#there are people who were born there. they cannot help having been born somewhere. we should know this by now.

[james-is-nasqueer]

.

[codenamesazanka]

more Deku bashing, if you'll forgive me

Seeing lots of shocked tweets and posts that Deku seems so cold and distant about Shigaraki dying in front of him; that Deku doesn't seem to care much at all; that Deku isn't devastated he wasn't able to save that little boy.

I have to point out that Deku never cared in the first place. He really didn't! It's why he needed to see The Crying Child to feel any bit of empathy for Shigaraki, and why ever since then, he only yammers on about saving the Crying Child and only the little boy. He never gave a shit about the Shigaraki in front of him. Never treated Shigaraki like someone real to engage with. That Shigaraki is unforgivable; and it was impossible to have ever bring the Crying Child into reality because the Crying Child was a memory, it happened 15 years in the past that cannot be changed, so all Deku can do is comfort the Crying Child then beat the shit out of Shigaraki.

I mean, just look at the imagery and the word choices:

Are those the words and expressions of someone who's trying to be careful about not hurting Shigaraki? Actually trying to help someone in pain? I remember when people were excited that Danger Sense would tell Shigaraki that Deku doesn't want to hurt him - turns out nah. He was so ready to make Shigaraki throw up blood.

Deku never tried to talk to Shigaraki. He never asked any questions during the whole time they were fighting. Mirio asked a question and got a response; but Deku? Nothing. Even in the memory-realm, when Shigaraki via memory-villains ask Deku what his plan was, Deku just shouted 'No!' and that was that.

When Deku said 'Somewhere inside of you is a person' he literally meant that. Inside of Shigaraki is the Crying Child, who is the actual person. Did he catch Shigaraki saying 'Spinner will be looking forward to this' and think, 'huh, Shigaraki has someone he cares about, I think? Then he wouldn't want to destroy Spinner, would he?' No. The fan-translation got everyone's hopes up that Deku wants to 'shred the rug' of societal failures, but the official translation was correct - Deku wanted to pry the lid off Shigaraki's trauma, accusing Shigaraki of repressing himself.

If he cared about Shigaraki at all, he would've protested when Gran told him he might have to kill Shigaraki. Instead:

He would've opposed the construction of something called a SKY COFFIN DEATH ARENA. He would've spoken up when Heroes talked strategy about how AFO is the better opponent to fight, implying that it's better if AFO had taken over Shigaraki, despite Shigaraki being the victim of AFO here.

Even when he ends up saving Tenko from Decaying the Shimuras, he's utterly lackluster there. Tenko's in tears, saying that he must have wanted to kill his family, he was born with a quirk like Decay, who could ever validate his existence the way he is??? And Deku's response? "Well. Holding my hand might make you feel better. So here." Saying something like, 'No, you're a child! It's not your fault!' or 'Your quirk isn't meant for harm, it can be useful too' or 'It's okay. You're not an evil existence' seems obvious, but Deku doesn't.

and really, all this has been obvious since the Mall Encounter in Chapter 69. Remember when Shigaraki point blank told him that All Might's smile is stupid because he acts like there's no one he can't save? And it's clearly full of resentment? And Deku picked up on this, which is why next chapter he asks All Might if it's true there are times where All Might couldn't save someone.

But once Tsukauchi said, don't worry about it, Deku did just that. When he does think about it one time, it's this absolutely nothing of a reflection

"I guess we just have to agree to disagree!" Come on. And this kid has a 'drive to save that eclipses all common understanding'??? for real?????

Deku has never given a crap about Shigaraki or Villains. Honestly, him wanting to save that sad little boy might as well be just Horikoshi putting lines in his mouth to move the story along.

If Deku really did care, I think he would've wanted to save the entire person that is Shigaraki. The Crying Child is a phantom - Shigaraki is real and solid and there. The Crying Child is innocent and easy to care about because it's a cute baby and it's openly weepy; saving hand-monster junji ito twink Shigaraki who laughs and talks about destroying everything Deku loves would've been an actual challenge. But clearly we couldn't have that because even the Crying Child was too far gone for Deku to save.

[sunnysam-my]

Warning I get a bit politically and frustrated I guess.

One important message to you all. Keep your fucking indoors-outdoors beef outside of the adoption groups, post and shelters. I don't care what side you're on, do not bring it up, because by doing that you are actively harming the chances of the kitten/cat being adopted.

Here, let me explain to you a few concepts that so many people apparently can't graspt:

Not everyone can adopt any cat in need they see. That's just not possible.

Just because someone isn't trapping every single cat outdoors they see doesn't mean they're animal abuser or are single handly responsible for ecological damage.

Not every feral cat can be caught and castrated by a random person with no training or equipment.

Cats born into the wild are not homeless. Do not treat them like strays.

A feral cat is an outdoor, free-roaming cat that has never been socialized to humans and is living in a “wild” state. Because they're not socialized to people, feral cats are not adoptable. If you take them to a shelter, they will almost certainly be killed there.

In the eyes of the law of many countries feral cats born in the wild are not and, by the definition, cannot be homeless as the wilderness is their home. Taking them from their natural habitat and entrapping them in houses is wrong and in same place even illegal.

Feral cats, unlike strays, cannot live a happy life indoors. They often live in groups, called colonies, wherever they can find food. They are happier in their own territory with their colony family.

Stray cats on the other hand were once pets and are lost or abandoned. They will try to make a home near humans in garages, porches or backyards, because they relay on human help.

Not every wild-born kitten will be feral, in fact most won't, and not every feral cat can't be tamed, some can go through process of socialising to make the adoptable. That's not up to you to decided tho, unless you met the cat and know your shit.

Because people where I live (Poland) found this simple concept so hard to understand, animal shelters around me no longer accept cats from private people, only from organisations and authorities, since so many of them were people's outdoors pets and feral cats. This already makes it harder to help cats in need.

But the real problem I have is something that happens more and more nowadays and even happend to my family. A feral cat, who lives in our forest and we're trying to tame, gave birth to 7 kittens on our farm and left them in our care. Only two of 7 were feral and strong enough to live in the wild, so we tried to find homes for the rest. Upon mentioning they were born from a feral living close us we were blocked from every single adoption group. The reason? We apparently were 'abusers and breeders', because we tried to help kittens who would 100% died if left alone, instead of focusing on somehow finding cats that lives somewhere in the giant woods, capturing them with no equipment and driving with them 2h+ to make them go through abortion and castration that most of them probably wouldn't even survive. Yeah.

BTW we never found homes to those kittens, because of crazy indoor cat ladies that would shit on every single post of ours and got us blocked. Obviously we didn't leave the cats alone, considering only one in five feral kittens will live to five months of age. We were forced to travel with them 4 hours and keep them in our small house with 3 other adult cats that were not happy about the situation. Eventually we gave one to my Uncle, one was left at the vet to find home (she did), and the last one stayed.

So, for the love of God, regardless if you think cats should be indoors or outdoors DO NOT FUCKING ARGUE ABOUT IT UNDER SOMEONE "FOR ADOPTION" POSTS. Even if you're right. Do not try to bring feral cats to shelters. Do not make it some random person responsibility to deal with feral cats. If you really care about those outdoors, stray and feral cats then research the topic and try advocating for change with how we handle wild-born kittens and castration of feral cats, because right now, depending on where you live, the authorities will most probably only maybe check on them and give them food.

In case I haven't made it clear, I do not think feral cats should be just left alone, even if they shouldn't be adopted.

[earthstellar]

Caminus is a disabled Titan and I love him

His physical body has been completely separated into parts and fully utilised to the maximum possible degree for the sake of his Citizens

He was never going to be able to be fully repaired in the first place, and instead of even trying, he decided to put all of his remaining energy and resources into entering a permanent physical dormancy so his people would have somewhere to live and thrive

The effort it takes him to keep himself operational enough to provide the basics for his Citizens means that the strain severely impacts his remaining cognitive capacity and communicative ability

The Camiens realise the extent of Caminus' love for them, the extent of his devotion to his people being so great that he has given them every physical and mental part of himself to build upon and thrive

Even if those parts were already damaged upon arrival, it doesn't matter-- Caminus fulfils his duty into perpetuity

The most important thing the Camiens derive from Caminus himself is not fuel or power or infrastructure, but his eternal love

He has imbued his people with his creativity, curiosity, a more spiritual approach to philosophy, a cultural emphasis on friendship and mutual aid borne out of a need for resource conservation-- Thus providing environmental and resource awareness via his very state of being

We don't know much about Caminus as a person, aside from his heartbreak at the betrayal of Life Maximo and how the fallout from that was enough to send him away from Cybertron and leave Metroplex behind

But I think we can take some reasonable guesses from what we know of him through the optics of his Citizens and from what we know of his actions in general, and say that Caminus is--at his very core--devoted, loving, creative, sensitive, strong

And he is very much a disabled character. The fact that he is physically and mentally disabled is a critical part of why the Camien culture is the way it is, informed how this society developed, and even lent quite a bit to the creation/revival of Cityspeaking as an art form, which allowed him by proxy to help Metroplex from afar even while largely dormant himself

I don't see Caminus himself discussed very often, but he is absolutely one of my favourite characters

A Titan who brought an entire people and civilisation into existence, while also being physically and cognitively disabled.

