid structure. 

Like yeah, of course Allison is good at manipulation and lying - she grew up with an abusive and over-controlling father. She probably lied as easily as breathing about where she’d been, who she was with, what she was doing, etc. The only privacy they got in that household was what they seized with their own hands and carved out for themselves! Is it fair to say that Allison’s superpower is dishonestly?

Is it fair to say that Klaus got crueler as he grew? He was tortured and turned to drugs as an unhealthy coping mechanism, and then he sat down at a table and looked at all the other little kiddies who did not get locked into a crypt overnight. In fact, there was one child who never got any extra training at all! Can you imagine the jealousy? The bitterness? Klaus might have been exceptionally cruel to Vanya as a teenager, she had everything he wanted and dared to complain about it. Can you imagine listening to someone wistfully wish they could join in on missions when you know that the cost for doing so has been carved out of your soul?

My point is, none of these little bitches have anything that resembles a sane moral compass. They’re unpredictable as fuck! It’s like herding cats! You never know what they’re going to do next! Oh? Are they going to investigate in any logical pattern? No, because Diego just remembered Patch exists and helping her print flyers for the annual police ball is more important than saving the world or whatever lol

Luther is over there investigating the moon! The moon! Meanwhile Allison is breaking and entering her sister’s student’s house because she got shady vibes off of him one time and she has never heard of a proportionate action in her life. 

Meanwhile Vanya is going through the phone book trying to call up psychiatrists who have any familiarity with whatever fucked up meds Dad put her on because like, she would like to Not Be On Them (fuck you dad) but also understands that danger of quitting cold turkey something you have been taking for years and would like a professional opinion on how to safely decrease and eventually eliminate her usage, thanks (Klaus is hanging over her shoulder pointing out the ones who will sell you non-prescription drugs for a price and Vanya mentally crosses those ones off of her list to call)

Five is probably joining on the breaking and entering because Allison promised she would sweet talk to eye dude if he did her this solid 

(Five complains at length about how investigating the apocalypse should not be a solid because she would 100% die as well if the apocalypse came to pass)

[mediawhorefics]

⚠️ 💛 ⚱️

⚱️ - what’s your most prized possession?

honestly? probably my underwood typewriter. manufactured january 1917, still functional and in amazing conditions. i love her so much.

in terms of sentimental value, i have a couple of family heirlooms that are pretty special to me. including a beautiful wooden chest that my great-grandfather made and was passed down to me by my grandfather.

and i have a few mementos from scotland that are pretty precious to me. my proper scottish jumper that's just the coziest. the plays one of my coworkers mailed me cos he heard i was sad and missing the theatre after i left. a dried thistle i picked up in glen coe. my obi wan funko pop that one of my best friends over there gave me before i left to commemorate our last few months together and all the clone wars binging with did. my postcard collection from all of my travels over there. etc.

but if we're going 'practical' then my laptop or my phone lbr. my access to my writing projects is on there rip.

💛 - do you have a crush right now?

nope. i haven't had a crush in ages tbh. idk if its the ~depression. the pandemic. or all of it, but i feel hollow inside lmao. it's just not happening. maybe i just find everyone incredibly boring now that i'm back, idk.

⚠️ - what are pet peeves you have?

people making fun of people for enjoying stuff tbh. any type of pretentiousness. i work at a public library and so many of my coworkers make fun of like... the ~danielle steel reader and all that shit and it's like... literally WHOMST has the time or the energy to put this back into the world. let them live their lives, my god.

anyone being in the kitchen with me when i'm trying to cook. back off.

okay this one is so weird (and maybe not even a pet peeve?) but i hate light cutlery and glasses ?? give me some substance and weight to hold please.

there's probably a billion more but its almost 2 am so i gotta wrap it up lmao.

YELLOW ASKS

[attackontitanreblogs]

[Spoiler] [Spoiler] [Spoiler] Hey, am I a only one who

like these 9 extra pages of ending and think they fix the ending?

