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hopelikethemoon · 4 years

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Starlight || (Ezra x Reader) || {Moonbeams}

Title: Starlight Rating: PG-13 Length: 4,000 Warnings: Angst, mentions of medical procedures, mentions of pregnancy, brief conversation about abortion, and some more angst. Notes: Casual reminder that I do not write stories with plans in mind, I simply let the muses guide the story as I write. I’m fortunate that my mind litters in allusions and foreshadowing that I can pick up on later. This is one of those chapters where a lot of foreshadowing comes full circle. I’m super nervous that this chapter will lose my readers, but I’ve simply allowed the story to flow how it wanted to. Also shoutout to anyone who gets the extremely obscure British history reference in here. Part ten of the Moonbeams series.

Taglist: @princessbatears @djarin-junk @absurdthirst @hdlynn @legally-a-bastard @opheliaelysia @heather-lynn @sabinemorans @crazinessgraveyardsandcartoons @pedrospunk @maybege @chews-erotically @katlikeme @lose-eels @youmeanmybrain @theindiealto @irishleesh93 @seawhisperer @hdlynn @demigod-dragonrider-schoolidol @theindiealto @grapemama @roxypeanut @kochamcie @kiwi-the-first @hellomothermoon @soft-fanfics @spacegayofficial @storiesofthefandomloversreblogs @kindablackenedsuperhero @goblinqueen95 @nominalnebula @wheresthewater @letmybabysleep @hayley-the-comet @corrupt-fvcker @i-ship-it-ironically @mrsparknuts @the-feckless-wonder Hopefully I got everyone! Please message me to be added, comments to be added get lost in my activity.

Leaving Lykaois hadn’t been nearly as difficult as previous departures with Shiva accompanying you back to the Block. Not to mention having a way to communicate with Ezra when you were off-world really softened the issue of distance. You could go to sleep listening to him read to you, just like he was laying beside you in your bed.

The only real downside to returning to the Block was Shiva all but forcing you to visit the medic. You felt fine. You really did. But apparently dying, coming back to life, and losing your memory warranted an immediate visit to get poked and prodded by the resident medic on the Block.

It wasn’t as though you could tell the medic you were visiting because you had mental confusion related to dying. So you made up some excuse about feeling fatigued after being off-world. That wasn’t even a lie, technically.

The medic tutted quietly as she scanned through the results on her datapad, “Were you aware that your stim was deactivated?”

“What?” You jerked your head to the left to stare at the woman. “What do you mean it’s deactivated?”

She glanced up at you briefly before looking back at that datapad, “A high voltage of electricity can sometimes cause the system to malfunction. Have you had any incidents during transport repairs?”

You felt like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over you. The only shock of electricity you had received had been before going to Ay-7 and Quinn—

“Well, this is different.” The medic stepped around the examination table with a perplexed expression. “The stim appears to have reported back to the manufacturer that it was disengaged due to expiration of the client.”

“Not because of an electrical current?” You questioned, your fingers curling around the edge of the table.

“It appears the stim registered a time of death just over a month ago.” The medic’s brows furrowed together as they looked up from the chart. “Were you sexually active during this period?”

“Uh, yeah.” You blinked, shaking your head. “I was.”

“Out of an abundance of caution, I would like to run a few more tests before we reactivate your stim.” She passed the datapad to you, “In the event that you have conceived due to a faulty stim, rest assured the corporation will billed for the termination of your pregnancy. You can just sign right there and we can handle that quite simply following a positive—“

You were quick to cut her off, “That won’t be necessary.” You couldn’t actually think that far ahead and if — and it was a huge if — it had occurred, you weren’t going to jump to that decision before telling Ezra.

“Alright, then select here.” She scrolled the screen down to a line that declined immediate intervention. “Sit back and relax. The test services AI will be with you shortly.” She offered you a kind smile. “I’m sure it’s nothing to be concerned with.”

What the hell were you going to do if you were pregnant?

Your hand drifted down to your stomach. Could you be? It wasn’t as though you and Ezra were the least bit careful — you thought your stim was functioning after all. There had never been any reason to be careful.

Thank the gods it hadn’t started malfunctioning before Ay-7. But you were probably working yourself up over nothing.

What if Ezra didn’t want it? In the past few months with him, children had never come up. Not to mention what you had learned about Sybil and Cora’s situation.

The door opened and the AI bot rolled into the room. You hated getting tests done at the clinic. Some of the missions you were assigned to would require full health panels before shipping out — you should’ve been used to it by now.

The bot took a vial of blood from you and started processing it within the hollow of its artificial chest, while commencing with various body scans.

“The medic will return shortly to provide you with results.” The bot’s grainy voice informed you, before it wheeled out of the room. Leaving you all alone with your thoughts again.

Could you even handle having a baby on your own if Ezra didn’t want any part in it? If things went sour with Ezra, you’d have to work your way back into the program and that wouldn’t be possible while pregnant.

If worse came to worse, you could probably find some kind of work on Ay-7.

It felt like an eternity before the medic returned to confirm that your anxiety wasn’t entirely misplaced. “Well, it would appear that in the short window of time between the malfunction and now, that you have conceived. Based on your hormone levels, I would safely guess implantation took place within the last two weeks. You’re in the very early stages of pregnancy.”

You weren’t even entirely certain you could understand the medic. She was speaking words, but you couldn’t really hear them.

“Should you and your partner choose to terminate, you have a few non-invasive options at this stage. I can provide you with a resource file or you and your partner can come back for an appointment together.”

“He’s off world.” You told the medic, resting your hand on your stomach. “Did everything look normal?”

“It’s too early to detect any defects with your fetus. While you do have slightly higher than average iron levels, it isn’t anything to be concerned by.” She assured you. “If you have any questions, you can login through the portal and get answers from one of our aides.”

“Thanks.” You said quietly as you slid off the exam table. When Shiva had convinced you to get checked out at the medic — this was the last thing you had imagined.

Pregnant.

You had never imagined yourself as a mother — not really. The program was a dangerous situation to be in, at the best of times. Pregnancy would’ve made you vulnerable and worse, it would’ve meant being vulnerable with someone who would’ve just screwed you over in the end.

Ezra wasn’t like that. But in reality, his situation didn’t really allow him to be like everyone that came before him. You knew where he was, you could come and go as you pleased, and you were his only connection to the world beyond Lykaois.

You had all of the control in the relationship. But this — this might’ve been more than he had bargained for. It was more than you had bargained for.

You’d had only a handful of months together, if you cobbled the days together and now…

How would Ezra react? You couldn’t picture him as a father. Even if the situation hadn’t been dire — if he wasn’t trapped on the moon, if there weren’t those that wanted to hurt you… Would he want to bring life into the world?

There was very little good in the galaxy. You knew more than a few people who had made sure that they could never bring life into the world.

You didn’t even know if you wanted it. It was such a fresh concept. A terrifying one at that.

Shiva looked up from the engine part they were reconfiguring. “There’s our Lazarus. How’d it go at the medic?”

Your hands went to your hips as you stared down at them, “Well…” You started. “My brain seems to be fine.”

“But?” They looked up at you, tossing a wrench aside as they got up. “There’s a but in there. What is it? Did you get fleas? Sexually transmitted disease?”

You snorted, “I definitely caught something from Ezra.”

Shiva’s brows furrowed together, “Caught what? Like the curse or…?”

You grimaced a little as you tried to find the right words to explain your situation. “Apparently my stim malfunctioned after whatever the guardians did to me and… I’m in the very early days of pregnancy.”