He is never repaired. He cannot be repaired.

And that is fine; His love for his people is undying. His spark continues to spin, hidden far below the surface, for as long as love itself can live-- Far beyond any physical or metal tolerances, Caminus loves his people.

Forever.

And even without repairs, that is enough for the spark of a Titan.

(This isn't to romanticise the state of his health and his difficulties, but rather, is to highlight that his personal motivation is primarily his love for his people.)

Being disabled does not stop anyone from loving.

And we actually get to see that with Caminus!

In a lot of media, disabled characters are often highlighted for what they don't have, rather than what they do have and who they actually are as people.

The way Caminus is portrayed, his disabilities are critical to not just his own story but to the stories of all Camien people in one way or another. His influence and the impact of his state of health is massive.

But we also get to know who Caminus is, as a person. He values connections with others, he is loyal, creative, caring, and so on. He has significant compassion and dedication towards smaller beings, and values life. He had close relationships with his respective Prime and his "brother" (Metroplex).

I just really like Caminus a lot, idk I'm at work so this is probably not as coherent as I'd like lmao

[melancholicmarionette]

Thoughts I’ve been trying to put into words part a thousand—

I think I have the sentiment “I don’t get why people get all serious about gender” but I never know how to say that without sounding dismissive as fuck to people who really need to not be dismissed. But I mean like—okay—

So I’m autistic. This is not news. I don’t know if it’s totally related, but it means I’m used to not really understanding things about the world on a fundamental level, mostly greater concepts that people accept as fact. I’m bad at math and most hard sciences because I am told that pi is a number that never ends and it keeps going forever and that these are how many elements make up everything in the universe and maybe there are more or maybe there aren’t. Like, my brain simply cannot conceptualize these things. I know that these are important things to know, I just have 0 clue how it is possible for a person to know them. But there are people that know better than me. So someone goes “also, there are imaginary numbers” and I’m just like “…okay.” That’s just not somewhere my brain goes.

So when I say I don’t get why people get so weird about the social construct of gender I mean—well by people I mean TERFs, really—life can be filled with so much less anguish and turmoil if you just accept that you are not going to understand something and that doesn’t make you stupid or wrong. Sometimes accepting that things that are not tangible or visible are still valid makes your brain stop hurting.

I’m a woman. If you ask me how I know that intrinsically my go to response is I Don’t Know, I Just Do™️ and if someone, cis or trans or nb or anything else, said that to me I cannot imagine any other reaction than “well, okay.”

Gender is a social construct. We made it, collectively, and it’s changed a lot in the entire time we’ve accepted it. It’s still changing now. So there are a lot of things we can’t see.

Fact that I can’t dispute: penises and vaginas are different from each other. They are fundamentally not the same thing. There are a lot of ways people’s genitalia can look, being intersex is possible. Physically, visibly, there are different body types whose reproductive organs work in different ways. It makes perfect sense to me for that to be true.

Where it gets fucky for me: your random assignment of chromosomes gives you a role in society at birth that you cannot fundamentally change ever in your life. And if you ask why this is, people will just say “god said so” or something and idk maybe your god did, sure, but I don’t know him. He ain’t the boss of me. And then TERFs and the like will go “because nature said so” or “because biology said so” and I’m immediately like no!! No they didn’t, Joanne, you said that!! Biology and nature said one of these types of bodies carries babies and the other helps make the baby, that’s it!!

I don’t cite my vagina when writing about why I’m a woman. It has nothing to say. I don’t know why pi never ends and I don’t know how the fuck we know enough of what a water looks like that we can make little models, but I live in my brain and I know how I feel. I am never going to know another person better than they know themselves and it’s fucked up when people claim otherwise.

So I don’t feel like I can participate in discourse in a meaningful way because I’ll say “this trans woman is a woman” and some chucklefuck with a blue check will say “but they were born with a penis” and my response is so what. Genuinely, so fucking what.

One of JK Rowling’s first transphobic posts was saying that the trans community are trying to deny that sex is real and it’s such an intellectually dishonest take I was taken aback. I don’t think you’ll find anyone outright denying that sex organs that fall within the binary standard are in fact physically different from each other. The hang up is that that assigns you an identity that you didn’t necessarily consent to because you were a fetus at the time. So my automatic response to arguments of that nature, that gender itself is assigned this way and that way and no other way, are unironically “who do you think you are?”

I can’t engage in intelligent discourse with the way I feel because on paper it seems childish. My response to transphobes is oh my god just shut up. And it’s not necessarily because reading the cruel and untrue things they can fit into like 280 characters is draining (because it is) it’s because I just don’t believe any of their points have value. And it infuriates me that these people so consumed with hatred for people they don’t know are affecting legislation and the safety of trans people. And I can’t engage because I don’t believe these people can change and that bleeds through. They are nothing. And if any TERFs (or GC, I think you’re using to sanitize it) have read this far, they think the same about me. Probably that I’m a simpleton who hates women and lives in a bog eating swamp sludge for sustenance and i take offense because I do not hate women please get out of my swamp.

Idk, I’m rambling on tumblr late at night bc I can’t drop this into a conversation. I’m tired. Trans right are human rights gender is a social construct and I may be a mud creature shambling through the bog

[kindlythevoid]

Imagine, if you will, if in the battle of Camlann, Arthur hits Mordred’s blade away.

Imagine that Mordred hits Arthur somewhere else, say, in the thigh.

A piece breaks off, but Arthur has time. Merlin gets him to the Lake and they say they cannot stop it, only delay it. But he has time. Lots of time. Time to get to know Merlin again, time to legalize magic, time to spend with Guinevere. And he does. 

He gets weaker over the years: they forbid him very quickly from anything more strenuous than light training with his knights after he has a stroke during a tournament. But he gets time and they’re able to calm him when he gets restless. Him and Guinevere have children. Three: two boys and a girl. 

Melora is first, nearly nine months after Camlann. She has the eyes of her father and Morgana’s hair, but she’s all Gwen on the inside. Arthur roars after her as she shrieks through the great halls, calling after Merlin to help her slay the fearsome dragon chasing her. 

Next is Finnr, who is a spitting image of Arthur and Guinevere quietly thanks God that she gets this picture of him even after he’s gone. Gaius says he isn’t sure whether he’s more like Igraine or Gwen. Arthur beams and follows Finnr as he tugs at his arm to go visit the town because a new book is out and he wants to read it to Mildred (or Millie, as he calls her at such a young age). 

Thomas is last, as the years go on and Arthur flags in his strength and begins to come to terms with the fact that he may not have much more time left. Thomas looks exactly like Guinevere, and reminds them of brave Elyan. Arthur can’t do much, but he listens intently to all of his stories and does what’s he can to be around. Melora and Finnr whisper tales of Arthur of old, and of the gossip they’ve heard over the years on why he’s slowing down when Mother and Uncle Merlin can still keep up. 

Soon Arthur is confined to his room, much like his father before him, and he grows anxious because of this. Gwen and Merlin and Leon and Percival all assure him in their own way that he is nothing like his father and he has done all he can. They have family meals in the parents’ room now, instead of the dining hall, and despite how pale and weak their father has gotten, he is still fair and kind with his children and listens to their stories. 

One day, he summons Melora and Finnr and sits them down and explains. He tells them that Finnr may be his first son, but Melora is his firstborn, and he wants to ask her if she would like to become Queen of Camelot. She thinks about it. And pulls Finnr away and discusses with him. And approaches their father with a new proposal. When Melora comes of age, she will be Queen, and when Finnr comes of age, he will be King. And should Melora or Finnr get married, they will decide who shall stay and who shall go then, if they go at all. Arthur mulls it over, but already a smile is breaking out and he pulls them close and whispers how proud he is of them and how much he loves them. 