I mean, I have several issues with ending (chapter 139) anyway, which include:

*Mikasa weren’t free and doesn’t have life aside Eren, which was implied too heavily;

*Eren didn’t even knowing why he was doing what he did anyway, which very badly executed his character (we hoped he had the best development ever, but it isn’t even true) and he was sooo simp. Also didn’t care much about any other person than Mikasa or Armin (Hange or Sasha died because of him);

*Eren being highly immature with his wantings and screaming he wanted Mikasa to mourn over him all the time, even if in the manga weren’t much implications on his feelings about Mikasa;

*the whole EM was shitty developed and I hoped Mikasa can get free of Eren and her obsession finally. Maybe it can be associated with my personal experience, but I also had unhealthy obsession about someone and I got finally over it, I won and I am not obsessing about anyone and have my very own desires which aren’t associated with anyone. I just hoped Mikasa can get over her obsession too and be healthy independent person with her own desires. On the Eren side I think as manga developed, the aro/ace Eren, Eremin or even EreHisu implication as true would be more logical and healthy than Eremika;

*happy ending for any character who lived after Hanji (aside Eren, Zeke and Ymir if we count), which is soooo improbably as Isayama liked to kill the characters before and there was no telling somebody will survive the chapter. It was too sweet for me, as Isayama couldn’t decide for a darker one ending;

*also I hoped Historia and her child would be more revelant to the chapter and the symbolism. I hoped Eren would be the father and will try to create the world which won’t burden his children or other children anymore with success or no success at all;

*it felt so much retconned anyway.

These 8 extra pages fixed (somehow) some of these things and gave the others new meaning:

*there was implication Mikasa has new life and new family, which proved she moved from Eren somehow. She was shown visiting Eren’s grave, but at least I doubt she focused on it as much as she would be being lonely and without any family. The only thing which would bother me was the scarf, but also remember when and why she received it. Eren saved her life. So the scarf could symbolise two things - Eren and the life, which she got because of the Eren. Since she didn’t decide to take her own life and join Eren immediately in afterlife or perish forever, more, she invested in her own life and bore lives with the new family we can hope she developed some distance from the Eren and he finally isn’t the only reason she still exists. From these and from her opposition of rumbling we can know she values life and she values it even more than person of Eren. She sacrificed him, because she values life, but also values her own life, which was saved by Eren. Maybe it’s why she valued so much Eren in the first place?? Maybe it’s why she kept the scarf, because it reminds her, beside of Eren, the life she got saved?

Maybe it still wasn’t best executed and could be better executed, but these pages got me better message about ending and Mikasa’s character - she lives her own life, but still remember the savior she loved - Eren. And it still gives us the room to hope she developed safe distance from Eren on whom she obsessed so much.

Also I read people’s opinion on her having husband on her own, which are “he is the second to Eren”, “she doesn’t care about her own husband but only Eren is on her mind”, “she needed her husband only to make her children and he was only a tool”, etc. These are not essentially to be true. If she was a good person I doubt she could value more dead person over a living person tbh. She knew Eren was doing very bad and finally decided to sacrifice him to save the remaining innocent lives. So well, if she was dedicated to her husband and kids I doubt she didn’t love them and valued their lives any less than Eren (why she could stick to somebody she didn’t love in the first place? unless she was in really bad mental state and toyed with somebody other and didn’t care about them, but I doubt we should get that kind of message and I doubt Isayama intended her to be like that.)

So, as bland and personality-less she is, it looks like she still got better executed than Eren. 

Also, her spouse being Jean or not: he looks like Jean, but it isn’t said it is Jean. Historia ended with random guy, remember? Even if it is Jean, I doubt she cared about him (other precious friend than Armin and Sasha) any less than for dead Eren.

At least I hope it is like that and it is possible, because I doubt Isayama could make her THAAAT miserable.

*Another point I want to make is that Paradise doesn’t have that sweet future, which is logical, possible and it is also a consequence of Eren’s doing. Paradis didn’t have titans, Founder and Colossal Titans in the walls, which would protect island. Which means, Eren doomed them forever. Eren didn’t surpased his father, he did even worse than his father, because he basically doomed entire generations down and didn’t solve anything, which is still logical consequence of what he did and it’s overall darker than the whole 139 chapter. It subverses whole surpassing the father trope, which is logical result and I like it.

*we got the time skipping (time travelling) with a tree and Paradis developing and destroyed at the end, which I like, because it in the whole reminds me the time travelling in the Time Machine 1960 movie. Maybe it’s personal and I’m becoming sentimental ahahhahah

*it is implied Eren isn’t free even in afterlife and have possibly taken Ymir’s place. It would be good, because it would be his sins’ atonement. This or the whole tree’s growing would be hallu’s (this weird spine thing) doing and Eren could have nothing to do with it.

What extra pages don’t solve:

*plot holes;

*Eren being shit (but at least got consequences);

*Historia being unrevelant to the plot;

*Hanji being dead and not being with Levi (:D).

Also the AU thing is sweet touch and comments aot’s own ending, which is nice, also remembers me Eren which I loved.

So, these are my thoughts on ending :)