“Oh, sweet Yrica’s left tit.” Shiva swore. “Are you serious?”

“How early are we talking?” Quinn questioned as he strolled around the corner, his brows knit together with concern.

Your head snapped towards him, “What are you doing here?” You looked back at Shiva. “What is he doing here?”

“He’s in a bit of a rough patch.” Shiva shrugged.

“I’m avoiding a collector.” Quinn admitted, before his gaze fell to your stomach. “Back to the kid you’re gestating.”

“I wouldn’t be standing here talking about it if there was even a chance that it’s yours.” You snapped. “I’m about a month, I guess. It happened after I died…”

Shiva grimaced, “Not the post-death side effect I was expecting. What are you going to do?”

You rubbed at your forehead, sighing heavily. “I’m going to go back early and tell Ezra.”

“Can’t you just com him?” Quinn questioned.

You glared back over your shoulder at him, “I think it’s a face-to-face discussion.” You looked back at Shiva then. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s dangerous.” They admitted. “If what you told me about Proctor’s family is to be believed, then you might be giving birth to a werewolf.”

Quinn crunched loudly as he bit down on a crisp, “Does that mean you fucked the beast or does it just happen regardless?”

“Quinn.” Shiva sighed.

“What? Her life is a mess and I’m amused.” He hoisted himself up on the side of a fuel barrel, eating another crisp from the bag he had been snaking from.

“That’s not what happens with the beast.” You corrected him, before continuing. “It’s possible Cora was born a werewolf because her mother is. Maybe it won’t be the same for me?”

You couldn’t even believe that you were having this conversation.

Shiva clicked their tongue against their teeth. “I think your best bet is to go back to the medic and have it terminated, get your stim recalibrated, and move on with your life like it didn’t happen.”

“I’m telling Ezra before any of that happens.” You ghosted your hand over your stomach. “He deserves to know. He’s already lost so much, I’m not going to add to it.”

“What if he doesn’t want anything to do with you or it?” Shiva questioned. “Ezra seems like a good man, but we both know they can be shit.”

Quinn cleared his throat, “I would be happy to pretend your kid is mine. Not that I have much to offer.”

“Thanks.” You rolled your eyes. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m good.”

“And you’re certain about the timing?” Quinn questioned, tapping the heels of his boots against the metal side of the barrel.

“One hundred percent.” You assured him.

“Good. I really didn’t want to add child support to my debts.” Quinn shrugged dramatically. “I mean, it would certainly be a sacrifice I would be willing to make—“

“Why are you still here?” You questioned, picking up Shiva’s wrench and chucking it in his general direction. “Get out of here.”

“Easy. Easy.” Quinn tsked. “Pregnant women aren’t supposed to be stressed.”

“My stress would be relieved if you took a quick trip out of an airlock.” You shot back. “Can you make that happen?”

“Such hostility.” He laughed, crunching down on another crisp.

“When are you leaving?” Shiva questioned.

“As soon as I can pull my things together.” You rubbed at your temples. “This wasn’t in my plan.”

“It doesn’t have to be.” They reminded you. “You have options.”

“Trust me, I know.” You sighed, worrying at your bottom lip. “It’s just a lot to think about.” You gestured to your stomach. “I feel like I’m going to wake up any moment.”

Shiva stared at your stomach, “How do you feel?”

You shrugged, “Like it’s any other day.”

“And they’re certain?”

“Unfortunately,” You tugged your satchel off your shoulder, swinging it around to grab your datapad out. “I have everything right here. Blood test confirms it. They can’t do too much more until I’m further along.”

“Do you think it will be like it’s dear furry father?” Quinn questioned, tapping his heels against the barrel again. “Are you going to have a werewolf fetus wiggling around during the full moon?”

That made your stomach turn. “I don’t know.”

“Hey,” Shiva grabbed your arm. “We’ll figure this all out together.”

You smiled a little, “Thank you.”

“Do I get a thanks?” Quinn questioned, a little too jovially.

“Fuck off, Quinn.” You seethed. “Why are you still here?”

“I enjoy being a thorn in the side of my acquaintances. I’m also broke.” He shrugged. “Shiva’s letting me crash until things smooth over with a few connections.”

You gave Shiva a skeptical look.

“I like strays.” They walked past you to grab the wrench you had thrown at Quinn. “He’s occasionally useful.”

He grinned and gave you a thumbs up. “All jokes aside, I do recognize our ship has long since left the port.”

“There was never a ship.” You grumbled. “It was an escape pod. A badly banged up escape pod.”

Quinn wiggled his brows, “Ah, but you took that escape pod frequently.”

You rolled your eyes again, giving him an annoyed expression, before turning your attention back to Shiva. “Why?”

“He’s amusing.” They nudged you in the shoulder. “And you know it’s true.”

“Unfortunately.”

“So how do you think Ezra will react?” Quinn questioned. “I couldn’t really get a vibe from him.”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” You admitted, folding your arms across your chest. “We’ve never discussed children. We’ve never discussed what could’ve been situations.” You touched the spot on your arm where your faulty stim was. “We thought we were covered.”

“The oldest story ever told.” Quinn quipped.

Shiva finally looked annoyed, “Can you grab the manifold? It’ll be in the engine room somewhere.”

“Trying to get rid of me?”

You both turned to him with an in unison, “Yes.”

You sank back in the pilot’s seat, stretching your legs out in front of you while you waited for the com to connect. The connection buzzed a handful of times and you wondered if Ezra was dealing with the side effects of the full moon.

On the last buzz of the connection, he picked up.

“Sorry, moonbeam. I was in the fresher.” He drawled out, his voice just as warm as it was when you sat right beside him. “And as tempting as it is to use the com panel in the fresher…”

You laughed softly, chewing on your thumbnail as you tried to keep your tone as casual as possible. The last thing you wanted to do was to blurt out what you had to tell him.

Not that you could even think about the situation without feeling like you wanted a black hole to open up and swallow you whole.

“Did you hear me?” Ezra questioned.

“Sorry, yes.” You exhaled slowly. “Sorry.”

“You alright?”

“Just tired,” You lied. “And as tempting as it is to hear all about your time in the fresher, I’m not really in the mood tonight.”

“What are you in the mood for, little lamb?”

You rubbed at the crease between your brows, “I could really go for a quiet evening with some quality cuddling time.”

Ezra chuckled softly, “My bed feels rather empty without you.” He sighed a little. “What’s got you feeling down?”

“Nothing in particular,” You answered easily. “It’s just been a really long day. How have you been?”

“Alright.” He sighed a little. “I felt like this month was harder, you know? We managed last month and I had something to focus on. I’m a bit sore.”

“Sounds like you could use a quiet evening too.”

Ezra hummed. “It would certainly make things easier.” He was quiet for a moment before he added, “Are you sure you’re alright, moonbeam?”

“I will be as soon as I’m back on Lykaios with you.” You propped your chin up on the arm of the chair. “Which may actually be sooner than planned.”

“What?”

“I got everything together quicker than I anticipated.” You told him with a slight smile, even though he couldn’t see you. “I’m a few hours out.”

“That’s certainly a welcome surprise.” Ezra said warmly. “And what do I owe this surprise to?”

“I might miss you.” You teased lightly. “And I…”

You both fell silent for another long moment.

“And you, what?” Ezra sounded nervous and you didn’t blame him.

“Nothing.” You told him as you flipped on the autopilot and transferred the com connection to your datapad. “I want to wait until I get there.”