Later that night, Uncle Merlin calls them down to his own chambers and weaves a long tale fraught with danger and loneliness and heartache. It is the tale of Morgana Pendragon, their aunt who was killed before they were born. Melora and Finnr sneak into Thomas’s room and they each make a promise to never betray one another, to always be siblings. 

Thomas is five when Arthur is finally confined to his bed. Melora is ten and Finnr is nine. In one of his lower points, Arthur asks them quietly if he’s been a good father. They are confused: how hasn't he been? And they ask Mother and she tells the story of a very lonely prince with an angry, sad king trying his best as a father but failing nonetheless. Melora and Finnr haven’t ran to their parent’s room in years, but they do that night, and make sure that Arthur is safe and secure between the people who love him. 

Arthur knows he is dying. He’s spent the last month in bed, but this week he knows is his last and he’s been calling people in all week, thanking them quietly and spending time with his loved ones. Guinevere lies on his chest and listens to his ragged breathing, even as his arm wraps around her in an attempt to keep her next to him. The last day he calls in Merlin, alone, even though he’s always been there.

He thanks him for the time he’s given Arthur. Thanks him for saving his life, in more ways than just with magic. They reminisce about old times and Arthur can see the tears Merlin is trying so hard not to cry. And then, softly, Arthur apologizes to him. Tells him that he is sorry for his behavior in his past, sorry for the insults, sorry that he had to do it on his own for so long, sorry that he’s leaving him. And Merlin can’t help but cry, but he’s laughing, too, because of course the clot pole would find a reason to apologize when he’s the one that’s dying. And Arthur tells him that he’ll never be alone, even if Arthur is dead. He has family here. Merlin switches with Guinevere. 

But there isn’t much left to say. They’ve said it before, alone at night in their room. They’ve said it a thousand times in a million different ways over the last near eleven years. It’s more than they could have hoped for and less than they ever wanted. She reassures him that Merlin is welcome and that she’ll take care of the children and Camelot. They whisper how much they love each other when she leans her forehead against his. And they smile. 

The children are last. Thomas doesn’t understand yet, won’t until his daddy’s already moved on, but he’s content to babble stories and play with the blankets on the bed as Melora and Finnr try to be brave and not cry. Arthur tells them that he’s proud of them, that he will always be proud of them, just as he will always love them, to never doubt that. He pulls them close and hugs them as Melora cries into his shoulder. 

He may be dying, but he is content, and he hopes that they will be too, in time. 

Guinevere wakes up around midnight to hear Arthur whisper I love you into her hair before breathing his last. She cries as she hugs his body before sending for Merlin. 

[grokebaby]

HAIII ME AGAINNN

Just wanted to pass by and ask: Where are Mewmew's kits now ? They musta grown quite a bit since that photo, so I'm kinda curious myself :33 How's their relationship with m too ? Is it good ? Do they know Bout Evie in the house ?

Hiiiii you can read more on tha kittens here and here :3

Here's also some art I done of them!

[Two slight updates on the kittens' (adult) names but Goop is now Goog, and Turbotuho goes by just Turbo! Other than that there's not too much new.]

•Googy (Mew Jr.), as mentioned somewhere in the fuzzy past, is a housecat for good. Yes, they're on the same level mentally as Mewmew and everyone else, and also has the option to choose to develop some kind of alternative mecha mode. But they completely choose not to, and so remain in cat mode indefinitely. Mew Jr. Is fully content to live as a normal pet cat until the end of time (or until their.. Humans pass away from old age..) Junior is a laidback personality who envied normal cats in their kittenhood and thus made the decision to become one as much as possible. Cannot be convinced to adopt some alt form and is rarely in contact with their siblings. However Turbo misses them sometimes, and Goog has the ability to use a phone (opposable thumbs you see), so they call sometimes. Mewmew is completely accepting of this lifestyle choice, if not very distant to Mew Jr...

•Captain Tiramisu and Turbo are living a space opera/cheesy scifi drama somewhere in the far off cosmos, and they're very close! They're each other's emotional support, even if they're perpetually bickering. Similarly to Mew Jr., they both chose the kind of external mode that they personally found the absolute coolest, and live in robot mode almost exclusively. Turbo is more keen to kitty around every so often tho, for comfort reasons. Turbo is the sweet optimist of the two, and loves breaking stuff. An absolute biting fiend as a cat. Love language is biting (Cap'n Tiramisu also bites but not lovingly).

There's no nicer way to say this but Tiramisu is an egotistical, petty brat. While Turbo is more of a follower personality, they do also blatantly and stubbornly make their own choices and turns along the way. Many people often wonder how these two can stand each other, but Turbo often comforts Tiramisu when things don't go their way and occasionally enables their bombastic revenge plots, and Tiramisu will violently explode you if you're mean to their baby sibling. Turbo likes to test Captain's patience (making them a better person by pettily not leaving them any other choice sometimes), and Captain "Mom friend anxiety hack"s* their way to helping Turbo take care of, or stand up for themself more. *(aka. Oh no I'm too nervous to do this thing. Oh, you're also too nervous to do this thing? I'll fucking do it double for you then!!!)

Both are neurodivergent so they also assist each other in whatever the other can't do. Despite having many petty and childish traits to them, these two make it work.

•Relationship with Mewmew can be summed up with:

Captain Tiramisu - Geez mom/dad, you're embarrassing meeeeee.... Ugh... Fine. I love you.. Yeah yeah I'll send you a post card from the milkyway association's holiday hotel.. Yeah of course I won't get into trouble (gets into trouble as soon as they depart)

Turbo - Oh weee yuppeee It's mom/dad ^~^ so here's everything I've been up to since we last saw (talks for three hours), sorry I didn't call you I forgot, wow you're so cool I love you, and Tiramisu and Mew Jr. Love you too. Okay bye, I wanna go do something now! I'll call you (forgets to call.)

Admittedly they've gotten distant with adulthood.

•To address the.. Evie in the room, I will just say that none of the kittens know of Mewmews life during the galactic alliance, they only know Mewmew "did something in the military but quit to pursue a peaceful life". The kits were born after quitting. They do know of Evilicus, as that scary dark lord that was defeated long ago, and they actually do community service sometimes for planets that Evie's reign has left scarred and ravaged. They however definitely haven't been in touch with Mewmew recently enough to know Evie is roommates now lolol

Thank you for the ask!!! ^w^

[rosethornewrites]

NR, E, & M reading since 2/2

Finished

Not Rated:

Meng Yao becomes Baoshan Sanren's disciple, by nirejseki

Prompt: Meng Yao somehow ends up training under Baoshan Sanren

Something About Curses and Rabbits, by chutesandleaves (locked)

Literally that's it.

Kind of. There's only one rabbit. There are other rabbits but they're not featured here.

Explicit:

The Second Jade of Lan's late but incendiary sexual awakening, by KizuKatana (2nd in a series, 6 chapters, locked)

Lan Zhan was not interested in sex or romantic relationships. He had watched with a dismissive glance as his classmates made fools of themselves and wasted a considerable amount of time and energy on various hook-ups and romantic entanglements.

Aside from the fact that his lack of sexual interest kept him laser focused on his school and research, Lan Zhan’s reason for it was based on something more fundamental. He did not enjoy the company of most people fully clothed, and he couldn’t really imagine that improving if they were naked.

Which was why he found himself shocked at the visceral image that slammed through his system of grabbing Wei Ying by his messy ponytail, forcing him to his knees, and fucking his mouth until he cried.

Dream of Me, by KingdomFlameVIII

On a chance encounter in a remote village, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji investigate a series of kidnappings.

Wei Wuxian learns something about him in the process.

Mature:

Silence Like a Cancer Grows, by julomaiboulomai

Wei Wuxian is cursed to tell the truth on a nighthunt between the end of the Sunshot Campaign and Phoenix Mountain.

Reconnaissance, by TomatenMark

The Sunshot Campaign is over, but only just.

Determined to finally get through to him, Lan Wangji seeks out Wei Wuxian who is selfmedicating in a winehouse.

Turns out, once Lan Wangji has him in his grip, Wei Wuxian has peculiar trouble freeing himself.

Or alternatively, the fic that was born from my fascination with how effortlessly Lan Wangji could hold coreless Wei Wuxian down during the stolen Poenix Mountain kiss and what that might mean in a different setting.

Overwhelming Enthusiasm, by Shadaras

When the library’s alarms went off, Lan Qiren wearily expected to arrive to find an apologetic Wei Wuxian—possibly with one of the young disciples who looked up to him—explaining that No really I didn’t mean to touch that, I’m so sorry, let me reset that for you.