Ezra hummed curiously, “And you’re certain all is well?”

“Well, I managed to track down a book of Herrick’s poems for you.” You told him as you meandered down the corridor to your quarters. “Quinn sent along a book of Byron’s poems he had. I’m not sure what message that sends.”

“I think I know.” You rolled your eyes. “A different little lamb.”

He sighed heavily, “Are we certainly Quinn’s clever enough to make that connection?”

You snorted, “Touché.”

“I would actually be impressed.”

“It’s not unlikely,” You shrugged, kicking off your boots and sinking back onto your bed. “He used to be really obsessed with British history.”

“Interesting.” You could practically picture him grinding his teeth. “How long have you known Quinn?”

You thought for a second, “Early into the program. He’s just always been around.”

“And you never—“

“He doesn’t belong in the same box as Alia or Mars.” You assured him, “He was just a nice way to scratch the itch. You know?”

“Yeah.” Ezra sighed. “I suppose I can give him credit for owning Byron in the first place.”

You laughed, snorting a little at how begrudgingly he said it. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too.” He murmured. “Are you in bed?”

“I just laid down.” You told him, laying the datapad on the bed beside you. “Only one more sleep before I’m there with you.”

“Why are you coming back early? Don’t get me wrong, I’m elated, but… your hesitation earlier is going to keep me up tonight.”

“It’s something I’d prefer to discuss when I’m with you.”

“Wait, does this have to do with your trip to the medic?” Ezra questioned. “Did Shiva make you go?”

“It’s related to that.”

“Is something wrong? Fuck.” Ezra hissed out. “Moonbeam, just tell me. I’m going to worry an ulcer into my stomach before you arrive.”

“I wouldn’t call it wrong.” You sighed a little, trying to resist the urge to cry. You didn’t actually know if he would think it was “wrong”. He might.

“You can tell me.” His voice wavered. “If the guardians have hurt you, I’ll rip them limb from limb.”

“Ezra, please calm down.” You said lightly. “We’ll talk about it soon. I promise it’s not as bad as you’re thinking. I’m fine and I’ll be fine.”

He was quiet for a moment. “I don’t want to lose you because of something I could’ve prevented.”

“You’re not going to lose me,” You assured him. “This is why I didn’t want to have this conversation over a com-call.”

“Only a few more hours,” Ezra sighed again. “Right?”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything at all…” You raked your hands over your face. “All of this is new for me.”

“It’s new for me too.” Ezra drawled out. “I still think I’m going to wake up and discover it was all an elaborate dream.”

“All of it?”

“Just you.”

“I feel the same way.” You admitted as you rolled onto your side. “I expect to wake up on the Block, ready to ship out somewhere. It doesn’t feel real most days.”

“I hate when I have to let go of you.”

“I hope you don’t ever let go.”

Ezra scoffed, “I could never.”

“Are you in bed?”

“Yes, I’ve returned to my dreadfully lonely bed.”

“Did you get dressed after your shower?”

He chuckled, “I thought you said you weren’t in the mood, my sweet little lamb.”

“What? I want to picture what I’m missing.” It was a nice distraction at least. You wouldn’t have to worry about questions about anything.

“What’s the point of putting clothes on when you’re alone?” Ezra questioned, his voice a little raspier.

“Well, I’m fully dressed.”

He tsked quietly, “How disappointing. Then again, you were fully dressed in my bed when you—“

You groaned dramatically, “It’s not my fault that you smell so good.”

“I could say the same. It drives me crazy, moonbeam.” His breath caught in his throat. “We should sleep.”

“I’ll be there soon.” You promised him, smiling sadly at the datapad. There was no way you were going to actually sleep, your anxiety wasn’t going to allow that to happen. “Ezra?”

“Mhm?”

“I love you.”

“Oh moonbeam, I love you too.” He said warmly. “And I plan to count the moments until you are safely in my arms again.”

You switched screens on the datapad, “I am five hours out.”

“Would you be adverse to me coming upon your arrival?” Ezra questioned.

“I would be disappointed if you didn’t.” You say the datapad back down beside you. “I’ll see you soon, Ezra.”

“Until the morning.” Ezra whispered. “Sleep well, love.”

You stared at the datapad, even after the line went dead. There was a part of you that wished that you’d told him what you wanted to tell him, just to pull the bandage off and find out what he thought without being there.

How were you supposed to guess what his reaction would be to discovering that was going to be a father?

The man had lived alone for five years, keeping himself away from everyone who was like him. He feared losing the last vestiges of his humanity. He warred with wanting you to stay with him and wanting to cut you loose. He loved you, but did he love you like that?

And for that matter, was this what you wanted?

This romance with Ezra had been a whirlwind, but it had been different than any love that came before. You spent hours on end with him, cooped up in your transport or his and you never got bored. There was never a moment where you found yourself ready to leave, you never wanted to.

When you thought you loved Mars, you loved him in small doses. It was intense and all-consuming, but you always needed to come up for air. Alia… You would have willingly drowned in your love for her, but she always needed her own space.

You recognized that this might be too much for him. He couldn’t escape from you, not really. You came in and out of his life, but he was fixed in one spot.

But neither of you seemed ready for your time together to end. If you were at his transport before you left to return to the Block, he would always follow you into yours and spend another hour with you before reluctantly parting ways.

It was different.

Maybe he could feel that invisible string connecting the two of you. The one that always felt drawn taut when you weren’t with him. The sensation that always drew you back to Lykaios.

But would a child change all of that? Shiva may have been right. You could’ve gone back to Lykaios without having to worry about any of this. Though, what would you do if one day Ezra did express his desire to become a father — a possibility that was taken from him by the curse and by you.

You just had to hope that things would sort themselves out. That he would understand. That his love for you wouldn’t falter.

#ezra (prospect)#ezra x reader #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal ezra #ezra (prospect) x reader

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lgbtsupport · 4 years

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Do you need another form of support?

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No, unfortunately. The goal of our page is to offer advice or emotional support to those of the LGBTQIA+ community. We do not reblog or share posts like this because we can not verify which of these are cyber safe and/or people genuinely seeking monetary support. If we can support you in any other way please let us know.

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LGBTQIA+ Dictionary (Lgbt.usfc.edu)

LGBTQIA+: Abbreviation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Agender/Asexual/Aromantic, NonBinary, GenderQueer and Genderfluid. An umbrella term used to refer to the community as a whole.

Asexuality: Generally characterized by not feeling sexual attraction or a desire for partnered sexuality. Asexuality is distinct from celibacy, which is the deliberate abstention from sexual activity.

Bisexual: A person whose primary sexual and affectional orientation is toward people of the same and other genders, or towards people regardless of their gender.

Gay: A sexual orientation toward people of the same gender.

Genderqueer: A person whose gender identity and/or gender expression falls outside of the dominant societal norm for their assigned sex, is beyond genders, or is some combination of them.

Heterosexuality: A sexual orientation in which a person feels physically and emotionally attracted to people of a gender other than their own.

Homosexual/Homosexuality: An outdated term to describe a sexual orientation in which a person feels physically and emotionally attracted to people of the same gender.

Intersex: People who, without medical intervention, develop primary or secondary sex characteristics that do not fit “neatly” into society's definitions of male or female. Many visibly intersex people are mutilated in infancy and early childhood by doctors to make the individual’s sex characteristics conform to society’s idea of what normal bodies should look like. Intersex people are relatively common, although society's denial of their existence has allowed very little room for intersex issues to be discussed publicly.