Unfinished

Not Rated:

A Matter Of Time, by Thyone14 (locked)

Wen Qing remembers dying by the same flames that decorate her robes. Then she wakes in Cloud Recesses. By some miracle, she's been given a second chance.

And she's not the only one.

A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand, by FrostyAngst

“Jiang Cheng,” Wei Wuxian started, “Don’t worry about it. I am sure Uncle Jiang and Madame Yu will be able to make up somehow. Or maybe we can do something to help them –”

“Don’t stick your nose to somewhere you do not belong! This is my family matter, it is none of your business,” said Jiang Cheng.

Wei Wuxian widened his eyes.

When Jiang Cheng felt there was a deafening silence, he suddenly realized what he had just blurted out. He looked up, but he could not see what expression Wei Wuxian was wearing. His senior martial brother – his brother, already had his back facing him, walking away from him.

Jiang Cheng stretched his hand out, trying to reach out to his brother, but he was left frozen when he heard the words that came out of his brother's lips.

“I am sorry, I will make sure something like that will never happen again.”

- In which Jiang Cheng said something he shouldn't, and he needs to find a way to get his brother's forgiveness while the so-called brother is spending his time in Cloud Recesses, and rumors of an upcoming wedding that will be held in Cloud Recesses soon are spreading all around.

Explicit:

hold out your hands, by Aminias

Oh no, this is bad. How could he have forgotten Wei Ying's considerate nature? Lan Zhan wants to marry him; technically this isn't their first meeting so Xichen will have to allow it. The characters for Wei Ying's name are written across his cup and Lan Zhan files that information away. It will be important to get the proper spelling of Wei Ying's name right later, he wants no mistakes when they go to the courthouse.

or

Lan Zhan hasn't seen Wei Ying since he gave him his first gay awakening. Now five years later with Wei Ying in front of him he handles it with as much chill as you might assume.

Time Unwinds in a Kaleidoscope of Red, by vamprav

Wei Wuxian falls through time and hits the ground in the Burial Mounds. After taking stock of his situation he decides that things will be different this time, even if it kills him, starting with that disastrous reunion with his brother and future husband.

Mature:

Cutting Out a Different Path, by Sunflower1778 (locked)

Wei Wuxian woke up with an old back pain and the lack of a familiar warmth by his side. He groaned, moving his arm around the bed to feel for Lan Wangji.

Except what he felt was not a bed.

Startled, he got up only to find himself on a familiar slab of rock in a very familiar cave.

where the shadow ends, by colorfullysarah

It happens too fast.

A-Xian cries out, a garbled sound of pain, and Jiang Yanli stares at her brother in shock as he crumples. She can feel A-Cheng tense behind her as they both watch in muted horror as the sword that stabbed their brother is yanked free. And before she can even form the thought, she’s throwing herself forward over A-Xian; a protective barrier.

Her back screams in protest, but she cannot let A-Xian die.

Or, Jiang Yanli lives and attempts the impossible by bringing her son and both of her little brothers back home, the rest of the cultivation world be damned.

I whatever you, I will stand by your side, by Lizziewriter07

Wei WuXian almost died during Jin ZiXun's trap. He would have retaliated with all his might if it weren't for A-Yuan being terrified and right behind him and Wen Ning. Instead of killing Jin ZiXuan, he was hit by a fatal arrow in the heart while trying to protect the little boy. After disappearing from the cultivation world for five years he was... "invited" in a rather peculiar way to help two great clan leaders in a problem with their sworn brother.

Or,

Lan XiChen knew his younger brother like no one else. He knew him well enough to know that seeing Wei WuXian again after all those years of not knowing anything about the young master would make WangJi do something extreme. In order to be aware of what would happen and to help, ZeWu-jun proposes a sort of alliance with Wen Qing. Together, they come up with a well-crafted excuse to leave them alone for a while.

Paint it Black, by Forever_Marie

Wei Wuxian is saved by the Gusu clan after being abused by the Jiangs. Sort of. They kinda just take him and hide him for years. He is recognized at the lectures and his peaceful life is slowly unraveled.

(My take on a Wei Ying, raised in Gusu. Still a clown but with different baggage)

[honeybeewhereartthee]

MY DARLING DOLLS 46

PREVIOUS || PT8 CH46 || NEXT

For some reason there's a cult for Kanata now. And man it was something. Through that being said the trip to the beach still continue!

"uwah... The sea... It's calling for me..." Kanata beams as he stares at the beautiful sea. His eyes sparkle at the sight of the glorious blue water yet before he run toward it from his excitement. He stops on his steps and twirl to look at you.

"My dollmaker, shall we play in the water?" Offering his hand to you, you laugh as you accept it. "Sure sure~"

You cannot help but effected by his cheerfulness and skip with him in the sand then proceed to walk onto the water till the water is above your head....he is not swimming nor where you.

"heeellllppppppppp...!" you scream but as you did for the first time --Kanata who have turn into his doll form cause he realize dolls is not supposed to be on water like the sea-- someone already have swim toward you and have taken you out of the water while you held doll Kanata in your arms safely.

Yet you pass out in the idea that you seems to forget how to swim nor did Kanata knew how to swim. Gott it was the second time already.

.

.

.

When you wake up, the young miss on your bedside or the place your sleeping at beside. "Sorry was it you who save me again?" You felt bad cause it's probably bothersome for her. "...will you really not pay attention to me cause I'm not like those things?"

"no. You got it wrong, it's also the fact that I refuse to be in jail." You pointed out that you saw her as a baby. She did not accept it, rather be the deaf at the idea. "I have decided." She stood up smiling and giggling in Trump. "I just have to find a way."

"no your being silly obviously were born in the different timeline..." You reason out but she already ignoring you as she left the room as if going to seek something. You just stared at the door, wondering what type of bad omen you made cause you might have cause more trouble again.

"don't 'worry' about it dollmaker. If she wish for it. I might able to 'give' a hand to it." Kanata voice spoke somewhere in the room. You look around and saw him in his doll form, drying in one of the hanger beside the window.

"you look so silly." You walk toward the drying Kanata and poke his fabric to see if his dry or not. "Should I squeeze the water off you?" You suggested. Since you notice his still drenched.

"Ah... Ok." He nodded his head before you take him off the clip. You carefully squeeze him with little pinch in the limbs and there. He giggle each time.

"there you go." After a minute or two. You look at the semi dry doll who bounce off your hand before transforming back to his human form with fizzy hair as well some marking that almost not visible in your eyes.

"Let me brush your hair for you." You look around for a comb before asking him seat beside the bed as you comb his hair.

"pretty hair..." You mumble as you carefully brush his hair. "Thank you ~ " his happy with your praise. As you brush his hair, you wonder about something. Like that scene from confrontation with crazy mobs.

"how did you know that?" You cannot help but ask. "Ah? Know what?" He turn to look at you.

"The secret of those people.." you made him turn to look at the front again so you can return to brushing his hair.

"their souls is quite loud." He begone. "Loud?" You wonder what he meant by that.

"People souls are honest, they tells all the burden and things they thought as weight off their shoulder to those who can see or hear them.. they become less radiant and fluffy as the life they live takes troll on them." He pokes one of the fluff besides him that rolled around before hitting his face, making him giggle.

You don't understand what he means, nether does the little fellow on your head does. He never heard such bull crap before. But then again, Kanata Shinkai have been full of mystery since long time ago.

"can you do that to me?" You ask nor really serious about it.

"Ah.... I can't.... "

[ wow so his really saying crap.]

"... Because technically your soul is not with you... It's only your body thats here... Frozen by a 'magic' to be 'preserve' the life with a ring that connected to where your soul is.... Is very far yet close. Yet boundary of time is quite a life years afar if you think about it."

He turn to look at you again, look at where you soul supposed to be but sees the soul of ritsu that helps you maintain your form in this time as well. It was very interesting as he hear ritsu words of calling him out being full of mystery.

"that's sound dangerous..." You don't understand much but a body without a soul??? Is that even possible.

"there's many things in the vast universe that's seems impossible. Through anything can be possible it's matter of you believing it's a possibility or you shutting out the idea with knowledge from others... Ah...." He find himself confuse on his own words. That's getting complicated to explain this.

"Ahh... Next question please..it's getting very hard to explain." He would explain more if he know lots of things but he doesn't have all the knowledge in the universe and beyond. He felt depress for not being helpful but you pat his head.

"It's ok. I kind off understand what you mean. Your so smart Kanata ~" you smiles at him., reassuring him he did good. He finally felt his mode lifted and smile at you. He looks so beautiful when his happy.

"ah.... What's that?" You were looking at his face and saw something. You lean closer to look what it is and realize it's... Scales? "Why do you have scales???" You ask as you lean away, Kanata stares at you in daze as he was so close to you just now. Almost no distance....

"oh no.... I felt 'exploding'...!" He held his face feeling how warm it is. "Ah? Why is my face 'warm'... " He was confuse what's wrong with him which cause you giggle a bit but remember about the scale yet when you look at his face, his scales is gone and Kanata trying to make sure his Alive after experience embarrassment for the first time. "Your so silly." You pat his head. The blue haired doll looks at you.

"I guess so... Eheh." He can only chuckle with you..he would look for answers later.

[religioused]

You Aren’t Going Out Dressed Like That!

by Gary Simpson

Deuteronomy 22:5 (NAB) “A woman shall not wear a man’s apparel, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for whoever does such things is abhorrent to the LORD your God.”

Today, we are discussing those who perform in drag.

People who have their gaze fixed on those who dress in drag put clothing above hearts.

The clothes police can use the Bible passage in Deuteronomy 22 to this to attack anybody who does not dress in gender typical clothing. Elliot Kukla and Reuben Zellman remark that this Bible text “has been used for hundreds of years against seven-year-old tomboys.”(1) I grew up in farm and cattle country. The farm ladies wore overalls, coats, and boots that looked just like what men wore. I cannot imagine the reaction a person would get if they told a farm lady to dress like a lady.

I searched online for Bible texts related to people who perform in drag and to transgender people. I found an Open Bible webpage that had a long list of Bible texts, most of which were off topic.(2) I am providing the worst example on the website of a Bible text that was taken out of context to support the position that drag is wrong. To give you an idea of how far off topic the text is, I am going to read it for you. The Bible translation used on the Open Bible website is the English Standard Version, which reads as follows: “and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.” Drag queen and drag king performances have nothing to do with a person of faith being taken to court, because they believe Jesus is the Messiah. Only one of the Bible texts cited appeared to be remotely related to the topic, Deuteronomy 22:5. “A woman shall not wear a man’s apparel, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for whoever does such things is abhorrent to the LORD your God.”(3)

RuPaul, who might be the most famous drag queen says that people are born naked, and “The rest is drag.”(4) There is some truth to RuPaul’s comment. We tend to dress in ways that enhance, that make us look different, that give us confidence, and express elements of our artistic sense and personality.

A few quick facts about drag.

• People dress in drag to perform, not to show their gender. That is why drag queens are not transgender people.(5)

•There is more than one kind of drag. There are drag queens and drag kings. Drag kings are women who dress up like men to perform.(6) There are exceptions. Some women are drag queens.

• Drag clothing that is exaggerated clothing for women or men.(7)

• Drag is about fun, creativity, and self-expression.(8)

• Some people find drag helps them accept themselves, or gives them confidence.(9)

Drag is not a recent invention. We cannot blame drag on the cultural changes of the last 50 years. Historically, women were not able to be actors. Men dressed in drag to perform the roles of women in theatrical productions. Male actors in drag were common in ancient Greece and Shakespeare’s time.(10) In England in the early 1700s, there appear to have been drag queens like what we have now. They performed for largely gay male audiences in “molly houses.”(11)

When I was a kid, even before I went to elementary school, I remember seeing photos of distant relatives where I could not tell who the boys and who the girls were. In some cases, the photo had notes that indicated the name of each child. In other cases, older family members had to tell me who the people were. The little boys and the little girls were both wearing gowns or dresses. According to Wikipedia, this was a common practice the mid 1500s until the early 1900s.(12) Somewhere between age 2 and age 8, boys started wearing breeches or pants.(13) I gather starting to wear breeches or pants was an “important rite of passage” for boys.(14) Boys wearing dresses might have related to toilet training and to the need to save money.(15) There were times when I was shown adult photos of the boys who were wearing dresses in older photographs. You could see how these boys, who looked to my amateur eye like girls, looking like rugged, masculine pioneers. Dressing like girls did not make these men gay. The boys wearing dresses were no threat to society or to organized religion. Children seeing people in drag are not going to turn gay or trans. Most people in the world are straight and cisgender. If seeing people with a different sexual orientation or gender identity could change people’s sexual orientation or gender identity, there would not be a single LGBTQ+ person in the world.

Drag performers can provide a positive role in the LGBTQ+ community. The Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose in Edmonton is a charitable organization.(16) The Court organizes drag performances to raise money for charity. They support the community with more than $50,000 a year.(17)

In general, drag queens do not fool people.(18) Drag queens do not tend to look enough like women to fool people. Famous drag queen RuPaul commented to the effect that he dresses like a drag queen, not a woman. He asks how many women we see in seven-inch heels and wearing four-foot wigs.(19)

Next, we are going to look at the context of the verse. There might be a clue to the meaning of the text we read a few minutes ago. We read verse 5, which appears to take the position that men and women should not wear clothing for the opposite biological sex. Verses 1 to 4 outline our moral duties for our neighbors.(20) Because the immediate context is ethical duties to neighbors, this might be about ethical duties to our neighbors, not about drag queens.

The opinions of Jewish commentators and sages about the Bible text need to be considered. Elliot Kukla and Reuben Zellman note that Jewish “Sages have never read this verse as a literal ban on cross-dressing.” In the Talmud, there is a sense that the verses condemn dressing as a different gender when there are “ulterior motives.” Rashi saw this passage as applying to people who wore clothes from another gender so they could seduce someone. From my studies of the Bible, I get the impression that many condemnations of sexual practices were related to the worship of other gods. Rambam believed this verse is a prohibition against “cross-dressing” that was part of idol worship.(21) Contemporary Jewish scholars Gunther Plaut and Dudley Weinberg indicate that use of the word that is translated abhorrent in the New American Bible suggests that dressing in the clothes of a different gender was related more an idol worship than a sexual deviation.(22)

Discussions of gender can be unsettling for many people. The idea of diversity of gender expressions and identities can be frightening, because it goes against what we learned when we were kids. To those who are afraid of drag queens, drag performers are nothing to fear. We can treat drag queens and drag kings like God carriers. When God’s presence is near, the Scriptures give us the sense that there is no need to be afraid. Jesuit priest Felix Just says the phrase "Fear not! (or equivalent translations) appears only slightly over 100 times in the Old Testament, as well as about 44 times in the New Testament.(23) When you think of drag performers, listen to the Spirit of the Risen Christ. “Fear not! Fear not! Fear not!”

Notes

(1) Elliot Kukla and Reuben Zellman. “ To Wear is Human, to Live - Divine : Parashat Ki Tetse (Deuteronomy 16:18-21:19).” Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible. (New York: New York Univ. Press, 2009), 255.

(2) Stephen Smith, ed. “28 Bible Verses About Drag Queens.” Open Bible. 22 January 2023, 23 January 2023. <https://www.openbible.info/topics/drag_queens>.

(3) New American Bible.

(4) Shelton (2022) <https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/the-joy-of-drag>.

(5) Schacht (2000), cited in Michael Moncrieff and Pierre Lienard. "A Natural History of the Drag Queen Phenomenon." Evolutionary Psychology. (April-June 2017): 2. <https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1474704917707591>.

(6) Samuel Njoroge. “What is a Drag Queen?” LGBTQ and All. n.d., 24 January 2023. <https://www.lgbtqandall.com/what-is-a-drag-queen/>.

(7) Njoroge (n.d.) <https://www.lgbtqandall.com/what-is-a-drag-queen/>.

(8) Shelton (2022) <https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/the-joy-of-drag>.

(9) Shelton (2022) <https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/the-joy-of-drag>.

(10) Njoroge (n.d.) <https://www.lgbtqandall.com/what-is-a-drag-queen/>.

(11) Norton (2016) cited in Michael Moncrieff and Pierre Lienard. "A Natural History of the Drag Queen Phenomenon." Evolutionary Psychology. (April-June 2017): 3. <https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1474704917707591>.

(12) “Breaching (boys).” Wikipedia. December 2022, 02 February 2023. <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeching_(boys)>.

(13) “Breaching (boys)” (December) <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeching_(boys)>.

(14) “Breaching (boys)” (December) <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeching_(boys)>.

(15) “Breaching (boys)” (December) <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeching_(boys)>.

(16) “About Us.” Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose. n.d., 31 May 2023. <https://iscwryeg.ca/>.