Lesbian: A woman whose primary sexual orientation is toward people of the same gender.

Pansexual/Omnisexual: Terms used to describe people who have romantic, sexual or affectional desire for people of all genders and sexes.

Nonbinary: A gender identity that embraces full universe of expressions and ways of being that resonate with an individual. It may be an active resistance to binary gender expectations and/or an intentional creation of new unbounded ideas of self within the world.

Queer: This can include, but is not limited to, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and asexual people. This term has different meanings to different people. Some still find it offensive, while others reclaim it to encompass the broader sense of history of the gay rights movement. Can also be used as an umbrella term like LGBT, as in "the queer community."

Transgender: Used most often as an umbrella term, some commonly held definitions: 1. Someone whose gender identity or expression does not fit (dominant-group social constructs of) assigned birth sex and gender. 2. A gender outside of the man/woman binary. 3. Having no gender or multiple genders.

Transsexual: A person who lives full-time in a gender different than their assigned birth sex and gender. Some pursue hormones and/or surgery while others do not. Sometimes used to specifically refer to trans people pursuing gender or sex confirmation.

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eliserunsboston · 5 years

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Growing Like a Wildflower

A Wildflower

“A flower of an uncultivated variety or a flower growing freely without human intervention.”¹

“Wildflowers find themselves growing anywhere. They grow in the most unlikely of places, even in the darkest of night. They find any cracks and crevices that will allow them to sprout up, and they do just that. They grow despite everyone’s belief that they never would. They allow the rain to heal them, not drench them.”²

There is a toughness and simultaneous beauty to wildflowers that I have grown to admire. They grow in the most unlikely of places and resiliently find a way to blossom in the most challenging of circumstances. It’s science.

What I love most about the characteristics of a wildflower is that it grows freely, resiliently and untamed wherever it is planted. It is even able to grow in the unlikeliest of places – in cracks, in crevices, in forgotten fields – and they bring beauty to the space that they inhabit.

There’s a quote that keeps popping up on my Pinterest feed and popping into my mind at moments I need the most reassurances, and it is this by Morgan Harper Nichols, “And somehow, after everything, she still bloomed in the way she was meant to.” (It might also be my phone background.) Morgan Harper Nichols is an artist, a writer, and a storyteller. In 2017, Morgan started a project where she invited people to submit stories to her website. From there, she began creating art inspired by the stories her readers submitted and then sent the person who submitted their story the artwork at no cost. Her words and artwork are illustrative of hope. I am in awe of her talents and the way in which she uses art to build a human connection to bring hope and reassurances to the world. It’s incredible.

“And somehow, after everything, she still bloomed in the way she was meant to.”

When questions start to come up that I don’t yet have the answer to, I refer to this quote. I feel like this unearths the hope that lies within. It’s the reassurance that no matter what detours or winding turns that feel as though they’re pulling me off course come my way, the experiences have grace within them. I feel like she created those words for me.

This season of my life is about growing and learning to listen to my intuition again. It’s a season of looking at the world in a relaxed, matured lens. It’s teaching me patience and to appreciate the fruits and blessings I currently have in the now. It’s having me take a step back from looking at the future and the next step and focusing on appreciating the here and now, in order to know more clearly what I want the picture of my future to look like. It’s also creating a space to let in a rush of gratitude, because when you take the time to pause and reflect, you can’t help but pull out of that place of unfulfillment and count the things that you do have that maybe you didn’t have years ago. It’s allowing me to look at the twists and turns of decisions I’ve made with an objective lens and learn a lesson from it. Giving yourself the space to turn an ordinary, plain moment into a significant pause of reflection to appreciate how far you’ve come is renewing. It’s hard to slow down in a society that elevates and applauds productivity. It’s hard to slow down when my mind is comfortable operating at a heavy pace and my fingers itch for a distraction often found in mindless apps on my devices. It’s tough to turn off the outside world – full of opinions and misplaced directions and decisions – and come into my own body and listen to my mind, my thoughts.

Lately my happiness hasn’t matched my picture of what life would look like by now. The timeline is off. Dreams deferred, along with befuddled expectations are all funky. That’s my technical term for it. Funky. They’re criss-crossy and tangled and difficult to follow and unexpected. It doesn’t match my picture.

But it’s my story.

And that, my friends, is beautiful in and of itself.

Because you’re unique, lovely and hand-made with not one being the same to make up this fabric of the world. So embrace those qualities and sink more into your unique, one-of-a-kind gifts and find your people that have those similar qualities too. And get together and make great shit happen, so that you can share your beautiful, wildflower story of how you overcome. I hope that you fill up your day with words of love and wisdom and reassurance and hope. And that you truly believe you have a wildflower heart within you, meant to blossom in the hardest and darkest of times because you bring beauty to this world simply with your story.

“You want to be happy, Doc? Change your picture. Or change your life,” said Wade Kinsella from Hart of Dixie on Netflix (the full quote is beautiful and located on Pinterest) to his love interest Zoe Hart as played by Rachel Bilson (shoutout to all my Gossip Girl fans!). Please go watch it if you haven’t. It might be my favorite, weird, lovely love story. And I think Wade Kinsella had some wisdom when it came to leading a happy, satisfied, contented life. He was a wildflower, learning to grow in the toughest of places, but he was resilient. He was kind to himself.

In this season of growing, I’m learning to embrace the beautiful and the tough sides of me, to be kinder to myself, to give myself patience in this place of grace and rest.

I came across this quote as I was searching Morgan Harper Nichols’ blog and I’ll leave you with this:

TRUTH ABOUT GRACE

Here’s the truth about grace:

It probably won’t look like you expect it to.

It probably won’t even really make sense to you,

because it’s glorious unmerited favor,

and nothing else really works that way.

There are so many things in life that say to you:

“You are not worthy, and you will never be worthy

unless you can prove it to me.”

But grace says something else.

Grace says:

“I see where you are,

and I know that you have been lost out here,

but there is still a way Home for you.

And you are free to carry on

on that journey,

even before it makes sense to you.”

– Morgan Harper Nichols

Dictionary.com

The Odyssey Online article Have a Heart Like a Wildflower

Growing Like a Wildflower was originally published on Elise Kovi

#grace #health and wellness #learning to grow #rest #seasons #wildflower

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jq37 · 5 years

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Ok last one. What's the tea on Prompocalypse?

So...that was something, huh?

This is gonna be quick and dirty (relatively speaking, it’s still too long already as I come back and make this edit) because I have work tomorrow and there are def stuff I want to talk about more and I will (esp if I get asks) but I have work in the morning so let’s just get some words onto the screen aight.

The episode titles have had a pretty consistent naming scheme up until this point so the one word, non alliterative title had me at a 7 on the foreboding scale before we even started.

Everyone was in prom wear! And lol, Siobhan is the only one in a dress. That's almost exactly what I pictured Adaine wearing to prom. That exact shade of blue-green. And Emily looks like a waiter.

I wonder what Bren's plan was for if they'd thwarted the crowning entirely. Got baller initiative, some nat 20's on crown keepaway and smashing, and killed Penelope/Dayne before the bad guys could finish them. Would he just try to crown someone else or would the curb stompage have stood? Not that Goldenhoard would have been a pushover I imagine but jeez. He couldn't have been as strong as his true form.

Sidenote: One of my favorite little character things is Zac and Siobhan helping each other do math.

Fig dimension dooring Gorgug to the stage and then skateboarding away. Amazing.

"I'm going for her crown vs. his crown."/"In this climate?"

OK, shoutout to Zac fo asking for those bombs because they are OP as hell.

I love how they just charged in and started trying to kill people, no questions asked, no explaining themselves to the other students, just bombs out immediately.

My man Riz just couldn't catch a break. I understand the out of story reason the police haven't shown up is that Murph was rolling garbage, but what's taking them so long in story? Where? Is? Sklonda?

"I'm going to jump on the back of the Hangman."/”Presumptuous."

But also, by the end of the fight he's just like, "Do anything any party member tells you to!"

Lou losing it over Riz claiming best friend status. But damn, they kinda are the closest to each other in the party. Wild.

"You know what baby girl? Why don't you ready an action until I get there," said Siobahn to Ally, hilariously for a number of reasons.

They keep saying Teen Wolf and I have no idea what part of the movie they're referring to. This is the second ep in a row.

Lou trying to recruit a super sad Ragh.

They started off this fight really strong. Doing double digit damage and rolling over 20s. I was like, "Damn, they've leveled up. They're doing great!" Of course, we were still in the first third of the ep so I didn't know where we were going. But Lou was right. "Wild first turn."

"And then I shoot him."

I'm half convinced Riz jinxed everyone by saying, "Remember the corn fight?"

Kristen cast ONE spell and then said, "I don't have a lot of spells left." THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TRY AND SAVE ADAINE'S WORTHLESS FAMILY. YOU ARE THE HEALER. YOU NEED ALL YOUR SPELLS.

The students running to get food on the way out. Mood.

They messed Dayne *up*. This was the high point of the battle, objective-wise.

Sidenote, why would Dayne have needed to be at the Seacaster Manor raid? It feels dumb to ris him when he was such an important part of things. Was it literally just because he didn't like Fabian? And he disliked him enough to try and kill his parents? Yeesh.

Kirsten @ Ragh flipping out over Dayne: I see what's going on here.

Ragh really made this fight harder than it had to be. If Gorgug hadn't been grappled before Penelope got the crown they might have had a fighting chance.

So Penelope just straight up let what's her face (Sam I think) get palimpsested? Major yikes. Like I know it's a good thing they killed her but I kinda wish they hadn't so we could learn exactly what the insane thought process was there. She comes off as crazier than Biz because Biz was trapping girls he didn't respect, not his actual friends, you know? Like, did Goldenhoard say he was gonna make her an actual queen or something? Because all this isn't worth just being prom queen.

"Sometimes you make a villain and they die in the first two rounds," said Brennan, as if he didn't know what he was about to unleash on the party. Geez, I don't know how long they would have survived if Penelope and Dayne had been in play for a large chunk of the fight.

Murph's idea to blind him was a good one.

I almost was like, "Thank God Gorthalax got kidnapped," because that was the only good explanation for him seemingly ditching Fig.

Ally: Was that his best friend? (Emily: What./Siobahn: NO.)

"I'm like an advertisement for chicken."/"What chicken adverts are you watching?"/"It's like if you went to prom and there was a dangling chicken leg."/"What prom did you go to?"

Fabian full on clocking Penelope in the face like he's playing Punch Out.

"I killed my father today. Yes."

"This is against the rules but I don't care." In hindsight, this feels like foreshadowing.

"Well, that's the risk you take when you go to Aguefort Adventuring Academy."

"Get on the fucking right team!"

Lou (a la Gimli): And *my* D6.

Brennan pulling out that GIANT final form Goldenhoard figure.

For some reason, it didn't occur to me that he'd be just a legit dragon in his true form. I was picturing like the lich from Adventure Time or something.

Also, I was kinda expecting him to "Drop the act," and majorly change in personality but he was basically the same. Just a dick.

Gorgug rolls a 4. Brennan pauses for a second. The entire party: No.

Zac goes all in every time no matter how dumb it is. I love him.

"Father, stop this."/"What?"

"Not clever enough for the library and not brave enough for the world." Oww, I felt that one. Did Brennan have that waiting to use or did he come up with it on the spot because that was brutal.

Goldenhoard goes through the whole party, trying to hit their weakest point and he gets what might have been a great hit on Fig (You're so unloveable your father would rather go to hell than stay with you.) but she just says, "You have got to stop flirting with me," and completely diffuses the moment. As unflappable as Brennan is, he had to take a sec to jump back into the insult parade after that.

"I'm going to eat you."/"OH MY GOD."/"I'm not making it sexual!"

"*The* ball, bitch."

OK, I was wondering what the deal was with Riz's dad. Because giving him that gun implies a chance to kill his dad's killer but I didn't think it could be Goldenhoard directly because of the binding. That's another point towards Riz being the one to finish him off.

Wild that they weren't able to get any of the kids (save Ragh eventually) to help them with the fight. You go to adventuring school! Cowards! You would never make it at Sunnydale and that school was mostly normals!

The one dude still just getting food while Goldenhoard has turned into a full on dragon.

When an 18 wasn't a high enough roll for Fig to make her fear check, that's when I realized my earlier apprehension wasn't misplaced. I mean, maybe it should have been when he turned into a dragon but it is what it is.

But Fig skating away and then going, "Just kidding bitch," because she got it on the very next turn was hilarious.

Kristen still not being 100% on whether Ragh is gay or not.

Who was gonna kick Ragh off the team for being gay? Maybe Daybreak would have but Gorthalax def wouldn't have. Maybe he means he would have been bullied off?

Siobahn to Kristen/Ally: Stop outing students.

I can't believe Gorgug had to kiss Ragh in the middle of this fight to get his head in the game.

Also, I didn't get into it before because I knew this scene was coming but poor Ragh. Like, I could have told him things were gonna go this way and he's a big dummy for thinking otherwise, but poor dude. And then he finally gets it together and he gets wrecked.

"EMILY, I SOMETIMES CAN'T TELL WHEN YOU'RE REALLY FUCKING WITH ME OR NOT."

Siobhan doing the D&D equivalent of reminding the teacher they had homework.

The amount of dice that Brennan rolled for Goldenhoard was truly horrifying. That's permadeath damage.

AND HE GOT THE HEALER DOWN FIRST. This was the next moment I started sensing a TPK.

"HOMOPHOBE!"/"You hit both of the gay ones!"

Kristen taking damage from Goldenhoard's libertarian speech.

I find it such a Fig move to be like, "Can I use charm person to snap Adaine out of it," instead of the spell actually made for that purpose.

Rolling low perception and getting no information is the worst because then it's like...OK I know something's out there but what dammit?

When Brennan said Fig would have to do opposed athletics against Adaine, that was the first time I was like, "Oh thank God she's so weak."

Murph forgetting to uncanny dodge until midway through the ep was uncharacteristic. Really shows how wild the fight was.

"This kid likes to get his ass beat to a soundtrack."

Fabian refusing to just use the stairs like a normal person.

Penelope going, "What's your deal?" like she's not helping an evil dragon who wants to rule the world.

JAWBONE

JAWBONE JAWBONE JAWBONE

My man Jawbone shot way up on the list of cool adults today.

For real, the scene with Jawbone and Adaine was my second favorite moment of the episode and it would have been my favorite if not for a bit of divine intervention later.

I already made a post about this but Jawbone notices Adaine flipping the hell out and he asks her if she has panic attacks and if her parents gave her any meds for it. She responds in, like, the smallest, most broken and defeated voice with a tiny head shake, "My parents just left and I don't know where they are." Gah, my heart. She was half crying. I was half awake and being kicked in the face with the full force of human emotion. It was a lot. I felt like I was a kid watching that one scene from Fresh Prince again but British-er. She gets that her parents suck and she hates them but she's 14. Everyone wants their parents to love them. It's like in our DNA.