(17) “History of the ISCWR.” Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose n.d., 31 May 2023. <https://iscwryeg.ca/history/>

(18) Njoroge (n.d.) <https://www.lgbtqandall.com/what-is-a-drag-queen/>.

(19) Njoroge (n.d.) <https://www.lgbtqandall.com/what-is-a-drag-queen/>.

(20) Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds. The Jewish Study Bible. (New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2004), 415.

(21) Kukla and Zellman (2009), 255.

(22) W. Gunther Plaut and Dudley Weinberg. The Torah: A Modern Commentary. (New York: Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 1981), 1485

(23) Felix Just. “Have no fear! Do not be afraid!” Catholic Resources. 15 June 2021, 30 January 2023. <https://catholic-resources.org/Bible/HaveNoFear.htm>.

[a-koschyei]

dynamic playlist ♔. from the hoard : 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔟𝔢𝔞𝔯 𝔩𝔬𝔯𝔡 ( @nowincolor ) , accepting

defying gravity, wicked : i'm through accepting limits / 'cause someone says they're so / some things i cannot change / but 'til I try, i'll never know / too long I've been afraid of / losing love i guess i've lost / well, if that's love / it comes at much too high a cost! / i'd sooner buy defying gravity / kiss me goodbye / i'm defying gravity / and you can't pull me down / glinda, come with me / think of what we could do, together / unlimited / together we're unlimited / together we'll be the greatest team there's ever been

no good deed, wicked : no good deed goes unpunished / all helpful urges should be circumvented / no good deed goes unpunished / sure, i meant well / well, look at what well-meant did / all right, enough / so be it / so be it then / let all oz be agreed / i'm wicked through and through / since i can not succeed / fiyero, saving you / i promise no good deed / will i attempt to do again / ever again

you found me, the fray : in the end / everyone ends up alone / losin' her / the only one who's ever known / who i am / who i'm not / and who i wanna be / no way to know how long she will be next to me / lost and insecure / you found me / you found me / lyin' on the floor / surrounded / surrounded / why'd you have to wait? / where were you? / where were you? / just a little late / you found me / you found me

how to save a life, the fray : let him know that you know best / cause after all / you do know best / try to slip past his defense / without granting innocence / lay down a list of what is wrong / the things you've told him all along / and pray to god he hears you / and i pray to god he hears you / and where did i go wrong? / i lost a friend / somewhere along in the bitterness / and i would have stayed up with you all night / had i known how to save a life

goodbye brother, the prince of egypt

no one mourns the wicked, wicked: no one mourns the wicked / no one cries "they won't return" / no one lays a lily on their grave / the good man scorns the wicked / through their lives / our children learn / what we miss / when we misbehave / and goodness knows / the wicked's lives are lonely / goodness knows / the wicked die alone / it just shows when you're wicked / you're left only / on your own / yes, goodness knows / the wicked's lives are lonely / goodness knows / the wicked cry alone / nothing grows for the Wicked / they reap only / that they sow / are people born wicked? / or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?

[summeroffice]

00:52 How many interviews have you managed to give this year? What an unexpected question! You know that I love mathematics very much. I'm not calculating how many interviews. How many will be needed until the end of the war, that many I will give. It's important to talk about what is happening, what we are experiencing, what emotions we are experiencing. People should see emotions in the interview. It seems to me that in any interview it's important to clearly show what about you want to speak, that is show facts and materials and then give emotion so that a person would feel what you feel. And third, draw conclusions that must be present in the information space.

2:00 Tell me honestly, are you not tired? (Sighs.) It's a difficult question. I always think that my fatigue compared to what is happening on the frontline, compared to what people who have lost their homes are experiencing, displaced people, 14 million… My fatigue can be compared to the fatigue of a child who has lost their pink elephant somewhere, or a pink plush toy and never sees it. You see, a child who has lost everything, his family, his environment, where he lived, he left for somewhere, he has to start over from scratch, make friends, but parents have lost their jobs, and he doesn't cry.

4:42 What helps you do your work further?

8:09 You spoke about heroes in books, at what moment the hero starts, has it always been there or did this feeling came to you on February 24? You are born with it. It's just a question whether you will have the opportunity to manifest it. I remember the first day of the war, first, second, third. I called many people then, some had their phones turned off, some hid, but there were people who picked up the phone and took on themselves a lot more functions than they had to.

12:22 Where were you on the 24th of February? Well, at home, at 4:30. I live a little outside of the city, and it was difficult to get here because people travelled out of the city in a westerly direction. By 7:30 I was already in the office.

19:07 references 'the legendary book' by Francis Fukuyama, might be "The End of History and the Last Man": It would probably be interesting for him now to write a book "The Return of History".

25:11 What is your role within this historical process? Moderation. My role in this regard is just to explain the war, explain why this war must develop correctly, why we still have to go through each stage despite the heavy price we pay, what needs to be done at this stage of war in order to get positive further bonuses that will allow us to properly finalize the war. Besides that, my task is still try to unanimously lead the needs of Ukraine in the external market, in the domestic market, try to answer difficult questions, try to understand these questions in advance and accordingly, help the president of the country to understand and lead the discussion on different panels. Because during the information era, if you are silent, you have lost. If you are silent and do not explain the motives of your actions, you have lost.

28:28 If we return to those people who turned off their phones on February 24, how did you decide that you would be in your place until the end? I have no choice. I have a memory of my parents, I have a family, I have an understanding that children cannot look at their last name if dad refused to take responsibility at a difficult moment. I think that the word is good but if you say the words, you must act accordingly. If you want your child who is looking at you to believe that you are what you tell him, you have to be like this.

From the first hour I called many people and many on the very first day decided to take up arms and go fight. If you are not ready to take responsibility, it means that you are not ready to be responsible for your family, your home, your country. That is, you will always be a fugitive, a cowardly fugitive who will say, there's nothing that I could have done. You have to live in a way that after you are gone your children would understand who you were. He wipes his cheek; I can't tell if he's crying.

32:29 He asks for permission to interrupt: Classical Russian culture is in the past. It is not used in Russia right now. Russia voluntarily abandoned Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Chekhov because they don't understand it, they didn't consume it. Because if they had consumed it, like a person who comes to the theatre, reads a book, listens to music, Russia would be different.

35:38 Mykhailo, it is obvious from your rhetoric that you're a statesman. But if you look at your biography it says that you were a journalist for a long time who worked in opposition publications. How did you make this decision for yourself? Why did you decide to go where you are now? Professional journalism involves deep understanding of topic, understanding of what and how it works, why it should work this way and what mistakes can be corrected if you clearly state them, if you clearly draw attention to them. Professional journalism allows the system to mature, the state to become more objective, more transparent, more effective. And it was very important for me that, I explain how I ended up in this place, the formation of another type of state began in Ukraine. Ukraine, unfortunately, for a long time did not believe that it was absolutely and fundamentally different from Russia.

So when the frame of another type of state started to form I also wanted to take a part in the moderation of these processes of creating a transparent state. The motive is simple, very simple. I want my family to live in a country that is comfortable for maximum living, that guarantees security, guarantees the possibility of career growth, guarantees the possibility of obtaining a quality education, guarantees fair relations in all areas of social, economic, political life, that is integrated into a common European space that allows you to travel to other countries and so on. There is no point in thinking about money or career if you build it strategically wrong.

So you came to change the system from inside? Who changes systems? Who makes them the way they are? Specific people do it. There's a legendary phrase with which you need to fall asleep and wake up, Не боги горшки обжигают (it is not gods who make pots). Take it and do it. That is, everything is actually much simpler than we imagine, take it, come and do it. You can do it, just do it, only understand what you're doing, and do not love yourself in the process.

I came here not to be public. It's the war that makes you public, because sometimes you need to take on other functions that you would not want to perform in peacetime. And I'm not the only one who took these functions upon myself. Systems will be arranged differently because you specifically came to make a specific mechanism within this system, or a part of the mechanism. You can correct it. It does not mean specifically me, any person if he understands his role, function and place can do it.

42:58 I can't help but ask you about your friendship, if you can call it friendship, with Oleksiy Arestovych, does it interfere with work and how you divide the workspace and the space of human communication? Interesting question. In general, I have a detached attitude towards personal relations. I believe that there are personal relationships, they are important, they are important to me but there are functional relationships that are a priority in terms of the situation that we are in. For me there is a rule, that is, a person should be effective in his place, especially if he's public, he has to be twice as effective, and accordingly there are big requirements for what and how you do in this or that place.