And then Jawbone launches into the wildest motivational speech ever (including all of Kristen's, which is saying a lot) which starts with him sucking off a border patrol agent. (You understand me?/No!)

Ally, MVP of Terrible Speeches: *That* was the point?

Siobhan trying not to crack up and break character throughout that whole scene was great.

I love that Brennan was clearly trying to not encourage people to mess with their med dosage irl because he was very specific about that but also he was like, "A dragon is about to end the world so please shotgun this bottle of magic Xanax and hop on that bike."

I love that Adaine has all the magic stuff in her inventory and then also Xanax.

Aww, Jawbone offered to let her live with him because her house burned down. (I guess that info was on the news?)

And then Adaine rolls a 20 with the help from her meds (and buffs) right away! It's great when the dice cooperate.

"I came here to FUCK SHIT UP. And help children."

"Jawbone rules. I'm so glad we helped him get his life together."

Jawbone is such a sketch person but such a good counselor.

Siobhan calling Goldenhoard and absolute fucking unit sayed be at 5 in the morning when I watched this.

"I AM A CHILD. YOU ARE ATTACKING A BUNCH OF CHILDREN YOU COWARD."

"Then why is your dick out?" Adaine joining in Fig w/ the taunting Goldenhoard via accusations of flirting.

"Why are you guys partially singed?"/"Because he's been attacking us Dad! Also Dad, he kind of used to come on to me all the time."

"Play the drums more and we'll have a full band on stage!"/"...Instead."

"You ruined prom!"/"I RUINED PROM?"

At this point I was thinking, "Geez, there's not a lot of episode left and Penelope isn't even dead yet. How could they possibly defeat Goldenhoard AND have time for tying up loose ends?" TPK vibes increase.

Adaine getting a nat 20 on Arcana, "Yeah it is what it is. You're screwed."

Hell yeah for Adaine giving Goldenhoard her low divination roll to ensure her lightning bolt hit. Not that it ended up mattering that much but still. Sick.

"Well you could have told me before this very moment!"/"I was dead!"

I just checked on the stats of an an adult red dragon in 5E and it's got 256 HP. 256! And look at the other stats! They're wild.

"This is the number of dice?"/"Yeah."/"God."

Fig goes down. Their secondary healer. So, not good. Very not good.

Brennan letting Emily burn Goldenhoard's tie as she passes out because Emily refuses to do nothing.

And Riz goes down too! The one with the med kit! At this point I was like, there is no way this can end well.

"How far away is the hospital?" I love it when they try just normal solutions in this magic game like calling their parents and going to the hospital.

It is an hour and 47 minutes into the episode before Adaine remembers she's wearing a magic coat that can make her anything (within reason). Which, to be fair, it took me a little bit too but, in my defense, I'm not staring at her character sheet.

Real talk, I didn't think she was gonna get anything from the jacket from that ask. Something to beat Kalvaxis is such a big ask.

When Brennan started going into the jacket stuff I was like, this is a really weird deus ex machina if that's what this is. But also, the kids have been hilariously chill with just having Adaine walk around in a jacket filled with people.

There was a lot to unpack there and I'll got to it in another post but I can't do another 4k epic this week y'all. I have work in the morning.

Adaine yelling for Basrar to get them their ice cream before they freaking die.

Aww Gorthalax tried to heal Fig instead of attacking.

"Daddy that was a waste of a turn."

Gorgug who has a million hit points went down and all the healers are down. There are less than ten minutes left in the episode. TPK for sure, I'm thinking.

Adaine flipping people off with a vengeance today.

Also the fact that she totally forgot that she could ask for a healing potion which is totally a thing that she almost def would have been able to get is hilarious. I mean it wouldn't have been as funny if the episode ended differently but, as it stands, hilarious.

"Does the Hangman know medicine?"

"What about this student? Is he studying to be a cleric?"

Adaine is down. That's everyone down but Fabian. Three and a half minutes left. And that's when I realize. There's not enough time for a good ending, but there's not enough time for a bad ending either. But there's no S2. This is an anthology series. What's going on here my sleepy 6am brain is saying.

Fig giving her dad bardic inspiration while passed out because Emily is Emily.

Everyone (exceptt Riz) was making their saves. I'm thinking, "Is next season different characters, same setting. Maybe a bunch of years in the future? Legacy characters?" I'm trying to put together the fact that this is the finale with 2 minutes left with the fact that they're playing different characters next season. The pieces aren't fitting.

And that's because I couldn't have predicted what was about to happen.

Ally, clearly joking says, "Can I roll for a nat 20 and just be alive?"

Brennan, barely thinking, says, "Sure, go for it," as casually as if he was okaying a perception check.

Murph and Lou are cracking up at the absurdity of the ask.

Ally says, "This is to the corn god," half solem, half smiling.

Siobhan holds her hand over the dice like she's blessing them.

"I know I left for a while," Ally starts as the dice are cast and...

"NAT 20 MOTHERFUCKER!"

Everyone goes WILD.

Ally punches air.

Brennan looks like someone slapped him.

Emily: You have to rip up your comparative world religions book.

BONUS EPISODE UNLOCKED

And what did we learn today? A 5 percent chance is small, but not insignificant.

OK, there’s one thing I want to address before I tap out for the night (and it’s not spell checking. I’ll do that in the morning).

I saw some people discussing the possibility that they faked the ending. Like, they just edited it like that to give them another chance because they were all about to die. Beyond the fact that I just trust them to not have done that, the other big reason I don’t think that’s likely is because there was a much more seamless way of stacking the deck in their favor. Brennan could have had Adaine pull literally anything out of her jacket. And I truly mean anything because this is a finale. Even if he gave her something game breaking, it wouldn’t have set a precedent because it’s the last ep. And that’s beyond all the NPCs that could plausibly have come in because they know something is up and teleportation is a thing in this world. Nah, I think that was just good, old fashioned, luck of the roll and thank Helio because they needed it.

OK, that’s it for now! Join me at some point between now and next ep to unpack this because it’s a lot and apparently we have another episode to get through. Hoot growl baby!

#fantasy high #asks #a-salty-alto #spoilers

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luvkirby4ever · 6 years

Text

Of birds and morons: a look into Mother 3′s most intricate unspoken running joke/motif

Shoutout to @amphibizzy for convincing me to talk about this. There’s so much Mother 3 meta that I want to talk about- maybe next time I’ll make a video essay to spare you all from reading so much >o<

Tldr; Duster and Wess have bird motifs that don’t quite translate over well, making Wess’s mannerisms slightly less harsh in context but outs him as surprisingly superstitious. May be a nod to Japanese mythology, too.

So, a starting point. Did you know that at beginning of chapter 7 after Ionia joins you (still tied up at this point) that if you go back and talk to Wess he says something rather strange?

For clarity, the entire original conversation reads "Washi no inemuri uranai ni yoreba kyou wa TRIPLE LUCKY da yo. Jishin o motte daikatsuyaku shinasai." which translates as “According to my sleep divinations, today is triple lucky. Go forth with great confidence.”

Weird, right? Since when has Wess believed in something like fortune telling through dreams? Is that why he believed Alec’s dream of Hinawa? And what does this have to do with birds?

Be sure to remember this.

Part 1: Cleaning crew bird boys

So now let’s take a step back and look at the easiest part of all this. In all of Mother 3, there’s only 1 bandana that Flint can equip (the manly bandana that Lighter gave him), otherwise the only characters than can equip bandanas are Duster and Salsa. The bandanas (except the manly one) all have a bird names, with the types being the chick, sparrow, rail (the kana used refers to the water rail, a type of bird), swallow (also a bird), crow, kite (also a bird), and Horus (the Egyptian god whose head resembles a falcon).

Now that’s all well and good, but let’s say that’s not good enough. Wess and Duster’s connection with watching over the Hummingbird Egg seems pretty solid with Duster’s bird bandanas but let’s go deeper.

When Wess snaps, he consistently refers to Duster as “aho” (moron) and “anoaho” (that moron). Which is needlessly cruel, but... also a pun. Yes, that’s right. The game totters around the joke that Duster is bird-brained, through which Wess is the main spark and Duster is the conduit. And for the record’s sake this isn’t me excusing Wess’s actions- I’m making an intricate webcomic about his relationship with Duster and him learning how to be a better person for a reason, after all- but I’ve literally heard nobody else talk about this so I honestly think people don’t know about it.

In Japan, “aho” means “moron”, but it is also the onomatopoeia for a crow’s cawing. There’s a trope known as the “idiot crow” in Japanese media based on this. What will happen is that something dumb will happen and a crow will fly by and caw “aho aho!”. Which means “caw caw” but also means “moron moron”. Thus the joke. So Wess’s “aho aho!”-ing and using “anoaho” makes him sound like an old crow, commentating on Duster’s mistakes.

Will I get banned from the fandom for making a Homestuck “caw caw motherfucker joke with Wess or-?”

This also feeds into Duster being a bird- “aho” (”moron”) is also used in the word “ahoudori” (”albatross”). Which is a bird, of course. And it’s no coincidence either- albatross are known as “idiot birds” in Japan- that’s what “ahoudori” literally translates to.

One more thing that I’ll add to the “Duster’s a bird” pool aside from making a “HEY GUYS LOOK HE’S A FEATHER DUSTER” joke is that his “aho” bird-ness lends him to more “you are ____ type of bird” jokes, which is actually extrapolated by Lighter in game.

In the Japanese version Lighter says “Sugoshi CONDOR? Iya sakatta. Sugoshi hagetaka? Gaahaahaaha.” This translates as “[You’re] a bit condor-ish? No, that’s not it. [You’re] a bit vulture-ish? Gahaha.”

A bit “vulture-ish”? Why does he say that? And why did Mato translate it as going bald? Because it’s another wordplay pun! Much like how “ahoudori” (”albatross”) is literally “idiot-bird”, “hagetaka” (”vulture”) is literally “bald-hawk”. But even more than that, “hagetaka” (a noun) is similar to “hageru”, the verb for “to bald”. Since “hageru” is an ichidan verb, you can conjugate it as “hageta” to say “balded”. And then you tack on “ka” at the end to make the statement a question. So, in short:

Hagetaka=vulture

Hage=bald

Taka=hawk

Hageru=to bald

Hageta=balded

“Hagetaka?”=“Have you balded?”

Hagetaakaa=the “balding eagle” enemy on Mr. Oriander

Damn, Lighter! That’s a choice pun. Now, whether or not he was mostly doing it to make a bird joke, to note that Duster looks balder without an afro, or genuinely comment on Duster’s hairline is anyone’s guess. But hey thanks for the bird fodder Lighter!

Part 2: Idiots don’t catch colds

If there’s one Japanese idiom you’ve heard, it’s probably that one. It’s a funny little superstition- the idea that you’re so dumb that your brain lacks to capacity to get a cold- but surprisingly it may be a belief by which Wess operates. And yes, this still has to do with birds! In a roundabout way!

Wess being the type of person to believe in magical dreaming and superstition was a very hard concept for me to process at first after I read that “triple lucky” bit during a Mother 3 playthrough. With the exception of Duster-related things, Wess seems like a fairly understanding and reasonable person: he tells Flint to be careful and consider his family before rushing off to confront the Mecha-Drago, he wants to help search for Hinawa, he’s adamantly opposed to Fassad’s BS and is one of the only villagers to actively oppose him, and he even tells Duster (upon inputting “no” during a dialogue tree in early chapter 2) that Duster can target any hatred or resentment he may have towards him, since by Wess’s logic that doesn’t matter as long as their mission succeeds.

So if anything he’s a bit crass and willing to sacrifice his own pride/comfort/personal relationships for the greater good, but his convictions are strong and seemingly grounded in his own sense of justice and logic. Which is why I always took him as someone who wouldn’t believe in PSI, magic, or anything supernatural like that. But since he *does* seem to believe in that sort of thing, let’s break down what we know:

Wess refers to Duster as a moron

Duster’s IQ is often tied with Boney’s for lowest party member IQ

Wess tells Kumatora in chapter 3 that “morons like that don’t get hurt or sick”

Duster canonically doesn’t catch fevers while Kumatora and Lucas do

In Japan, there’s the idiom “idiots don’t catch colds”

Wess claims to have dreams with fortune telling powers

Says Lucas will have a “triple lucky” day

Lucas proceeds to successfully pull 3 out of the 7 needles before the chapter is over

It’s almost as if Wess wants Duster to be a moron, because superstitiously Duster would be safer that way. Hm. It’s also strange that Wess almost seems magical, which may have legitimately been viable at some point since Wess was planned as a playable character for a long while (Therefore he could have been a PSI user with thunder attacks to replace his bombs). There’s an Earthbound 64 screenshot of Wess being alive while Duster is fainted and even all the way up through Mother 3 you can still access data suggesting Wess was a normal party member from the debug room (I could make a whole post on that- you can use a glitch to pull up all of his stats except HP and PP).

So Duster may be a bird and Wess an old, superstitious crow with maybe some sort of ambiguous connection to magic... but so what? Well,

Part 3: It’s Yo-kai time! (Yatagarasu, Kotengu, and Karasutengu)

This is a much more speculative section, though I try to be reasonable.

You know, I skimmed over the fact that Duster’s final and best bandana is the Horus Bandana, named after the Egyptian deity with a falcon head. Horus’s right and left eyes represent the sun and moon, respectively. His left eye (the moon one) was injured in a fight, explaining the moon’s phases. Funny, considering that Duster also has a left side injury.

But perhaps Horus isn’t the only ancient deity that we can talk about. I propose the most compelling case, Yatagarasu:

(He’s the bird sitting atop the bow)

Yatagarasu is the Japanese name of a myth that originated in China. He’s a 3-legged crow that is representative of the sun. Specifically in Japan, he represents the will of heaven and divine intervention. He symbolizes guidance, as well as rebirth after tragic stuff like battle/war.

Yatagarasu is prominent enough that there’s a Yu-gi-oh card and a Persona based on him too, which is pretty cool. But even cooler is that he sounds a lot like what the Egg of Light, Wess, and Duster were responsible for. The Egg was responsible for the rebirth of their lives for the citizens of Tazmily. And Wess and Duster’s task to protect the Egg for reasons they don’t understand for the sake of a village that doesn’t appreciate their work seems like they’re doing god’s work, so to speak.

An important thing about Yatagarasu too is that it defies the normal Japanese superstition that crows are bad luck. Yatagarasu is a harbinger of good. I’m not sure if any of this was intentional or not, but I think comparing Duster, Wess, and the Egg of Light to it is a pretty solid theory.