And here friendship is absolutely not a mark for me to criticise harshly enough often. It will of course not happen in public. Because you understand, we all are not ideal, we make mistakes, we may not understand certain processes to the end or deeply understand. It is necessary to correct it, to discuss it. So for me there is no concept, friend or not, if we are discussing functional things, then I am absolutely neutral towards anyone with whom I work because I believe that it does not matter who and what and how in personal relationships. What matters is the fact that the state must obtain competence from you specifically at your workplace and these are completely different processes.

If I need to discuss something with someone in a friendly way, it will be outside of work as such. But if you are at work performing certain functions, please correct mistakes in time, constantly improve your apparatus of thinking from the point of view of understanding the depth of one or other problem, don't love yourself. I always come back to this because people who are really passionate, charismatic, know how to speak well, they at some moment start to love themselves.

I constantly say, look, there is no I, there is us, there is the state. If there is I, then these are separate private projects, go on, you can sell yourself and so on and so forth. But the state needs not 'Oh how cool I am' but it needs you to wake up every morning and do routine work. In the state there is routine. No publicity, no activity, but routine, that is, operational routine. You have to do it because questions always come back in a circle and you have to decide these questions again all the time. It does not happen that you already learned to solve these problems so they should be solved by somebody else.

46:28 A question about your workplace, if you allow. Please excuse me if this is a question that's too personal (he smiles), you often go on air from this office, and you have a lot of books around. Can you tell what kind of books you have and what your workspace is like? Well, here I have a round table at which important discussions are held, here I have a fairly large amount of papers, after all, we have not yet digitalised everything, certain things come that need to be studied, discussed by people in different ministries, departments, they come so that I understand how much we are in one information space, how much we understand issues the same way. The office of the president is a moderation centre first after all, we must understand how the state institutions are really synchronised in terms of understanding a particular task, how they need to be solved.

Of course I have books, the last one on the desk is a multi-volume book about Hryhorii Skovoroda. I periodically have to read important texts, fundamental texts after all, but as a rule I have been using books for a long time in digital form which I buy and use on my iPad because it is much more convenient to just walk around with one little book and be able to read the creative thoughts of the whole world.

Yes, we are here almost all the time, I mean that there are a lot of meetings, interviews to give. Well, I have already somehow used to this, I think it's an important place.

48:07 Is this the amount of information with which you work every day? There is more information every day, not everything is on paper, not everything comes in on one day, because a lot of it comes in digital form right now. My favourite ministry, I can even say directly that it is the ministry of digitalisation, one of the most successful in my opinion and meeting the needs of modern ministers is Mr Федоров, a unique manager on a global level, a person who will draw Ukraine into digital era much faster than other countries, who will make it as comfortable as possible for the exchange of documents and information. So Федоров, in my opinion, believe me, is a person who is a perfectionist in terms of performing his functions. He is not only a man in his right place, he's twice of that and I am very glad that in addition to President Zelenskyy we also have ministers who are unique and with great potential. Федоров is one of them.

49:12 I have a simple question, how do you manage all this? Do you have days off, free time, how much you sleep in a day if it's not a secret. Days off and holidays in principle you can't have. Sometimes I make a pause for an hour or two to read a book. It allows you to switch, by the way, not only some kind of book needed for work but also creative, I mean fictional books, or listen music. Sleep? I have always preferred to sleep very little, 3-5 hours, not more. I do not really need it in terms of rest.

The president is at the workplace all the time, he is constantly in the working mode. He may always require this or that answer to a question, require information, require discussion since he needs to make a decision very quickly. And there are a lot of those. He's an operational president, you know, he not only determines the strategy, he's also an operator who often tries to deeply understand problems. So one needs to be here all the time, update the information in order to be useful as much as possible at your workplace.

51:37 Do you have plans for after the war? What would you like to do when Ukraine wins and when you have the first day off? It's a difficult question. It seems to me that no one can have plans for after the war, but after the war we will have to go through a great internal tragedy, realising how many cool guys paid the highest price for this war. We will have to go to their families, meet them, talk to the children of the dead heroes.

You think about how to conduct effective negotiations. How to effectively explain why Ukraine needs this or that in terms of weapons. Support your people. There's one plan that's very important, Ukraine has to win, Ukraine must endure it, then we will simply walk the streets, meet relatives, meet relatives of those who died, pity each other, cry with each other, talk to each other.

[mesaprotector]

it feels more and more these days that i'm not someone who was meant to thrive.

writing this in a fever-induced haze still under the effects of a couple of doxylamine tablets i took last night to sleep.

it's been seven months since i had a job. i don't really mind working, except that many bosses i have seem to end up angry at me and expect me to read their mind as to why. more likely true the harder i try at a job - when i slack off, people love me. i don't get it.

i have a couple of friends who are so wealthy they will never have to work in their life. another friend, about my age, will eventually have to work. each time we see each other i wonder if they feel as anxious about the future as i do.

of course i also tell myself that what job i have doesn't matter. as long as i live somewhere i have friends to see and a family to take care of (including a partner, but not necessarily children - i'd be very happy as an uncle) - i'd be able to work at anything. and that might be true.

of course having friends and family is an even older unresolvable problem. i do have friends. close friends, temporary acquaintances. they're scattered around the planet and there's no town on earth where i could gather up even a half dozen people for a movie night or a trip to the bar. i miss a lot of the people i used to know. so many of them just fell out of touch with me, and sometimes it was my fault but less and less so the more time goes on.

and if you're reading this, it's very unlikely you have any real empathy for someone who at 30 still doesn't understand romantic love. if your first instinct is "just use a dating app" or "we're all in the same boat" then you might be a lost cause. i'll try to help you, though.

imagine being born deaf, and reading that music and rhythm are the soul of human feeling, the way people celebrated and grieved since a time before time.

imagine being born blind, and hearing that there's a world of meaning in seeing a brilliant smile, a turbulent sunset, that life is all worth it if only you have those.

imagine being born unable to speak. every word, every cry, every gasp, every note sung a reminder you cannot reciprocate.

it's a little like that, i think. though being myself someone who is not deaf, not blind, and can speak, i could be entirely off the mark. there is a quote somewhere about how americans all view themselves as temporarily embarrassed millionaires. one thing all of the above have in common is that you can start to view OTHER people as temporarily embarrassed millionaires, whose fortunes will inevitably improve, while yours won't.

most mainstream stories are about such "relatable" people, who will bitterly complain when they are briefly made to struggle but always end the story with hearing, with sight, with speech, and with romance.

of course i'm just failing to cope. people are born every day with every kind of disadvantage and still end up fulfilled. meanwhile i'm letting myself avoid applying for a new job and avoid becoming a better person and avoid. avoid. avoid.

because if i stop avoiding it all i might be faced with the reality that all of my problems were solvable all along, and that the horrible corny advice people gave me at age 17 (the year i began this blog) would've fixed it all if i'd just tried the tiniest bit.

and that the very normal people i envy so much are just people who managed that minimum of effort. maybe that's what i should've done at work too! tried a tiny bit. try too much and you remind successful people that their success is nothing to be proud of.

i don't know. i hope this illness lasts three days rather than three weeks. i could try to type a followup when it's all over, but what will be my excuse for being negative then? i need to find one. avoid. avoid.

avoid.

[aressida]

Old entry: My entry: "You have the power to decide." - Aressida. 12.11.19.

I do find it difficult to see with all of the missing people that vanished, faced off the Earth, and it is scary to know that more than some investigations and all we say, “Why does not anyone care? Why did no one doing anything about it?”

I look into the correct question. Supposedly is we should look at ourselves and begin to ask of this, “Why do not we care?” We need to take accountability, starts taking responsibility, and not to blame people anymore.

It aches to see that not one human being has stood up to help another human being.

Why cannot you look at yourselves and think this, “What type of people that we as a human being become?” We need to remember we are responsible for what have us ourselves have become and no one else’s.

I watch how we all solely rely on, our government who poisons us every day. Unfortunate your most trusted System are crooks, and it is a hard truth pill to swallow, it is insane to realise that some politicians who secretly runs these type of child trafficking, money laundering, and much much sinister stuff.

We need to get out of our surrounding from this deception, and it is one of the reasons why we could not properly possess a stronger ‘Free Will’ and our very own sovereignty powers. We do not belong to the government or anyone else’s. This is why we fight. We truly do not want anyone who is enslaved to the System.

Is it not our job to help another human being?

When you can and remember you are your own hero of your story.