So let’s briefly skim over Kotengu and Karasutengu, which are lesser Tengu with bird-like faces. (For my own reference there’s really good write ups here and here about them.) For the most part the important thing is that they are bird/crow yokai, but one intriguing thing I found is that Kotengu is that they tend to live like hermits (like Wess and Duster), carry items/weapons stolen from humans (the thief aspect), and collect magical items (the thief tools).

Conclusion:

So do I think Wess and Duster are supposed to represent bird tengu? I don’t know! Maybe not completely deliberately, but I definitely believe in the strength of the bird motifs (especially crow Wess). I had drawn a silly little picture about it 2 years ago for Inktober, in fact...

Whatever the case, I hope someone out there appreciates the info dump. There’s a lot of Mother 3 stuff I’ve examined meticulously so that my Mother 3 webcomic, DutyBound, can be the best it can be. Sometimes there’s so much info I want to share but nobody who will listen, though!

So if anyone ever wants to hear some more crazy in-depth Mother 3 meta, I’m your guy >.<

#mother 3 #wess #duster #meta #long post #egg of light

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sayantandodo · 4 years

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The Future of Socializing Immersive Learning and Activation of SkillPal.

At the dawn of the internet, people were first only able to communicate through text, with no font or design optionality. Eventual progressions in technology-enabled more nuanced design and the onset of digital photo and video. In recent years, we’ve seen a rapid rise in live video communication alongside a shift in interpersonal communication and media consumption from desktop to mobile. The next frontier is the eventuality of AR/VR, which allows a user to share content that is closer to the purest form of his or her experience and to consume arguably the most immersive and compelling form of media available to date. In addition, the use of virtual spaces for traditionally physical experiences is becoming more and more commonplace. The onset of COVID-19 has only accelerated this phenomenon. SkillPal is the new program objectifying education in society. Via internet SkillPal is spreading its wave into Indian society.

In these aforementioned digital environments, the individual is able to represent his or herself with avatars. The more society employs non-storyline conforming uses to these digital worlds, the more important nuanced interpersonal communication becomes for the user base. This phenomenon highlights the need for a new form of digital communication, particularly in light of the shift to AR/VR interfaces. Current text-based messaging solutions are extremely inconvenient on virtual interfaces, while audio streams don’t fully reflect the emotional dimensions of a conversation. Lastly, while video holograms benefit from their accurate depictions of user emotion, they, unfortunately, suffer from the uncanny valley effect rendering them less than ideal for encouraging user engagement. The setting for the documentary was the historical Orpheum Theater in Vancouver with reality capture technology cast in the best supporting role. The technology helped create an immersive viewing experience, and, arguably was a key factor driving the recognition that the documentary earned.

To set expectations, or more accurately, to set no expectations, we didn’t tell our early test viewers how the documentary was made. Instead, they put on a VR headset and were virtually transported to the stage, where they felt as if they were watching a private ballet performance by Maggie. This type of viewer immersion helped to invoke a greater sense of empathy for the ballerina, as evidenced by the many people that were moved to tears after seeing the documentary. Since “The 100%” was the first immersive documentary of its kind, many aspects of the production were theoretical or instinctual. When it came to selecting technology to create the film, here’s what we learned. First, we needed to capture all the details of the stage prior to filming. To do this, we thoroughly researched available products. We selected the Microsoft volumetric capture technology for production work. We also chose two Leica BLK360 imaging laser scanners enabled us to easily capture every millimetre of the theatre in 3D. We filled the BLK360s with more than 60 high-quality scans, which provided an absolutely incredible amount of detail inside the auditorium and the lobby. In fact, we captured far more data than we needed, simply to have a massive data set to fine-tune our processing pipeline during the production process.

Complementing the BLK360’s scans, we used thousands of panoramic HDRI photos of the theatre, photogrammetry, and volumetric video – a new category of immersive technology that helps create personal, beautiful and engaging viewing experiences. The high-quality panoramas of the HDRI photos were used to texture the 3D mesh that we created from the BLK360 point cloud data. Then we added volumetric video captures to the LiDAR and HDRI images to create a whole new level of immersion. In the early days of VFX, we used survey equipment, blueprints, reference photography, and guesswork to create a 3D model matching a real location. We always knew LiDAR was a better option, but for a long time, it was considered a luxury. In recent years, however, it’s become more accessible as we realized using the BLK360. The imaging laser scanner allows us to quickly and affordably capture billions of 3D points at a location like the Orpheum Theater. For example, we no longer have to shut down a location site to scan it because the product is lightweight and portable.

Using photogrammetry, we were able to capture more details in less time, but the amount of effort it takes to capture thousands of well-exposed, sharp photographs in varying lighting has always been a challenge. The error inherent to photogrammetry has also been a challenge for every 3D department because it used to require a lot of manual intervention. LiDAR has become the cornerstone of our reality capture workflow, with photogrammetry and HDRI images contributing texture detail but not the underlying geometry. We’ve worked hard to bring these disparate technologies together into a single, coherent flow that uses the accuracy of LiDAR and the detail of photography to create “THE 100%.” Producers and viewers are finding the use of reality capture in filmmaking more impactful due to what’s known as the “transportation effect.” It’s been likened to the difference between thinking about something you watched and remembering something you experienced. The impact on the viewer is more powerful because the film is able to create what feels like the viewer’s own memories, making the viewer feel as if they are actually in the film.

Today, more realistic VR experiences are being created using reality capture and LiDAR. The sense of being in a reallocation is effective at helping a viewer feel like they are truly immersed in another perspective and place. In turn, this leads to higher engagement and more memorable experience. Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits. Educational methods include teaching, training, storytelling, discussion and directed research. “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” -Martin Luther King, Jr. Education gives us a knowledge of the world around us and changes it into something better. It develops in us a perspective of looking at life. It helps us build opinions and have points of view on things in life. People debate over the subject of whether education is the only thing that gives knowledge.

A highly educated person is usually anyone with a graduate degree, anyone who finished college and completed an additional degree. An intellectual person can be someone who didn't even go to college — it refers to someone who enjoys and seeks out knowledge for its own sake. Edutainment combines the words "education" and "entertainment." It refers to any form of entertainment that is educational. The goal of edutainment is to make learning enjoyable and fun. The new era of education is now reaching India. SkillPal takes the oath to give education with entertainment to the people of the world. The skillpal mentoring message or personalized video can be regarding anything. It may be regarding how to speak or how to talk. Many women watch the process of cooking video and need some tips on how to entertain their family members with new delicious dishes. They may ask for a video message from an expert cook via Skillpal. Young women who love to be a fashion icon in their college or universities can ask for an optional learning video from social media fashion bloggers or influencers. The mother of a little child who starts his or her first education can get a personalized video from primary school teachers.

This is not the last but the least. Skillpal will take anyone to the next level. The celebrities will provide you with personalized video messages directly regarding edutainment. Everyone knows that school education or college education will not enough to make someone’s life so meaningful. Young stars need to learn from the experts who struggle to achieve something in their life or people who have talents to stay as an alive star. Spreading education is not that simple. Skillpal is building a reputation for outpouring education in society. People who may request for video lessons from an influencer can get something to learn from Skillpal. This organization originates from Russia. Now they came to India. People or social media users giving time behind entertainment but they learn nothing. This time they will get something to learn and utilize their time and for which edutainment is the new philosophy. Users or fans who want to get an edutainment shoutout can ask for a personalized video message and can get a short video within 7 days from the stars.

#education #edutainment #skillpal #immersivelearning

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