For the deception to be complete, you must hold nothing back. A prison will birth a beast out of a man. Like if you were born in prison you will not be able to recognise how many years it has been, and as they begin to learned to lie, to cheat, to harm and do things on others before someone else would do to any of us. Their logic: To survive, by any means.

Torn apart by hatred between the races. And as a result, the world is in chaos. Why do we must harden ourselves against the weak and the sentimental?

Just to see for what they are? Why are we becoming repellant? Do you remember what is it to be loved? To be recognised and to be seen? If you think one day, you’d understand?

They must harden themselves against the weak and sentimental, and see these things for what they are.

What is it to be loved? To be seen. To be recognised. To feel no longer alone.

You need to be that you insure yourself to what you find repellent. I believe it is a good time to find your beauty in humanity. You can learn to love on command: Sweet, sentimental, maintaining control. Unconditional love.

Do not forget: You have the power to decide. Realize what you have not before.

Life is each moment, not what happened to you, not what could happen to you. The analysis of yourself right now, of your feelings, of your thinking, of the true reasons you do this and that.

If you desire something, why do you desire it? Why do you react the way you react? Does it make sense?

How are that belief, opinion, and personal philosophy actually helping you become a better human being?

Just because your society, billions of people around the world, and even your close loved ones do something, follow some tradition, belong to a religion, think one way, and have behaved a certain way in the past or for a long time, it does not mean you have to follow this as well.

Many people are trapped by their own ignorance. I cannot stand watching those ignorant people acting on beliefs that are obviously false and ridiculous. But are we so different in our country? I feel that Social Media and Mainstream Media has accelerated the consequences of our failure to live up to this standard.

Wake up from your slumber. Realize your own psychological programs. Your genetic material does not tell you who you are.

Can you take time each day to truly see this?

I believe when there are just too many coincidences, there is a contrivance somewhere behind them. These coincidences belong in the ‘too good to be true’ category. Observe yourself in the way you think about something, in the way you feel and behave, in the way you follow a desire and ‘obsess’ about it.

You need to try and step away from the crowd mentality and realize what you have not before. What would you do if you could see something no one else could see?

It seems like the world has stop at nothing to destroy each other. And it is like this because that is how it is always been, and always will be. I do not think that we will remember why we are even fighting.

I suggest you not to jump to your conclusions, and start criticizing me before factor in every damn thing under the sun on this planet and also elsewhere if anyone is seriously interested in seeking Knowledge. -> But only if you are fired up by hunger for seeking knowledge.

Everyone exists within each others observation. Every person is a spiritual being on their own personal path of spiritual growth and discovery.

There is no separate reality. Perceptions may differ with observations from person to person, but what happens in my world also happens in your world.

This way we can all acknowledge each other’s existence as fellow sentient beings.

My understanding is that love is not something which absolves or allows evil. Sometimes love is not nice, or kind. We love, but we do not excuse those we love their faults. Love is a welcome to walk away from evil, from hatred, from hurt.

Unconditional love does not mean that love is blind. We are called to love even those who hurt us, but that does not mean we want them to continue hurting us. We must strive for justice to show love. We must struggle against evil terrible plans in whatever way we can.

And we must love one another, not as a feeling, but as an action.

[lets-talk-spirituality]

I'm struggling with going and living in abroad eu.. and it's literally impossible for me but I know I'm meant to go like my whole life and where I live I cannot do it anymore and nothing to do anymore here I've been born in wrong place and more but I wanna bother and spill lots of the issues here rn you know .. soo can I ask a reading on this based on this topic without telling or asking much because I will have and gonna ask my questions later with your reading please if it will be okay to ask more after 🥺 thank you 😭😕 - Leo sun and rising and cancer moon is my big three (I saw people do it idk if will it help but 🙈)

What immediately came to mind is that what you think so strongly that you want is connected to the past version of you that first wanted it. Let me unpack that. Sometimes we hold onto wants we first wanted years ago and we’re afraid to let them go and discover what the current or even future version of us wants. Because we’ve made this desire part of our self identity. You identify as a person who wants to move to Europe and it’s part of your self perception that you were meant to be born somewhere else and that you’re meant to go there. But what if that is you refusing to accept that where you were born is exactly where you were meant to be born and where you are is exactly where you’re meant to be. Are you using your dream of moving to Europe to avoid the truth of where you are? Are you escaping from your present? What do you think is in Europe that isn’t where you are and how can you bring that to where you are?

Usually we envision when we move somewhere we will become a different person but you can become that person now. It’s natural as you evolve and grow for your wants to change. And if you are still living out of sync with your authenticity, what you want may be coming from a less than authentic place. I never wanted to move to Hawai’i. I would’ve never wanted that for myself. But it’s so deeply where I’m meant to be right now. You can’t manifest what you don’t know exists! What if what the universe wants for you is more than you can even imagine but by you doggedly holding onto the belief that you are meant to go there, you are blocking the universe from giving you something that actually would ultimately be better suited for you? You know the saying rejection is divine protection. Well that also has to do with things in life not working out. It fucking sucks and hurts but years later you see why it had to be that way. I felt that way about not being able to finish my education in California.

What you’re being asked to do is accept what is and work with what you have to create what you envision your life being, bring it into being. If you want to go to Italy because the fantasy is that you try all these cool espresso shops, you can bring that energy into the present by going to cool coffee shops where you are, or learning how to brew your own espresso. This is how you jump timelines like I mentioned in a longer post.

I’m not saying you aren’t meant to move to Europe but I’m saying that you are blocking it by holding so deeply to these beliefs that you created from a different version of yourself and that until you can bring the energy of who you think Europe will shape you to be nto the current moment, it’s going to be a struggle. The belief that things have to be hard is just that, a belief. With Hawai’i for example, it moved so fast and easily. I applied in middle of June was called back late June, interviewed in July, got the position in July and moved in August. Everything was provided for me. It was like a domino effect, everything just worked out step after step. Sometimes with sheer willpower you can make things happen but when you live in universal flow, things flow. Looking back the universe gave me signs for months but I was holding so deeply to this other idea of where I would move that I didn’t even recognize the signs until Hawai’i was in front of my face. I wonder what your focused vision on moving to Europe is causing you to miss.

[schaeffmysteries]

Imagine that it is October 7th, 1970. You are at a wooded area located by Long Point Road and Circle Drive in Pasadena, Maryland.

You are working. It is dark, but you have to work to support yourself. The land owners relied on you to cut the wood of the trees there for their benefit. You may love or hate your job, but it has to get done by someone. You needed the money. You had bills. Or maybe this was the only thing you knew how to do. Maybe it was a hobby.

Maybe you have a lot of friends or maybe you do not. Maybe you work too much to spend time with them, but you do have someone who knows you.

Someone who would care if you disappeared or were murdered. It was those people that you worked hard for. It was for those people that you got the money for.

Now imagine all those other nights, you were able to get your job finished without incident.

But October 7th was different. Tonight something wasn’t right. The air felt different. Maybe it felt too hot that night or maybe it was colder. Halloween was coming at the end of the month and the weather was getting colder. It wouldn’t snow though. It usually never did.

You felt it but you had to go to work. Maybe you were there so late because you had another job somewhere that forced you to be there so late. Maybe you could only work at night because of your family obligations. Maybe it took you until 10:40pm to get the work done.

But either way, tonight you were at that wooded area. You maybe heard a noise, something within the woods made you go back to your truck. Or maybe you were going back home for the night.

But you wouldn’t arrive back home that night.

A pain so fierce shot through you.

Was it quick?

Was it painless?

Did you fall to the ground next to the truck dead on impact to be found?

Or did your murderer leave you to suffer and die lying on the ground next to your truck?

Or did your murderer kill you somewhere else and drag your body to lie beside your truck for someone to find?

Could your murderer have been the landowner? Perhaps he was upset about your rate.

Could your murderer have been an enemy who wanted the job but was denied because your rate and service were better?

Could your murderer have been a stalker that knew your route and decided that if they couldn’t have you no one would?

Could your murderer have been your significant other’s ex-partner?

A jealous ex?

Could your murderer have been your ex, angry because you left them for someone else?

Could your murderer have been your friend?

Did you know them?

You cannot tell me because I wasn’t born in 1970. I was born in 1992, twenty-two years later.

You are Raymond Franklin Randall and you were 24 years old when you were killed. Your case went cold. You have a family that deserves answers and I am hoping I can help you and your family get those answers that they deserve.

But I am here now to tell your story. Because right now, we have technology which everyone uses whether they like it or not.

If anyone reading your story has any tips, please call the Anne Arundel County Police Tip Line at 410-222-4700.